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Lawmakers threaten to withdraw funding for NPA, NIMASA, FIRS, others
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance has given revenue-generating agencies 48 48-hour ultimatum to appear or risk being withdrawn from government funding for 2025 operations.
It decried their failure to honour invitations for their 2025 budget defence and their revenue-generating profile.
The agencies include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Nigerian Postal Service (NPS), and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Others are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The Nigerian Copyright Commission, National Insurance Commission, National Pensions Commission, National Space and Research Development Agency, and the Nigerian Metrological Agency are also included.
The rest are the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporations, Airspace Management Authority, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Bank of Industry (BoI), and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaira.
Speaking during the second day of the revenue profiling exercise, Chairman of the Senate Committee of Finance, Senator Sani Musa (APC-Niger), said President Bola Tinubu, while presenting the 2025 budget to the National Assembly, mandated all ministers and heads of agencies to appear to defend their respective budgets before the Assembly.
According to Senator Musa, members of the National Assembly had to cut short their Christmas holidays to attend to the national assignment.
“But to our dismay, a lot of agencies have refused to honour our invitations to appear before us, for us to scrutinise their performances in 2024 and look at their 2025 projection, if it is justifiable.
“These agencies have refused to honour the Joint Committee’s invitation.
“So, by virtue of the constitutional powers given to the Joint Committees on Finance of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, we are given the chief executives of these agencies 48 hours within which to appear before this Joint Committee.
“Failure to do that, the Committee will not hesitate to recommend to the Appropriation Committee to withhold any appropriation to these agencies.
“If these agencies are self-funded, we will also request both the Minister of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to withhold their funding,” he said.
Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke (APC-Lagos State), said the essence of the budget defence exercise was to boost revenue generation and cut down on borrowing.
“If these agencies refuse to appear before us, the needful will be done by the National Assembly,” he said.
The Senate adjourned plenary till January 28 to enable heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to defend their allocations in the N49.7trillion 2025 Appropriations Bill before its relevant committees.
The Senate’s resolution to suspend plenary for two weeks followed a motion moved by the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Ashiru Oyelola.
Senators approved the motion when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released the results of candidates who wrote the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, on Monday.
The spokesperson of the commission, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement directs affected candidates to the board’s standard result-checking channels.
According to the statement, candidates can access their scores by sending “UTMERESULT” to 55019 or 66019 via SMS, using the phone number with which they registered for the examination.
Monday’s UTME results are the latest in a series of daily result announcements that JAMB has been making since the 2026 UTME commenced on Thursday, April 16.
The examination involves over two million candidates sitting computer-based tests at centres across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu as the new Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA)
Her appointment is for an initial term of four years and is in accordance with the provisions of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act of 2015, which governs leadership appointments within the agency.
This was disclosed in a statement from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, issued by the Head of Information and Public Relations, Chris Ugwuegbulam.
The statement highlighted Dr. Zuntu’s extensive experience in public health administration and policy formulation, noting her involvement in several nationwide programmes, particularly in the health sector and public service delivery.
President Tinubu charged her to apply her expertise in advancing the agency’s objectives and contributing to national development.
The National Biosafety Management Agency is responsible for regulating modern biotechnology in Nigeria, ensuring that its application does not pose risks to human health or the environment.
The Federal Government has finally revealed the identities of individuals who allegedly plotted to forcefully overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.
The suspects include a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, said to be at large in the charge.
Others are Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
In a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 filed at the Federal High Court on Tuesday, they were accused of plotting to levy war against the Federal Republic of Nigeria to overthrow President Tinubu.
The alleged offence is said to be contrary and punishable under Section 37 (2) of the Criminal Code.
The alleged coup plotters are scheduled to be arraigned on April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The charge was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
The Federal Government accused the defendants of treason, terrorism, and failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert authorities.
The federal government is also prosecuting the defendants for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
JAMB Releases Monday’s UTME Results
Tinubu Makes Fresh Key Appointment In Government
FG Reveals Identities Of Alleged Coup Plotters, Files Treason Charges
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