General
Tinubu to Meet Gencos Tuesday Over N4trn Power Debt
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu will meet with the leadership of electricity-generating companies (GenCos) over the N4 trillion power sector debt on Tuesday, May 6.
This was disclosed by the Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations to the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, who noted that the federal government vowed to urgently address the debt following high-stakes talks between the Minister and chairmen of the power generators in Abuja recently.
He said FG’s intervention was aimed at averting an imminent collapse of the power infrastructure in the country.
Recall that the Minister also promised that the FG will pay 50 per cent of the debt recently.
According to the statement, the Minister assured the GenCos executives that the government would prioritise immediate payment of a significant amount out of the N4 trillion debt, while the balance would be defrayed through other debt instruments.
He said this would be proposed in a meeting being planned between President Tinubu and GenCos’ leadership.
“There is need to pay a substantial amount of the debt in cash. At the minimum, let us pay a substantial amount, then ask for a debt instrument in promissory notes to pay the rest,” he stated, assuring that the payment of the outstanding balance within six months through financial instruments such as promissory notes.
“We recognise the urgency of this matter. The government is committed to resolving this debt to stabilise the sector and prevent further crisis,” Mr Adelabu stated, adding that the President will meet with GenCos leadership to fast-track the process.
The GenCoS were led by the Chairman of Mainstream Energy Solutions, who is also the Chairman of the Association of Power Generating Companies (APGA), Mr Sani Bello, who had earlier sounded the alarm over the sector’s dire state, citing the N4 trillion debt as a critical threat to operations.
He also warned that liquidity challenges had left GenCos unable to secure loans or maintain infrastructure. “Without urgent intervention, the entire power ecosystem could collapse,” he stressed.
Mr Kola Adesina, Chairman of Egbin Power and First Independent Power Limited, echoed the urgency: “This is a national emergency. Everything hinges on power—industries, homes, hospitals. We cannot afford to let the sector fail.”
Mr Adelabu acknowledged the government’s role in the sector’s struggles, pledging to not only clear the debt but also implement reforms to ease operational bottlenecks. He emphasised the need for full liberalisation of the power sector, urging Nigerians to embrace cost-reflective tariffs.
“Citizens must pay the appropriate price for the energy consumed. The Federal Government will continue to provide targeted subsidies for economically disadvantaged Nigerians. We have to understand that our economy cannot sustain subsidies indefinitely,” he asserted, calling for public sensitisation campaigns to drive compliance.
On her part, Mrs Joy Ogaji, CEO of APGC Power, detailed systemic challenges undermining GenCos, including chronic payment defaults, erratic gas supply, and foreign exchange volatility.
She noted that the naira’s plunge from N157/$1 in 2013 to N1,600/$1 had devastated maintenance budgets and loan repayments.
“GenCos have borne unsustainable risks—from grid failures to unproductive taxes—while remaining patriotic,” she 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.”
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