₦airaland Forum

A former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has expressed his disappointment at the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.

Akande, who was the spokesman to former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, wondered why Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, cannot manage his own anointed governor.

Laolu hailed Wike as the second most influential politician in Nigeria at the moment, but regretted that the former Rivers Governor has failed to carry himself the way expected.

.ng reports that the political crisis rocking Rivers State took a new turn this week with the demolition of the State House of Assembly Complex and defection of 27 members of the assembly loyal to Wike, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

This is despite the attempt by President Bola Tinubu to broker peace between Wike and his godson, Governor Fubara.

“What is happening in Rivers State is very disappointing. Look, a lot of people had deep respect for the FCT Minister …you can easily see that Wike was the kind of guy that got it done and he got the reputation,” Akande said on Channels Television.

“He was called Mr. Project and all that. There’s quite a bit of political regard that you’ve to give to Wike. I think in this country today, after the President, Nyesom Wike is the most prominent politician.

“So, when somebody has attained that level of political relevance, it means you really have to carry yourself with a lot of grace, with a lot of measured management of the expectations around you.

“It is disappointing that the FCT Minister is not managing his own anointed governor and the responsibility is more on him than the governor. Wike is the senior partner in this matter and it is not good for him,” he added.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested twin brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde Adio, alongside five others over alleged internet fraud, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, in Abuja.

According to him, the suspects were arrested on Dec. 7, at Apete and Apata areas of Ibadan, following surveillance and actionable intelligence on their suspected involvement internet-related offences.

“The five other suspects are Jeremiah Gabi, Dennis Gomina, Adepoju Ibukun, Olabode Opeyemi and Adewumi Ayomide.

“In the same vein, the Oyo State Police Command handed over three suspected internet fraudsters to the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC on Dec. 7. They were arrested by the police while on patrol.

“Investigations by the EFCC revealed that one of the three suspects was not involved in internet fraud and was released immediately without any bail condition.

“The two suspects are Joseph Isaac Justice and Ayoola Oluwatosin,” he said.

Items recovered from the nine suspected fraudsters include one Toyota Corolla car, iPhone 11, and two Samsung mobile phones.

Oyewale said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

Governor Alex Otti has signed into law the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) bill, which was passed on December 8 by the Abia State House of Assembly.

The GADA, which is the first bill to be signed into law by the Governor since his assumption of office, seeks to give special developmental focus to Aba and encourage investors, among others.

Speaking shortly after assenting to the bill, Otti said establishing the GADA would give Aba special attention as a commercial hub.

The Governor said that Aba combines light manufacturing, heavy manufacturing, micro, small and medium-scale businesses and other trading activities.

He congratulated the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, his colleagues in the House of Assembly and members of the State Executive Council on the passage of the executive bill and stated that with the law, Aba rejuvenation has achieved legal backing to bring about the needed development.

Presenting the bill earlier for the Governor’s assent, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Abia State Ikechukwu Uwanna noted that the executive bill was passed into law by the House of Assembly on December 8, 2023.

Shedding light on the newly signed law, the Director-General of the GADA, Mr. Uche Ukeje, described the law as a special vehicle that would drive the development of Aba.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has claimed the lack of governance in the state is the reason for the defection of 27 members of the state Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

The Chairman of APC, Rivers State Caretaker Committee, Tony Okocha, while addressing journalists on Monday in Port Harcourt, said some lawmakers in the state confided in him.

Some 27 Rivers State lawmakers had on Monday defected to the APC from the PDP.

The lawmakers, who defected from the PDP to the APC, are those under the faction of the embattled Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Reacting to the development, Okocha described the defection of the former PDP state lawmakers as “heaven’s gains” for the APC.

Okocha who is also the Rivers State representative at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Management Board, noted that the party in the state has been officially communicated on the defection of the lawmakers to the party.

He said, “We have invited you this evening to indeed convey our boundless joy over what I call heaven’s gains that we benefited from as a party.

