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FG moves to clear exporters’ EEG backlog, restructure scheme – Oduwole

The Federal Government is taking steps to clear the backlog of payments owed to exporters under the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) while restructuring the scheme to make it sustainable, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole has said.

Oduwole spoke at a stakeholders’ engagement on the Export Expansion Grant Scheme backlog in Abuja.

She explained that the EEG was a Federal Government scheme designed to support non-oil exports by making Nigerian products more competitive in regional and global markets.

The minister said the scheme had faced difficulties in recent years, adding that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration inherited outstanding payments that had gone unpaid since 2020.

‘Though the EEG scheme has had some difficulties in the past few years, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has inherited quite a few of the scheme’s outstanding payments, considering the fact that it has not been paid since 2020,’ she said.

Oduwole said the non-payment was linked to the validation and verification of claims submitted by exporters.

She added that the EEG was an inter-ministerial scheme involving agencies including the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment anchors it as an export promotion tool through the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).

‘This meeting today is about the engagement with exporters on two things: the pathway to clearing the backlog, and the pathway to restructuring the scheme by making it sustainable,’ she said.

According to her, the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s plan to deliver President Tinubu’s $1 trillion economy target under the Renewed Hope Agenda, with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment tasked with leading economic diversification and prioritising non-oil exports.

Oduwole said the government had worked on the scheme for the past two years, including efforts to address outstanding issues.

She recalled that she engaged exporters in November 2024 and then worked to clean up aspects of the scheme before the latest stakeholders’ meeting.

The minister said Nigerian non-oil exporters had recorded growth in both volume and value over the past two years, attributing the development to exporters’ efforts.

She said the government intended to continue incentivising exporters sustainably because of their potential to create jobs and expand the global reach of Nigerian products.

‘We’ve been working in tandem with market access and trade agreements, including AfCFTA,’ she said.

Oduwole added that the government’s work over the past 40 months included measures to support Nigerian businesses, including restructuring the EEG as part of those efforts.

FAAC: FG, states, LGs share N2.338trn for August

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared N2.338 trillion to the Federal Government, states and the Local Government Councils as revenue from the central purse for the month of August, 2026.

The revenue was shared at the September 2026 FAAC) meeting held recently in Abuja, Bawa Mokwa, Director Press and Public Relations in the Office Accountant-General of Federation (OAGF), disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the N2.338 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N1.565 trillion and distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N773.233 billion.

The director said a communique issued by the FAAC indicated that total gross revenue of N3.685 trillion was available in the month of August 2026.

According to him, a total deduction for cost of collection was N125.142 billion while total transfers, refunds and savings was N1.221 trillion.

He added that gross statutory revenue of N2.850 trillion was received for the month of August which was lower than the sum of N4.359 trillion received in the preceding month by N1.508 trillion.

‘Gross revenue of N834.843 billion was available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) in August 2026.

‘This was higher than the N793.968 billion available in the month of July 2026 by N40.875 billion.

‘From the N2.338 trillion total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received total sum of N804.897 billion and the State Governments received total sum of N794.313 billion.

‘The Local Government Councils received N555.142 billion, while the sum of N184.388 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting state as derivation revenue’ Mokwa quoted the communique.

On the N1.565 billion distributable statutory revenue, Mokwa said the Federal Government received N727.573 billion and the State Governments received N369.035 billion, while the Local Government Councils received N284.511 billion

He said the sum of N184.388 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue.

Mokwa also disclosed that from the N773.233 billion distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue, the Federal Government received N77.323 billion, the State Governments received N425.278 billion and the Local Government Councils received N270.632 billion.

According to him, in August, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), Value Added Tax (VTA), CET Levies and Excise Duty increased significantly.

He said Companies Income Tax (CIT), CGT, SDT, Petroleum Royalties, Mineral Royalties, and Gas Flared Penalty Import Duty, Rental Gas Flared Fee and Misc Oil Revenue decreased considerably.

NCBA Golf Series blends competition with community impact

The NCBA Golf Series 2026 brought together golfers, customers, business leaders and partners in Arusha over the weekend, with the tournament combining competition with initiatives supporting education and environmental conservation.

The Arusha leg, held at Kili Golf in partnership with the Diplomatic Golf Tournament, was also used to raise funds towards school fees for students from low income families.

The event was attended by NCBA Group Managing Director and CEO John Gachora, NCBA Bank Tanzania Managing Director Alex Mziray and other senior officials and stakeholders. Beyond supporting the education initiative, NCBA will sponsor the overall winner to participate in the wider NCBA Golf Series, giving the golfer an opportunity to compete at a higher level.

