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SEE highlights of FEC sweeping decisions

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Here are some of the highlights of the far reaching decisions taken today at the Federal Executive Council meeting, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

FEC approved construction of Lagos-Port Harcourt-Calabar Coastal Superhighway to Messrs Hitech Construction Africa. The First phase made up of 47 kms will begin in Lagos.

Social security payments to the vulnerable households to begin immediately. Recipients will be those with NIN and BVN.

Social security payments to be extended to graduates from NCE and upwards

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Consumer Credit to be established very urgently. Chief of Staff to lead a committee that includes Budget Minister, Attorney-General, Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance, to make the scheme a reality.

The Council in order to enhance efficiency in the Federal service, and reduce the cost of governance, decided to implement the recommendations of the Steve Oronsaye panel on the restructuring and rationalisation of Federal agencies, parastatals and commissions.

The implementation involves merging, subsuming and scrapping agencies with similar functions.

The Oronsaye report was submitted in 2012 to the Jonathan administration. In 2014, the Jonathan government released a white paper on the report. The Buhari administration after re-examining the white paper also released a second white paper in August 2022, but did not implement the report.

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However, the Tinubu administration has decided to confront the monster of high governance cost by implementing elements of the report.

An eight-man committee has a 12-week deadline to ensure that the necessary legislative amendments and administrative restructuring needed to implement the reforms are effected in an efficient manner.

The committee comprises Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service, Attorney General and Justice Minister, Budget and Planning Minister, DG Bureau of Public Service Reform, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Special assistant to the president on National Assembly. The Cabinet Affairs Office will serve as the secretariat.

Key recommendations for implementation:

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National Salaries, Income and wages Commission to be subsumed under Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission. The National Assembly will need to amend the constitution as RMAFC was established by the constitution.

Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission to be merged with Bureau of Public Enterprise and be rechristened as `Public Enterprises and Infrastructural Concession Commission

National Human Rights Commission to swallow Public Complaints Commission

Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate(PTAD) to be scrapped and functions to be taken over by Federal Ministry of Finance

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NEMA and National Commission for Refugees to be fused to become National Emergency and Refugee Management Commission

Border Communities Development Agency to become a department under National Boundary Commission

NACA and NCDC to be merged

SERVICOM to become a department under the Bureau for Public Service Reform (BPSR)

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NALDA to return to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

Federal Ministry of Science to supervise a new agency that combines NCAM, NASENI and PRODA

National Commission for Museums and Monuments and National Gallery of Arts to become one entity that will be known as National Commission for Museums, Monuments and Gallery of Arts.

National Theatre to be merged with National Troupe.

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Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa and Directorate of Technical Aid Corp to be merged under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to become an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Federal Radio Corporation and Voice of Nigeria to be one entity to be known as Federal Broadcasting Corporation of Nigeria

National Biotechnology Development Agency(NABDA) and National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology to be emerged into an agency to be known as National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency(NBRDA).

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National Institute for Leather Science Technology and National Institute for Chemical Technology to become one agency.

Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development to become one agency.

The National Metallurgical Development Centre and National Metallurgical Training Institute will be merged.

National Institute for Trypanosomiasis to be subsumed under Institute of Veterinary Research in Vom, Jos.

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The list is not exhaustive.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

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Just in: Finally, opposition leaders adopt ADA as coalition platform

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Opposition leaders under the aegis of Coalition Movement have adopted the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), and applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register as a party ahead of the 2027 election.

The coalition’s application letter addressed to INEC chairman and dated June 19 was co-signed by the National Chairman of ADA, Chief Akin Ricketts and Protem National Secretary, Abdullahi Musa Elayo.

The letter which was stamped received by the office of the INEC chairman on June 20, 2025, was titled: “Application for registration as a political party” with ADA name and flag.

“We respectfully write to the Independent National Electoral Commission requesting the registration of our association, the All Democratic Alliance as a political party.

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This is sequel to the decision taken by the Nigerian National Coalition Group to sponsor our association for full registration,” the letter read.

