General
Group Rejects INEC’s Phone Ban, Cost of Party’s Forms
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A group known as the Not Too Young To Perform (NTYTP) has rejected the ban on the use of mobile phones at voting cubicles by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging the commission to devise better ways of curbing vote buying.
NTYTP, a formidable young people-driven leadership development initiative, in a statement issued yesterday, also described the high cost of most political parties’ expression of interest and nomination forms to run for political offices as “a deliberate vehicle deployed by the corrupt managers of such political parties and their looting collaborators to continue to promote incompetence and corruption in the country.”
According the statement issued in Abuja and jointly signed by its Convener, Comrade James Ezema and the National Publicity Secretary, Arc Bello Mohammed, the group, which believes that performance in office must be the basis for all young people to run for elective offices or accept any political appointment, while urging Nigerian youths to vote against candidates of all political parties with costly nomination forms, noted that INEC has to prosecute vote buyers and sellers.
“For us, since the major incident of vote buying occurred during the Anambra State governorship elections in November last year, INEC has not done enough to nip the anti-people practice in the bud.
“We hail the commission for recognizing that vote buying is a big challenge that must be tackled but the ban on use of mobile phones and camera at polling units cannot be the best INEC can offer in its efforts to curb the menace. INEC should go back to the drawing board to find better ways to deal with it if it can’t prosecute offenders.”
On the high cost of nomination nation forms, the group added that, “There is no better way of promoting incompetence and corrupt practices in the polity than the tactical exclusion of incorruptible Nigerians, particularly our vibrant young people from offering themselves to contest elections than the current high cost of relevant forms being sold by most political parties.
“In as much as we know that cost of elections anywhere in the world is expensive, the deli rate hike in costs of expression of interest and nomination forms by political parties is doing more harm to Nigeria than we imagine.
“The irony is that when a well-to-do friend or associate purchases the expensive nomination form for an aspirant who cannot afford it, genuine fight against corruption is sacrificed on the alter of paying back for a good gesture.
“Or how would such aspirant effectively fight corruption, particularly if such benevolent associates are involved in a graft or abuse of office because as they say, ‘one good turn deserves another’?
“More so, juicy appointments and contracts will naturally go to such ‘charitable’ individuals or group.
“Our country will not experience expected leap as far as good governance is concerned and the increasingly monetized Nigerian electoral system has remained why lips service is continually paid to the so-called anti-graft war by successive governments.
“The only choice young people have is to vote against such political parties as we are now more afraid than ever that political power will remain in the hands of looters and in permanent control of their ‘rich’ offspring and associates at the expense of performance in office,” the group bemoaned.
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.”
