General
CAMA 2020 Will Regulate, Not Control Churches, Others—Oyedele
By Dipo Olowookere
The Head of Tax and Corporate Advisory Services at PwC Nigeria, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has said the aim of the controversial Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA 2020) especially concerning non-profit organisations, including religious bodies, is to regulate their activities and not to control them as it is being pushed.
The CAMA 2020, which was signed into law recently but is yet to be gazetted, has generated controversies from different quarters, especially from church leaders, who claimed that the law was aimed at controlling the affairs of churches.
Many respected Christian leaders have spoken on the matter, including the founder of Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, who said one of the contending issues was the power given to the registrar general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or the supervising minister to tamper with the board of trustee of a charity organisation.
Under CAMA 2020, the commission may by order, suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs where it reasonably believes that there has been any misconduct or mismanagement, or where the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently or where it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of public interest.
But Mr Oyedepo stressed that no government can change the composition of his church’s board, while the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said the law was an attempt to wage a war against the church in the country.
A few days ago, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, was at the Presidential Villa in Abuja for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and it was speculated in some quarters that the respected cleric may have gone there because of the controversial law.
After his meeting with Mr Buhari, the RCCG leader declined to address some anxious journalists waiting for him outside.
On Wednesday, September 2, 2020, PwC organised a capability enhancement workshop for journalists and one of the speakers, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, spoke on the new CAMA 2020 law.
He pointed out that the law was not intended to control charity organisations, which religious bodies belong, but mainly to regulate their activities.
He said it was normal for any responsible government to regulate activities of any organisation that collects funds from members of the public, who must be protected.
Mr Oyedele also said the new law was the most important business regulation in Nigeria especially as it has a significant impact on doing business, competitiveness, attracting investments, and economic growth.
However, he stressed the need to gazette the CAMA 2020 with a future commencement date to facilitate ease of transition while emphasising the importance of effective implementation.
He noted the need to harmonise CAMA with other laws such as the Companies Income Tax Act which still requires audited accounts by all companies regardless of size.
In addition, more flexibility is required for foreign companies who wish to operate a business in Nigeria such that a branch registration should be permitted while incorporating a subsidiary will be optional, he posited.
According to the tax expert, it is also necessary to ensure that the new law is kept under constant review with more frequent amendments or re-enactment say every five years.
Also speaking at the event attended by over 100 financial journalists, including from Business Post, the Editor-in-Chief at Stears Business, Mr Tokunbo Afikuyomi Jr, highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on news consumption patterns and what this means for the fortunes of journalists and their media houses.
He noted that in times of uncertainty, trustworthy reporting becomes even more important than the speed to break the news, noting that with the shift to digital platforms by consumers, reporters must balance the rush to be the first to publish with providing factual information written from a unique angle that adds value to the readers. He also emphasised the need for clarity of thoughts and clarity of expression for excellent reporting.
On his part, the Partner and Chief Economist at PwC Nigeria, Mr Andrew Nevin, tasked business journalists to add more value to their reporting.
He lamented reproduction of economic data from agencies without providing sufficient context or insights, urging reporters to track key metrics such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other policy pronouncements of governments which they can use to benchmark their analysis of NBS statistics and enrich their general reporting on the economy.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
On Monday, January 26, 2026, President Bola Tinubu will leave Abuja for Türkiye for a state visit aimed at “strengthening the existing cordial relations between the two countries and exploring further areas of cooperation in security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation.”
This is according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
The president’s spokesman disclosed that the visit is to reciprocate an official two-day visit of Turkish President, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Nigeria on October 19, 2021.
Mr Tinubu, according to the statement, will be going to European nation along with other senior government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yusuf Tuggar; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); the Minister of Defence, Mr Christopher Musa; and the chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Mr Jimi Benson.
Others on the entourage of the president are the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Ms Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Minister of Culture and Creative Economy, Ms Hannatu Musawa; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Mohammed Mohammed.
