Prof.  Ifure  Ifure, Country Representative, Centre for International and Strategy Studies, says the 10th House of Representatives has revolutionised Nigeria’s budgetary process with fresh ideas and innovations.

He said the House replaced the traditional closed-door approach with a transparent open door method after one year in office.

Ifure this during an interview on Monday in Abuja in his appraisal of the 10^th House of Representatives after one year in office.

“These days, budget proposals are now subjected to public debates, inputs, and suggestions from members of the public”, he said.

He said that Rep.  Kabiru Bichi, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation  and his colleagues mplemented a cutting-edge system that harnessed the power of technology and data analytics to optimise resource allocation.

He further said such innovations in appropriations were well thought out approaches and should be commended.

“I have the privilege of acknowledging a truly remarkable achievement, one that will go down in history as a testament to the power of innovation and leadership.

“Their innovation, which has revolutionised the way our nation allocates resources, is a shining example of what can be achieved when vision, determination and expertise come together“, he said.  (NAN)

Some leaders from the southern Nigeria have advised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, to ignore political distractors bent on frustrating his efforts to transform the area.

The group gave the advice on Monday, while addressing newsmen in Abuja under the auspices of the Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria.

It said that the appointment of Wike by President Bola Tinubu was one of the best decisions of the administration.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Raphael Okorie, said that the minister had achieved in nine months, what former ministers could not in eight years.

Okorie appealed to Nigerians to be patient with Tinubu, saying that he was striving to fix the economy, restore security and bring relief to Nigerians.

“Wike has done a lot in just nine months.

“We know that there are people who want to distract him from replicating his sterling performance in Rivers.

“He is not even bothered about the crisis in Rivers. He is busy with developing Abuja,” the group said.

It furthet said that Wike had transformed the FCT, adding that it was strongly behind him and praying for him to succeed as minister.

Okorie said that the group had taken time to assess the performance of the administration of President Tinubu and Wike, adding that both were poised to urgently deliver the dividend of the Renewed Hope Agenda as promised.

According to him, from the rapid infrastructure development to  stabilising the economy, there is no doubt that Nigeria is on the part of recovery.

“Here, thereto, we micromanaged the value of the naira against other currencies of the world,” he said.

He further contended that the country’s infrastructure development became stunted before the inception of Tinubu’s administration.

Okorie said that the international community could not invest in Nigeria “because of inconsistent policies and over interference by the government in the affairs of the private sector.

“Confidence in our economy that hit its highest under the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was completely eroded, Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) were near zero.

“Today, we have attained relative and realistic stability in the management of the naira and FDI is growing by the day.

“The private sector is getting the required support to grow and produce what we consume.

“Local content is being seriously encouraged and the government has opened its doors to all Nigerians to build an all-inclusive country, where no Nigerian is shortchanged by those that have invaded to destroy our dear nation.

“Our praises also go to Mr Project, Nyesom Wike for proving the president is right in appointing him as the minister of the nation’s capital,” he said.

He said that the minister had succeeded in bringing insecurity, which was a major challenge in Abuja, under control within the six months of his appointment.

“Today, the entire territory is relatively safe.

“We are not there yet, but with Wike in charge, we are optimistic that FCT will be completely safe soon,” Okorie said.

He appealed to the president to ignore those that were plotting to have Wike removed as FCT minister, and urged Tinubu to continue to support him.

“We also call on residents of the FCT to join hands and support Wike to succeed,” Okorie said. (NAN)

The Police Command in Kano State has expressed displeasure  over the booing  entourage of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II by some individuals while he was returning to his palace after Eid prayers.

This is contained in a Statement issued by the command’s spokesman, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, in Kano on Monday.

He said that, the incident occurred when the Emir took a different route, as part of his religious obligation.

He said unfortunately, he was booed within the vicinity of Festival Primary School and Zage/Zango areas by some unidentified persons.

“Currently, the police command is monitoring the entire Sallah events to ensure law and order are maintained, adequate security measures are in place to tackle any form of security threats.

“Accordingly, the police command is warning individuals intending to cause chaos or breach the peace during the Sallah celebration to stay clear of the state’’, he said.

The spokesman further stated that at the moment adequate security personnel had been deployed to arrest anyone attempting to cause a breakdown of law and order.

The police warned members of the public to desist from carrying weapons during and after the celebration, saying that anyone found would meet stiff penalties.

“Rigorous stop-and-search operations and patrols are ongoing in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the metropolitan area to ensure a peaceful celebration”, Kiyawa said. (NAN)