Politics
Northern Govs Pay Homage To Wike
Last week, the Brick House was a Mecca of sort as many influential groups cutting across various sectors in the country came calling.
A high-powered delegation of the Northern Governors Forum, opened the floodgate on Monday.
The forum, led by its Chairman and governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima also had Katsina State Governor, Rt Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Kebbi State Governor, Senator Atiku Bagudu and Plateau State Governor, Sinion Lalong.
They came to identify with Governor Nyesom Wike for the urgent steps he took in nipping in the bud the crisis that erupted between IPOB members and some Nigerians of Northern extraction in Oyibo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The group commended Wike for his strong commitment towards national unity.
Governor Wike thanked them for coming and reassured them of his administration’s strong commitment towards protecting all Nigerians and foreigners living and doing legitimate business in Rivers State.
On Tuesday, the Primate of Anglican church, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh who was accompanied by Archbishops and Bishops also paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Rivers State as part of the 12th General Synod of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, holding in Port Harcourt.
Governor Wike stressed the need for the Church to speak up against illegal and corrupt actions of the Federal Government so as to stem the drift of the nation into an era of unprecedented crisis.
He said the fight against corruption had been politicised in a manner to oppress opponents of the Federal Government. He charged the Church to be an active moral guide and critical voice for justice.
Another critical group, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) led by its President, Mrs Funke Egbemode also paid a courtesy visit to the Brick House Landlord on Wednesday in respect of the 13th All-Nigerian Editors Conference that held in the state.
NGE President declared that Rivers State remained one of the safest and most secure states in Nigeria in spite of negative propaganda.
In his response, Governor Wike commended the Editors for choosing Rivers State as host of the conference. He charged the Editors to maintain high standard of journalism practice in the country.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu was also a guest of Governor Wike in Government House on Thursday. He intimated the Governor about plans to site Chemical Equipment and Machinery Development Institution in Rivers State.
Wike commended the Minister and emphasised the need for more investment in Science Research, noting that such steps would create employment opportunity and improve the nation’s economy.
On Saturday, the Editors embarked on project tour as promised by Governor Wike. The tour took them to major project sites across the three Senatorial districts in the State.
At the end of the tour, the President of NGE who was excited by the massive projects urged Governor Wike to sustain the tempo for the benefit of the people of the State.
Chris Oluoh
The Senate yesterday received the 2026-2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Bola Tinubu, marking the formal launch of the 2026 federal budget cycle.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, Tinubu said the submission complies with statutory requirements and sets out the fiscal parameters that will guide the preparation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He explained that the MTEF/FSP outlines the macroeconomic assumptions, revenue projections, and spending priorities that will shape Nigeria’s fiscal direction over the next three years.
The letter was read during plenary by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the document.
“It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026 to 2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the kind consideration and approval of the Senate.
“The 2026 to 2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 3, 2025, and the 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions therein,” the President stated.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the fiscal projections, pegging the oil benchmark price at $64.85 per barrel and adopting a budget exchange rate of ?1,512/$1 for 2026—figures expected to significantly shape revenue forecasts and expenditure planning.
After reading the President’s letter, Jibrin referred the document to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), with a directive to submit its report by Wednesday, December 17.
The Senate adjourned shortly after to allow committees to commence scrutiny of the fiscal framework and continue the ongoing screening of ambassadorial nominees.
Tinubu’s communication to the Senate came less than 24 hours after he transmitted the same MTEF/FSP documents to the leadership of the House of Representatives.
The letter was read on the House floor by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also urged timely legislative action as required by law.
The MTEF and FSP are statutory instruments mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and serve as the blueprint for Nigeria’s annual budgets.
They outline the government’s fiscal stance, macroeconomic assumptions, revenue frameworks, projected deficits, and sectoral priorities over a three-year period.
The Tide reports that approval by the National Assembly is a prerequisite for the executive to present the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
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