Mziray said the partnership reflected the bank’s approach of using sport to create opportunities while supporting causes that benefit communities.

‘Golf gives us an opportunity to connect with our customers and partners, but its impact can go much further. Through this partnership, we are supporting education while creating an opportunity for golfing talent to progress,’ he said.

The Arusha tournament followed the opening Tanzania leg at Dar es Salaam Gymkhana and is part of the NCBA Golf Series being held across markets where the banking group operates.

The Tanzania series will culminate in Dar es Salaam, with qualifiers advancing to the NCBA Group Grand Finale scheduled for Nairobi at the end of November.

NCBA says the series is intended to provide a platform for competition while strengthening relationships among golfers, customers, partners and the wider community.

The initiative also ties in with the bank’s Ndoto Zako, Hatua Zetu campaign, which focuses on supporting customers and communities to turn their ambitions into tangible progress.

The bank’s community activities in Arusha continued the following day when Gachora, Mziray and the NCBA team joined stakeholders in a tree planting exercise at Kijenge Primary School.

The initiative forms part of NCBA’s target to plant and nurture 20,000 trees by December 2026 in Arusha, Mwanza, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. The programme is being implemented in collaboration with TEEMO and other stakeholders under the Change the Story, Badilisha Simulizi campaign.

At Kijenge Primary School, students were encouraged to take part in caring for the trees and promote environmental conservation within the school and their communities. The two activities highlighted the bank’s wider approach to community engagement, linking sport with education and environmental sustainability.

While the golf tournament created an opportunity for competition and supported an education cause, the tree planting initiative focused on creating a greener environment for future generations.

Real Estate investor expands property portfolio across US, Africa

Real estate investor, philanthropist and entrepreneur Musa Sangarie, popularly known as Mansa the Investor, has continued to expand his property portfolio through investments in the United States and several African countries, including Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana.

Sangarie, an American with ties to Nigeria and Sierra Leone, has reported investments in more than 500 properties, comprising land, houses and estates.

His reported real estate holdings span the United States, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and other African countries.

Beyond real estate, Sangarie’s business interests span healthcare, financial technology, food delivery, transportation and mobility, communications, logistics, renewable energy, consumer products, technology and media.

His affiliated ventures include Sanga Group, LLC, Sanga Corporation, Inc., Sanga Eats Limited, Sanga Technologies, Sanga Motors and Prime Elite.

The businesses were established at different times: Sanga Motors and Prime Elite in 2015, Sanga Corporation in 2016, Sanga Group and Sanga Technologies in 2019, and Sanga Eats in 2023.

Sangarie has held various positions across the ventures, including founder, investor, chairman and business strategist.

In August 2026, Sangarie sponsored the Cheetah Cup 2027, which organisers describe as an African youth scouting tournament scheduled for June 2027 in Ghana.

The tournament is expected to feature 32 clubs from 13 African countries, alongside more than 20 European scouts.

Later in 2026, Sangarie acquired two landed properties on Lagos Island for real estate investment, according to information about his investment activities.

The acquisitions added to his reported property holdings in Nigeria and formed part of his broader real estate investments.

Cyprus and Greece strengthen cooperation against organised crime

Cyprus and Greece have agreed to further strengthen cooperation in tackling organised and cross-border crime, following a meeting in Athens between Cyprus Justice and Public Order Minister Costas Fytiris and Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis.

According to a statement by the Cyprus Ministry of Justice, the meeting included a review of cooperation between the competent authorities of the two countries, which was described as excellent, as well as an exchange of views on the current challenges posed by organised criminal networks operating across borders and internationally.

Fytiris thanked Chrysochoidis and the Greek authorities for their longstanding and substantive support to the Republic of Cyprus, stressing the importance of the rapid exchange of information, operational cooperation, and the transfer of know-how and expertise.

The two Ministers reaffirmed their shared intention to deepen cooperation further, with the aim of improving the prevention of and response to organised crime and strengthening citizens’ security.

The Justice Minister subsequently visited the Hellenic Police Officers’ School, where he was briefed on its operation and on the structure and content of training and education programmes for police officers.

During the visit, possibilities for further cooperation and the exchange of expertise in police training were also discussed, with emphasis on drawing on the experience and good practices of the two countries.

Fytiris stressed the importance the Republic of Cyprus attaches to the continuous upgrading of the training of police officers, noting that investment in education, knowledge and professional training is a key prerequisite for a modern and effective Police Force.

