Connect with us

National News

2024 BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION: WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?

Published

on

2024 BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION: WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?

By: Victor Emejuiwe

In a bid to assuage protesters during the course of the #EndBadGovernance protest, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while addressing Nigerians in a live broadcast recounted the actualization of half of its revenue generation target for 2024 as one of the major achievements of its administration.

According to the President, aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over 9.1 trillion in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, due to its efforts at blocking leakages, introducing automation and mobilizing funding creatively.

Recall, the 2024 budget which was tagged “the budget of renewed hope”, had an aggregate expenditure of 27.5 trillion naira, with a non-debt recurrent expenditure put at 9.92 trillion naira while debt service is projected to be 8.25 trillion naira and capital expenditure at 8.7 trillion naira. Out of the total sum of 27.5 trillion, the government was meant to realize 18.3 trillion naira from internal sources and to be left with a deficit of 9.18 trillion naira. Judging from past trend, this feat is a welcome development because the past government under former President Buhari, consistently failed to realize its revenue target, rather it incurred more deficit and results to funding the greater percentage of the budget on borrowings.


Despite this achievement by the Tinubu administration, it is ironical that Nigerians cannot point to any evidence of positive developmental transformation or changes in the livelihood of people as a result of the revenue generated in the first half of the year. Such quantum of money realized are expected to be deployed through budget releases to MDAs for the funding of critical infrastructural projects and programs under the renewed hope agenda.

Unfortunately, there are no evidences of projects embarked upon by most MDAs. Upon enquiries, most of the MDAs have complained of lack of budgetary releases to implement approved capital projects under their domain. Meanwhile, in the face of the current hunger plaguing families and homes in Nigeria due to the removal of fuel subsidy, the President had promised to utilize the budget to restore hope to Nigerians.


Amongst the promises of Mr. President, is to provide a massive social security programs for Nigerians, implement critical infrastructural projects, reduce poverty and hunger by boosting food production and providing security in the farming areas, invest in renewable energy etc.

Judging from these promises, little can be said to have been achieved because infrastructural projects across the country still remain at a very critical state. Notable routes like the east-west road and roads traversing between Lokoja in the North central and the South East to mention but a few, still remain un-motorable. On the social security programs such as the presidential conditional grant scheme, where promises were made to reach one million businesses in the 774 local government areas, and such other programs, there is lack of transparency and accountability on how the beneficiaries of these programs where selected.

Nigerians are very much aware that the current social register being utilized by the country to cater for the poorest of the poor cannot be trusted due to the corruption cases recorded and reported in the use of the register. There is no evidence of cleaning the register or producing a new one.


Also, Nigerians are fully aware that the president has presented up to three supplementary budgets since assuming office to the National Assembly, yet there are no visible projects to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on Nigerians. It was only recently, that the President launched the 33 powered CNG buses amongst high demand for CNG powered vehicles in Nigeria. It is the expectations of Nigerians that by this time, the Federal Government would have established partnerships with investors to establish numerous CNG assembling plants across the country and facilitate the importation of CNG powered vehicles to be distributed to Nigerians at subsidized rate. Nigerians also expected the Federal Government to have deployed funds to fix our moribund refineries and getting it to work at optimal capacity so that the country can stop the importation of refined petroleum products.


Most worrisome is the fact that the budget office of the federation has been failing on its duty to upload budget implementation reports on its website, the last report on the BOF website is that of third quarter of 2023. The failure of the budget office to account for a round of four quarters implementation report of the 2024 budget, makes it difficult for well-meaning Nigerians to assess Mr. President’s performance based on his statement on revenue realized.


In conclusion, as the nation forges ahead to attain its fiscal targets, the utilization of these resources should be apportioned transparently in such a manner that would be evidential in the social wellbeing and developmental outcomes of Nigerians.