“Today, we received 27 Rivers State House of Assembly members all of PDP porting to our dear party, the All Progressives Congress on the floor of the Assembly.

“Initially it seemed like a rumor, yet we saw them flaunt APC flags but we have been officially communicated on that move and we felt that it is not a thing that on our own, we will discuss over a bottle of water.


“We felt we should let Nigerians know what has happened, and the good thing that has happened, happened for APC Rivers State.”

Okocha commended the defected Assembly members.

He said 27 lawmakers cannot equate with four lawmakers.

The APC CTC Chairman said it is unacceptable for Governor Siminalayi Fubara to give credence to only four Assembly members over 27, noting that, “We have gone past the era of 16 being above 19. I hope you remember that era where 16 was deemed to be higher than 19.

“And again, the Assembly members who have defected, had confided in me that leadership/governance in Rivers State has been run aground, that there is no government in Rivers State.”

Okocha said the current administration in the state was built on the ground of “consolidation and continuity” but noted that the actions of the governor (Fubara), is in “complete aberration” of the initial plan.

He added that nothing is happening in the state, saying, “There is hunger in the land”.

According to Okocha, the defection of the 27 lawmakers will play the role of checks and balances in the government, adding that this is the best decision the lawmakers took, despite some people saying it came late.

He said, “We commend them and we receive them with open arms.”

The Police in Kaduna State have arrested a suspected armed robber and one other in possession of multiple Automated Teller Machines, ATM cards.

The police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the arrest in an interview with NAN in Kaduna on Monday.

Hassan said the suspected armed robber was arrested on Sunday after a complaint by the victim.

The police spokesman said the robbery suspect and two accomplices intercepted the complainant and her son in the Kawntaresha area in Sabon Gari, Zaria and dispossessed her of valuables.

“On her way home with her son, three unknown persons with daggers and a sharp knife attacked them and injured her son.

“The suspects robbed her of a handbag containing her ATM card, phone and cash which the amount is yet to be ascertained and other valuables,” Hassan said.

According to him, the preliminary investigation led to the arrest of one suspect in the Muchiya area of Sabon Gari, Zaria.

The suspect was caught with one long knife and he confessed to having criminally conspired with two others, who are still at large, to commit the alleged offence.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration says the improved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2024 Budget will bring about a 61 per cent increase in the Nation’s capital’s health sector and reduce brain drain, also known as Japa syndrome.

The mandate secretary of the Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this to journalists at a scientific conference by the Association of Resident Doctors FCTA on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to her, the N27.5 trillion budget christened ‘renewed hope’ will bring about drastic infrastructural development in the FCT health sector and improved well-being for doctors and all health workers.

“The budget is an increase over the last budget. We believe this will translate to a 61 per cent increase in our health indices, better equipment in our hospital, and we will be able to employ more doctors in FCTA.

“For every doctor who leaves the system, we replace the person. As people leave, we also have people looking for Jobs. Most people leave not because of poor salaries or poor working conditions but because they don’t have the right equipment to work at times. We hope the Japa syndrome will reduce with the improved budget, the right equipment, and expansion of our hospitals and better roll-call”.

Earlier, the Senator representing FCT, Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP), begged doctors in Abuja not to relocate abroad.

Represented by Juliet Essien, a clinician, Ireti said the FCT will continue to receive improved budgetary allocation for its health sector.

“Let’s stay in Nigeria; we can fix the country”, he said.

Also, the President of ARD, FCTA, Dr Rahman Olayinka, urged the government to declare an emergency in the country’s health sector.

.ng reports President Tinubu presented the 2024 budget to the National Assembly last Wednesday.

A budget breakdown showed that the country’s health sector got N1.33 trillion, representing 5 per cent of the total budget.

The development comes as The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, also presented an N61.6 billion Budget to the lawmakers.

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea by Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State seeking a certificate of return as the state’s lawful governor.

