Tinubu

By Anwar Usman

The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has urged the Governor of Kano, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to resolve the ongoing land dispute between Bayero University Kano and neighbouring communities.

Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaibu Ahmed made the call on Saturday in Kano during the 39th convocation ceremony of the university.

He called on the governor to take swift action by issuing the university’s title deed to resolve the matter.

He stressed the importance of securing the institution’s land.

Regarding infrastructure, Tinubu acknowledged the lack of perimeter fencing at the university’s new campus. He assured that the Federal Government had allocated funds for the project.

She stated that, “The Federal Government has already provided funding, and work is underway”.

The president reiterated the administration’s commitment to upgrading university infrastructure nationwide.

Tinubu stated that the government was supporting research and infrastructure improvements through the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities Intervention.

He called on Nigerian universities to include research into teaching and learning to build a knowledge-driven society.

The President further explained that the future of Nigeria depended on quality human capital.

He emphasized the government’s focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for national development.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Nigerian National Assembly has approved the 2025 budget of N54.99 trillion, the largest ever in February, contrary to the usual approval time between January and December in previous years.

The budget includes additional revenue that President Bola Ahmad Tinubu announced from various sectors following the presentation of the national budget in December.

On February 5, President Bola Tinubu increased the 2025 budget presented earlier from N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion, justifying the increase with the additional revenue generated by key government agencies.

The President sent a message about the budget revision in various letters directed to the Senate and the House of Representatives, which were read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio in the session today.

The additional budget is a result of increased revenues, including N1.4 trillion from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), N1.2 trillion from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and N1.8 trillion from other government agencies.

By Anwar Usman

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, over his alleged failure to prosecute contractors who received over N167bn from 31 ministries, departments, and agencies for projects that were never executed.

The lawsuit, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos (suit number FHC/L/MISC/121/2025), also listed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, as a respondent.

This was contained in a press release on Sunday titled, “SERAP Sues Tinubu Over Failure to Prosecute Contractors in N167bn Project Fraud in MDAs.”

The release, signed by Deputy Director, SERAP Kolawole Oluwadare, urges the court to compel Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to publicly name the contractors involved and ensure their prosecution.

The organisation is also seeking a court order that’ll force Edun to publish details of the projects, together with their locations, the amounts received by each contractor, and the identities of the shareholders.

SERAP further argued that “The allegations of corruption involving these contractors have continued to impair, obstruct, and undermine the access of poor Nigerians to essential public goods and services”.

According to SERAP, the 2021 Audited Report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on November 13, 2024, revealed that 31 MDAs collectively paid over N167 billion for projects that were never carried out.

SERAP further reiterated that allowing companies and contractors to go away with public funds unpunished amounts to a grave violation of the Nigerian Constitution, anti-corruption laws, and international obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

“Holding these contractors accountable would help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in public spending,” SERAP stated.

By Uzair Adam

The Federal Government has called on stakeholders in the National Council on Education (NCE) to approve the reversal of the mother tongue policy, which mandates teaching in indigenous languages from Primary One to Six.

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, made the appeal on Thursday during the 2025 Extraordinary National Council on Education Meeting in Abuja.

Ahmad urged the council to review the national education policy, limiting the use of mother tongue to Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) and Primary One.

It was gathered that the NCE previously advocated for mother tongue instruction in the first three years of primary education to preserve Nigerian languages and strengthen foundational learning.

However, the Federal Executive Council approved full implementation in November 2022. Highlighting challenges affecting the policy’s execution, Ahmad pointed to inconsistencies in enforcement, particularly in urban areas where English is the dominant language.

She also cited Nigeria’s linguistic diversity—boasting over 500 languages—as a barrier to effective implementation.

Additionally, she noted the limited availability of instructional materials as a hindrance.

“In multilingual communities, selecting a dominant language is challenging,” she said. “Coupled with a shortage of instructional materials, the policy faces significant setbacks.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, proposed integrating secondary education into the basic education framework, extending compulsory schooling to 12 years.

He explained that this aligns with global best practices and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education.

“By making secondary education part of basic education, students will enjoy uninterrupted learning up to age 16, reducing dropout rates caused by financial and systemic barriers,” Alausa stated.

He further advocated for converting Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTCs) into Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs) to equip young Nigerians with practical skills suited to a technologically evolving world.

The meeting, attended by education commissioners from all 36 states and the FCT, also discussed the integration of a 16-year minimum admission age policy for tertiary institutions to standardize entry requirements.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Tinubu has revised the proposed 2025 national budget, increasing the total size from N49.7 trillion, initially presented to the National Assembly on December 18, 2024, to N54.2 trillion.

The President communicated the budget adjustment through separate letters addressed to both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The letters, read during plenary in the Senate by Senator Godswill Akpabio, highlighted that the increase was due to additional revenues totaling N4.4 trillion.

These funds were generated by various government agencies, including N1.4 trillion from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), N1.2 trillion from the Nigeria Customs Service, and N1.8 trillion from other Government-Owned Agencies.

