On the 2016 Nigeria Budget

By The Guardian's Editorial Board

Nigeria's 2016 Budget which has been submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly, like any budget, should not be a mere expression of figures and facts. A national budget is an embodiment of a country’s strategic and policy priorities, and the politics and processes that throw them up. In these key areas, the 2016 spending plan before the National Assembly certainly can be substantially improved upon.

Budgeting is indeed intensely a political matter as both expenditures and revenues are about allocation of resources among competing constituencies within a political environment. What is of importance to the citizenry, constituencies and society at large is expressed through the political and democratic process.

Comply with directive on Treasury Single Account by Sept 15 or face sanctions- Buhari tells govt agencies

President Buhari has threatened to sanction Government Agencies that fail to comply with the Federal Government directive to remit generated revenues into the Treasury Single Account by September 15. This is contained in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity Femi Adesina today September 7th. 

The statement after the cut...

President Buhari initiates move for domestic weapons production

President Buhari has initiated moves for the production of weapons in Nigeria. According to a statement signed and released by Senior Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity Garba Shehu today August 7th, President Buhari charged the Federal Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces. The statement after the cut..

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja directed the Federal Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College, President Buhari described as unacceptable, Nigeria's current over-dependence on other countries for critical military equipment and logistics. "We must evolve viable mechanisms for near-self-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies. "The Ministry of Defence is being tasked to draw up clear and measurable outlines for development of a modest Military Industrial Complex for Nigeria. "In this regard, it is to liaise with other strategic MDAs and industries to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements," the President said. President Buhari told the gathering that his administration had, since its assumption of office, reviewed the nature and character of Nigeria's security threats and challenges. "We recognized first and foremost, the external dimensions of these threats and the need for international cooperation and common security mechanisms to tackle them," the President said.

Governor Ambode appoints 19 new permanent secretaries

Press statement from Lagos state government

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has approved the appointment of 19 new Permanent Secretaries in the State Public Service. In a statement issued on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the appointments are in line with the Governor’s drive to restructure the civil service for efficient performance and service delivery. The development is also coming on the heels of the streamlining of some existing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) aimed at ensuring greater efficiency. 

The new Permanent Secretaries, the statement said, have been deployed across board in the new structure of the civil service.