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NASS queries minister for allocating over 70% projects to Edo
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Members of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Regional Development were forced to go into a closed-door session on Tuesday over alleged lopsidedness in the Ministry of Regional Development’s budget.
The lawmakers queried the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, for alleged lopsidedness in the Ministry’s budget, indicating that 70 per cent of projects in the ministry were allocated to Edo State.
The Minister was queried when he appeared before the Committee alongside the Minister of State, Uba Maigari, to defend the 2024 budget performance and the 2025 proposal.
The lawmakers noted that the Ministry’s budget favoured Edo State over other states that were supposed to have benefitted from its projects.
The Ministry was also queried for nonadherence to the federal character principle in situating projects of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta.
According to them, 70 percent of the Ministry’s projects for 2024 were domiciled in Edo state.
The lawmakers said this should not be so as the Ministry is expected to cover the interest of the entire Niger Delta region.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Matthew Nwogu questioned the minister on why 70 percent of the projects for 2024 were located in Edo State.
Nwogu said, “Mr Minister, tell us why most of these 2024 budgets (projects) are situated in Edo State?”
The lawmaker wondered why other states under the Ministry were excluded while the bulk of the projects went to Edo State.
Another member of the Committee, Rep Chinedu Ogar, also asked the Minister to explain to the committee on why 70 percent of the 2025 proposed projects of the ministry are also located in Edo State.
“Honorable Minister, I am happy that you are a product of the National Assembly. My constituents are not happy with this your budget because it negates the constitutional principle of federal character. About 70 percent of your projects are located in Edo state. Why?” Ogar questioned.
Chairman, House Committee on Regional Development, Eugene Okechukwu, urged the questions to be discussed in an executive session. The committee thereafter dissolved into an executive session to interface with the minister on the matter.
Earlier, while presenting the 2024 budget performance, the Minister had told the members that out of the N20 billion allocated to the Ministry in 2024 for capital budget, N2 billion was provided for zonal intervention in the Ministry’s budget by the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, who is from Edo State.
The Minister told the Committee that the Ministry’s total budget proposal for 2025 was N28.9 billion comprising N24 billion for capital projects; N2.7 billion for personnel cost and N1.6 billion for recurrent.
He said of the amount, a total sum of N2 billion was reserved as a zonal intervention project for the Leader of the House of Representatives.
The Minister lamented that the amount earmarked for the Ministry of Regional Development to address the development needs of the five regional development commissions is inadequate.
He appealed to the joint committee to increase the budget of the ministry to enable it to address the development issues of the regions through the commissions.
The minister lamented that due to inadequate budgetary allocation, the ministry had been facing the challenges of a litany of abandoned and uncompleted projects; delay in project completion and poor performance.
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Watch out as FCT minister Nyesom Wike appears on Arise tv today as special guest
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT will tonight by 8pm appear on Arise tv as special guest.
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Court Nullifies Onise of Ise’s Installation, Orders Lagos Govt To Withdraw Staff Of Office
The Lagos State High Court has nullified the installation and coronation of Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu as the Onise of Ise Kingdom in the Lekki Local Council Development Area of Epe Local Government Area.
The court also ordered the Lagos State Government to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and official recognition granted to Saliu following his installation on August 21, 2026.
Justice Yetunde Adesola Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, gave the orders on Friday, September 11, 2026, in a ruling on an application filed by Alhaji Adeniyi Atere and Mrs Idowu Adebisi Lana in Suit No. LD/0022PRA/2026.
The applicants had approached the court to challenge the process that produced Saliu as the Oba-elect and his subsequent appointment and installation as the Onise of Ise.
In her ruling, Justice Adesanya directed Saliu to surrender the appointment letter, staff of office and other official materials issued to him in connection with the disputed installation.
The judge also restrained him from parading or presenting himself as the Onise of Ise pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The legal battle followed an earlier interim order issued by Justice S. I. Sonaike on August 13, 2026, restraining the Lagos State Government and other defendants from taking further steps to appoint Saliu based on a March 30, 2026 letter forwarding his name as the Oba-elect.