During the visit, both countries will engage in strategic political and diplomatic discussions on shared values in finance, communication, trade and investment.
The agenda will include meetings between high-ranking officials of both nations and the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation and protocol, among others.
A business forum will bring together investors from both countries to explore areas of interest during the visit, with Mr Tinubu expected to return to Nigeria afterwards.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 120 malnourished children in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have been given nutritional support, medical screening, and caregiver education.
This was made possible through an initiative known as the Project BLOOM (Bringing Life to Our Overlooked Minors) put together by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc in partnership with the Lagos State government and the Health Emergency Initiative (HEI).
NGX Group staff volunteers worked alongside Lagos State health workers and HEI facilitators during the outreach, assisting with screenings and data recording. Structured follow-up visits are scheduled after four weeks to monitor recovery and provide extended care where necessary.
The Alimosho programme was the third under the initiative. The beneficiaries were hosted at the Lagos State Health District I.
Earlier, the initiative benefitted residents of Yaba and Ajegunle. Over 320 children and 300 caregivers were reached, with monitoring data showing that more than 50 per cent of beneficiaries in the first two phases entered recovery.
The chief executive of NGX Group, Mr Temi Popoola, linked the initiative to broader economic resilience, saying, “Sustainable capital markets are built on strong social foundations. The recovery rates we see with Project BLOOM prove that targeted, collaborative action between the public sector, civil society, and the private sector can deliver tangible impact.”
Also, the Executive Director of HEI, Achunine Pascal, said child malnutrition remains a major contributor to under-five mortality in Nigeria, adding that Project BLOOM is designed to go beyond immediate food support through structured follow-up and continued care.
On his part, the chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Mr Akinpelu Ibrahim Johnson, said the initiative supports the council’s long-term strategy for improving child nutrition through early detection, prevention, and effective management of malnutrition.
Representing the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Health District I, Dr. Solomon Adeyanju commended NGX Group for its commitment to child health, describing Project BLOOM as a valuable complement to the state’s primary healthcare efforts.
With additional outreaches planned, the partners reaffirmed their commitment to reducing preventable child mortality while strengthening the social foundations required for sustainable economic growth.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their failure to account for an alleged missing N128 billion public funds.
The group in a statement on Sunday by its Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, said the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/143/2026, was filed last Friday following allegations contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s report published on September 9, 2025.
In the lawsuit, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus compelling Mr Adelabu and NBET to account for what it described as “the missing or diverted N128bn from the Ministry of Power and NBET.”
The organisation is also asking the court to direct the defendants to disclose “details of how the missing or diverted N128bn was spent, including the dates of disbursement and the purported beneficiaries or contractors who received the money.”
SERAP further urged the court to compel the disclosure of “the full names, official designations and offices of all public officers who authorised, approved or otherwise participated in the release of the missing or diverted N128bn.”
According to the group, Nigerians have continued to suffer the consequences of corruption in the electricity sector, particularly amid recurring grid collapses and erratic power supply.
“Nigerians continue to pay the price for the widespread and grand corruption in the power sector,” the group said, adding that “there is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations,” arguing that granting the reliefs sought would help tackle systemic failures in the sector.
“Granting the reliefs sought would contribute to tackling corruption in the power sector and addressing the persistent breakdown of transmission lines in the country, as well as improving access of Nigerians to regular and uninterrupted electricity supply,” it stated.
The group further warned that corruption has deepened hardship for electricity consumers, noting that “ordinary Nigerians continue to pay the price for corruption in the electricity sector—staying in darkness, but still made to pay crazy electricity bills.”
The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms Kehinde Oyewumi and Mr Andrew Nwankwo, relied heavily on findings from the Auditor-General’s 2022 audited report, which detailed multiple alleged financial irregularities involving the Ministry of Power and NBET.
The organisation stressed that public institutions are legally bound to ensure transparency, accountability, and the abolition of corrupt practices.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Business Post had reported earlier that Mr Adelabu claimed that the missing money happened prior to his appointment as the minister of power.
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