Victor Emejuiwe

Monitoring Evaluation/Strategic Communication Manager
Writes from Centre for Social Justice, Abuja
08068262366
Ends

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National News

President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

Published

on

President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

By: Michael Mike

As part of the preparation for its upcoming External Court Sessions and sensitization campaign scheduled to take place respectively from 5 to 7 May and from 8 to 16 May 2025 in Lagos, the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, led an advance delegation of the Court to Lagos from 28 April to 4 May 2025.
 
On 30 April 2025, the President paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State at the Lagos High Court’s premises, during which both judicial leaders engaged in a rich and forward-looking discussion on legal collaboration, institutional challenges, and the role of regional justice mechanisms in West Africa.
 
Welcoming the delegation, Honorable Justice Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba, the Chief Judge of Lagos State expressed deep appreciation for the visit, describing it as an honour to host such a distinguished judicial institution. He commended the ECOWAS Court for its high standards of jurisprudence and its commitment to justice in the sub-region. Acknowledging the Court’s achievements, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and exchange between national and regional judicial bodies.
 
The Chief Judge provided an overview of the Lagos State Judiciary’s structure and recent developments, including its expansion across five judicial divisions (Lagos Island, Ikeja, Epe, Badagry, and Ikorodu) and newer courts in high-density areas like Iba and Yaba. He also outlined plans to establish more courts along underserved areas such as the Apapa–Badagry corridor, with support from local authorities and the judiciary’s leadership.
 
While highlighting that the judiciary in Lagos enjoys a fair degree of government support, the Chief Judge noted infrastructural constraints, particularly the adaptation of their current facility following the destruction of the previous High Court during the #EndSARS protests.
 
On the issue of enforcement of regional court decisions, the Chief Judge echoed a familiar challenge: the difficulty of enforcing judgments in sovereign states with diverse political climates. He noted, however, that international charters must be respected once ratified, and that the existence of judicial bodies like the ECOWAS Court play a vital role in ensuring legal accountability and curbing impunity, even when direct enforcement mechanisms are limited.
 
In his response, President Ricardo who was accompanied by his Vice president, Honorable justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma  and Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, the Chief Registrar of the Court expressed gratitude to the Chief Judge and his colleagues for the warm welcome and institutional support. He emphasized that the visit and upcoming court activities in Lagos would not have been possible without their cooperation. He took the opportunity to extend a formal invitation to the Chief Judge to attend the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Court’s next judicial year, expected to take place in October or November 2025.
 
President Ricardo acknowledged the withdrawal of three member states from ECOWAS, which has reduced the number of participating states in the Court from 15 to 12. He described the development as regrettable but affirmed the Court’s continued commitment to its mandate.
 
He also outlined the ECOWAS Court’s core jurisdictions, which include: human rights protection (representing over 80% of its caseload), interpretation and application of ECOWAS legal instruments, disputes involving community civil servants, and advisory legal opinions to ECOWAS institutions.
 
Finally, the President highlighted the upcoming sensitization campaign, to be held from 5 to 7 May 2025 in Lagos, aimed at increasing public awareness about the Court’s role and improving access to regional justice.

President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

Continue Reading

National News

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

Published

on

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

** As FG seeks stronger ties with Berlin’s Hertie School on human capital development

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully committed to unlocking Nigeria’s full potential and positioning the country as a leading force on the African continent, driven by strategic investments in human capital and bold economic reforms.

According to him, Nigeria is actively seeking expertise from the global best institutions to enhance policy formulation and implementation, particularly in human capital development.

Speaking during a visit by a delegation from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, led by Senior Fellow Dr. Rolf Alter, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, the Vice President noted that President Tinubu is determined to elevate Nigeria to its rightful position as a leading force in Africa.

“The current crop of leadership in Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is ready and willing to unleash the full potential of the Nigerian nation on the African continent. We are laying the groundwork through strategic reforms, and at the heart of it is human capital development,” VP Shettima stated.

He described the Hertie School as a valuable partner in the journey, noting that “Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, has the track record and institutional knowledge to add value to our policy formulation and delivery, especially in this disruptive age.”

