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Tinubu
Health

FG Approves N4.8bn for HIV Treatment Following U.S. Aid Suspension

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a N4.8 billion funding package to sustain HIV treatment programs across Nigeria.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate made the announcement on Monday, following an FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The approved funds will cover the procurement of 150,000 treatment packs for HIV patients over the next four months. This move, according to Pate, reflects the government’s commitment to safeguarding the health of vulnerable populations, despite the challenges posed by shifting international support.

“The Presidential Treatment Programme for HIV patients has been approved, with a total of N4.8 billion allocated for the procurement of 150,000 treatment packs over four months.

“This is an important signal that the federal government is committed to ensuring that life-saving treatments remain accessible, despite the changing dynamics in external support,” Pate stated.

The minister acknowledged the contributions made by the U.S. over the past two decades but stressed that Nigeria is preparing to reduce its reliance on foreign aid.

“While we greatly appreciate the contributions of the U.S. government over the last 20 years and look forward to continued collaboration, Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu is focused on transforming the health sector through national systems and domestic financing.

“Our goal is to ensure that no patient currently receiving treatment is left without care,” he said.

Mr Pate also announced the establishment of a committee tasked with developing a transition and sustainability plan for the continuity of critical health programs. The committee will include representatives from various ministries and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

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Get ready for fresh electricity tariff hike, FG tells Nigerians

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government says plans are ongoing to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months”.

It, however, said that the planned increase needed to be balanced by subsidies for less-affluent electricity users.

Bloomberg quoted the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, as giving this hint at the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where Nigeria presented a $32 billion plan to expand electricity connections by 2030.

According to the presidential aide, Nigeria is trying to resolve the transition to a cost-efficient but cost-reflective tariff to attract private investors.

She said: “One of the key challenges we’re looking to resolve over the next few months is transitioning to a cost-efficient but cost-reflective tariff.

“So the sector generates revenue required to attract private capital, while also protecting the poor and vulnerable.”

Last year, the federal government approved a threefold increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

The fresh move to raise tariffs comes amid mounting pressure from Nigeria’s debt-burdened electricity distribution companies for tariffs to be cost-reflective so they can improve their finances.

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We are working to end ‘Miracle Examination Centres’ In Nigeria – FG

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has announced plans to put an end to ‘Miracle Examination Centres’ across the country.

Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.

According to Dr. Alausa, the Tinubu administration is determined to tackle the menace of examination malpractice head-on. He noted that the government has a problem with examination malpractice, which is unacceptable as it disincentivises hardworking students.

“We have problem with examination malpractice which we are addressing frontally as a government.

“This is not acceptable because if you let people cheat, you will disincentivise the hardworking people.

“We will tackle this issue of miracle centre, this pervasive exam cheating decisively.

“We would bring a complete end to this menace that has really invaded our educational system,” he added.

The Minister also revealed that the government has worked on a plan to train five universities that would also train other public institutions nationwide. This, he said, is aimed at improving the quality of Nigeria’s tertiary system.

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Tinubu
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FG Approves Bola Ahmed Tinubu Polytechnic in Abuja

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has approved the establishment of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Polytechnic in Gwarinpa, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Leading reporters reports that the proposed institution is expected to promote technological, vocational, and entrepreneurial training.

This is according to a letter dated January 9, 2025, and addressed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

In the letter, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that the initiative is in line with the Federal Government’s plan to ensure each state in the federation has one federal polytechnic. The letter was received by the office of the FCT minister on January 16, 2025.

The Minister of Education has requested Wike to suggest proposed locations for the temporary and permanent sites of the polytechnic in Gwarinpa. A technical team from the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Board for Technical Education will visit the sites to review and inspect the recommended locations.

The letter reads:

“I write to inform your Excellency that The National Policy envisaged the establishment of one Federal Polytechnic in each state of the Federation to promote Technological, Vocational and Entrepreneurial Training.

“2. Consequently, the Federal Government has approved the establishment of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Polytechnic, Gwarinpa, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“3. In view of the above, your Excellency is kindly requested to suggest the proposed locations for the Temporary and Permanent sites in Gwarinpa for take off.

“4. In addition, the Technical Team from Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) would be visiting the sites to review and inspect the recommended locations, and based on the Report presented by the Team, the approval will be given.

“5. Perhaps, I should add that the Ministry, at this point encourages takeover of existing Tertiary institutions if the Minister wishes.

“6. Please, accept the assurances of my esteem regards.”

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FG Reveals When Tax Bills Will Be Passed, Implemented

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The federal government has announced that the National Assembly will pass the controversial tax reform bills into law by the end of the first quarter (Q1) of 2025.

The disclosure was made by Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms over the weekend.

He said the implementation of the tax reform bills will commence in July 2025.

President Bola Tinubu submitted the four tax reform bills to the National Assembly on October 13, 2024, amidst criticism from leaders, particularly from those who labelled the bills as anti-north.

