The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced the extension of the closure of registration for intending Muslim Pilgrims for the 2024 pilgrimage to January 31. A statement, today, from the Commission said that the extension, which was approved by the Federal Government, came in the wake of pressure mounted by stakeholders, including State Governors, religious clerics, State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, Agencies and Commissions The statement, signed by the NAHCON spokesperson, Fatima Sanda Usara, said that the extension would give an additional opportunity for individual Muslim to participate in the pilgrimage. “Consequently, NAHCON is confident that before expiration of the new deadline, with the support of its sister agencies, the Commission would have determined the total cost of 2024 Hajj. “The extension therefore provides a window for new registrants to do so and by the end of January, those who need to balance up payment would be able to do so as well. “NAHCON seizes this chance to remind intending pilgrims and other stakeholders that the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has slated 25th February as end date for signing all contracts, signaling the end of payments into IBAN accounts. “With this extension, NAHCON has barely a month to finalize payment of all Hajj deposits into its IBAN account for the 2024 Hajj. “This extension, even though overstretches NAHCON’s preparatory timeline, reflects the Commission’s Chairman, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi’s commitment to accommodating the concerns of stakeholders. “He expressed gratitude to religious leaders, state boards, and governors for their advocacy on behalf of the pilgrims. Malam Arabi described this collaborative effort as a testament to the shared commitment to facilitating a meaningful and inclusive Hajj experience for all. “He prayed all Hajj handlers would utilize this opportunity well for success of 2024 Hajj operations.”
The Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education has moved to involve the Department of State Service (DSS) and other relevant bodies to investigate the suspected underhand business being done by Universities in the Republics of Benin and Togo. This is coming on the heels of the ministry’s suspension of Degrees offered by the universities in the two countries, suspected to be “unworthy.” The spokesperson for the Ministry, Augustina Obilor-Duru, in a statement today, January 2, confirmed the report detailing how a degree was acquired from a university in Benin Republic within six weeks. According to Augustina, accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo have been suspended until investigations are concluded by the body being constituted. She stressed that the discovered development confirmed the suspicions that some Nigerians have been deploying nefarious means and unconscionable methods to get Degrees with the end objective of getting graduate job opportunities for which they are not qualified. “The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and with effect from 2nd January 2024 is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo Republics pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the two countries, the ministries responsible for Education in the two countries as well the Department of State Security Services (DSS), and the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).” The ministry called on Nigerians to assist in providing information to help the committee as it seeks lasting solutions to prevent future occurrences. “FME has been contending with the problem including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets. “Periodically, warnings have been issued by the Ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators. The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes, and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials.”
Government of Saudi Arabia has issued a new registration for Muslims visiting the country to perform hajj, insisting that worshippers visiting the two holiest Mosques in Macca and Madina should wear facemasks as a precautionary measure. This is coming days after the kingdom announced the detection of a new variant of COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had designated JN.1 as a “variant of interest” earlier this month, due to its rapid spread around the world. The UN agency said that the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is “currently evaluated as low”, based on the available data. It added that current vaccines still offered protection against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants. JN.1 is a descendant of Omicron and its symptoms appear to be similar to other variants, such as having a sore throat followed by congestion, according to specialists. The Saudi General Directorate of Public Security said, in a social media post, that wearing masks at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque and their courtyards would help prevent the transmission of diseases. The kingdom’s Public Health Authority said that it had identified the local spread of the JN.1 variant of COVID-19, which accounted for 36 percent of the cases in the country. However, it said that there is no cause for alarm, as the variant had not led to any increase in admissions to intensive care units. The authorities said that they have eased pandemic-related restrictions, allowing different businesses and activities to resume. Earlier last year, about 1.8 million Muslims performed the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia for the first time in three years, after the pandemic had limited the number of pilgrims. Millions of Muslims from inside and outside Saudi Arabia visit the Grand Mosque, Islam’s most sacred site, in Mecca every year to perform Umrah or minor pilgrimage and offer prayers. Many of them also travel to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. Meanwhile, the Kingdom said it expects about 10 million foreign Muslims to perform Umrah during the current season, amid facilities for overseas pilgrims.
