General
CAC Moves to Remove Nigeria from FAFT Grey List
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has inaugurated a Beneficiary Ownership Register (BOR) aimed at removing Nigeria from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The Registrar-General of CAC, Mr Garba Abubakar, made this disclosure at a workshop on the use of BOR organised by the commission in Lagos on Wednesday.
BOR allows anyone with a stake of five per cent or more in a legal entity or corporation to disclose such to CAC through the company where it is domiciled.
Business Post reports that FATF, an intergovernmental policy-making body that seeks to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, placed Nigeria on its grey list of the global watchdog for money laundering and terrorist financing earlier this year.
Mr Abubakar, however, said that the placement of Nigeria on the FATF grey list meant the country stood the risk of losing investors.
The CAC boss explained that the new BOR initiative had a legal framework aimed at curbing money laundering and illicit financial flows carried out using corporate companies.
He said the BOR which was launched on May 25, asides from closing gaps, would help Nigeria exit the FATF grey list.
According to him, it will also try to make information about beneficial owners available to aid investigations and work.
Mr Abubakar noted that the concept of the BOR disclosure would also support some provisions in the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.
He said: “To know who may control a company, you may need to lift some veils, and we must know how most procurements and processes are carried out using corporate companies.
“It is only proper for attention to be focused on companies, and this BOR is the legal framework to support that to promote an open and transparent register of beneficial ownership.
“Stakeholders agreed that CAC should drive the process for beneficial ownership implementation and provisions were included in CAMA to support the disclosure.
“By the provision of Section 119 of CAMA, if you control up to five per cent of shares or control any influence or have any trust arrangement whether registered or not, you have to disclose to the company within 30 days.
He also noted that the company discloses to the CAC within seven days of disclosure.
“Dynamics like disclosing any form of political affiliation is critical to ascertaining if there is any sort of connection to the business.
“All these and more are the gaps we need to close to satisfy the requirements of FATF, and we would continue to map out strategies to address these concerns,” he said.
Mr Abubakar said that with the BOR, lawyers, government agencies, and civil societies doing investigative reports, do not need to write to the commission before they could get information on the beneficiary ownership register.
He added that there was an application that allowed for system integration to check and was available publicly.
The registrar-general, however, said there was a level of safeguard for some levels of private information and the consequences of making such information available.
Mr Abubakar said the commission was committed to giving the general public the best of services and would continue to improve to meet their needs.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, has inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the abduction of students and teachers from Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The governor formally inaugurated the commission at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Speaking at the event, Governor Makinde said that although the successful rescue of the victims brought relief to the state, it did not provide complete closure.
He explained that the decision to set up an independent commission was not intended to undermine the efforts of security agencies but to ensure that every question surrounding the incident is thoroughly addressed and lessons are learnt to prevent a recurrence.
He charged members of the commission to conduct a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based investigation, assuring them of the state government’s full support. He also called on individuals and relevant institutions to cooperate fully with the panel.
Speaking on behalf of the commission, its chairman, Professor Mojeed Owoade, pledged that members would carry out the assignment with integrity, professionalism, and fairness. He added that the panel would seek an extension if necessary to complete its work.
Governor Makinde gave the commission four weeks to submit its report.
Earlier this month, the pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State regained their freedom after 56 days in captivity.
According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, eight of the kidnappers had been arrested, but the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 23 sentenced three suspects in the abduction to life imprisonment.
According to the court, the sentencing of Mr Abdulrazak Umar, known under the alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid; Mr Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Mr Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar, will start from the date of their arrest.
Before their sentencing by Justice Salim Ibrahim, counsel for the defendants pleaded with the court to sentence them on liberal terms, adding that they were first-time offenders and had pleaded guilty.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Two Chinese, Mr Zhang Hong Lin and Mr Gao Pei Hai, have been convicted and sentenced by Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for conspiracy and the illegal mining of solid minerals.
They were both found guilty on all five counts levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sentenced each to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a N50 million fine covering all five counts.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the mineral resources recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The defendants were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession of mineral resources intended for export without lawful authority.
“That you, Zhang Hong Lin, Gao Pei Hai, and Gao Pei Yu (currently at large), sometime in 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired among yourselves, with the intent to defraud the Federal Government of Nigeria of revenue accruing therefrom, and without the permission of the appropriate authority, engaged in the exportation of mica products, copper-bearing, and lithium-bearing mineral resources out of Nigeria, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1(8)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983, and punishable under Section 8 of the same Act,” one of the charges read.
The defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them, with the prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, calling the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who reviewed the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before the court.
After presenting the evidence, Kofarnaisa urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in line with the charges.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at improving the generation, validation, sharing and analysis of agricultural data to support evidence-based financing, policymaking and investment in the country’s agricultural sector.
The agreement was signed on Thursday at the NADF headquarters in Abuja, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership designed to strengthen the quality and use of agricultural statistics for planning, programme implementation and impact assessment.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the chief executive of NADF, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, described reliable data as the foundation of effective agricultural development, saying the partnership would enable the fund to make better-informed investment decisions and deliver more impactful interventions across the country’s agricultural value chain.
He noted that although NADF was established by an Act of Parliament in 2022, the Fund has continued to build strategic partnerships that will enhance the delivery of its mandate.
According to him, the collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics comes at a critical time as the Fund expands its support for agricultural financing, research, donor coordination and sub-national agricultural development.
“Data is our chief enabler. We want every intervention and every investment we make to be guided by credible evidence. Working with the National Bureau of Statistics will strengthen our ability to design programmes that respond to real needs and deliver measurable results,” Mr Ibrahim said.
On his part, the Statistician-General of the Federation and chief executive of NBS, Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, said the agreement represents a practical commitment by both institutions to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural sector through better statistics and closer institutional collaboration.
He explained that the partnership would create a common framework for agricultural data exchange, validation and harmonisation, ensuring that policymakers and investors have access to reliable information.
“Agriculture deserves better data, and together we intend to build it. Reliable statistics remain the foundation of good governance, sound planning and effective investment,” Mr Adeniran said.
He added that the partnership would improve monitoring of agricultural programmes, support investment decisions and contribute to national food security by ensuring that critical decisions are driven by evidence rather than assumptions.
The Statistician-General also assured stakeholders that both organisations would maintain the highest standards of data governance and confidentiality throughout the implementation of the agreement.
He commended NADF for its growing role in agricultural development and expressed confidence that the partnership would deliver tangible benefits for farmers, policymakers and investors.
Also speaking, a representative of NADF’s Partnership and Investor Relations Department, Mr Nasir Ingawa, described the signing of the MoU as the culmination of a productive relationship between the two organisations.
He said the formal partnership would deepen collaboration and ensure that agricultural interventions are supported by credible and fit-for-purpose data.
The ceremony ended with the formal signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by the leadership of both organisations after legal representatives confirmed that the document reflected the agreed terms.
