Maureen Achebe, daughter of the renowned novelist, late Chinua Achebe, has received the Brigham and Womens Hospital 2024 Faculty Development and Diversity Awards.

Her brother and chairman of the African Integrated Development Enterprise Public Benefit Corporation, Chidi Achebe, made this known in a LinkedIn post on July 2.

Chidi stated that the hospital, a premier teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School based in Boston, Massachusetts, notified Maureen of her award in a letter dated July 2, 2024, which he also shared.

The post read, 2024 Faculty Development and Diversity Awards

To God be the glory always! Ekenedili Chukwunna! Very big deal at Harvard! All glory to God! Maureen Okam-Achebe, President, AIDE Healthcare International, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Director, Harvard Universitys Brigham and Womens Hospital Outpatient Infusion Centre. Also Clinical Director, Non-Malignant Hematology Clinic. Director, Brigham and Womens Hospital Sickle Cell Programme and Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Triple-board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology, and Internal Medicine. Alumnus of the University of Port Harcourt Medical School and the M.T. Chan Harvard School of Public Health.

Sweetie: Very proud of you. Keep on keeping on!

Quick facts about Maureen Achebe

Maureen Achebe earned her first medical degree from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; a Haematology and Medical Oncology training at Yale School of Medicine; and a Masters in Public Health at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The doctor is also an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School; Director of Brigham and Womens Hospital Outpatient Infusion Center; clinical director, of the Non-Malignant Hematology Clinic; director, of Brigham and Womens Hospital sickle cell program; and instructor in medicine, at Harvard Medical School

The medical expert co-chairs the data subcommittee of the American Society of Hematology Consortium on Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease in Africa.

The sub-committee seeks to demonstrate the benefits of screening and early intervention for SCD underway in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

She also serves as a commissioner on the Lancet Non-Communicable Disease and Injuries Nigeria Poverty Commission as the sickle cell disease expert and guides the identification and prioritisation of policies, interventions, and integrated delivery platforms to effectively address and reduce SCD burden in the country.

The expert is actively involved in clinical trials and translational research at BWH and was an investigator in the development of two of the most recently used US FDA-approved drugs for SCD.

According to Brigham and Womens Hospital, Maureen Achebe will be honoured for her accomplishments on October 28, 2024.

The Federal Government has announced the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on specific food items imported through land and sea borders.

The reports said that the affected items include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas.

The announcement was made during a press briefing by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the National Press Centre, Abuja yesterday.

This move is part of the Presidential Accelerated Stabilization and Advancement Plan, an initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at achieving food security and economic stability in Nigeria.

According to the Minister, the government has been working tirelessly to address the food inflation crisis, which has seen prices skyrocket to unprecedented levels.

In addition to the duty-free import window, the government will also import 250,000MT of wheat and 250,000MT of maize, which will be supplied to small-scale processors and millers across the country.

The Minister added that the government will also engage stakeholders to set a Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP) and mop up surplus food commodities to restock the National Strategic Food Reserve.

The minister assured Nigerians that the government is committed to achieving food security and ensuring that no citizen goes to bed hungry.

The government has also inaugurated the Renewed Hope National Livestock Transformation Implementation Committee to develop and implement policies that prioritize livestock development and align with the National Livestock Transformation Plan.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has directed members to commence a nationwide protest today, Tuesday, July 9.

The directive is sequel to the failure of the federal government to pay the four-month withheld salaries of the university employees.

It would be recalled that the leadership of SSANU and NASU had met with the Ministers of Education, Labour and Employment and the National Universities Commission (NUC) on Thursday, July 4.

The meeting was to prevail on the unions not to embark on a nationwide industrial action, but the meeting ended in deadlock.

But according to a circular signed by SSANU national president, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, and his NASU counterpart, Peters Adeyemi in Abuja, the union accused the federal government of not showing any convincing commitment to paying the withheld salaries and resolving other pending grievances of the two unions.

They found the governments lack of commitment, disappointing and decided on a series of industrial actions, which include a general meeting of their branches to sensitise members to the governments insensitivity, followed by a one-day nationwide protest on Tuesday and a national protest in Abuja on July 18th, 2024.

