POLITICS
Nigeria Governors’ Forum Vows to Implement Fiscal Sustainability plan
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has resolved to put the necessary legal frameworks and institutions in place for States Fiscal Transparency Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS).
SFTAS is a World Bank support and intervention designed to support Nigerian states implement a Fiscal Sustainability Plan.
The forum said this in a communiqué issued on Wednesday night after its 30th teleconference.
It also agreed on the need for states to meet their SFTAS obligations.
It noted that the governors at the meeting received presentations from the World Bank team led by the Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, on the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus – Programme for Results (Nigeria CARES) and SFTAS.
It stated that the World Bank team commended the commitment and actions of state governors for establishing and resourcing CARES programme State Coordinating Units under their ministries of Planning.
It stated that the bank, however, requested the governors’ additional support in areas such as the adoption of a fund release policy for improved predictability of resources flow to CARES delivery MDAs.
The bank also called for governors’ support on adoption and institutionalisation of protocols for reporting, management and investigation of fraud and corruption in MDAs implementing CARES.
Other areas of expected supports includes the release of 2021 State budgets to MDAs for the commencement of CARES-related activities.
“The Bank also urged the support of governors to ensure that their ministries of finance and ministries of justice fast track the execution of subsidiary agreements for the CARES programme,” said the communique.
It noted that updates on the SFTAS programme showed that targets for results and disbursements on the 2018 and 2019 Annual Performance Assessments (APA) and new COVID-19 2020 Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) had been exceeded.
“For the SFTAS 2020 APA and new COVID-19 DLIs, all 36 states are on track to fully meet the eligibility criteria of having National Chart of Account (NCOA) compliant FY2021 budget published online by Jan. 31, 2021.
“Under the SFTAS Programme for Results, 23 States have already passed strong state-level debt legislation,” it said.
The legislation stipulates the responsibilities for contracting, recording/reporting state debt; as well as state fiscal and debt rules/limits.
The forum, however, said a strong collective commitment was made for the remaining 13 States to pass such state-level debt legislation by Dec. 31.
This was to help Nigeria successfully meet the World Bank Sustainable Debt Financing Policy (SDFP) by strengthening debt management, debt transparency and fiscal responsibility at the state-level.
The communiqué added that NGF SFTAS Programme Lead, Olanrewaju Ajogbasile, provided key lessons that accounted for the success of performing states in the implementation of the SFTAS programme.
These, according to Olanrewaju, included the institutionalisation of a steering committee, high level monitoring and ownership.
It also included regular briefings to the state governor or state executive council; dedicated budget under the Ministry of Finance to support SFTAS operations.
It also includes an incentivised environment for state government officials working on SFTAS activities, and provision of basic ICT infrastructure arrangements for focal MDAs to ensure that they are able to access remote technical assistance and meet reform actions in time.
The communiqué added that NGF Chairman, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, briefed the forum on an ongoing consolidation exercise between NGF and the Budget Office of the Federation to consolidate public finance data of the federal, states and local governments into a national budget portal.
Fayemi urged his colleagues to share details of their local government budgets and financial statements in addition to State government data already published.
It added that the forum received presentation from Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Nanono, on the second phase of farmer enumeration for the Agric for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP).
The AFJP is a component of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) approved by Mr President and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on June 24, 2020.
The programme is designed to help mitigate the impact of COVID 19 on smallholder farmers and the entire agricultural value chain.
The second phase of the enumeration targets the registration of up to 10 million farmers in the AFJP database.
To boost food production, 2.4 million small holder farmers were initially targeted for registration to be provided with input funding, with about 30,000 N power (N Agro) graduates engaged and trained to carry out the farmer registration. (NAN)
Education
Varsity Don Advocates Establishment of National Bureau for Ethnic Relations, Inter-Group Unity
By David Torough, Abuja
A university scholar, Prof. Uji Wilfred of the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University of Lafia, has called on the Federal Government to establish a National Bureau for Ethnic Relations to strengthen inter-group unity and address the deep-seated ethnic tensions in Nigeria, particularly in the North Central region.
Prof.
