General
Nigerians Hope for Better 2020
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
As the year 2019 wraps up today, Wednesday, December 31, 2019, one of the major prayers Nigerians would be making to God during the crossing over into the new year tonight would be for a better 2020.
The outgoing year was very tough for residents of country, which prides itself as the giant of Africa, but to its citizens, a mere empty giant because smaller African countries, including Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya, amongst others are beginning to leave Nigeria behind.
In the coming year, Nigerians will expect government to make life better for them. However, one of the welcome gifts from government would be the coming into effect of the raise in the Value Added Tax (VAT) to 7.5 percent from the present 5 percent. But one good thing is the return of the nation’s budget cycle to January-December.
According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, this development will lead to “a more rapid infrastructural development, more job creation, etc.”
In 2019, Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for President Muhammadu Buhari for another four years in office and during his June 12 speech, the President promised to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians and further pledged to lift about 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
To make this a reality, Mr Buhari constituted an economic squad to help him with policies that would make the economy better in order for him to achieve his dream and fulfil what he promised the electorates during his campaigns across the country.
Though inflation has gone up as a result of the decision of his government to close the nation’s land borders, there are strong indications that the gains of this move will start to materialise.
At the moment, Nigerians are beginning to eat locally produced rice, while the cultivation of the staple food has increased, making farmers richer, which will in turn result into a better economy.
The giant strides of this government in the agricultural sector has continued to help the country have better foreign trade performance.
The value of imports in 2019, as at the third quarter, stood at N11.6 trillion compared with N9.6 trillion in the same period of 2018, representing an annual growth rate of 21 percent between 2018 and 2019. Other than refined petroleum products, major imports have been machinery and vehicles.
In terms of exports, the value grew by 2.5 percent between 2018 and 2019 as at the third quarter, rising from N14 trillion to N14.4 trillion. This resulted in a stronger overall performance and an increase in the value of total trade by 10 percent between 2018 and 2019.
While the value of crude oil exports decreased by 3.78 percent, non-crude oil exports rose by over 30 percent in value between 2018 and 2019. Non-oil exports also doubled from about N1 trillion to N2 trillion over this period.
All these figures are sweet to hear, but one key thing Nigerians will love to hear more is turning these stats into food on their tables and money in their pockets. They will hope to have a better 2020 and go extra length to fully support the government and embrace its policies because they are happier.
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.