The circular reads, In view of this disappointment and failure of government to address grievances of NASU and SSANU, JAC has decided on a series of industrial actions which include the following:

All branches of NASU and SSANU should mandatorily hold a general meeting on Monday, 8th July 2024, to sensitise members to the governments insensitivity to our plights. A one-day protest should also be held on Tuesday, 9th July 2024, at each branch simultaneously.

Every branch should ensure that all members fully participate in the protest and the press/media is adequately mobilised.

A national protest will be held in Abuja on Thursday, July 18, 2024, after which JAC will meet to announce a date when the strike action will commence.

Elder statesman, Chike Obidigbo has warned politicians, especially those from the Southeast, against further compounding the travails of the Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

He regretted that some Igbo political elites are going about for the release of the embattled IPOB leader the wrong way, stressing that the overzealous politicians are acting out of ignorance and mostly in self aggrandizement.

According to the elder statesman, the issues around Kanu and his leadership of IPOB are not easy as politicians think, adding that releasing Kanu without granting referendum to IPOB may not address the secessionist agitation or the crisis in the zone.

In a statement made available to newsmen yesterday, Obidigbo, who is the President of Osisioma Foundation, noted that the delicate nature of Kanus incarceration requires quiet diplomacy to achieve political solution, without politicising his release, the way they are going about it.

While identifying the salient complications around the IPOB leaders forceful rendition and consequent incarceration, the Anambra-born elder statesman said Britains loud silence about Kanus predicament raises a large red flag.

Parts of the statement read: I woke up this morning with a very heavy heart. I am constrained to say that I am not happy with the way and manner our political elites are going about their request for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The sense I make of the cheap scramble by Igbo politicians to be identified in the growing calls for Mazi Nnamdi Kanus freedom from prolonged and unjust incarceration is that they are merely playing to the gallery.

It is obvious that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not entirely the one holding Nnamdi Kanu. It was not even former President Muhammadu Buhari nor his erstwhile Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami SAN. All the AGFs, including the current one are mere legal officers for the government.

However, Kanus matter is a security issue, which requires the involvement of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. The President may not have absolute authority to release Kanu although, he has the power to influence things if he so desires.

Obidigbo disclosed that the other powerful elephant in the room blocking Nnamdi Kanus freedom is the British Government, stressing that Kanu acted against British economic interest in Nigeria.

He remarked that the British economic interest, which Kanus agitation was negatively affecting, has been enriching the government and people of Britain, over several centuries, saying that although the fact is well known to most Nigerian elites, they simply prefer to remain pretentious.

Everything that Kanu said or did were done in Britain, being a British citizen. But, they could not afford to arrest him on British soil, because of obvious and potential backlash.

What Britain did was to join in the international conspiracy to lure Kanu to Kenya, knowing that Africans lack integrity and respect for laws. They got him kidnapped in Kenya and forcibly and illegally renditioned to Nigeria. They could not have done that in any other part of the world, outside of Africa, without extreme repercussions. It is only on African soil that such illegality can take place and his captors knew that much, and took advantage of it.

So, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria showed no interest, at least speaking up against the violent kidnap and rendition of her citizen. All the Embassy was interested was to hear Kanu renounce his dream of a Biafra, probably with an undertaken never to support any such agitation in future, he stated.

The Industrialist said Britains double standards and hypocrisy betrays their long term destabilising designs against Nigerias socio-economic prosperity and independence.

He stated: Here was the same Britain that in 1984 frustrated the forceful abduction and return to Nigeria of Alhaji Umaru Dikko, who was not even a British citizen at the time, but merely an asylum seeker in Britain.

Britain continues to see Nigeria as their fertile farm land for free economic exploitation and political manipulation. They have no wish to relax their stranglehold, not now, not in the near future. So anything or anyone posing as a threat to her economic interests in Nigeria, automatically becomes their sworn enemy.

The industrialist expressed relief that African youths are gradually waking up to challenge all the existing frustrations, deprivations and blatant exclusion arrayed against them from enjoying the natural endowments of their own countries.

