Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a new security cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration in military operations, training, intelligence sharing, and joint activities.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, signed on behalf of Nigeria, while Dr. Khaled H. Al-Biyari represented Saudi Arabia.

Matawalle described the agreement as “an important step that will further enhance security operations in Nigeria.”

The pact comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with student abductions, bandit attacks, and threats posed by Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North.

The agreement will run for five years before review, and either country may withdraw after giving a three-month notice.

Security experts, including Dr. Riyauddeen Zubairu Maitama, say the partnership could significantly boost counterterrorism efforts, stating that Saudi Arabia is among the countries making major contributions in that field”.

President Bola Tinubu has set up a high-level committee to resolve the issues around the federal government debt of about ₦4 trillion owed to federal contractors.

This is as the President declared that he is not happy about the situation.

The position of President Tinubu was made known on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, while addressing newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.

According to Onanuga, the DG (Director-General) of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, told the President that about 2000 contractors are being owed money, and this made the President very, very upset.

To this end, Tinubu set up a committee to look into the situation and proffer a solution.

“He made it very, very clear he is not happy and wants a one-stop solution.

“An important highlight in the course of the FEC meeting is that the President expressed very, very grave displeasure about the fact that contractors are being owed money.

“The DG (Director-General) of the Bureau of Public Procurement actually told the President that about 2000 contractors are being owed money and this made the President very, very upset.

“So the ministers are going to look into the problem to really find a solution, to find the money to be used in paying the contractors,” Onanuga said.

Naija News understands that the members of the committee are the Ministers of Finance (and Coordinating Minister of the Economy), Wale Edun; Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Works, Dave Umahi; Education, Olatunji Alausa; Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa; and Marine & Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, along with the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Kurfi; and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji.

“All of them are supposed to sit down, develop a plan as a committee, meet as a committee, and then go to the president to tell him the solution they have found in allocating funds to pay contractors,” Onanuga added.

Onanuga added that following the briefing to the council by the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, President Tinubu directed the committee to look into the problem and recommend how the debts can be settled.

“The mandate is to find the money and fix the problem of paying contractors.

“We need to look at problems. What has been causing this problem? Why have we had the FIRS (Federal Inland Revenue Services) saying we are getting more money and so on, yet we are owing contractors? What could be the cause of this thing?

“That’s why he set up a multi ministerial committee to look at the problem. He even said that, as a sovereign country, we can go and borrow to pay those contractors. But I think by the time those on the committee meet him today (Wednesday), I think we will find a solution,” he explained.

It would be recalled that contractors under the aegis of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) started a non-stop protest at the ministry last Tuesday over debts being owed by the Federal Government.

They accused the federal government of attempting to push them out of business.

The Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman, ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Mr Timothy Kabba, has called for zero-threat tolerance against unconstitutional change of government among the member states.

Kabba made this known during the opening ceremony of the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers that started from Wednesday, December 10, to Friday, December 12 in Abuja.

This, according to him, is against the backdrop of the recent military incursions, humanitarian crises, and emergency declarations in several member states.

Kabba said, “We must remain united, vigilant, and decisive in upholding a zero-threat stance of ECOWAS against unconstitutional changes of government.

“Our commitment must translate into timely reactions, measured responses, and strengthening preventive mechanisms.

“We will continue to be committed to constructive engagement with Member States that are presently in transition.

“Our objective is not to isolate the state, but to foster a credible, inclusive, and time-bound return to democratic governance.

“We will speak with a unified voice, guided by our protocol on democracy and good governance, to ensure the swift restoration of constitutional order and the preservation of our regional principles without compromise.”

He urged the participants to approach the 95th Ordinary Session with renewed dedication, optimism, and a spirit of cooperation and determination to achieve the desired goals.

He decried the security and governance challenges confronting the sub-region, saying that there should be a collective determination to safeguard peace, protect democratic institutions, and ensure that the aspirations of citizens for stability and development are not derailed.

He revealed that the council plans to, over the course of the meeting, examine memoranda and comprehensive reports, to gain an in-depth understanding of the community’s current state and identify areas for enhancement.

In his goodwill message, the President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, urged the ministers to examine the various memoranda that required their collective decision and full consideration.

He said that such included an annual work programme, budget of the community institutions, financial situation of the community, status of implementation of the community levy protocol, report of the Monitoring General of ECOWAS Institution, and the Audit Committee.

Touray said, “We will be presenting for information, memoranda on the status of implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), including the work of the Task Force on the scheme, and memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency.

“The council will also be briefed on the financial situation of the West African Power Group, our flagship regional electricity market platform currently facing challenges, on account of debt owed by national electricity companies.”

He disclosed that ECOWAS had appointed Alhaji Aliko Dangote, its Pioneer Chairperson of the ECOWAS Business Council, in view of his vast experience in business within our sub-region and across Africa, to promote intra-regional trade and investment.

In her welcome remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, urged the ministers to come up with decisions that will help shape the recommendations to be submitted to the Authority of Heads of State and Government.

“We must remain steadfast in defending constitutional order, promoting inclusive political dialogue, and supporting credible transitions that reinforce stability.

“Our region’s future depends on deepening intra-regional trade, strengthening value chains, facilitating investments, and creating opportunities for the over 400 million people, especially young people of 25 years and below, who constitute about 65 per cent of the population.

“They no doubt rely on ECOWAS to chart a path toward progress; your deliberations over the course of this 95th Ordinary Session are, therefore, of utmost importance,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

(NAN)