News
How minister, top govt official changed Buhari’s plan to allow recirculation of old N500, N1,000 notes
Fresh facts indicated yesterday that a minister and a top government official changed the plan of President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the recirculation of old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes till April 10.
Also it came to light that state governors would have accepted the decision despite the fact that they wanted a minimum of one year timeline to change the redesigned notes to the new ones.
According to a top source, the President highlighted three choices for consultations before addressing Nigerians.
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- Outright review and reversal of the Naira redesign policy+
- Recirculation of old notes of N200, N500 and N1,000 from February 10th to April 10th
- Allowing the court to have the final say on the Naira redesign
- Out of court settlement to save the economy of any jolt
The top source said: “After isolating the alternatives to prevent chaos, the President initiated a series of consultations with state governors, allies, strategists and gauging the mind of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
“The President was deeply concerned that the poor people were the most affected by naira scarcity. Based on the assurance he got from Emefiele, he had hoped that the policy would be executed with slight dislocations.
“Buhari noted the points made by those who asked for a review. What worried him most were reports of how poor Nigerians who legitimately made their money were finding it difficult to get the new notes and therefore unable to feed themselves and their families.
“Buhari had virtually made up his mind to allow the reintroduction of the three denominations and for both the old and new notes to be legal tender till April 10th. Some presidential aides were waiting for directive to announce the decision but the intervention of a minister and a presidency official led the President to have a change of heart. What followed was the broadcast by the President on Thursday morning.”
The source gave insights into how the two government officials ‘influenced’ the last-minute decision of the President.
“Both officials pressed it on the President that allowing N500 and N1000 to be legal tender until April 10th would defeat his resolve not to allow those who have stashed billions of the old notes for the forthcoming elections to bribe voters.
“They convinced the President that Nigerians would accept this when he addresses them, show understanding and embrace the policy. Lost on the President and the two officials was the concern of the governors that re-circulating only the N200 old notes will not end the scarcity of the national currency.
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“Also glossed over was the injunction of the Supreme Court of February 8 which was reaffirmed on February 15 that the old notes remain legal tender until the suit filed by the governments of Kaduna, Zamfara and Kogi and the motion of objection filed by the Federal Government are heard and determined.”
Responding to a question, the source said: “The two officials are members of the cabal working against the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, because their ambitions were not realised.
“One of them wanted to be a governor and the other a presidential running mate. Buhari believed that their advice was altruistic, not knowing that they had an ulterior motive.”
Another reliable source, who was in the know, explained the intrigues on the Naira redesign policy and attempts by state governors to help Buhari arrive at a popular decision.
The source admitted that the governors wanted a minimum of one year timeline to change the redesigned notes to the new ones.
The source said: “After days of negotiation with the governors, Buhari wanted a quick resolution of the naira crisis. The option of re-circulating the N200 note proposed by the CBN was flatly rejected by the governors. Their argument was that the quantity of the denomination to be re-circulated would not be enough.
“They asked that the CBN make available the quantity of the new notes printed and the quantity of the N200 old notes to be re-circulated to see if it was close to the over N2 trillion mopped up. But the apex bank was not forthcoming with the figures.
“The governors were therefore not convinced that the option will ameliorate the hardships brought about by scarcity of the new notes.
“The governors therefore insisted that all the old notes be re-circulated for at least one year.
“Their position was informed by what a governor called the “authentic, verifiable information ” that the Mint would need close to over nine months to print one trillion naira of the new notes, assuming that it does no other job during the period.”
News
Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers
Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers
A former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Tuesday visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to honour another invitation extended to him over alleged misappropriation of funds.
Bello went to the anti-graft office with his lawyers in the morning.
The ex-Kogi governor reportedly drove himself to the EFCC’s office in a black Toyota Hilux van with some lawyers.
He was said to have been taken by some operatives of the agency and are currently being grilled.
This is coming after the Supreme Court judgment which dismissed a suit brought by some state governments challenging the constitutionality of the agency.
The EFCC at the last hearing on November 14, sought the adjournment till November 27 in the fresh case it instituted against Bello.
It stated that the 30-day window was still running for the summons earlier issued.
News
Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct
Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct
Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has announced the immediate suspension of two commissioners with a permanent secretary among others for gross misconduct.
Those suspended are the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Francis Ori, and the Commissioner for Health, Moses Ekuma, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health.
The suspension followed an incident on Saturday night, when the governor reportedly visited the Ministry of Health’s premises and was said to have found six officials diverting government materials.
Others suspended for three months are the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency
The suspension order was announced by the state Commissioner for Information, Jude Okpor, who cited alleged misconduct and dereliction of duties as the reasons for the disciplinary actions.
Okpor made the disclosure on Tuesday during a press briefing on the outcomes of the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday at the New Government House in Abakaliki, the state capital.
“Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, respectively
“In view of the development, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Health was directed to take charge of the ministry in the absence of the suspended commissioner.
Governor Nwifuru directed the suspended government officials to hand over all government properties in their possession including vehicles to the Secretary to the State Government.
News
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
The Federal Government has defended its decision to borrow to address budget deficits, despite surpassing revenue targets in 2024.
Finance Minister Wale Edun and Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu clarified this position during a session with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Finance, Budget, and National Planning. The meeting focused on the 2025–2027 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
Last week, the National Assembly approved President Bola Tinubu’s $2.2 billion loan request to fund the N9.7 trillion deficit in the 2024 budget partially.
During the session, key agency heads, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CEO Mele Kyari, Customs Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji, presented their revenue reports.
The agencies reported exceeding their 2024 targets.
- Customs Service: Generated ₦5.352 trillion by September 30, surpassing its ₦5.09 trillion target for the year. For 2025, the agency projects ₦6.3 trillion, with a 10% increase planned for 2026.
- NNPCL: Achieved ₦13.1 trillion in revenue, exceeding the ₦12.3 trillion projection for 2024. Kyari announced a ₦23.7 trillion revenue target for 2025.
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- FIRS: Surpassed multiple tax collection goals, including ₦5.7 trillion from company income tax against a ₦4 trillion target. Education tax collections also exceeded expectations, reaching ₦1.5 trillion compared to a ₦70 billion target.
Overall, ₦18.5 trillion of the ₦19.4 trillion 2024 revenue target had been achieved by September, indicating the goal will be exceeded by year-end.
Despite these surpluses, the government insists borrowing remains essential to cover budget gaps and support vulnerable populations.
Bagudu explained, “Even with agencies exceeding revenue targets, borrowing is necessary to address deficits and boost productivity, particularly for the poorest. This aligns with Agenda 2050, which aims for a GDP per capita of $33,000.”
Edun also reiterated that loans were critical for adequately funding the budget.
The committee, led by Senator Sani Musa, questioned the rationale behind the borrowing and demanded further transparency. The Immigration Service was specifically asked to provide documents regarding an “unacceptable PPP arrangement” before the end of the week.
The session underscored the government’s balancing act between increased revenues and fiscal challenges requiring external borrowing.
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
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