Yes, President Buhari Created The “Controversial” Agency, But…By Enitan Bello

July 4, 2026

I independently searched Nigeria’s budget documents from 2019 to the present. Here’s what I found about the PFIPC scandal that nobody is talking about.
The name did not come from nowhere Everyone is focused on Adeyemi the man. Nobody has gone back to ask where the name: “Presidential Economic Advisory Council” actually came from. I did. And the answer changes this entire story.
The Presidential Economic Advisory Council is not a Tinubu creation. Tinubu’s economic body is called the Presidential Economic Coordination Council. He established it in March 2024, inaugurated it in July 2024, and chairs it himself alongside Dangote, Elumelu, the Senate President and the Governors Forum Chairman. It has a different name, a different structure and a different budget code.
The Presidential Economic Advisory Council is a creation of President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari established it in September 2019 to replace the Economic Management Team that Osinbajo was heading. It had real named members. Prof. Doyin Salami as chairman. Charles Soludo. Bismark Rewane. Eight economists reporting directly to the President with a defined mandate and a legal institutional identity.
When Tinubu came in and created the PECC in 2024, the Buhari-era PEAC was never formally dissolved. No gazette removing it. No Budget Office circular revoking its institutional identity. It simply went dormant. But dormant in Nigeria’s government system is not the same as deleted.
That dormant status is exactly what was exploited.
PART 2 — WHAT THE BUDGET DOCUMENTS ACTUALLY SHOW
I searched the 2024 Appropriation Act. The Presidential Economic Advisory Council does not appear. Budget code 0111062001 is not there.
I searched the 2025 Appropriation Act. The Presidential Economic Advisory Council does not appear. Budget code 0111062001 is not there either.
I checked the 2026 Appropriation Act, signed by President Tinubu on April 17, 2026. Budget code 0111062001 appears for the first time, on pages 50 and 51, listed as:
“Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council”
Total allocation: N1,302,978,784.
Personnel costs: N802,978,783, including N573 million in salaries. Overhead: N200,000,001. Capital: N300,000,000 under Research and Development.
The capital allocation is broken down into ten specific programme lines. N182.5 million for logistics for the World Investment Summit 2026. A Harvard Program on Negotiation. A Certified Investment Management Analyst course. A WTO trade negotiations course. Strategic investment management trainingb. Negotiation and leadership courses.
This is not a vague placeholder. This is a detailed, populated budget submission with ten line items written in correct budget language by someone who knows how budget submissions are prepared.
This code was not carried forward by Buhari. It did not exist in 2024 or 2025. It was created fresh and inserted into the 2026 budget during the September to December 2025 preparation window. The same window in which Adeyemi was arrested in October 2025 and charged in November 2025.
PART 3 — THE BORROWED NAME AND WHY IT WAS CHOSEN
This is the dot nobody has connected publicly.
Whoever inserted budget code 0111062001 did not invent the name “Presidential Economic Advisory Council” out of thin air. They borrowed it from a real Buhari-era body with an institutional history, former members, and a legitimate place in the record of government advisory structures. A budget reviewer seeing that name would not immediately flag it as suspicious. It sounds like something that exists. Because something by that name did exist. Under a previous president.
That is the specific function the Buhari-era PEAC served in this operation. Not as an active siphoning vehicle across multiple budget years. The evidence does not show that. What it shows is that its dormant name was used as camouflage for a fresh 2026 insertion. Familiar enough to pass review. Obscure enough that most reviewers would not immediately know whether it was still active under the current administration or not.
This is research, not forgery. Whoever did this knew enough about the history of Nigerian presidential advisory structures to identify a dormant body whose name could be reactivated without triggering immediate scrutiny. That knowledge does not exist in the general public. It exists within a specific group of people with institutional memory of how government advisory bodies are named, coded, and tracked within the Budget Office system.
And one more thing. The Presidency’s July 1 statement called both the PEAC and the PFIPC fictitious entities. But the PEAC was not technically fictitious. Adding PFIPC made it so. It was a real body of the Buhari administration. The name was real. The history was real. The exploitation of that history is what is new.
PART 4 — THE CIVIL SERVANTS AND THE OAGF TRAIL
Premium Times’ reporting, based on court documents, adds the most specific layer to this story, and it needs to be read carefully.
