By Editor

Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive received a renewed push as the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) called for stronger youth participation, citizen oversight, and transparency safeguards in the implementation of the country’s 2025 tax and revenue reforms.

Speaking in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NEITI, Musa Sarkin Adar, said Nigeria’s youth must be positioned at the heart of the fight against corruption and poor resource governance.

Delivering the address on behalf of the NEITI National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) and as Chair of the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT), Sarkin Adar said corruption continues to undermine economic growth, distort extractive sector governance, and widen inequality across the country.

“The youth remain our greatest source of hope and strength. Their energy, innovation, and desire for a more just society place them at the centre of Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts and the future of integrity in the extractive industries and beyond”, he said.

He reaffirmed NEITI’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians not just as advocates for accountability but as active partners in shaping transparency, noting that informed and courageous citizens are essential to dismantling entrenched corruption.

As part of this commitment, Sarkin Adar said NEITI would continue to expand civic education, strengthen reporting mechanisms, support youth-led innovation, and create platforms for constructive engagement with students, professionals, and entrepreneurs.

A key focus of this year’s Anti-Corruption Day, he noted, was the link between tax transparency, trust, and accountability, particularly as Nigeria prepares to roll out far-reaching tax and revenue reforms in 2025.

Sarkin Adar disclosed that NEITI has concluded a policy-backed brief on the inclusive implementation of the new tax laws, offering a roadmap aligned with global standards of transparency, accountability, and efficiency in revenue administration.

According to him, the policy brief assesses the conformity of the legislative provisions with international best practices and recommends safeguards to protect the fiscal autonomy of states and local governments.

“We cannot afford to treat transparency as an afterthought. A robust tax reform without citizen oversight is simply centralisation under another name”, he warned.

He said NEITI stands ready to provide independent oversight, facilitate dialogue among stakeholders, and ensure accountability in the implementation of the reforms, particularly in the extractive sector where revenues remain critical to national and subnational finances.

Calling on government, industry players, civil society, and development partners to embrace the roadmap, Sarkin Adar stressed that the success of the 2025 tax reforms would depend on inclusive implementation and sustained public trust.

He added that the reforms must deliver inclusive growth, fiscal accountability, and sustainable prosperity across all levels of government, with special attention to the youth, whom he described as “Nigeria’s future.”

“As we mark International Anti-Corruption Day, we celebrate the courage, resilience, and integrity of Nigeria’s youth. Together, we can shape a future defined by honesty, justice, and shared prosperity”, he said.

By Ambrose Nnaji

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has urged global energy leaders to embrace deeper collaboration to stabilise LNG supply, enhance affordability for emerging markets, and secure long-term energy expansion in an increasingly fragmented and uncertain world.

The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Mshelbila, made the call while speaking on the panel, “Energy Expansion in a Challenging Global Trade Environment,” at the World LNG Summit & Awards in Istanbul, Turkey.

Mshelbila warned that without coordinated action across the entire LNG value chain, the world risks deepening the energy divide, undermining energy security, and slowing progress toward a balanced, lower-carbon global energy mix.

According to him, the geopolitical tensions, unilateral national policies, and sanctions shaping today’s energy market require a new model of LNG contracting—one that extends beyond conventional price and volume terms.

“To safeguard global energy security from the risks of geopolitics and unilateral policies, LNG contracts must evolve from simply defining volume and price to actively managing sovereign risk through diversified supply sources, flexible delivery routes, and adaptive contract terms,” he stated.

Mshelbila emphasised that global energy expansion could stagnate unless structural hurdles around LNG supply, pricing, financing, and decarbonisation are urgently addressed. He said the current status quo poses serious risks, especially for developing economies struggling with volatile gas prices.

Reflecting on shifting trade patterns since the 2022 supply shock, he noted that the LNG market has witnessed a renewed appetite for long-term contracts, even as short-term agreements remain attractive. This dual demand, he said, is driven by heightened global uncertainty and the desire of buyers and producers to lock in supply security.

Addressing how LNG can continue to meet growing global energy needs, the NLNG chief highlighted the importance of three core pillars—availability, affordability, and decarbonisation. He explained that while natural gas is often viewed as a transition fuel, its relevance will extend far beyond the next few decades if these pillars are strengthened.

Mshelbila pointed to significant supply-expansion projects in the United States and Qatar, along with NLNG’s own Train 7 development, which is set to add eight million tonnes per annum of new capacity. These investments, he said, are critical to meeting expected long-term demand growth.

However, he cautioned that affordability remains LNG’s most critical challenge. Persistently high prices, he argued, have forced several developing nations to revert to cheaper but more carbon-intensive fuels such as coal—undermining global climate ambitions.

The World LNG Summit, now in its 25th year, continues to be the industry’s premier global platform for policymakers, producers, buyers, financiers, and technology innovators to shape the future direction of LNG amid mounting geopolitical and economic uncertainties.

By Ambrose Nnaji

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the rollout of 4,000 telecom towers nationwide in a major push to expand digital access and economic inclusion in Nigeria’s underserved communities.

Speaking after FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, said the approval stemmed from a joint memo by the Ministry of Digital Communications and the Ministry of Finance.

Idris said the initiative would address the digital exclusion of an estimated 23 million Nigerians who currently lack reliable connectivity, limiting their participation in the economy, access to information, and basic communication.

“Under this programme, about 4,000 towers will be erected in underserved communities. These service centres for agricultural mechanisation and the digital economy will ensure that no community is left behind”, he said.

He noted that the lack of digital access in remote areas had slowed rural commerce and hindered national security efforts. The deployment of the towers, he said, would boost local economies, improve security communication systems, and support the federal government’s broader digital transformation drive.

“Indeed, this will also help in fighting insecurity and enhancing commerce and economic activity amongst the people of Nigeria,” the minister added.

Idris further disclosed that FEC had approved the establishment of agricultural mechanisation service centres across the six geopolitical zones to strengthen year-round farming and support food security. The decisions, he said, align with the medium-term expenditure framework presented earlier by the Ministers of Finance and Budget.

The initiatives are part of ongoing government reforms aimed at accelerating digital inclusion, strengthening rural economies, and modernising the agricultural sector.