General
NASS Smuggled 6,403 Projects Worth N578b into 2018 Budget—Buhari
By Dipo Olowookere
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday accused the National Assembly of padding the 2018 budget to the tune of N578 billion.
Speaking at the signing of the 2018 Appropriation Bill, Mr Buhari said the parliament specifically introduced new 6,403 projects into the budget, removing the over 4000 projects he had proposed to do this year.
According to him, the projects removed or had its allocation cut by the legislative arm of government were very critical to the economy.
Mr Buhari described this move by the National Assembly as unfortunate, further accusing them of increasing their allocation for the year.
“The National Assembly made cuts amounting to N347 billion in the allocations to 4,700 projects submitted to them for consideration and introduced 6,403 projects of their own amounting to N578 billion.
“Many of the projects cut are critical and may be difficult, if not impossible, to implement with the reduced allocation. Some of the new projects inserted by the National Assembly have not been properly conceptualized, designed and cost and will therefore be difficult to execute.
“Furthermore, many of these new projects introduced by the National Assembly have been added to the budgets of most MDAs with no consideration for institutional capacity to execute them or the incremental recurrent expenditure that may be required.
“As it is, some of these projects relate to matters that are the responsibility of the States and Local Governments, and for which the Federal Government should therefore not be unduly burdened.
“Such examples of projects from which cuts were made are the provisions for some nationally/regionally strategic infrastructure projects such as Counter-part funding for the Mambilla Power Plant, Second Niger Bridge/ancillary roads, the East-West Road, Bonny-Bodo Road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Itakpe-Ajaokuta Rail Project were cut by an aggregate of N11.5 billion.
“Similarly, provisions for some ongoing critical infrastructure projects in the FCT, Abuja especially major arterial roads and the mass transit rail project, were cut by a total of N7.5 billion.
“The provision for Rehabilitation and Additional Security Measures for the United Nations Building by the FCT, Abuja was cut by N3.9 billion from N4 billion to N100 million; this will make it impossible for the Federal Government of Nigeria to fulfill its commitment to the United Nations on this project.
“The provisions for various Strategic Interventions in the health sector such as the upgrade of some tertiary health institutions, transport and storage of vaccines through the cold chain supply system, provision of anti-retroviral drugs for persons on treatment, establishment of chemotherapy centres and procurement of dialysis consumables were cut by an aggregate amount of N7.45 billion.
“The provision for security infrastructure in the 104 Unity Schools across the country were cut by N3 billion at a time when securing our students against acts of terrorism ought to be a major concern of government.
“The provision for the Federal Government’s National Housing Programme was cut by N8.7 billion.
“At a time when we are working with Labour to address compensation-related issues, a total of N5 billion was cut from the provisions for Pension Redemption Fund and Public Service Wage Adjustment.
“The provisions for Export Expansion Grant (EEG) and Special Economic Zones/Industrial Parks, which are key industrialization initiatives of this Administration, were cut by a total of N14.5 billion.
“The provision for Construction of the Terminal Building at Enugu Airport was cut from N2 billion to N500 million which will further delay the completion of this critical project.
“The Take-off Grant for the Maritime University in Delta State, a key strategic initiative of the Federal Government, was cut from N5 billion to N3.4 billion.
“About seventy (70) new road projects have been inserted into the budget of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. In doing so, the National Assembly applied some of the additional funds expected from the upward review of the oil price benchmark to the Ministry’s vote.
“Regrettably, however, in order to make provision for some of the new roads, the amounts allocated to some strategic major roads have been cut by the National Assembly.
“Another area of concern is the increase by the National Assembly of the provisions for Statutory Transfers by an aggregate of N73.96 billion. Most of these increases are for recurrent expenditure at a time we are trying to keep down the cost of governance.
“An example of this increase is the budget of the National Assembly itself which has increased by N14.5 billion, from N125 billion to N139.5 billion without any discussion with the Executive.”
However, the President said despite the above stated observations, “I have decided to sign the 2018 Budget in order not to further slowdown the pace of recovery of our economy, which has doubtlessly been affected by the delay in passing the budget.”