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, to account for payments of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months.

The court also ordered the former minister to provide the list and details of the beneficiaries who received the payments, the number of states covered, and the payments per state.

The judgment was delivered in June by Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/853/2021, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.

The certified true copy of the judgment was obtained last Friday by the organisation.

In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu held that The former minister is compelled by the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to give information to any person, including SERAP. I therefore grant an order of mandamus directing and compelling the minister to provide the spending details of N729 billion to 24.3 million poor Nigerians in 2021. Justice Dipeolu ordered the minister to provide SERAP with details of how the beneficiaries have been selected and the mechanisms for the payments to the beneficiaries. The judge also ordered the minister to explain the rationale for paying N5,000 to 24.3 million poor Nigerians, which translates to five per cent of Nigerias budget of N13.6 trillion for 2021. She ruled that the minister did not give any reason for the refusal to disclose the details sought by SERAP. SERAP has reeled out the relevant sections of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 that the minister contravened and has, in line with sections 20 and 25(1) of the Act, prayed this Court for an order of mandamus to direct and compel the minister to provide the information sought.

Justice Dipeolu dismissed the objections raised by the ministers counsel and upheld SERAPs arguments. Consequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the minister. SERAP demands CBN gov account for missing N100bn dirty notes, others Reacting to the judgment, SERAPs Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the ruling is a victory for transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds. He said, This ground-breaking judgment is a victory for transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds. Justice Dipeolus judgment shows the urgent need for the Tinubu government to genuinely address the systemic allegations of corruption in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development and other ministries, departments and agencies, as documented by the Auditor-General of the Federation. We commend Justice Dipeolu for her courage and wisdom and urge President Bola Tinubu to immediately obey the court orders.

In the letter dated July 6, 2024, sent to President Bola Tinubu on the judgment, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation asked him to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile with the ruling.

The organisation also asked the President to order the release of the spending details of the N729 billion as ordered by the court.

It reads, We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the court.

We urge you to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of the N729 billion as ordered by the court.

The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency, and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources, including the N729 billion.

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department, FEMD, has called on residents of the FCT living by riverbanks and waterways to relocate to higher grounds to avoid loss of lives and property in the advent of floods.

The acting Director-General of the department, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja yesterday.

This followed the confirmation by the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, on the countrys fast-rising water levels across rivers and lagoons.

Wenegieme said that NIWA particularly advised boat operators and passengers to take note of the rising tides and ensure strict adherence to safety regulations on the inland waterways and compulsory use of life jackets always.

She further warned of a likelihood of heavy rainfall that might lead to flooding through some states across the country from July 6 to July 10, 2024, and urged residents to take precaution.

The acting D-G said that the flood prediction by the National Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) Centre, Federal Ministry of Environment, shows that the states neighbouring the Federal Capital Territory were among the likely states to be affected. She said that the prediction specifically showed that Zaria, Jaji and Saminaka in Kaduna State; Ado in Nasarawa and Ibaji in Kogi State might experience heavy rainfall that could lead to flood within the period.

Following the flood prediction, Wenegieme said that FCT might experience river flooding from its surrounding states Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, and Nasarawa.

She urged resident to heed to FEMD early warning and take proactive steps to avoid being caught up by the likely flood.

Wenegieme also advised motorists against driving through flooding water during rainfall.

She, therefore, urged residents to call the departments 112 emergency toll-free number in the advent of emergency.

A former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Takai Shamang, has been abducted in his hometown, Biniki, in Kaura local government area of Kaduna State.

Shamang, was also a former President General of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers, now National Union of Electricity Employees between 1982 and 1989.

His daughter, Mrs Grace Abbin, confirmed the incident to NAN on Sunday.

She said her 78-year-old father was abducted at his residence in Biniki, at about 8:00pm on Friday.

Shamang is the President and Founder of Gantys Aid for Widows, Orphans and Needy Foundation, popularly known as GAWON Foundation.

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has threatened to order the arrest of the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration Agency (NIMASA), Dayo Mobereola, if he fails to appear before the Committee on Wednesday, July 17. The committee is investigating a petition against the agency by Abade-Toru Manga Community Development Initiative.