The earlier order was made against allegations that the selection process failed to comply with the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law, 2015, and the Registered Declaration governing the selection of the Onise of Ise.
Although the interim injunction was expected to remain in force for seven days, the parties were scheduled to return to court on August 20 to report compliance and continue proceedings.
The court found that the relevant respondents had been duly served with the order and were aware of the pending case. It noted that some of the respondents had even filed a motion dated August 18 seeking to discharge or set aside the injunction.
Despite the pending proceedings, the installation and coronation of Saliu took place on August 21 at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development in Alausa, Ikeja.
The applicants subsequently told the court that the state government proceeded with the ceremony in defiance of the subsisting court order. Photographs from the installation and coronation were among the evidence presented before the court.
After considering the affidavits, documents and submissions of the parties, Justice Adesanya held that the earlier injunction had been breached.
The judge further considered whether the court had the power to reverse an act that had already been carried out despite an injunction.
She held that although injunctions are ordinarily issued to prevent an action from taking place, the court can, in exceptional circumstances, grant a mandatory injunction requiring parties to undo an act already carried out.
The court relied on previous judicial authorities, including cases involving the Central Bank of Nigeria and a separate chieftaincy dispute, in reaching its decision.
Justice Adesanya consequently ordered the Lagos State Governor, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, as well as the ministry, to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and official recognition granted to Saliu.
The court also ordered Saliu to surrender the documents and materials connected to his appointment and to cease presenting himself as the traditional ruler of Ise.
It further set aside and nullified the installation and coronation held on August 21.
However, the judge stressed that the latest ruling does not constitute a final determination of who is legally entitled to occupy the Onise of Ise stool.
The orders are to remain in force pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, which will address the wider dispute over the selection and appointment of the traditional ruler.
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Nigeria, Serbia Renew Commitment to Stronger Bilateral Relations as Amb Braimah Presents Credentials(Photos)
The longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Serbia received renewed diplomatic impetus on Monday, September 14, 2026, as His Excellency, Engr. Abasi Ogwime Braimah, presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency, Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.

The presentation formally accredited Ambassador Braimah as the Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Republic of Serbia, with residence in Budapest, Hungary.
The ceremony represented an important moment in the continuing diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and Serbia, whose relations span more than six decades. It also provided an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of both countries to building on their historic ties and translating their longstanding friendship into deeper and more mutually beneficial cooperation.
In conveying the warm fraternal greetings of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to President Vučić, as well as to the Government and people of Serbia, Ambassador Braimah reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening the bonds of friendship, mutual respect and cooperation that have characterised relations between the two countries over the years.
He emphasised the importance of expanding existing collaboration across areas of mutual interest, particularly political and diplomatic engagement, trade and investment, economic cooperation, education, culture and other sectors capable of delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both nations.
The Ambassador further expressed his readiness to work closely with the Serbian Government, diplomatic community, private-sector actors and other relevant stakeholders to identify new opportunities for engagement and consolidate existing areas of cooperation.
His diplomatic mandate comes against the backdrop of a changing international environment in which stronger bilateral partnerships, economic diplomacy and people-to-people relations have assumed increasing importance. In this regard, the Nigeria-Serbia relationship presents opportunities for both countries to broaden the scope of their engagement and explore new areas of strategic and economic cooperation.
Ambassador Braimah’s accreditation therefore represents not merely a formal diplomatic requirement, but a renewed opportunity to advance the shared interests of Nigeria and Serbia through sustained dialogue, greater economic interaction and stronger institutional partnerships.
As the two countries look towards the future, the renewed diplomatic engagement is expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of their respective national priorities and create fresh avenues for cooperation in areas of mutual benefit.


The presentation of the Letters of Credence thus marks the beginning of a new phase in Ambassador Braimah’s diplomatic assignment—one anchored on friendship, mutual respect, economic opportunity and a shared commitment to strengthening Nigeria-Serbia relations for the benefit of both countries and their peoples.
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