Legislature
Screening of Ministerial Nominies will be rigorous, exhaustive, says Senate leader
The Senate majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has indicated that the upper legislative chamber will be exhaustive as far as the screening of the ministerial nominees presented by the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is concerned
Bamidele said the Senate will scrutinise the ministers thoroughly to ascertain their competences and capabilities to serve Nigeria diligently and in such a way that will bring dividends of democracy to the populace
A statement from his media office quoted him to have given an inkling that the screening of the nominees will commence on Monday, July 31.
Bamidele said this on Friday, at a programme tagged ’24 Hours Marathon Praise and Worship Service’, organised by his admirers to mark his 60th birthday celebration held at the palatial Obafemi Awolowo Civic and Convention Centre in Ado Ekiti .
Top-rated gospel singers that participated in the carnival-like event included: Tope Alabi, Yinka Alaseyori, Aduke Gold, Esther Igbekele, Bj Sax , among others.
While speaking with journalists at the well-attended event, the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said Senator Godswill Akpabio-led Senate was desirous and keen about ensuring that those holding pivotal positions under Tinubu’s presidency are those with capacities to deliver.
“Let me assure Nigerians that the screening won’t be only bow and go, except for those who had been members of the National Assembly before and whom we knew and appreciated that they have the wherewithal to give Nigerians qualitative leadership.
“Nigerians expected us to be thorough. They are expecting us to do a thorough screening. But take a bow and go is not an unparliamentary convention, it has become a practice all over the world and that person must be a former member of the parliament who is well known to us. Somebody we have confidence in his ability.
“We are going to follow the constitution to ensure that we deliver our mandate to make those who voted for us happy. This will occur at the level of parliament, oversight functions and at the committee level.
“We will partner Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deliver on his promises to Nigerians. We are determined to ensure that all the three arms of government, particularly the judiciary are put on a good footing to be able to deliver justice without fear or favour. We are determined to ensure that the right people are brought on board”.
On the removal of the fuel subsidy, Bamidele stated that the federal government will soon roll out social investment programmes to palliate the sufferings of the masses, especially poorest of the poor in the country.
“The federal government will put palliatives in place to help the poorest of the poor . There is also another category of palliatives that will be rolled out for the civil servants apart from the promised salary increment that will be done across states and at the federal level.
“The removal is very significant because the FG will be able to save a lot of money to do infrastructure and make all Nigerians happy. That was the intention of President Tinubu about the removal. He knew what Nigerians are passing through and efforts are underway to cushion the effects of this removal”
Bamidele appreciated God for sparing his life to celebrate 60th birthday, describing the gesture as uncommon favour , having a retrospect of what he had passed through in his political journeys.
In his short exhortation tagged “out of your faithfulness” at the eventb, the Vicar in charge of the All Saints’ Anglican Church, Iyin Ekiti, Ven Zaccheus Ibitoye, described Bamidele as a dependable and descent politician, who loathes politics of bitterness and do or die.
The Cleric assured that Nigerians will render a good story in the end despite the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to curb allegedly corruption in the system .
“Let us be patient and pray for our leaders. All the presidential candidates promised that they will remove the petrol subsidy and one of them won and removed it. We should all be expecting it.
“Let us be patient with the federal government. We will have a good story to tell for our coming children. This stage and difficulties shall pass away”.
The Vicar added that Bamidele enjoyed tremendous favour from God because he had served humanity in the most rewarding fashion as a Commissioner and member of the National Assembly.
“We could all remember when he was shot few years back, whether through targeted or strayed bullet, but God protected him. He didn’t die because God proclaimed that it wasn’t yet time. I am happy for your life.
“Senator Bamidele is a special breed of politician, who will not pledge what he will not do. I want to charge you to continue to hang your faith in God. He has been protecting you. You are still going higher and higher, you are unstoppable.
“I plead with politicians to play this politics neatly. Some of you used to eliminate people because of ambition. Senator Bamidele doesn’t belong to that group. He is a descent politician. Let us learn how to wait upon God. All of us can’t be Senators or Governors, but we can all be children of God”.
Dignitaries at the colourful event included: Ekiti State First Lady, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, former Speaker , Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Olubunmi Adelugba, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, former National Assembly member, Hon. Bimbo Daramola
The roll call also included:Secretary to the Ekiti State Government, Dr Habitat Adubiaro, the All Progressives Congressives Chairman in Ekiti State, Hon Paul Omotoso, a senior staff of Tetfund, Dr. Olusola Ojo, Bishop Anglican Diocese of Ekiti, Most Reverend Olusola Ajayi
***Allocates N23.96 Trillion for Capital Projects, N14.31 Trillion for Debt Servicing
The Nigerian Senate along with the House of Represebtatives have passed the 2025 Appropriation Bill, approving a record-breaking budget of N54,990,165,355,396 to finance government activities in the coming fiscal year.