In April 2025, Adeyemi wrote to the Accountant General of the Federation on PFIPC letterhead, requesting the deployment of staff to fill five vacancies, including a Principal Accountant, Accountant I, Principal Auditor, Senior Auditor, and Auditor I. He also wrote a separate letter requesting the transfer of two named staff from the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President.
The OAGF processed that request.
On August 28, 2025, three senior civil servants were officially posted to the PFIPC. Their names are in court documents. Ojo Victor, 55, Assistant Chief Accountant. Omeh Amarachukwu, 40, internal auditor. Wakili Saidu, 45, audit department. Their posting letter was published on the OAGF’s own website.
They collected their letters and presented themselves to Adeyemi on September 1. He told them to resume on September 8. They did. They were shown to a shared open office. They were never given any assignments. Never given any documentation. Never briefed on any mandate.
Ojo Victor’s statement to police: “I have not been documented, and no schedule has been given to me since my assumption, which I find very strange.”
Wakili Saidu: “Since then, there has been no correspondence between me and the DG.”
Omeh Amarachukwu: “I only go to work once a week, the reason being that we have nothing to do since we were posted there.”
All three said independently that they had never heard of the agency before seeing their names in the posting letter. The OAGF processed a staff deployment request from a fake agency, published the posting letter on their own website, and sent three senior civil servants to sit in an empty office for weeks.
Nobody at the OAGF called the SGF’s office to ask if this agency was real before processing that request.
PART 5 — THE FULL PICTURE AND THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN
Let us put the confirmed timeline together.
September 2019: Buhari creates the Presidential Economic Advisory Council with real members and a legal mandate.
March 2024: Tinubu creates the Presidential Economic Coordination Council, effectively superseding the PEAC. The PEAC is never formally dissolved.
April 2025: Adeyemi writes to the OAGF on PFIPC letterhead requesting civil servant deployments. The OAGF processes the request.
May 2025: Adeyemi meets Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu at the National Assembly. Voice of Nigeria, Vanguard and Punch cover it as a legitimate government engagement.
June 2025: Adeyemi receives a Chinese investment delegation and announces a Nigeria-China bilateral investment platform.
August 28, 2025: Three OAGF civil servants are officially posted to the PFIPC. Their posting letter appears on the OAGF website.
September 2025: Adeyemi visits EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede. A joint statement is issued. He also briefs NERC on the World Investment Summit.
September to December 2025: During the same budget preparation window, budget code 0111062001, titled Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, is included in the 2026 executive budget bill, with an allocation of N1.3 billion and ten specific programme lines.
October 10, 2025: Adeyemi hosts foreign ambassadors at Wells Carlton Hotel, Asokoro, without the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s knowledge.
October 17, 2025: Chief of Staff petitions DSS and Police.
October 22, 2025: Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, the man Adeyemi says helped him procure the forged appointment letter, dies in a fire at Kachi Hotel in Utako. There is no independent news report of this fire. The only place it exists in the public record is inside the Presidency’s statement.
October 27, 2025: Adeyemi is arrested.
November 27, 2025: Eight-count charge filed at the Federal High Court. Two co-defendants identified only as Femi and Anu remain at large.
December 19, 2025: President Tinubu presents the 2026 Appropriation Bill to NASS. Budget code 0111062001 is already inside it.
April 17, 2026: President Tinubu signs the 2026 Appropriation Act into law. Budget code 0111062001 with N1.3 billion survives every review stage.
The questions that remain unanswered.
Who specifically submitted the budget proposal for code 0111062001 and through which MDA desk? Who at the OAGF approved the staff deployment request without verifying the agency’s legal existence? Who at the Federal Secretariat allocated office space without cross-checking the SGF’s register. Who at NITDA issued a .gov.ng domain to an unregistered agency. What the GIFMIS expenditure records show for code 0111062001 in 2026. Who Femi and Anu are and why their full names have not been published despite being co-defendants in an active federal case.
Adeyemi goes to court on July 27. That court process needs to answer all of the above, not just the eight counts against one man.
The borrowed name of a dormant Buhari-era body. A brand-new budget code created during the same months as the suspect’s prosecution. A key witness dead in a fire with no press coverage. Three civil servants sitting in an empty office. A .gov.ng domain nobody has explained. And a N1.3 billion budget line in a signed presidential document.
This is not the profile of a lone con artist with a forged letter.