Wilfred, in a paper drawing from years of research, argued that the six states of the North Central—Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa share long-standing historical, cultural, and economic ties that have been eroded by arbitrary state boundaries and ethnic politics.According to him, pre-colonial North Central Nigeria was home to a rich mix of ethnic groups—including Nupe, Gwari, Gbagi, Eggon, Igala, Idoma, Jukun, Alago, Tiv, Birom, Tarok, Angas, among others, who coexisted through indigenous peace mechanisms.
These communities, he noted, were amalgamated by British colonial authorities under the Northern Region, first headquartered in Lokoja before being moved to Kaduna.
He stressed that state creation, which was intended to promote minority inclusion, has in some cases fueled exclusionary politics and ethnic tensions. “It is historically misleading,” Wilfred stated, “to regard certain ethnic nationalities as mere tenant settlers in states where they have deep indigenous roots.”
The don warned that such narratives have been exploited by political elites for land grabbing, ethnic cleansing, and violent conflicts, undermining security in the sub-region.
He likened Nigeria’s ethnic question to America’s historic “race question” and urged the adoption of structures similar to the Freedmen’s Bureau, which addressed racial inequality in post-emancipation America through affirmative action and equitable representation.
Wilfred acknowledged the recent creation of the North Central Development Commission by President Bola Tinubu as a step in the right direction, but said its mandate may not be sufficient to address ethnic relations.
He urged the federal government to either expand the commission’s role or create a dedicated Bureau for Ethnic Relations in all six geo-political zones to foster reconciliation, equality, and sustainable development.
Quoting African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, Prof. Wilfred concluded that the challenge of Nigeria in the 21st century is fundamentally one of ethnic relations, which must be addressed with deliberate policies for unity and integration.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The leadership of the Labour Party has cautioned that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) goes ahead to conduct the August 16, 2025 bye-election without publishing the names of its candidates, and ensuring that its logo appears on the ballot, it will seek the nullification of the election in line with the provision of the law.
The party has also called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Prof Mahmood Yakubu led INEC to respect the Nigeria Constitution and the Electoral Law by discharging its duties as specified by the laws of the land and avoid wasting tax payers money. It accused INEC of working for interests that are anti democratic.In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Labour Party said that by the electoral Act 2022, any political party which is excluded from participating in any election is expected to approach the court for remedy.I”NEC is gambling with the huge resources of the country which are being expended in the conduct of the bye-election that is scheduled to hold on the 16 of August, 2025. “We are not going to be helpless as the law has provided adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that has shortchanged the political party or put its image in disrepute. “A political party is expected to guard its image and reputation jealously and Labour Party will not take any conduct by any agency or regulatory body intended to rubbish its reputation lightly. “One wonders what interest INEC is protecting that will make it throw the entire country into unnecessary crisis and incurring such a colossal financial waste. “By virtue of the Supreme Court decision delivered on the April 4, 2025, the court stated that the issues of leadership is an internal affairs of the party and going by the internal mechanism of the party, the party has held a convention on the 27th of March 2024 at Nnewi, which produced the current leadership as led by Barrister Julius Abure. One wonders what the problem is with INEC.”INEC under Prof. Yakubu must respect the decisions of both the Supreme Court and the leadership of the Labour Party.”
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
As the purported expenditure of over N54 billion by the administration of Governor Alex Otti on projects in schools in Abia State continues to generate controversy, a pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) group in the state has tasked the governor to give account of how the money was spent.
