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No One Travels Until Closure of Budget 2020 Defence, Buhari Rules
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President Muhammadu Buhari has placed a temporary ban on foreign travels by all members of his cabinet and other government officials.
The new directive was announced Friday evening by Willie Bassey, the director of information in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“Sequel to the presentation of the 2020 Appropriation Bill by Mr President to the National Assembly, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate suspension of international travels by all Cabinet Members and Heads of Government Agencies so as to enable Honourable Ministers personally lead the process of Budget defence at the National Assembly,” the statement said.
“The suspension of such travels will enable functionaries and agencies of the Executive Arm to provide the required cooperation with the Legislature in order to ensure timely passage of the Appropriation Bill.
“Honourable Ministers who have already secured approval to travel are by this directive, required to revalidate such approvals with Mr President after confirming the Schedule of Appearances with the relevant committees of the National Assembly.
“Furthermore, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been directed to liaise with the relevant committees of the National Assembly for their Schedules of Budget defence.”
President Buhari had on Tuesday presented the year 2020 N10.33 trillion budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The President said the early presentation of the financial estimate to the National Assembly was to enable the country to return to the January-December budget cycle.
Shortly after the presentation of the budget, the Senate gave October 31 as the deadline for all government agencies to defend their budget estimates to enable the passage of the document in December.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said all Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) should appear before the Committees for the defence of their Budget estimates without delay.
On Friday, Mr Lawan reiterated that position, saying the National Assembly would not allow Ministers or Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to frustrate it from passing the budget by December.
“The National Assembly will do the right thing; which is to work on the budget and pass it,” Mr Lawan said at the unveiling of the Legislative Agenda of the House of Representatives.
“We will not allow anyone to frustrate our desire to pass the 2020 Budget before the end of this year. So, it is an opportunity for all those concerned with defending their budgets, to take the advantage,” Mr Lawan said.
The Senate President has been consistent in his desire to reverse the current unpredictable financial year to a more predictable January to December cycle of budgeting.
To achieve what some people consider a tall order, the leadership of the ninth National Assembly has repeatedly warned government officials to take advantage of the opportunity to defend their budget estimates on schedule.
Mr Lawan, who is also the Chairman of the National Assembly, said: “one thing that we have collectively decided in the National Assembly, is to pass the budget 2020 before the end of the year.
“Already, the House has suspended plenary; the Senate will do same on Tuesday next week for the consideration of budget defence by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
“Only the window of October is available for budget defence. Any Minister or Head of Agency who decides to travel out of Nigeria, without defending his or her respective budget would have no opportunity to do so.”
Premium Times
A former head coach of the Super Eagles, Austin Eguavoen, has been appointed to lead Nigeria’s Super Falcons on a temporary basis as the search for a permanent manager continues.
His immediate assignment is navigating the 2028 Olympic Games second-round qualifying tie against Comoros this October.
Eguavoen brings top-tier experience to the role, having previously guided the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Joining the interim technical crew is Nasarawa Amazons head coach Christopher Danjuma, who recently led the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf – who earned 68 caps and featured at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – also joins as an assistant coach, alongside veteran goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa.
The 10-time African champions will kick off their campaign against Comoros, who advanced after a staggering 30-0 aggregate win over Sudan.
Both legs of the fixture will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on October 9 and 13, 2026.
To secure one of Africa’s two spots at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, Nigeria must navigate four two-legged knockout rounds.
Should they beat Comoros, the Super Falcons will move on to the third round in early 2027 to face either Morocco or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Subsequent rounds are set for late 2027, where potential clashes against sides like Cameroon, South Africa, or Zambia loom in the final stretch.
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has accused a former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, of deliberately planning the killing of people in Southern Kaduna.
Musa made the allegation while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.
The minister said El-Rufai’s administration created deep divisions in Kaduna State, alleging that the situation made it difficult for residents from Southern Kaduna to live freely in the northern part of the State and vice versa.
According to him, the administration of the current governor, Uba Sani, has made deliberate efforts to restore unity and rebuild trust among residents of the State.
“We know how it was when El-Rufai was there; it was toxic,” Musa said.
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the country, the State, into two. In that, if you are from the South, you cannot go to the North and live. Those ones from the North were moving to the South.
“Governor Sani within one year has been able to dissolve all that. You see, now everybody is free, everybody has a say. It’s not 100%. Let me tell you, it’s not 100%, but you can see that he’s making deliberate effort in uniting the state.”
Speaking on the feelings of people in Southern Kaduna towards the former governor, Musa said the people remained deeply pained over killings recorded in the area during El-Rufai’s tenure.
He alleged that El-Rufai deliberately planned the killing of people in the region.
“Well, I don’t know if unhappy is an issue. I think if there’s anything worse than unhappy, we can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” Musa said.
“I mean, when you look at it, if you look at his videos, you know, his speeches, he was very proud of what he did.
“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this, he did that. He didn’t hide it. He was that arrogant to come out and tell people that this was what he did.”
The Defence Minister said residents of Southern Kaduna were still traumatised by the killings that occurred during the period, adding that the security situation in the area had improved under the current administration.
“The Southern Kaduna people are still very pained. Of course, definitely. I mean, if you look at the number of killings that was done there and what is going on now, you can’t compare at all,” he said.
Musa further accused El-Rufai of denying some people opportunities during his administration and alleged that the former governor’s policies affected even people from his own part of the state.
“I can tell you what he has done to people living in Kaduna from his own area. He did a lot of things that I’m sure even him is not proud of,” he added.
The minister, however, called on Nigerians to reject politicians who exploit religion, ethnicity and other differences to divide the country.
“We should get politicians that want to unite Nigeria. For me, any individual who is using either religion, tribe, creed, or anything to divide the state can never be a friend; can never be somebody we look up to,” Musa said.
“We shouldn’t have those kind of ones in government. Anybody who is using religion or tribe or whatever to divide Nigeria is an enemy of the State.”
President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja, the nation’s capital on Sunday for Europe to begin a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in a release disclosed that Tinubu’s first stop will be London, United Kingdom.
The President is expected to return home after the working vacation to join the hectic campaign for the January 2027 election.
Vice President Kashim Shettima had earlier this month went on two-week leave, his first since the Tinubu government assumed office over three years ago. He has since returned.