Enitan Bello of the Good Governance Group (GGG), wrote in from Abuja.

Nigeria’s Islamic Affairs Council, Led By Sultan Sa’ad, Appoints Abbas Jimoh As New Spokesperson

Greenbarge Reporters

July 4, 2026

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has appointed a media and communication professional, Mallam Abbas Jimoh, as its new Public Affairs Officer.
Before his appointment, Jimoh served as an Assistant Editor at the Media Trust Group, publishers of Daily Trust, Trust TV, and Trust Radio. During his time at the organisation, he worked on the Business Desk before moving to the Politics Desk, where he covered major national institutions and beats, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and several registered political parties. He also reported on international events across Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Prior to joining Media Trust Group, he was Assistant Editor (Business) at Sketch Press Limited in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Jimoh holds qualifications in Mass Communication from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.
His distinguished career has earned him several professional recognitions, including a fellowship of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA) of the Bloomberg Institute, United States, in partnership with the Lagos Business School (LBS). He is also a Fellow of the second cohort of the MTN Nigeria Media Innovation Programme (MIP), organised in partnership with the School of Media and Communication (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Lekki, Lagos State, and the Lagos Business School.
Speaking on his appointment, Jimoh described the role as an opportunity to serve Nigeria and the Muslim community.
“This is a huge responsibility, and I am not taking it for granted. The NSCIA has been an organization I have reported on, and the appointment serves as an opportunity to gain more insight into how it advocates for the strengthening of Islam and promotes cohesion among Muslims in the country, all in the collective quest for national development.”
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, being led by the Sultan of Sokoto as its President-General, Alhaji Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, is the foremost Islamic authority in Nigeria. Established in 1973, the Council was created to “cater for, preserve, protect, promote and advance the interests of Islam and Muslims throughout the country.” It remains the officially recognised body by the Federal and State Governments for coordinating Islamic affairs and promoting unity among Muslims in Nigeria.

Heatwave Hits America, Temperatures Rise To 113 Degrees, Threatening Lives

Greenbarge Reporters

July 3, 2026

Heatwave is currently ravaging America with temperatures said to be rising past 113 Degrees Celsius and threatening lives.
Report reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper said that the potentially deadly and historic heat dome has led the government to ask families to use less electricity to avoid blackouts.
The report said that worse hit are the eastern and midwestern states which have been trapped under the heat dome.
It said that the heatwave itself bears the fingerprints of the fossil fuel economy.
A new scientific study released this week found that record humid-heat levels would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change.
Report quoted experts as saying that in 27 states utility companies can legally shut off a family’s electricity due to unpaid bills, adding that electric bills are projected to run 8.5 percent higher than last summer.
It said that more families would be forced to choose between keeping the power on and putting food on the table.
According to the report, electricity demand is growing 12 times faster than it was five years ago, driven almost entirely by data centers fed by fossil fueled energy sources.
An independent market monitor reports that data centres are the prime reason for tight supply and soaring electricity bills across the region, driving 63 percent of the recent capacity price increases.
Campaigns Manager, Candice Fortin, said: “No American should lose their life over an electric bill. Losing air conditioning in this heat isn’t an inconvenience – it’s life-threatening. Air conditioning in a dangerous heatwave is what keeps elderly people, pregnant women and young children out of the emergency room, and higher use during summer heatwaves is something every utility plans for. Yet ordinary households are once again paying the highest price for a crisis they didn’t cause.
“The reason the grid has so little headroom is that data aere consuming electricity at a scale it wasn’t built for, around the clock, every day of the year. And worse: fed by fossil fueled energy sources that make heatwaves more frequent and more deadly.
“350.org is calling for a moratorium on new data centre construction, to give citizens and their elected representatives time to put democratic rules in place to manage their impact on our energy, water and land. Every state should also ban utility shutoffs during extreme heat. “That’s an emergency measure to stop more Americans from suffering.
“Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta raked in net profits of over $80 billion in the first three months of 2026 alone. In fact, investor-owned utilities kept on average a profit of 14.6 cents on every dollar they collected from ratepayers.They can afford to wait while communities catch up.
“The heatwave bearing down on 160 million Americans right now is a preview of every summer to come. Our leaders must choose who they will protect: tech companies and investor-owned utilities, or people. Access to clean, affordable energy is a right, not a privilege. Real independence means no American is ever again forced to choose between a power bill they can’t afford and heat they can’t survive.”
Experts said that such a temperature has never been recorded naturally on Earth and that the highest reliably measured air temperature is about 56.7°C (134°F).
They said that human survival outdoors under such weather would be impossible as the body cannot regulate its temperature, leading to rapid heat stroke and death within minutes.
“It’s worth noting that 113°C is above the boiling point of water at high altitudes and only slightly above the normal boiling point of water (100°C at sea level). Such an air temperature would indicate an environment fundamentally different from Earth’s current climate and would likely make large regions uninhabitable.”

Fake Agency: The Audacity Of Presidency In Tight Corner, By Deen Adavize

Deen adavize

July 2, 2026

Sometimes, one wonders whether those occupying power or those in its corridors think Nigerians have lost the ability to think right. How else does one explain a Presidency asking over 200 million citizens to believe that an agency which allegedly appeared in official records, received budgetary allocation, exchanged correspondence with committees of the National Assembly and operated within government circles never existed?

