Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 19th December, 2024
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has presented the 2025 Appropriation Bill (budget) to a joint sitting of the National Assembly.
Naija News reports that the president presented the 2025 budget to the National Assembly on Wednesday.
President Tinubu tagged the 2025 Appropriation Bill as ‘Budget of restoration securing peace and building prosperity.’
The 2025 Budget proposed sectorial allocations include: Defence 4.91 Trillion, Infrastructure 4.06 trillion, Health 2.48 trillion, Education 2.5 trillion, amongst others.
Recall that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved an estimated expenditure of ₦47.96 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year on Monday.
President Bola Tinubu says he has no plans to reverse the economic reforms embarked upon by his administration.
President Tinubu noted that the journey has not been easy, but it is a necessary sacrifice Nigerians have to pay for the greater good of the nation.
He acknowledged the difficulties Nigerians have had to endure as a result of the economic reforms and urged the citizens to believe in the process, promising that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
Naija News reports the President made the declaration on Wednesday while delivering his speech during the presentation of the ₦47.9 trillion 2025 budget proposal to a joint sitting of the National Assembly in Abuja.
The management of Dangote Group has said Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) misled Nigerians with a claim that it aided Dangote Refinery with a $1 billion crude-backed loan.
The Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said contrary to NNPC’s account, the $1 billion was an investment to Dangote Refinery.
In a statement on Wednesday, Chiejina explained that NNPCL was supposed to pay $1 billion out of $2.76 billion it used to acquire a 20 percent stake in the refinery.
The statement further disclosed that NNPC‘s failure to meet the agreement terms was why its stake in the refinery was reduced to 7.24 percent.
President Bola Tinubu has stated that the 2025 budget projects a decline in inflation from current 34.6% to 15% next year.
He said this during his presentation of the ₦47.9 trillion 2025 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Tinubu also claimed that the exchange rate will improve from approximately ₦1,700 per dollar to ₦1,500.
He said the budget projections are based upon observations such as reduction of petroleum products importation, increased export of finished petroleum products, bumper harvest driven by enhanced security, reducing reliance on food imports, among others.
Tinubu listed highlights of the budget to include defence and security – ₦4.91tn, infrastructure – ₦4.06tn, health – ₦2.4tn, education – ₦3.5tn, among others.
Nigeria’s Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has emphasized that the welfare of Nigerians is the top priority for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and not competing with anyone.
Naija News reports that Tunji-Ojo made this remark during a question-and-answer session on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Wednesday.
In addressing criticisms reportedly voiced by certain officials from the previous administration, the minister took the opportunity to showcase some accomplishments of his ministry.
He noted that the current administration took over the ECOWAS passport centre, which was left unfinished at that time.
Tunji-Ojo reiterated that the primary focus remains on ensuring the welfare and well-being of the Nigerian people.
Ondo South Senator, Jimoh Ibrahim, says President Bola Tinubu is set to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fight against insecurity in 2025.
The lawmaker said Tinubu would make life tougher for the criminals in the coming year as the government would use apps to track down bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists.
Senator Ibrahim made the declaration on Wednesday while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today with reference to the ₦49.7tn budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Tinubu in which ₦4.91tn was scheduled for security.
The lawmaker said with such a huge budgetary allocation to security, Nigeria would be more peaceful, the country would be able to produce more crude and, inadvertently, make more money.
He added that the security situation in the country has already improved under President Tinubu as the towns and cities previously under the control of Boko Haram terrorists have been liberated.
The federal lawmaker submitted that the President is set to do more when the 2025 budget gets operational.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Lagos State for his Christmas and New Year holidays.
This was made known in a statement to journalists on Wednesday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Naija News reports that President Tinubu arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, at exactly 3:23 pm on Wednesday, December 18.
Before departing Abuja, the president presented the 2025 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
On arrival in Lagos, President Tinubu was received at the airport by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his deputy, Dr Femi Hamzat; members of Lagos State Cabinet as well as leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has told ministers and heads of various federal government agencies to get prepared to justify their respective allocations within the 2025 budget proposal.
Akpabio stated this on Wednesday following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s presentation of the 2025 budget proposal amounting to ₦47.9 trillion before the joint session of the National Assembly.
In his welcome address, titled “A Call to Unity and Progress,” delivered during the presentation of the 2025 Appropriation Bill, Akpabio cautioned that there would be consequences for those who fail to respond to the National Assembly’s invitation.
He praised President Tinubu for his unwavering dedication to collaborating and cooperating with the National Assembly in pursuit of his ambitious vision for Nigeria.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has announced the arrest of the organisers of the children’s carnival where an unspecified number of children died in a stampede.
Naija News reported that the unfortunate event took place in the Bashorun area of Ibadan.
The carnival was scheduled for Wednesday, but some parents brought their children to the site on Tuesday, while others arrived early on Wednesday.
The rush to gain entry into the venue triggered the stampede, resulting in fears of numerous fatalities among children.
In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Makinde disclosed that the state government has taken steps to halt further deaths, including deploying security agents to the venue.
Makinde said medical personnel and ambulances were deployed to the venue, and those responsible for the incident have been taken into custody while investigations are ongoing.
Former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has described the former leader as a true friend of the masses, whose policies were aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians.
In a tribute to Buhari, who turned 82 on Tuesday, Adesina lauded the former President’s commitment to shielding ordinary Nigerians from hardship during his tenure.
He highlighted Buhari’s refusal to remove fuel subsidies as a defining example of his pro-people stance.
Adesina referred to Buhari as “Ore Mekunu,” a Yoruba term meaning “friend of the poor.” According to him, the former President’s decisions were guided by a deep concern for the welfare of the masses, even when those decisions were unpopular among the elite.
The former presidential aide said even though Buhari may share the conviction to remove subsidies at the end of his administration like the presidential candidate then, “he didn’t want to do something that would throw society into a tailspin for the sake of the ordinary people.”
