Gov. Mbah

The Enugu State Government has earmarked N55 billion for the construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of both urban and rural roads in the 2025 fiscal year.

Additionally, N50.27 billion has been allocated to the Office of the Governor, while other offices, including the Deputy Governor’s office and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, have been allocated N665.71 million and N3.42 billion, respectively.

These allocations are part of the state’s total budget of N971 billion for 2025, which was presented by Governor Peter Mbah to the Enugu State House of Assembly.

The proposed budget focuses on key sectors such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.

Chris-Roberts Ozongwu, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, revealed the breakdown of the budget during a press briefing at the Enugu NUJ Press Centre on Thursday.

He outlined several key projects, including the dualisation of the Nike-Ugwuogo-Opi-Nsukka Road, which will cost N10 billion, and the completion of the Ugwuogo Nike-Agu Ukehe-Umunko Road and the 15km Phase in Igbo Etiti/Enugu local government areas, which will be funded with N1 billion.

In sports development, N10 billion will be allocated for the renovation of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, while N3 billion will go toward revamping the Awgu Games Village in Awgu local government area.

Ozongwu also highlighted the government’s investment in education, with N146 billion allocated for the equipping of Smart Schools across all 260 political wards in the state.

Another N100 billion is earmarked for the construction of 200 integrated model smart schools in the 17 local government areas, consisting of nursery, primary, and junior secondary classrooms.

Additionally, N500 million is set aside for the first phase of the construction of a three-story building for the standard library, auditorium, and classrooms at the Awgu Campus.

In healthcare, the Enugu State Government will allocate N500 million for the establishment of the Enugu Blood Service Commission and N20 billion for the construction of the Enugu International Hospital at Rangers Avenue.

In the agricultural sector, N20 billion is planned for the purchase of 1,000 tractors and implements to support mechanized farming, while N52.5 billion will go toward clearing and developing 100,000 hectares of land for three special crop processing agricultural zones in the state.

The Senate has successfully passed the N49.7 trillion 2025 Budget for its second reading.

The decision was made on Thursday during plenary after extensive discussions on the general principles of the budget.

Senators commended President Bola Tinubu for his positive intentions for the nation, agreeing on the need for the proposed fiscal measures.

Following a voice vote presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the budget was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, which is chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola.

President Tinubu had introduced the 2025 Budget of Restoration to a joint session of the National Assembly the previous day.

The budget aims to foster peace and prosperity, with a revenue target of N34.82 trillion to cover the total expenditure of N47.9 trillion.

The proposal includes a budget deficit of N13 trillion.

Key allocations in the budget include N4.91 trillion for Defence and Security, N4.06 trillion for Infrastructure, N3.5 trillion for Education, and N2.48 trillion for Health.

Debt servicing has been allocated N15.81 trillion, while several assumptions underpin the budget, including oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day, an exchange rate of N1,500 to the US dollar, and an inflation rate target of 15%, a significant reduction from the current rate of 34.6%.

In his address, President Tinubu highlighted the bold direction of the proposed budget, saying, “Our 2025 budget proposal represents a clear vision to transform the socio-economic structure of our society.”

He also emphasized that the budget would reduce inflation and improve the exchange rate.

“We are targeting ₦34.82 trillion in revenue for the year, with government expenditure set at ₦47.90 trillion, including ₦15.81 trillion for debt servicing. The projected deficit of ₦13.08 trillion amounts to 3.89% of GDP,” Tinubu said, outlining optimistic economic projections.

The president also noted that economic reforms under his administration are yielding positive results, citing a 3.46% growth in the economy in Q3 2024 compared to 2.54% in Q3 2023.

Furthermore, he reported that Nigeria’s foreign reserves had increased to nearly $42 billion, which strengthens the country’s financial stability against global economic pressures.

The Ekiti State Government has rejected claims that Governor Biodun Oyebanji is distributing a N25,000 Christmas cash grant, calling the rumours completely false.

In a statement released on Thursday, Yinka Oyebode, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media, urged residents to disregard the misleading information.

He warned that the circulation of such rumours was part of fraudulent activities, advising caution among the public.

Oyebode clarified that Governor Oyebanji does not distribute any form of cash grants through unofficial channels or online platforms.

He stressed that the state government does not engage in such practices, and urged people to avoid sharing their personal information with unauthorised sources.

The statement read: “We wish to inform the public that the claims about a N25,000 Christmas cash grant from Governor Biodun Oyebanji are entirely false. The governor does not distribute any cash grants through unofficial or online channels. We encourage the people of Ekiti to stay alert and protect themselves from potential scams.”

The government also encouraged the public to only trust information from verified and official sources for any updates related to state affairs.

A Kano High Court, presided over by Justice Sanusi Ma’aji, has ordered the Kano State Government to pay Lamash Properties Limited a sum of N8.5 billion in compensation for the demolition of a multi-million naira complex in June 2023.

In addition to the N8.5 billion, the court also directed the Kano State government, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to pay N10 million in legal costs.

The case was filed by Lamash Properties Limited, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Nureini Jimoh.

The plaintiff argued that the property, located on the site of the former Daula Hotel, was legally obtained through an agreement with the previous administration of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

The plaintiff contended that the demolition was unjustified and sought a court declaration that the agreement made under Ganduje’s tenure remained valid and enforceable despite the actions of the current government.

Justice Ma’aji, agreeing with the plaintiff, ruled in favor of the N8.5 billion compensation, noting that the building, which had already been demolished, could not be restored.

Therefore, the court deemed the monetary value of the property as the appropriate form of restitution.

However, the defendants’ counsel, Ibrahim Wangida, raised objections, arguing that the judgment was delivered in default.

He claimed that the defense was not aware of the hearing notice and had not been given a fair opportunity to present their case.

According to Wangida, the court had failed to sit on the previously scheduled date, and when a new hearing date was set, the defense was not properly notified, as a wrong person was served the hearing notice.

The defense has since filed a motion to set aside the judgment and requested a new hearing date for the motions related to the case.

Wangida expressed concerns about the procedural irregularities, stating that the judgment was given based on deceit or mistakes.

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts has proposed removing the National Examinations Council (NECO), the University of Ibadan (UI), and 22 other agencies from the 2025 federal budget due to their failure to account for funds allocated to them in previous years.

Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Committee, shared the recommendation on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, explaining that the lack of accountability within these institutions has hindered the effective execution of Nigeria’s budget.

Salam highlighted that several agencies, including NECO and UI, have repeatedly ignored summons from the House to explain their use of funds from the 2024 budget and prior years.

He criticized the lack of discipline among these institutions, which he believes undermines the government’s commitment to efficient budget implementation.

“The Public Accounts Committee is tasked with ensuring accountability, transparency, and the proper use of resources allocated to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs),” Salam said.

“However, some agencies have been non-compliant, refusing to attend hearings and provide records that substantiate how funds were used in previous years, including 2020, 2021, and 2022.”

He pointed out that, according to Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 and other relevant laws, agencies that fail to account for public funds or ignore official invitations risk losing future funding.

The Committee, after reviewing the performance of various MDAs, has decided to recommend that 24 of these agencies, including NECO, be excluded from the 2025 budget due to their non-compliance.

Salam provided an example of NECO, which has failed to respond to invitations or attend hearings up to five times.

This pattern of refusal, he said, led to the recommendation for the delisting of the agency, alongside others that have similarly neglected their accountability obligations.

This action, according to the Committee, aims to enforce stricter adherence to transparency and efficiency in the use of public funds.