Connect with us

National

Decisions taken at FEC meeting

16 decisions were taken at Monday's FEC meeting

Another meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) took place in Abuja on Monday with no fewer than 16 decisions taken.

The following are the highlights, according to the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

  1. The meeting reviewed the flooding in some parts of the country, especially the one that destroyed almost 50 per cent of Maiduguri in Borno State.

The meeting backed the President’s idea of setting up a Disaster Relief Fund to be funded by a portion of the revenue accruing to the Federation account. Funds will also be solicited from the private sector.

  1. The meeting resolved to set up a technical committee to conduct integrity tests on Alau Dam and other dams countrywide.
  2. The Council also approved the Economic Stabilisation Bills, which embody the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy Reforms set up last year by President Tinubu.

The bills seek to amend the income tax laws, promote the export of goods and services, reform the exchange rate regime and unlock foreign exchange liquidity.

One of the bills offers tax relief to companies that generate incremental employment. Another offers personal income relief to people in private and public employment, from N200,000 to N400,000.

Another bill seeks federal and state collaboration to suspend certain taxes on small businesses and vulnerable populations.

Among the taxes to be axed are road haulage levies, business premise registration levies, livestock levies, and market taxes and levies.

The Economic Stabilisation Bills, with the Council’s approval, will now be transmitted to the National Assembly for passage.

  1. The Council approved a contract to build a 258 km 3-lane carriageway with continuous reinforced concrete pavement in Kebbi and Sokoto states.

The stretch is part of the 1000km superhighway from Illela, Sokoto State, to Badagry, Lagos State. The section awarded starts from Silame in Sokoto state and terminates at Buya Town in Kebbi.

  1. The council approved the revised estimated contract cost for constructing Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel in Rivers State.

The contract was awarded in 2014 for N120 billion and revised in 2021 to N199, 923,638,963.87. The FEC approved another increase to N280 billion, with an additional completion period of 12 months.

  1. The council approved the rescoping and downward review of the contract to rehabilitate the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway at a lower cost of N740.79 billion.

Julius Berger’s job now has a completion period of 14 months and includes the provision of solar lights.

  1. Messrs CCECC Nigeria Limited was awarded two road contracts, including bridges in Kogi and Cross River, at a total cost of N133.4 billion.

They are the construction of Cross River to Oferekpe Road and rehabilitating Kabba (Kogi State), Iyamoye-Omuo-Ikole-Ifaki-Ado Ekiti Road.

  1. Messrs BDT International Limited was awarded the contract to repair the Gamboru Bridge along Gamboru-Ngala-Kala, Balde Road in Borno State. The cost is N3.2 billion, and completion will take 24 months.
  2. Messrs CCECC Nigeria will repair the damaged loops and ramps of the Third Mainland Bridge superstructure and rehab Adeniji-Falomo Roads for N42 billion. Completion will take six months.
  3. The council approved the N158 billion contract to construct service lanes for the Lekki Deep Sea Port through Epe to Shagamu-Benin Expressway.

Dangote Industries will be awarded the contract under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development Fund and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.

  1. The council approved the contract for the dualisation of Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe Road in Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states.

The road will be financed under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.

  1. The councils also approved contracts for the repair of 14 bridges, roads, and flooded sections of Federal Highways nationwide.
  2. The council approved at least seven memos brought by the FCT Ministry. Among them was the contract for the building of Judges Quarters in Katampe.

Also approved was the contract to construct an access road from Ring Road 1 by N16 Shehu Shagari Way to Judges Quarters.

  1. The council approved the contract for building an access road from Arterial Road N11 in Mabushi District to Judges Quarters within Cadstral Zone B07 in Katampe.
  2. The council approved three roads in FCT satellite towns: the Pai-Gomani Road in Kuala Area Council, Aguma Palace-Radio Nigeria-New Market Road in Gwagwalada, and road upgrades in Bwari Area Council.
  3. The council approved two memos presented by the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

One memo deals with the restoration of dignity and standardisation of national symbols, such as the national flag, coat of arms , national anthem and national pledge.

