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Osinbajo highlights FG’s interventions in healthcare, education, others

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5 years ago

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the Federal Government has, over the years, deployed significant resources to address challenges in education and healthcare.

He said that the Federal Government was committed toward addressing human capital development and related issues in the country with the same zeal it showed in the implementation of the Social Investment Programmes.

Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the vice president virtually delivered a keynote address at the Rauf Aregbesola Leadership Colloquium 2021.

The colloquium with the theme, “Government and Big Development: Realities and Solutions for Nigeria,’’ was organised to mark the birthday of the Minister of Interior.

Osinbajo harped on the circumstances where governments might need to intervene directly, including in human capital development.

“Direct state government intervention is crucial; you cannot have such conditions such as in the country and not have some direct interventions from government.

“The point is that, for many of the challenges that face a developing economy, there is very little, immediate term profit for private actors in addressing those challenges, but of course, there are huge medium to long term social and economic gains to be reaped.

“In order to fill that gap, government must come in, government must intervene.

“This intervention in my view, are the issues of big development. How do you educate the largest youth population in Africa?

“How do you ensure healthcare for that large number of people, and all of the various issues? These are the big development issues that confront us; and we must be able to find solutions to them,”

The vice president said that the present administration, in its first budget, devoted for N500 billion to our Social Investment Programme.

He said that 500,000 young graduates were engaged in the N-Power programme, and 9.5 million children being fed daily in the school feeding programme just before COVID-19 across 34 states.

“The programme employs well over 135,000 cooks, and over 100,000 small-holder farmers linked to the programme, supplying locally sourced ingredients.

“ At some point, this translated to 594 cattle, 138,000 chickens, 6.8 million eggs, 83 metric tons of fish that are procured, prepared, and distributed every week.

“The higher outcomes for enrollment of pupils in school, retention and performance of students have all been empirically verified.

“There was also the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) – TraderMoni, MarketMoni initiatives where micro credits were offered to traders (about 2 million traders in all),” he said.

He explained that the programmes were important because they were in many ways government efforts at directly creating opportunities.

According to him, a country such as Nigeria, clearly requires a social welfare programme.

Osinbajo said that a situation where those who could work and those who had no work and the vulnerable were provided with one way of earning something and provided with opportunities was crucial.

In the health sector, he said that since the inception of the administration, it had done a few other direct social investment-type things aimed at human capital development.

“After the National Health Act was passed in 2014, the Federal Government in 2018 began including the one per cent minimum portion of the Consolidated Revenue Fund – amounting to N55 billion to fund the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

“The Fund is designed to deliver a guaranteed set of health services to all Nigerians, through the national network of Primary Health Care Centers.”

In education, Osinbajo said that since 2015 , the Federal Government had disbursed more than N170 billion in matching grants to states and the FCT under the Universal Basic Education Programme.

He said that N8 billion had been disbursed in Special Education Grants to States and private providers of Special Education, and N34 billion from the Teachers Professional Development Fund to the 36 states and the FCT.

The vice president added that the interventions were in line with the administration’s commitment of lifting 100 million people out of poverty.

He commended the efforts and the achievements of the former governor of Osun State with his socialist ideology.

“He stands out as a reason why one should at least have some socialist blood while recognising the fundamental role of markets and the public sector,” he said.

Aside the convener, other speakers and special guests at the colloquium moderated by notable broadcaster Mr Boason Omofaye, included the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the Statistician-General of the Federation, Mr Yemi Kale.

The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr Ayuba Wabba and the Vice Chairman of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, among others also featured. (NAN)

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Senate Confirms Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance

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2 days ago

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March 11, 2026

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Taiwo Oyedele
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The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance following his screening before the upper legislative chamber.

Oyedele, a tax expert and former chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, was approved after lawmakers expressed confidence in his competence and professional experience. He is expected to replace Doris Uzoka-Anite in the role.

During the screening, Oyedele said his nomination offered him an opportunity to serve the country, noting that he had built his career in the private sector before advising the federal government on fiscal reforms.

He highlighted his experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he served as Africa tax and policy leader with responsibility for more than 20 countries, adding that his work on international tax policy and economic reforms across more than 180 countries had prepared him to contribute to Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Oyedele also referenced his work as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, noting that the committee had developed several reform initiatives, including four major tax reform laws recently passed by the National Assembly to modernise Nigeria’s fiscal framework and improve revenue generation.

