Category: News

The organisation, which promotes and monitors public finance, said in a statement made available to Vanguard on Tuesday that by inserting the projects, which the executive did not envisage, members of the NASS have taken what began as isolated irregularities over the years, to a deeply entrenched culture of exploitation and abuse, with the budget process now turned into a playground for self-serving political interests, led by top-ranking members of the national legislature.

BudgIT said that 238 projects valued above N5 billion each, with a cumulative value of N2.29 trillion, were inserted with little to no justification. Nine hundred and eighty-four projects worth N1.71 trillion and 1,119 projects within the range of N500 million to N1 billion, totaling N641.38 billion, were indiscriminately inserted, raising questions about their relevance and alignment with national priorities. These insertions, far from promoting development, appear tailored to satisfy narrow political interests and personal gains rather than the citizens’ interests.

Giving further details of how the padding was done, BudgIT stated: “A closer look shows that 3,573 projects worth N653.19 billion are assigned directly to federal constituencies and 1,972 projects worth N444.04 billion to senatorial districts. Categorically, some of the most glaring anomalies include: 1,477 streetlight projects worth N393.29 billion; 538 boreholes totalling N114.53 billion; 2,122 ICT projects valued at N505.79 billion; and N6.74 billion earmarked for “empowerment of traditional rulers”.

“Shockingly, 39% of all insertions—4,371 projects worth N1.72 trillion—were forced into the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, inflating its capital allocation from N242.5 billion to N1.95 trillion.

The Ministries of Science and Technology and Budget and Economic Planning also saw bloated allocations of N994.98 billion and N1.1 trillion, respectively, from insertions alone.

“Even more concerning is the targeted misuse of agencies like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (Lagos) and the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, as dumping grounds for politically motivated projects. These agencies lack the technical capacity to execute such projects, leading to rampant underperformance and waste. For example, the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River—a training institution—was saddled with: N3 billion for utility vehicles to support farmers and distribution agents; N1.5 billion for rural electrification in Rivers State; and N1 billion for solar streetlights in Enugu State. These are examples of agencies operating outside their mandates, managing projects unrelated to their statutory functions, and adding zero value to national development.

“Despite these findings, the Presidency has remained conspicuously silent. Recall that in the third and fourth quarters of 2024, BudgIT launched the “The Budget is a Mess” campaign to bring these issues to light. We submitted formal letters outlining our findings to the Presidency, the Budget Office, and the National Assembly. While these letters were acknowledged, no response was received from any of the institutions, and not a single institution has taken responsibility for the anomalies.

Even more concerning is the silence from the Presidency—silence which, in the face of overwhelming evidence, amounts to complicity”.

Commenting on the findings, Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s Country Director, stressed the urgent need to restore integrity to Nigeria’s budgeting process, highlighting how unchecked project insertions by the National Assembly have derailed the purpose of national planning, weakened public trust, and diverted resources away from critical development priorities.

Okeowo said, “The insertion of over 11,000 projects worth N6.93 trillion into the 2025 budget by the National Assembly is not just alarming—it is an assault on fiscal responsibility. This trend, increasingly normalised, undermines the purpose of national budgeting, distorts development priorities, and redirects scarce resources into the hands of political elites. Nigeria cannot afford to run a government of projects without purpose. We urgently need transparency, constitutional clarity, and a return to evidence-based planning that puts citizens, not politics, at the centre of the budget.”

“In light of the foregoing, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise stronger executive leadership and reform the budgeting process to ensure alignment with the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and other national priorities. We urge the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to seek a constitutional interpretation from the Supreme Court regarding the extent of the National Assembly’s appropriation powers, particularly its authority to unilaterally introduce new capital projects without Executive concurrence. We hope that the anticorruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), will also take action to track these projects and ensure Nigeria gets value for money.

“We also call on citizens, the media, civil society organisations, and the development community to speak out and demand reform. This is not merely about financial mismanagement—it is a matter of justice, equity, and the future of accountable governance in Nigeria. The 2025 Budget must serve the interests of the Nigerian people, not a privileged few,” BudgIT said. Vanguard

The proposed legislation sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

Ago, while speaking during last Thursday’s plenary, argued that the bill aims to curb voter apathy and reduce vote-buying.

But expressing opposition to the bill in a statement issued on Monday titled ‘Compulsory Voting is Not Enough’, Falana said it is “unconstitutional” and “impractical” under the current legal framework.

“The Speaker of the House of Representatives probably wants Nigeria to join Egypt, the only African country out of 23 globally with provisions for compulsory voting.