Reiterating the government’s priority on upskilling Nigerians, VP Shettima said, “Skills are very important, and with our Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0 programme, we are in a position to unleash the full potential of the Nigerian people by enhancing their capital skills.”

The Vice President acknowledged the vital support of international development partners in this effort: “I want to thank the World Bank, the European Union, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and all our partners in that drive to add value to the Nigerian nation,” he maintained.

Specifically, the Vice President said human capital development is both an economic imperative and a social necessity, just as he said, “We can only turn our demographic bulge into a demographic dividend when we invest in the human capital of the people.”

Assuring the visiting delegation of the government’s readiness to deepen cooperation, he said, “We need the skills and the capacity from your school. The world is now knowledge-driven. I wish to implore you to have a very warm and robust partnership with the government and people of Nigeria.”

VP Shettima further explained recent economic decisions of the government, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, saying, “The removal of fuel subsidy, the unification of the exchange rate regime and the revolution in the energy sector are all painful processes, but at the end of the day, the Nigerian people will laugh last.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a very modern leader who is willing to take far-reaching, courageous decisions to reposition the Nigerian economy,” he added.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr Alter, congratulated the Tinubu administration for the successful launch and implementation of the Human Capital Development (HCD) strategy, which he described as ambitious and targeted towards the improvement of the lives of the citizens.

He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his engagements since arriving in the country, applauding the zeal, commitment, energy and goodwill observed among stakeholders in the implementation of Nigeria’s HCD programme.

Dr Alter said the Hertie School of Governance will work closely with authorities in Nigeria across different levels to deliver programmes that are specifically designed to address the unique needs of the country.

He, however, stressed the need for government officials at different levels to be agile and amenable to the dynamics of the evolving world, particularly as Nigeria attempts to successfully accelerate its human capital development aspirations.

Also present at the meeting were the Ambassador of Germany to Nigeria, Annett Gunther; Director General of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Dr Abdulateef Shittu; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Dunoma Ahmed; representatives of the Director General of the Budget Office, the Gates Foundation, the World Bank and other officials from the Hertie School of Governance, among others.

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

Continue Reading

National News

NIMC Announces Price Review for Services

Published

on

NIMC Announces Price Review for Services

By: Michael Mike

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced a price review for its products and services.

Some of the services offered by the Commission include: modification like date of birth, name , address , phone number , Diaspora Enrolment, and verification service, among others

A statement on Thursday by the Commission’s Head, Corporate Communications Unit, Dr. Kayode Adegoke read: “The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) wishes to inform the general public of a price review for its products and services. After a decade of maintaining the same pricing structure, NIMC has conducted a comprehensive review to ensure alignment with current operational costs and industry standards.

“The revised pricing structure aims to maintain the quality and integrity of NIMC’s services while ensuring affordability and accessibility for Nigerians. The new prices will take effect immediately.

“NIMC warns all Front-End Partners (FEPs) to adhere strictly to the new pricing structure. Any FEP found charging more than the approved rates will face sanctions, including license revocation.”

Adegoke assured that: “NIMC is committed to protecting the interests of Nigerians and ensuring that our services are delivered at fair and transparent prices.”

He disclosed that: “The new pricing structure will be published on NIMC’s website -www.nimc.gov.ng (where it will be accessible to all Nigerians and relevant stakeholders.

NIMC reaffirmed its commitment to providing secure and reliable identity services to Nigerians, encouraging
the public to report any FEP charging above the approved rates to its inspectorate and enforcement unit via ieu@nimc.gov.ng or call 08155015388.

Meanwhile, the NIMC DG/CEO, Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote has thanked Nigerians, sister agencies and all the Commission partners for their steadfast support, while expressing her deep appreciation to President Tinubu, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Harmonization partners, Management and staff of NIMC for their immeasurable support towards building a strong and lasting National Identity System.

NIMC Announces Price Review for Services

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights