News
Waivers: NASS constitutes panel to probe N4trn revenue shortfall
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance on Monday set up a special panel to investigate the revenue shortfall totalling N4tn due to indiscriminate waivers granted to agencies of government.
The resolution of the Committee, co-chaired by Senator Sani Musa and member, Abiodun Faleke, was adopted at a hearing to investigate the revenue profiles of Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Government-Owned Enterprises ahead of the 2025 budget defence.
The hearing was to enable the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Finance to develop accurate and realistic revenue projections for 2025, with emphasis on Internally Generated Revenue and expenditure.
The resolution to investigate the shortfall followed the adoption of a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Kebbi Central Senatorial District, Senator Adamu Aliero.
Drawing the attention of his colleagues to the development, Aliero noted that “Due to the issue of waivers, there is a serious shortfall between what is supposed to be collected as revenue and what is actually collected.
“From our record, over N5.9tn was supposed to be the consolidated revenue fund of the federation. But we only have N1.9tn. We need to set up a special committee that will investigate this serious anomaly.
“We cannot continue to be allowing revenue agencies to be spending money without the National Assembly’s approval. If someone is given a waiver, we have to find out who gave that waiver. A shortfall of over N4tn is not a small amount. We found out that over N 4.9tn has not been remitted. We should set up an investigative committee that will probe all the money that has not been remitted,” he said.
Co-chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Sani Musa, said the committee was aware that a lot of GOEs collect revenues from other sources without disclosing those sources.
“Some of them did not even disclose this to the budget office. We’ve been able to get some of them and we have done our scrutinisation. You can imagine an agency collecting revenue from and failing to remit same.
“Funds that are supposed to be remitted to the consolidated revenue fund are not remitted. I think from now on, we are going to block that leakage and we will do the needful. We will scrutinise the expenditures of these GOEs because a GOE will collect 100 per cent of revenue and in its expenditure, you see that it’s spending about 95% of that revenue it collected. This is the avenue at which we can find a lasting solution to those leakages,” Musa stated.
He further pointed out that President Bola Tinubu had, while presenting the 2025 Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly mandated Heads of MDAs to respect parliamentary summons.
Musa, who represents Niger East Senatorial District, threatened that any GOE that failed to give an accurate account of how its revenue and expenditure risks having a zero allocation in the 2025 budget proposal.
The committee also queried the Federal Road Safety Corps for failing to remit the sum of N8bn out of its total Internally Generated Revenue in 2024.
This followed the presentation by the Deputy Corps Marshal, representing the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, who said though the agency had a revenue target of N10bn in 2024, it generated N13bn.
The FRSC was, however, unable to explain why only N5bn was remitted to the coffers of the government, given that the agency is 100 per cent funded by the government.
“You had a target of N10bn but generated N13bn, and you only remitted N5bn. You need to furnish this committee with details of the unremitted fund,” Senator Sani directed.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, who made a brief appearance at the event, said lessons learned from 2024 formed the basis of the assumptions in the 2025 budge,t which he said were designed to generate more revenue for the government and provide solutions for the economy.
He charged the GOEs to think outside the box to support the government’s bid to reposition the economy for the benefit of Nigerians,
The communities came under simultaneous attacks just a day after the killing of 11 persons at Otobi Community also in Otukpo LGA.
Benue has in the past decade experienced incessant attacks.
Suspected herdsmen have again stepped up violent attacks as no fewer than three communities in the Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State were attacked on Wednesday.
The communities affected during the fresh attacks include Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju all in Otukpo where five persons were killed in February. The communities came under simultaneous attacks just a day after the killing of 11 persons at Otobi Community also in Otukpo LGA.
Local sources confirm that several people may have been feared dead again in the fresh attack.
Wednesday’s attack came hours after Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed the arrest of three suspected herders in connection with the invasion of Otobi village on Tuesday night.
When contacted, Otukpo LGA Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the attack on the three communities, saying that the attackers stormed the communities at the time when the Commissioner of Police was still at the Ochidoma Palace over the previous day’s attack on Otobi.
He added that three people sustained injury in the attacks on the three communities, leading to women and children abandoning the communities for fear of being killed.
“Only young men were in the communities when the attackers arrived. The prompt response from combined security operatives made the attackers flee and none of them were arrested,” Ogiri stated.
The police spokesperson in the state, Sewuese Anene, was yet to confirm details of the attacks on the three communities.
The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has hailed the Northern Traditional Rulers for taking bold steps on the menacing security challenges in the region and in the country.
Obi, who was reacting to the ‘Enough is Enough’ declaration of the royal fathers on the security situation, said that their courageous steps are needed to find a lasting solution to the menace.
Writing on his X handle, Obi said “I would like to sincerely thank the Northern Traditional Rulers for their courageous and timely emergency declaration of the security situation in the region. I cannot agree less with them that “Enough is Enough” regarding the persistent killings and insecurity plaguing our nation.
“Their collective voice, as reported, underscores the urgent need for decisive action to protect lives and restore peace in our communities.
“I urge governments at all levels to work closely with these royal fathers who are closest to the people at the grassroots. Their commitment to addressing these challenges and offering counsel to regional governors reflects true leadership and a deep concern for the well-being of their communities.
“The stance of the Northern Traditional Rulers serves as a clarion call to all stakeholders. We must unite, irrespective of political affiliations, to implement lasting solutions that address the root causes of our nation’s challenges.
“Let us work together to build a Nigeria where every citizen feels safe, valued, and empowered.
By Emmanuel Agaji
The Rivers State High Court Chief Registrar, David D Thua-Maduenyi has rubbished speculations suggesting that Rivers Sole Administrator has been removed by the state’s High Court.
Naijablitznews reports this was contained in a statement personally signed by the Chief Registrar saying:
“My attention has been drawn to an online news report with the caption “BREAKING
NEWS: Governor Sim Fubara secures Court victory over Wike and Tinubu –
Federal High Court Orders Sole Administrator to vacate Government House”,
authored by one Joy Musa published by 247 ureports on Tuesday, 15th April, 2025.
“Ordinarily, I would not have bothered myself with any refutal, but for the
mischievous mention of the name of Hon. Justice Boma Diepriye which appears
synonymous with Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri of the Rivers State High Court in
paragraph 4 of the report thus:
“Justice Boma Diepriye, who presided over the case, ruled that the
appointment of a sole administrator to oversee the affairs of a state with
a sitting, democratically elected governor is “illegal, null and void…”
“In view of the above, I wish to state as follows:
Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri is not a Judge of the Federal High Court but a
Judge of the Rivers State High Court, and is already on Easter Vacation,
which commenced on Monday, 14th April, 2025.
“For the period of the Easter Vacation, only the vacation Judge is sitting:
and Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri is not the Vacation Judge.
“The mention of the name of Hon. Justice Boma Diepriye which is similar
with Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri of the Rivers State High Court is not only
false, but misleading, and clearly exposes the crass ignorance of the
reporter; as the Federal High Court is different from Rivers State High
Court.
“No State High Court gave any order(s) relating to or concerning the
subject matter as captioned in the online news.
“It is regrettable that some bloggers and online news reporters have traded
professionalism on the altar of pecuniary gains they seek to derive from traffic on
their social media handle and web pages.
“Henceforth, the Judiciary enjoins the general public to seek clarification on any
news report concerning the Court and official of the Court before publication.
“The general public is advised to clearly ignore the false and misleading publication.
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