General
Nigeria, Brazil to Sign 30 MoUs on Agriculture, Energy, Others
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria will sign more than 30 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Brazil at the second session of the Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism (SDM).
The event, a high-stakes diplomatic and investment engagement will begin on Monday, June 23, 2025 and coincides with the official visit of Brazilian Vice President, Mr Geraldo Alckmin.
According to the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Mr Ibrahim Hadejia, both parties will unlock new investment flows and deepen cooperation across key sectors including agriculture, energy, defence, innovation, and the creative economy.
Speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, he noted that the bilateral talks and MoU signings would facilitate technical cooperation and open pathways for scalable private sector engagement
“This is a defining moment for Nigeria’s international diplomacy and economic expansion. The visit underscores a new chapter of strategic collaboration between two influential regional powers. It aligns seamlessly with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of global partnerships and economic revitalisation.
“We will engage in comprehensive discussions aimed at expanding collaboration across sectors critical to our national development,” he said.
Among the summit’s major highlights is the Nigeria-Brazil Business Forum, scheduled for June 25. The forum is expected to attract hundreds of government and private sector leaders from both nations, representing a combined consumer base of over 400 million.
Also speaking, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Jumoke Oduwole, revealed that sector-specific platforms, including a Digital Trade Room, will be unveiled during the forum.
“Brazil’s experience in digital inclusion and Nigeria’s thriving fintech ecosystem present a powerful synergy for scalable innovation,” she said.
In the agriculture sector, the two countries are expected to sign MoUs targeting enhanced productivity through research in animal genetics, soya bean production, and mechanisation.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari, disclosed that the dialogue will also accelerate implementation of the Green Imperative Programme (GIP), a $4.5 billion investment to establish agricultural project delivery offices across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
“We are leveraging this platform to operationalise the Green Imperative and bring about real transformation in food production at scale,” Mr Kyari said.
The Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Ms Hannatu Musawa, said the SDM would help reposition Nigeria’s cultural and tourism industries.
“We are looking to tap into our shared Afro-Atlantic heritage with Brazil. The MoUs we sign will open up new economic and cultural opportunities in music, film, fashion, and tourism,” she said.
Planning for the dialogue has extended beyond federal agencies to include subnational governments and private sector players.
On her part, Mrs Marion Moon, Technical Assistant to the President on Agriculture and Executive Secretary of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, said Brazilian investors would be hosted in strategic states.
“Beyond Abuja, we’ll be taking the Brazilian delegation to investment sites in Kebbi, Plateau, Lagos, Edo, Nasarawa, and the FCT,” she said.
Also speaking, the Director of Regions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Janet Olisa, stressed that the MoUs will be anchored on shared strengths and economic priorities.
“We are ensuring that every ministry brings its best. Nearly 30 MoUs are under negotiation, and some will be signed during this visit. Others will be concluded when the President visits Brazil,” she said.
She affirmed that the SDM is not merely a diplomatic forum, but “a serious mechanism for real investment outcomes and deepening South-South cooperation.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A former member of the House of Representatives, Mr Onamusi Onadeko, has been sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of N50,000.
The former lawmaker, who represented Ogun East Federal Constituency in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2003, was sentenced by Justice Chizoba Oji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
He was found guilty on count 11 and convicted for making inconsistent statements but discharged and acquitted on counts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Mr Onadeko’s journey to the court started in 2017, when he was charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for his alleged involvement in the award and execution of a N68.7 million contract.
The politician, according to a statement from the ICPC, was accused of using his private companies, Stanton Engineering Limited and Haines and Baines Limited, to execute several constituency projects while working as a Senior Legislative Aide to late Senator Buruji Kashamu, who represented Ogun East Senatorial District between 2015 and 2019.
The commission, had in the course of the eight years trial told the court that several contracts like buying of ambulance vehicles, supply of hospital equipment and drugs for Primary Health Centres, as well as construction of classrooms for some selected schools in six communities of Ogun East Senatorial District, were awarded to both Stanton Engineering Limited and Haines and Baines, where the convict doubles as a Managing Director and nominal Director, respectively, an action that violates Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
ICPC also accused Mr Onadeko of making an inconsistent statement that contradicted the one previously made to the Commissioner for Oaths, where he stated that he is a Director of Haines and Baines Limited in an affidavit dated June 30, 20216, but subsequently wrote another statement while under investigation on May 5, 2017, that he is not a shareholder or Director of Haines and Baines Limited.
This action violates Section 25(1)(b) of the ICPC Act and, upon conviction, is liable to a fine not exceeding N100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
However, Mr Onadeko, through his counsel, Mr Wahab Olatoyebi, argued in the course of the trial that his client was not a public officer as his appointment at that material time was on a short-term basis and non-pensionable, hence he, (Onadeko) did not fall within the category of those that could be tried under Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 which criminalize and punish abuse of office by public officers.
But this argument was rejected by Justice Oji, who stressed that based on the defendant’s letter of appointment as well as the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Federal Government of Nigeria v. Farouk Lawan, legislative aides are public officers and therefore could be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, has inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the abduction of students and teachers from Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The governor formally inaugurated the commission at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Speaking at the event, Governor Makinde said that although the successful rescue of the victims brought relief to the state, it did not provide complete closure.
He explained that the decision to set up an independent commission was not intended to undermine the efforts of security agencies but to ensure that every question surrounding the incident is thoroughly addressed and lessons are learnt to prevent a recurrence.
He charged members of the commission to conduct a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based investigation, assuring them of the state government’s full support. He also called on individuals and relevant institutions to cooperate fully with the panel.
Speaking on behalf of the commission, its chairman, Professor Mojeed Owoade, pledged that members would carry out the assignment with integrity, professionalism, and fairness. He added that the panel would seek an extension if necessary to complete its work.
Governor Makinde gave the commission four weeks to submit its report.
Earlier this month, the pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State regained their freedom after 56 days in captivity.
According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, eight of the kidnappers had been arrested, but the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 23 sentenced three suspects in the abduction to life imprisonment.
According to the court, the sentencing of Mr Abdulrazak Umar, known under the alias Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid; Mr Yunusa Musa, alias Yunusa Bin Musa; and Mr Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar, will start from the date of their arrest.
Before their sentencing by Justice Salim Ibrahim, counsel for the defendants pleaded with the court to sentence them on liberal terms, adding that they were first-time offenders and had pleaded guilty.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Two Chinese, Mr Zhang Hong Lin and Mr Gao Pei Hai, have been convicted and sentenced by Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for conspiracy and the illegal mining of solid minerals.
They were both found guilty on all five counts levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sentenced each to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a N50 million fine covering all five counts.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the mineral resources recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The defendants were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession of mineral resources intended for export without lawful authority.
“That you, Zhang Hong Lin, Gao Pei Hai, and Gao Pei Yu (currently at large), sometime in 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired among yourselves, with the intent to defraud the Federal Government of Nigeria of revenue accruing therefrom, and without the permission of the appropriate authority, engaged in the exportation of mica products, copper-bearing, and lithium-bearing mineral resources out of Nigeria, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1(8)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983, and punishable under Section 8 of the same Act,” one of the charges read.
The defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them, with the prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, calling the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who reviewed the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before the court.
After presenting the evidence, Kofarnaisa urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in line with the charges.
