The Federal Government today, December 22, in Abuja earmarked N433.4billion in the 2016 budget for its services in the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. President Muhammadu Buhari stated this today in his 2016 budget speech delivered at the Joint session of the National Assembly. He said it was the intention of government to raise the percentage allocation for capital expenditure in future. To deliver our development objectives, we have increased the capital expenditure portion of the budget from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion in the 2016 budget. “For the first time in many years, capital expenditure will represent 30…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the N6.8 trillion 2016 budget proposal presented by President Muhammadu Buhari today, December 22, to a joint session of the National Assembly “as a big fraud and executive conspiracy tailored towards mortgaging the future of the nation”. In the budget proposal, capital expenditure takes N1.8 trillion (30%), marking a significant increment of over 300% from the 2015 allocation of N557 billion. According to the estimate, N396billion is earmarked for education, making it the largest sectoral allocation. The health sector gets N296 billion while defence received an allocation of N294 billion. In its reaction,…
The newly appointed Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari, says President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to proper repositioning of the Niger Delta region. Semenitari spoke with newsmen on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Tuesday. She said that President Buhari had charged the new appointees to clean-up the commission so as to be able to serve the people of the region effectively. Semenitari, however, said that her appointment was a confirmation of President Buhari’s commitment to active women participation in his government. “My appointment is in keeping with President Buhari’s commitment to…
President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized to Nigerians for the lingering fuel scarcity in the country, most especially, the queues that have refused to disappear from filling stations, ascribing the situation to the handiwork of rent seekers, which he said his administration is working hard to check. He made the apology while presenting the 2016 budget, which he described as the budget that will stimulate the economy, at a joint session of the National Assembly. The budget presentation, which centered on Nigerians’ ability to change the fortune of the country, was at intervals, interjected by applause from lawmakers. The president said about N2.1…
The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Monday, hinted that the mining sector’s N400 billion contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), will soon increase. He gave the indication yesterday while reeling out his plans at the ministry’s maiden press conference in Abuja. Nigeria has 44 mineral assets, including precious minerals, which, Fayemi said, could make the sector a key source of economic growth and diversified revenue base for Nigeria. He also gave all mining licensees till March 1, 2016 to use their licences or lose them. Fayemi, who said he was projecting about one million direct jobs from solid…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State on Monday accused Governor Seriake Dickson of allegedly victimizing some top civil servants and politicians perceived to be against his re-election. The opposition party also alleged that Dickson was buying up the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of eligible voters from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and other councils ahead of the January 9 rerun. It said: “In his acts of desperation, Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has vowed to use to deal with some top civil servants and politicians believed not to have supported him in the governorship election”. In a statement…
A human rights activist, Mr. Emmanuel Owotunse has condemned Hon. James Abiodun Faleke for approaching the tribunal over the choice of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) to replace late Prince Abubakar Audu, saying Hon. Faleke’s action was an affront to the authority of the party. Speaking with Vanguard in Lokoja, Monday, Owotunse said the action of the party was based on the fact that Yahaya Bello was the most constitutionally qualified to replace the late Audu. “Faleke is taking too many wrong steps. His lawyers are surely misleading him into taking decisions that will burn…
Mrs Oluronke Rosolu, a court registrar, was yesterday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of an Ikeja High Court for defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, of 330,000 dollars. Rosolu was convicted on all the two counts charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences brought against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). “The representation that she never collected $330,000 from the complainant is deceptive; the accused could not provide a strong alibi for her whereabouts when the fraud occurred,” Lawal-Akapo said while sentencing Rosolu. “I find the accused…
Some Muslim women led by Hajia Maryam Abubakar, on Monday, donated a giant Christmas tree to Christ Evangelical Intercessory Fellowship Ministry based in Kaduna as Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas. They also donated other Christmas gifts to Christians in the northern city. “We have observed that the Christmas tree is very vital to the life of every Christian, and that is why we bought it for them, and we donated it to the church as a sign of togetherness and to wish them the best of the season that is full of blessing to mankind, that is, the birth…
The Rivers State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has drawn the attention of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who it claims to be unlawfully dispossessing members of the public of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), under the guise of conducting the party’s membership registration in the State. The alarm was raised Monday by the State PDP chairman, Felix Obuah, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam. The PDP said it had confirmed that leaders and members of the APC are procuring…