Politics
Why Obaseki Deserves Re-Election – Shaibu
Edo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Philip Shaibu, has called on the people of the state to support Governor Obaseki’s reelection and ignore all the lies of the opposition.
Shaibu in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Benjamin Atu, in Benin City, said: “Even the fiercest critics and rivals of Obaseki have acknowledged that Obaseki is not corrupt and he has efficiently deployed the resources of the state to impact upon the lives of those who need government the most.
“Those who hold contrary opinion about the achievements of the Obaseki’s administration are doing so out of ignorance of what’s happening in the State. Obaseki is a legend in terms of performance and a Saint in terms of management of the State resources”, the deputy governor said.
He revealed how the Obaseki’s administration was able to cushion the effect of Austerity Measure that was allegedly created by the Oshiomhole’s administration, saying, “We took over a state with huge challenge of crushing austerity measure with dwindling economic Fortunes of our people. The only way we were able to tackle it was to embark upon aggressive effort in raising entrepreneurs and building entrepreneurial spirit among the people.
“As a government, we want the poor in our midst to have access to means of production, turn them into entrepreneurs in their own right, employers of labour and masters of their own economic destiny, with the ability to turn the economic fortune of the state around for the better.
“We discover that micro credit will enable us achieve our objectives faster because micro-credit can be used to benefit poor entrepreneurs as a major fillip in removing people from the poverty line. This the government has proven by various forms of Micro credit programmes to bring about their own sustained development”, Shaibu said.Shaibu said.
He explained that the objective of the Oobaseki’s administration is to achieve the happiness, economic enhancement and independence of the poorest, the weakest, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
“Obaseki’s administration has penetrated into the grassroots through meeting financial obligations of businesses. This he has done because; regular financial institutions owing to their nature cannot put down funds for low income business.
“In the absence of alternative funds for this group of people, the Obaseki government took it as a social responsibility and obligation, to provide them with necessary credit as we cannot continue to neglect them, considering the fact that they are in the majority”.
Shaibu emphasised that one of the major achievements of this poverty alleviation programme is that it was carefully packaged to meet the desire of the people at the grassroots, people who have never experienced direct benefit from government in any form.
“All cruelty springs from weakness. The ongoing cruelty they are doing is scrabbling for power in order to deprive the Edo Central people of their chances. Obaseki is left with one term as a Governor when reelected but Ize-Iyamu will seek for a two terms in office as a Governor and the people of Edo Central may wait forever for their time to be Governor if Ize-Iyamu is allowed to have his way”.
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.
