General
Groups Give Akpabio 14 Days to Resign as Senate President
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Godswill Akpabio has been given 14 days to resign as the Senate President over allegations that the 2024 budget passed by the parliament and signed by President Bola Tinubu was padded.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, a Senator from Bauchi State, Mr Abdul Ningi, alleged that about N3 trillion in the N28.7 trillion appropriation law could not be matched to any item line, noting that only N25 trillion did.
His revelation has generated outbursts in the country, though his colleagues from the Northern Senators’ Forum disowned him, while he admitted that he spoke for himself.
Reacting, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and its over 75 allied civil society organisations under the umbrella of the National Civil Society Organisations Against Inept Leaders, have demanded the immediate resignation of Mr Akpabio, who doubles as the Chairman of the National Assembly.
In a statement co-signed by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, Mr James Ezema, and the National Secretary of the coalition of CSOs, Mr Ali Abacha, the associations urged President Tinubu to raise up and end the era of budget padding in the country.
“We recall that last week, Senators accused the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, of inserting projects worth over N3 trillion in the 2024 budget, whereas the said projects were all to be sited at unknown locations.
“Senator Ningi had in a BBC Hausa interview, alleged that the budget version in operation is different from what the lawmakers passed in December 2023, revealing that senators had engaged a consultant to investigate the padding of the budget, saying that a N25 trillion budget was debated and passed by the National Assembly, not N28.7 trillion currently being implemented.
“We are quick to note that the name of the President of the Senate for over ten years has come up in countless corruption allegations from his days as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State till date.
“For instance, there are countless unresolved allegations of corruption against Senator Akpabio, including allegations by Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of Network Against Corruption And Trafficking (NACAT), which had urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Senator Akpabio over alleged diversion of the sum of N700 billion while he held sway as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“NACAT cited an audit report of Akwa Ibom State treasury between 2011 and 2015, which accused Akpabio of financial infractions amounting to over N1 trillion naira while serving as governor.
“The same President of the Senate has allegation of looting over N200 billion of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) funds hanging over his head as a minister.
“There was reported inconclusive investigation by the EFCC in June 2015 over the alleged theft of approximately N108 billion during Akpabio’s tenure as governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“Also, in May 2020, Akpabio was investigated by the National Assembly for the misappropriation of N40 billion from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) funds.
“Recall that Joy Nunieh, a former acting managing director of NDDC, had accused Akpabio of attempting to silence her by demanding she take an oath to prevent her from exposing fraud at the commission.
“The said Nunieh also accused the now President of the Senate of sexual harassment and she claimed to have slapped him (Akpabio) at his guest house in Abuja.
“It is true that Senator Akpabio denied these allegations, just as he is doing over the budget padding accusation, and even filed a defamation lawsuit against Nunieh. But these heinous allegations have put a question mark on the image of Senator Godswill Akpabio until they are resolved in favour or against the President of the Senate.
“Just before he became the President of the Senate, in March 2023, the EFCC invited Akpabio for questioning regarding allegations of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds but Akpabio’s lawyer cited a scheduled medical appointment overseas as the reason for his client’s inability to attend the invitation. This is how Senator Akpabio has been manipulating and escaping legal processes.
“However, the budget padding allegation is not the first time senators are accusing Akpabio of wrongdoing. We recall that in a viral video in 2023, at plenary, Senator Ali Ndume of Borno (APC) accused the President of the Senate of passing bills without contributions from Senators.
“In his words, You are just passing bills without prior notification, even money bills, you just pass without anyone’s contribution and within 2 hours. This is not good for Nigeria and history will judge you, Senator Ndume said.
“These and many other unresolved allegations against Senator Akpabio carry heavy moral burdens and have continued to portray Senator Akpabio as a man of questionable integrity.
“Therefore, we believe that this budget padding burden amid unprecedented hunger and deprivation in the country should reawaken the consciousness of Nigerians that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has been a party that has in nearly nine years made the corruption-infested 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a child’s play.
“Unfortunately, the failure of the EFCC and the Nigerian justice system to bring corrupt politicians to justice led to his emergence as President of the Senate in what has been seen as the arm-twisting of Senators by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in June 2023. In the buildup to the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, it became obvious that President Bola Tinubu had a preference for his candidacy for the lofty office in the upper chamber.
“Now, rather than give a convincing explanation over how projects were inserted into the budget as alleged, the President of the Senate has obviously employed a divide-and-rule tactics in the Senate to water down the allegation.
“Senator Akpabio should know that no amount of blackmail against his colleagues or the civil society would lessen his moral burden until he purges himself of the allegations against him.
“We therefore call on the President of the Senate to immediately step aside for a thorough investigation of the allegation of budget padding against him and his office within 14 days.
“In the event that he remains in office, we also call on all Senators of good conscience to rise to the occasion and commence the impeachment process against Senator Akpabio after our 14 days ultimatum to pave the way for an unhindered investigation of the allegation against him as Senator Akpabio cannot be a judge in his case.
“We, therefore, urge President Bola Tinubu to stand on his feet and end the era of budget padding in the country by prevailing on Senator Akpabio to leave office for proper investigation as the presidency in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, inadvertently admitted that there was a budget padding to the tune of over N1 trillion when he claimed that President Tinubu presented N27.5 trillion budget to the National Assembly but N28.7 trillion was passed; and this proves that there is merit in the allegation as what was passed was not what was presented to the National Assembly.