Details shortly…

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England goalie, Keating gets clean bill over nitrous oxide charges

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A court case against England goalkeeper Khiara Keating has been dropped nearly a year after she pleaded not guilty to possessing canisters of nitrous oxide.

The 20-year-old Manchester City goalkeeper was charged with possession of a Class C drug on 18 June last year after an investigation by Greater Manchester Police.

In July, Keating appeared at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court alongside her mother Nicola Keating, 48, who also denied the same offence, and both were granted unconditional bail.

Greater Manchester Police has confirmed the case has been discontinued.

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In a statement given exclusively to BBC Sport, Keating said: “I’m relieved the charges have been dropped. As I’ve always said, I did nothing wrong.

“It’s been a difficult time, but I’ve always known the truth. Now I’m just looking forward to focusing fully on the Euros and spending time with my family.”

Nitrous oxide was made a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in November 2023.

Possession with the intention of wrongfully inhaling it for a psychoactive effect became an offence, but it is still possible to use the gas for legitimate reasons, such as in catering or pain relief during labour.

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Keating has not made an appearance for England’s senior team yet but is part of the 23-player squad selected to compete at Euro 2025 next month.

She became the youngest player to win the Women’s Super League Golden Glove award last year, after keeping nine clean sheets in 22 league games.

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Appeal Court throws out APC’s case, affirms PDP’s victories in Osun council polls

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), affirming the legitimacy of the February 2025 local government elections in Osun State.

The judgement, delivered on Friday, 13 June 2025, upheld the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its elected Chairmen and Councillors.

The panel of justices — Oyebisi Folayemi Omoleye, Peter Chudi Obiorah, and Hadiza Rabiu Shagari — held that the appeal lacked merit, had been overtaken by events, and constituted a mere academic exercise.

The suit, numbered CA/AK/15/2025, was filed by the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Babatunde Nurudeen Idowu, and the APC against the Action Peoples Party (APP), INEC, OSSIEC, APGA, and Prince Adegboye Famodun.

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Justice Omoleye ruled, “Critically, this Court had earlier delivered judgment on 10th February 2025 in Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022, involving basically the same parties and addressing substantially the same issues.

“The said appeal has been dismissed. What is more, the fresh Local Government elections conducted on 22nd February 2025 and the swearing-in of new Chairmen and Councillors have overtaken the substratum of this dispute. Relisting the appeal at this stage would serve no practical purpose.”

She added, “In sum, this application is not only procedurally incompetent and factually unsupported, it is also one rendered otiose by subsequent events. There is no longer any live controversy.

“The matter is, in every material sense, a fait accompli, “I therefore also dismiss the application.”

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Justice Obiorah, in a concurring judgement, declared, “Of course, the dismissal of the appeal means that there being no existing appeal against the judgment of the lower court, the said judgment stands as the authority defining the state of affairs as it regards the status of the officers of the various Local Government Councils in Osun State.”

He also addressed the issue of contempt, saying, “However, the issue of violation of the orders of the lower court and the alleged contempt is the 3a Respondent/Applicant’s interpretation of the action of the 3d Appellant/Respondent with respect to their treatment of the judgment of the lower court, particularly after the dismissal of their appeal by this Court on 13/1/2025.

“The said contempt is ex-facie curiae. In INEC & ANOR v. OGUEBEGO & ORS (2017) LPELR-42609(SC) (Pp. 10-12 paras. F), the highly revered and cerebral, Chima Centus Nweze, JSC (of blessed memory) stated.”

Reacting to the judgment in an X post, PDP welcomed the ruling, describing it as a confirmation of the people’s mandate and a defeat for political desperation.

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The party said the Certified True Copy of the ruling had “affirmed that the Court has dismissed APC’s appeal and affirmed Chairmen and Councillors elected in the 2025 Local Government Election as the duly elected council officials in Osun State.”

“The Presiding Judge, Oyebisi Folayemi Omoleye in her ruling stated that since a fresh election has been conducted and new Chairmen and Councillors have been sworn in, there is no controversy anymore,” PDP added.

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