Author: Our Reporter
The Federal Government on Saturday challenged reports mischaracterizing a World Bank analysis as evidence of “diverted” federation earnings or “hidden spending.” Minister of State for Finance Oyedele Taiwo in a statement said the reports distort the Nigeria Development Update’s findings on Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) deductions. The Minister said those deductions—statutory transfers, savings, security costs, collection fees, refunds to agencies, and aid to states—aren’t waste or leakages, but standard fiscal flows, including statutorily required payments. “Refunds and transfers to states are legitimate,” the statement emphasized, rejecting portrayals of them as missing funds. Critics, it added, cherry-pick outdated data while…
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun has said that the bold reforms being implemented by President Bola Tinubu are proving durable and self-sustaining, paving the way for a shift from stabilization to robust economic growth. Speaking at a press briefing during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings in Washingron, Minister Edun credited policies launched in mid-2023 with steadying the economy amid global headwinds including export tensions, trade uncertainty and tightening financial conditions. “Building prosperity through policy reflects Nigeria’s commitment to credible and disciplined macroeconomic reforms,” Minister Edun said. Market-based foreign exchange…
Vice President Kashim Shettima led a high-profile wedding ceremony Saturday for three children and a cousin of Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, drawing Governors, and cabinet Ministers to the state’s capital. Shettima, served as wali—traditional guardian—for Zulum’s daughter Aisha, giving her in marriage to Mohammed Idi Barde, son of Yobe State’s deputy governor. According to his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Stanley Nkwocha, the other couples were Umar Babagana Zulum and Fatima Azzaki Jidda; Mamman Babagana Zulum and Yagana Mustapha Busuguma; and Abba Abubakar Umara and Aisha Ibrahim Musa. The Media aide said joining Vice President Shettima…
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State who serves as Director-General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA), on Thursday appointed 16 directors to head the group’s directorates in boosting its organizational structure ahead of 2027 elections. President Bola Tinubu designated RHA in November 2025 as the primary vehicle to promote his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda nationwide. The group, with Governor Uzodimma at the helm, includes Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani as Deputy Director—General (DDG), Gombe State Governor Mohammed Inuwa as Secrtary, and Honourable James Abiodun Faleke as Deputy Secretary. The Renewed Hope Ambassadors comprises six zonal coordinators, 37 state coordinators, and…
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday said that political credibility as an opposition force comes from ballot-box victories, not hasty alliances or bold talk. Speaking at the PDP headquarters Wadata House in Abuja, Minister Wike dismissed smaller parties claiming opposition leadership. “You cannot become an opposition party without winning an election,” he said. “Those who say they are leading the opposition have not contested any election successfully.” The FCT Minister comments bring to fore, the jostling for position ahead of the nation’s 2027 elections, as stakeholders…
President Bola Tinubu on Friday signed the 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, authorizing ₦68.32 trillion in spending for the fiscal year starting April 1. The President also approved an extension of the 2025 budget’s implementation through June 30, giving federal agencies more time to deploy unspent capital funds. Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President Bayo Onanuga in a statement said the budget breaks down as follows: ₦4.8 trillion for statutory transfers, ₦15.8 trillion for debt service, ₦15.4 trillion for recurrent costs, and ₦32.2 trillion—nearly half the total—for capital projects such as infrastructure. He said the capital-heavy allocation…
By Tunde Rahman It was President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural meeting with the leaders and coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, the main vehicle for his 2027 re-election campaign. Held on Thursday April 16 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President delivered an outstanding speech at the meeting, challenging the ambassadors to boldly discharge their assignment while sparing no word for the opposition that is riding roughshod on the country’s legal system. “You represent the conscience of a nation that wants to break the shackles of poverty and hopelessness. This is a lifetime opportunity to break the shackles of poverty and…
The House of Representatives is zeroing in on three insurers as part of a probe into the troubled N1.12 trillion Anchor Borrowers Programme, a flagship initiative meant to support smallholder farmers but plagued by diversion allegations and spotty coverage. The House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, led by Chike Okafor, summoned the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Leadway Insurance and Veritas Kapital Insurance to account for their role in providing risk protection for the loans. At Thursday’s hearing, NAIC’s representative—standing in for Managing Director Dayo Babaronti—admitted the state-run insurer covered just 207,514 farmers for 109 billion naira, or roughly…
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Thursday sharply rebuked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, branding him a “serial failure” and declaring that he should not waste his time through the 2027 presidential race. Speaking to reporters during an inspection of infrastructure projects, Minister Wike rejected Atiku’s recent television comments, which claimed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has failed to alleviate Nigerians’ economic hardships. “At a certain age, one should be able to look at facts objectively,” Wike said. “He lives in the FCT; let him compare the FCT of today to the eight years when he…
President Bola Tinubu declared Thursday that he won’t be intimidated or scared by opposition political parties as the country gears up for next year’s elections. The President who stated this when he hosted the Renewed Hope Ambassadors network at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, stressed that his government will remain focused on delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda with decisive reforms to improve millions of lives. The Renewed Hope Ambassadors network aims to sell President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” at community level through a unified approach: “One Party, One Message, One Mobilisation Framework”. Speaking at the event, President Tinubu said, “They (opposition)…