Politics

Reps pass 2024 budget for second reading

The House of Representatives, on Friday, concluded the debate on the general principles of the N27.5 trillion budget proposal for 2024 fiscal year.

In line with extant legislative practice, the Appropriation bill was referred to the joint House Committees on Appropriations, Finance and other relevant Standing Committees for further legislative action.

In the bid to fast-track the legislative process for the passage of the Appropriation bill and meet the already established January-December budget cycle, the House is expected to adjourn plenary to engage with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

According to the timetable released by the House, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proposed N3.25 trillion representing 12 percent and N2.18 trillion representing 7.9 percent of the N27.554 trillion for security and education sectors in the 2024 fiscal year.

Among the critical allocations in 2024 budget, N700 billion Transfers to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) for infrastructure projects in Tertiary institutions.

Amount provisioned for Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is N251.47 billion, Federal Ministry of Education and its agencies (Recurrent & Capital expenditure) is N1.23 trillion, Health Sector gets N1.33 trillion i.e. 5% of federal budget Amount provisioned for Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies (Recurrent & Capital expenditure) while N137.21 billion is for Gavi/ Immunization funds, including Counterpart Funding for Donor Supported Programmes while the sum of N125.74 billion Transfer is set aside for Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) 1% of Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

According to the document seen by Nigerian Tribune, Defence & Security Sector (N3.25 trillion) gets 12% of Budget while Military, Police, Intelligence & Paramilitary (Recurrent & Capital expenditure) Infrastructure stands at N1.32 trillion representing 5% of the budget.

This includes provisions for Works & Housing, Power, Transport, Water Resources, Aviation. Social Development & Poverty Reduction Programmes (N534 billion) – (2% of Budget) amount provisioned for Social Investments / Poverty Reduction Programmes

As of September 2023, FGN’s retained revenue was N8.65 trillion, approximately 104.5% of the pro-rata target of N8.28 trillion.

The FGN share of oil revenues was N1.42 billion (84.7% performance), while non-oil tax revenues totalled N2.50 trillion (a performance of 135%). CIT and VAT collections were N1.55 trillion and N318.95 billion, representing 221.4% and 111% of their respective targets.

Customs collections (made up of import duties, excise and fees, as well as federation account special levies) recorded N611.65 billion out of N837.59 billion (73% of target). Other revenues amounted to N4.74 trillion, of which Independent revenue (mostly transfers from GOEs and MDAs) was N1.28 trillion.

As stipulated in the overview of the 2023 Federal Government’s expenditure performance, the aggregate expenditure for FY 2023 (inclusive of the supplementary budget) is estimated at N24.82 trillion, with a pro-rata spending target of N18.62 trillion at the end of September.

The actual spending was N12.7 trillion. Of this amount, N5.79 trillion was for debt service, and N3.78 trillion for Personnel costs, including Pensions.

Only about N1.47 trillion (25% of the pro-rata budget) has been released for MDAs’ capital expenditure as of September 2023. This level of performance is partly explained by the introduction of the “Bottom-up

Cash Plan” arrangement with effect from 2023.

The projected fiscal deficit for FY 2023 is N13.79 trillion, with a pro rata deficit of N10.33 trillion at end of September.

The actual deficit was N4.05 trillion and was mainly financed by domestic borrowing.

Politics

LASIEC to issue certificates of return to newly elected Lagos chairmen Wednesday

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, will present certificates of return to elected chairmen and councillors across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, of the state on Wednesday.

Chairman of LASIEC, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (retd.), confirmed the development in a telephone conversation, explaining that the ceremony was initially scheduled for Tuesday but had to be postponed due to the declaration of a public holiday by the Federal Government.

“It was supposed to hold on Tuesday,” she said, adding, “but due to the public holiday on that day, it has been moved to the next working day, which is Wednesday.”

The Federal Government had declared Tuesday a public holiday to observe national mourning following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on Sunday in a hospital in London, United Kingdom.

His burial is scheduled to take place on Tuesday in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.

An official of LASIEC, who spoke anonymously due to lack of authorisation, also confirmed that the presentation will take place at the commission’s headquarters on Wednesday.

