THE Federal Government may spend N2.36tn on electricity subsidies for low-income consumers in 2025, a figure that comes amid plans to implement a cost-reflective tariff for electricity consumers. This came as the Multi-Year Tariff Order released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Sunday showed that the government incurred N178.03bn electricity subsidy in January despite minimal cash backing. This subsidy payment comes despite low allocations in the budget to cover the mounting electricity costs. The N178.03bn is a decrease of 10.1 per cent or N19.88bn when compared to the N197.91bn that was shouldered by the government on behalf of electricity…
Author: Hamza Rufai
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THE Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee has slammed a cost of N200,000 on a legal practitioner, Mr A. O. Amagwula, for stalling the hearing of a petition against his client, Stella Oyiogu. The Incorporated Trustees of Barewa Old Boys Association BOBA petitioned the Disciplinary Committee in 2021 alleging that Oyiogu fraudulently represented the alumni body at FCT High Court in a land dispute, without authorisation. She reportedly joined the association in the case, filed a defense on its behalf but abandoned the case leading to a judgment against the association. In her response, Oyiogu claimed that she was engaged by one…
THE Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has stepped down the merger of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as recommended by the Steve Oronsaye report. He also revealed that the aviation industry was exempted from the foreign travel ban placed on federal government officials last year. The President announced the ban which took effect from April last year. Keyamo disclosed that the aviation sector was exempted from the ban because President Tinubu is desirous of change and growth in the sector. The ban was…
THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has registered over 700,000 candidates ahead of its upcoming examinations. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed this on Friday while speaking with journalists after inspecting some registered Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Lagos. Oloyede stated that over 700,000 candidates had been registered, including more than 11,000 underage applicants. “As of today, we have registered 779,714 candidates. This is the second week and the tenth day of registration,” he said. He added, “At this moment, the figure stands at 780,202, with 11,512 underage applicants. Today alone, 443 underage candidates were registered.” According to him,…
DEPUTY spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has strongly denied bribery allegations made against him by Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan. Agbese has given Gambaryan a seven-day ultimatum to provide evidence of his claims or retract them, warning that failure to do so will result in legal action. Gambaryan alleged that Agbese, along with two other lawmakers, demanded a $150 million bribe for his release while he was detained in Nigeria in 2024 over money laundering accusations. The other lawmakers named were Peter Akpanke and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption. However, Agbese dismissed…
NIGERIA has decided to set up a special security team to protect its power installations and infrastructure. “We have decided now with the Minister of Power to have what we call the power rangers,” Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said on Friday during an appearance on Sunrise Daily. The ‘power rangers’ will be created with officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and will be responsible for stopping the vandalism of power infrastructure which has caused blackouts across the country. Amid growing reports of vandals damaging power installations and outcry over frequent blackouts sometimes caused by vandalism,…
THE National Assembly on Thursday passed the ₦54.99trn 2025 Appropriation Bill. The bill was passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives. A breakdown of the budget showed N3.645trn for statutory transfers, N14.317trn for debt servicing, N13.64trn for recurrent expenditure and N23.963trn capital expenditure (development fund), with fiscal deficit put at N13.08trn. The Deficit-to-Gross domestic product (GDP) Ratio was put at 1.52%. Last Week, President Bola Tinubu increased the 2025 fiscal year budget from an initial N49.7trn to N54.2trn, seeking approval from the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abubakar…
THE House of Representatives on Thursday announced changes in some of its standing Committees while creating two more. The new committees are the House Committee on South West Development Commission and the North Central Development Commission. Speaker Abbas Tajudeen who announced the new committees, said Akin Adeyemi and Tunji Olawuyi will head the South West and North Central Development Commissions respectively as Chairman and will be assisted by Clement Akani qnd Donald Ojogo respectively. The Speaker said the two new committees were necessitated by the signing into law, the bills creating the regional commissions and the need the need for…
THE Nigeria Police Force has dismissed recent reports alleging that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, stating that the claims are misleading and do not reflect the reality of the situation. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, emphasised that the allegations stemmed from a 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and do not indicate an actual disappearance of arms. “The report appears to stem from an assessment of the 2019 audit, which likely reflects records compiled before the tenure of the current Inspector-General of Police.…
THE four tax reform bills transmitted to the National Assembly in 2024 by President Bola Tinubu have scaled second reading in the House of Representatives. News Point Nigeria reports that the bills scaled second reading on the floor of the Green Chamber on Wednesday some six months after the President transmitted them to the National Assembly for consideration following the recommendations of the Taiwo Oyedele-led Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. The bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. The bill, having…
