The Taraba House of Assembly has said that it’s approval for the Executive to secure a N350 billion bond from the Capital Market was in line with provisions of the 2025 appropriation law.Mr Jetro Yakubu, Majority Leader of the assembly, made the clarification on Friday while speaking to newsmen in Jalingo.

Yakubu revealed that the request to secure the loan was in tandem with the provisions of the 2025 appropriation bill passed into Law by the assembly. He stressed that Gov. Agbu Kefas of Taraba had already indicated in the budget proposals his intention to fund part of it through loans from financial institutions.According to him, the request could only become abnormal if it is outside the budgetary provision. Yakubu, who represents Wukari I State Constituency also noted that the assembly approved the loan because the governor had carried the it along right from the preparation of the Appropriation. “The governor is a leader that believes in carrying everybody along. He had already carried the assembly along right from when the appropriation was being prepared.“We don’t give approval for any loan that is not in the appropriation.“The governor is a very strategic thinker. The bond which is at N20 lbillion per year would be funded through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and not through Federal Accounts Allocation.“The governor is very passionate about stimulating the economy of the state so that the it can be viable to fund the bond,” he said.Daily Asset recalls that Kefas earlier requested an approval from the house of assembly to secure a N350 billion bond from the Capital Market.The legislators had since granted him the approval to borrow the funds. (NAN)

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has emphasised that legal advocacy on issues affecting the Niger Delta holds the potential to accelerate the region’s development.

Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, made this assertion during the 2025 MOOT and Mock Trial Competition, which featured participation from 20 law faculties across universities in the Niger Delta.

This is contained in a statement issued by the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt on Friday.

Ogbuku, who was represented by Mr Boma Iyaye, NDDC’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, underscored the role of legal advocacy in addressing the complex challenges facing the region.

“We are passionate about education, and as such, we remain committed to supporting the growth of education in the Niger Delta,” he stated.

He noted that the competition focused on key legal areas relevant to the region which included environmental law, oil and gas, and sustainable development.

Ogbuku also highlighted the commission’s investments in tertiary institutions, including the construction of hostels in various universities and polytechnics across the Niger Delta.

In his remark, Prof. Zaccheus Adangor, a former Attorney-General of Rivers, described the legal profession as noble, honourable, and learned.

He urged the student participants to demonstrate honesty, integrity, and good character throughout their career.

“Students must remain open to new ideas, as the legal profession requires deep and varied knowledge.

“Legal practitioners should also invest in continuous learning, acquiring both hard and digital copies of books, in their role as ministers in the temple of justice,” Adangor advised.

Also speaking, Justice Daketima Kio of the Rivers State High Court commended the NDDC for the initiative, expressing confidence that the programme would foster a more united and developed region.

He expressed optimism that the competition would serve as a springboard for aspiring legal professionals in the region to excel in their careers.

On his part, Mr Victor Arenyeka, NDDC’s Acting Director for Legal Services, explained that the competition was designed to prepare students to confront the specific challenges facing the Niger Delta.

He stated that participants were tested on environmental law, oil and gas, and sustainable development.

Arenyeka encouraged the students to seize the opportunity to broaden their legal knowledge and lay a solid foundation for successful careers in the legal profession. (NAN)

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has hailed the fast-track disbursement of funds to 15 million households under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme of the President Bola Tinubu administration.The group said the fast-track disbursement was due to the delay in the full implementation of a scheme, which it said was central to the administration’s quest to lift millions of vulnerable Nigerians out of acute poverty.

Mr Emeka Nwankpa, the Chairman of TMSG, in a statement on Saturday, said with the newly inaugurated inter-agency task force in place, the stage was set for a wider coverage of the poverty-alleviation scheme. “We are aware that President Bola Tinubu formally launched the Conditional Cash Transfer programme targeted at 15 million households across the country soon after assuming office in 2023.“The idea was to improve on the same scheme introduced by his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, by reaching more Nigerians than the 1.6 million households (8 million individuals) who benefited from the Buhari administration’s disbursement of N10,000 bi-monthly as of 2021.“So, President Tinubu’s CCT initiative is clearly more ambitious, with the target of ensuring that 15 million households receive N25,000 per month thrice in a year,” said the group.But it said since the announcement, the process had been slowed down by financial inclusion bottlenecks, which had been addressed by an inter-agency task force.The task force includes the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).“We view the composition of the task force as a statement of intent. The Tinubu administration is set to navigate issues of distrust that characterise the previous scheme and ensure that all beneficiaries have a digital footprint aside from bank accounts.“We still recall how state governments under the auspices of the National Economic Council (NEC), in July 2023, disowned the National Social Register (NSR), the database for vulnerable populations used by the Buhari administration for the CCT programme.“But now, with NIMC working with the Central Bank and other relevant humanitarian agencies, we are convinced that more of the intended beneficiaries would be able to have the NIN, which is now mandatory for benefitting from the CCT and other social services.“In addition, the issue of distrust in disbursement would be addressed, and the possibility of funds getting to intended beneficiaries would be higher with proper documentation and identification,” said TMSG.It commended the Tinubu administration for taking these additional steps against the backdrop of the alarm raised by the World Bank recently on increasing poverty in rural Nigeria and the need to ramp up social protection initiatives.“Recently, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, told Mr Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President, West and Central Africa, that there was evidence that six million households were benefiting from the scheme.“So, we hope that in due course, the Tinubu administration’s target of reaching out to 15 million vulnerable households would be met,” said the group.It urged agencies involved in the process to live up to expectations by ensuring swift completion of the task of addressing the delay in cushioning the impact of economic hardship on vulnerable Nigerians. (NAN)