That is not merely a contradiction. It is an insult to the intelligence of Nigerians.

Governments make mistakes. Democracies survive because governments admit those mistakes and correct them. But when a government attempts to erase documented facts with a press statement, it ventures into a far more dangerous territory, where official narratives begin to compete with reality itself.

That is exactly where Nigeria now finds itself.

The controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is no longer about one agency or one individual. It has become a test of the credibility of government institutions and the respect they have for the citizens they serve.

The Presidency, through its spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has described the PFIPC as a fictitious organisation allegedly created through forged documents by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew. The government’s position is straightforward: the agency never existed and its promoter is an impostor.

Ordinarily, that should settle the matter. But there is a problem.

Facts have a stubborn way of refusing to disappear simply because powerful people wish them away.

Reports indicate that the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes addressed official correspondence to the Director-General of the PFIPC. The House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements reportedly did the same.

Pause and think about that for a moment.

We are not talking about village associations or roadside organisations. We are talking about committees of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

How does a non-existent agency receive official recognition from lawmakers?

How does a ghost organisation attract the attention of committees established by the Constitution?

More importantly, how does such an organisation allegedly find its way into the national budget?

According to reports, the PFIPC received an allocation exceeding N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

If this is true, then Nigerians deserve answers, because budgets do not prepare themselves. Agencies do not insert themselves into appropriation bills by magic.

There are procedures. There are approvals. There are signatures. There are public officials entrusted with responsibilities. Was the agency real when budget preparations were being made and only became fictitious after controversy erupted?

Or are Nigerians now expected to believe that a phantom organisation successfully infiltrated the machinery of government, navigated legislative processes, secured official recognition and obtained public funds without anyone noticing?

Either possibility is alarming.

The first suggests an attempt to distance influential individuals from an embarrassing controversy.

The second suggests a level of institutional failure that should worry every Nigerian.

There is no comfortable explanation.

What makes this matter even more troubling is the apparent haste with which the government appears determined to close the chapter before it is properly read.

Prince Adeyemi has made allegations involving senior government figures, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Those allegations remain allegations. No responsible person should pronounce guilt before evidence is examined.

But neither should anyone be declared innocent merely because they occupy powerful offices.

The rule of law does not recognise sacred cows.

A government genuinely committed to transparency should welcome scrutiny rather than fear it.

If the PFIPC was indeed an elaborate fraud, then Nigerians deserve to know how such a fraud allegedly penetrated the highest levels of government.

Who approved the documents?

Who recognised the organisation?

Who facilitated its activities?

Who looked away?

Who benefited?

These are legitimate questions.

If, on the other hand, the agency enjoyed some form of official recognition before falling out of favour, Nigerians deserve to know why the government is now seeking to disown it.

The truth cannot be hidden forever.

What is even more curious are reports and photographs showing Prince Adeyemi in the company of prominent public officials and influential personalities.

While photographs alone do not establish legitimacy, they certainly raise questions.

Was everyone deceived?

Were all these public officials victims of one man’s alleged manipulation?

Or is there a larger story yet to be told?

Nigerians deserve answers.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time citizens have found themselves trapped between official denials and uncomfortable facts.

Over the years, Nigerians have watched scandals emerge, dominate public discourse and eventually disappear without satisfactory explanations.

Files are opened and quietly closed.

Committees are established and forgotten.

Investigations are announced and abandoned.

The public is expected to move on.

But perhaps that is precisely why this matter deserves greater attention.

This controversy goes beyond one agency.

It goes beyond one individual.

It goes beyond partisan politics.

It is about whether public institutions still possess the integrity required to sustain public trust.

Every contradiction left unexplained weakens confidence in government.

Every unanswered question deepens public suspicion.

Every attempt to suppress inquiry creates even greater curiosity.

This is why an independent investigation has become necessary.

Not an investigation designed to protect reputations.

Not an investigation designed to produce predetermined conclusions.

But one capable of following evidence wherever it leads.

If anyone is guilty, let the facts expose them.

If anyone is innocent, let the facts clear them.

That is how accountability works in a democracy.

The Presidency cannot simply wave away documents.

It cannot wish away legislative correspondence.

It cannot erase public records through press statements.

If the PFIPC was a fraud, then expose every official who enabled it.

If it was legitimate, then explain why Nigerians are now being told it never existed.

Silence is no longer an option.

Denial is no longer sufficient.

