POLITICS
House to Empower Lottery Commission for More Revenue Generation

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the House was ready to empower the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) through enabling legislation to empower it to generate more revenue.
Gbajabiamila, who played host to the management team of the commission led by the chairman of its board, Alhaji Ibikunle Fatai, said the House is willing to come up with relevant laws that would make Nigeria generate more revenue to fund her annual budgets.
The Speaker said: “Yours is a very important agency in terms of revenue generation. As you know, this time, revenue generation is key for us to be able to finance our budget the way we want to finance it. So, yours is a very important agency in terms of government expenditure.
Responding to a request by the chairman of the NLRC board for the House to amend the law setting up the agency for more efficiency, Gbajabiamila said though the House would be ready to do that, there was need to know what obtains at present.
“On the amendment of the enabling law, of course, law is very dynamic. Anytime there’s a need to amend the law to optimise and maximise the efficiency and your revenue profile, we are going to be very willing and ready to do that. But we need to know what the problems are, where you need to plug the holes”On the Central Monitoring System, I know you have a lot of court cases right now. From what I have come to understand as the issue of Central Monitoring System, I think those things were left behind by the past administration.
“There’s also the nagging issue of state versus federal on who has the constitutional power to give permits and licenses to collect revenue.
“In spite of these challenges you were bedevilled with, I want to commend you, because you have been able to raise your revenue to a very considerable extent.
“Yes, considerable, but we are not there yet because we can go higher. Whatever is going to be required like the Central Monitoring System, to help you get to that point where yours, a stand-alone agency that generates a good percentage of our revenue, then we will definitely do that.
“This is because right now, without that, there are so many leakages. So many players out there, who under-report to you what they are generating. So we have to do this in accordance with international best practices. That is why as a House, we have to put those laws in place,” the Speaker said.
The Speaker also called on both the board and the management of the agency to work together for harmony so that the commission could generate more funds.
Earlier, the chairman of the commission’s board, Alhaji Fatai, said they were in the Speaker’s office to congratulate him on his emergence as the Number 4 Citizen as well as table their plight.
“The commission is a revenue-generating agency, and we’ve been doing our best to do that. But the Act that set up the commission has deficiencies, and we have done some amendments, which we will forward to the Speaker.
“There’s the issue of a central monitoring system. We don’t have enabling law for us to prosecute those that don’t pay. We’re just trying to make sure that we generate revenue. We need an enabling law that will empower us.
“We appeal to the House to give the amendments accelerated passage. We want to establish the Nigerian National Game, that’s part of our proposal. That will enhance our revenue-generating base,” he said.
POLITICS
2027: APC Governors Endorse Tinubu

The Progressive Governors Forum on Thursday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit held in Abuja endorsed President Bola Tinubu as sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The endorsement, which was moved by Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman of the forum Chairman, was seconded by Gov.
Uba Sani of Kaduna State.Uzodimma, who spoke on behalf of the forum, emphasised commitment to mobilising resources and ensuring victory for Tinubu in their respective states.
The governors expressed confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and reforms, promising to deliver their states in the upcoming elections.
This endorsement follows similar moves by other APC regional leaders, including the North Central governors who recently passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu’s administration, praising his developmental strides and inclusive governance approach.
(NAN)POLITICS
Senate Passes Bill Establishing FMC Adikpo into Law

By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The Senate yesterday passed into law a bill for the establishment of a Federal Medical Center, Adikpo in Benue state.
The bill which was sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North East) was read for the third and final time during plenary with an unanimous approval by the legislatures when it was committed to the Committee of the whole.
The bill, according to Udende, seeks to establish a federal medical center in Adikpo which will not only cater for the health needs of the people of Benue North East senatorial zone but Benue state and Nigeria in general and beyond.
“The bill awaiting presidential assent seeks to bring medical care closer to the people, especially in times of emergency.
The distance between Adikpo , a Nigerian boarder town and Makurdi, Benue State capital where a Federal Medical Center exists is over 300 kilometers, so patients who need medical care within the Adikpo axis are on a danger line, hence my resolve to use the instrumentality of the parliament to address the troubling health challenge”, senator Udende said.He explained that the people of Kwande who share boundaries with the Republic of Cameroon most often are required to seek medical attention outside their country and in most cases are frustrated or cannot afford the cost.
According to senator Udende, the strategic location of the health facility will provide potential economic benefits of trade and cultural exchange, giving its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.
He stressed that the Federal Medical Centre will also trigger infrastructure development, healthcare and open up the locality in terms of education while expressing concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian border town has grossly caused underdevelopment.
The senator however commended the senate Committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions for conducting a public hearing which gave rise to the final parliamentary journey of the bill.
NEWS
NASC: Senate Confirms Nnanna Uzor Kalu as Commissioner For S/east

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Dr Nnanna Uzor Kalu as a commissioner in the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to represent the South-East geopolitical zone.
The confirmation followed the presentation and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, chaired by Sen.
Cyril Fasuyi, during plenary.Kalu’s confirmation was previously stepped down in March due to a petition filed against him.
At the time, the senate had confirmed 12 out of 13 nominees for the NASC, withholding only the nomination from the South-East pending resolution of the matter.
Presenting the report, Fasuyi explained that the petition had been thoroughly investigated and dismissed by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.
The committee found no grounds to disqualify the nominee.
“In line with the findings and recommendations of the relevant committees, the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service recommends the confirmation of Dr Nnanna Uzor Kalu,” Fasuyi said.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio thanked both committees for handling the issue with diligence and fairness.
He congratulated Kalu on his confirmation and urged him to serve with integrity.
“I urge the newly confirmed commissioner to uphold equity, fairness, and constitutional values while representing the South-East in the commission,” Akpabio said.(NAN)