Connect with us

News

N54.2 trillion budget: Peter Obi questions Tinubu govt on transparency, accountability

Published

on

134 Views

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, says there is no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the increase in the 2025 national budget.

The statement comes after President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, increased the appropriation bill for the 2025 fiscal year from N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion.

Recall that Tinubu announced the increment in separate letters, which he forwarded to both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Reacting to the development, Obi said that Nigerians need to know how the resources generated are being allocated for the sake of transparency and accountability.

This, he said, was to ensure that they were judiciously spent on the country’s development and the well-being of the people.

In a statement issued on Friday via his X handle, the former Anambra state Governor said Nigerians were still waiting for a detailed account of the execution and expenditures of the Renewed Hope budget passed in December 2023.

Obi further called on the National Assembly to seize this opportunity to obtain and make public the full details of the 2024 budget.

He said: “Yesterday, I read about the increase in the Budget of Restoration to N54 trillion due to increased revenue.“

While the sources of this revenue were detailed, there is no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the increase.

For transparency and accountability sake Nigerians need to know how the resources generated from them are being allocated to ensure that they are judiciously spent on the country’s development and the well-being of the people.

“Such expenditures should be directed toward critical areas of development; education, healthcare, security, and poverty alleviation.“

Furthermore, Nigerians are still waiting for a detailed account of the execution and expenditures of the Renewed Hope budget passed in December 2023 to ensure that it has been properly utilized for the country’s future development and the well-being of its citizens.

“I call on the National Assembly to seize this opportunity to obtain and make public the full details of the 2024 budget of Renewed Hope budget

“Transparency in this regard is crucial for ensuring accountability, learning from past budgets, and making informed decisions for the nation’s progress.

“As we work towards passing the Budget of Restoration for 2025, let us uphold openness, accountability, and the welfare of the Nigerian people.

We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the future of our great nation.

News

UPDATED: NUPENG shuts depots as Dangote reluctant to sign MoU

In various depots across the country, especially those in Lagos and Warri, Delta State, drivers parked their trucks to wait for the next directive as far as fuel lifting was concerned.

Published

on

By

24 Views

NUPENG officials have visited petroleum depots to enforce compliance on no loading as the talks between representatives of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers dragged on for several hours on Monday night.

Ohibaba.com learned that despite the role played by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity for reconciliation, plans for both parties to immediately sign a Memorandum of Understanding to put an immediate end to the ongoing conflict delays.

The resolutions of the Memorandum of Understanding were read for all parties to agree upon and sign.

Still, officials of the Dangote Group disagreed with some of the resolutions, thereby leading to further talks. As of 10:15 pm on Monday, parties continued talks to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

Consequently, in some parts of the country, filling stations were being closed by NUPENG members.

The Aradel refinery in Obele, Port Harcourt, was shut. The Kwale Hydrocarbon facility in Delta State was shut.

In various depots across the country, especially those in Lagos and Warri, Delta State, drivers parked their trucks to wait for the next directive as far as fuel lifting was concerned.

The National President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, confirmed that there was “100 per cent compliance across the nation.”.

Continue Reading

News

BREAKING: Lagos Says Won’t Adopt New Education Curriculum for Now

That those logistics that will make it to work, such as the scheme of work for the terms, the materials and training of staff, need to be sorted first before the curriculum can be adopted.

Published

on

By

19 Views

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Education, says it is not adopting the newly released curriculum for basic and senior secondary education immediately.

The curriculum was released last week by the federal government ahead of the September back-to-school season across the country.

Ohibaba.com gathered from people who have knowledge about the matter that at a meeting with the Commissioner of Education, school owners raised concerns about what the schemes will be, and the instructional materials, etc.

The source said, “So, the system is not ready for the curriculum because all those trade subjects that are there, they need equipment to work on them and they are not readily available.

So, the Commissioner when asked how do we go about it?, the commissioner said that it’s a projection into the future.

That for the next section, they will adopt it but for this first term, the curriculum won’t work in Lagos State.

That those logistics that will make it to work, such as the scheme of work for the terms, the materials and training of staff, need to be sorted first before the curriculum can be adopted.”

Continue Reading

Business

UPDATE: NUPENG Skips Meeting to Resolve Dispute with Dangote in Abuja

Published

on

28 Views

The leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) failed to attend a crucial Federal Government meeting aimed at resolving its dispute with the Dangote Group, as tensions escalate over a planned nationwide strike by oil workers.

The meeting, called by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, was set for 10:00 a.m. on Monday at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. However, by 2:30 p.m., the meeting had yet to start due to the absence of NUPENG representatives.

On Sunday, the Federal Government appealed to NUPENG to postpone the industrial action, assuring that it had intervened in the dispute. It also urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw its “red alert” issued to affiliate unions preparing for a solidarity strike.

An insider noted that even if NUPENG plans to attend the meeting, it won’t be immediate. “They can’t be expected to fly into Abuja and rush into talks the same day. Consultations with NLC leadership and others need to happen first,” the source explained.

The core of the conflict centers on the Dangote Group’s alleged anti-union policy, which NUPENG claims violates workers’ rights. The union insists that no oil worker will be allowed to work at Dangote without union membership, accusing the company of an “anti-worker and anti-union” stance aimed at exploiting refinery employees.

NUPENG officials were still in Lagos on Monday afternoon, coordinating the strike effort. “You don’t wait until a strike is declared before calling for talks,” one union source said, criticizing the government’s delayed response. “The union gave sufficient notice, but the ministry only acted after tensions rose.”

Meanwhile, while journalists awaited the start of the NUPENG meeting, Minister Dingyadi held a separate closed-door session with representatives of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

The government has yet to announce a new meeting date or confirm if NUPENG will participate at a later time.

Continue Reading

Trending