“The said constitutional provisions protect the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people to privacy, freedom of thought and conscience, as well as the freedom to register and vote in national and state elections conducted in Nigeria.

“However, it is doubtful whether the Speaker and his colleagues have paid sufficient attention to the relevant provisions of the Constitution.

“Otherwise, they would have realised that the compulsory voting is constitutionally invalid in every material particular on the ground that it is inconsistent with Sections 37, 38, 77(2), 135(5) and 178(5) of the Constitution,” he shared.

“Compulsory voting cannot be legalised in vacuo. Apart from the possibility that it may be declared illegal under the current political dispensation, it is practically impossible to prosecute millions of Nigerians who may decide to boycott national and local elections that have been reduced to the periodic renewal of misgovernance, corruption, and abuse of power by pampered members of the political class.

“Since Section 14(2) of the Constitution provides for popular participation in the democratic process, compulsory voting may only be justified if Chapter II thereof is made justiciable.

“Nigerian courts have never considered Section 224, which states that ‘the programme, as well as the aims and objects of a political party, shall conform with the provisions of Chapter II of this Constitution,’” Falana added. Sun

This is in fulfillment of his earlier pledge to partner with the faith-based community in its mission to improve literacy and increase access to health care delivery services.

Donating the Church premises on Monday, Obi expressed delight that the church was bridging the gap in two critical sectors where the government requires support.

The former Anambra State Governor said, “Education is the most critical investment you can make because the more educated you are, the more developed you become. It shouldn’t be a problem.

“We are ready to invest and partner with those in the sector to achieve results. Like what my Lord is doing here, his children are not here. He’s doing it for society. What they need is government support. This is public education. We need to come out and support them.

“That is why we are going round schools, going round hospitals these are critical areas: healthcare, education and pulling people out of poverty.”

He decried the high rate of corruption, which he noted was taking away scarce resources from critical sectors of the economy.

The former Anambra State Governor said, “The more corrupt a country is anywhere in the world the more you have poverty because it affects investments in education, it affects investments in health, it affects investments in pulling people out of poverty and that is the reason why we must tackle it so that we can use the resources in critical areas.”

He also said he had no personal feud with President Bola Tinubu, noting that his interventions on governance were designed to improve Nigeria.

Obi said, “The president and I are not fighting. My fight is against bad governance, hunger, poverty, out-of-school children, and people not having access to health services.

“This country has less than 10 percent health insurance for citizens. It should be 100 percent.

“These teachers teaching here (Anglican Schools) should be paid by the government because the law says our children should go to school for free for the universal basic education.

“What my lord is doing is helping government, government should help them.”

While receiving the Bank drafts on behalf of the two institutions, the Anglican Bishop of Kubwa Diocese, Bishop Duke Akanmisoko, expressed gratitude to the LP standard bearer for being true to his words.

He pledged, on behalf of the church, to use the resources wisely and invite Obi to the commissioning when the projects are completed. Vanguard

JAMB rescheduled the exam following widespread outcry over mass failure during the initial UTME.

The board admitted to technical and human errors, especially in Lagos and South-East states, which significantly affected candidates’ performance.

Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat this year’s UTME, over 1.5 million scored below 200 marks out of a possible 400, prompting widespread concern among stakeholders.

Following sustained pressure, JAMB investigated the mass failure and discovered technical and human errors in its system..

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, last week publicly accepted responsibility for the errors, even shedding tears while announcing a resit for the affected candidates.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, confirmed that the results of the rescheduled exams would be released on Wednesday.

“The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday,” Benjamin said.

Oloyede had earlier disclosed that 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the five states of the South-East were impacted by the UTME glitches.

According to him, 206,610 candidates in 65 centres across Lagos and 173,387 in 92 centres in the South-East zone were affected.

Describing the situation as “sabotage,” Oloyede said the affected candidateswould start receiving text notifications for the rescheduled exam starting last Thursday.

Of the 1,955,069 results processed from the original UTME, only 4,756 candidates (0.24 per cent) scored 320 and above. An additional 7,658 candidates (0.39 per cent) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total number of top-tier scorers (300 and above) to 12,414 (0.63 per cent).

Meanwhile, 73,441 candidates (3.76 per cent) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 (17.11 per cent) scored between 200 and 249.

A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29 per cent) scored between 160 and 199, widely considered the minimum threshold for admission in many institutions. Another 488,197 (24.97 per cent) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 (2.94 per cent) between 120 and 139, 3,820 (0.20 per cent) between 100 and 119, and 2,031 (0.10 per cent) scored below 100.