He further emphasised the need for realistic budgeting, improved cash management and fiscal discipline, noting that delays in payments to contractors increase project costs and undermine trust in government, while reforms in tariff structures could encourage local manufacturing, create jobs and reduce reliance on imports.

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Tinubu Approves Posting of 65 Ambassadors, Sends Fani Kayode to Germany

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1 week ago

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March 6, 2026

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President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate to various countries and international missions, comprising 31 career diplomats and 34 non-career envoys.

The ambassadors were earlier confirmed by the Nigerian Senate in December.

According to a statement issued by the State House, the postings cover diplomatic missions across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the United Nations.

Among the non-career ambassadors, former presidential aide Reno Omokri was posted to Mexico City, Mexico, while former Minister of Health Isaac Folorunso Adewole will serve as Nigeria’s envoy to Canada.

Former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau was posted to China, while businessman and former senator Jimoh Ibrahim was designated as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Also among the nominees are former Lagos State deputy governor Olufemi Pedro, who will head Nigeria’s mission in Australia, and former intelligence chief Ayodele Oke, who has been posted to France.

Other non-career envoys include Femi Fani-Kayode to Germany, Fatima Florence Ajimobi to Austria, and Nora Ladi Daduut to South Korea.

In the career category, several seasoned diplomats were assigned to key missions, including Amb. Mohammed Mahmud Lele to Algeria, Amb. Abdussalam Habu Zayyad to Senegal, Amb. Haidara Mohammed Idris to the Netherlands, and Amb. Ibrahim Danlami to Kenya.

The statement noted that the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Nigeria) has already received agrément from the United Kingdom for Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu, who will serve as High Commissioner.

France has also granted agrément for Ambassador Ayodele Oke as Nigeria’s envoy to Paris.

According to the presidency, the ministry has communicated the nominations of the other 62 envoys to their respective host countries and requested agrément in line with diplomatic protocol.

President Tinubu also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately commence the induction programme for the ambassadors-designate and High Commissioners ahead of their deployment.

 

