General
Uduaghan Lauds The Witness Newspaper Foundation’s Human Capital Development Drive
By Dipo Olowookere
The former Governor of Delta State, Mr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has commended the management of The Witness Newspaper led by Mr Julius Akpovire Enyeh for deeming it fit to care for the wellbeing of widows, vulnerable children and the aged in society.
Speaking at the unveiling of The Witness Newspaper Foundation on Sunday, October 24, 2021, at the prestigious Lagos Continental Hotel (formerly Intercontinental Hotel), Victoria Island, Lagos, Mr Uduaghan said human capital development was one aspect most people and the government fail to pay attention to because of some factors.
While commending the initiative, he urged more private organisations to join the fray in supporting government at all levels to empower the vulnerable in society.
He stressed that the majority of the crises seen in society are offshoots of the neglect of HDI by governments and institutions.
“When a governor builds a road, there is a huge ceremony for commissioning. But there is an aspect we do not pay attention to, that is human capital development. We don’t take it seriously. And any governor that pays attention to that area doesn’t seem like he is working.
“Every government must take human capital development seriously. This is why we must commend this foundation because it has aggregated major areas of HDI by seeking to enhance the widows, vulnerable children and the aged.
“Look at the suffering aged in the society, sometimes you ask, what about their children? Or was it that they didn’t pay attention to their children when they were young?
“Even though some of them did, we also have irresponsible children becoming irresponsible adults. We must discourage people from abandoning their parents,” the former Governor, who was the chairman of the occasion, stated.
Raising the alarm on the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, which he pegged at over 13 million, Mr Uduaghan recounted the efforts of his administration to ensure the easing of the financial burden of school children on the parents by introducing free education at both primary and secondary school levels.
In his address, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Mr Olumide Shogunle, commended the initiative, just as he promised the state’s readiness for partnership with its different skills acquisition centres and agencies.
Also, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, who was represented by Mr David Setonji, Chairman, Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, assured that the legislature would soon institute a private member bill on the aged, just as he urged support for widows and vulnerable children.
In his goodwill message, the Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Patrick Akinwuntan, who was represented by the bank’s chief financial officer (CFO), Mrs Ibukun Oyedeji, congratulated the management of the news outlet, just as he promised support for the initiative.
In his speech, the MD of The Witness Newspaper, Mr Enyeh, said the foundation was established to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the newspaper as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to support the vulnerable.
“The sole aim of this foundation is giving back to our society by finding ways to ameliorate the suffering of widows, vulnerable children, and our neglected aged fathers and mothers.
“The statistics out there concerning the number of vulnerable children, women and the aged are alarming. But we have to start from somewhere and take one step at a time,” he said.
According to him, in the first year of operation, the non-government organisation will assist at least 10,000 widows, vulnerable children, and aged in the areas of education, empowerment and health improvements.
Urging for support from individuals, public and private sectors, among others, he affirmed the commitment of the foundation to be transparent and accountable, stressing that its books will be open to the public for regular updates.
Some of the other notable personalities present at the event were Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Dr Adaeze Udensi, Executive Director, Titan Trust Bank; Pastor and Pastor (Mrs) Mary Olayinka of the Watchtower Christian Assembly; Comrade Ayodele Adewale, former chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area; Dr Victor Adoji, former governorship aspirant in Kogi State; Mr Ramon Nasir, Group Head, Media Relations, United Bank for Africa (UBA); Mr Abdul Imoyo; Group Head, Media Relations, Access Bank Plc; Mr Jide Sipe, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Ecobank; Mr Austin Osokpor, Head, Media Relations, Ecobank; Mr Ibukun Coker, Head of Strategy & Corporate Planning, Unity Bank Plc; Mr Matthew Obiazikwor, Group Head, Corporate Communications, Unity Bank Plc; Mr Ayodele Aminu, Managing Director of New Telegraph Newspaper, among others.
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.”