Arresting one man will not answer the questions confronting the nation.

Nigerians deserve facts, not narratives.

Until those facts are laid bare through a transparent and credible investigation, one question will continue to echo across the country:

Who exactly is deceiving whom?

Deen is the Executive Director, IT with Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper

Famous Educationist In Edo, Mayor Ojeifo Is Dead, Aged 73

Greenbarge Reporters

July 2, 2026

The death has been announced of a famous Educationist who retired as a Vice Principal of secondary school in Edo North, Mr. Mayor Tajudeen Ojeifo.
A statement issued on behalf of the family by his son, Mr. Frank Ojeifo, said that the educationist died on Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Agbede, Edo State at the age of 73 after a protracted illness.
The statement said that the deceased was a product of Auchi Polytechnic and the University of Benin, who dedicated most of his working life to teaching in secondary schools across Edo North.
It said that shortly after his Higher School Certificate [HSC] programme, he taught at Imade College, Owo, before spending the bulk of his career at Government Technical College, Igarra, where he shaped thousands of students.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Vivian Ojeifo; five children; three grandchildren and two younger brothers: Mr. Sufuyan Ojeifo, publisher of _THE CONCLAVE_ online newspaper, and Mr. Kabir Eromonsele Ojeifo, a senior management staff member at the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Abuja.
His colleagues remembered him as a firm, articulate and selfless teacher whose influence extended far beyond the classroom.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Oladipo Okpeseyi, recalled a final conversation with the deceased, in a condolence message to Mr. Sufuyan Ojeifo.
“My dear Suffy, OMG, Mayor is gone? We spoke warmly a while back and the last time we saw at Owo was when he said he would soon relocate to Agbede,” Okpeseyi wrote.
He described Mayor Ojeifo as “one of the seniors, bold and strong leaders we had growing up” who “remained very articulate and appreciative of every assistance with his signature smile always.”
“Though frail, he was full of life and hope for a better tomorrow… He was a committed and dedicated school teacher who helped to mould future generations of leaders,” Okpeseyi said.
Also, Abiodun Ogundele, an APC chieftain in Ondo State, said that he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
In his condolence message to Sufuyan Ojeifo, he wrote: “Please accept my sincere sympathies during this difficult time. I pray that God grants his soul eternal rest in His heavenly kingdom and comforts you and your entire family.”
Chief Tajudeen Aderibigbe, the Nene of Owo and a businessman in the oil sector who was one of Ojeifo’s students at Imade College, also commiserated with the family. He recalled his last meeting with his former teacher in Owo and how Ojeifo shaped him and other students. He prayed for the repose of his soul in the bosom of the Almighty God and for fortitude for the family.
For many in Igarra and across Edo North, Mayor Ojeifo will be remembered as a blunt, energetic and faithful gentleman who gave his best to education and to the community he served.

Is First Bank No Longer Safe For Keeping Money? By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Greenbarge Reporters

July 2, 2026

Facts have emerged from a curious incidence that happened to me recently to point to the fact that First Bank which used to be the darling of many has been infiltrated by fraud sters and conmen. Beyond that is the fact that has also emerged that First Bank operates by completely isolating its customers.
Recall that a couple of weeks ago, I narrated, on this platform, how fraud ster, in what looked like movie, removed a huge sum of money from my First Bank account, leaving a balance of laughable N3,000.
It all happened on June 13 when the fraud ster cloned my Android phone by suddenly shutting me from an access to its screen and removing my money.
More than ten days after the report was made to a branch of the Bank in Kuje during which time the account details of the culprit was established, the Bank quickly washed its hand off the matter and asked me to go after the culprit myself. The First Bank reluctantly gave the details of the culprit as follows:

Account name: Ishaq Ibrahim (instead of my name, Yusuf Ozi-Usman)

Account number (to which the huge sum was transferred as 0088243601 and the Bank (to which it was transferred) as PAGA.