However, the bills recently received the backing of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), which also proposed a new “equitable” sharing formula for Value Added Tax (VAT).

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2025 budget: FG to spend N60bn to feed pupils in primary schools

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The federal government has allocated the sum of N60 billion in the 2025 budget for school nutrition feeding of primary schools as one of the new projects to be executed by the Federal Ministry of Education under its Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP)

Recall that the immediate past minister of education has hinted that the school feeding programme will be handled by the ministry, which was where it originally started before it was moved to the Presidency.

The Federal Ministry of Education was allotted the sum of over N348 billion out of the total allocation of over N2. 517 trillion for the sector, which is among the highest but yet to meet the World Bank 20 to 30 per cent recommendation.

Further breakdown of the ministry’s budget for new project include the allocation of N50 billion was allocated to support the daunting Out of School Children (OSC) project while N1, 000,000,000 billion was dedicated for provision of learning materials resources for basic and secondary schools across the 36 states and the FCT as well as provision of modern learning material for 118 federal unity colleges.

In addition, the ministry also budgeted N5, 000,000, 000 billion for the development and upskilling of teachers on the new curriculum and modern ways of teaching in 112 federal unity colleges in the country.

Also, the sum of N30, 000, 000 million is allocated for sustainable scalable and equitable science laboratory equipment in 120 unity schools.

Also, under its ERGP the ministry also allocated N420, 000, 000 million for the induction of 3,500 newly recruited teachers on acculturation into the school system and practice.

Another new project to be undertaken by the ministry is Smart/Digital school education programme, which a total of N415, 000, 000 is assigned to, this is in addition to the provision of 300 numbers of 3 in1 desktop computer to the sum of N300, 000, 000 million, while the provision of 50 Corei7 laptop will gulp the sum of N100, 000, 000 million.

Also, N85, 000, 000 million will be dedicated to providing 100 printers and another N80, 000, 000 million was allocated for another 40 numbers of 3 in1 desktop computers and printers.

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Federal Government spends N1.4 billion on rehabilitation of terrorists

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has allocated approximately N1.4 billion for the rehabilitation of repentant terrorists and the establishment of terrorism trial centres over the past year and a half.

Following former President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill on May 12, 2022, the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) was established.

In December 2022, the government announced plans to build two disarmament, deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration centres for former Boko Haram members and other terrorist factions.

Punch reports that Rear Admiral Yem Musa (retd.), the coordinator of the NCTC, confirmed to the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence that N2.4bn would be allocated to these centres as part of the NCTC’s N3.8bn capital projects for 2023.

According to data from the GovSpend platform, between December 2022 and May 2024, the Ministry of Justice expended a total of N1.4bn on these rehabilitation centres and the renovation of facilities for terrorism trials.

This included N612m spent in March 2023 to renovate abandoned structures for terrorism trials and build dormitories for the rehabilitation of repentant terrorists under Operation Safe Corridor.

In 2024, an additional N179m was spent on similar projects, including the procurement of equipment to aid terrorism case prosecutions.

Meanwhile, the NCTC recently announced that it had secured 325 convictions during the Phase 5 and Phase 6 trials at the Kainji Detention Facility. Convictions ranged from the death penalty to life imprisonment, with sentences depending on the severity of the crimes committed.

Despite this, concerns have arisen over the secretive nature of these trials. Security experts and civil society organizations have raised questions about why such trials are conducted behind closed doors, given the gravity of the crimes involved.

Some argue that transparency is critical for public trust, while others believe that secrecy is necessary for security reasons. The government has yet to provide a clear explanation for this approach.

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Business

FG to spend N1.9b to fuel State House generators in 2025

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

It appears there is no hope for an improved power supply to Nigerian households in 2025, as the federal government has made a provision of N1,989,579,379 to fuel State House generators during the course of the year.

This is higher than the amount budgeted for the same item in 2024 (N37,959,406), 2023 (N30,678,552), 2022 (N30,678,552), and 2021 (N45,678,552) combined by a staggering 1,272 per cent and 5,143 per cent higher than the N37,959,406 budgeted for the same item last year.

This high budget to fuel generators at the State House is indicative of a government that has lost hope in its power sector.

Power, as important as it is, has been a major challenge for Nigeria over the years, even though the country has made significant investments in the sector between 2021 and 2024. The budget for the power sector grew by 129.42 per cent, from N133.479 billion in 2020 to N306.23 billion in 2022, with a focus on capital expenditures for infrastructural development. In 2023, the government budgeted N258.494 billion for the power sector, with N251.609 billion allocated for capital expenditure.

It is estimated that between 2021 and 2024, Nigeria spent around N1.2 trillion on the power sector.

However, this has not resulted in significant improvements in power supply to the citizens, as homes and businesses are subjected to frequent blackouts.

In 2024 alone, the national power grid collapsed 12 times, an average of once every month.