Ihedioha had told the apex court that Governor Hope Uzodinma was not qualified to run for the election in the first place, claiming that Uche Nwosu was earlier declared by the court as the rightful candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a verdict read by Justice Tijjani Abubakar on Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the motion for lack of merit, calling it needless and vexatious.

It awarded the cost of N40 million against Mike Ozekhome for bringing the matter before the court.

A Kwara State Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin has remanded a 19-year-old old, Isaac Odunayo, in prison for raping a 17-year-old girl to death.

Police First Information Report (FIR) said Odunayo lured the deceased into the hotel and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her till she died.

The prosecutor, Abdullah Sanni, told the court that the suspect was trying to run away 45 minutes after they arrived at the hotel but was apprehended by the hotel’s manager, who called him to pay for the lodging.

“Thereafter, the manager followed Odunayo into the room, where they discovered that the girl was lying unconscious in the pool of her blood.

“During the police interrogation, Odunayo confessed that he had sex with the girl, which resulted in her bleeding to death, that he’s an internet fraudster,” he said.

The presiding judge, Magistrate Mohammad Dasuki, after considering the submission of the prosecutor, ordered the remand of the suspect and adjourned the case to December 12, 2023.

Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State has called for a peaceful atmosphere, saying the state is undergoing a difficult period.

Fubara said a peaceful atmosphere would enable his administration to achieve its development strides.

The governor spoke against the background of the rift battle between him and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, which led to political tension in the state.

He said his administration can’t achieve any progress in a violent atmosphere.

He spoke during the funeral service of late King Theophilus J.T. Princewill, Amachree XI, the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of the Kalabari Kingdom, held at the King Amachree Square in Buguma Town, Asari Toru Local Government Area on Thursday.

According to Fuabara: “We are in a difficult period, but just be peaceful. We cannot achieve progress in an environment of violence. We cannot grow our State to the level of our aspirations when there is trouble.

“We can only advance to our dream State in a peaceful environment. I urge every one of you to be peaceful. Peace is the only instrument that can bring development.”

President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, presented the 2024 appropriation bill before a joint session of the National Assembly.

The President in his presentation outlined the major sectors of the economy under which the budget will be prioritised.

Tinubu outlined national defence and internal security, local job creation, macro-economic stability, human capital development, social security, poverty reduction and investment as some of the areas his Budget of Renewed Hope will focus on.

See full text of President Tinubu’s speech at the budget presentation…

— The Vice President, Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima, GCON
— The Senate President, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON
— The Right Honourable Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas
— APC National Chairman, His Excellency, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
— Executive Governors here present
— Distinguished Leaders and Members of the National Assembly
— Secretary to the Government of the Federation
— Chief of Staff to the President
— Other Senior Government Officials here present
— Gentlemen of the Press
— Ladies and Gentlemen

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 to the National Assembly.

Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, I commend your swift consideration and passage of the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bills and the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper. Your prompt action underscores your devotion to economic development and to the greater welfare of our people. It also highlights your desire to work in close collaboration with the Executive branch. We do not serve ourselves. We must always strive to work together to serve and benefit the people of our beloved country.

I am confident that the National Assembly will continue to work closely with us to ensure that deliberations on the 2024 Budget are thorough but also concluded with reasonable dispatch. Our goal is for the Appropriation Act to come into effect on the 1st of January 2024.

It is, by now, a matter of recorded history that my very first fiscal intervention as President of this great nation was to end the fuel subsidy regime which had proven to be so harmful to the overall health of our national economy. The second was to negotiate and subsequently present a supplementary budget to enable my government to fund the items needed to restore macro-economic stability and mitigate the harsh impact of subsidy removal.

The third was to secure a second supplementary budget, this time to enable us to keep our promises to promote national security, invest in infrastructure and provide much needed support to the most vulnerable households in our society.

