General
Delta South Will Vote for APC in 2019—Uduaghan
By Dipo Olowookere
The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Mr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has expressed confidence that the people of Delta South Senatorial District will massively vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) next year.
In order not to be left out, Mr Uduaghan, who is the APC candidate for the 2019 Delta South Senatorial election, has tasked both aggrieved and victors of the party’s primaries in Delta State to work for the victory of the APC in the forthcoming general elections.
He assured that President Muhammadu Buhari‘s cult following both at the national and state levels was a good omen for victory provided members have the singular ambition of winning election in the state.
The Delta APC leader and 2019 candidate spoke at an enlarged meeting of Delta South Senatorial District party executive members and candidates, which had in attendance other eminent leaders of the party including the state chairman of the party -Prophet Jones Ode-Erue, state organizing secretary -Sir A.S Mene, Delta South party chairman Mr. Tosan Awani, Dr. Alex Ideh and other LGA leaders of the party in Warri on Sunday.
Dr Uduaghan, while admitting that members had genuine reasons to be aggrieved, posited that what transpired at the primaries was political and was not new to politics but warned that post-primary crisis should not drag into the polls.
He recounted his personal experience in 2007 when he was not cleared.
“I recall that as SSG, my name was not on the list of registered members in my ward. It took me quite a while to rectify that before submitting my gubernatorial form in Abuja. Even after submitting my forms, other aspirants and I were not cleared.
“I did not rock the boat of my former party. I travelled to Abuja that very night to press for my clearance. I faced the appeal panel and did everything within the party to get cleared. It was not a rosy experience but I finally made the cut at the eleventh hour.”
The former governor also alleged that one of the reasons some persons were organizing themselves into the “Aggrieved Association” and threatening to institute legal actions against the party was due to “disrespect for hierarchy and party structure”.
He said, “The strength of any party lies in its structure. Our chairman here said he too has reasons to be aggrieved. Of course, we all do. It is a common knowledge that there is no love lost between Chief Ogboru and I. Today, we are in the same party and he is our gubernatorial candidate. If the two of us can come together, I wonder who can’t make sacrifices in our party’s interest.”
He continued, “Patience to wait for one’s turn, tenacity, humility and ability to be focused are what will guarantee us victory in 2019. Followers have as much responsibilities as leaders of our party in ensuring that we put grievances behind us and work for victory. We must cultivate an election-winning mentality in Delta APC. President Buhari has a cult-like following which we can leverage on to win our state for APC. Forget the grammar the opposition is speaking everywhere in the media, President Buhari has followers amongst the common men and women in the society who are in the majority. Even those in opposition states like ours feel his impact. Please, let us all work for all APC candidates from the presidency down to state assembly positions. Our national chairman and the NWC have tasked us with taking over Delta and that is why we are pleading with everyone to sheath their swords and work with one mind.
On his part, the state chairman of the APC, Prophet Jones Ode-Erue said elections are not won at the state and national levels but at the unit and ward levels. He announced that he was moving to his home in Isoko as part of the party’s resolve to win election. He charged other members to do the same, as well as advising candidates who have the party tickets not to rest on their oars but to see their tickets as an invitation to hard work and contribution to winning election.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has issued a data protection compliance circular to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to promote public trust through data-driven governance.
The compliance directive is contained in Circular No. 59805/S.I/74, dated 27 July 2026, and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr George Akume, according to a statement by the Head, Legal, Enforcement & Regulations, Mr Babatunde Bamigboye.
The initiative forms part of a continuum of regulatory measures that will be vigorously pursued as Nigeria advances towards the decisive frontiers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The circular drew the attention of MDAs to a statement of President Bola Tinubu, where he said: “Data is the new oil”.
Mr Akume then directed all Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies to capture the information rigorously and safeguard it under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act).
The circular also directed MDAs to ensure full compliance with the NDP Act, Regulations, Guidelines, and Directives issued by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in relation to the processing of personal data.
To this end, the Circular directs MDAs to, designate suitably qualified officers as Data Protection Officers (DPOs) to oversee data protection compliance and advise management on all matters relating to the lawful processing of personal data, ensure that the names and contact details of their designated DPOs are communicated to the NDPC for registration and official records; engage licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs), where required, to facilitate compliance with the NDP Act and support the conduct of statutory compliance audits.
It also directed them to provide adequate budgetary allocation for data protection compliance activities, including capacity building, awareness programmes, deployment of appropriate technical safeguards, and periodic compliance audits; and submit all mandatory Data Protection Compliance Audit Returns and other statutory returns to the NDPC within the timelines prescribed by law.
