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JUST IN: Tinubu Approves N50,000 Uplift Grant For 3.6m Nigerian Families

Published

2 days ago

June 27, 2024

President Bola Tinubu has approved an uplift grant under the National Construction and Household Support Programme for 3.6m Nigerian families.

This initiative will deliver N50,000 to 100,000 families in each state for three months.

The disbursement of the Tinubu uplift grant to families will occur over a three-month period, according to presidential spokesman Chief Ajuri Ngelale.

This initiative is part of the National Construction and Household Support Programme.

Full Statement on the National Construction and Household Support Programme

“To boost agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy by creating opportunities in the real sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, as well as provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme to cover all geo-political zones in the country.

“Under the programme, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, is prioritized.

“Other road infrastructure projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is underway, and the Trans-Saharan Highway, which links Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja, are also prioritized.

“The President has also approved full counterpart financing for Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway; to traverse Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno, as well as for the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway; which will traverse Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano.

“The Sokoto-Badagry road project is specially prioritized for its importance as some of the states it will traverse are strategic to the agricultural sustainability of the nation.

“Within the Sokoto-Badagry Highway corridor, there are 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams spread across six states, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land.

“In addition, other items under the National Construction and Household Support Programme include:

(1) One-off allocation to states and the Federal Capital Territory of N10 billion for the procurement of buses and CNG uplift programme.

(2) Delivery of N50,000 uplift grant each to 100,000 families per state for three (3) months.

(3) Provision for labour unions and civil society organizations.

(4) Deployment of N155 billion for the purchase and sale of assorted foodstuff to be distributed across the nation.

“Speaking during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja, President Tinubu urged state governors to work together to meet the needs of citizens, stating that he is willing to provide the needed support to ensure that Nigerians are relieved of hardship.

“While emphasizing the urgency of boosting food production, the President noted that the Sokoto-Badagry Highway is a pivotal project as the states within this axis form the food belt of the nation, and with Badagry being an important artery for food export.

“Our states must work together to deliver on the critical reforms required of us to meet the needs of our people. Time is humanity’s most precious asset. You can never have enough of it. It is getting late.

“We are ready and able to support you in the form of the mechanization of your agricultural processes and the provision of high-quality seedlings.

“We are prepared to provide solar powered irrigation facilities to support our farmers across seasons, but we must now produce. We must produce the food our people eat, and it will require coordination and intentionality between members of the National Economic Council (NEC).

“There is nothing we are doing that is more important than producing high-quality food for our people to consume, buy, and sell. We create jobs in the production of it. And that is before we generate wealth by exporting the excess. It is not beyond us to achieve this for Nigerians.

“How much support do you need from me and in what form? I am prepared to provide it. But we must achieve the result. We must deliver on our targets at all levels. Please report back following your consultations and submit to my office within seven days,” President Tinubu said.

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Executing Four National Budgets Concurrently A Recipe For Disaster – Peter Obi Chides Tinubu

Published

15 hours ago

June 29, 2024

Editor

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has faulted what he described as a concurrent implementation of four national budgets by the Nigerian government, saying that it is a recipe for chaos, confusion, and catastrophe.

In a post on his X handle on Saturday, Obi said it is a blatant disregard for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability.

The former Anambra State Governor also stated that the government’s action will lead to frivolous items in the approved budgets competing with essential projects for limited resources, further exacerbating the suffering of the Nigerian people.

He wrote: “All available evidence has confirmed that the Nigerian government is implementing four national budgets concurrently. This is in blatant disregard for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability.

“It is also a recipe for chaos, confusion, and catastrophe.

“This intentionally reckless action will lead to frivolous items in the approved budgets competing with essential projects for limited resources, further exacerbating the suffering of the Nigerian people.

“It indicates that the Leaders are out of touch with reality and lack the competence to manage our nation’s finances effectively.

“Unfortunately, this deliberate act of fiscal recklessness is being undertaken by elected representatives of the people, thereby betraying one of the cardinal pillars of democracy. Leaders are elected to responsibly manage public resources in an organized way.

“I respectfully appeal and in fact, demand that this situation be reversed immediately in preference for a more responsible and transparent approach to budgeting.

“We must prioritize the needs of the Nigerian people, not the selfish interests of a few.

“This is a call to action for all Leaders to desist from actions that will further drive the country into economic chaos.

“Neither the National Assembly nor the executive has any excuse to promote or condone such unconscionable behaviour.

“We seek and insist on a nation governed by leaders who are frugal and responsible in their handling of public resources.

“This is the only way we can build a great nation.”

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Police Arrest Female Prison Officer Filmed Having Sex With Inmate In UK Cell

Published

17 hours ago

June 29, 2024

Editor

Police have arrested a woman after footage emerged of a female prison officer having sex with an inmate in an HMP Wandsworth jail cell.

The suspect was taken into custody yesterday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The video shows a prison officer engaging in sexual acts with an unidentified prisoner at the Category A jail in south-west London. The woman is seen wearing her uniform during the explicit encounter.

The footage, believed to be recent, depicts the officer first performing a sex act on the prisoner before having intercourse with him.

The incident was reportedly filmed by the inmate’s cellmate using a mobile phone. The cell’s interior is visible in the video, showing a TV and piles of clothes on a bunk bed.

Ian Acheson, a former prison governor, commented on the security implications of the incident: “If this footage is authentic, and I’ve been assured it is, the problems confronting a likely new Labour administration go far beyond overcrowding.”

The case has raised serious concerns about security protocols and staff conduct within the prison system.

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‘Too Stressful’; No Intension Of Going Back To Presidential Villa – Patience Jonathan

Published

18 hours ago

June 29, 2024

Editor

Former First Lady Patience Jonathan has said that she has no intention of returning to the Presidential Villa.

She said the stress associated with the office was too much.

Mrs. Jonathan stated this in an event on Friday.

Jonathan in a video seen by The Nation said if anybody calls her to return to the Villa, she would refuse the offer as she is now old.

She added that if God brings one out of the stress, one should be grateful to God.

“If you call me now for villa, I won’t go there. I won’t. Don’t you see how young I am? The stress is so much.

“The stress of Nigeria is so much. If God manages to bring you out of it, you should glorify God and thank him. It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.

“He has taken you there once, why do you want to go there again? Me I won’t go oo,” she stated.