In swearing-in my cabinet and reflecting on the unique challenges facing us, I invited the Ministers to imagine that we are attempting to draw water from a dry well. Today, I stand before you to present our Budget of Renewed Hope; a budget which will go further than ever before in cementing macro-economic stability, reducing the deficit, increasing capital spending and allocation to reflect the eight priority areas of this Administration. The budget we now present constitutes the foundation upon which we shall erect the future of this great nation.

Economic conditions remain challenging both abroad and at home. Despite lingering Post-Covid supply and production bottlenecks, armed conflict in various parts of the world and restrictive monetary policies in major economies, we expect global growth to hover around 3.0 percent in 2024. This relative low rate has significant implications for our economy due to our current reliance on importation.

Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members: despite the global headwinds, the Nigerian economy has proven resilient, maintaining modest but positive growth over the past twelve months.

Inflation has trended upward due to weak global conditions. To contain the rising domestic prices, we will ensure effective coordination of fiscal and monetary policy measures, and collaborate with sub-national governments to address structural factors driving inflation in Nigeria.
The Budget proposal meets our goal of completing critical infrastructure projects which will help address structural problems in the economy by lowering the costs of doing business for companies and the cost of living for the average person, The Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning will provide full details of this proposal.

PERFORMANCE OF THE 2023 BUDGET

Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, an aggregate revenue of 11.045 trillion naira was projected to fund the 2023 Budget of 24.82 trillion naira with a deficit of about 6.1 percent of GDP.
As of September 30, the Federal Government’s actual aggregate revenue inflow was 8.65 trillion naira, approximately 96 percent of the targeted 8.28 trillion naira.
Despite the challenges, we continue to meet our obligations.

THEME AND PRIORITIES OF THE 2024 BUDGET

Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members, permit me to highlight key issues relating to the budget proposals for the next fiscal year. The 2024 Appropriation has been themed the Budget of Renewed Hope. The proposed Budget seeks to achieve job-rich economic growth, macro-economic stability, a better investment environment, enhanced human capital development, as well as poverty reduction and greater access to social security.

Defence and internal security are accorded top priority. The internal security architecture will be overhauled to enhance law enforcement capabilities and safeguard lives, property and investments across the country.

Human capital is the most critical resource for national development. Accordingly, the budget prioritizes human development with particular attention to children, the foundation of our nation.
To improve the effectiveness of our budget performance, government will focus on ensuring value for money, greater transparency and accountability. In this regard, we will work more closely with development partners and the private sector.

To address long-standing issues in the education sector, a more sustainable model of funding tertiary education will be implemented, including the Student Loan Scheme scheduled to become operational by January 2024.

A stable macro-economic environment is important to catalyse private investment and accelerate economic growth. We have and shall continue to implement business and investment friendly measures for sustainable growth.

We expect the economy to grow by a minimum of 3.76 percent, above the forecasted world average. Inflation is expected to moderate to 21.4 percent in 2024.

In preparing the 2024 Budget, our primary objective has been to sustain our robust foundation for sustainable economic development. A critical focus of this budget and the medium term expenditure framework is Nigeria’s commitment to a greener future.

Emphasizing public-private partnerships, we have strategically made provisions to leverage private capital for big-ticket infrastructure projects in energy, transportation and other sectors. This marks a critical step towards diversifying our energy mix, enhancing efficiency, and fostering the development of renewable energy sources. By allocating resources to support innovative and environmentally conscious initiatives, we aim to position Nigeria as a regional leader in the global movement towards clean and sustainable energy.

As we approach COP 28 climate summit, a pivotal moment for global climate action, I have directed relevant government agencies to diligently work towards securing substantial funding commitments that will bolster Nigeria’s energy transition.

It is imperative that we seize this opportunity to attract international partnerships and investments that align with our national goals. I call upon our representatives to engage proactively to showcase the strides we have made in the quest to create an enabling environment for sustainable energy projects.

Together, we will strive for Nigeria to emerge from COP 28 with tangible commitments, reinforcing our dedication to a future where energy is not only a catalyst for development but also a driver of environmental stewardship.

