General
FG Kicks Off AfCFTA Stakeholders’ Sensitization, Consultation
By Dipo Olowookere
In pursuant to the directive of President Buhari to deepen sensitisation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Federal Government has commenced Stakeholders’ Sensitization and Consultation across the six geopolitical zones starting in Kano Sate; North-West zone.
The decision to establish the AfCFTA was taken in 2012 by all Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) at its 18th Ordinary Session. Actual Negotiating Progress started with Nigeria’s Leadership in 2017 when Ambassador Osakwe was elected Chairman of the 54-member Negotiating Forum in Niamey, Niger, on June 5, 2017 during the 6th cycle of the negotiations for the AfCFTA.
The seasoned negotiator and diplomat at the time he was elected had explained that “the responsibility we have is a major challenge and at the same time a unique opportunity to contribute to growth, job creation and poverty reduction in Africa. Concluding the AfCFTA is also of necessity, for improving intra-African trade as part of a broader response to a global economy in rapid and uncertain change.”
AfCFTA are in two stages: Stage 1 covers Trade in Goods and Services; while Stage 2 covers intellectual property, competition policy and investment.
Stage 1 negotiations chaired by Nigeria’s Chief Trade Negotiator, Ambassador Osakwe, were concluded by the 10th Negotiating Forum on March 8, 2018 and adopted by African Ministers of Trade (AMOT) chaired by Nigeria’s Minister Enelamah and forwarded to the AU Executive Council of Foreign Ministers of AU.
At the Extraordinary Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government held on March 21, 2018 in Kigali Rwanda, the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA was adopted and signed by 44 Members of the African Union. The Declaration launching the AfCFTA was signed by 43 AU Members.
Since Kigali, Ghana and Rwanda have ratified the AfCFTA. Upon entry into Force, with the deposit of 22 instruments of ratification, the AfCFTA shall be the largest Free Trade Area (FTA) in the global economy. This will boost job creation through increased intra-African Trade and expand market access for Nigeria’s exporters of goods and services, covering a market of over a billion Africans with a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion.
Speaking at the AfCFTA Northwest Zonal sensitization and consultation in Kano, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, represented by the SSG, Mr Usman said: “Kano State is willing and committed to taking further specific steps to reactivate and update historic trade corridors with the objective of using these corridors to boost Nigerian exports and intra-African trade.”
Speaking further, he “urged participants to take advantage of African Continental Free Trade Area for the economic growth and betterment of their respective states, Nigeria and Africa in general.”
On his part, Director General/Chief Negotiator NOTN, Ambassador Chiedu Osakwe stated that “the AfCFTA is the result of Nigeria’s leadership.
“In implementing the directive of President Buhari to sensitive and consult nation-wide, we shall make the AfCFTA count in the range of efforts underway to trigger a catapult effect for Nigeria’s growth and job creation. Today, Kano, for the Northwest, caused a first class lift off.”
The AfCFTA when fully implemented, Nigeria stands to benefit from rules-based trade governance in intra-African trade to ensure fair trade and legal right to use trade remedies to safeguard the Nigerian economy from dumping and injurious trade practices.
As estimated by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), AfCFTA will expand the size of Africa’s economy to $29 trillion by 2050. Nigeria as the biggest economy in Africa stands to benefit tremendously from this.
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.
