General
IFAD Budgets N56m to Develop Agriculture in Anambra
By Adedapo Adesanya
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has budgeted N56 million for the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) for this year’s farming season in Anambra State.
Speaking at the commencement of the Value Chain Input Distribution Programme in Orumba South and Awka North Local Government Areas of the state on Friday, the Programme Coordinator, Mr Nnamdi Agwuncha, said the inputs distributed include certified rice seeds, cassava stems, NPK and Urea fertilisers and agro-chemicals, such as herbicide and pesticide.
Mr Agwuncha said the programme was designed to ensure that farmers got and used quality and improved agro-input to increase their production and yield.
He said, “The monetary value for this year’s input distribution is estimated at about N56 million and our target is to make multiple of that amount at the end of the farming season.”
“Our farmers performed well in the previous season but we hope they improve on their performance this season.
“On rice, we expect a minimum of five to seven metric tonnes per hectare on the average.
“Also on cassava, we are expecting between 25 and 30 metric tonnes per hectare on the average,” Mr Agwuncha added.
He said that IFAD-VCDP and the state government had constituted Farmers-Herders Conflict Resolution Committee to check clashes arising from invasion of farmlands.
He urged the farmers to take up an agricultural insurance policy to get cover against unforeseen disasters and attacks that might lead to losses.
He added that the programme was in partnership with the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation to make the policy affordable to farmers.
“The federal government is paying 50 per cent, the state government, 25 per cent, while the farmers are to pay the remaining 25 per cent.
“So, it’s very affordable and plans are underway to sensitise farmers about the benefits,” Mr Agwuncha said.
On his part, the Agricultural Production Adviser, IFAD, Mr Victor Onanma, urged the farmers to judiciously utilise the inputs to boost their production and harvest.
Mr Onanma, who spoke on behalf of the National Programme Coordinator IFAD-VCDP, Mr Garba Bala, said that IFAD worked with nationally recognised agro-dealers, who produce quality fertilisers and agrochemicals.
“There is a threat of food insecurity, which will lead to hunger in the country and this is as a result of incessant farmers-herders clashes.
“Also, the demand for rice and cassava is high now.
“I urge you to make good use of these inputs, and not sell them, to improve productivity, family income, the standard of living and food security,” Mr Onanma said.
The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr Nnamdi Onukwuba, expressed satisfaction with IFAD-VCDP’s intervention for rice and cassava farmers in Anambra.
“Agriculture is key to this administration. That is why we will continue to support IFAD-VCDP to drive its activities for the benefit of farmers and agricultural stakeholders,” Mr Onukwuba said.
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.”