Many businesses are shutting down, while others are finding their way out of the country because they can no longer bear the heavy costs of generating their own power.

Recently, the Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Olusola Obadimu, raised the alarm that businesses in the country suffer an annual $29 billion revenue loss due to inadequate power supply.

The sector is said to be fraught with challenges such as inadequate power supply, unreliable energy infrastructure, and high electricity tariffs.

These challenges not only hamper the growth of industries but also undermine the ability of the country to attract investments and create jobs.

It is, however, heartening to note that in the 2025 budget proposal, a total sum of N2,086,790,002,565 has been earmarked for the Ministry of Power, of which a princely sum of N2,076,305,541,394 was set aside for capital projects.

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Tinubu
Headlines

FG sacks Civil Servants with degrees from Togo, Benin

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has fired some civil servants with degrees from private tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo, The PUNCH reports.

The directive affected federal workers who graduated from the institutions from 2017 to date.

The Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, confirmed the development to one of our correspondents on Wednesday.

In August, the Federal August announced that only eight universities had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and Benin Republic.

This followed an undercover investigation report in which a Daily Nigerian journalist acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic in two months and used it to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

Following the report, the government banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.

The Federal Government also set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers.

The then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, revealed that over 22,500 Nigerians obtained fake degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo and such certificates would be cancelled.

Mamman explained that the revelation was part of a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by the investigative committee instituted to probe degree certificate racketeering by foreign and local universities in Nigeria.

He insisted there was no going back on the Federal Government’s decision to cancel the about 22,500 certificates awarded to Nigerians by some “fake” universities in the two francophone countries.

Mamman maintained that the decision to invalidate the certificates was not harsh as Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such tertiary institutions dent the country’s image.

He said, “Most of those parading the fake certificates didn’t even leave the shores of Nigeria but got their certificates through racketeering in collaboration with government officials at home and abroad.

“The fake universities capitalised on the gullibility of Nigerians patronising such fake schools. The Federal Government, through the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, would fish out those in the government’s employment with such fake certificates. I also urge the private sector to follow suit.”

Although the exact number of affected civil servants could not be ascertained, it was gathered that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Cabinet Affairs) had issued a memo to all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to implement the order.

A source, who pleaded anonymity because she was not authorised to speak on the matter, disclosed that the sacking of the affected workers was based on the inter-ministerial committee’s recommendation.

The official stated, “There was a letter from the SGF cabinet affairs directing all ministries, departments and agencies of government to identify and terminate the appointments of workers employed with certificates obtained from the private universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 to date.

“The decision is part of the recommendations of the committee set up to investigate the certificates of people who graduated from the universities.”

Our correspondent also gathered that some agencies like the National Youth Services Corps have commenced the implementation of the directive.

The NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, confirmed to our correspondent that five members of staff had been sacked in line with the SGF’s directive.

She said, “Five members of staff were affected by the directive contained in the letter from the office of the SGF. No more.”

Source: The Punch

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Business

BREAKING: FG begins N50 electronic levy deductions from Opay, Moniepoint, others’ users

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The federal government has commenced N50 electronic levy deductions from transactions of N10,000 and above made by users of financial technology (Fintech) companies, including Opay, Moniepoint, Kuda, and others.

The levy, called Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), introduced under the Finance Act 2020, places a singular and one-off levy of N50 on the recipient of any electronic receipt or transfer of N10,000 or above, and was earlier announced to take effect from September 9, Tribune Online reported.

The introduction of the EMTL was, however, met with opposition from Nigerians, with various groups including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) calling on the federal government to reverse its position on the implementation of the levy.

Meanwhile, in a notice sent to customers earlier in September, Opay explained that the levy was imposed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), stating however that it did not benefit from it.

“Please be informed that starting September 9, 2024, a one-time of N50 will be applied to electronic transfers of N10,000 and above paid into your personal or business account in compliance with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) regulations.

“It is important to note that Opay does not benefit from this charge in any way as it is directed entirely by the federal government,” Opay explained in its earlier notice.

In a recent development, the fintech companies have again notified their customers that the implementation of the N50 EMTL deduction has commenced from December 1, 2024.

Opay, in a message sent to its users on Saturday (also shared via its app), explained that the electronic levy deduction begins on December 1.

“Dear Customer, in line with the FIRS, the EMTL applies starting from December 1st, 2024,” the message reads.

Likewise, Moniepoint in a notice sent to its customers on Saturday, explained that it has commenced implementation of the EMTL charges, clarifying however that the levy will be remitted to the FIRS.

“Dear customer, you will be charged stamp duty of N%) on inflows of N10,000 and above. Moniepoint collects and remits this on behalf and to FIRS,” Moniepoint says.

Meanwhile, our correspondent also gathered that the EMTL implementation has officially taken effect with Fintechs already deducting N50 for the federal government on transactions of N10,000 and above.

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