Council approved that the first stanza of the National Anthem should be rendered at all official functions.

Meanwhile, the three stanzas should be for special occasions, such as `Independence Day, Democracy Day, Inauguration of the National Assembly, Children’s Day, Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Workers Day.

The Council approved adopting the third stanza of the New National Anthem as the National Prayer to replace the current National Prayer.

The second memo of the Ministry deals with the unveiling of the national values charter. The Council approved it.

National

14 states to struggle if FAAC allocation stops 

The BudgIT Nigeria says 14 states will struggle if FAAC allocation stops

The BudgIT Nigeria has listed 14 states that will  struggle if the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) stops its payment.

According to a post on its official X account on Thursday afternoon, the BudgIT Nigeria said such states will find it difficult to exist.

“Hello Nigerians, here are 14 states that will STRUGGLE if FAAC allocation stops coming in today!,” it wrote.

“If FAAC disappears today, these states will struggle to pay salaries, pension and gratuity. This is because they rely on FAAC for at least 70% of their total revenue.”

1. Bayelsa – 92.17%

2. Akwa Ibom – 86.29%

3. Delta – 83.88%

4. Taraba – 81.89%

5. Niger – 80.19%

6. Benue – 79.85%

7. Anambra – 76.94%

8. Bauchi – 75.33%

9. Cross River – 74.87%

10. Nasarawa – 74.55%

11. ⁠Gombe – 72.29%

12. Enugu – 70.68%

13. ⁠Edo – 70.24%

14. ⁠Kano – 70.24%

“Is your state among this list? Can your state still function if FAAC allocation is removed from its total revenue?,” the BudgIT Nigeria asked.

Continue Reading

National

Amnesty International urges Nigeria to enact anti-mob violence laws

Amnesty International is calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to take action against mob violence by enacting anti-mob violence laws.

The human rights organisation’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, made this plea in their report, “Instantly Killed: How Law Enforcement Failures Exacerbate Nigeria’s Wave of Mob Violence,” presented on Monday in Abuja.

Sanusi emphasised the need for these laws to combat the growing trend of jungle justice in Nigeria.

According to Amnesty International, between January 2012 and August 2023, at least 555 people fell victim to mob violence in 363 documented incidents, character1sed by killings, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment.

“Mob violence has spread with impunity in Nigeria over the past decade.

“The surge in mob violence, including against women and children, has sparked nationwide calls for justice from victims, their families, and human rights advocates.

“Law enforcement failures have exacerbated the problem, highlighting the need for effective legislation.”

“To address this issue, Amnesty International recommends that the Nigerian government should take concrete steps to prevent mob violence, protect victims, and hold perpetrators accountable.”

He said addressing this includes enforcing existing laws, providing training for law enforcement, and promoting community-based initiatives to prevent violence

Continue Reading

National

Nigerians rejected your ideas in 2023 election; Presidency tells Atiku

The Presidency has hit back at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.

The clash began after Atiku, in a statement on x, outlined what he claimed would have been a more effective approach to tackling Nigeria’s economic challenges.

Atiku criticised Tinubu’s handling of key reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies, and proposed a slower, more cautious rollout of economic policies.

He argued that his administration would have been more empathetic and better prepared to handle the fallout of such reforms.

“I am not the president, Tinubu is. The focus should be on him and not on me or any other. I believe that such inquiries distract from the critical questions of what President Bola Tinubu needs to do to save Nigerians from the excruciating pains arising from his trial-and-error economic policies,” he wrote.

Responding to this, Presidency, through the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said Atiku “tried to discredit President Tinubu’s economic reform programmes” while pushing his untested agenda as a better alternative.

The Presidency added that Nigerians rejected Atiku’s ideas in the 2023 election, claiming they his proposals lacked substance.

“First, Alhaji Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll,” Onanuga said.