THE House of Representatives on Wednesday began debates on the four tax reform bills transmitted to the National Assembly in 2024 by President Bola Tinubu. The bills are scheduled for a second reading on the floor of the Green Chamber some six months after the President transmitted them to the National Assembly for consideration following the recommendations of the Taiwo Oyedele-led Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. The bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. The new tax bills were enveloped in…
THE National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has voided the suspension of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara. In a statement on Tuesday, National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the purported suspension violated the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) and does not follow due process. He described the action as reckless and unconstitutional act, after the Abia state chapter of the party suspended Wabara for endorsing Governor Alex Otti for a second tenure barely five months into the governor’s administration in October 2023. “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the…
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has recorded some achievements in its war against abuse of narcotic substances, especially with the cooperation of sub-nationals. The agency’s spokesman Femi Babafemi said some state governments in the country have embraced the NDLEA’s advocacy to make drug tests mandatory for appointees and employees. Babafemi made this known on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief breakfast programme on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria. He said, “It’s an advocacy move and that has been going on since 2021. Quite a number of state governments are already making this a policy in their…
FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that snakes, termites, monkeys, rodents and other mysterious animals must not be allowed to swallow the $1.07 billion earmarked for the health sector in the 2025 budget proposal. Also, in a fresh move to curb sleaze, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria have expressed their desire to team up with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on monitoring of the budget at national and sub-national levels to ensure optimal performance. In a statement he personally signed, yesterday, Atiku noted that bizarre…
KANO State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has appointed Umar Farouk Ibrahim as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG). The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Saturday. Ibrahim’s appointment takes effect from Monday, February 10, 2025. According to the statement, Ibrahim was selected based on his extensive experience and expertise, which are expected to play a vital role in advancing the administration’s development agenda and keeping the state on track with its goals. Umar Farouk Ibrahim brings over three decades of distinguished public service to his new role. His…
THE Senate has ordered an investigation into allegations made by Niger Republic’s military leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, accusing the Nigerian government of colluding with France to destabilise the country’s internal security. This order followed a motion brought to it by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Shehu Buba (Bauchi-South). While presenting the motion, Buba emphasised that a major concern was Tchiani’s wrongful implication of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai, in the alleged conspiracy. Tchiani alleged that the Nigerian government was facilitating the…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dissolved the entire governing council of the University of Abuja, now known as Yakubu Gowon University and relieved Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi of her duties as Vice-Chancellor. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement said, “The President also announced significant leadership changes at several federal universities”. According to the statement, “In addition, President Tinubu has removed Professor Polycarp Emeka Chigbu from his position as Acting Vice-Chancellor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), before his tenure ends on February 14.” See full statement below: PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu…
THE House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution announced on Thursday that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu read a letter from the committee during plenary, outlining the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved. According to the letter, the proposals include five from the North Central, four from the North East, five from the North West, five from the South East, four from the South South, and seven from the South West. According to the…
DEPUTY Speaker Benjamin Kalu has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to apply his power of prerogative of mercy and tamper justice with mercy for the release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from detention. Kalu made the appeal while addressing reporters after the inaugural meeting of the House of Representatives committee on South East Development Commission (SEDC) at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Wednesday. The Deputy Speaker applauded the President for his continuous and tremendous support and commitment towards peace, development and stability of the South-East region. According to him, since…
TWO cargoes of jet fuel, averaging about 130 million litres, have been exported from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Coming on the backdrop of projection by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that the 650,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery would disrupt the global crude and product market, President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, described the latest export as an achievement of the goals set by the organisation. The development may also indicate that Nigeria will be prioritising the Middle East in its ambition to become a refining hub amid the shutdown of refineries in…