The first baby of the New Year, a male, named Baby Boluwatife Johnson, was born at 12.03am today, January 1, at the National Hospital in the nation’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. On hand to welcome the baby into the world was the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. She was accompanied by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima; Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye; wife of the minister for works, Mrs. Umahi and the wife of the Minister of State for Defence, Mrs. Bello Matawalle. The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Mohammed Raji Mahmood, who received the First Lady and her team, expressed the appreciation of the hospital for the visit. He seized the opportunity to appeal for more help to sustain the legacy of the hospital. Senator Oluremi Tinubu also took time off to visit other babies that were born in the hospital. She distributed gifts to them, including a set of conjoined twins. Senator Oluremi called on expectant mothers to prioritize their health and seek to know their HIV/AIDS status. According to her, this will enable them prevent mother to child transmission of the disease and help themselves stay healthy. She appealed to well meaning Nigerians to join forces with Government to adopt hospitals and wards to improve the healthcare delivery in the country as government alone cannot do it. “I urge nursing mothers to take adequate care of their babies, ensure that they are immunized as and when due, practice exclusive breastfeeding and provide them with adequate nutritious and healthy weaning food for their brain development”. “Expectant mothers should always take antenatal and postnatal care seriously, maintain basic hygiene at home, space their births, register their babies with the National population Commission, NPC and make efforts to enroll them in school at the appropriate age. The First Lady said that her foundation, Renewed Hope Initiatve (RHI) is working in collaboration with the UNICEF to see that all births in Nigeria are registered in order to ensure the rights and protection of all children. She said that her Initiative, the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI is ready to lend a helping hand to facilitate the surgery to separate the conjoin twins.
The Chief Executive Officer of S. J Deluxe and Suites in Okene, Kogi State, Alhaji Salawu Jimoh has claimed that the most exciting thing about the New Year that began today, January 1, is the fact that Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over the mantle of leadership as Governor in a matter of days. In a New Year message, Alhaji Salawu described the New Year and the coming of Ahmed Ododo as the new beginning and hope for the people of the state. “Indeed, the most exciting things about this new year is the incoming administration of hope and joy for the state. “I have no doubts that the incoming administration of Ododo will add great values to the state’s and individual’s living standards.” Alhaji Salawu attested to the fact that the incoming Governor is an easy going leader with a vision and mission that will transform the state for better, in terms of economic transformation. The businessman felicitated with the people of the state, who he said are peaceful, unique, hardworking and understanding.
Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial Area, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has charged the youths to begin to ask questions about what their governments are doing with the resources at their disposal and on other issues. She said: “Nigerian youths, let 2024 be a year you take charge of your government. Question the numerous MoUs and contracts entered by foreign investors and the Federal/State governments. That’s how unqualified Shell companies are uncovered and we can avoid another SolGas, GINL Ajaokuta steel & Delta steel mishap. “Critique our bilateral agreements and treaties. “Some are meaningless, obsolete, and sovereign traps. Help Nigeria escape from neocolonialism!!!” Senator Natasha, in a New Year message she posted on social media platforms, asked the youths to demand monthly question-and-answer sessions with the President (Bola Tinubu). “Share your developmental ideas and public opinions. He is your president till 2027 so you might as well begin to make the best use of him for you!!! Remember Nigeria is ours to fix.” She wrote: “as we enter into the New Year, many do the usual: “thank God for keeping me alive, for my healthy children, for the house I built”. Personally, I have a lot to be grateful for this year. I survived a ghastly motor accident on the 14th of April 2023, after being rigged out of the Senatorial elections I overwhelmingly won. Gratefully the courts bided me justice on the 31st of October 2023. Indeed, 2023 was quite a remarkable year but we can’t help but think about the suffering lot and those who died only to assume that God loves them less. Two recent unfortunate incidents come to mind, the Tudun Biri Kaduna drone strike of the 3rd December 2023 where 88 innocent people were killed by an erroneous military air attack. Shouldn’t have happened at all. Then the Black Christmas for residents of Bokkos and Barkin communities in Plateau where over 150 people were killed by terrorists. The image of the crying baby strapped on her dead mother’s back still haunts!!! Today, millions of Nigerians live in the despair of poverty and joblessness amidst the high cost of living. Quality basic education is a luxury and our women are still held hostage for want of settling maternity bills in poorly fit healthcare facilities. The roads… oh the roads are death traps and playgrounds for bandits and kidnappers. Yes, I can… and so can you… as well as the President. We can fix the problems ourselves and rebuild the Nigeria of our dreams. How about starting off 2024 by making a resolution for accountability? On grounds of negligence, we can call for the sack and prosecution of the Army commandant who ordered the Tudun Biri air strike. We can call for the sack of the Plateau State Director of DSS and Commissioner of Police for gross incompetence over the killings in Plateau. Fellow Nigerians, you are mostly young, smart, and intuitive; there lies your power… let 2024 be a time you show yourself changing narratives in well-defined civil spaces. I, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will walk with you! Let 2024 be a year you unleash your potential. Nigeria’s music industry wasn’t established by the government but by ordinary citizens webbing an ecosystem responsive enough to own their space in the world. Afrobeats thrives!!! P Who says you can’t do same with Science and Technology what you did to the music industry? Who says you can’t revolutionise alternative medicine in the wake of the pharmaceutical giant’s departure from Nigeria? In the past two weeks, I watched the NAFDAC DG and Sen. Aminu Abbas, Chairman Committee on Science and Technology make strong cases to support startups and clinic research in furtherance of alternative medicine. The next big pharma could be Nigerian!!! Let our specialised TechHubs be your playground. Station F of France, STING of Stockholm,Botswana Innovation Hub… brace up innovators!!! Nigerian youths, let 2024 be a year you take charge of your government. Question the numerous MoUs and contracts entered by foreign investors and the Federal/State governments. That’s how unqualified Shell companies are uncovered and we can avoid another SolGas, GINL Ajaokuta steel & Delta steel mishap. Critique our bilateral agreements and treaties. Some are meaningless, obsolete, and sovereign traps. Help Nigeria escape from neocolonialism!!! Demand monthly question-and-answer sessions with your president. Share your developmental ideas and public opinions. He is your president till 2027 so you might as well begin to make the best use of him for you!!! Remember Nigeria is ours to fix. Remember the dead of yesterday could be us tomorrow. Remember politicians’ promises are only as real as you make them by demanding accountability and recalling the unperforming amongst us. In 2024, intentionally critique the budget … follow the money… monitor the contracts. Know that every single kobo borrowed to fund the budget is a debt on all of us including the unborn children. So treat governance seriously. Your democratic rights don’t end at the polls… it starts there. Be involved, we shall work with you!!! So as we thank God for making us see this New Year, let the lives of those who died not be in vain. As we give thanks for the health of our children, remember the children in the kidnappers’ dens. While we thank God for the new houses we moved into or built, remember those rendered homeless by the flood and insurgencies. Be concerned and emphatic about the situations in other states and regions because as we are all bound in poverty and insurgencies ; we shall also be bound in the successes of our innovators and industrialists. Finally, please learn to apply the Law of Attraction internationally to your daily life because you are your own self programmer. I did this from childhood long before I knew the philosophy existed and it worked. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho are good books to read free on the net. Unambiguous determination sets in motion series of events that would work in your favor. I’d love to practice this with you all. So let’s leave the fears and tears of 2023 and intentionally seek a prosperous 2024. Happy New Year resilient Nigerians Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan Kogi Central
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ezenwo Nyeson Wike, has called on the residents of the capital city to support his move to fast track the development of the city by promptly paying their taxes. In a New Year message today, January 1, the minister declared: “your support and cooperation, especially in the prompt payment of taxes, and active participation in the overall development of the FCT are invaluable.” Wike asked the residents to join hands with him to build a stronger, more prosperous and harmonious capital city in the New Year and beyond. Read the full text of the minister’s address: 1. On behalf of the FCT Administration, I extend my warm and heartfelt greetings to all the residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as we usher in the New Year, 2024. 2. We thank the Almighty for the gift of life to witness the dawn of a new year and pray that He guides us through it successfully, meeting all our aspirations and goals. 3. Let me begin by saying that the successes recorded in 2023 under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the promises inherent in the Renewed Hope Agenda will serve as a blue print as we implement our development agenda for the FCT. 4. The promises embedded within the Renewed Hope Agenda resonate deeply with our aspirations for the FCT as they encapsulate our dedication to enhancing infrastructure, inclusive growth, and fostering a sustainable environment conducive to economic empowerment and social well-being. 5. Over the past few months, we have made significant strides in various sectors, propelled by a commitment to excellence and innovation. Our efforts have been directed towards enhancing infrastructure, ensuring effective urban planning, bolstering healthcare facilities, improving education, and creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. 6. In the year ahead, we will commit to implementing robust policies and initiatives that will bolster the development of the FCT and ensure that it continues to thrive as a model of excellence in all ramifications. 