General
Femi Gbajabiamila, Blessing to Nigeria—Lagos ÁPC Leader
An All Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Lagos State, Mr Adedoyin Adeyinka, has described the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, as a blessing to the country, urging Nigerians to support him to become Speaker in June.
Mr Adeyinka, who spoke on Monday at the 2019 Alaka Children’s Day Celebration in Lagos, praised the member representing Surulere Constituency 1 for meeting the expectations of his constituents.
“Allow me Mr Chairman to state a few general positions. The Face of Alaka 2019 Children’s Day Celebration, Femi Gbajabiamila, is a man of integrity, honour, purpose and foresight. Femi Gbajabiamila is a pride to Nigeria and a living testimony to the unlimited capacity of the black man. Femi Gbajabiamila is Surulere’s gift to the world. He is a Nigerian leader, a national leader. Femi Gbajabiamila knows the basic things. He has the will and the drive. He has the basic understanding of what the people need.”
To Mr Adeyinka, the lawmaker, in his first, second, third and fourth term in the House of Representatives, carved an enviable reputation for himself as a firm, principled and visionary legislator.
“Femi Gbajabiamila contributed greatly to the socio-economic growth of the country. Specifically, the member representing Surulere Constituency 1 in the House of Representatives helped to put the country on the path to socio-economic and political re-discovery. He attracted jobs, political appointments and federal projects to Surulere,” the politician said at the event.
He commended Mr Gbajabiamila for his vision and selfless service to mankind, saying, “Femi Gbajabiamila demonstrated his philanthropic gesture by distributing no fewer than 501 computer tablets to secondary school students, 30 new buses, 25 tricycles and 160 motorcycles to his constituents. He sanitized and stabilized democracy in Nigeria.
“He contributed greatly to the death of the Third Term Debate. He brought governance closer to the people. He improved the quality of education in schools through ICT tools. He established various programmes to improve the lives of his primary constituents.”
He disclosed that Mr Gbajabiamila was named Femi Gbajabiamila the Face of 2019 Alaka Children’s Day celebration because of his outstanding legislative performance and the empowerment of the people.
“Hon Femi Gbajabiamila was chosen because of his achievements in the holistic development of Nigeria, his consistency in the course that seeks to prime humanity to loftier heights and his passion for issues concerning Nigeria. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila was also selected because of his role in community development, capacity building and the invocation of the doctrine of necessity.”
Mr Adeyinka said the former US-based lawyer was voted in 2019 to touch the lives of the wonderful people of Surulere, attract the biggest and the greatest amount of attention to the good people of Surulere and attract the attention of the government to the plight of Nigerians.
He said the 9th Assembly needed seasoned and well trained presiding officers to advance the country’s interests.
“We want a House of Representatives that will consider Bills that will help to give legal backing to many of the reform institutions, structures and programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari led APC administration. We want him to continue to pursue noble goals for the betterment of society and of the whole human race. We want him to promote accountability in governance, basic human needs, steady electricity supply and inter-modal transportation. We want him to encourage good educational system and culture of constitutionalism.”
Mr Adeyinka, a strong supporter of Mr Gbajabiamila, said Nigerians want the representative of Surulere Constituency 1 to ensure the independence of the National Assembly and collaboration among all the arms of government.
“We want him to support the current fight against corruption. We want him to develop the youth and ensure that peace and prosperity reign at all times. We want him to handle the issue of constitution of standing committees. We want him to help build a viable nation and restore public confidence in the National Assembly as an institution.”
The APC leader whose speech was intermittently punctuated with songs of praises said the people want Mr Gbajabiamila to improve the living conditions of Nigerians, provide basic infrastructure and great jobs.
“We want our children go to school. We want him to ensure that the National Assembly responsibility which is law-making is carried out with the best procedure, the best practice. It is in the best interests of Nigerians, home and abroad, to ensure the birth of Gbajabiamila’s speakership in June because nothing else is comparable to it as an effective way of protecting the interests of all.”
Mr Adeyinka, however, complained about those opposing the speakership bid of Mr Gbajabiamila, saying they are not wishing Nigeria well.
“They may actually be wolves in sheep’s skin who want all legacies of the President Muhammadu Buhari led APC administration to be wiped off the face of this earth. We must reject such people. They do not mean well for Nigeria.”
“We move that Femi Gbajabiamila , a model of good political etiquette, renowned for solving the most complicated political problems and a man who served his people with integrity, head held high and staying faithful to the call and responsibilities the people have laid on him, do take the chair of the House of Representatives as Speaker in June.”
He also appealed to young Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of integrity to move the nation forward.
“As we celebrate Children’s Day, let us think very seriously about our future. Let us continue to hold our heads up and high.”
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.
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.”