Distinguished members of the National Assembly, the revised 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) sets out the parameters for the 2024 Budget.
After a careful review of developments in the world oil market and domestic conditions, we have adopted a conservative oil price benchmark of 77.96 US Dollars per barrel and daily oil production estimate of 1.78 million barrels per day. We have also adopted a Naira to US Dollar exchange rate of 750 naira per US Dollar for 2024.

Accordingly, an aggregate expenditure of 27.5 trillion naira is proposed for the Federal Government in 2024, of which the non-debt recurrent expenditure is 9.92 trillion naira while debt service is projected to be 8.25 trillion naira and capital expenditure is 8.7 trillion naira.

Nigeria remains committed to meeting its debt obligations. Projected debt service is 45% of the expected total revenue.

Budget deficit is projected at 9.18 trillion naira in 2024 or 3.88 percent of GDP. This is lower than the 13.78 trillion naira deficit recorded in 2023 which represents 6.11 percent of GDP.

The deficit will be financed by new borrowings totalling 7.83 trillion naira, 298.49 billion naira from Privatization Proceeds and 1.05 trillion naira drawdown on multilateral and bilateral loans secured for specific development projects.

Our government remains committed to broad-based and shared economic prosperity. We are reviewing social investment programmes to enhance their implementation and effectiveness. In particular, the National Social Safety Net project will be expanded to provide targeted cash transfers to poor and vulnerable households. In addition, efforts will made to graduate existing beneficiaries toward productive activities and employment.

We are currently reviewing our tax and fiscal policies. Our target is to increase the ratio of revenue to GDP from less than 10 percent currently to 18 percent within the term of this Administration. Government will make efforts to further contain financial leakages through effective implementation of key public financial management reforms.

Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, in view of the limited resources available through the federal budget, we are also exploring Public Private Partnership arrangements to finance critical infrastructure.

We, therefore, invite the private sector to partner with us to ensure that our fiscal, trade and monetary policies, as well as our developmental programs and projects succeed in unlocking the latent potential of our people and other natural endowments, in line with our national aspirations.
Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, this Budget presentation would be incomplete without commending the patriotic resolve of the 10th National Assembly to collaborate with the Executive on our mission to renew hope and deliver on our promises to the Nigerian people. I assure you of the strong commitment of the Executive to sustain and deepen the relationship with the National Assembly.

As you consider the 2024 Budget estimates, we trust that the legislative review process will be conducted with a view to sustaining our desired return to a predictable January-December fiscal year.
I have no doubt that you will be guided by the interest of all Nigerians. We must ensure that only projects and programs with equitable benefits are allowed into the 2024 Budget. Additionally, only projects and programs which are in line with the sectoral mandates of MDAs and which are capable of realizing the vision of our Government should be included in the budget.

As a Government, we are committed to improving the lot of our people and delivering on our promises to them. The 2024 Budget has the potential to boost performance, promote the development of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, enhance security and public safety, and improve the general living conditions of our people.

In closing, I am confident that these budgetary allocations and directives will set Nigeria on a transformative path towards a sustainable and resilient energy future, fostering economic growth, job creation, and environmental preservation.

It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I lay before this distinguished Joint Session of the National Assembly, the 2024 Budget Proposals of the Federal Government of Nigeria, titled The Renewed Hope Budget.

I thank you most sincerely for your attention. May we collectively chart the course towards a brighter and cleaner future for our great nation.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Spiritual Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State to be prepared following his face-off with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, because he will be given the treatment meted out to the former governor of Lagos State, Akinwummi Ambode.

He issued the warning while assuring Fubara that he will survive impeachment attempts against him.

He urged the governor to seek God’s face because only he can fight his battle.

In a statement by his media aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele explained that only God can change Wike’s decision to ensure Fubara is impeached.

According to Ayodele, “Only God can change Wike’s mind towards Governor Sim Fubara. He should get his mind prepared that his second-term ambition will be tough. It’s going to be like the issue of former governor Akinwummi Ambode in Lagos.

