General
Eko Atlantic City to Have Over 200,000 Trees—Developer
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The developer and planner of the famous Eko Atlantic City in Lagos State, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, has said the city would be environmentally friendly.
According to him, this would be achieved by planting more than 200,000 trees of different varieties and sizes across the city, while the area would boast of energy-efficient building materials where possible as well as well-planned roads and infrastructure.
“Alongside our commitment to planting trees, developers in the city are currently looking to implement solar power for their buildings which will increase the use of renewable energy in the city.
“We are also constantly looking out for the latest technologies and techniques to further improve energy and resource efficiency within the city.
“Some of these include smart buildings, efficient energy storage, and smart monitoring. We believe that we will achieve greater levels of energy efficiency as the city continues to develop,” the Vice Chairman of Eko Atlantic, Mrs Ronald Chagoury Jr, said in commemoration of the 2021 Earth Day.
In a statement, South Energyx Nigeria at least 30 varieties of trees and plants are grown in the company’s 45,000 sqm nursery in Eko Akete, which are then transplanted to Eko Atlantic City once they are ready.
The firm assured that all roads in the city are lined with trees and shrubs, providing cleaner air and improving environmental quality.
The streets are also lined with LED streetlights which consume considerably less energy than regular sodium lamps. This way, the city’s developers balance both the need for quality infrastructure and environmental preservation, it further said.
Recall that in January 2020, Alpha1, the first office tower in the city, became the first building to be EDGE-certified by the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group.
EDGE stands for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency. It is issued to developers and buildings that have identified the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy use, water use and embodied energy in materials. Research shows that green buildings use up to 30 per cent less energy than conventional buildings.
In line with this green commitment, the roads in Eko Atlantic City are built with concrete blocks instead of asphalt. Because of their light colour, the concrete blocks absorb less heat from the sun when compared to asphalt. This lowers the overall core temperature of the city.
Eko Atlantic City also has roundabouts instead of four-way intersections. Studies show that roundabouts ensure safer and more efficient traffic flow.
Also vital to traffic management is the city’s prohibition of street parking by providing basement parking for several developments. This ultimately reduces the number of cars on the road and minimises carbon emission from idle vehicles in traffic.
Upon completion, Eko Atlantic City will be home to approximately 300,000 residents and 250,000 commuters, who will also enjoy environmentally-friendly means of transportation as the technology continues to develop.
With its Green City Commitment, Eko Atlantic sets the environmental standard for new emerging cities worldwide and contributes to a cleaner, healthier, and more environmentally friendly Lagos.
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.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No doubt, moving money among African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles.
To solve this issue and drive the development of stablecoin-enabled payment services for businesses across the continent, Onafriq has joined forces with a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, Privy.
The collaboration will enable Onafriq to create and manage embedded digital asset solutions for its partners and, in time, institutional clients where regulation allows. The initial phase focuses on cross-chain stablecoin transfers and treasury and settlement workflows, creating the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.
Integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables Onafriq to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.
This partnership is a key component of Onafriq’s broader strategy to modernise pan-African payment infrastructure, enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.
The outcome will support a range of future institutional use cases, including stablecoin-enabled settlement, treasury management and liquidity services, as it reflects Onafriq’s commitment to driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda by investing in technologies that make financial services more efficient, connected and accessible.
It was gathered that Onafriq selected Privy for its enterprise-grade infrastructure to enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into its products, subject to regulatory approval, and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology.
“At Onafriq, we keep investing in technology that makes payments faster and more accessible. Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management. As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks,” the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq,” Mr Luke Kyohere, said.
The chief executive of Privy, Mr Henri Stern, said, “Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement. Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Osun State Government has announced plans to institute legal action against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following an alleged freezing of the state’s bank account, describing the action as unlawful and capable of disrupting governance.
The Governor of the state, Mr Ademola Adeleke, through the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwole Jimi-Bada, made this disclosure on Wednesday.
According to the statement, Governor Adeleke has directed him to challenge the anti-graft agency’s decision at the Federal High Court.
It was widely reported that the anti-graft agency issued a “Post No Debit” directive to the management of First Bank, where the state’s accounts are domiciled, effectively restricting transactions.
He argued that while the commission has the authority to investigate financial records, it cannot freeze a state government’s accounts without first obtaining a court order.
“I have the mandate of the governor to proceed to the Federal High Court to challenge this move. EFCC can investigate the accounts, but it can’t freeze the accounts without an order of court.
“This step will affect government running, but we will challenge the move and ensure that the agency acts within the ambit of the law,” Mr Jimi-Bada said.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Sola Ogungbile, alleged that police officers stormed the main branch of First Bank in Osogbo and arrested some members of the bank’s staff.
Mr Ogungbile maintained that Governor Adeleke was not deploying state resources for his re-election campaign and urged the EFCC to consider the potential impact of its actions on public services and the welfare of residents.
Governor Adeleke had earlier raised concerns over an alleged plan by the EFCC to freeze all Osun State Government accounts, including those of senior government officials.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Kolapo Alimi, the governor described the reported move as unlawful and politically motivated.
He alleged that the planned freezing of the accounts was intended to cripple government operations ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Governor Adeleke further insisted that there was no legal justification for freezing the state’s accounts, arguing that the EFCC lacks the authority to take such action against a state government without due legal process.
The EFCC had not issued an official response to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