In response, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, directed the Senate Committee on Appropriations to consider the proposed changes expeditiously.

Lawan further assured that the budget would be concluded and passed by the end of the month.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

President Bola Tinubu has left Abuja for Paris, France, on a private visit before heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the upcoming African Union (AU) summit.

During his stay in France, Tinubu is scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.

This was confirmed in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.

The statement, titled “President Tinubu Departs for France Ahead of the AU Summit in Addis Ababa,” outlined Tinubu’s travel plans.

“In Addis Ababa, President Tinubu will join African leaders at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State, scheduled from February 12 to 16, 2025,” the statement read.

The president is expected to arrive in the Ethiopian capital early next week for the high-level summit.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

President Bola Tinubu is currently leading the 23rd session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the State House in Abuja.

The meeting, which is the second part of a two-day session, commenced at 1:26 pm on Tuesday when the president arrived at the Council Chamber.

On Monday, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, explained that the meeting would extend into the next day due to the accumulation of pending memos.

“Let me also say that there is also another Federal Executive Council meeting coming up tomorrow,” Idris stated. “Recall that since December, we’ve not had anyone, so a lot of memos have gathered, and the President is determined to dispense with all of them. So we want to say that tomorrow, there will be another press briefing after the FEC meeting.”

Among those in attendance are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Didi Walson-Jack, as well as several ministers and ministers of state.

During Monday’s session, the council approved a budget of N4.8 billion for the Presidential Treatment Programme, which will supply 150,000 HIV treatment packs from February to May 2025.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, informed journalists that the decision was influenced by discussions on the impact of recent U.S. policy changes on Nigeria’s health initiatives, particularly regarding funding for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programs.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other traffic enforcement agencies to implement measures aimed at preventing the frequent petrol tanker explosions occurring across Nigeria.

This directive, delivered in a statement on Sunday by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, comes amidst a worrying rise in such incidents, which have led to significant loss of life and property.

“The president calls for caution and adherence to safety measures among road users, particularly fuel tanker operators,” the statement reads.

“Furthermore, he directs agencies in charge of enforcing traffic rules to implement measures to prevent recurring petrol tanker explosions nationwide,” it added.

The president expressed condolences to the families of victims and prayed for the souls of the deceased, while also wishing a speedy recovery to those injured in the explosions.

Recent incidents underscore the urgency of the president’s directive.

On Saturday, a tanker explosion at the Ugwu Onyeama section of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway claimed 18 lives, according to FRSC reports.

Just a week prior, another explosion in Niger State’s Gurara Local Government Area resulted in over 70 fatalities.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over what it described as an “arbitrary, unconstitutional, unlawful, unfair, and unreasonable” increase of 50% in telecom tariffs.

The NCC recently approved the increase, raising the cost of a one-minute call from N11 to N16.5, the price of 1GB of data from N287.5 to N431.25, and SMS charges from N4 to N6.

In a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/111/2025), SERAP argued that the hike violates citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and international treaties.

According to a statement released on Sunday by SERAP, titled “SERAP wants court to stop Tinubu govt, telcos from implementing 50% telecom tariff hike,” the organization stated: “The unilateral decision by the NCC to approve a 50% hike in telecom tariffs is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and unfair. This action contravenes both the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 and international human rights standards.”

SERAP’s lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, Sa’id there is a failure in consultiu key stakeholders like the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission before implementing the hike.

He added, “The NCC’s action undermines citizens’ right to seek, receive, and impart information through communication media without discrimination.”

SERAP also lamented the economic challenges Nigerians face, referencing a report by the National Bureau of Statistics that revealed 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor.

The statement noted, “This tariff hike is happening at a time when Nigerians are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis. Many are struggling to afford basic necessities, let alone higher communication costs.”

The organization is seeking a court declaration that the hike violates constitutional provisions and an injunction to halt its implementation.

SERAP is also calling for the nullification of the NCC’s decision, describing it as “extortive, unreasonable, and a breach of due process.”

Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, said, “Access to communication is not a luxury; it is a fundamental right. The government and the NCC have a duty to ensure that telecommunication services remain affordable, especially for the millions of Nigerians living in poverty.”

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Tinubu has mandated a reform of the N-Power Scheme to enhance its productivity and impact.the N-Power Scheme to enhance its productivity and impact.

According topresidential aide, Dada Olusegun, in a post on X, the reform aims to connect youths through training and also link them directly to the market space and private sector, ensuring that acquired skills translate into viable job opportunities.

Olusegun said over 100,000 items have been procured to empower youths across the country.

He said the President has also approved a sum of N32.7bn for the implementation of the National Social Investment Program in 2025.

“Through cooperative clusters, Nigerians will benefit from low-interest credits of N300,000-400,000,” he said.

The presidential aide added that the initiative aims to empower vulnerable Nigerians, particularly women and youth, by enabling them to launch or expand small businesses, thus improving their livelihoods.

⁠“2025 promises to be a year of rewards for all Nigerians who have had to go through ongoing economic reforms as the administration seeks to fulfil the Renewed Hope agenda,” he concluded.