The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, will receive the Supreme Court’s decision on his appeal against the nullification of his election by the Court of Appeal this Friday.

The acting Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, P.E. Dakyen, confirmed the judgment date in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, “Judgment in the Plateau State Governorship Appeal at the Supreme Court is scheduled for Friday, January 12, 2024. Our counsel has been officially notified, hence this notice.”

The All Progressives Congress in the state also urged its members to remain calm as the apex court delivers the expected judgment. Sylvanus Namang, the state Publicity Secretary, stated, “As the Supreme Court rules on the Plateau State governorship case tomorrow, Friday, January 12, 2024, the APC calls on all its members to maintain decorum and peace.”

Regardless of the verdict, the APC expressed its commitment to respecting the rule of law and urged security agencies to ensure law and order in the state.

The background to the case involves the Election Petitions Tribunal upholding the governor’s election on the PDP platform. However, the Court of Appeal nullified the decision, stating that the PDP had no structure at the time of the governor’s nomination. In response, Mutfwang appealed to the Supreme Court.

During Tuesday’s hearing, a five-member panel, led by John Okoro, heard arguments from lawyers representing both parties. The Supreme Court assured that the judgment date would be communicated to the concerned parties after the arguments between Mutfwang’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi, and Yilwatda’s counsel, J.O Olatoke.

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President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday approved the suspension, removal, and replacement of the Chief Executive Officers under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

Presidential Spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement last night explained that the action which takes immediate effect is in line with President Tinubu’s determination to bring world-class standards to Nigerian Civil Aviation in consumer protection and the promotion of the wellbeing of Nigerian passengers and other sectoral stakeholders.

He explained that Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed has been removed and replaced with Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku as the substantive Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

Similarly, Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Tayib Adetunji Odunowo has been removed and replaced with Engr. Umar Ahmed Farouk as the substantive Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

According to the statement, Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Engr. Akinola Olateru is replaced with Mr. Alex Badeh Jr. as the substantive Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.

While Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu has been removed and in his place Prof. Charles Anosike will serve as the substantive Director-General.

Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Alkali Mahmud Modibbo is replaced with Mr. Joseph Shaka Imalighwe as the Acting Rector of the college, pending the appointment of a substantive Rector, in accordance with Section 13(2) of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Act, 2022.

Also, Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Shuaibu Nuhu has been suspended from office to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct an unfettered investigation into the activities of the suspended Director-General and other senior officials in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

In his place, Capt. Chris Najomo will assume office as the Acting Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority immediately.

President Tinubu also approved the commencement of a diligent process to be conducted by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to recruit a substantive Vice-Chancellor and other principal officers of the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU).

The President charged the new leadership to uphold the safety, convenience, and comfort of the Nigerian people as primary and sacrosanct in all of their administrative activities.

Meanwhile, due to the high cost of underperformance in the sector, the President has demanded the immediate establishment of world-class policy design, implementation, and regulatory frameworks to reposition the sector in alignment with his Renewed Hope Agenda.

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The Federal Government has earmarked the sum of N460,217,071 for the State House’s “Materials and Supplies” in the 2024 Appropriation Bill.

Out of the sum, foodstuffs and catering materials will gulp N253,277,638

Other items under the subhead include foodstuffs, stationeries, newspapers, and books, among others.

This is contained in the Appropriation Bill document released by the Budget Office of the Federation on Wednesday.

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They are expected to meet government officials at the Office of the Secretary to the State Government at Abuja Building, Government House, Enugu on Monday. The invitation is contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia in Enugu.

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A Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has expressed concern over the lack of commitment of President Bola Tinubu to ensuring true federalism in the country amid his stance on the issue as former Governor of Lagos State.

The Yoruba group said that Tinubu, as the President of the country, who is regarded as a prominent figure in national politics, should use his influence to ensure the implementation of the recommendations made during the 2014 National Conference.

The group, in a communiqué after the end of its monthly meeting held at Isanya-Ogbo, Ogun State, the country home of its leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, urged the Federal Government to summon the courage to match and reconcile the resolutions of the 2014 National Conference and the reports of the APC (El-Rufai) Committee on Federalism.

It, however, maintained that necessary mechanisms had been put in place to mobilise and galvanise Nigerians to ensure that federalism is achieved and called on other well-meaning organisations and citizens to brace up for the move to ensure true federalism.

The group, which also alleged that the appointment of officials by the Presidency into the National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacked transparency and called on the government to ensure fairness and inclusivity in the selection process, stressed the importance of having independent and impartial individuals in key positions within the electoral body, as their decisions significantly impact the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.

It further stressed that Afenifere shared in the current economic anguish of Nigerians in terms of skyrocketed costs of goods, services, and energy.

Meanwhile, the Afenifere has announced the appointment of Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo as its new National Publicity Secretary, following the earlier suspension.

The group said: “Adejumo, an alumni of the prestigious University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and indigene of Ibadan, where he holds the traditional title of Mogaji Ikolaba, is now the National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba Summit Group and a member of the National Caucus of the Afenifere.”

