Akwa Ibom govt confirms death of state gov’s wife

Mrs Patience Martha Umo Eno, wife of Akwa Ibom governor, Pastor Umo Eno, is dead.

Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for

Information, Ini Ememobong, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.

The commissioner said the first lady died on Thursday in a hospital in the presence of her family.

The statement said, “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of the Wife of the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Her Excellency, Pastor Mrs Patience Umo Eno, following an illness.

“She passed away peacefully at the hospital, on 26th September, 2024, in the presence of her family.

“The family submits to the will of the Almighty and asks for the prayers and support of kind-hearted individuals during this difficult time.

“Further details will be provided by the family as necessary. In the meantime, the family kindly requests privacy as they mourn their beloved wife, mother and grandmother.

“His Excellency, the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, appreciates all who have stood by the first family in this period and assures all the citizens that despite this huge personal loss, his commitment to the service of the state is unwavering.”

Her pet project

Patience Eno was affectionately referred to as Eka Iberedem Akwa Ibom, which means “Mother and Strong Pillar of Akwa Ibom.”

She founded the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), a foundation focused on providing shelter, food, and education to the poor and vulnerable in Akwa Ibom.

Jonathan opens up on disagreement with Sanusi

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has asserted that no $49.8 billion was missing during his time in office.

This statement responds to claims made by Muhammadu Sanusi, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , who alleged that the sum was unaccounted for in a letter dated September 25, 2013.

Speaking at the launch of the book Public Policy And Agent Interests: Perspectives From The Emerging World, co-authored by Shamsuddeen Usman, Jonathan disagreed with Sanusi’s assertions. Usman served as minister of planning under Jonathan’s administration.

Sanusi had reiterated his allegations in the book, recalling his earlier letter to Jonathan where he expressed concerns about the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failing to repatriate significant oil proceeds, specifically citing the $49.8 billion.

During his remarks, Jonathan emphasized that such a large sum could not vanish without immediate consequences.

He clarified that Sanusi was suspended from the CBN, not sacked, due to inquiries about CBN expenditures.

I disagree with some of the issues, especially the one that directly relates to me,” Jonathan said.

“The one that he raised that he was sacked. Because, if you can wish that the federal government lost $49.8 billion… that’s not quite correct.

“He was not sacked. He was suspended because the Financial Reporting Council queried the expenditure of CBN. And there were serious infractions that needed to be looked at. That was the reason.

“But somehow, the time was short. So before we finished, his tenure elapsed. Probably, he would have been called back.

“On the issue of $49.8 billion, until today, I’m not convinced that the federal government lost $49.8 billion.”

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Jonathan also recounted how he was confronted by Angela Merkel, then German chancellor, on the issue.

He recalled explaining to her that such an amount could not have been stolen from a struggling economy.

He added that he was vindicated much later when the former CBN governor began to revise the sum from $49 billion to $20 billion and then $12 billion.

“Let me tell you a personal experience. The African presidents and the EU presidents, we had a meeting. I think in Belgium or Moscow,” he said.

“And during those meetings, you have bilateral talks, and the chancellor of Germany then, Angela Merkel, requested that we should have a bilateral meeting.

“So, because she requested, we had to go to where she arranged for the meeting. And I went there with some of my ministers. And there were many ministers from other countries as well.

“Even before I sat down, she raised her hand and said, President Jonathan, we are hearing about $49.8 billion missing.

“I said, what is happening? What’s the use of welcoming a guest? Then I smiled and said, Madam Chancellor, of course, the economy of Germany is very strong, so if you are talking about $49.8 billion, just say $50 billion.

“The economy of Germany is strong, so if you lose $50 billion, you would not notice it. But if Nigeria loses $50 billion, the federal government would not be able to pay salaries.”

Jonathan added that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) discovered that no such amount was stolen but that $1.48 billion could not be accounted for by the NNPC.

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He also said the then senate committee on finance, chaired by Ahmed Makarfi, investigated the issue and found the claim to be untrue.

“We commissioned the PwC, one of the best financial gurus, auditors and so on. I said they should do a forensic audit, but nobody can sit down and say $50 billion, because I have no idea about that one.

“The report they came up with was that there is $1.48 billion that they couldn’t really give a proper account of, and that NNPC should pay that money to the original account.

“They did not say we lost 12 billion or 20 billion or 50 billion. And Makarfi is still alive. Makarfi was the chairman of senate committee on finance, and the minute that publication came out, he said it.

“They directed their finance committee to investigate, and they used external professional auditors to look into it.

“They themselves didn’t see either 50 billion or 20 billion or 30 billion.”