The circular further states that “Permanent Secretaries, Accounting Officers and Chief Executive Officers of all MDAs shall be personally responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with the Circular and the provisions of the NDP Act.”
The National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Mr Vincent Olatunji, expressed the commission’s commitment to supporting data-driven governance.
Mr Olatunji maintained that data accountability is pivotal to achieving the eight Presidential Priorities. To provide full technical support to MDAs for the purpose of achieving compliance, the commission has constituted a regulatory clinic.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Yellow Card, a global stablecoin infrastructure provider, has raised $40 million in a strategic funding round to accelerate its international expansion and strengthen its digital payment infrastructure.
The funding round attracted investments from SC Ventures, the innovation and investment arm of Standard Chartered, Sony Innovation Fund, Polychain Capital, Blockchain Capital, and other strategic investors. With the latest raise, Yellow Card’s total equity financing has now exceeded $120 million.
The company said the fresh capital will be used to scale its Global US Dollar Accounts, an end-to-end dollar account designed for businesses, while expanding the stablecoin payment rails that connect businesses to markets around the world.
Yellow Card’s chief executive, Mr Chris Maurice, described the investment as a strong endorsement of the company’s long-term vision, noting that the company has spent years building infrastructure that allows businesses to move money globally without relying on traditional correspondent banking systems.
He added that the next phase of growth will focus on helping banks connect directly to stablecoin payment rails, enabling faster and more efficient cross-border transactions while expanding access to US Dollar services for businesses.
SC Ventures chief executive, Mr Alex Manson, said stablecoins are becoming an important part of global payments, but noted that widespread adoption will depend on reliable infrastructure and practical use cases.
He said Yellow Card has built the payment rails businesses across Africa need to move money efficiently across borders and expressed confidence in the company’s ability to expand both within Africa and internationally.
The investment also marks growing interest from global institutions in stablecoin-based payments. Sony Innovation Fund said its backing reflects confidence in Yellow Card’s ability to build digital payment infrastructure for emerging markets.
Mr Austin Noronha, Managing Director at Sony Ventures-US, said the company believes Yellow Card is creating the technology needed to help banks, financial technology firms and enterprises move money faster and more securely.
He added that the company looks forward to supporting Yellow Card as it expands beyond Africa into Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Yellow Card said the funding will also support the wider rollout of its Global USD Accounts, which allow businesses to hold U.S. dollars, manage treasury operations, swap stablecoins, and collect or make payments in local currencies across more than 50 countries.
The company noted that the platform is already being used by major customers, including Visa and Western Union.
Founded to simplify cross-border payments through digital assets, Yellow Card has processed more than $10 billion in transactions across its network. The company supports over 50 currencies and holds licences, authorisations and registrations in 22 jurisdictions across North America, Europe and Africa.
Yellow Card has also established strategic partnerships with global payment companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Coinbase as it positions itself as a key infrastructure provider for international digital payments.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved a $4.5 billion arrangement for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited aimed at strengthening the country’s external reserves and freeing up funds for infrastructure.
This is part of the refinancing of the $3.3 billion Project Gazelle Pre-Export Finance Facility through a new $4.5 billion facility named “Project Gazelle 2”.
The approval allows NNPC Limited to refinance the outstanding balance of approximately $1.5 billion under the original 2023 facility, while unlocking an additional $3 billion in liquidity to strengthen the country’s external reserves and support ongoing fiscal and infrastructure priorities of the government.
NEC’s approval followed a presentation by the Minister of Finance, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which was presented by the Chairman of the Council, Vice President Kashim Shettima, underscoring the importance of the project.
NEC observed the significance of unlocking additional liquidity to the federation, among other benefits, pledging its support for the actualisation of the initiative.
The Finance Minister explained that the refinancing has been structured on more favourable terms than the original facility, including a reduction in the volume of pledged crude oil from 90,000 barrels of oil per day to approximately 78,750 barrels of oil per day – a 12.5 per cent reduction.
He noted that under the new arrangement, an additional 11,250 barrels of oil per day for the federation will be released, while there will be a reduction in the pledged crude volumes by the state oil company.
Mr Oyedele added that while accessing additional liquidity on improved terms, the arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures.
“The arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures,” he said.
VP Shettima called for a responsive, scalable, and data-driven social protection policy to tackle multidimensional poverty in Nigeria.
According to Mr Shettima, government policies are often heard before they are seen, speak through the price of food, condition of hospitals, records in schools, strain on families, the confidence of those who invest their labour in the nation’s future, and, very importantly, the ambitions of state governments.
He implored members of Council to ensure that every decision they make assure the citizens “that their government is paying attention to the pulse of the nation and is resolved to respond with competence, compassion and purpose.”