Over 75 per cent of all candidates scored below 200 in the exam graded over 400 marks, fueling national debate over the credibility and fairness of the testing process.

Meanwhile, the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives on Monday  called for the immediate resignation of JAMB Registrar over what it described as a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the 2025 UTME.

The South-East lawmakers made the demand in a statement signed by  Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi).

They criticised poor communication, the short notice given for the rescheduled UTME, and scheduling conflicts with ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations, all of which they said had caused “unnecessary trauma” for students and their families.

The caucus said, “Last week, particularly on May 14, 2025, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made a shocking public admission that due to a ‘technical glitch’ at some examination centres during the 2025 UTME, approximately 379,997 out of 1.9 million candidates would be required to resit the exam.

“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned, as all five South-Eastern states we represent were directly affected by these so-called ‘score distortions.’

“Over the past week, we have exercised restraint, hoping that JAMB would provide effective remedial measures to address what is clearly a catastrophic institutional failure—one that has severely shaken public trust and the confidence of students and their families nationwide.”

The lawmakers called for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the scheduling of a fresh examination, preferably after the conclusion of the ongoing WAEC and NECO exams, to avoid disadvantaging any student.

They also demanded the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics, saying accountability must extend beyond public apologies.

“While we acknowledge Prof. Oloyede’s openness in admitting JAMB’s failures, we must state unequivocally that the remedial steps taken so far fall drastically short of our constituents’ expectations,” the statement added.

“JAMB’s knee-jerk, fire-brigade approach has been anything but adequate. Students in the South-East—many of whom are currently writing their WAEC examinations—were given less than 48 hours’ notice to appear for the rescheduled UTME. Reports indicate that this notice was grossly inadequate, resulting in low turnout. In some cases, the rescheduled UTME clashed directly with ongoing WAEC papers, compounding the distress and confusion for students and their families.”

Citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates government to ensure equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels, the caucus argued that recent judicial pronouncements have made this provision an enforceable right for every Nigerian child.

“Sadly, for the thousands of students across the South-East, the flawed and tainted conduct of the 2025 UTME has effectively denied them that right to equal and adequate educational opportunities,” the lawmakers stated. Punch

Justice Kekere-Ekun gave the warning at the MULAN’s 16th annual general conference in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

She said that legal practitioners should use of AI with critical minds before its integration into legal frameworks so that it does not disrupt the country’s established cultural norms and values.

The Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ibrahim Sulaiman, declared the conference open.

The event was also attended by the Deputy Chief Registrar of Ilorin Division of Federal Court of Appeal, Falilat Oluwatoyin Orire and other top lawyers in the country.

The CJN, represented by the Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Hon. Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, JCA, described theme of the conference, “Artificial Intelligence, Law and Religion in Nigeria,” as apt and timely, saying that AI is simply the replication of human intelligence in machines that are premeditated to think and act like humans.

“However, it remains to be seen that as Ummah in the legal profession, we owe it a duty to scrutinise with critical minds, before we allow the integration of this said AI into our legal framework, to ensure that it does not distort or tamper with our divine laws and principles well guided according to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him).

CJN stated: “Adversely, if nothing is done to ensure the foregoing, there is every tendency that the AI will not only disrupt our established cultural norms and values but will also influence our well-founded religious principles among other adversities, as it is known to have no empathy and contextual sensitivity necessary to handle cases involving personal and communal relationships fittingly”.

Judtice Kekere-Ekun said that, “Significantly, and due to the dynamism of our society, the Nigerian legal system must be kept abreast with this new development so as not to be left behind in adapting to this novel AI in the adjudication of cases in Nigeria”.

Also speaking, the MULAN’s national president, Saidu Muhammed Tundun-Wada, who said that AI is already transforming legal practice in Nigeria, added that AI innovations present unprecedented opportunities, enhance access to justice and improve legal service delivery.

“Consider the emergence of predictive analytics for case outcomes, automate contract drafting systems, rapid legal research capabilities, and Al-powered legal assistance chatbots.

“However, these advancements raise critical ethical considerations. How can we ensure Al systems adhere to the fundamental ethical principles that govern our profession? What measures can we implement to address ethical, potential algorithmic biases? These challenges become more complex in our pluralistic society, where different religious communities may hold varying perspectives on justice and discretion that machines cannot.

“Can artificial intelligence truly comprehend the nuances of Islamic jurisprudence? Can it exercise the sophisticated judgment required to balance various interpretations as human judges do, drawing upon both legal expertise and religious understanding?”

