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The Federal Government has said it will not publish specific details of how it plans to spend funds drawn from its $5bn financing facility with First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the facility had already gone through the required approval process and was designed mainly to refinance more expensive government debt.

Oyedele spoke on Wednesday during a media briefing in Abuja, amid scrutiny of the financing arrangement and concerns raised by the International Monetary Fund and Fitch Ratings over its transparency and associated risks.

The Federal Government recently drew about $1.5bn from the $5bn Total Return Swap facility. The National Assembly approved the arrangement on March 31, 2026.

Responding to questions about whether details of the transaction would be made public, Oyedele said the government would disclose information on its spending but questioned why the Abu Dhabi facility was receiving particular attention.

“We will not publish how we are spending it. We will publish how we spend government money. There’s nothing special about that loan,” he said.

He added, “Nobody has asked us whether we’re going to publish the money we took from the World Bank, whether we publish the one from Eurobond, whether we publish the one from Sukuk. Why is this one special?”

Oyedele also rejected suggestions that the transaction bypassed due process, stressing that it had been presented to the National Assembly.

“The loan was approved not only by FEC, it was taken to National Assembly because what some people are doing is they comparing with other countries where they did it under the table,” he said.

“What else can be more public than what you gave to the National Assembly?”

The minister explained that the government was drawing the funds in phases to avoid paying costs on money that had not yet been used, while noting that the facility carried a flexible interest rate.

“We’re assessing it in phases. You don’t want to take all the money at once because if you don’t spend it at once, you incur cost on the extra amount you’ve taken,” he said.

Oyedele said the facility would allow Nigeria to benefit if interest rates fell, unlike existing fixed-rate debt.

“This First Abu Dhabi Bank transaction is flexible rates. It means if rates go up, we pay more. If rates come down, we benefit more,” he said.

He maintained that the government’s main objective was to refinance more expensive debt and reduce borrowing costs, while promising that the Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office would publish frequently asked questions on the facility in the coming days to provide further clarification.

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A 35-year-old American pastor, Benjamin Garlick, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole following his conviction for the sexual assault of a five-year-old girl in Rutherford County, Tennessee.

A local court found Garlick guilty of seven counts of aggravated rape of a child, six counts of aggravated sexual battery, and solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor following a two-week trial.

Presiding Judge Barry Tidwell handed down the life sentence for the aggravated rape charges, with sentencing on the remaining convictions scheduled for November 10, 2026.

His 32-year-old wife, Shaantal Garlick, was also convicted on two counts of facilitating the aggravated rape of a child and two counts of aggravated child neglect. Her sentencing has also been set for November 10.

Police investigations began in August 2023 following reports of child abuse. Detectives subsequently identified two additional victims and established that Shaantal knowingly aided the abuse and neglected the child.

Before his arrest in September 2023, Garlick served as an itinerant minister working primarily with Spanish-speaking communities across the United States.

Following the verdict, law enforcement authorities urged additional victims or witnesses in the community to report related incidents to the police.

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A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to commence the process of cleaning up an oil spill that has devastated Uzere Kingdom in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The order was contained in a ruling in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/132/2026, filed by the Eric Omare Chambers on behalf of the Ovie of Uzere Kingdom, Udogri Isaac I, who is the applicant representing the Uzere Traditional Council and the entire Uzere community.

In the ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice Adamu Mohammed emphasised the need “to protect the environment and ensure compliance with due process.”

While directing the defendants to “clean up the affected sites and take measures to protect the environment from further harm”, the judge also ordered that “all ongoing oil and gas operations by the defendants in the Uzere Kingdom should be halted pending the resolution of the motion on notice.”

During the hearing, counsel for the plaintiff, N.O. Akporuvweku of E.K. Omare and Co. Chambers, emphasised that the court had previously directed the defendants to show cause regarding the environmental damage and that the necessary documents had been served.

The defendants, represented by O.O. Jarikre and Akomaye, acknowledged receipt of the motion and confirmed that discussions between the parties had been productive, with no objections raised to the application.

Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Justice Mohammed directed the defendants to file an interim compliance report with the court within 14 days.

The deadline, an extension from the initially proposed seven days, revealed the court’s commitment to ensuring that effective measures were swiftly taken to address the ecological damage caused by the oil spill.

The court’s decision was greeted with jubilation by residents of Uzere, who have long suffered the environmental and economic consequences of oil spills.

High Chief Odio Lucky, representing the plaintiff, said the ruling “represents a victory for the Kingdom.”

He added that “it is a critical step in safeguarding the livelihoods and health of the people.”

Uzere Kingdom is in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.

It is a historic oil-producing community and hosts two major oil fields, Uzere East and Uzere West, with dozens of wells, commonly reported as about 43 wells producing around 53,000 barrels per day.

Multiple reports confirm a blowout/eruption at Well 14 in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 30, operated by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, also referred to as Heritage Operational Energy Limited or HEOSL.

Contamination of farmland, waterways, fishing grounds, and effects on livelihoods are documented by residents, community leaders, and groups.

Concerns persisted into early August 2026. Many community leaders called for urgent containment, remediation, and public release of investigation findings, according to reports.