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• Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has approved more than N1.3 billion for the payment of final examination fees for indigent students in public secondary schools in the state.

payment of final examination fees for indigent students in public secondary schools in the state.

Mukhtar Abdulmumini, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Planning and Research Department of the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, disclosed this in Katsina.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abdulmumini disclosed this during the fourth quarter meeting of the Social Protection Technical Working Group (TWG).

The meeting, which was in line with the social protection policy, was supported by UNICEF, in collaboration with the state’s Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

According to Abdulmumini, within the period, N370.9 million was spent on 20,269 students who sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

He added that N992.9 million was approved for 48,385 students who sat for the National Examination Council (NECO).

“Also, the sum of N27.9 million was paid for 1,878 who sat for the National Board for Arabic and Islamic (NBAIS) examination.”

He said N4.5 million was paid for those students that sat for the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) exams.

According to him, amount spent for the payment of final examinations for the state’s indigenes in this quarter alone is more than N1.3 billion.

He said payment of the examination fees was an effort to encourage the indigenous students who sat for their variou final examinations including WAEC, NECO, NBAIS, and NABTEB.

Abdulmumini further revealed that in an effort to reduce the rate of unemployment and boost education in the state, the government had recruited 7,325 new teachers for both primary and secondary schools.

“Within the period, no fewer than 350 evaluators received training on Essential Quality Assurance Skills for teachers.

“The government has also procured chemistry materials to 30 schools at N26 million.

“Katsina state, in collaboration with UNICEF and in their effort on climate change, granted N150,000 to 25 schools in five LGAs each.

“The grant will be used for the prevention of desert encroachment and erosion through planting trees in their schools and to take other measures.

“The disbursement of the grant is the first phase, the second phase will be disbursed very soon and is N100,000.”

The benefiting LGAs include Bindawa, Funtua, Bakori, Kaita and Jibia,” Abdulmumini said.

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⁣President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday said his administration is poised to maintain the January-December implementation cycle laid down by the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari. ⁣
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“Our goal is to ensure that the Approbation Act comes into effect on January 1, 2024,” Tinubu said when he presented the N27.5 trillion 2024 budget proposal to a joint session of the 10th National Assembly in Abuja — his first since assuming office exactly six months ago.⁣
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Tinubu spotlighted national security, local job creation, and poverty reduction as the top priorities of the 2024 Appropriation Bill which he called the ‘Budget of Renewed Hope.’ ⁣This was as he said the administration is targeting a 3.76 per cent economic growth in the next fiscal year. ⁣
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“A critical focus of this budget and the medium-term expenditure framework is Nigeria’s commitment to a greener future…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,” Tinubu said. ⁣

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Former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Dr Salihu Lukman, has warned Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of an impending move to undermine him with the dissolution of the executive body of the Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC).

Lukman, in a piece titled: “End of Progressive Politics”, argued that if the dissolution stands, congresses would be stage-managed to produce new party executives at all levels, who will be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Lukman, who is the immediate past national vice chairman, North, of the APC, envisaged that by 2027, Wike, who has already fallen apart with Fubara, would produce the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State.

He claimed that APC, under the leadership of President Tinubu, as it is constituted today, was not the APC the founding fathers sold to Nigerians both in 2015 and 2023.

Lukman contended that with “a garrison brand of progressive politics” being played with Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the helm of affairs of the party, problems of political divisions in the country would be entrenched.

He said: “The strategy of APC in Rivers State for 2027 will be to further fragment the people of the state. Rather than working to unite political leaders in Rivers State, President Tinubu’s garrison politics will only seek to take advantage of the current division between Amaechi and Wike.

“In addition, Wike will have to incur the political cost of separating from his political godson, Fubara. Even if Fubara achieves all that needs to be achieved as governor of Rivers State, President Tinubu’s garrison politics will emasculate him.

“At this rate, Tinubu is practically pushing Nigerians to bid bye to progressive politics. With such reality, it simply means, the structures of APC in FCT will also be dissolved to produce new APC leaders at all levels of the party, who will be loyal to Wike.

“And any state, where APC is led by people who might have opposed President Tinubu, will similarly be dissolved. Once the circle of imposing stooges as APC leaders at all levels is completed, which started with imposing Dr Ganduje as National Chairman, the next level of imposition will spread to all other democratic institutions to guarantee the supremacy of garrison politics, which will then affirm all the political choices of APC under the leadership of President Tinubu, whatever that means.”

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President Bola Tinubu will on Wednesday present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.

This came as the Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the 2024 Appropriation Bill of N27.5tn.

This is an increase from the N26.01tn earlier considered by the council.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, disclosed the approval to State House correspondents. after the close of FEC’s weekly  meeting presided over by Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

While disclosing that the Federal Government is projecting N18tn revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, Bagudu said further details of the appropriation bill would be released when the President presents it to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the Medium Term Expenditure Framework passed by the National Assembly is being reviewed by the Council.

Bagudu said “Equally, the Federal Executive Council approved the 2024 Appropriation Bill and the presentation of such to the National Assembly by His Excellency, Mr. President.

