Headline

Osinbajo Presides over First FEC Meeting in 2023

Published

3 years ago

January 18, 2023

Eric

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently presiding over the first Federal Executive Council meeting for 2023.

The meeting which began at few minutes past 10:00am is holding at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Those attending include the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan; and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Dr Adeola Ipaye.

Ministers who are attending in person are the Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk; Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; Health, Osagie Ehanire; Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite; Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige; Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Agriculture, Mohammad Abubakar; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Niger Delta, Umana Umana; Special Duties, George Akume, Power, Abubakar Aliyu; Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi; Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare; Justice, Abubakar Malami, Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo and Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi.

Also attending are Ministers of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mariam Katagum; Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; Science and Technology, Henry Ikoh; Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada; Petroleum, Timipre Sylva.

Before the meeting commenced, Council members observed Christian and Muslim prayers led by the Ministers of Youth and Sports and his Aviation counterpart, respectively,

Meanwhile, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is not attending today’s meeting as he is away in Nouakchott, Mauritania, for the Third Forum of the African Conference for Peace.

Likewise, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi and the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Monguno, are absent as they are on the President’s entourage in Nouakchott.

They are expected back in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Punch

Headline

Defence Gulps Lion Share As Tinubu Presents N58.47trn 2026 Budget to NASS

Published

6 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget of N58.47 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, with capital recurrent (non‑debt) expenditure standing at N15.25 trillion.

Tinubu presented the budget on Friday, pegging the capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion and putting the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He said the expected total revenue is N34.33 trillion, projected total expenditure: N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget is N23.85 trillion, representing 4.28% of GDP.

The budget was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

In terms of sectoral allocation, defence and security took the lion’s share with N 5.41 trillion, followed by infrastructure at N3.56 trillion.

Headline

Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.

Headline

Free at Last: Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Soldiers, Aircraft

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country earlier this month, Nigerian officials said.

The release followed a diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s Military Leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both sides resolved the matter amicably and secured the release of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.

The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act” carried out in defiance of international law.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said the crew encountered a technical issue that required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest available airfield. It said the landing complied with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.