“So, if our demands are not met, we will have no choice but to mobilize our members, all other civil society organisations, human rights activists, opinion leaders, political parties, men and women of goodwill and conscience, and all hungry citizens to occupy the National Assembly until our demands are met,” they stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Martin Amaewhule, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the plenary on Friday, Mr Amaewhule joined the ruling party from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), along with 15 other members of the state parliament.
This development comes some months after they had earlier declared their support for the APC in the wake of a crisis with the state governor, Mr Sim Fubura.
The lawmakers had an issue with Mr Fubura, which led to a state of emergency declared on the oil-rich state by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025.
This embargo was only lift in September 2025 after the duration of the six-month emergency rule in the state.
A few days ago, members of the Rivers Assembly passed a vote of confidence on President Tinubu, backing him to remain in office till 2031, when he would have spent eight years in office if re-elected in 2027.
Announcing their defection today, the lawmakers pinned their decision on the crisis rocking the PDP at the national level.
It is not certain if their political godfather, Mr Nyesom Wike, who is the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will join them in APC.
Mr Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, has been accused of instigating the crisis in the opposition PDP. He was expelled from the party last month at a national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has warned that Nigeria risks massive brain drain in the oil and gas sector due to poor remuneration.
The president of PENGASSAN, Mr Festus Osifo, said at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union on Thursday in Abuja that the industry was facing challenges arising from Naira devaluation and inflation, noting that, oil and gas skills remained globally competitive.
Painting an example, he said, “A drilling engineer in Nigeria does the same job as one in the US or Abu Dhabi,” noting that the union must take steps to bridge the wage gap to prevent members from leaving the country for better opportunities abroad.
“If we don’t act, the brain drain seen in other sectors will be child’s play,” he said.
According to him, PENGASSAN has recorded significant gains through collective bargaining across oil and gas branches.
“We signed numerous agreements across government agencies, IOCs, service and marketing sectors,” he said.
He said the agreements brought relief to members facing rising costs of living, adding that, the association’s duty is to protect members’ jobs and enhance their pay.
Mr Osifo urged companies delaying salary reviews and those foot-dragging as a result of the prevailing economic realities, to do the needful.
He said the industry employed some of the nation’s best talents, making competitive pay critical to retaining skilled workers.
“This industry recruits the best. Companies must provide the best conditions,” he said.
On insecurity, Mr Osifo urged government to take decisive action against terrorism and kidnappings across the country.
“We are tired of condemnations. government must expose sponsors and protect citizens,” he said.
He urged government at all levels to prioritise tackling insecurity through better funding and equipment for security agencies.
Mr Osifo said PENGASSAN supported calls for state police to improve local security response, adding that decentralising policing will protect citizens better than rhetoric.
He also said economic indicators meant little, if food prices remained high and farmers could not return to farms due to insecurity.
“Nigerians want to see food on the table, not macroeconomic figures,” he said, urging the government to coordinate fiscal and monetary policies to ensure economic gains reach households.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s crisis-response bill seeking to establish a single, toll-free, three-digit emergency number for nationwide use passed for second reading in the Senate this week.
Sponsored by Mr Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua, the proposed legislation aims to replace the country’s chaotic patchwork of emergency lines with a unified code—112—that citizens can dial for police, fire, medical, rescue and other life-threatening situations.
Lawmakers said the reform is urgently needed to address delays, miscommunication and avoidable deaths linked to Nigeria’s fragmented response system amid rising insecurity.
Leading debate, Mr Yar’adua said Nigeria has outgrown the “operational disorder” caused by multiple emergency numbers in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun and other states for ambulance services, police intervention, fire incidents, domestic violence, child abuse and other crises.
He said, “This bill seeks to provide for a nationwide toll-free emergency number that will aid the implementation of a national system of reporting emergencies.
“The presence of multiple emergency numbers in Nigeria has been identified as an impediment to getting accelerated emergency response.”
Mr Yar’adua noted that the reform would bring Nigeria in line with global best practices, citing the United States, United Kingdom and India, countries where a single emergency line has improved coordination, enhanced location tracking and strengthened first responders’ efficiency.
With an estimated 90 per cent of Nigerians owning mobile phones, he said the unified number would significantly widen public access to emergency services.
Under the bill, all calls and text messages would be routed to the nearest public safety answering point or control room.
He urged the Senate to fast-track the bill’s passage, stressing the need for close collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), relevant agencies and telecom operators to ensure nationwide coverage.
Senator Ali Ndume described the reform as “timely and very, very important,” warning that the absence of a reliable reporting channel has worsened Nigeria’s security vulnerabilities.
“One of the challenges we are having during this heightened insecurity is lack of proper or effective communication with the affected agencies,” Ndume said.
“If we do this, we are enhancing and contributing to solving the security challenges and other related criminalities we are facing,” he added.
Also speaking in support, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno said a centralised emergency number would remove barriers to citizen reporting and strengthen public involvement in security management.
He said, “Our security community is always calling on the general public to report what they see.
“There is a need for government to create an avenue where the public can report what they see without any hindrance. The bill would give strength and muscular expression to national calls for vigilance.”
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Communications for further legislative work and is expected to be returned for final consideration within four weeks.
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