It is also on record that First Bank said in its message to me that it was “not liable” for the unauthorized transfer of my money in its custody by the fraud ster.
Though I have actually taken it upon myself to pursue the case to its end in many ways possible, the exclusive investigations I have carried out revealed something very sinister about the First Bank itself.
Here are my findings:
1. My statement of account which the First Bank “reluctantly” released to me through my email address shows that the huge sum was actually transferred on June 12. The First Bank did not send me alert until 1.30pm on June 13, in what was crisis milieu on my phone screen. As a matter of fact, in all my transactions before then, it’s my name that appeared but only the one of June 12/13 bore Ishaq Ibrahim.
2. The confidence with which First Bank washed its hand off the fraud by saying that it was “not liable…” is suspicious.
3. First Bank’s abrupt closure of the investigation of the case and turning its back on me showed a sense of irresponsible business deal
4. First Bank’s initial refusal to give the full details of the person who made the unauthorized transfer of my money to me raised questions about business integrity
5. First Bank’s temerity in asking me to lodge my complaint with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which of course, I did on June 16, though response is yet to come from the apex Bank, is frightful.
6. There’s a curious fact that the fraud ster targeted my account only in the First Bank. After cloning my phone, the fraud ster was expected to have access to my accounts in other Banks, but he didn’t touch my money in those other Banks. When I flashed my phone and returned it to factory setting, none of my other information (Facebook, email address, other Banks’ Apps WhatsApp etc) was touched. Only my First Bank’s account was ravaged. Why First Bank?
As a matter of fact, what the First Bank has simply implied is that customers’ money cannot be safe in its custody. If the Bank does not have modern facilities to safeguard people’s funds in its custody, especially in the world that is fast growing in technology, why would it saddles itself with keeping the people’s funds? What type of feeling is the handlers of the Bank’s operations have when, in this type of my case, customers are duped, even if it is “suspected” to be the fault of the customers?
In deed, some Banks, including the First Bank, are now giving customers a rethink about the system, especially the online version of the banking sector. I have actually come across some people who have since di-activated their online system, even including the ATM version.
As a matter of fact, many banks in Nigeria are fast loosing customers because of the growing number of cases of unauthorized transfers from customers’ bank accounts.
In fact, serious concern is being raised in many quarters about the resilience of Nigeria’s banking systems, against the background of the increasing sophisticated cybercriminals that seem to be operating freely and confidently.
One acknowledges that digital banking has transformed financial services, but it has also created new opportunities for hackers to exploit security weaknesses where technology and cybersecurity measures are not continually updated.
Banks therefore, have a duty to ensure that their systems meet modern security standards. Customers who entrust financial institutions with their hard-earned savings is purely on the understanding that their funds are protected by robust technology and effective risk management.
Any failure to keep pace with evolving cyber threats, irrespective of the circumstances and without any form of excuse, risk exposing customers to financial losses, emotional distress and a gradual erosion of public confidence in the banking industry.
Regulators, especially the CBN, need to intensify oversight by ensuring that banks regularly upgrade their digital infrastructure, conduct independent cybersecurity audits and deploy advanced fraud detection systems capable of identifying and blocking suspicious transactions in real time. Likewise, banks should strengthen customer authentication, improve incident response and provide prompt redress where security failures are established.
As cybercrime continues to evolve, investing in modern banking technology is no longer optional; it is essential. Protecting customers’ money and preserving confidence in Nigeria’s financial system require continuous investment, vigilance and accountability from both financial institutions and regulators.
Or, else our Banks would be inadvertently returning Nigerians back to the medieval era; the era where money and other valuables were being kept under the pillows, in locally designed boxes and other devices.