“He will still face impeachment, but I see him surviving it. The house will continue to be troubled. They will make him uncomfortable and make his first term miserable, but he will survive it if he turns to God for help.”

The clergyman cautioned the governor to be careful of moles in his camp as there wouldn’t be any rest to ensure he gets removed from office.

“There is no amount of what he does; it is only God that can fight for him. There will be so many moles in his camp. It’s unfortunate that this is happening at a time when Fubara is willing to work.

“They won’t appreciate his efforts and they will want to mess him up. Those who are against his governorship will also add to it. The governor must be careful, put his security together and be very prayerful,” he added.

Wike and Fubara fell apart less than six months after the succession.

Wike’s loyalists in the Rivers House of Assembly had moved to impeach Fubara, but the governor vowed to resist such a move.

Speaking about their rift last week, Wike accused the governor of burning down the state House of Assembly.

The minister also described the governor as an ingrate.

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted an executive communication to the Senate, indicating his intention to present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly tomorrow, Wednesday, November 29, by 11 am.

President Tinubu’s letter of intent was read by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio at the plenary on Tuesday, November 28.

.ng reported that Monday’s Federal Executive Council meeting approved the N27.5 trillion 2024 Appropriation Bill.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu explained that the budget was shored up from N26 trillion to N27.5 trillion due to foreign exchange rate changes.

As required by the Constitution, Tinubu is expected to present the 2024 appropriation bill before the National Assembly.

An oil and gas expert and Managing Partner, BBH Consulting, Barr. Ameh Madaki has berated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the reappointment of Mele Kyari as the Group Chief Executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

.ng reports that on Monday, Tinubu approved Kyari’s reappointment, the appointment of Pius Akinyelure (chairman) and seven other members of the NNPLC board.

Reacting to the development, Madaki said Kyari’s reappointment has shown that Tinubu does not know what is happening in the oil and gas sector.

According to him, the reappointment of Kyari is a gross disservice to Nigeria following persistent rot in the industry.

“It is shocking to me. He does not know what is happening in the oil and gas industry, or he doesn’t care! For the level of mismanagement of the industry under Mele Kyari, it is a gross disservice to this country to retain him and most of the Board members and thereby pass a vote of confidence in the gross mismanagement of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry over the years”, he said.

Kyari was appointed as the Group Managing Director of NNPC in June 2019 by ex-president Muhammadu Buhari.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the victory of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya in the March 18 governorship election in Gombe State.

Yahaya, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the sale of more oil and gas fields abandoned by the international oil companies, IOCs.

The President has given the greenlight for conduct of fresh marginal field bid for the gas fields which have been lying fallow for over a decade.

This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, during a facility tour of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited’s modular refinery in Ibigwe, Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, on Wednesday.

The minister said the bid exercise would commence “soon.”

The new bid round is coming barely three years after about 57 marginal oilfields were put up for sale in 2020 and the process effectively concluded last year, amid many of the awardees still struggling to move to site for development of their assets due largely to funding and regulatory challenges.

The minister, in a statement issued yesterday, by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), disclosed that he had obtained presidential approval to conduct a fresh round of bidding, which would take place soon.

He promised that, “marginal fields would (henceforth) be prioritised in terms of their location to those who have modular refineries, so that they will be able to produce.”

The marginal field exercise is exclusively reserved for Nigerian companies as the federal government through the policy offers opportunity to local firms to participate more actively in the country’s oil and gas exploration and production space.

According to the Minister, “The quickest way to fix our energy challenge in the country should be through modular refineries, while we await the total rehabilitation of the big refineries.”

Minister of Works, David Umahi says the government requires $35bn to kick-start the construction of concrete roads nationwide.

Umahi disclosed this when he met with his counterpart, the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaib Audu, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Orji Uchenna, said the meeting underscored the imperative of coordination, cooperation, and coherence in executing the Federal Government’s action plans for national development.

