Politics
Yahaya Abdullahi Slams Tinubu Govt On Budget Execution
Yahaya Abdullahi, senator representing Kebbi north, says the federal government’s handling of the 2024 budget has “eroded” public trust.
Speaking on Tuesday at the senate plenary, Abdullahi criticised the executive for failing to implement the budget and allegedly stalling payments to contractors, saying the situation poses a threat to national stability.
Abdullahi was contributing to a debate on a bill sponsored by Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun west, which seeks to amend the 2024 appropriation act by extending its capital component to December 31, 2025.
“The second reading that has been rendered on this issue by our chairman of appropriation, to me, is quite interesting,” Abdullahi said.
“First, it’s interesting because I believe that the national assembly is not being taken into confidence by the executive arm of government on this very serious matter.
“This budget should have been implemented and everything done by December 31, 2024. We extended it by another six months to the end of June this year. Right now, what is going on is that activities of the government are being stalled.”
He claimed that the situation has left contractors stranded and ministries paralysed.
“Contractors who have even succeeded in completing their projects have not been paid,” he said.
“The system that they have adopted in getting payment done centrally from the office of the accountant-general of the federation has woefully failed.”
Abdullahi added that despite the national assembly’s efforts to alert the ministry of finance and other relevant agencies, no meaningful change has occurred.
“People have committed their resources, conducted government work, did everything, but up to now their payments have been stalled,” he said.
“There are so many projects, some ministries where even no work has been done in terms of going through the appropriation processes. So I think we need to know what really is happening.
“Some people are saying that there is a cash flow problem or whatever. I mean, the credibility of this government is getting very, very down.
“Workers whose salaries have been increased — we say we are giving them N35,000 additional money, we have created minimum wage, N70,000 — nobody has seen anything.
“So I think for the purpose of its own credibility, this government has to come to explain to Nigerians what is happening.”
He urged the leadership of the national assembly to take the matter directly to President Bola Tinubu.
“I think the leadership of the national assembly should engage, even if it means going to the Mr President because the country is financially bleeding,” he said.
“People are losing confidence in the capacity of the government to deliver on its own projects and promises.”
Abdullahi, who served as senate leader in the ninth assembly, said the situation was unprecedented in his legislative experience.
“This is the third session of my presence in this national assembly. We never had this. It has never happened like this,” he said.
He also criticised the return of a “cumbersome” and centralised payment system, which he said is starving ministries of funds and crippling project execution.
“The 2024 budget — we might forget about it. It has not even started,” he added.
The bill was, however, passed after the senate suspended its rules to fast-track first, second, and third readings.
ABDULLAHI’S DEFECTION TO APC
His comments come just six weeks after he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Abdullahi was one of the Kebbi senators who defected from the PDP to the APC on May 13.
The others are Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central; and Garba Maidoki, Kebbi south senator.
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Human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, has criticized members of the Nigerian Senate, accusing them of helping President Bola Tinubu carry out actions she believes are harmful to the country.
Naija News reports that Yesufu shared her views in a post published on her verified 𝕏 account on Friday.
She argued that senators should stop presenting themselves as helpless, insisting that they are part of the system that gives the President the backing to act.
Her reaction followed comments by the senator representing Kebbi South, Garba Maidoki, who recently said he appealed to Nigerians for support because bandits were killing people in his constituency.
Responding to the senator’s remarks, Yesufu said lawmakers should not see themselves as victims of the country’s security and political problems.
According to her, they have the authority and responsibility to influence decisions made at the national level.
She maintained that members of the National Assembly are responsible for approving and supporting government actions, adding that they should be held accountable for the direction the country is taking under the current administration.
She wrote: “Senators should stop infantilizing themselves! They are not victims. They are enablers of whatever evil Tinubu is carrying out in this country.
“They are the ones giving him the power to do all the shenanigans he is currently doing.”
A recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Lokoja has overturned a previous judgment that required the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a recognized political party.
The decision, delivered on Friday by Justice Isah Dashen, has significant implications for the political landscape in Nigeria.
The court’s announcement was communicated on the same day via a social media update by Lere Olayinka, who serves as the media aide to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
This ruling arrives at a critical juncture for several established opposition parties in Nigeria, many of which are grappling with profound internal challenges. Notable among these parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Accord Party, both of which have been struggling to maintain their political relevance.
In a related development, POLITICS NIGERIA reports that a different Federal High Court in Abuja recently issued orders for the deregistration of the ADC, the Accord Party, and three additional political associations.
This directive was a result of a lawsuit initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which asserted that these parties had failed to meet the constitutional requirements necessary for their continued registration.
According to Nigerian electoral law, political parties are mandated to secure a minimum of 25 percent of the votes in at least one state during presidential elections or to win at least one elective position at the national, state, or local government levels in order to remain registered with INEC.
The court found that these identified parties had underperformed, failing to meet these crucial benchmarks during both the 2023 elections and subsequent by-elections, which raises questions about their future viability in the country’s political arena.
The presidency has officially confirmed that plans are underway to alter the current national minimum wage configuration because the current economic situation has made the baseline salary unsustainable.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, made this disclosure while speaking in Abuja on Thursday during an event organized by a group called Working People United.
According to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the present N70,000 threshold established under President Bola Tinubu’s administration in 2024 is no longer capable of meeting the practical economic demands faced by citizens across the nation.
Addressing the gathering, the president’s representative pointed out that the current fiscal environment necessitates a thorough re-evaluation of what constitutes a living baseline for Nigerian workers. Nigerian Business Directory
He noted that the “N70,000 wage, which was a milestone in 2024 must be honestly reassessed against today’s realities,” signaling a strong commitment from the executive arm to reopen discussions surrounding statutory labor compensation.
Gbajabiamila assured organized labor groups that the administration does not view workers as adversaries but rather as key contributors to the progress of the country.
He emphasized that the government plans to approach the upcoming negotiations with a high level of empathy and cooperation.
“I can confirm to you that when the time comes to begin the process of reviewing the national minimum wage, this administration will approach that endeavor not as an adversary of Labour, but as a partner,” he said.
He further re-iterated the commitment of the president to human capital development and fair treatment of the workforce.
“President Tinubu has said time and again that the custodians of the nation’s machinery deserve a fair and commensurate wage, and as you all well know by now, this is the president who means precisely what he says and does exactly what he means,” Gbajabiamila stated, defending the president’s record on labor issues.
While urging trade unions and workers to maintain a peaceful posture, the Chief of Staff maintained that sustainable national growth requires an ongoing collaboration rather than perpetual conflict.
He mentioned that “It must be said that good governance is not a performance stage by government for the benefit of a passive audience, it’s a partnership between those who govern and those who are governed.”
He also emphasized that the relationship between the ruling political class and the working population remains the most crucial foundation for industrial harmony.
“No where is that partnership more vital than the relationship between government and the working people of Nigeria,” he added.
Concluding his address, the former lawmaker appealed directly to union leaders to choose the path of dialogue over strikes and industrial actions, which often cripple the national economy.
“It is with this understanding in mind that I ask the leaders of organized labour and the members of working people united to remain what you have so often been at your finest, partners in progress rather than antagonist in perpetuity, let us choose to dialog over disruption, because as we have proved again and again, we achieve far more when we visit together than when we retreat, retreat to our separate corners,” Gbajabiamila remarked.
In a related development, Politics Nigeria earlier reported that civil servants under the umbrella of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) have already intensified pressure on the government, demanding a substantial increase to cushion the effects of inflation.
Organized labor has repeatedly argued that the current purchasing power of public servants has severely deteriorated, making an early review of the minimum wage structure inevitable. Nigerian News Subscription
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