In the petition addressed to the Speaker of the House, the petitioners alleged that NIMASA failed to establish educational and skills acquisition projects in the coastal communities as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

They said NIMASA had made commitment in line with the recommendations at the Global Maritime Security Conference 2019 to introduce educational, entrepreneurship training, and skills acquisition programmes in the areas of fishing, clearing and forwarding, and legal bunkering, for people in the coastal communities.

They alleged that rather than living up to this commitment, the former Director General of the agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh decided to build a Maritime Skill Acquisition Centre and Twin Lecture Theatre in Kaduna State, where he hails from.

As part of its investigations, the committee summoned the current DG, Dr. Dayo Mobereola to appear in person, to explain why NIMASA failed to replicate the skills acquisition centers in the five states where it operates (Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers). Chairman of the committee, Hon. Mike Etaba, said If the DG fail to appear, the Committee will direct the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest and bring him before the committee.

He said the committee is exercising its investigative powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), adding that governance is a continuum, and whatever Dr. Jamoh omitted to do for the coastal communities during his tenure can be done by Dr. Dayo Mobereola, who is now the Director-General of NIMASA

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has extended the registration deadline for all Point of Sale Operators (POS) by an extra sixty days to make room for those who couldnt register because of technical issues.

The reports had it that the commission had previously set a registration deadline of July 7, 2024. Nonetheless, in a message posted by the commissions management on its X handle yesterday, it announced that the registration deadline had been extended by two months. The Corporate Affairs Commission wishes to notify Fintech Operators, also known as Point of Sales (POS) Operators, that the initial deadline of 7th July 2024 given for the registration of sole Agents, Super Agents and Agents has been extended for a period of sixty days beginning from 7th July 2024 to the 5th September 2024. This is to give sufficient time to Operators, particularly those in remote areas who might have encountered network challenges to so register and continue with their businesses, the commissions statement reads.

The commission has confirmed that Operators who do not register by the extended deadline may face the consequences of losing their businesses and being prosecuted for assisting criminal activities.

Meanwhile, the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, disclosed on Wednesday, May 8, that the Nigerian government has instructed Point of Sale (POS) providers, to register with the commission.

He said criminals increasingly use POS machines to extort money from their victims.

According to Magaji, the registration is to enable the government to track kidnappers, criminals, and one-chance operators, causing pain for Nigerians at the moment.

The Registrar-General (RG) announced this during the official launch of the Fintech registration agents and merchants in Abuja.

He stated that the commission is currently training its staff to operate 24/7 to meet the high demand of the people.

Magaji said: This training is to equip the trainers to work round the clock, not just office hours, which means they can work from home since they have all the facilities they need. The registration for POS operators is still ongoing, it will close by the 7th of July 2024. No matter what business you operate in Nigeria today, you are under the law of Nigeria to ensure your business is registered with the CAC.

We assume that in that 60 days, all POS operators must have registered their businesses. This must be done in the interest of their interest; again if a business or an individual has been using a POS machine without registration, just know that from the day you acquired that POS, you are being charged N200, and every day counts, so the day you come for registration your payment for the machine will be backdated to the day you started using it. In most banks presently, there are POS machines which are not registered and not attracting any charges, even though they are in the bank, they should be registered and charges met like any other POS on the street. After the deadline of 60 days without registration, they will be termed as criminals.

Administrative work in universities and inter-university centres will be disrupted on July 18 as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) have decided to stage a one-day protest over their four months withheld salaries.

The Joint Action Committee of both unions have already directed their state chapters to meet on Monday (today) in preparation for a one-day protest tomorrow (Tuesday).

This decision, according to the unions, followed the alleged failure to reach an agreement with the Ministry of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha over their four months of withheld salaries. In a joint statement by the General Secretary of NASU and National President of SSANU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the unions said: The National body of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU met on Thursday, 4th July 2024 to appraise and take a position on the current situation in respect of the withheld (4) four months salaries and other grievances of our members in University and Inter-University Centres.

