General
Dilapidated Facilities at Orientation Camps Worry NYSC Boss
By Dipo Olowookere
The poor state of facilities at various orientation camps across the country is giving Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, something to worry about.
Mr Kazaure lamented that facilities in many of the orientation camps were nothing to write home about and urged the state governments to support the corps.
Speaking at the opening of the 2018 Batch ‘A’ Pre-orientation Workshop, held in Ibadan, on Wednesday, the NYSC boss commended the Oyo State government for its continued support for the NYSC through the provision of standard orientation camp, located in Iseyin, and its routine maintenance.
He stressed that the provision of an enabling environment for the operations of the scheme in the state was commendable, pointing out that the law establishing the NYSC scheme placed the responsibility of provision and maintenance of orientation camps on state governments.
The NYSC boss therefore reiterated his call on stakeholders to live up to their statutory responsibility through provision of necessary facilities at orientation camps so as to make the scheme more effective.
“Permit me to use this occasion to remind all stakeholders that the law establishing the NYSC scheme places the responsibility of provision and maintenance of orientation camps with the state governments.
“On this note, I wish to reiterate our call on them to live up to this statutory responsibility. This call has become necessary in view of the dilapidated state of the facilities in many orientation camps,” Mr Kazaure said.
The DG said that the workshop, with the theme: “Achieving the NYSC mandate through an effective orientation course,” was aimed at evaluating previous orientation exercises with a view to mapping out strategies for the successful conduct of the forthcoming one.
He added that the workshop would set the tone for the 2018 Batch ‘A’ orientation course, through the formulation of policies and operational guidelines for all players involved in the conduct of the exercise.
Declaring the workshop open, Oyo State Governor, Mr Abiola Ajimobi, acknowledged the pivotal role of orientation exercise in igniting the interest of corps members to render service to their fatherland, being their first point of contact to the scheme.
Represented by his Deputy, Mr Moses Alake-Adeyemo, the Governor described the idea of holding periodic review of the NYSC programmes as a step in the right direction.
As a keen watcher of the scheme, Mr Ajimobi expressed happiness that NYSC had continued to live up to the dreams of its founding fathers by grooming youth in the service of the fatherland.
“I am delighted to equally note that the present management of the scheme has made giant strides in making the scheme respond to the dynamics of the society.
“I, therefore, call on the management to consolidate on the many operational innovations it had started.
“Pursuant to the desire of the Oyo State Government to enable the scheme actualize its lofty objectives, we have stepped up efforts geared towards improving the welfare of corps members serving in the state,” the Governor said.
These, he said, included the payment of the corps members’ monthly allowances and provision of necessary assistance to the secretariats for the smooth conduct of orientation courses, among other gestures.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
