News
Peter Obi frowns at budget for Office of First Lady
A former governor of Anambra, Mr Peter Obi, on Tuesday decried budgetary allocation for the Office of First Lady, describing it an unnecessary expenditure that should be channeled into something worthwhile.
Obi, who was guest speaker at the 8th Annual Foursquare Gospel Church in Lagos, said that the yearly budgetary allocation for the office should be stopped because it increases cost of governance in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual lecture was organised to raise public consciousness on pressing issues in the polity with a view to finding solutions.
Obi, who frowned at the subsisting insecurity and youths unemployment, said such allocations should be used to fund education and health to halt medical tourism overseas.
According to him, the Office of the First Lady that was not recognized in the Constitution was being serviced with public fund at federal, state and even local government levels.
“The wives of the president, governors and by extension the local government councils did not stand for any election, never campaigned, so on what basis should the office exist in the first place.
“With billions being voted for it, it calls for question from which political trajectory are we hinging our dispensation to allow such to go on without question.
“We are confronted with low revenue and borrowing to fund budgets and debt servicing not to talk of teeming youths without jobs to contend with,” he said.
He added that with the routine staff attached to the offices of First Ladies across the country, the chunk of the nation’s funds goes into servicing unproductive set of people whose existence should have been queried.
He expressed regret that political office holders earned higher than university lecturers unlike in other climes that pirortise investment in education and youths.
Obi attributed the nation’s insecurity to the youths unemployment and underemployment.
In his remark, Rev. Sam Aboyeji, General Overseer of the Church, said that the religious body would continue to focus on areas of the polity that required attention for a better society. (NAN)
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported its seventh partial grid collapse in 2024. Despite the recurring issue, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, reassured the public that efforts to restore power are well underway, with about 90% of substations receiving bulk power.
Mbah noted that the Azura Power Station initiated the grid recovery, although a minor setback occurred. However, power supply has been restored to the Abuja region and other key distribution centers. The Ibom Gas Generating Station remained unaffected, continuing to supply power to the South-South region.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse will commence once full grid restoration is achieved.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic tanker explosion in Jigawa State, which claimed over 100 lives. In a statement issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, extended condolences to the affected families, praying for strength and comfort in their time of grief.
Shettima assured the public that the federal government is mobilizing resources to support the injured and assist those affected. He has directed the immediate deployment of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide aid. The Vice President also stressed the need for a review of fuel transportation safety protocols to prevent future incidents.
In a separate statement, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu offered her condolences to Jigawa Governor Umar Namadi and the people of Jigawa, praying for peace and comfort for the families affected. She called the incident “unfortunate” and extended prayers for the recovery of the injured and the repose of the souls lost in the tragedy.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed that it intercepted a total of 10,598 pieces of arms and 114,929 rounds of ammunition valued at N9.58 billion over the past six years. Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, made this disclosure during a press conference on enforcement activities in Zone A.
Adeniyi highlighted that 60% of these seizures occurred in 2023, reflecting the Customs’ increased efforts to curb arms smuggling. He also mentioned that recent operations such as Operation Whirlwind and Operation Swift Sting are part of a strategic response to tackle evolving smuggling tactics.
In addition to arms seizures, the Customs CG announced the largest pangolin scale seizure since 2020, with 9,493 kg of scales confiscated in collaboration with the Wildlife Justice Commission. The joint operation led to four arrests across Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos. The NCS continues to intensify efforts against wildlife trafficking, targeting supply routes in northern Nigeria and border areas.
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