He also stated that the dying Ajaokuta steel company will provide 16 per cent of the steel material and 30 per cent of the cement needed to construct Nigeria’s roads in concrete pavement.

“How do we reactivate the Ajaokuta Steel? We are going into the concrete road; in this concrete road, about 16 per cent is from Steel while 30 per cent is cement. We need a lot of money to start, but we decided to face it, and God has given us an idea.

“We need about $35 billion to start. If we start waiting for FG, it might become difficult. We analyzed the Return on Investment and the profit we could have made; part of it will go to bank interest.

“We are considering a commercial bank partnership, but the Federal Executive Council has to endorse it. If this could be done, it means Mr President is living up to his words, and this will be possible,” he said.

Mr Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to halt their campaign of slander and intimidation directed towards the judiciary.

Onanuga made the demand in a statement on Monday in Abuja in response to Atiku’s recent criticism of the nation’s judiciary.

“In separate statements, the PDP and the spokesman of Atiku Abubakar, its defeated presidential candidate in the Feb. 25 presidential election, threw caution to the winds.

“They assaulted the integrity of the judiciary and made wild and libelous allegations against President Bola Tinubu.

“In the wake of the poor run of some elected governors of the party at the appeal court, the PDP and the former vice-president and his spokesman have become overtly desperate to hang their woes on President Tinubu and the judiciary, an important arm of government in Nigeria,” he said

He continued that by placing blame elsewhere, Atiku and his supporters were unable to show that they had given their accusations any serious thought before making them public.

He asked Nigerians to reject the false accusations made by the PDP and its candidate, which claimed that Tinubu had corrupted the judiciary and stifled the opposition while serving as Lagos State governor.

Additionally, he urged the populace to reject the claim that Tinubu intended to designate supporters as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in order to impose a one-party state on the nation.

Onanuga emphasized that Tinubu was a staunch democrat who had never meddled with a court’s decision.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recalled how a political party, the Peoples Democratic Party he belonged to in 1998 lost a local government election in Ogun State because he rejected plans to bribe the police and personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Obasanjo said party leaders had told him that there should be money allocated for the police and INEC, saying he rejected the proposal on the belief that INEC officials and policemen are government workers earning salaries monthly.

The former President spoke in Abeokuta on Monday at a high-level consultation he organised on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa’.

The African leader had told politicians and professors at the debate that he is not always comfortable with the phrase, ‘Nigerian factor’, when discussing democracy and other issues affecting development.

According to him, he came across the ‘Nigerian factor’ slang when the nation held the first local government election and his party lost because politicians said be refused to take cognisance of the Nigerian factor while planning for the election.

“When things go wrong, you said the Nigerian factor. The first thing I learnt in politics was this thing called the Nigerian factor.

“In 1998, we had the first local government election. We had parties, and here in Abeokuta, we met in my office and they came up and said, ‘look, this is money for INEC, money for police.’ At a stage I said, ‘what nonsense! Is the police not being paid, and INEC too?’

“They said ‘that’s how we do it. I said ‘you cannot do that.’ So, they didn’t do that. And of course, we lost all the local governments. We lost all. And then they came to me and said, ‘Baba, you see? If you had allowed us to do it the way we used to do it, we would have won’. And I felt guilty.

“During the next election, which was the State Assembly, I just stayed in my house. I said ‘well, do whatever you want to do, I will not be part of it’. So, I didn’t even go. But, the result was the same. One of the people who got money didn’t even distribute it to where he was supposed to distribute it,” Obasanjo recounted.

The octogenarian emphasised that the Western liberal democracy being practised in Africa has not really taken human nature and the African situation into full account.

While saying it is time to be realistic, the Balogun of Owu said a hungry person will sell his vote for just N1000.

“When you are hungry, whatever anybody tells you cannot go in. Poverty is a great enemy of democracy. Ignorance or lack of education is a great enemy of democracy. And we seem to be deliberately fomenting poverty and lack of education,” he stated.