“The bill has an aggregate expenditure of N27.5tn which is an increase of over N1.5tn from the previously estimated, using the old reference prices.”

He added, “The forecast revenue is now N18.32tn which is higher than the 2023 revenues, including that provided in the two supplementary budgets. Equally and commendably, the deficit is lower than that of 2023. Details of the Renewed Hope Budget will be announced by Mr. President when he makes the presentation to the National Assembly”

The minister also announced some changes made in the MTEF benchmarks by FEC9.

“That approved Medium Term Expenditure Framework has the exchange rate of N700 to $1 and equally, the benchmark crude oil price at $73.96 cent. However, in Mr. President’s determination to find more money to fund our priorities, today the Federal Executive Council further revised the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Policy Framework and two of the important decisions were to use an exchange rate of N750 to $1 and also a benchmark crude oil reference price of $77.96, meaning $4 more than the earlier approval,” he noted.The minister said the changes “will significantly increase government revenue that the President intends to use in supporting the ministries, departments and agencies in the execution of the eight priority areas, particularly Health, Education, infrastructure, security and other developmental areas.”

Also briefing, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said that the Council approved $1bn budget support loan from the African Development Bank.

The AfDB loan will have an interest rate of 4.2 per cent for 25 years with an eight-year moratorium, according to the minister.

He said, “The Federal Executive Council approved a $1bn concessionary loan for general budget support and to be used to improve forex availability in the country.

“The $1bn loan from AfDB is a budget support fund for ongoing economic reforms. It is to support government programmes in the power sector, social inclusion, and the fiscal policy reforms as a whole sector policy initiative.”

In October, Edun disclosed that the Federal Government secured a $80m loan from the AfDB to finance various projects in critical sectors of the economy. He noted at the time that the $80m was to help young people in the knowledge economy, technology, and communications.

The finance minister also spoke on the tax initiatives of the Federal Government.

Edun said, “There was a briefing by the Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, essentially they’ve been working for roughly 90 days, they’ve been working very well and very effectively, such that they are in a position to have even impacted the economy by coming up with initial reforms, as well as signposting the way forward in terms of very important targets.

“So in a nutshell, the policy on VAT removal on diesel is from them, they are looking to help boost fiscal situation of the government by increasing revenue, particularly tax revenue, through digitalisation, additional efficiency and rationalisation of the range of taxes that we have at the moment.

“They are looking to increase the ratio of tax-revenue-to-GDP to 18 per cent which is the average for Africa; so many countries are above that level. It is actually about the double of where we are now and within a matter of a few years, their target is to reach 18 per cent.”

The minister said the FG was contemplating other economic measures in the short-term, adding that the tax reforms council’s report was well received by the President and other council members.

Edun also stated that the Federal Executive Council approved a total limit of N2tn to be available for use by the Ministry of Finance to go in and out of the market and essentially to, where possible, bring down the interest rate on the current outstanding.

He said this was “in order to keep working hard and maximising the ability of the government to use the markets and to take advantage of different situations and improve situations.”

“So essentially, it will be refinancing and the view is that there will be an opportunity to save about N50bn or more in debt servicing over time by giving back expensive debt refinancing with cheaper funding,” he concluded.Meanwhile, the Secretary of Research and Information at the National Assembly, Dr Ali Barde Umoru, on Monday confirmed that Tinubu would present the appropriation bill to NASS on Wednesday.

Ahead of the budget presentation, Tinubu had three weeks ago forwarded to both chambers of the National Assembly, the 2024 – 2026 MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper where the sum of N26.1tn was proposed as the total expenditure profile for the 2024 fiscal year.

The Senate through its committee on Finance after two weeks of interactive sessions with heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies on revenue and expenditure projections made for them, approved the MTEF.

It specifically approved the N26.1tn proposed as 2024 budget and other parameters as proposed by the President.

It also approved the new borrowings of N7.8tn, pegs benchmark oil price for 2024 at $73.96 and oil production volume per day at 1.78m barrels.

NASS assures Nigerians

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, also confirmed Tinubu would present the 2024 Appropriation Bill before a joint session of the National Assembly

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Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently presiding over the 137th meeting of the National Economic Council held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The fourth in the Tinubu administration, Thursday’s gathering comes nearly two months after the Council last convened on September 28 to consider priority areas for the next three and half years, including economic stability, welfare and security.

In his opening address at the last NEC meeting titled, ‘Planning for Stability: Our Agenda for Economic Growth in 2024’, VP Shetimma reminded the governors and other members of NEC that the weight of the tough decisions to rescue Nigeria’s economy depends on their cooperation and goodwill.

NEC, a statutory body mandated to advise the President on the nation’s economic affairs, is chaired by the Vice President, with the Governors of the 36 states of the federation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance and other stakeholders as members.

Present at this month’s sitting, which is likely to be the last for 2023, are all governors except those of Akwa Ibom, Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Osun, Borno, Nasarawa and Adamawa States who are represented by their deputies.

However, Governor Godwin Obaseki nor his deputy, Philip Shaibu, were present as the seat designated for the state remained vacant after the meeting commenced.

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