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The Economy: Disturbing Signals From Presidency
Signals emanating from and around the Presidency in recent times have not been complementary to the institution, especially as pertains to the management of the Nigerian economy. With the most acute implications is the issue of the creation of a new Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), in the face of the National Economic Council (NEC) which is provided for in Section 153 of the Constitution. President Muhammadu Buhari had recently established the PEAC under circumstances that attracted more suspicion than merit for it, in spite of the impeccable credentials of the designated members. The major plank on which public misgiving had rested was the equally trending story that the personal aides of the Vice President who is also the Chairman of the NEC, have been redeployed to operate from offices outside the immediate precincts of the State House. The two stories largely reinforce the public take that there is a rift between the offices of the President and the Vice President – a development which if true, projects the Presidency as a house divided against itself.
While as expected, the State House media team had been striving to neutralise whatever insinuations that have been generated by these strands of information, the need exists for caution to guide the Presidency as the various operatives launch one initiative after the other, many of which only heighten public sense of unease in these times. Public concern over the stance of the Presidency on the economy is justified by the harsh experiences of the first term, during which the country went into avoidable economic recession. Nigerians and foreigners alike who have stakes in the Nigerian economy easily blame the government for allowing the recession through inchoate economic policy measures made worse with wrong timing.
With the advent of PEAC, the Presidency has set for itself another challenge of convincing Nigerians that it has no agenda of vitiating the integrity of the NEC and thereby launch Nigerian economy into another season of arrested development as occurred during the first term. Given that the management of a country’s economy thrives better with transparency and orderliness in the regime of policy administration, the simultaneous operation of two economic advisory bodies hardly bodes for efficiency. Against the backdrop of the foregoing therefore, many Nigerians wondering over the legitimacy as well as utility of the new body, especially from the context of two fears. Firstly, is why create a parallel body to the constitutionally established NEC in respect of providing economic advisory inputs to the Presidency? With the Vice Presidency as its Chairman, does NEC report to any other authority beyond the President? Secondly, was the advent of PEAC playing out the script which is trending virally, on the ground that it was intended by the hawks in the Presidency to blight the political relevance of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and predispose him to irrelevance in Nigeria’s presidential political calculus for 2023. This second fear has trended to the extent of assuming the semblance of realty in many quarters, leading some governors to actually demand formal clarification from the Vice President. He in his response to them, explained that the PEAC was just a personal think tank for the President himself and has no negative effect on the NEC. Whether the inquiring governors and the Nigerian public were convinced by the Vice President, is a matter for another day.
Meanwhile, the country is yet to come to terms with an earlier Presidential directive for all Ministers to communicate with the President officially only through the Chief of Staff, Mr Abba Kyari. Needless to recall the wave of resentment it generated when that order saw the light of day, as many suspected a hidden agenda of tacit marginalisation of whoever does not fit into the good books of Kyari, as the ‘clearing house’ for the President’s attention and favours. Many had argued then whether the Vice President should also pass through Abba Kyari to communicate with the President. However, the advent of PEAC has left many permutations trending in the public domain.
Coming back to the spectacle of the PEAC against the backdrop of happenings in the Presidency leads more than a few Nigerians to nurse the fear that the economy may still be a weak link in Buhari’s second term – this time due to infighting among the key factors in the government’s engine room. While the major weak point throughout the first term of Muhamadu Buhari as the President of the country was the nation’s economy, largely due to the misreading of its features at the inception of his tenure, the prospects of having a continuation of the same malady in the second term may be a pill too bitter for Nigerians to swallow without a whimper.
Yet, the manifest concerns of the APC government at the centre, seem to focus less on the burning issue of an improved economy and more on permutations for the post-Buhari era come 2023. Many think that the circumstances that ushered in the APC into political power at the centre in 2015 and 2019 seem to have overwhelmed the party and the Presidency that they literally forget that the country’s perennial development challenge is on the economic front.
The question now is, having bulldozed themselves into power in 2015 and 2019, is the APC keen on winning the peoples’ hearts for the future? The disturbing signals from the Presidency point to a different direction.
Monima Daminabo
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS) to carry out their duties with discipline, loyalty and a firm commitment to the success of the administration and the wellbeing of the people of Rivers State.
The governor warned that any involvement in unauthorised nocturnal meetings or any conduct capable of embarrassing the government will attract immediate dismissal.
Fubara gave the warning yesterday shortly after the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Dagogo S.A. Wokoma and the new Chief of Staff (CoS), Barrister Sunny Ewule, were sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
As part of the ceremony, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi administered the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on the duo before the governor gave his charge.
Addressing the appointees, Fubara reminded them that their elevation to the new positions was a call to service and not a platform for political grandstanding or the pursuit of personal ambition.
He stressed that their foremost responsibility should be to themselves and to the people of Rivers State, stressing that their conduct must always reflect integrity, restraint and dedication to public good.
Speaking directly to Dr. Wokoma, whom he described as an accomplished academic and mathematician, the governor expressed confidence in his intellectual depth and capacity to deliver on the new assignment.
The office of the Secretary to the State Government, Fubara stressed, demands thoroughness, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility. He charged the SSG to represent the State with honour at all times.
“Your duty includes representing the state government. You need to represent us in a way and manner that will bring honour to us.
“What is important to this administration is to see that the good works that we started and the ones that we met, are concluded in a way that will bring progress and development to our dear state,” he stated.
Turning to the new Chief of Staff, the governor explained that he is expected to ensure smooth administrative coordination, managing official engagements effectively and safeguarding the image of the Government House.
He underscored the sensitive and personal nature of the role and emphasised that the position operates strictly under the authority of the governor.
Fubara stressed that the role does not permit independent political engagements or private strategy meetings without his knowledge and consent.
“Let me sound it here very clearly. Your duty is to make sure that you handle the administrative duties and image making roles perfectly well, liaising with whoever is coming for any official assignment here.
“If you involve yourself in nocturnal meetings and all those things, I will sack you. I’m very serious. What is important to me today is peace, progress and prosperity of this state. I’m not going to compromise anything for it,” he said.
The governor cautioned that involvement of the new appointees in any action capable of bringing the government or his office to disrepute would attract appropriate sanctions.
While congratulating the new appointees, Fubara expressed optimism that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
He called on all public officials to work together in unity, observing that collective success is stronger and more enduring than individual achievement.
The governor who also addressed the Permanent Secretaries present at the ceremony, directed those of them who have reached retirement age to start preparing their handover notes without delay.
The notice, he said, was not intended to scare anybody but to prepare their minds towards the inevitability of exiting the service one day and to pave way for an orderly transition.
He warned against any attempt to engage in financial misconduct or last-minute irregularities, stressing that he was closely monitoring the system to ensure strict enforcement of accountability rules.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
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