The budget, titled A Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, was approved after deliberations on its allocations and implications for economic growth, debt management, and infrastructure development.
The chairman of the National Assemble Godswill Akpabio who is also the President of the Senate gave the beakdown of the 2025 Budget to show that Statutory Transfers: ₦3.65 trillion, debt Servicing: ₦14.32 trillion, Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure: ₦13.06 trillion and
Capital Expenditure: ₦23.96 trillion
The largest chunk of the budget, ₦23.96 trillion, was allocated for capital expenditure, aimed at infrastructure development, healthcare, education, and security.
This signals the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit.
However, the ₦14.32 trillion earmarked for debt servicing highlights the country’s rising debt burden, sparking concerns over long-term financial sustainability.
With the National Assembly approval, the budget now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent, after which implementation will begin. Analysts predict a challenging fiscal year, balancing economic growth with prudent spending and debt repayment.
However, time will tell whether the historic budget will deliver on its promises, or economic realities force adjustments down the line?
***Says addittional fund is to Prioritize Infrastructure, Health, Economic Growth
The chairman of the senate committee on Appropriation Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan has explained the approval of the 2025 Appropriation Bill by the national Assembly which it increased from N49.7 trillion to N54.99 trillion—the highest in the nation’s history.
The adjustment followed legislative reviews that uncovered additional revenues from key government agencies.
While explaining the Budget Expansion and Revenue Sources Olamilekan indicated that the additional N4.99 trillion was sourced from Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs)
These he said led to an increase in funding for critical sectors, including N1.5 trillion for Bank of Agriculture, N500 billion for Bank of Industry, 1 trillion for Ministry of Solid Minerals, N1.5 trillion for Renewable Infrastructure Fund, N300 billion – Road construction and N400 billion for Rail transport.
Others are N380 billion of Water resources, irrigation, and dam projects, N250 billion for Military barracks renovation N120 billion for New military aviation projects, N50 billion for Border security agencies
Following the suspension of U.S. health aid, which previously provided funding for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio treatments, President Tinubu approved $200 million (N300 billion) to ensure continued medical supplies and healthcare support for affected patients.
On the major Boost for Infrastructure Development he said a record N23.7 trillion has been allocated for capital projects, marking a significant leap in infrastructure investment.
He listed the areas the funds will focus on to include Roads and railways,nEducation and healthcare improvements and Other critical public infrastructure
To prevent delays in budget implementation, the 2026 budget process will begin in July 2025, with the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted early and the Appropriation Bill expected by October 2025.
Concerns over inadequate rail infrastructure funding in the South East were raised, but legislative leaders clarified that rail projects are primarily funded through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
According to him, the 2025 budget focuses on light rail development in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, and Kano, while further discussions on South East projects are ongoing.
He explained that to maintain Economic Stability the budget parameters remain unchanged, with key revenue sources including FIRS increasing its revenue target to N25.1 trillion, Nigeria Customs Service boosting revenue collection through stricter enforcement and Independent revenue agencies contributing 100% of their generated funds to the federal government
The House of Representatives has directed its Joint Committee on Communications and Interior to investigate reports of unauthorized National Identification Number (NIN) linkages by telecom service providers across Nigeria.
The decision followed the unanimous adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo). The House also instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to probe the allegations and sanction any telecom operator found guilty of violating privacy laws.
Additionally, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been asked to clarify whether telecom providers were authorized to link NINs to subscriber lines and if such actions comply with existing regulations.
Hon. Umoh raised concerns about recent reports indicating that telecom companies have linked NINs to subscribers’ SIM cards without their consent. He warned that this unauthorized linkage exposes Nigerians to criminal activities, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.
“This action is a clear violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, which guarantee the right to privacy and the protection of personal data,” Umoh stated.
He further emphasized that while the NIN system was introduced to enhance national security and streamline identification processes, unauthorized linkages undermine public trust and jeopardize citizens’ safety.
“Aware that innocent citizens have been wrongly implicated in crimes, suffered reputational damage, harassment, and legal challenges for offenses they know nothing about, it is imperative that we address this issue immediately,” Umoh added.
The House has mandated the probe committee to submit its findings within four weeks, as lawmakers seek to protect Nigerians from potential data breaches and uphold the integrity of national security protocols.
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