News
Work for Peace and Unity of Nigeria’, Obi tasks Ohaneaze president, Mbata
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The leader of the opposition Labour Party and the 2023 Presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, has admonished the newly elected leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Senator John Azuta Mbata to work towards peace and unity of the nation.
Writing on his X handle in a congratulatory message to the Executive, Obi urged the new Executive to leverage their position, which shows the people’s confidence in them to strengthen the Igbo family and unite the country.
“On behalf of my family and the Obedient movement, I congratulate the Newly Elected President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata; the Deputy President General, Prince Okey Nwadinobi; the Secretary-General, Emeka Sibeudu, and other newly elected executive members, on their emergence as the leaders of the noble organization.
“Their emergence as the leaders of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the umbrella body that unites the Igbo people, underscores the level of confidence and hope the people have in their leadership ability and their commitment to the development of the region and the nation in general.
“I pray that they will leverage their new offices to continue to work for the peace and unity of our nation and contribute immeasurably to ideas that will drive development, peace, and progress among the people.
“May God give you all, the wisdom and strength to serve the people.
A New Nigeria remains Possible.
…as it decry poor funding for Nigerian missions abroad
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has criticized the Federal Government envelope system of budgeting, and stated that it lacks legal backing under Nigerian law.
The Committee also expressed dissatisfaction with the allocation of only ₦286 million to sustain Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions, describing the amount as grossly inadequate.
According to documents submitted by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry had proposed a budget of about ₦1.5 trillion based on the needs of these missions.
During an interactive session with the Ministry and Budget Office of the Federation on Tuesday, the Committee Chairman, Rep. Wole Oke, expressed frustration and said, “I have not seen anywhere in our laws where envelop budgeting is mentioned.”
He described the proposed funding as insufficient for missions tasked with projecting the country’s image internationally.
“We’re concerned that what was submitted to Mr. President does not align with the actual needs assessment and is inconsistent with the law”, he added.
In response, Director General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, stated that the allocation for foreign missions has been increased by 25 percent in the 2025 budget. He however, called on the National Assembly to pass the tax reform bills to enhance revenue generation.
Yakubu further suggested a temporary reduction in the number of Nigerian foreign missions, stating, “Why don’t we consider a significant reduction of our foreign missions until we’re able to improve our revenue?”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Senate has urged nominees of the Governing Board of South East Development Commission (SEDC) not to betray the hope entrusted in them by President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians.
The lawmakers gave the charge during the Ad-Hoc Committee screening on regional development Commissions chaired by Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, yesterday.
The18-member nominee of SEDC was led by Dr. Emeka Wogu (chairman) and Mark C Okoye (MD/CEO).
Others are Ugochukwu H. Agballah, Okey Ezenwa, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, Chidi Echeazu, Ifeanyi Agwu, Nasiru Usman, Hamma Adama, Ali Kumo, Edward David Onoja, Orure Kufre Inima, Daniel Akwari, Mrs. Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma, Stanley Ohajuruka (ED Finance), Chief Sylvester Okonkwo (ED Corporate Services), Toby Okechukwu (ED Projects ), Anthony Agbo (ED Commercial and Industrial Development) and Dr. Clifford Ogbede (ED Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development).
Shortly after the brief introduction by the nominees of the SEDC, Chairman of the committee, Kalu, re-echoed the warnings of his colleagues and told the nominees to prioritise the interest of the people.
“You are the face of this organisation and we don’t want anything that will bring the name of our president to disrepute. We will not tolerate anything that is against the interest of the people. The Senate committee will oversee you seriously.
“Don’t pay for a job that is not done. If you do, we won’t hesitate to report back to the President to sack you. Use the money for the development of the people. So far no member has objected to your clearance.
“Look at the trust these members have given to you, we want you to improve the relationship between you and the National Assembly. We are attending to you because of the budget process. If you don’t do it your Commissions will miss the budget process because the Senate will soon go on recess.”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
There are indications of an imminent hike in the price of petrol as the loading costs of petrol and diesel at depots increased across Nigeria on Monday.
On Sunday, Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, increased to $79.76 per barrel.
Prominent depots, including Swift, Wosbab, Sahara, and Shellplux, also adjusted their petrol prices to between N950 and N960 per litre, compared to last week’s range of N907 to N912 per litre
Similarly, diesel prices witnessed a steep rise, with depots such as Matrix Warri and NIPCO increasing rates by N72 to N100 per litre.
Stockgap depot increased its loading depot price from N1,080 to N1,150, while Ibeto approved an increase from N1,050 to N1,150 per litre.
According to data from the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria on December 19, 2024, the landing cost of petrol stood at N887.51 per litre; however, the rise in the price of crude oil means the landing cost may go up in the coming days.
In the past weeks, the price of petrol has recorded a reduction.
Last year, Dangote Refinery and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) announced an ex-depot petrol price reduction.
This led to the retail product dropping to between N935 and N965 per litre from N1040 per litre.
Consequently, Nigerians currently buy petrol between N935 and N1,100 per litre nationwide.
A rise in petrol prices is likely to impact directly in the prices of goods and services that are already on the high side.
Daily Trust
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