Similarly, the National JAC on invitation met with the Honourable Minister of Education; Honourable Minister of State for Education; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education; other top officials of the Ministry and National Universities Commission (NUC). Unfortunately, the engagement with the Minister of Education has not shown any convincing commitment to the payment of the withheld salaries and resolutions of other pending grievances of the JAC of the two unions.

It is also disheartening that the JAC was also at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and as usual, the Honourable Minister of State was not on seat to receive us, as we were informed that she had an urgent call from the villa. The Permanent Secretary who stood in for her could not make any commitment to the issues raised.

In view of this disappointment and failure of Government to address grievances of NASU and SSANU, JAC has decided on a series of Industrial actions which include the following; all branches of NASU and SSANU should mandatorily hold a general meeting on Monday, 8th July, 2024 to sensitise members on the insensitivity of Government to our plights. A one-day protest should hold on Tuesday, 9th July 2024 at each branch simultaneously. Every branch should ensure that all members fully participate in the protest and that the Press/ media is adequately mobilised.

A national protest which will hold in Abuja on Thursday, 18th July 2024 after which JAC will meet to announce a date when the strike action will commence.

In a bid to further strengthen the economy, President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated his Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC), drawn from different sectors of society and the economy.

After inaugurating the council, President Tinubu presented the outcomes of his review of the accelerated stabilization and advancement plan, which seeks to inject a total of N2 trillion into the economy in the next six months.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who led selected members of the council to brief journalists after the briefing, gave a breakdown of the areas to benefit from the emergency funding including Health, Agriculture, Energy/Power and other areas.

“The president has just inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council and that is a body that is made up of the President’s Economic Management Team, the Legislature, represented by the leaders of the National Assembly; the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as very importantly, the sub-nationals, represented by the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, and, of course, the elite of the private sector.

“They were presented with the outcomes of Mr. President’s review of the accelerated stabilization and advancement plan and that was an emergency plan to cover the next six months, which Mr. President had directed that a combination of his own Economic Management Team and the sub nationals, the governor’s level, and the private sector put together for his consideration.

“The song of that very important exercise is that a N2 trillion package involving N350 billion funding for Health and Social Welfare; N500 billion funding for Agriculture and Food Security; N500 billion for the Energy and Power sector and general business support of about N650 billion.

“In addition to a range of policy measures and tax measures, there is a range of executive orders which Mr. President has signed and which are being gazetted to ease the cost of doing business at this particular time”, he said.

President Tinubu announced the constitution of the Council, which he personally chairs, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, of March 27, 2024.

Other members of the PECC are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Vice-Chairman; President of the Nigerian Senate; Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security; Aviation and Aerospace Development and Budget and Economic Planning.

Others include Ministers of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Industry, Trade and Investment; Labour and Employment; Marine and Blue Economy; Power; State, Petroleum Resources; State, Gas; Ministers of Transportation and Works.

The PECC, which also comprises 13 key members of the organized private sector, joining for a period not exceeding one year, subject to the President’s directive include Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Tony Elumelu, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Ms. Amina Maina, Mr Begun Ajayi-Kadir, Mrs Funke Okpeke and Dr. Doyin Salami.

Other PECC members from the private sector are Mr Patrick Okigbo, Mr. Kola Adesina, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Mr. Chidi Ajaere, Mr. Abdulkadir Aliu and Mr. Rasheed Sarumi.

The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, have lambasted the National President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, Yerima Shettima over his recent comments on the continuous incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Shettima had in an interview granted recently, ruled out a political solution to Kanu’s case, stating that the court and not the Nigerian Government should be allowed to decide the fate of the secessionist.

Shettima also faulted the Biafra agitation, which, according to him, had been taken over by criminal elements.

Reacting, MASSOB, in a statement issued on Thursday by its leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, described Shettima as a “parasite in the political, economic and social life of the Nigerian state”.

The group accused Shettima of being a “diehard enemy of the southern region’s interest in Nigeria”.

The statement reads, “Yerima Shettima’s assertion against Ndigbo and Biafra, in general, is an expression of frustration and irrelevance on the people of Arewa and Fulanis whose grip of political powers in Nigeria has been fractured by their religious brother who is implementing an agenda different from theirs.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can never be cowed by the Arewa mentality of promoting the Fulani expansion in Nigeria.

