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Compel NNPCL To Account For Missing N500bn, SERAP Tells Court

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“The World Bank recently disclosed that out of the N1.1 trillion revenue from crude sales and other income in 2024, the NNPC only remitted N600 billion, leaving a deficit of N500 billion unaccounted for,” SERAP stated. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

 

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked a Federal High Court in Lagos for an order of mandamus directing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to account for the alleged missing N500 billion, which it allegedly failed to remit to the Federation Account between October 2024 and December 2024.”

 

SERAP is also urging the court to compel the NNPCL to invite appropriate anti-corruption agencies to investigate the spending and whereabouts of the N500 billion and ensure the prompt recovery and remittance of the money to the Federation Account.

 

The civil society organisation is further praying the court to direct NNPCL to identify those suspected to be responsible for the alleged missing oil funds, surcharge them for the full amount involved, and hand them over to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution.

 

SERAP filed the suit, which is yet to be assigned to a judge, after the oil company failed to act on its Freedom of Information request regarding the alleged missing funds.

 

However, in the suit, the plaintiff argued that the NNPCL is responsible for complying with the 1999 Nigerian Constitution 1999, the Freedom of Information Act, and the country’s international human rights and anticorruption obligations in exercising its statutory functions.

 

It also submitted that the Supreme Court, in a groundbreaking judgment, recently declared that the Freedom of Information Act applies to the Federation’s public records, including those kept by the NNPCL.

 

SERAP further stated that the missing oil revenues have further damaged the country’s already precarious economy, contributed to high government deficit spending, and caused the country’s crippling debt crisis.

 

The plaintiff maintained that the missing oil revenue reflects a failure of NNPCL’s accountability more generally and is directly linked to the institution’s continuing inability to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability.

 

SERAP also insisted that the NNPCL’s failure to remit the money to the Federation Account is a grave violation of public trust, the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anti-corruption laws, and the country’s anti-corruption obligations.

 

It further averred that there is a legitimate public interest in providing the details sought and that the respondent has a legal responsibility to account for and explain the whereabouts of the missing oil money.

 

SERAP stated, “The revenue and other income were expected to be paid into the Federation Account and shared by all levels of government, but the NNPCL reportedly failed to do so.

 

“SERAP submitted that Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution requires public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.

 

“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes clear responsibility on the NNPCL to conform to, observe, and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution.

 

“Nigeria has made legally binding commitments under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure accountability in the management of public resources. Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on the NNPCL to ensure proper public affairs and funds management.

 

“The missing oil revenue has also impeded Nigerians’ ability to enjoy their economic and social rights and denied them access to essential public goods and services, especially during the cost of living crisis in the country.

 

“Had the NNPCL accounted for and remitted the alleged missing N500 billion to the Federation Account, it is likely that more funds would have been allocated to the fulfilment of economic and social rights, such as increased spending on public goods and services.

 

“The Freedom of Information Act, Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee to everyone the right to information on the whereabouts of the missing N500 billion of oil revenue.

 

“The country’s oil wealth ought to be used solely for the benefit of the Nigerian people and the present and future generations.

 

“Without the full recovery and remittance of the missing N500 billion oil revenues, the dire economic situation may worsen. Nigerians will continue to be denied access to basic public goods and services.

 

“Nigerians have the right to know why the NNPCL failed to remit the subsidy removal savings to the Federation Account and why the NNPCL is deliberately denying states and local governments their allocations from the Account, contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

 

“Despite the country’s enormous oil wealth, ordinary Nigerians have derived minimal benefit from oil money primarily because of widespread grand corruption and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators.

 

“Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the ability of the government to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.

 

“The Nigerian Constitution, Freedom of Information Act, and the country’s anti-corruption and human rights obligations rest on the principle that citizens should have access to information regarding the spending of their commonwealth.

 

“The Auditor-General of the Federation and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) have documented reports of the disappearance of oil money from the NNPCL for many years.

 

“The World Bank recently disclosed that out of the N1.1 trillion revenue from crude sales and other income in 2024, the NNPC only remitted N600 billion, leaving a deficit of N500 billion unaccounted for,” SERAP stated. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

 

-Leadership

Entertainment

Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss

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Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.

 

The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.

In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.

“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.

Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).

The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.

Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.

Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.

“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.

“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.

Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.

He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.

-Guardian

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Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women

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Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.

 

The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.

“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.

While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.

“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.

Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.

“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.

He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.

“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.

In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.

“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.

He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.

Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.

“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.

“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”

He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.

 

-Guardian

 

 

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Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15

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A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.

 

The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.

However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.

Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.

Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.

The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.

-Guardian

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