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Senate to probe Buhari’s N30trn Ways and Means spending
There was a mild drama on Tuesday as the Senate resolved to revisit the N30 trillion Ways and Means it approved for the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the details of which it said were never provided for scrutiny.
Specifically, the Red Chamber alleged that reckless spending of the overdraft collected from the Godwin Emefiele-led Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, largely accounted for the food and security crises presently facing the country.
It consequently resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to carry out a thorough investigation on how the N30 trillion was spent by the immediate past government since details of such spending were deliberately not made available to the National Assembly.
The ad-hoc committee, which will be constituted on Wednesday, will also probe the N10 trillion expended on the Anchor Borrowers Scheme, the $2.4 billion forex transaction out of the $7 billion obligation made for that purpose, as well as other intervention programmes.
The Senate resolutions followed the consideration of the report of its joint committees on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions; Finance; National Planning; Agriculture, and Appropriations, on the state of the economy after interactive sessions with the Federal Government economic management team.
The report consideration in plenary on Tuesday was very stormy and full of accusations and counter-accusations by senators on why and how the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means was passed by the 9th Senate in May 2023 and an additional N7.2 trillion passed on December 30, 2023, by the 10th Senate.
The Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), in his contribution, blamed the Senate for approving the request without details from then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
“When the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means approval request was brought before the 9th Senate, I insisted that details of spendings made with it, should be provided before approval, but the Senate then, went ahead and approved it,” he said.
He, was, however, countered by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, who said the decision taken then, was a collective one with the caveat that the executive should provide details later, which was, however, not provided.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said, as recommended by the committee and supported by most of the Senators, a thorough probe must be carried out on the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means approved in May 2023 by the 9th Senate, which later increased to N30 trillion, with the passage of the N7.2 trillion accrued interest forwarded for passage in December 2023.
“The food and security crises confronting the nation now, are traceable to the way and manner in which the said ways and means were given, collected, and spent.
“Details of such spending must be submitted for required scrutiny and possible remedies because what Nigerians want now, is food on their table, which must be given.
“Other recommendations made by the committee on the need for a thorough investigation of the N10 trillion Anchor Borrowers Programme and other intervention programmes running into billions of dollars must be investigated.
“But as rightly recommended by the joint committee, security agencies should, as a matter of national urgency, combat all forms of insecurity across the country for farmers to access their farms for required food production, which is highly needed in the country now,” Akpabio said.
News
At last, Tinubu sacks five ministers, makes seven fresh nomination
By Francesca Hangeior.
At last, president Bola Tinubu has reshuffle his cabinet appointing seven new ministers.
This development is coming few months after growing calls for the President to rejig his cabinet.
In a statement issued by the presidency after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, president Tinubu re-assigned 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios and appointed seven new ministers for Senate confirmation.
The president on Wednesday, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC), announced the sack of Uju-Ken Ohanenye as Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John as Minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman as Minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Ibrahim as Minister of Youth Development.
Tinubu subsequently nominated Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu as the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, while Nentawe Yilwatda as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, officially bringing an end to the tenure of suspended Betta Edu.
The President also nominated Maigari Dingyadi as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole as the Minister of Industry, Idi Maiha as Minister for the newly created Livestock Development Ministry, Yusuf Ata as the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, with Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State Education.
Earlier on Wednesday, the President scrapped the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development and announced the Ministry of Regional Development as a replacement to oversee the activities of all the regional development commissions.
The regional development commissions to be under the supervision of the new Ministry are the Niger Delta Development Commission, the South East Development Commission, the North East Development and the North West Development Commission.
Tinubu also scrapped the Ministry of Sports Development and transferred its functions to the National Sports Commission to “develop a vibrant sports economy”.
The President further approved the merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to become the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.
“The appointment of Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports
Commission.
“The appointment of Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the president on Public Communication and Orientation working from the ministry of Information and National Orientation,” the President said.
The President appreciated the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council for their service to the nation while wishing them the best in their
future endeavours.
He then charged the newly appointed ministers as well as their reassigned colleagues to see their appointment as a call to serve the nation.
He added that all appointees must understand the administration’s eagerness and determination to set Nigeria on the path to irreversible growth and invest the best of their abilities into the actualisation of the government’s priorities.
It could be recalled that Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, appointed 48 ministers in August 2023, three months after his inauguration.
The Senate immediately screened and confirmed the ministers. One of the ministers, Betta Edu, was suspended in January while another, Simon Lalong, moved to the Senate.
There have been growing calls for the President to reshuffle his cabinet as many Nigerians are not impressed by the performance of some of the ministers, especially in the face of unprecedented inflation, excruciating economic situation and rising insecurity.
In September, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the President would reshuffle his cabinet but didn’t give a time to the reorganisation.
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