Bukidnon school eyes safety upgrades after Grade 12 student’s death

The Valencia National High School (VNHS) is mourning the tragic loss of an 18-year-old Grade 12 female student who passed away Wednesday evening after allegedly jumping from the school building, which officials now want to upgrade to avoid a similar incident.

According to school principal Angelina Cacharo and city police investigators, the incident occurred after regular class hours, past 6:48 p.m.

The victim, who belonged to the afternoon class shift, was rushed to a private hospital still conscious for emergency medical treatment but was pronounced dead by the attending physician in the evening due to sustained fractures.

The Valencia City Police Station, under newly installed Officer-in-Charge Lt. Col. Hope Mark Orbuda, responded to the scene and closely coordinated with school administrators.

Investigations continued to determine the reason for the incident.

In the wake of the tragedy, VNHS held early morning prayers and provided psychological support and debriefing sessions for teachers and classmates on Thursday.

Principal Cacharo told the Inquirer that the school plans to install protective metal grills on the building’s upper floors to ensure student safety, while calling on the national government to incorporate safety grill designs into high-rise educational facilities.

School authorities, the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), and the local police are cooperating fully as the investigation proceeds.

VNHS serves 11,000 students and 500 teachers currently running under the newly implemented tri-term school calendar via DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026.

Officials have appealed to the public to refrain from sharing unverified information or speculative narratives on social media out of respect for the privacy and grieving process of the student’s family.

Groups Sue Kano Cleric, Lawan Triumph, Over Alleged Blasphemy

The Upper Sharia Court sitting at Kofar Kudu in Kano municipality has commenced hearing in a case filed by some Islamic groups against Kano-based cleric Lawan Abubakar Triumph over alleged blasphemous remarks.

Counsel to the complainants, Barrister Aliyu Usman Hajj, told the court presided over by Justice Ibrahim Sarki Yola that they had filed a direct criminal complaint against the defendant.

He urged the court to forward the complaint to the Kano State Commissioner of Police for investigation.

However, counsel to the defendant, Barrister Abdurrazak A. Ahmad, asked for time to study the allegations and respond to them, while challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case. Barrister Ibrahim Umar led the team of lawyers representing Lawan.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court declined a request to order the closure of the mosque led by Lawan, saying it lacked the authority to do so.

The judge adjourned the case until September 24, 2026, to state its position on the matter.

Dira 2050 needs flexibility to stay on course

Tanzania must be able to adapt how it implements its development plans without losing sight of its long-term goals as economic and social conditions change, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Claver Gatete has said.

Mr Gatete said long-term development visions should provide continuity in national priorities, but their implementation should not remain unchanged when the circumstances surrounding the economy and society evolve.

He made the remarks virtually while addressing participants of the National Planners’ Conference 2026 in Arusha. Mr Gatete said climate shocks, technological changes, shifts in trading partners and pressures on the global financial system were among factors that could alter assumptions made when development plans were prepared.

He said governments needed systems that could identify what was working, what was not and where additional effort was required, while protecting the main objectives of long-term development plans.

‘Governments need systems that enable them to know what is working, what is not working and where greater effort is needed, while protecting the major long-term goals,’ he said.

Mr Gatete said the ability to adapt implementation would be important for Tanzania as it seeks to translate Development Vision 2050 into measurable results.

He said flexibility should not be interpreted as abandoning long-term priorities, but as adjusting implementation approaches when circumstances change while maintaining the broader direction of national development.

According to Mr Gatete, development plans are prepared based on assumptions about economic conditions, social trends, technology and the global environment. Those assumptions can change during the life of a long-term vision, requiring governments to review how programmes are implemented.

He said a flexible approach would allow Tanzania to respond to emerging challenges without repeatedly changing its fundamental development objectives.

Mr Gatete said this was particularly relevant as countries faced increasing uncertainty from climate-related shocks, technological transformation and changes in international trade and finance.

He said monitoring and evaluation should form part of the implementation process so that governments could identify areas requiring adjustment and direct resources where they would have the greatest impact.

Such systems, he said, would help policymakers distinguish between long-term priorities that should remain protected and implementation methods that could be modified when circumstances demanded.

Mr Gatete said this would help Tanzania remain on course towards the objectives of Dira 2050 without allowing short-term challenges to derail its long-term development agenda.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining continuity in national development planning, saying long-term visions should provide a stable framework against which successive plans and programmes could be developed.

The National Planners’ Conference 2026, held in Arusha under the theme, ‘Delivering Vision 2050: Strengthening Integrated Planning, Execution and Results’, brought together planners and other stakeholders to discuss how the Vision can be effectively implemented, monitored and evaluated.