He also said there needs to be clarity so “somebody who is reading the book will not just go with the impression that $50 billion was lost… when President Jonathan did not steal billions of dollars. ”

Reacting, however, Sanusi, who took to the podium hours after Jonathan’s comment, insisted that he was constructively sacked by the then president.

“My boss who sacked me. I was constructively dismissed. I continue to respect Jonathan and I don’t have grudges against anyone,” he said.

Jonathan opens up on disagreement with Sanusi

Senate passes ₦288bn supplementary budget for FCTA

The Nigerian Senate has passed the second reading of a ₦288 billion supplementary budget for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The House of Representatives’ Committee on FCT has also adopted the bill, moving it closer to full approval.

During the Senate plenary session, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele presented the bill, highlighting the importance of passing the appropriation.

Bamidele emphasized that the supplementary budget was necessary to account for additional inflows from Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) and other revenue sources, ensuring the FCTA has the funds required to address ongoing and emerging needs within the capital territory.

He said, “The Bill for an Act to issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account the total sum of N288,000,000,000.00 only arising from a need to accommodate additional inflows from Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) and other revenues in the sums of N8,000,000,000.00 only and N280,000,000,000.00 only respectively; and for other related matters, 2024.”

The passage of the budget followed a correspondence from President Bola Tinubu dated September 19, 2024, which was addressed to the National Assembly.

Tinubu in the letter had stated that the supplementary budget for the FCTA was pursuant to the provision of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The letter read, “I write in accordance with the provisions of Section 121 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to forward herewith an additional supplementary budget proposal for the FCTA for consideration and passage by the House of the Representatives.

“This supplementary budget proposal has been prepared based on the FCTA’s reviewed revenue and expenditure forecasts and is aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the federal government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.

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“With it, the FCTA continues to prioritise the improvement of human capital and infrastructure within the Federal Capital Territory.”

This fresh supplementary budget comes after the Senate had passed the sum of N98.5 billion Supplementary budget for the FCT in June.

In the same vein, the House of Representatives Committee on FCT also adopted the bill seeking the approval of a N288 billion Supplementary budget for FCTA.

Chairman of House Committee on FCT, Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara, who spoke during the budget defence meeting with members, explained that the need for accelerated consideration and passage of the Appropriation bill was for the implementation of critical developmental projects across the nation’s capital city.

Betara, while noting most of the projects captured in the Statutory budget observed that the Senate Committee on FCT was also working on the proposed Supplementary budget.

The lawmaker further explained that the Committee was mandated to lay the report on the Supplementary budget at today’s plenary because there are critical projects that needed to start by next week because of the timeframe.

“The consultation affirmed that most of the augmentation requested for in the proposed supplementary budget were captured in the 2024 statutory budget passed by the National Assembly. There are no new projects, the only new projects are just two line items,” he added.

Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said his administration would renovate the abandoned Ministry of Agriculture building near the Bank of Industry in the Central Business District, for the use of the Ministry Livestock, created recently by President Bola Tinubu.

Wike disclosed this yesterday after an inspection of the building.

He said the directive to inspect and immediately refurbish the building for the new Ministry of Livestock was issued by Tinubu.

Wike, described the creation of the Ministry of Livestock as a welcome development, adding the FCTA would invite companies willing to renovate the building to look at the building and quote for it.

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“That is why we went there to see things for ourselves. We are going to get some companies to come and look at it and quote for it, as it is an emergency work. The creation of the Ministry of Livestock is a welcomed development you can see people are happy, waiting for it to start.

“And so now that that particular place has been identified, the President has ordered the FCT Administration, through the FCDA, to look at it and we have seen the integrity test, which is okay, and we will also rehabilitate and furnish it and then you would see the Ministry of Livestock take over,” Wike said.

Speaking on when the ministry would be relocated, Wike said at the end of ongoing emergency work, some companies would be invited to inspect the building, after which they will take the best and most responsive bidder that government can handle.

Also, the minister decried the encroachment of Kugbo International Market land.

He issued the outcry yesterday after inspecting the facility regarded as the biggest in West Africa.

Wike directed the Development Control to immediately demolish any structure that could constitute an impediment to the project particularly the road project.

The minister also asked the market investor, the Managing Director of Mesotho Group Limited, Jerry Joseph Damara, to ensure the funding of the market to enable its completion by January 2025.

“The first phase has been completed, we would therefore see what we can do, to see that we open, the first phase and some of these traders on the road have to come in here, and give the free traffic that we desire,” he added.

He expressed satisfaction with what he saw at the market, saying the FCTA would ensure that people move into the market, as quickly as possible, as the Kugbo Market will create employment for many people and decongest roads.

Senate passes ₦288bn supplementary budget for FCTA