Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has approved N8b for the payment of the backlog of liabilities in pensions and gratuities for retired primary school teachers and other civil servants that have worked with the government.

The N8b will clear liabilities accrued from 2019 to 2021.

Zulum announced the approval on Wednesday at the council chamber of the government house in Maiduguri.

The governor released N3b in June and September 2019, to clear gratuities of 1,684 retirees that left the civil service between 2013 and 2019 and disbursed over N12b in 2020 for retirees that left both the state and local government civil service between 2013 and 2017.

“Since I took over in 2019 to date, we have paid about 25 billion naira for the settlement of gratuities for those that have worked with local and state governments,” Zulum said.

Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has assured that his administration will settle the backlog of gratuities and pensions before the end of his tenure in 2027. He said, “Insh’Allah, I will clear all the backlog of gratuities before I leave office in 2027.

MTN Group has sold its subsidiary in the Republic of Guinea to the government.

In a statement on Thursday, the telecommunications company (telco) said the sale was concluded on December 30, 2024.

MTN said the transaction aligns with its focus on portfolio optimisation and simplification, as part of the ‘Ambition 2025’ strategy.

Commenting on the sale of the business, Ralph Mupita, MTN Group president and chief executive officer (CEO), said the development marked its final exit from the market.

“This milestone marks a new phase for MTN Guinea-Conakry under local ownership, and MTN thanks the staff, customers, regulators and broader stakeholders in Guinea for the support during the time MTN has been operational in the country,” Mupita said.

“Concluding this transaction is in line with the strategy to simplify the portfolio and allocate capital to markets where we can make a difference as MTN and deliver long-term growth and returns.”

In August 2024, Mupita explained the group’s rationale for disposing of operations in Guinea-Conakry and Guinea-Bissau, saying that MTN evaluates each market’s ability to fund its growth sustainably.

The CEO said the moment a business cannot sustainably fund its growth for whatever reason, the telco has to assess the portfolio.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo-led Rivers State House of Assembly was illegal and in violation of court rulings and established governance protocols.

APC Chairman in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, disclosed this yesterday while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt. He said the governor’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for the rule of law and judicial pronouncements.

Okocha stated that the January 2024 ruling by Justice Omotosho, which mandated that budgets be presented to the legislative arm led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, was recognised by law.

He said: “It is unimaginable that a governor with such a rich background in finance and governance would choose to sidestep legal processes. The Assembly has 30 functional members, yet the budget was presented in a setting that courts have described as illegitimate,” he said.

The APC chairman, who criticised the governor’s leadership style, labelling it divisive and confrontational, accused him of stoking hostilities rather than fostering reconciliation.

Okocha said: “I expected the governor to use the new year to extend an olive branch and promote peace, but instead, he continues to fuel the flames of division.”

Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara has signed the N1.1trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill into law, declaring that Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo remains the Speaker of the only House of Assembly in the State.

The governor signed the bill yesterday after thorough scrutiny and passage of the budget by the Oko-Jumbo-led State House of Assembly.

Fubara insisted that Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule and 26 other members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) seized to be recognised as legislators in line with the law.

The governor said: “I want to say this may be for some persons somewhere who are still mixing up issues. We have only one Assembly, and that Rt heads the Assembly. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo.

“A group of friends about nine months ago embarked on a sea-bared journey. Halfway through the vessel, while they were coasting, they realised they were entering the den of devils and sharks and now wanted to retreat.

“It is too late, and the truth is that we are not going back. We have given them enough room for peace. No governor in Nigeria can take the kind of insult I took from those set of people.

“As it stands now, our major target is the interest of Rivers State, and we will continue to defend the integrity of governance, and as far as I am concerned, we have moved on”.

The governor vowed to ensure full implementation of the 2025 budget and thanked everyone who contributed to passing the bill.

Fubara said, “Let me thank everyone who has made this possible. We promised you that we would continue to put Rivers State’s interests first. Now that this bill has been signed, I can assure you that we will kick start every projection so that the record of performance that was accorded to this administration in 2024 will be higher this year, 2025.”

He thanked his management team, including his executive council members, his deputy, and the commissioner for finance, among others, saying, “We expect you to do more because we have a more significant task ahead of us, and we have made some promises to our people in education, health, and agriculture.

“We must ensure that we make a good impact just as we have done in the areas of roads and other aspects of the economy”.