The Presidency also claimed that if Atiku had been elected, his administration would have been riddled with corruption, citing Atiku’s alleged plans to sell key national assets to close associates.

“If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism,”

“Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends.”

The Presidency’s statement also took aim at Atiku’s tenure as vice president from 1999 to 2003 under President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of overseeing a “questionable privatization programme”

“He (Atiku) and his boss (Obasanjo) demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder,” he added.

“Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.”

The Presidency also noted that despite Atiku’s futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement that “it is gratifying that the former VP could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.”

The presidency, however, defended Tinubu’s economic reforms, stating the president “met a country facing several grave challenges” with “fuel subsidies were syphoning away enormous resources” that it could not afford, as well as the “criminal arbitrage in the forex market.”

It stated, “No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically.”

The Presidency also dismissed Atiku’s call for a “gradualist approach,” stating that it “only showed that he (Atiku) was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.”

“It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser,” the presidency added.

“While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity.

“Alhaji Abubakar calls for empathy and a human face to reforms. We have no problem with this as it resonates well with our administration’s focus. President Tinubu has consistently emphasised the need for compassion and protection of the most vulnerable.

“The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions.”

Continue Reading

National

Tinubu to swear in seven new ministers on Monday—Presidency

Barring any last-minute changes, President Bola Tinubu is set to swear in seven new ministers tomorrow (Monday), marking a significant development in his administration’s restructuring efforts.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on his verified X handle on Sunday.

The new ministers, who were cleared by the Senate last week, will assume critical roles in various sectors under the President Tinubu-led administration after their inauguration.

The newly appointed ministers include Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi as Minister of Labour and Employment, and Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Other appointees are Dr. Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha as Minister of Livestock Development, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, and Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad as Minister of State for Education.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will swear in the new seven ministers tomorrow Monday. The Ministers are: Dr Nentawe Yilwatda – Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi – Minister of Labour & Employment; Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu – Minister of State Foreign Affairs.

“Others are Dr Jumoke Oduwole – Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha – Minister of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata – Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development and Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad – Minister of State Education.

“The Senate cleared the ministers last week.”

This cabinet reshuffle comes amids months of growing calls from Nigerians for change and the need to put energy into the government.

President Tinubu’s administration has been working to address the country’s challenges, and these new appointments, according to Presidency officials, are expected to bring fresh perspectives and expertise to their respective ministries.

Continue Reading

National

Sanwo-Olu sues EFCC over alleged planned arrest, prosecution

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged threat to arrest, detain and prosecute him after his tenure as governor.

Sanwo-Olu, through his lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, filed the fundamental right enforcement suit before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

When the matter was called for mention on Tuesday, Ozurumba informed the court that he had withdrawn the earlier originating summons filed and replaced it with a new one.

The lawyer said the anti-graft agency had been duly served with the latest court documents.

However, EFCC’s counsel, Hadiza Afegbua, said she was yet to see the documents.

Besides, the proof of service of the processes was not in the court file and Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until Nov. 11 for further mention.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/773/2024 dated and filed on June 6, the governor raised seven questions and sought 11 reliefs.

Sanwo-Olu sought a declaration that under and by virtue of the provisions of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, “the plaintiff, as a citizen of Nigeria, is entitled to right to private and family life as a minimum guarantee encapsulated under the Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria, 1999 before, during and after occupation of public office created by the Constitution.”

He wants the court to declare that under and by virtue of the provisions of Sections 43 and 44(1) of the 1999 Constitution, he is entitled to acquire, own, operate and manage both moveable and immovable property.

This, he said, include bank accounts, as a minimum guarantee encapsulated under the constitution either before, during and after leaving public office of governor of a state.

He also wants the court to declare that upon community reading of the provisions of Sections 35(1) & (4) and 41(1) of the constitution, the threat of his investigation, arrest and detention by the EFCC  during his tenure of office as governor is illegal.

 He also said that the plan to arrest him was unconstitutional and a flagrant violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35(1) & (4) and 41(1) of the Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 ( as amended).