CBN Revokes Licenses Of 46 Microfinance Banks For Violating Laws

Greenbarge Reporters

July 1, 2026

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licenses of 46 Microfinance Banks with effect from July 1, 2026, in accordance with its powers under
Sections 12 and 13 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), 2020.
A statement today, July 1, by the spokesperson of the apex Bank, Hakama Sidi Ali said that the revocation was approved by the Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, “following the banks’ failure to meet the regulatory requirements for continued operation as licensed financial institutions.
According to the revocation order, the action became necessary because of one or more of
the circumstances listed below:
i. Insufficient assets to meet liabilities,
ii. Closure of operations without the CBN approval,
iii. Inactivity and cessation of financial intermediation,
iv. Failure to commence operations within 12 months of licence approval, and
v. Failure to maintain minimum capital funds unimpaired by losses.
The statement said that the revocation of the licenses is part of the Bank’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the stability
of the financial sector, protect depositors, and ensure that licensed institutions comply with current laws and regulatory requirements.
The list of the 46 affected Banks is reproduced:
1 Minji-Se Churchill MFB Rivers
2 Merchant MFB, Abia
3 Janmaa MFB, Kwara
4 Busu MFB, Niger
5 Gold MFB, Lagos
6 Zain MFB (foremerly
Dawakin Tofa MFB) Kano
7 Bompai MFB, Kano
8 Ajwa MFB (Formerly
Gezawa), Kano
9 NOW NOW DIGITAL MFB, Kano
10 Crystabel Microfinance
Bank, Bayelsa
11 Chanelle MFB State Lagos
12 Abia SME MFB, Abia
13 Kamba MFB, Kebbi
14 Iwade MFB, Ogun
15 Winview MFB, Abuja
16 Zuru MFB, Kebbi
17 Minjibir MFB, Kano
18 Shanono MFB, Kano
19 Sumaila MFB, Kano
20 Rimin Gado MFB, Kano
21 Mwaghavul MFB State Plateau
22 Sycamore MFB, Kano
23 TOFA MFB, Kano
24 Safegate MFB, Lagos
25 Creekline MFB Delta,
26 Bestar MFB, Oyo
27 Livingspring MFB,
Cross
River
28 Apple MFB, Ogun
29 Stanford MFB State Uyo
30 Frontline MFB, Anambra
31 Zafec MFB, Kaduna
32 Supreme MFB Tier 1 Lagos
33 Bejin-Doko MFB, Niger
34 Kanopoly MFB, Kano
35 Bellbank MFB formerly
Tsanyawa, Kano
36 Yeneng MFB, Plateau
37 Creditville MFB, Lagos
38 MBAG MFB, Lagos
39 STRAIGHT SAHARA MFB, Benue
40 OURPASS MFB, Ondo
41 VERDANT MFB, Lagos
42 BASAWA MFB, Kaduna
43 CASHA MFB, Abuja
44 ESTEEM MFB, Kano
45 ENTERPRENEUR MFB, Lagos
46 AVANTUS MFB, Osun.
The statement stressed that the CBN remains committed to promoting a safe, sound and resilient
financial system and will continue to take appropriate supervisory and regulatory actions,
where necessary, to maintain public confidence in the Nigerian financial system.

Global Water Organisation Converges On Saudi Arabia, For Peer Review

Greenbarge Reporters

June 29, 2026

Eight founding Member States of the Global Water Organisation (GWO), today, June 29, gathered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the organization Water Week.
The Water Week, which would run from today to July 2 is being hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Representatives from Greece, Kuwait, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Spain today, met at the Ritz‑Carlton Jeddah to review progress over the past year, since the signing of the GWO Charter in Riyadh in May 2025.

The meeting also aimed at aligning the priorities and preparations for GWO’s first General Assembly. Delegations from non‑member states, United Nations agencies, multilateral development. Banks, and international as well as regional organisations also attended the meeting, reflecting the growing interest in GWO’s mandate.
During the meeting, GWO’s founding team presented an overview of progress to date, including the approval of the organisation’s governance model, bylaws, financial and administrative regulations, and its four‑year strategy – which is built around four pillars: research and innovation, data and insights, policy and governance, and financing and funding.
The organisation highlighted its participation in key international water convenings in Dakar, Madrid, Dushanbe and Jeddah, alongside engagements with stakeholders.
These efforts have contributed to raising awareness of GWO’s role as a facilitator and platform for cooperation as momentum toward the first General Assembly continues to build.
GWO’s founding team remarked: “This meeting reflects the collective commitment of our Member States to shaping a stronger, more coordinated global water sector. Over the past year, we have worked closely with countries and partners to lay the foundations of GWO, and we look forward to advancing the next phase together.”
The meeting concluded with interventions from the founding Member States, underscoring their shared commitment to supporting GWO’s development and strengthening cooperation across the water sector.
As the first global intergovernmental organisation dedicated solely to water, GWO was established in September 2023 to help unify fragmented efforts across the sector, promote collaboration and support countries in strengthening water governance, innovation, financing, and knowledge exchange.

How El Niño Threatens Africa’s Food Systems Amid Climate Crisis, By Emmanuel Harawa