In his keynote speech at the event, the former minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), urged the federal government through the National Assembly to consider a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Development and Deployment Act in Nigeria to address deployment of AI for crimes.

The former minister also advocated National Accountability and Liability Act to address people involved in the development and deployment of AI for criminal acts. Arise News

Security sources disclosed that the suspected kidnap kingpins had been on the DSS radar for over a year, and that screening at Hajj camps in different parts of the country offered the operatives the opportunity to arrest them.

According to the sources,  DSS officers nabbed both kidnap kingpins at the Abuja and Sokoto Hajj camps.

While suspected kingpin Yahaya Yakubu, who lives in Paikon – Kore village in Gwagwalada area council of the FCT, was nabbed at the Abuja Hajj camp, Zamfara-born Sani Aliyu Galadi was arrested nearly 750 kilometres away, at the Sokoto Hajj camp.

DSS officers at the point of screening of both camps were able to recognise Zango and Aliyu, and promptly arrested them.

According to the security sources, Yakubu and Aliyu alias Mai Boxer, who is suspected to be responsible for attacks by bandits in the Sokoto- Zamfara axis, were oblivious of the fact that DSS officers were still on the lookout for them.

According to a source, Yakubu presented his passport alongside other Muslim travellers from Abuja who were on their way to observe this year’s hajj.

“It was this afternoon during the screening at the hajj camp in airport when the DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” he said.

An official at the Muslim pilgrims welfare board, who didn’t want his name mentioned, also confirmed the arrest of the suspect.

The source added that Aliyu has been flown from Sokoto to the DSS headquarters in Abuja. Arise News

The results from JAMB’s 2025 UTME were released on May 9, and analysis indicated that more than 78 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 points out of the 400 maximum obtainable points.

This sparked nationwide criticism that forced JAMB to initiate an earlier-than planned review  of the exam process.

Registrar of the Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, later admitted that a technical error in 157 centres compromised the UTME results of 379,997 candidates.

JAMB subsequently stated that it will conduct a resit UTME for all affected candidates between May 16 and May 19.

During an X forum on Thursday evening, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB spokesperson, addressed concerns about the short notice for the resit.

He noted that the board understands the  argument that candidates  need more time to settle and prepare.

Benjamin explained that other examination bodies have their tests scheduled for June and July 2025.

He said if the resit UTME is delayed further, it will no longer be possible to conduct it until August 2025.

This, he said, will cost many of the students the opportunity to apply for admission into the tertiary institutions of their choice.

Benjamin said JAMB has WAEC to thank for making time out of its schedule for the board to retake the examination.

“The issue of candidates shifting the exam by one or two weeks, we wish we could, if we had the opportunity. The only option we have if we don’t do it this week is to do it in August,” the spokesperson said.

“Because at the beginning of the year, we met NECO, WAEC, NBTD, four of us, met. Each exam body took a slot, and JAMB took the first slot.

“It will be difficult for us to begin to encroach on any of those agencies. The registrar had to thank WAEC repeatedly for agreeing to adjust for us to take these few days.

“I understand that these candidates need time to settle down, but unfortunately, we didn’t plan for this. We are saddened by it and we regret it, we apologise. But this is an extraordinary situation. It’s just like an accident.

“If we miss our policy meeting in June or July, it will also affect the calendar. There are some among these candidates who applied to go to the NDA, and the NDA exam is coming up in the next two weeks.

“So, if they don’t take this exam, what it means is that they will also miss the NDA exams. So, these are all the factors that we also looked at. If we shift this exam, we may end up causing more challenges that may be worse than what we’re trying to avoid.”

Earlier in April, stakeholders had criticised JAMB’s 2025 UTME scheduling that required candidates to be at their assigned exam centres as early as 6 am.

Fabian Benjamin also explained that the exercise commences at 8 am, but candidates are asked to arrive by 6 am to allow enough time for biometric verification and security checks.

He said the arrangement also prevents candidates from arriving late.

Benjamin assured that the board is taking the feedback seriously and will review the timing protocol for future UTME exercises.

“One thing we do in JAMB is that we’re a listening organisation. If you look at the nature of our inclusiveness, I don’t think there is any agency that is as inclusive as we are by way of composition of and bringing stakeholders in whatever we do,” he said.

“There is no decision we take in JAMB that we do not subject to public scrutiny. We invite people to scrutinise and look at the diverse ways and the consequences of that decision.

“This issue, we’ve looked at it after the exam. We used the same 6:30 last year. I’m not sure there was any uproar. But this year, we had a lot of resistance. I want to assure you that we will look into that, and something will be done with the next exercise.” Newscentral