NEWS
Buhari to present 2023 Budget to NASS next month
The executive will present the 2023 federal government Budget proposal to the National Assembly by September.
Director-General Budget Office of the Federation Mr. Ben Akabueze, revealed this at the commencement of the training of Budget Officers of Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), in Abuja, yesterday.
According to Mr. Akabueze, who was represented by Mr. Fabian Ogbu, the Director Expenditure and Socials, “The Executive Budget Proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly by September 2022 pursuant to Mr. President’s directive, and in a bid to get the 2023 Appropriation Bill passed and signed into law by 31st December 2022”.
The D-G expressed displeasure over the failure of officers in charge of budget preparations in many MDAs to comply with details of Budget Call Circulars, in the past.
His words, “It has been observed however, that MDAs do not study the Budget Call Circular in detail and as such make mistakes that should ordinarily be avoided if they had complied with the relevant sections of the Budget Circular.
“To this end, one of the modules at the training will address key items and sections to note in the 2023 FGN Budget Call Circular.”
Mr. Akabueze said that the BOF decided to organise a series of engagements and stakeholder consultations with key revenue generating agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), the Nigerian Governors Forum, the National Executive Council (NEC), the National Assembly as well as the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
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He added that budget personnel were being trained to give them requisite knowledge, skills and the tools required to prepare and submit the 2023 Budget in a timely and efficient manner.
The DG Budget stated that for the 2023 budget preparation, the BOF “intends to maintain the use of the GIFMIS-BPS, adding, “We plan to leverage on some of your feedback and lessons learned from previous budget preparation exercises to improve your experience this year”.
He added that experts had been engaged to handle different aspects of the training including some fundamental budget concepts as well as hands-on training using the GIFMIS-BPS for budget preparation.
The D-G urged the participants to reflect their sectoral mandates and priorities in the preparation of the various budgets before submission to the Budget Office with the responsibility of collating and preparing the final federal government budget for submission to the National Assembly.
A helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi yencountered a “hard landing” on Sunday.
According to report, the incident took place near Jolfa, a city situated on the border with Azerbaijan, within Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, approximately 600 kilometers northwest of Tehran.
However, details regarding the incident were not disclosed.
The Associated Press noted uncertainty regarding whether bh Raisi was onboard the helicopter during the incident.
Despite rescue efforts, adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain and wind, have hindered access to the site, according to state TV.
Before the helicopter incident, President Ebrahim Raisi had been in Azerbaijan on Sunday to participate in the inauguration of a dam alongside Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
This dam marks the third joint construction project between the two nations on the Aras River.
Despite Iran’s diverse helicopter fleet, obtaining parts is hindered by international sanctions, with much of its military air fleet dating back to pre-1979 Islamic Revolution era.
Raisi, aged 63, is known for his hard-line stance and previously served as the country’s judiciary leader.
Considered a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, some analysts speculate that Raisi could succeed the 85-year-old leader in the event of his resignation or demise.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s military prevented an attempted coup on Sunday near President Felix Tshisekedi’s offices in Kinshasa, as reported by an army spokesperson.The Democratic Republic of Congo’s military prevented an attempted coup on Sunday near President Felix Tshisekedi’s offices in Kinshasa, as reported by an army spokesperson.
According to him, the plot, involving both foreigners and Congolese citizens, unfolded in the early hours outside the residence of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe in the Gombe district, close to the president’s offices at the Palais de la Nation.
General Sylvain Ekenge announced on national television that the defence and security forces had successfully thwarted the coup attempt.
He said “An attempted coup d’etat has been stopped by the defence and security forces. The foreigners and Congolese…including their leader” would “all no longer cause any harm”.
Shots were heard near the Palais de la Nation during the attempted coup, as confirmed by various sources.
General Ekenge didn’t elaborate further on the incident, and AFP’s attempts to get additional information from official sources remain unanswered.
However by late morning, the city appeared calm.
Early social media reports suggested an armed attack on Kamerhe’s residence, with some assailants heading towards the Palais de la Nation.
“This morning, there was an armed attack at the residence of the economy minister,” wrote Japan’s ambassador Hidetoshi Ogawa on X.
He stated that Kamerhe “was not harmed, but two policemen and an assailant were killed according to sources.”
France’s ambassador reported hearing automatic weapons fire in the area and advised French nationals to steer clear of the location.
Videos circulating on social media depicted individuals in military attire at the Palais de la Nation, waving flags of Zaire, the former name of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the regime of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was ousted in 1997.
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has dismissed all transition committee chairmen in the state’s 21 local government areas.
This decision was detailed in a letter titled “Expiration of Tenure and Handover to Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLGAs),” dated May 17, 2024, and signed by Collins Nwabunwanne, the state Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Community Affairs.
According to the letter, the directive will be effective starting Monday, May 20, 2024.
The letter read, “Following the expiration of your tenure as Transition Committee Chairman, you are hereby directed to handover the affairs of your Local Government Council to the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA), in your respective Local Government Councils.
“This directive takes effect from Monday, 20th day of May, 2024. Thank you for your service to the state. All replies to be addressed to the Honourable Commissioner.”
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