“However, it is my intention to seek to remedy some of the most critical of these issues through a supplementary and/or amendment budget which I hope the National Assembly will be able to expeditiously consider,” he added.
By Dipo Olowookere
Nigeria’s Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, will run as the vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
President Bola Tinubu retained Mr Shettima as his running mate for re-election next year, according to the National Chairman of the APC, Mr Nentawe Yilwatda.
In a post on Friday on X, the ruling party chairman described this as “another significant milestone in the journey of our great party.”
He also said it reaffirms the party’s collective resolve to sustain the Renewed Hope Agenda and deepen the progress already being recorded across the country.
It was gathered that Mr Tinubu submitted his presidential nomination forms today through his Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Mr Ibrahim Masari.
The submission was done ceremony at the Continental Hotel, Abuja, attended by several party chieftains, including The event brought together an impressive array of leaders of our great party, including the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Mr Hope Uzodimma; Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, as well as other governors, party executives and critical stakeholders from across the federation.
“The All Progressives Congress remains focused on strengthening its grassroots support, consolidating the achievements of the Renewed Hope Agenda and working together to build a more prosperous, secure and inclusive Nigeria for all,” the party leader stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have regained their freedom after 56 days in captivity.
The development was disclosed on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on X. He revealed that eight of the kidnappers have been arrested and are now in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), while some others were neutralised during the operation.
“Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies,” he wrote.
He said no concession was made to the terrorists to secure the freedom of the abducted pupils and teachers.
Mr Onanuga explained that the kingpin whose release the kidnappers had demanded was neither freed nor spared, as he remains under prosecution for offences linked to his terrorist activities.
The abductions occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools: Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School, in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area.
No fewer than 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a principal, were taken during the attacks. During the attack, a teacher, Mr Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape.
Another teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded in the kidnappers’ den.
The terrorists holding the victims had reportedly made a four-point demand before agreeing to free the captives, including the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related law.
The Oyo State Government had consistently maintained that no ransom would be paid to secure the release of any victims.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) embarked on a month-long strike in the state to press for the victims’ rescue before suspending the action in July.
It also drew federal intervention, with military and police authorities repeatedly assuring Nigerians that operations to secure the victims’ freedom were ongoing.
The President’s spokesperson said that security agencies would soon provide a comprehensive account of the operation.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The board of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved a $260 million financing package for the construction of a 123-kilometre section of the Trans-Saharan Highway in Nigeria as part of more than $417 million earmarked for strategic projects across West Africa.
The approval was granted during the bank’s 99th Ordinary Session, chaired by its President, Mr George Donkor, according to a statement issued after the meeting. It was noted that the total financing will support five public and private sector projects spanning infrastructure, healthcare, housing, mining, financial resilience and regional connectivity.
EBID said the approved investments underscore its commitment to funding high-impact projects that drive economic growth, create jobs and improve living standards across the sub-region.
“The projects approved during this 99th Board Session demonstrate EBID’s unwavering commitment to financing development solutions that directly improve the lives of West African citizens.
“From clean energy and transport infrastructure to healthcare, housing and financial sector resilience, these investments will strengthen regional competitiveness and support sustainable and inclusive growth across our community,” said Mr Donkor.
That of Nigeria is to improve connectivity, facilitate trade, reduce logistics costs and support economic integration; West African CFA franc (XOF) 10 billion in a line of credit to Banque de l’Habitat de Côte d’Ivoire (BHCI) to expand housing finance and support SMEs operating across the housing and construction value chain; €80 million for the design, construction, equipment and maintenance of the 150-bed Regional Hospital of Ferkessédougou in Côte d’Ivoire under a public-private partnership;
XOF 12.82 billion (West African CFA Franc) for the renovation, operation and maintenance of the Symphonie Building in Abidjan under a public-private partnership and $47.4 million for Azumah Resources Ghana Limited to finance the procurement of long-lead process plant equipment and critical early-stage development activities for the Black Volta Gold Project.
“These approvals advance EBID’s Growth, Resilience and Optimisation (GRO) Strategy, which prioritises transformative infrastructure, human capital development, private sector growth and regional integration. Through these investments, the Bank continues to promote sustainable development and shared prosperity across West Africa,” the statement said.