The group operating under the platform of the Abian’s Best Interest Association, also warned the governor not to contemplating joining the APC in the state. At a press conference Tuesday in Abuja titled “Where is Abia’s N54 billion?”, the Convener of the group, Hon. Barrister Eze Chikamnayo, said his group had visited several Local Government Areas in Abia state where they interacted with stakeholders on developmental issues before embarking on an on-the-spot inspection of public schools in particular.”In Ugwunagbo, LGA, schools visited included Ihie Community Primary School, Ihie Ukwu Primary School, Asa Umunka Primary School, and Ikem Migrant Farmers School. “In Isiala Ngwa South, the team inspected Nneise Primary School – Umuhu/Umuezu Nvosi, Umunkpeyi Primary School – Umunkpeyi Nvosi, and Obuba Primary School – Obuba Nvosi, Ikem Migrant Farmers School. “From our dispassionate observation, we wish to hereby unequivocally decry the deplorable state of infrastructure in these schools, amongst others, noting that the decay was even more alarming in Isiala Ngwa South – the acclaimed and very contentious Local Government of the sitting Governor, Mr Alex Otti “One wonders then, if charity no longer begins at home.”We went further to question the much-publicized ₦54 billion which appeared in the Abia State Budget Performance Report for the renovation and retrofitting of public schools for the year 2024 and stress that a Budget Performance Report, anywhere in the world, details accomplished projects and the actual amounts spent – not mere approved figures.”While accusing the Abia state Governor of undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu but claimed to be his supporters, Barr. Chikamnayo recalled that Governor Alex Otti as opposition leader had earlier promised that ‘under my watch, not a Kobo of Abia resources will be stolen’. “We now question how such words can be trusted when his administration thrives on non-disclosure and only tries to explain itself when prompted. “We further wish to express shock that the state government included “recruitment of teachers, buying chalks our teaching aids” among the items for which the ₦54 billion was supposedly spent. “When did employing teachers and purchasing instructional materials become capital projects?”We call on Abians to be vigilant, ask questions, and demand full accountability and transparency from the Alex Otti-led administration. “The future of our children is at stake, and no government should be allowed to mortgage it under the guise of inflated or questionable expenditure.”When asked whether the group will receive Alex Otti into APC if he decides to join, the APC group said: “He wants people to believe that he supports the president but the same time we know that in Abia state he is undermining Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “As we speak, over N300 billion has come from President Tinubu reforms into Abia State government and all the local governments are grounded, castrated and completely insolvent.”We will not receive such a liability into APC. That is what we are saying. Nobody in APC Abia state wants anything called Alex Otti. He is a liability.”He said Abia state on Alex Otti has poorly funded public schools compared to its neighbours in the same south east states. “This lack of transparency and accountability we believe is a gross disservice to Abians.”The Abia Best Interest Association and indeed the APC Abia State, therefore, wishes to draw attention of the pubic to the fact that allocations and various intervention funds coming to Abia State from the Federal Government, have tripled since the inception of the President Tinubu’s Administration – wondering why there was still nothing tangible to show in the education sector in Abia State compared to the situation in Imo and Enugu States, where the government has rebuilt, modernized, and equipped public schools with visible results for all to see.”
FG Imposes 7-year Ban on New Federal Tertiary Institutions
ShareThe Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions. Dr Tunji...
CAF Sanctions Kenya Again over Crowd Trouble
ShareThe Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sanctioned African Nations Championship (CHAN) co-host, Kenya, for the second time in as...
Varsity Don Advocates Establishment of National Bureau for Ethnic Relations, Inter-Group Unity
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja A university scholar, Prof. Uji Wilfred of the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University...
Madonna Urges Pope Leo to Visit Gaza
SharePop icon Madonna has made an appeal to Pope Leo XIV, urging him to visit the blockaded Gaza Strip amid...
Putin Bans Foreign-made Clothing for Russian Army From 2026
ShareRussian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday banning the procurement of foreign-made clothing and related gear for the...
Tinubu Initiates First National Industrial Manpower Devt Policy
SharePresident Bola Tinubu on Tuesday announced plans for Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy. Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President...
Australia PM Says Israel’s Netanyahu ‘In denial’ about Gaza War
ShareAustralia’s prime minister has accused his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu of being “in denial” over the consequences of the war...
Tottenham Interested in Crystal Palace’s Eze
ShareTottenham FC are exploring a deal for Crystal Palace and England forward Eberechi Eze. Thomas Frank is looking to bolster...
Liverpool Stepping up bid to Sign Palace’s Guehi
ShareLiverpool are stepping up their attempts to sign Crystal Palace and England center-back Marc Guehi. Palace captain Guehi has a...
Power Outage Killing Our Businesses, Enugu Residents Cry Out
ShareResidents of Ologo, Coal Camp and Uwani areas of Enugu metropolis have decried persistent power outage in the area spanning...
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish