Headlines
Lagos Assembly Refuses to Transfer Budget to Ambode, Allegedly Waiting for Sanwo-Olu
About two weeks after the Lagos State House of Assembly passed the 2019 budget, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has yet to receive it.
PUNCH gathered that the Assembly might be awaiting May 29 when the governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would be sworn into office.
A source told The Punch that government projects had been stalled due to the impasse.
He accused the lawmakers of playing politics with the development of the state.
He said, “They just refused to pass it to the governor because they want to play politics with the budget. Most of the people in the Assembly are loyal to one man and he appears to be dictating to them.
“But what more do they want to do to Ambode? They have humiliated him, denied him his return ticket, and even threatened to impeach him. What has he done to deserve all that?
“What they failed to realise is that this is beyond Ambode. It is about Lagos State. It is about governance. Since they took this decision not to pass the budget to him, things have been at a standstill. No development; nothing. This is wrong at all levels because people’s lives are being held.”
However, another government source said while the Assembly might have certain reasons for not passing the bill to the governor, the law permits Ambode to spend a certain percentage of the previous year budget.
She said, “It is true that the budget has not been transmitted to the governor. But their reason is immaterial. Whatever they like they can do. The law allows the governor to spend a certain amount of last year’s budget pending the time the new budget would be ready. The governor will do his best within the time available.”
Controversies have trailed the budget since 2018 when the governor was accused of breaking the tradition of sending the budget to the Assembly before the fiscal year.
The Ambode administration had said it sent the budget to the Assembly early, but the lawmakers went on a break and could not sit over it in December 2018.
Early 2019, the Assembly had issued an impeachment threat to the governor for allegedly spending from the budget when it had not been passed.
After protests and public demonstrations, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and some party stalwarts called the lawmakers and the governor into a meeting, where the matter was reportedly resolved.
On April 29, the Assembly passed the N873.532bn budget, more than 80 days after the governor eventually presented it.
Despite the widely-publicised reconciliation, the relationship of the governor with the Assembly members has not been cordial, according to reports.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said he could not tell if the budget had been passed to the governor or not.
He promised to call back after making enquiries, but never did as at the time of filing this report.
The Punch
Former Military President, Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), is set to launch his long-awaited autobiography.
Reports said the memoir titled: ‘A Journey In Service’, will be released on February 20, 2025, at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
The development is coming 32 years after IBB left office.
The regime of the former Head of State was negatively shaped and defined by the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) policy, among other regulations, which sparked a nationwide riot by student union and other similar groups.
There was also the unresolved murder of the late journalist, Dele Giwa, and the June 12 annulment, among other controversial issues.
While in office, IBB was popular with the moniker “evil genius” and “Maradona”.
Explaining the nicknames, IBB said they were manufactured by the media because of his “deft political moves”.
“That’s the very good thing about the Nigerian media and Nigerian people. You have to anticipate them.
“If you anticipate them, then you live well with them. They call me ‘evil genius’, I marvel at that. The contradiction, you can’t be evil and then be a genius.”
“The definition of Maradona I got from the media is because of deft political moves. That’s the way the media described it”, he had said.
He succumbed to pressure in August 1993 when he “stepped aside” for the late Ernest Shonekan as the chairman of the Interim Government.
The late General Sanni Abacha would, however, topple the government in 1993 and would subsequently die in office in 1998.
Although IBB granted interviews to local and international media since leaving office, he has somehow found a way around some of these contentious issues that happened during his rule.
About seven years ago, he had expressed doubts about writing an autobiography, saying he was uncertain if Nigerians would “want to read about a dictator”.
He added that the public had a wrong impression of him, citing his role in the June 12 crisis, and some of the policies he unfurled between 1985 and 1993 as head of a junta.
However, he made a U-Turn and wrote the book.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will lead former Nigerian leaders and their counterparts in other parts of Africa to grace the much awaited autobiography.
According to an invite dispatched to dignitaries this week, the board of trustees of the IBB Presidential Library Foundation said the book launch will take place alongside fundraising for a Presidential Library.
The organisers said the event would be chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, with President Bola Tinubu as the Special Guest of Honour.
The keynote address would be delivered by the former president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, while former vice-president Yemi Osinbajo would review the autobiography.
Other guests billed to attend include ex-presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Goodluck Jonathan.
A former Minister of Defence Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and Chairman of BUA Group; Abdul Samad Rabiu, are named chief launchers.
Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed support for the recent court ruling that nullified the party’s congresses in Rivers State.
The NWC members made their position known during a visit to Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday night, where they also held a closed-door meeting with the Governor.
The delegation included the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.
Speaking after the meeting, the National Treasurer, Ahmed Mohammed, reaffirmed Governor Fubara’s status as the party leader in Rivers State.
He described their visit as part of an effort to realign the party and strategize for a comeback in the 2027 elections.
Mohammed stated their commitment to fostering unity, stability, and effective repositioning in the State.
He also expressed the NWC’s support for Ude Okoye, who was recently reinstated as the party’s National Secretary by the Court of Appeal.
Mohammed urged party stakeholders and governors to rally behind Okoye for the party’s progress.
The visit comes just days after PDP Youth leaders from across the country met with Governor Fubara in a bid to resolve internal party crises, with a focus on affirming his leadership in the state.
The court ruling that nullified the Ward, Local, and State congresses, which were won by allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has created ripples within the party.
The congresses, which were held last year, were marred by conflicting court orders, with a State High Court restraining the exercise while a Federal High Court allowed it.
Following the nullification, an interim committee emerged, saying it will oversee the leadership of the party in Rivers State.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has denied the request of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to issue an arrest warrant for Dr Oba Otudeko, Dr Bisi Onasanya and others due to lack of formal service on the defendants.
The court addressed multiple motions during the session, including the Prosecutor’s request for a warrant of arrest, which the Judge rejected due to the lack of formal service to the defendants. The Judge, therefore, granted an application for substituted service.
Bode Olanipekun, appearing for Dr Otudeko, sought an order restraining parties from irresponsible use of the media, Thus, the Judge advised all parties to exercise restraint in media engagement and urged journalists present to ensure accurate reporting of court proceedings.
The case has brought the EFCC under scrutiny for allegedly flouting procedural norms.
Critics have faulted the agency for going public with the charges without first formally serving Otudeko and other implicated parties. Legal experts argue that this approach undermines the principle of fair hearing and could prejudice the public against the accused.
The case has been adjourned to February 13 for arraignment.