POSTINGS OF NON-CAREER AMBASSADORS / HIGH COMMISSIONERS

S/N NAME                        MISSION APPROVED

1.   SENATOR GRACE BENT: LOME-TOGO

2.   SEN. ITA ENANG: SOUTH AFRICA

3.   IKPEAZU VICTOR: SPAIN

4.   NKECHI LINDA UFOCHUKWU: TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL

5.   MAHMUD YAKUBU: QATAR

6.   PAUL OGA ADIKWU: THE VATICAN CITY HOLY SEE

7.   VICE ADMIRAL IBOK-ETE EKWE IBAS: THE PHILIPPINES

8.   MR. RENO OMOKRI: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

9.   HON. (ENGR.) ABASI BRAIMAH (FMHR): BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

10.   MRS. ERELU ANGELA ADEBAYO: PORTUGAL

11.   BARR. OLUMILUA OLUWAYIMIKA AYOTUNWA: TOKYO, JAPAN

12.   RT. HON. UGWUANYI IFEANYI LAWRENCE: ATHENS, GREECE

13.   BARR. CHIOMA PRISCILLA OHAKIM: WARSAW, POLAND

14.   AMINU DALHATU: UNITED KINGDOM, UK

15.   LT. GEN  ABDULRAHMAN BELLO DAMBAZAU: BEIJING, CHINA

16.   HON. TASIU MUSA MAIGARI: GAMBIA

17.   OLUFEMI PEDRO: AUSTRALIA

18.   BARR. MUHAMMED UBANDOMA ALIYU: ARGENTINA

19.   LATEEF KAYODE ARE: USA

20.   AMB. JOSEPH SOLA IJI: RUSSIA

21.   SEN. JIMOH IBRAHIM: UN PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE

22.   FEMI FANI KAYODE: GERMANY

23.   PROF. ISAAK FOLORUNSO ADEWOLE: OTTAWA, CANADA

24.   AJIMOBI FATIMA FLORENCE (F): AUSTRIA

25.   MRS. LOLA AKANDE (F): SWEDEN

26.   AYODELE OKE:  FRANCE

27.   YAKUBU N. GAMBO: SAUDI ARABIA

28.   SENATOR PROF. NORA LADI DADUUT: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

29.   BARR. ONUEZE CHUKWUJIKA JOE OKOCHA SAN: DUBLIN

30.   DR. KULU HARUNA ABUBAKAR: TUNIS, TUNISIA

31.   RT. HON. JERRY SAMUEL MANWE: PORT OF SPAIN, T&T

POSTINGS OF CAREER AMBASSADORS / HIGH COMMISSIONERS LIST

S/N NAME MISSION APPROVED

1. AMB. NWABIOLA EZENWA CHUKWUMEKA: COTE D’IV/OIRE

2. BESTO MAIMUNA IBRAHIM: NIAMEY-NIGER

3. MONICA OKWUCHUKWU ENEBECHI: SAO TOME, STP

4. AMB. MOHAMMED MAHMUD LELE: ALGIERS-ALGERIA

5. ENDONI SYNDOPH PAEBI: OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO

6. AHMED MOHAMMED MONGUNO: CAIRO EGYPT

7. AMB.JANE ADAMS (NEE OKON) MICHAEL (F): KINGSTON-JAMAICA

8. AMB. CLARK-OMERU ALEXANDRA (F): LUSAKA-ZAMBIA

9. CHIMA GEOGGREY LIOMA DAVID: BAMAKO-MALI

10. AMB. ODUMAH YVONNE EHINOSEN: MALABO –E/GUINEA

11. AMB WASA SEGUN IGE: BEIRUT, LEBANON

12. RUBEN ABIMBOLA SAMUEL (F): ROME, ITALY

13. AMB.ONAGA OGECHUKWU KINGSLEY: MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE

14. AMB.MAGAJI UMAR: KINSASHA, DR CONGO

15. AMB.MUHAMMAD SAIDU DAHIRU: NEW DELHI-INDIA

16. AMB. ABDUSSALAM HABU ZAYYAD: DAKAR-SENEGAL

17. AMB SHEHU ILU BARDE: ACCRA GHANA

18. AMB.AMINU NASIR: ETHIOPIA

19. ABUBAKAR MUSA MUSA: N’DJAMENA, CHAD

20. AMB. HAIDARA MOHAMMED IDRIS: THE HAGUE-NETHERLANDS

21. AMB.BAKO ADAMU UMAR: RABAT-MOROCCO

22. AMB. SULU GAMBARI OLATUNJI AHMED: MALAYSIA

23. AMB.ROMATA MOHAMMED OMOBOLANLE (F): TANZANIA

24. AMB. SHAGA JOHN SHAMAH: BOTSWANA

25. SALAU, HAMZA MOHAMMED: TEHRAN, IRAN

26. AMB.IBRAHIM DANLAMI: KENYA

27. IBRAHIM ADEOLA MOPELOLA (F): COTONOU-BENIN

28. AMB.AYENI ADEBAYO EMMANUEL: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

29. AMB.AKANDE WAHAB ADEKOLA: BERNE-SWITZERLAND

30. AMB. AREWA (NEE ADEDOKUN) ESTHER (F): WINDHOEK-NAMIBIA

31. AMB.GERGADI JOSEPH JOHN: LIBREVILLE-GABON

32. AMB. LUTHER OGBOMODE AYO-KALATA (F): SIERRA LEONE

33. DANLADI YAKUBU NYAKU : KHARTOUM-SUDAN

34. BELLO DOGON-DAJI HALIRU: BANGKOK, THAILAND

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Tinubu Orders Suspension of Cashless Payment System at Nigerian Airports

Published

1 week ago

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March 4, 2026

By

President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced at airports across the country.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this on Wednesday, March 4, while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

According to Keyamo, the President ordered that the system be reviewed to ensure it operates efficiently without causing inconvenience to travellers.

“He directed that we go back to the drawing board, suspend the present system, and perfect a system that will work perfectly without putting unnecessary pressure on citizens,” the minister said.

Keyamo added that the review may involve collaboration with the private sector to develop a more seamless payment framework. In the interim, a hybrid system will be adopted, allowing travellers with payment cards to continue using them, while cash payments will also be accepted.

The cashless payment system was introduced this week by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria at the Lagos and Abuja airports. However, its rollout led to long queues and delays, prompting the President’s intervention.

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