News
Presidential yacht delivered before public outcry, says Ndume
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, has clarified the issue bordering on the controversial Presidential yacht said to be worth about N5 billion.
Ndume made this clarification while speaking on the review of the supplementary budget on Arise Television’s Morning show on Friday.
The All Progressives Congress Senator representing Borno South said the presidential yacht had been signed and delivered but not paid for before the public outcry, adding that the Senate has since added the required payment fee to the student loan budget.
Ndume said, “We queried the amount budgeted for the yacht, but it was signed for a dollar rate, and the new rate isn’t favourable. The budget was predicated for about N435, and now it is over N800.
“The Navy also clarified that it is not a new budget. And even the House of Representatives moved the budget to the Student loan. The deal for the yacht has been agreed, signed, and delivered but not paid for.”
Speaking on the N160m for Land Cruiser SUV for each lawmaker in the National Assembly, the Chief Whip stressed that it is not a new thing for government workers to be buying vehicles for official duties.
He maintained that the price of the vehicles was also affected by the volatility of the naira to dollar rate, adding that the vehicles are needed for the lawmakers.
“The reason why we did not choose Nigerian-made cars is because they don’t manufacture their vehicles, but they assemble them.
“I prefer Nigerian-made products, but the Nigerian car companies are only buying the vehicle parts and assembling them here.
He maintained that the reason for the SUVs is because most Nigerian roads are not motorable, adding that these vehicles are the only ones that could help them carry out their oversight functions.
Recall that Ohibaba had earlier reported that Nigerians condemned a part of the expenditures proposed in the 2023 supplementary budget the President submitted to the National Assembly for approval, including a proposal to spend N5.095 billion on a presidential yacht.
Reacting, the Presidency said the item named ‘Presidential Yacht’ as found in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill is not for President Bola Tinubu’s personal use.
This was, as it said, the naval boat bears such classification “because of the high-level security features.”
“What was named as a presidential yacht in the budget is an operational Naval boat with specialised security gadgets suitable for high profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained in a statement on Thursday evening.
News
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.
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.
News
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.
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)
News
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.”
•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.”
” 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.”
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.
CBN admits it opened domiciliary accounts for PFIPC agency
Naira Exchange Rates At The Parallel/ Official Market Tuesday, 21 July
Ayo Fayose Gets Presidential Portfolio As REA Board Chairman
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