“We are Biafrans, we don’t believe in the Nigerian state. Still, we shall never allow our pathological haters to frustrate or kill our existence in Nigeria. The release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is long overdue.”

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has dissociated itself from any planned protests or struggles against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a statement by its President, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, NANS condemned attempts by those it called faceless groups to manipulate students for their purposes.

“We strongly condemn the attempt to use students by these shadowy groups to intimidate the EFCC and distract it from its vital mission of ridding the country of corruption,” Emonefe said.

“Nigerian students and NANS stand in full support of the EFCC and its mandate to combat economic and financial crimes.”

NANS expressed concern about reports of students being targeted and recruited to undermine the EFCC’s efforts, which are crucial for defending the country’s image, prestige, and economic well-being.

The body urged students to remain vigilant and not allow themselves to be used as pawns by corrupt elements seeking to derail the progress being made by the EFCC.

“We recognise the significant impact of the Commission’s work in restoring Nigeria’s integrity and ensuring a secure future for all citizens,” Emonefe said.

“We are ready to play our part in supporting the Commission and ensuring that Nigeria’s reputation is restored and preserved on the global stage.”

NANS called on parents, guardians, and educational institutions to be aware of these manipulative tactics and to guide their wards appropriately.

The group reaffirmed its unwavering support for the EFCC and its efforts to eradicate corruption and cybercrime.

“Together, we can build a Nigeria that we are proud of, a Nigeria where integrity and justice are the cornerstones of our society,” Emonefe said.

The Senate has scored the executive low in the implementation of the capital component of the 2024 budget, saying there is a need for the government to get Ministries, Department and Agencies of the Federal Government to implement the budget.

The Senate also urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts in funding the capital components of the three national budgets which are running concurrently in the country.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola, gave the task when the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun and the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, appeared before the panel over the budget performances.

Adeola lamented the poor funding of the capital components of the budgets and urged the Coordinating Minister for the Economy to improve on it.

Adeola said, “It is the capital component of the budgets that will showcase this government largely in terms of performances.

“The capital components tend to showcase various projects that will be executed by this government and people can say, oh, the government is doing this, it’s doing that. That is why we are emphasising the performance of the 2024 capital component of the project.”

Adeola added, “The N1.84bn achieved so far out of a N9tn capital expenditure component is nothing to write home about.

“I would want you to please look towards this direction. And I want you to do more engagement with the ministries and departments and agencies of the government.”

Adeola urged the minister to engage more with the MDAs because most of them were not aware of the current arrangement regarding funding of capital projects.

He said, “I tell you for free, some agencies will tell you that they have not been given any money for capital when we are fully aware that the process of payment of capital has changed.

“That shows a lot of engagement has to go on from time to time to bring it to their notice that you are no longer in charge of payment to contractors.

“I want you to please do a kind of continuous engagement. It will help so that everybody can come to terms that the system has changed.”

He added, “Everything about the method of payment, and method of business has changed. I would say that. Coming back to the NNPCL, we make it known that we have been assured of two million barrels.

“Long before now, we have been on 1.2 million barrels over this period. So that shows that we now have a capacity of two million barrels. Why is it now the NNPCL is assuring us of two million barrels?”

The Senate panel chairman also hinted at plans by the red chamber to organise a public hearing on the NNPC where stakeholders in the oil and gas sector would be invited including the Finance Minister.

He said, “We will soon bring everyone in that industry, the NNPC, the upstream and downstream to the table because there are a lot of reports that we have concerning that which the Senate in no distant future will invite everybody.

“The minister of finance too might be invited to let us know what is happening in our oil and gas sector.

“They have promised to deliver on our refineries for the last couple of months, billions of dollars have been expended and nothing to show for it.

“The local producers have not been encouraged, the local refineries have not been encouraged. No progress has been made in this direction. So all this and more is what we look into in the future.”

Adeola nevertheless commended the minister for achieving 100 per cent funding of the 2023 supplementary budgets.