Greenbarge Reporters

June 28, 2026

For many people, El Niño is simply a scientific term heard in weather forecasts. For millions of African farmers, however, it represents something far more serious – a climate phenomenon that can determine whether households harvest enough food to survive or face months of hunger.
Across Africa, particularly in countries where agriculture depends heavily on rainfall, El Niño has emerged as a major threat to food security, livelihoods and economic stability.
El Niño has emerged as a major threat to food security in Africa
Recent climate shocks across Southern and East Africa have exposed the vulnerability of farming systems that remain largely dependent on increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
In Malawi, the effects of El Niño have been particularly severe. The 2023/24 agricultural season was characterised by delayed rainfall, prolonged dry spells and erratic weather conditions that significantly reduced maize production, the country’s staple food crop.
The situation prompted the government to declare a state of disaster in 23 districts affected by drought conditions linked to El Niño.
According to government estimates and humanitarian agencies, including the World Vision International, approximately 5.7 million Malawians experienced acute food insecurity during the 2024/25 consumption period as a result of the drought.
Yet the country’s climate-related challenges did not begin with El Niño.
Many communities are still recovering from the devastating effects of Cyclone Freddy, which caused widespread destruction across southern Malawi.
Thousands of households lost homes, crops and livelihoods. Just as recovery efforts were beginning to take hold, drought conditions returned, further exposing the fragility of Malawi’s agricultural systems.
The crisis extends beyond Malawi’s borders.
According to the World Food Programme, the current El Niño weather pattern has contributed to one of the most severe food security crises Southern Africa has experienced in recent years.
Neighbouring Zambia has also suffered one of its worst droughts in decades, resulting in extensive crop losses and reduced hydropower generation, affecting both agricultural production and energy supply.
These developments underscore a growing reality: climate change is no longer simply an environmental issue. It has become a direct threat to economic development, social stability and human well-being.
This reality poses significant challenges to Africa’s long-term development ambitions.
The African Union’s Agenda 2063, commonly known as “The Africa We Want,” envisions a continent characterised by inclusive growth, food security and climate resilience.
Similarly, Malawi’s national development blueprint, Malawi Vision 2063, places agriculture at the centre of economic transformation through increased productivity, commercialisation and industrialisation.
However, these aspirations will remain difficult to achieve if agriculture continues to be highly vulnerable to droughts, floods and other climate-related shocks.
Agriculture remains the backbone of most African economies, employing millions of people and contributing significantly to national incomes.
Yet smallholder farmers continue to rely largely on seasonal rainfall, leaving them exposed to increasingly frequent and severe climate events.
Today, many farmers face a complex combination of challenges, including droughts, floods, pest outbreaks, rising production costs and volatile markets.
Perhaps the greatest injustice is that African farmers are bearing the brunt of a climate crisis they contributed little to creating.
Although Africa accounts for only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains among the regions most severely affected by climate change.
The issue is therefore not only environmental but also one of equity, justice and sustainable development.
Despite these challenges, there are reasons for optimism.
Across the continent, farmers are increasingly adopting climate-smart agricultural practices such as irrigation, water harvesting, conservation agriculture and drought-tolerant crop varieties.
These innovations are helping communities adapt to changing climatic conditions and improve resilience.
However, adaptation cannot rest solely on the shoulders of farmers.
Governments must increase investments in irrigation infrastructure, climate-smart technologies, agricultural research, extension services and early warning systems.
Development partners must strengthen support for climate adaptation and disaster preparedness initiatives.
At the same time, policymakers must ensure climate resilience is fully integrated into national and regional development strategies.
Development frameworks such as Agenda 2063, Malawi Vision 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals provide clear pathways for building more resilient economies and food systems.
However, achieving these goals will require sustained investment, political commitment and coordinated action.
El Niño serves as a powerful reminder that climate change is already reshaping lives and livelihoods across Africa.
The question is no longer whether climate-related shocks will continue to occur.
The more urgent question is whether African countries are adequately prepared to respond.
Protecting farmers means protecting food security. Protecting food security means safeguarding livelihoods, economic growth and the continent’s future.
As climate risks intensify, building resilient agricultural systems must become a priority not only for governments and development partners but for all stakeholders committed to Africa’s sustainable development.

Emmanuel Harawa, is of the AfricaBrief

…. And What Is El Nino? By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

According to ChatGpt, El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon in which the surface waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become warmer than normal. It is part of a larger climate cycle known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
Although it begins in the Pacific Ocean, El Niño affects weather around the world, including Nigeria. Its impacts can include higher global temperatures, more droughts in some regions, heavier rainfall and flooding in others, increased risk of wildfires in dry areas and changes in agriculture, fisheries, and water supplies.
In Nigeria, El Niño can contribute to hotter-than-normal temperatures, delayed or irregular rainfall in some parts of the country, reduced crop yields due to drought in certain regions and in some years, heavier rainfall and flooding in other areas because of complex interactions with regional weather systems.
An El Niño event usually develops every 2 to 7 years and typically lasts 9 to 12 months, although some events can persist longer.
The opposite phase of El Ninois called La Niña. During La Niña, the Pacific Ocean becomes cooler than normal, often bringing weather patterns that are broadly opposite to those of El Niño.
In simple terms, El Niño is the unusual warming of part of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather patterns across the globe, affecting rainfall, temperatures, farming, and water resources in many countries, including Nigeria.

People Live In This Eyesore Debris, In Nigeria

Greenbarge Reporters

June 28, 2026

Members of three set of families are still occupying this eyesore structure that’s reduced to debris by flood after a rain storm in the northern part of Nigeria. Similar situation exists too in other parts of the country.

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