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Tinubu seeks time to verify N4tn GENCO debt

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President Bola Tinubu on Friday asked electricity generation companies to grant the Federal Government more time to “do verification and validation of the numbers” on longstanding liabilities the power market says it is owed.

He also gave anticipatory approval for a N4tn bond programme to plug the sector’s liquidity hole.

This followed the President’s meeting with the Association of Power Generation Companies, led by Col. Sani Bello (retd.), at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed details of Friday’s talks in a statement titled, ‘President Tinubu meets Chairmen of GENCOs, pledges to resolve longstanding debt claims.’

Nigeria privatised its generation and distribution assets in 2013, but chronic under-recovery of tariffs, unpaid subsidies, gas supply constraints, weak transmission capacity and pervasive energy theft have kept the market cash-strapped.

The Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company routinely pays GENCOs a fraction of their monthly invoices, creating an ever widening arrears book that is then financed with short-term bank debt at double digit interest rates.

The signing of the Electricity Act 2023 by President Tinubu pushed for cost reflective tariffs, metering programmes and transmission upgrades and lifted collections.

However, legacy debts and gas under-supply still threaten generation capacity and fresh investment.

With banks tightening exposure limits, GENCOs warned that foreclosures could cascade through the value chain without an immediate government backed settlement plan.

At Friday’s meeting, President Tinubu acknowledged the historic arrears but insisted payments would be anchored on a transparent audit.

“I accept the assets and liabilities of my predecessors, and there is no question about that. But that acceptance must be on credible grounds.

“I need to wear the audit cap of verifiability, authenticity, and the fact that this inheritance is not a mere deodorant but a support structure for critical economic and industrial promotion,” he stated.

The President appealed for patience from GENCOs and lenders while government firms engage auditors and lawyers to scrub the claims.

“We are here. So, market it to your other colleagues. Give us time to do verification and validation of the numbers,” he said.

Reiterating his preference for a market-driven power industry, Tinubu said the sector’s “long neglected legacy issues” are finally being addressed.

The President also cautioned banks against pulling the plug on indebted GENCOS.

“This is a longstanding issue that is now being dealt with. I know how much we have been able to save on fuel subsidies. We introduced the alternative, CNG, to bring relief back to the people.

“To our friends in the banking sector, I ask that we avoid foreclosures. Sharpen your pencils, but keep an eraser handy. Let’s persevere together,” he stated.

Describing electricity as “the most important discovery of humanity in the last 1,000 years,” Tinubu reaffirmed that access to power was fundamental to growth and human dignity.

The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said the administration was confronting a decade long cash crunch rooted in tariff and market shortfalls.

Verheijen disclosed that, “As of April 2025, the Federal Government is carrying a verified exposure of N4tn in debts to GENCOs, an accumulation dating back to 2015.

“We have since sat with 27 GENCOs—not all of them are here today—and reviewed their PPAs and gas sales agreements to understand the legitimacy of their claims. The GENCOs claimed about N4tn from 2015 to the end of 2023.”

According to her, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company has validated N1.8tn of these claims so far.

“Since that period, we have had N200bn in unfunded subsidies that have accumulated the Federal Government’s liability. So, as of April 2025, the total exposure that we are carrying at the moment is N4tn,” she added.

However, she warned that the figure remained subject to downward revision, pending final validation.

“While there is an anticipatory approval of this N4tn bond programme, it is subject to negotiations and final settlement of agreements. Only the amounts that the Federal Government validly owes are the things that will make it into the issuance by DMO,” Verheijen noted.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, commended President Tinubu for the attention given to the power sector, stating that the administration’s reforms had restored investors’ confidence and improved performance across the electricity value chain.

“Your Excellency, your presence at this meeting is a clear testament to your unwavering commitment to the sustainability, stability, and long-term development of Nigeria’s power sector. Under your leadership, we have recorded critical milestones in less than two years,” the minister said.

Adelabu said the Tinubu administration signed into law the Electricity Act, 2023, decentralising and liberalising the electricity market.

He noted that the administration had launched Nigeria’s first Integrated National Electricity Policy in 24 years, attracted over $2bn in new private capital, and grown sector annual revenue by 70 per cent—from N1tn in 2023 to N1.7tn in 2024—reducing government subsidy obligations by over N700bn.

Adelabu added that installed generation capacity had grown from 13,000 MW to 14,000 MW, with an all-time peak generation of 5,801 MW and a record maximum daily energy delivery of 120,370 MWh, achieved on March 4, 2025.