The governor prayed the court to declare that the incessant harassment, threat of arrest and detention, against him upon the EFCC’s instigation by his political adversaries based on false and politically motivated allegation of corruption is a misuse of executive powers and abuse of public office.

He further wants the court to declare it as an unwarranted Interference with his fundamental right to personal liberty, freedom of movement, fair hearing and equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the constitution and the Africa Charter on Human & Peoples’ Rights, CAP A9 LFN 2004.

Sanwo-Olu, therefore, sought an order restraining the EFCC from harassing, intimidating, arresting, detaining, interrogating or prosecuting him in connection with his tenure as the governor of Lagos State.

He also prayed the court to make an order prohibiting and restraining the commission “from seizing the properties, the international passport and travel documents of the plaintiff or freezing the bank accounts of the plaintiff, his family members or in any other way to further breach the plaintiff’s fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”

He urged the court to make an order restraining the EFCC from inviting, arresting or detaining him in connection with his tenure as governor of the state or breach his fundamental rights to personal liberty, fair hearing, private and family life, freedom of movement, acquisition of moveable and immoveable property as enshrined in the laws

In the affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by Martha Kanu, a litigation secretary in the law firm, the lawyer said she was informed the facts by the governor at a tele-conference meeting which she believed to be true.

She alleged that as a way of getting at the governor, the EFCC was now making surreptitious plan to arrest some of his aides and family members based on the false and spurious allegations of diversion of funds.

She said the officials of the commission were now mounting pressure on some of the aides of the governor to come and make incriminating statements against him.

Besides, Kanu alleged that the anti-graft agency was also threatening to go after some contractors handling projects for the state government.

He said the agency was compelling them to come and make statements to implicate Sanwo-Olu of corruption as part of the orchestrated contrivance to build up a trump up case against him.

According to her, in a malicious attempt to get at the plaintiff, some of the plaintiff’s political adversaries in conjunction with some of the officials of the defendant are falsely ascribing to his administration of corrupt practices which are none existent.

She alleged that the EFCC, through some of its officials, were desperately inventing false, spurious and malicious allegations against the governor in order to use same as a basis for investigating, arresting and prosecuting him after leaving office as governor.

NAN reports that Sanwo-Olu was sworn in as the Governor of Lagos State on May 29, 2019 and was re-elected and sworn in again for a second term on May 29, 2023

Continue Reading

National

Why Police Can’t Help EFCC To Arrest Yahaya Bello — Onanuga 

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga says security agencies have not been able to arrest embattled former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello because of the “complicated” nature of the case.

Onanuga was a guest on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-economic programme aired on Channels Television.

In April, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Bello, who was Kogi governor from May 2015 to May 2023, wanted for alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2 billion.

The EFCC had at various times, stormed Bello’s residence in an attempt to arrest the former governor but his successor, Usman Ododo, had come to his rescue, whisking him away to his lodge.

The matter has been in court but the former governor has not appeared before the trial judge despite many adjournments.

Asked why police authorities can’t order orderlies attached to Ododo to arrest Bello, Onanuga said, “I think it’s a bit complicated. The EFCC is an agency of the Federal Government, and it wants to arrest Yahaya Bello. Yahaya Bello is hiding under the agbada (flowing robe) of the governor of Kogi State, his (Bello’s) successor, who happens to enjoy immunity.

“That’s the problem because if he (Bello) stays inside Governor Ododo’s house, the police cannot do anything because they will be violating that immunity that the man enjoys.

“It’s like a diplomat enjoying certain immunity, you cannot do anything about it. You remember in the UK when they were looking for the Wikileaks man and he went to hide in one embassy in Britain, there was nothing they (security agents) could do, they left him there. I think he later came out and they arrested him.

“It’s the same thing. Ododo enjoys immunity. Yahaya Bello is believed to be hiding there. They cannot storm the place and say they want to arrest him. That’s the problem of the EFCC, and the police cannot help the EFCC.”

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending