POLITICS
My Appointment Shows Tinubu’s Love For Igbo – Chioma Nweze
Chioma Nweze has praised President Bola Tinubu.
This comes after the President appointed her as Senior Special Assistant to the President Bola Tinubu on Community Development (South East).
She described her appointment as the inclusiveness of Ndigbo in the current political equation.
She promised to utilise her office which she described as a tale of reassurance to Ndigbo worldwide to reform and revitalise Southeast.
Nweze disclosed this in a thank you letter to the president on Tuesday, September 19, after she was appointed by the president.
The letter reads: “I most humbly wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation and unreserved gratitude to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the privilege of bestowing me the honour and opportunity to serve as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Development (South East).
“Your Excellency sir, the opportunity to be part of your historic and transformative administration has been an extraordinary experience and highlight of my career. With utmost gratitude and humility, I wholeheartedly accept this mandate.
“More importantly, special tribute must be paid to Mr President’s ingenious decision to carve out a Community Development lifeline for the South East which has spelt a tale of reassurance to Ndigbo worldwide as to their inclusiveness in the current political equation.
“I reserve special thanks also to my mentor, the Hon Minister of Works and immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Dr. David Nweze Umahi on whose wings, support, tutelage, and mentorship I have soared to this height.
“As I take on this task before me, I assure you, our leaders that I shall consult widely on how best to proceed with our common agenda of reform and revitalisation for Ndigbo and South East. My team and I will continue to lean on and count on the wisdom of present and past Igbo elites. We will listen attentively to your concerns, expectations, and admonitions. We come as your servants; you, our masters, and we would at all times listen to and heed your advice.
“As I take a census of the individual and collective show of support, goodwill, and solidarity that have greeted my appointment, particularly by my friends, family, and loyalists, I make an unswerving resolve to honour your trust.
“Indeed, Mr. President, our debt to your courage and vision is immeasurable. In thanking you, once again, for finding me worthy of this appointment, I greatly look forward to supporting you and working with you, as you wisely steer our country toward the envisaged eldorado.
“I am confident that by the special grace of God and with your continuing prayers and support of the people of South East, a new vista beckons on the South East zone.”
POLITICS
Assembly Passes Edo N675bn 2025 Budget for Assent
The Edo House of Assembly on Monday passed the state 2025 budget of N675 billion for assent.
The passage followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Budget and Project Monitoring at plenary in Benin.
Presenting the report, the chairman of the committee, Sunday Fada, (PDP Esan Central) said the budget was made up of N225 billion recurrent expenditure and N451 billion capital expenditure.
Fada noted that the committee came up with the increase in the budgetary allocation to enable the governor carry out his five points agenda in the state.
The House at the committee of Supply, considered the budget clause by clause and subsequently, approved the increase from N605.
7 billion to N675 billion.The Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, thereafter directed Mr Yahaya Omogbai, the clerk of the house to forward clean copies of the budget to the governor for his assent. (NAN)
POLITICS
Poverty, Behind Deadly Stampedes Across Nigeria, says Falana
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, on Sunday attributed the deadly stampede that claimedmore than 105 lives in stampedes during food and cash distribution events to “poverty-induced neoliberal economic policies” and “criminal negligence.
”In a statement released on Sunday, Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond ASCAB, demanded justice for victims of the tragic events, saying, “These tragic events are a national shame, the victims were not just statistics but human beings driven to desperation by systemic poverty and the gross incompetence of those entrusted with their safety.
”On December 21, 12 people died and 32 others were injured in Okija, Anambra State, during a scramble for rice distributed by a philanthropist.
On the same day, a stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals, including children, as over 3,000 people jostled for palliatives.
Just two days prior, on December 19, 35 children lost their lives in a stampede at a Christmas funfair at an Islamic High School, Basorun. in Ibadan, Oyo State.
“The loss of these innocent lives is heart-wrenching,” Falana lamented.
“It underscores the indignity that poverty imposes on our people.”
Falana also criticized the elite for their treatment of the poor during such events, stating, “No member of the elite invites others to lunch by throwing the food,” and condemned what he termed “class prejudice” in the distribution of humanitarian aid.
He also announced plans to mobilize lawyers to pursue civil suits against the organizers of these events.
“We will ensure survivors and families of the deceased are adequately compensated,” Falana affirmed. “Those responsible for these avoidable tragedies must be held accountable.”
POLITICS
2025 budget: LP Chieftain Lauds Tinubu for Diving Priority to Security, Others
Dr Ayo Olorunfemi, National Deputy Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) ,has commended President Bola Tinubu for giving priority to security and other key sectors in the 2025 Appropriation Bill .
Olorunfemi gave the commendation while speaking with newsmeon Thursday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the President had on Wednesday presented the N47.
9 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill , christened “Budget of Restoration, Securing Peace and Rebuilding Prosperity” , to a joint session of the National Assembly .The President listed highlights of the 2025 budget allocations to include: defense and security: N4.91 trillion; infrastructure: N4.06 trillion; Health: N2.
48 trillion and Education: N3.52 trillion.Reacting , Olorunfemi described security as an enabler of development.
He called on the President to ensure proper implementation ,saying budgets had always been well-crafted but usually lacked monitoring and implementation.
“There is nothing that can happen if there is no security. This is good if the budget is properly utilised for the purpose.
“Our problem is not about policies and budgets, it is about monitoring and implementation.
“There is nothing wrong in bringing a budget proposal forward in terms of expectation, what we want to do, how we want to do it, and how much we want to spend.
“Now, the most important thing is the implementation,, budgets in Nigeria have always been properly crafted,” the LP boss said.
Olorunfemi called on the President to build strong institutions to prevent sabotaging of his policies.
“If this government wants to do anything, it must wake up to the responsibility of monitoring policies and ensure severe penalty for anyone who attempts to sabotage such policies.
“We need institutions that no one will be able to interfere with. We must allow these institutions to work, that is what we expect.
“Once we have strong institutions, most of our problems are solved,” he said.
He also called on the President to take steps to address the problems experienced by Nigerians in the banking sector.
Olorunfemi decried the inability of many Nigerians to get cash at bank’s Automated Teller Machines and the high charges paid to get cash from Point of Sales (POS) operators.
The LP boss also urged the President to devise ways of ending multiple taxations and high fuel price, describing them as major causes of hardship .
Recalled that the President said that the budget was a demonstration of government’s commitment to stabilising the economy, improving lives and repositioning the country for greater performance.
He also said the budget sought to consolidate the key policies instituted to restructure the economy, boost human capital development, increase the volume of trade and investments and bolster oil and gas production. (NAN)