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BREAKING: Reps scrap N5bn presidential yacht from budget, increase student’s loan to 10bn

Published

3 years ago

November 2, 2023

352 Views

The House of Representatives has removed the controversial N5 billion presidential yacht from the 2023 supplementary budget.

The budget was passed on Tuesday by the House after adopting the report submitted by the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Abubakar Bichi from Kano State.

The Committee of Supply considered the recommendations of the Appropriations Committee and passed the bill.

Bichi, after the passage of the budget, spoke with journalists and announced that the controversial presidential yacht was removed by the committee.

He stated that the N5 billion was moved to the Student Loans, increasing the allocation for student loans to 10bn as against 5. 5bn

The Committee also increased the budgetary allocation of the Ministry of Defence from 476bn to 546bn following security concerns.

Bichi also disclosed that the minimum wage for workers was considered and approved for onward transmission to the executive while promising proper legislative oversight to ensure 100 percent implementation

The sum of 100bn was also retained for FCT as requested by the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike

The House, therefore, passed the sum of N2.177 trn as the supplementary budget.

Recall that the proposal by President Bola Tinubu had included spending N1.5 billion on vehicles for the office of the First Lady, N5 billion on a presidential yacht and another N12.5 billion on the presidential air fleet.

There are ongoing campaigns on social media to stop the National Assembly from approving the supplementary budget, however, the bill has been given speedy approval.

Following the passage of the bill, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced that the president would sign the bill on Friday.

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Ayo Fayose Gets Presidential Portfolio As REA Board Chairman

Fayose will head the board of REA, with Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta appointed as members and non-executive directors,” said Onanuga.

Published

7 hours ago

July 21, 2026

OCHEFA

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President Bola Tinubu has appointed the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, as chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Board.

The President also appointed Major General Junaid Bindawa as chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

24 others were also appointed to 10 federal government agencies and commissions.

The appointments were contained in a statement issued by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.

According to the statement, “All the appointments take immediate effect.”

“Fayose will head the board of REA, with Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta appointed as members and non-executive directors,” said Onanuga.

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BREAKING: ICPC grills Gbajabiamila over PFIPC scandal

According to Jiti Ogunye, Gbajabiamila’s counsel, the president’s chief of staff appeared at the ICPC headquarters on Monday, where he was questioned over the PFIPC controversy.

Published

20 hours ago

July 20, 2026

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has interrogated Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, over his role in the emergence of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

According to Jiti Ogunye, Gbajabiamila’s counsel, the president’s chief of staff appeared at the ICPC headquarters on Monday, where he was questioned over the PFIPC controversy.

Details soon

(The Cable)

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NBC Begins Training of Free -To- Air TV Installers

” We are doing it to ensure that they can properly track the NigComsat signal. We found out that installers are very critical to the success of the DSO project because we recently launched the DTH project. We are going DTT. We are going DTH. We are doing mobile App.”

Published

21 hours ago

July 20, 2026

OCHEFA

27 Views

•50 set-top box installers and technicians in Ibadan

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has commenced nationwide capacity-building exercise to prepare installers for the rollout of the country’s renewed Digital Switchover (DSO) programme.

The Head of the DSO Unit and Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the Commission, Mrs. Clementine Usman-Wamba, announced the development during training of more than 50 set-top box installers and technicians in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

According to her, broadcasters would be shut out of analogue broadcasting transmission by 2028, hence the need for the training of installers that are professionals to assist in the process.

She said, “We are actually here in Ibadan to train installers specifically to be part of the Digital Switch Over process.We are doing it in conjunction with Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited, (NigComSat). It is a joint outreach that we are doing here today.”

She said that the installation of Free TV is to enable Nigerians to have access to many channels without subscription, noting that the NBC has embarked on the training of the installers of decoders and dishes nationwide for effective take off of the project.