General
The Industry Newspapers to Honour Zulum, Sanwo-Olu, Emefiele, Others April 26
By Dipo Olowookere
On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the Governors of Borno, Lagos and Akwa-Ibom States, Mr Babagana Zulum, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Mr Udom Emmanuel respectively will be honoured by The Industry Newspapers.
The trio, along with other eminent Nigerians, would be recognised for their selfless services to the nation at The Industry Summit/Awards scheduled to take place at the Banquet Hall of Sheraton Hotel and Tower, Ikeja, Lagos.
A statement from the organisers of the event formerly known as The Industry Evening Summit disclosed that the programme will start with a summit by 10 am and a dinner/awards ceremony by 6 pm.
Governor Zulum was chosen as The Industry Governor of the Year- Overall, while Governor Sanwo-Olu was picked as The Industry Governor of the Year for Job Creation, with Governor Emmanuel selected as The Industry Governor of the Year for Infrastructure.
Also, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele emerged as the Regulatory Officer of the Year; the Chairman of Troyka Holdings, Dr Biodun Shobanjo, is the Doyen of Advertising in Africa, while the Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, is the Banker of the Year.
In the statement signed by the convener of the event and Editor-in-chief of The Industry Newspapers, Mr Goddie Ofose, it was explained that the awardees were chosen after painstakingly reviewing their impacts on their fields.
He stated that the team of assessors led by the Leadership Newspaper, South West General Manager, Mr Chima Akwaja, did a good job at arriving at the list.
Mr Ofose stated that at the ceremony themed Financial inclusion, digital payment and the challenges of banking the unbanked, leaders of thoughts in the Nigerian business landscape would rev up conversations that would deepen financial inclusion and proffer solutions to the challenges of banking the unbanked.
According to him, Nigerians who have access to financial services are reported as having a lack of basic resources and the financial knowledge necessary to carry out transactions, stressing that a lack of education around financial services has likely contributed to low financial inclusion.
“In a quest to extend financial services to the unbanked, particularly those in remote and rural regions, it is critical that we engender conversation about the viability of agents. Agents are retail storefront operators representing financial services providers with the delivery of financial services.
“According to EFinA’s 2018 Access to Finance Survey, financial exclusion is highest in rural areas. This is because the traditional model of delivering financial services — the bank branch — is not sustainable in these areas,” he stated.
The prolific journalist stated that the keynote speaker for this year’s event is Mr Emefiele, while the CEO of Financial Institution Training Centre (FITC), Mrs Chizor Malize will deliver a lead paper.
The year panel comprises Chioma Afe, Group Head, Retail Marketing & Analytic, Access Bank Plc; Cherry Eromosele, Group Chief Marketing & Corporate Communications Officer, Interswitch Nigeria; Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products, First Bank; Mr Kenny Joda, CEO, FibreOne; Mrs Bola Atta, Group Director for Communication, UBA Plc; David Okeme, Divisional Head Payment Solutions & Vertical Market Systemspecs; Olugbenga Agboola, CEO Flutterwave; Mr Oti Ukubeyinje, Senior Vice President, Products and Product Marketing, Terragon; and Babs Ogundeyi, CEO Kuda Microfinance Bank, while the moderator is Mr Mojeed Jamiu, the publisher of Upshot Reports.
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.”