7. In line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, our development plans for the Federal Capital Territory for 2024 encompasses several key areas including the following: i. Infrastructure Development: We aim to continue on our current course of accelerated infrastructural development including road construction, public transportation with re-opening of the Abuja Metro System and the expansion of essential amenities such as water supply and electricity to meet the demands of the ever increasing FCT population. ii. Economic Empowerment: we remain committed to fostering economic growth involving the creation of an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, promoting entrepreneurship, and initiating programs that provide employment opportunities for our youth. We intend especially to focus attention on the tourism sector which hitherto had remained largely untapped and which has the potentials of being a major revenue earner for the FCT. iii. Social Welfare: We are dedicated to advancing social welfare programs that prioritize healthcare, education, and housing, ensuring that every resident has access to essential services and quality living conditions. We will intensify efforts to enhance educational institutions, equip our youth with the necessary skills, and create opportunities for their holistic development. iv. Sustainable Development: we are also determined to promote sustainability practices that preserve the environment, such as green initiatives, waste management, and renewable energy projects. We are also dedicated to implementing robust urban planning and renewal strategies and initiatives which includes the removal of shanties and slums and a renewed commitment to adherence to the dictates of the Abuja Masterplan. v. Community Engagement and Inclusivity: We also recognize the importance of engaging with our diverse communities and fostering inclusivity. Hence, we will continue to prioritize dialogue, participation, and collaboration with residents to address their needs effectively. vi. Security: I wish to reaffirm the Administration’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the security and well-being of all residents. Security remains a top priority, and we will continue to support the efforts of the security agencies in keeping the FCT safe. While we will remain vigilant and responsive by adapting to evolving threats, I equally call on residents to play their roles by cooperating with security agencies by providing much needed information should the need arise. 8. As we embark on this journey into the New Year together, I urge all residents of the FCT all to join hands with the Administration in our efforts to build a stronger, more prosperous, and harmonious capital territory 9. Your support and cooperation, especially in the prompt payment of taxes, and active participation in the overall development of the FCT are invaluable. 10. Finally, I wish also to enjoin all residents of the FCT to rally behind and support the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This transformative vision is poised to bring about positive change and elevate our nation to new heights. 11. President Tinubu’s commitment to good governance, economic prosperity, and social development aligns seamlessly with our collective aspirations for a better Nigeria and a Federal Capital Territory which will be the pride of all of us. 12. I once more wish you and your loved ones a joyful, peaceful, and prosperous New Year! EZENWO NYESOM WIKE CON HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY.
President Bola Tinubu has made it clear that he would remove any human or material impediment to the target he set to get Nigeria back on economic development tracks. He said: “I will fight every obstacle that impedes business competitiveness in Nigeria and I will not hesitate to remove any clog hindering our path to making Nigeria a destination of choice for local and foreign investments.” In a nationwide broadcast today, January 1, 2024, President Tinubu acknowledged that no meaningful economic transformation can happen without steady electricity supply, saying: “in 2024, we are moving a step further in our quest to restart local refining of petroleum products with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall fully come on stream.” The President said that as a way of ensuring constant food supply, security and affordability, “we will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops. We launched the dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme. “In this new year, we will race against time to ensure all the fiscal and tax policies reforms we need to put in place are codified and simplified to ensure the business environment does not destroy value. On every foreign trip I have embarked on, my message to investors and other business people has been the same. Nigeria is ready and open for business. “In my 2024 Budget presentation to the National Assembly, I listed my administration’s 8 priority areas to include national defence and internal security, job creation, macro-economic stability, investment environment optimization, human capital development, poverty reduction and social security. Because we take our development agenda very seriously, our 2024 budget reflects the premium we placed on achieving our governance objectives.” Read the full text of the President’s nationwide broadcast: Dear Compatriots, It gives me immense joy to welcome each and everyone of you – young and old- to this brand new year 2024. We must lift up our hands to Almighty God, in gratitude, for His grace and benevolence to our country and our lives in the year 2023 that has just gone by. Though the past year was a very challenging one, it was eventful in so many ways. For our country, it was a transition year that saw a peaceful, orderly and successful transfer of power from one administration to another, marking yet another remarkable step in our 24 years of unbroken democracy. It was a year, you the gracious people of this blessed nation, entrusted your faith in me with a clear mandate to make our country better, to revamp our economy, restore security within our borders, revitalise our floundering industrial sector, boost agricultural production, increase national productivity and set our country on an irreversible path towards national greatness that we and future generations will forever be proud of. The task of building a better nation and making sure we have a Nigeria society that cares for all her citizens is the reason I ran to become your President. It was the core of my Renewed Hope campaign message on the basis of which you voted me as President. Everything I have done in office, every decision I have taken and every trip I have undertaken outside the shores of our land, since I assumed office on 29 May 2023, have been done in the best interest of our country. Over the past seven months of our administration, I have taken some difficult and yet necessary decisions to save our country from fiscal catastrophe. One of those decisions was the removal of fuel subsidy which had become an