The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu is not on trial in the United States, describing the ongoing legal proceedings involving records linked to him as a civil dispute over access to government documents.

The clarification was made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, amid renewed attention to the case before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to the Presidency, the matter arose from requests submitted under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for records relating to Tinubu.

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“For clarity, the matter is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the United States Freedom of Information Act. It is not a criminal case against President Tinubu, nor has the court found him guilty of any criminal wrongdoing,” the Presidency stated.

The government explained that Aaron Greenspan submitted FOIA requests to several US government agencies in 2022, seeking records relating to the President.

After some agencies withheld certain records or declined to confirm or deny their existence, Greenspan commenced Civil Action No. 23-1816 before the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 2023.

The court subsequently permitted President Tinubu to participate in the proceedings as an intervenor.

The Presidency said some of the agencies invoked the “Glomar defence”, a legal position that allows US government agencies, under certain circumstances, to neither confirm nor deny the existence of particular investigative records.

It added that the court subsequently granted summary judgment in favour of the CIA, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, Department of State, Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service, effectively removing them from the proceedings.

However, aspects of the case involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration remained subject to further consideration.

The Presidency further disclosed that the FBI and DEA had produced 399 pages of records in compliance with court orders, although portions of the documents were redacted under exemptions provided by US law.

According to the government, the plaintiff challenged the agencies’ decision to redact parts of the documents and sought their release without the redactions.

The FBI and DEA, through the US Department of Justice, opposed the request, citing legal protections covering certain categories of information.

The Presidency said some of the records relate to grand jury proceedings, which are protected from public disclosure under US law.

It also cited protections covering information connected to certain court orders authorising pen registers or trap-and-trace devices, as well as documents protected by attorney-client and attorney-work-product privileges.

The Presidency’s clarification comes amid heightened political debate ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with opposition figures continuing to scrutinise the President’s past and administration.

The government, however, maintained that the US proceedings should not be misrepresented as a criminal trial against Tinubu, stressing that the case concerns the disclosure and withholding of government records.

Renewed tensions in the Middle East have seen crude prices push towards $100 per barrel riding on the back of US sanctions and a blockade of Iranian oil exports, which have escalated the Asian country’s economic woes.

Consequently, the Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed to $97 per barrel on Thursday before declining to $95.50, as reported at Oilprice.com.

On its part, Reuters reported that the surge in oil prices came as Washington intensified its campaign to cut off Iran’s access to international financing and prevent the country from circumventing sanctions.

Three senior Iranian sources reportedly told Reuters that the latest measures were proving increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, with the country facing dwindling channels for securing foreign currency and importing essential goods.

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The pressure has also severely affected Iran’s oil exports.

Iranian crude loadings have fallen to about 260,000 barrels per day this month, from around 1.7 million bpd a year earlier, according to commodity analytics firm Kpler.

The development has raised fresh concerns over the impact of the sanctions on global oil markets, particularly as the conflict has disrupted energy supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

While some energy continues to flow through the strategic waterway, the US blockade of Iranian oil exports has effectively cut off Tehran’s main source of revenue, Reuters reported.

Iran’s economic problems have been compounded by a sharp collapse in its currency and accelerating inflation. The rial has fallen from about one million rials to the dollar a year ago to more than 2.2 million rials currently.

Official figures put Iran’s 12-month average inflation at 69.9 percent, while prices of food, beverages and tobacco have risen at nearly twice that rate.

The squeeze has also affected Iran’s ability to maintain its sanctions-evasion networks, with front companies, unregistered tankers and smuggling operations becoming increasingly expensive.

The country’s trade has fallen by between 25 and 35 percent, with imports hit harder than exports, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also disrupted a major channel for Iranian commerce, announcing on 19 August that all commercial exchange and financial dealings with Tehran had been halted until further notice.

These have plunged Iran’s domestic fuel situation into some sort of turbulence.

One senior Iranian source told Reuters that the country has only about two months’ supply of petrol, which it needs to import despite its domestic oil production because of limited refining capacity.

The deteriorating economic conditions are also placing severe pressure on Iranian households. Average monthly salaries are estimated at about $125, compared with basic household spending requirements of roughly $450, according to official data.

The economic squeeze comes as fighting between Iran and the United States has intensified, with attacks and retaliatory strikes raising fears of further disruption to oil supplies and shipping.

Leading economists, financial experts and industry stakeholders have described the Dangote Group’s investments as major drivers of industrialisation and economic transformation across Nigeria and Africa.

The experts cited the Group’s impact on job creation, import substitution, foreign exchange conservation and economic competitiveness.

They voiced their thoughts at the Lagos Economic Summit themed “The Real Deal: Africa’s Greatest Investment Opportunity,” where they urged governments to implement policies that strengthen local industries and accelerate economic diversification.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu, commended the Dangote Group’s sustained investments across Africa, describing them as critical to unlocking the continent’s economic potential.

He noted that while recent economic reforms have improved foreign exchange stability, strengthened reserves and eased inflationary pressures, the focus must now shift to growth in industry, productivity and employment.

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Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Muda Yusuf, said industrialisation remains the most effective path to sustainable economic development.

He called for better alignment of trade and industrial policies, stressing that local manufacturers require strategic support to compete effectively and drive broader economic benefits.

Founder and CEO of Nairametrics, Ugodre Obi-Chukwu, said Africa’s growing population presents a significant industrial opportunity, noting that investments such as the Dangote Refinery are helping to retain capital within the continent while strengthening local production capacity.

In his keynote address, Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, said Nigeria is gradually transitioning from a consumption-led economy to one driven by investment and production.

He added that sustained investments in productive sectors will continue to stimulate growth, create jobs and improve living standards.

Participants at the summit also advocated stronger credit infrastructure, improved national identification systems and increased investment in skills development to enhance the productivity and global competitiveness of Africa’s growing youth population.

Photo Caption: From Left – Chief Economist, Dangote Industries Limited, Dr. Hassan Mahmud; Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru; Chairman of Occasion/Special Guest of Honour, Samaila Zubairu; Key Note Speaker Session 1, Bismarck Rewane; during the Real Deal: Africa’s Greatest Investment Opportunity, Sponsored by Dangote Industry Limited in Lagos on Thursday 3, September 2026.