“All elected local government chairmen and councillors are expected to receive their certificates of return on Wednesday,” the official disclosed.

DAILY POST reports that in the local government elections conducted on Saturday, July 12, 2025, the All Progressives Congress, APC, secured a sweeping victory, winning all 57 chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions across the state.

The sole exception was Ward D in Yaba LCDA, where the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Babatunde Dosunmu, emerged victorious, defeating his APC opponent.

Justice Okikiolu-Ighile (retd.) officially declared the results on Sunday from the commission’s headquarters in Sabo, Yaba, Lagos.

Politics

2027 agenda is removing Tinubu from Aso Rock – Edo PDP

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Monday stated that its agenda for the next political dispensation is to ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not re-elected in 2027.

The State Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi, made this known during a stakeholders’ meeting of party members, leaders, stakeholders, and critical supporters held in Benin City.

Aziegbemi, who also spoke on last Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment which reaffirmed the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate in the September 21, 2024, governorship election, said the party must unite to ensure that President Tinubu does not return to Aso Rock.

According to him, “The next thing I am urging everyone of us on behalf of PDP in Edo State is how to get Tinubu out of presidency in 2027. That is our next target.

“They have ruined the economy of this nation and the next thing is to make sure that he is removed from power in 2027. That is the mandate we are charging you going forward.

“The next task and agenda is to remove Tinubu from the presidency because we cannot continue with this suffering, we cannot continue with the way things are being run aground in this country.

“So, we charge you not to be deterred. Don’t worry yourself, God in His infinite mercy will give all of us the strength and the will to go through this because hard times don’t last, but tough people do.”

On his part, Barrister Jimoh Ijegbai, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as Commissioner for Education under Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, noted that the removal of President Tinubu from office in 2027 would be a daunting task under the crisis-ridden PDP.

Ijegbai, who was also the former elected Chairman of Owan East Local Government Area, urged members not to pretend that all is well within the party, both at the state and national levels.

“Our chairman has spoken well. Our chairman is telling us to prepare to take President Tinubu out of government. I don’t know which vehicle you are expecting us to use to remove the President from office. We will be deceiving ourselves to still think that we have a party that we are going to use as of today. A house that is divided against itself cannot hold.

“You have called for nominations from Edo Central and Edo South for the Senatorial and House of Representatives by-election. Already the other factions of the party are announcing their own candidates. Are we going to start a round of litigation right from the High Court down to the Supreme Court? I don’t think we should go that road again.

“So, I want to urge the party, our leaders, to look at it very critically. We are not ready to start following that road again of litigation.

“If we must continue to participate, we must clearly know where we belong in the PDP. Unless and except we do that and we start calling ourselves together to think that we have a party called PDP, I think we are deceiving ourselves.

“The earlier we look at it critically, and everybody is carried along and we take a joint decision on how we are going to go in Edo, then we are not ready for anything.

“We should not pretend about it. And let nobody deceive us to think that we will continue waiting for the National Convention of PDP; it will not achieve anything for us,” he stated.

Politics

We’re not interested in alliance or merger – Abia PDP

The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has stated that it is not involved in any merger or alliance talks with any political party nor engaging any individual in any political pact for 2027.

The chairman of PDP Abia State, Abraham Amah, made this known in a statement on Monday, affirming that the structure of his party remains unshaken and its strategies uncompromised.

Amah, who was reacting to rumours suggesting that his party may enter into a political alliance in Abia or elsewhere ahead of the 2027 elections, said, “Those peddling the insinuations are agents of confusion who have long deviated from the PDP ethos. They shall be resisted at every front.”

He urged members of PDP in Abia to disregard what he called a campaign of calumny by expelled members, agents of confusion, or externally funded infiltrators.

Amah alleged that some individuals, whose loyalty has long shifted from the collective interest of PDP, may be behind the promotion of the “unholy merger.”

On the issue of the PDP National Secretary, the Abia State PDP chairman declared that the matter has been resolved in favour of Samuel Anyanwu.