The conference provides a platform for participants to examine challenges affecting development planning and ways of strengthening coordination, execution and accountability for results.

Mr Gatete’s message was that flexibility and continuity should work together, allowing Tanzania to adjust its implementation methods while keeping its long-term development objectives firmly in sight.

Four die in Ibadan-Lagos Expressway crash

Four male adults have died in a crash on the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway at Straight Gate, Ogun State, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed.

Spokesperson of the FRSC, Ogun State Sector Command, Mr. Afolabi Odunsi, in a statement, said the crash, which occurred about 4:00 a.m. yesterday, involved eight people and two vehicles – a blue Mitsubishi Cabstar with registration number FGE 753 XA and an ash HOWO truck with registration number T-695 KT.

Odunsi, also a Chief Route Commander, said one male adult sustained injuries, but three others escaped unhurt.

He noted that preliminary investigations indicated that speed violation and wrong overtaking were responsible for the crash.

According to him, the Mitsubishi driver was travelling at high speed when the vehicle rammed into the moving truck while attempting to overtake.

He also identified driver fatigue as a contributing factor.

Odunsi added that the FRSC rescue team received the distress call at 4:33 a.m. and arrived at the scene six minutes later.

The injured victim, he said, was taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere, for medical treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the FOS Mortuary, Ipara.

According to him, the two crashed vehicles were handed over to the Police Motor Traffic Division (MTD), Isara Division.

Also, the FRSC Ogun State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Oludare Ogunjobi, urged motorists to avoid speeding, fatigue and unsafe overtaking, particularly during early-morning journeys.

He advised drivers embarking on long trips to get adequate rest beforehand and to overtake only when it is safe and permissible.

Ogunjobi reiterated FRSC’s road safety message: ‘Drive with Care. Better to be late than never.’

’Don’t divert pound 55m French loan to fund campaign’

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has warned Governor Seyi Makinde against diverting the pound 55 million – approximately N85 billion – French Government concessional loan secured for the improvement of decrepit health care facilities in Oyo State to hastily conceived and politically motivated projects, months to the end of his administration.

The organisation, in a statement, said the facility represented a major financial obligation on the state’s future with repayment of the N85billion scheduled to start with the next administration.

Alli’s campaign organisation, therefore, warned that the loan be deployed strictly to salvage the deplorable health facilities in the state, urging Makinde to resist the temptation to divert the money to fund his presidential aspiration.

‘It has come to our notice that Governor Makinde has constituted a committee to design how the money will be swiftly spent under the guise of executing some projects four months to the general election and eight months to the end of his government.

‘It will be recalled that Oyo State House of Assembly in June this year approved the governor’s curious request to raise N200billion bond to re-finance the choking debt into which Makinde has plunged the state.

‘Coming at an election season, a cloud of doubt hangs over the sincerity of the Makinde-led government on these hurriedly conceived and ill-thought-out financial decisions that will further increase the already heavy burden imposed on the state since he assumed office in 2019.

‘It beggars belief that these developments are coming against the background that monthly allocations to the state and the 33 local government councils have quadrupled in the last three and a half years as a result of the removal of petrol subsidy.

‘The huge allocations are an empowerment for states and local government councils to mitigate the effects of fuel subsidy removal, a policy which has rightly ended years of borrowing to sustain the fraudulent subsidy regime,’ the campaign council said.

Although the organisation said it would support any genuine initiative aimed at improving health care delivery in the state, it insisted that the Makinde administration must provide full disclosure on the loan’s terms, disbursement schedule, contractors, procurement procedures, implementation timeline and beneficiary hospitals.

‘Oyo State citizens and residents deserve to know how every euro will be spent. The money must not be seen as another opportunity for inflated contracts, hurried procurements, questionable consultancy fees or projects disguised to primarily fund political activities.

‘With the administration approaching its end, Governor Makinde must resist the temptation to commit the state to opaque contracts or commence projects that cannot be completed and independently verified before he leaves office.

‘The campaign organisation also calls on the Oyo State House of Assembly, civil society organisations, professional health care bodies and the media to closely monitor the utilisation of the facility.

‘The people of Oyo State need functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines, modern equipment and accessible healthcare-not cosmetic renovations, abandoned structures or projects existing only in government publicity materials,’ the statement said.

The organisation believes that transparency and measurable value should guide public borrowing, noting that every loan contracted in the name of the people must produce visible and sustainable benefits for them.

It said it would continue to scrutinise the deployment of state resources, ”especially at this crucial time and hold the administration accountable for every curious expenditure.”