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Reject minister’s N15b residence proposal for Vice President, SERAP urges Akpabio
Reject minister’s N15b residence proposal for Vice President, SERAP urges Akpabio
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called upon Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to refuse the proposed N15 billion budgeted for constructing a new residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima, stated in the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) supplementary budget.
The organisation said that the planned expenditure contradicts the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s global commitments against corruption and in support of human rights. According to SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the Senate bears the responsibility to ensure the spending aligns with constitutional mandates and that all public officials are bound by the rule of law.
SERAP’s recent letter to the Senate President highlighted the Senate’s crucial role in managing the country’s mounting debt crisis. The organization urged the Senate to refrain from approving any wasteful or unnecessary expenses aimed at indulging public officials’ personal comforts or lifestyles.
The group underscored the Senate’s vital oversight responsibility to address Nigeria’s debt situation, especially when the 2024 budget designates 30% (N8.25 trillion) for debt service costs, with a planned borrowing of N7.8 trillion. The country’s public debt had reached 87.4 trillion naira by June, with 38% owed to external lenders, including multilateral and commercial creditors.
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Should the Senate fail to curb unjustified expenditures and oversee government borrowing, SERAP expressed its readiness to pursue legal actions to ensure the National Assembly, including the Senate, fulfils its constitutional obligations for public interest.
The organisation further urged the Senate President to refer the alleged corruption in the previously approved N7 billion for a vice president’s residence construction to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The construction was reportedly abandoned, while the whereabouts of the N7 billion remain undisclosed.
According to SERAP, the proposed N15 billion spending on a new residence for the vice president, apart from the N2.5 billion allocated for the residence renovation in the federal government’s supplementary budget, is unreasonable. The House of Representatives has reportedly approved the N15 billion plan, along with another N3 billion for the vice president’s residence in Lagos State. Additionally, Nysom Wike, the Minister of FCT, aims to spend N2.8 billion on FCTA publicity.
The organisation is vigilant about the Senate’s actions regarding the supplementary budget and intends to ensure compliance with constitutional obligations and prudent public spending.
Reject minister’s N15b residence proposal for Vice President, SERAP urges Akpabio
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
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“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
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The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
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Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
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