President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.

The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.

According to a statement issued last Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.

The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.

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“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.

“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”

Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.

The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.

The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.

As part of efforts to boost maritime security in the Niger Delta, Active Marine Surveillance and Coast Guard, a paramilitary security organisation, has embarked on restructuring through the creation of three departments.
The departments are that of Operation and Media, Administration/Finance/Provost Marshal and Business Development and Strategy.
Director General, Active Marine Surveillance and Coast Guard Command, Godwin Amare told newsmen during the presentation of certificates to heads ot the newly created departments that the move was part of the effort by the management outfit to improve Maritime security in the Niger Delta.
Amare said the newly created structures was to enable the paramilitary organization to discharge It’s responsibility to the people of the region.
“We are a private maritime support security,that support other security agency as a private organisation,so today we have a structure that we have built and for the structure to stand fame and to last longer, we have consider to issue appointment letters to the Executive Directors
He charged the new Directors in charge of the three departments to ensure both the Governments and the people of the region feel the impact of Active Marine surveillance and Coast Guard.
Amare also called for discipline among the ranks and files of the outfit, stressing that the organization will not condone any act of indiscipline while proper records must be kept always
He particularly charged the Director in charge of Administration to ensure proper records keeping as the Federal Government may one day request for it.
“The organisation has a disciplinary officer that will discipline their members,also as in charge of administration and finance what ever thing that has been given to us they know that we have admin that will manage them well not to collect money and eat them. And admin to take proper records because tomorrow if federal government want to engage us they will request for all this thing and they will do update for us to be serious
As a serious organisation,we need head of administration to take records and lastly we have the head of Business Development and strategy this is the person that on our behalf goes to other companies to strategize with them and develop business idea with them
He said the group has been working with both The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA ) NIMASA and other federal government agencies to improve security on the waterways as well as assist victims of flood disaster across the Niger Delta region
, “This is what we can do, interms of flood we can work with NEMA and we can work with NiMASA to actually coordinate the flood and do search and rescue operations“We can volunteer do that,if they absolve us” he said
The Director General further assure that the organization will ensure that logistics and necessary support needed for their operation will be made available to them.
Speaking the head administration, finance/Provost marshal,Emberru Michael assured of thei readiness
Among those presented with certificates are, Captain Emberru Michael as Director in charge of administration, finance/provost marshal, Blessing Odida for Business Development and strategy and captain Elekima as head of operation/media.

By: John Bibor

The Rivers State Government has delivered food and relief materials to Abua/Odual Local Government Area to cushion the effect of flooding.

Speaking while handing over the materials to the council chairman on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ngozi Odu, said Abua/Odual is one of the most flood-impacted LGAs in the Ahoada East and Ahoada West region.

Odu, who is the Chairman of the Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee, was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Dr. Mrs. Fortune Akpila.

She appealed to the council chairman to ensure all flood victims benefit from the relief materials.

The deputy governor said the gesture was part of Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara’s intervention to cushion the effect of the predicted flood on vulnerable communities.

The items delivered include non-food items: 200 mattresses, 200 pillows, 100 blankets, 50 bedsheets, 200 towels, 200 plastic buckets, 200 pairs of bedroom slippers, 200 creams, 200 soaps, 200 toothbrushes, 200 tubes of toothpaste, 50 packs of washing soap detergent, 200 serving plates, 200 sanitary pads, and 200 tablespoons.

“Food items:150 bags of 25kg rice, 500 bags of 10kg beans, 30 bags of 25kg salt, 40 gallons of 10-litre palm oil, 14 cartons (196 packets) of seasoning cubes, 5 cartons (300 packets) of groundnut oil, 107 bags of 25kg Garri, and 200 cartons of Indomie (40 pieces per carton).”

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, who is also  member of the flood committee, warned residents to prepare for the health consequences of the flood.

“The flood will come with a lot of things. You will begin to witness things like cholera and other diseases because of contaminated water that will be drinking,” Wachukwu said.

He announced that the State Government, through RIVCHPP, has commenced free enrollment of residents into the health insurance scheme to enable them to access free treatment during the flood period.

“We are calling on Abua people to go to the nearest health centre, to the nearest hospital to enroll free of charge so that when this flood begins to come with its attendant consequences, our people will be treated free,” he stated.

Wachukwu noted that the enrollment team is already in Abua and will cover other communities.

Receiving the relief materials, the Chairman of Abua/Odual LGA, Hon. (Engr.) Owolobe Michael Ofori, thanked the State Government for the intervention.

Ofori, who was represented by the Council Secretary, Hon. Wilson Alami Maxie, said the Council would ensure that the deputy governor’s message was communicated to all LGA stakeholders, CDCs and community leaders, particularly on the need for citizens to enroll in the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP).

The council boss appealed to the Ministry of Health to pay urgent attention to the General Hospital in Abua, which he said is offering only skeletal services.

He lamented that there was no functional secondary health facility in the entire Abua/Odual, forcing residents to seek care in Bayelsa State, while the General Hospital at Amago community remains uncompleted and inaccessible by road.

He said the relief materials would bring succour to poor farmers whose crops and homes are usually submerged.

“You can imagine the condition of the poor farmers in the villages, toiling for months to farm and the flood just comes and destroys their crops, even their habitat.

“Some communities are completely submerged.

“So, for the State Government to come with relief materials, the Abua people are very grateful,” Ofori said.

By:  Kiadum Edookor