Politics
Kalango Hails Wike’s Dev Strides
Rivers State Governor, Bar. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has been commended over the judicious management of scarce resources for the development of the state which has brought him accolades from even the opposition.
The Rivers State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Pastor O.D. Kalango made the assertion in an interview with The Tide in his office yesterday.
Pastor Kalango said that the level of infrastructural decay, roads, schools, hospitals which Wike inherited from the past administration could overwhelm anybody but not the steel-hearted like Governor Wike.
According to him the Governor who refused to be daunted with pressing needs in the state went ahead to confront road construction, rehabilitation of hospitals and re-introduction of boarding facilities to boost education in the state, even with the lean resources that greeted his administration.
Kalango described Wike as a man ready for governance as a full-blood Rivers son, saying that what he has achieved in one year is more people-oriented if compared to what past administration struggled to achieve for more years without appreciable impact on the lives and well-being of the entire residents of the state.
Kalango noted that there are no pot holes anywhere on the roads of the state-capital, Port Harcourt and praised the governor’s vision for re-introducing traffic lights on the highways for effective control of vehicular movement.
Pastor kalango while calling for total support for Wike administration noted that his union, NURTW is partnering the government to boost the state revenue base through collaborative effort with the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue.
He said that the NURTW has held fruitful deliberation with the commissioners for Transport, Environment and Urban and Physical Development to map out the way forward, particularly on how to decongest the major highways in Port Harcourt metropolis for free flow of vehicular traffic.
The state NURTW boss who was quick to observe that not all commercial drivers were members of his union said that with the joint efforts of his union, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC and the Port Harcourt City Local Government Council, road users are already attesting to the fact that there is free flow of traffic in the Port Harcourt metropolis.
Speaking further on Governor Wike’s strides in the education sector, Kalango cited the upgrading of the Rivers State College of Arts and Science to full-blown Polytechnic as a step in the right direction.
He said the move would engender employment and increase the opportunities open to residents of the state to access quality education.
Kalango further described Wike as a full-blooded Rivers son who has the desire and determination to improve the lot of the people of the state through verifiable developmental strides.
Citing the recent offer of amnesty to some misguided youth who are willing to eschew militancy and brigandage, Kalango described the move as a panacea to the reign of disturbances in the state and enjoined the youths to embrace it.
He however, noted that the scope of the state governments is limited in terms of ensuring security since state governors do not control the security apparatus in their various states.
Victor Tew
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.