According to him, there has been no national grid collapse in 2025, a direct result of interventions under the Presidential Power Initiative, which has added over 700 MW of transmission capacity.

He reported progress in narrowing Nigeria’s metering gap through the N700bn Presidential Metering Initiative (via FAAC) and the World Bank supported DISREP, which has already delivered 300,000 smart meters out of 3.45 million procured.

While acknowledging these strides, Adelabu cautioned that the sector is grappling with an urgent liquidity crisis that could undermine ongoing reforms.

“Mr. President, given the grave implications of this debt overhang, including the risk of a nationwide shutdown of generation assets, I humbly seek your immediate support for defraying these obligations, even if partially, over a defined period,” he stated.

In separate remarks, business leaders, Tony Elumelu and Kola Adesina, appealed for urgent intervention.

“Mr. President, we’ve come to you as a last hope. The generating companies are heavily indebted to banks, and foreclosure threats are real, not because we’re not doing our jobs, but because the system owes us trillions,” Elumelu said.

He added, “Before you took office in 2023, we lost 97 per cent of our daily oil production. Today, we are retaining 98 per cent. That’s transformation. Investors are seeing greater stability and predictability. We don’t need power to complete your transformation, we need power to enable it. Power is critical to unlocking Nigeria’s full potential. We urge you to help solve this debt problem.”

Adesina also stressed liquidity and gas supply: “Liquidity is the oxygen of our business. Without urgent intervention, generation capacity will stall, and Nigeria’s industrial and economic ambitions will be jeopardised.

“The plants in the Afam axis are underperforming because we have not paid gas suppliers. We propose unlocking 800 million cubic feet of gas through NLNG to boost supply to these power plants.”

Friday’s meeting was attended by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister Wale Edun; Minister of Information Mohammed Idris; and other senior officials, regulators and stakeholders — underscoring the political and financial weight now being thrown at the sector’s decade-old debt gridlock.

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UK Charity Commission freezes over 100 bank accounts linked to MFM

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On Tuesday, the UK’s Charity Commission announced it had frozen the assets of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International (MFM), a Nigerian-founded church.

On its website, the UK government concluded that its trustees failed to manage the organisation’s finances properly across its UK branches.

The UK Charity Commission is a non-ministerial department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, to ensure that the public can confidently support charities.

MFM, founded by Nigerian cleric Daniel Olukoya, is one of Nigeria’s most influential Pentecostal churches. It has a strong global presence, particularly in the United Kingdom, where many Nigerian diaspora communities worship.

MFM is not the first Nigerian-founded church to face scrutiny in the UK. In recent years, other Nigerian-origin churches, including SPAC Nation in December 2024 and Christ Embassy in November 2019, have been investigated regarding governance and financial accountability concerns.

The incident raises broader questions about how rapidly expanding churches adapt their internal systems when moving into regulated environments like the UK, where religious organisations registered as charities must meet strict financial reporting standards.

The case has, therefore, sparked wider conversations about financial transparency and governance among fast-growing African churches operating overseas.

How the investigation began

On 27 March 2018, the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into MFM under Section 46 of the UK’s Charities Act 2011. Concerns have been raised regarding the possible misappropriation of charity funds and weak internal financial controls.

The Commission discovered that the church had expanded rapidly in the UK, growing from a few branches to more than 90 locations nationwide, without developing a solid financial governance structure to match its growth.

According to the final report, the Commission found that trustees did not properly oversee more than 100 separate bank accounts operated by different church branches. These accounts were opened and managed autonomously, often without informing central leadership or providing timely income reports.

Commission’s report

The commission reported that the church’s branches operated independently without central approval and that Major financial decisions, such as property purchases and lease agreements, were made without trustee authorisation.

Additionally, some branches used properties without securing planning permissions, leading to costly legal actions. It highlighted that Poor employment contract management resulted in financial settlements for employment disputes, and the lack of a unified monetary system created serious risks to charitable funds.

As a result, the regulator concluded that donor money was at risk due to weak financial oversight and poor governance.

Interim Manager Appointed to Restore Control

On 1 August 2019, following serious concerns about the trustees’ ability to manage the charity effectively, the Commission appointed an interim manager under Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act. The interim manager worked alongside the trustees to implement critical financial controls.

This oversight continued until 13 September 2024, when the interim manager was discharged after making progress.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Charity Commission announced that it had frozen the charity’s assets to prevent further financial risk while strengthening accountability structures.

