Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu presented the 2024 budget to the National Assembly’s joint session on Wednesday. It is President Tinubu’s first full-year budget since he assumed office in May. Below is the complete transcript of his speech: 2024 BUDGET SPEECH: Budget of Renewed Hope In furtherance of my sacred duties and obligations as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is my honour to be here today to present my administration’s 2024 Budget Proposal to this Joint Session of the 10th National Assembly. This moment is especially profound and significant to me because it is my first annual budgetary presentation…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has written the House of Representatives seeking the approval of the green chamber for $8.6bn and €100m external borrowing plan for critical infrastructure in areas such as power, roads, water, railway, and health. The President also forwarded the Federal Capital Territory Supplementary Budget to House for consideration. Meanwhile, the President will present the 2024 budget to the National Assembly on Wednesday. This was after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion. The approval followed the review of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) earlier passed by the National Assembly which benchmarked the exchange…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will, on Wednesday, depart Abuja for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to attend the COP28 Climate Summit, his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, has said. At the world leaders’ summit, which will take place on December 1 and 2, 2023, with the theme, ‘Unite, Act, and Deliver,’ Tinubu will deliver a national statement, highlighting Nigeria’s stance on various thematic issues, including renewable energy and climate financing. The President will be accompanied by senior government officials to the summit also known as the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28). “Mindful of the…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has tasked local and foreign investors to make Nigeria their investment hub as he declares President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s determination to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the country. The Vice President gave the charge on Monday when he hosted the management of First Surat Group, as well as top management of MTN Nigeria at the presidential villa in Abuja. He charged MTN Nigeria to facilitate and spearhead digital mobile money and digital education. Shettima, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, said the Tinubu administration was willing to partner with various…

THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives, on Monday, began a full-scale probe into the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2023 as mandated by the House at the plenary session. Addressing the opening session, the Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam (PDP-OSUN), warned that the committee would not entertain delay tactics from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies by way of asking for an extension of time. “The committee is probing over 60 MDAs over several billions of naira in intervention funds allocated to them during the COVID-19 pandemic and we have given them…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new Board and Management team for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) with effect from December 1, 2023: This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Monday. The statement reads in full: STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NNPC BOARD AND MANAGEMENT TEAM In compliance with Section 59 (2) of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new Board and Management team for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) with effect…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will present the 2024 budget to the National Assembly on Wednesday, News Point Nigeria can report. Our correspondent was reliably informed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, would officially make the announcement later on Monday. Confirming the story, the Secretary, of Research and Information at the National Assembly, Dr Ali Barde Umoru, in the National Assembly on Monday. He stated this while going over the budget presentation to journalists and requesting a list of those to be allowed into the chamber. Ahead of the budget presentation, Tinubu had three weeks ago, forwarded to…

INDICATIONS emerged on Saturday that the chief executive officers and other top executives of Deposit Money Banks had begun moves to raise fresh capital to bolster their respective institutions’ capital base in line with the pronouncement of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Olayemi Cardoso. This newspaper gathered from top sources in the banking industry that the top executives might have also commenced preliminary merger and acquisition talks, as some of the big banks are eyeing some weaker ones for possible acquisition, while some middle strength and weak ones are looking for alliances that may result in…

IN his bid to restore political stability in Ondo State, President Bola Tinubu, late on Friday, waded into the months-long crisis between factions loyal to the Executive Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Saturday, this followed marathon negotiations between the President and the Deputy Governor, representatives of Governor Akeredolu, federal and state lawmakers of Ondo, officials of the state’s chapter of the All Progressives’ Congress, and other stakeholders in the state at the State House, Abuja. The President advised all opposing…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to always put the interest of the people first and work for the good of their states. He gave the advice on Friday while receiving Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; the returning Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, and the governor-elect of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, in Abuja, the nation’s capital. “Make sure that everyone is carried along. You are now the servants of the people,” a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted Tinubu as saying. “You worked hard for this victory. You are now the servants…

FAMOUS Islamic scholar, Mufti Ismail ibn Musa Menk, on Friday, visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. Speaking after the meeting, the Grand Mufti of Zimbabwe’s Muslim community and head of the fatwa department for the Council of Islamic Scholars of Zimbabwe, said he and other Islamic scholars were in Abuja for peace and unity convention scheduled for this weekend. Menk, who said the delegation of scholars from across the globe were in Lagos last weekend for similar convention, underscored the need for all Nigerians to live together in harmony and respect one another despite…

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the election of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Kaduna State and the election of Sheriff Oborevwori, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Delta State governorship poll which was held on March 18. Delivering the judgment of Kaduna on Friday, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the tribunal acted in error when it depended on inadmissible evidence to order the conduct of supplementary polls in 22 polling units of four local government areas (LGAs) where the exercise was deemed…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has visited the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, at his residence in Abuja. Details of the meeting were unknown as of the time this report was filed. But the ruling party posted images of the visit on its X account on Friday morning. The post was captioned, “The National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, received in audience former President Goodluck Jonathan @GEJonathan at his residence in Abuja.” The Nigerian leader is yet to comment on the visit or state its purpose. Prior to the 2023 presidential elections, Jonathan was linked to…

MINISTER of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong is set to resign his position in the Tinubu’s adminstration, News Point Nigeria gathered. A source close to the minister, who pleaded anonymity told this newspaper that the Minister has collected his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as Plateau South Senator, Thursday. According to the source, who spoke exclusively to News Point Nigeria, Lalong has communicated his desire to proceed with his Senatorial sojourn to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume and the Chief Of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. “The minister is yet to…

VICE President Kashim Shettima is currently chairing the 137th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. The council has governors of the 36 states of the federation, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister of Finance, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and some others as members. In attendance at the fourth NEC meeting under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration are all governors except those of Akwa Ibom, Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Osun, Borno, Nasarawa and…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Abuja from Berlin, Germany where he attended the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) Conference. The President, who left Nigeria on November 18, 2023, arrived in Abuja on Wednesday night. Tinubu was received on arrival by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje; as well as and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. The President had joined other Heads of State and Governments of CwA member countries, bilateral partners, as well as Heads of…

THE National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress has announced the dissolution of the executive of the Rivers State chapter of the party. The Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC also disclosed that a caretaker committee that will oversee the conduct of a congress to elect new excos has been put in place. The development came two months after some chieftains of the party loyal to a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and led by the state governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, lamented that President Bola Tinubu has subtly sacrificed them for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike,…

JUSTICE Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja, has granted the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, bail in the sum of N300 million and two sureties in like sum. The sureties must have certificates of occupancy and titles of properties within the Maitama District. Emefiele is mandated to deposit all his travel documents with the registrar of the court and must remain within the Abuja Municipal Council. He is expected to remain in Kuje Correctional Centre pending when he meets the bail conditions. Emefiele was absent Wednesday morning for the ruling on…

APPEARING before the House of Representatives, the service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, listed their challenges and needs in a bid to improve the security situation in the country. The service chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar; and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, requested that the National Assembly intervene in enhancing surveillance to cover the backwaters, creeks, and…

THE President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has reshuffled the leadership of some of the Senate Committees, naming Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content. Akpabio said this at plenary on Tuesday also naming Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim (APC-Ondo); as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs. “Sen. Patrick Ndubueze (APC-Imo) Chairman, Senate Committee on Steel Development; Sen. Shuaibu Lau (PDP-Taraba) Chairman, Committee on Tourism, Sen. Binos Yaroe (PDP-Adamawa) Chairman, Committee on State and Local Government Affairs. “The Chairman, Senate Committee on National Atomic and Nuclear Energy is Sen. Sahabi Yau (APC-Zamfara); the Chairman,…