Amy Spiller, Head of Investigations at the Charity Commission, said:

“The rapid growth of a charity comes with correspondingly larger potential risks, as our inquiry clearly shows. In this case, the trustees’ fundamental failure to maintain financial controls meant donor funds were at serious risk across their entire network.”

She added that the trustees are better positioned to ensure financial responsibility and compliance following regulatory intervention.

Regulatory Action

Upon completing its review, the Commission issued a regulatory action plan that required MFM to strengthen its governance policies and improve financial transparency. The Commission has confirmed that trustees have complied with the action plan, and the charity is now expected to operate under stricter financial controls going forward.

When this report was filed, neither MFM International nor its founder, Daniel Olukoya, had issued a public statement in response to the Charity Commission’s findings.

Collins Edomaruse, the media aide to Mr Olukoya, did not respond to calls or text messages.

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MDAs under fire as FG probes TSA violations

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The Federal Government, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, has ordered all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their statements of accounts in commercial banks.

The government said the move was part of its plans to maintain financial discipline.

This was disclosed in a memo signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, which was obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.

Ogunjimi in the memo expressed grievance over the continuous usage of commercial banks by MDAs despite an earlier directive ordering MDAs to close such accounts and focus on the use of the Treasury Single Account domiciled in the Central Bank.

Recall that the government in February mandated MDAs to stop the use of commercial banks, as it opposes the framework of the TSA.

While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy,” the statement by the OSGF said in February.

Reacting to the new memo, Ogunniyi said, “It has been observed with dismay that funds belonging to the Federal Government are still domiciled in several accounts held with commercial banks, contrary to Federal Government Circulars and the operational framework of the Treasury Single Account, which mandates the consolidation of all Federal Government revenues and receipts into the TSA domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“In view of the above and following the Honourable Minister of Finance directive, all Directors/Heads of Finance and Accounts in Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Federal Government-owned Enterprises are immediately required to submit Statements of all Bank Accounts (active, dormant and closed) maintained in all commercial banks over the last six (6) months, clearly indicating account names, account numbers, bank branches and current balances.”

“This directive takes immediate effect and must be treated with the utmost urgency, as it is part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen fiscal discipline and uphold the integrity of the Treasury Single Account Framework.”

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Kanu to defend self, lists Danjuma, Wike, Sanwo-Olu as witnesses

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The detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, made a dramatic turn on Tuesday by informing the Federal High Court in Abuja that he was ready to open his defence.

This came just hours after Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, led protests in parts of Abuja demanding Kanu’s release.

Kanu had, last Thursday, filed a preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction to continue his trial.

The objection came on the same day a team of medical experts appointed by the court declared him medically fit to stand trial, Channels reports.

In a fresh motion personally filed on Tuesday, October 21, Kanu told the court that he was prepared to begin his defence “pursuant to the order of this honourable court made on the 16th day of October 2015, directing the defendant to commence his defence on the 24th day of October 2025.”

He disclosed plans to call 23 witnesses divided into two categories, “ordinary but material witnesses” and “vital and compellable witnesses”, the latter to be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011.

The motion, which Kanu personally signed, suggested that he may have disengaged his legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kanu Agabi.

He also requested 90 days to conclude his defence due to the number of witnesses he intends to call.

Kanu stated that he would testify on his own behalf, “providing a sworn account of the facts, denying the allegations, and explaining the political context of his statements and actions.”

Among those listed as “compellable witnesses” were former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd); former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd); Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.

Others include the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; and former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

Kanu also listed former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN); former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, among others whose identities he withheld.

Kanu pledged to submit sworn statements from all voluntary witnesses and to notify the prosecution within a reasonable time.

He assured the court that “no precious time of the honourable court would be delayed,” adding that “justice must not only be done but be manifestly seen to have been done.”

Meanwhile, on the same day Kanu filed his motion, a magistrate court in Abuja ordered the remand of his special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, and 12 others arrested during protests demanding his release.

The police charged the 13 defendants with criminal conspiracy, disobedience of a lawful order, inciting disturbance, and disturbance of public peace — offences contrary to sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code Law.

Those named in the first two information reports include Ejimakor, Kanu’s brother Emmanuel, Joshua Emmanuel, Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, Godwill Obioma, and Chima Onuchukwu.

The magistrate, after briefly standing down the case, ordered their remand at Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter till October 24 for arraignment.

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