unsustainable financial burden on our country for more than four decades. Another was the removal of the chokehold of few people on our foreign exchange system that benefited only the rich and the most powerful among us. Without doubt, these two decisions brought some discomfort to individuals, families and businesses. I am well aware that for some time now the conversations and debates have centred on the rising cost of living, high inflation which is now above 28% and the unacceptable high under-employment rate. From the boardrooms at Broad Street in Lagos to the main-streets of Kano and Nembe Creeks in Bayelsa, I hear the groans of Nigerians who work hard every day to provide for themselves and their families. I am not oblivious to the expressed and sometimes unexpressed frustrations of my fellow citizens. I know for a fact that some of our compatriots are even asking if this is how our administration wants to renew their h ope. Dear Compatriots, take this from me: the time may be rough and tough, however, our spirit must remain unbowed because tough times never last. We are made for this period, never to flinch, never to falter. The socio-economic challenges of today should energize and rekindle our love and faith in the promise of Nigeria. Our current circumstances should make us resolve to work better for the good of our beloved nation. Our situation should make us resolve that this new year 2024, each and everyone of us will commit to be better citizens. Silently, we have worked to free captives from abductors. While we can’t beat our chest yet that we had solved all the security problems, we are working hard to ensure that we all have peace of mind in our homes, places of work and on the roads. Having laid the groundwork of our economic recovery plans within the last seven months of 2023, we are now poised to accelerate the pace of our service delivery across sectors. Just this past December during COP28 in Dubai, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and I agreed and committed to a new deal to speed up the delivery of the Siemens Energy power project that will ultimately deliver reliable supply of electricity to our homes and businesses under the Presidential Power Initiative which began in 2018. Other power installation projects to strengthen the reliability of our transmission lines and optimise the integrity of our National grid are ongoing across the country. My administration recognises that no meaningful economic transformation can happen without steady electricity supply. In 2024, we are moving a step further in our quest to restart local refining of petroleum products with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall fully come on stream. To ensure constant food supply, security and affordability, we will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops. We launched the dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme. In this new year, we will race against time to ensure all the fiscal and tax policies reforms we need to put in place are codified and simplified to ensure the business environment does not destroy value. On every foreign trip I have embarked on, my message to investors and other business people has been the same. Nigeria is ready and open for business. I will fight every obstacle that impedes business competitiveness in Nigeria and I will not hesitate to remove any clog hindering our path to making Nigeria a destination of choice for local and foreign investments. In my 2024 Budget presentation to the National Assembly, I listed my administration’s 8 priority areas to include national defence and internal security, job creation, macro-economic stability, investment environment optimization, human capital development, poverty reduction and social security. Because we take our development agenda very seriously, our 2024 budget reflects the premium we placed on achieving our governance objectives. We will work diligently to make sure every Nigerian feels the impact of their government. The economic aspirations and the material well-being of the poor, the most vulnerable and the working people shall not be neglected. It is in this spirit that we are going to implement a new national living wage for our industrious workers this new year. It is not only good economics to do this, it is also a morally and politically correct thing to do. I took an oath to serve this country and give my best at all times. Like I said in the past, no excuse for poor performance from any of my appointees will be good enough. It is the reason I put in place a Policy Coordination, Evaluation, Monitoring and Delivery Unit in the Presidency to make sure that governance output improves the living condition of our people. We have set the parameters for evaluation. Within the first quarter of this new year, Ministers and Heads of Agencies with a future in this administration that I lead will continue to show themselves. Fellow Nigerians, my major ambition in government as a Senator in the aborted Third Republic, as Governor of Lagos State for eight years and now as the President of this blessed country is to build a fair and equitable society and close the widening inequality. While I believe the rich should enjoy their legitimately-earned wealth, our minimum bargain must be that, any Nigerian that works hard and diligent enough will have a chance to get ahead in life. I must add that because God didn’t create us with equal talents and strengths, I can not guarantee that we will have equal outcomes when we work hard. But my government, in this new year 2024 and beyond, will work to give every Nigerian equal opportunity to strive and to thrive. For the new year to yield all its good benefits to us as individuals and collectively as a people we must be prepared to play our part. The job of building a prosperous nation is not the job of the President, Governors, Ministers, Lawmakers and government officials alone. Our destinies are connected as members of this household of Nigeria. Our language, creed, ethnicity and religious beliefs even when they are not same should never make us work at cross purposes. In this new year, let us resolve that as joint-heirs to the Nigerian Commonwealth, we will work for the peace, progress and stability of our country. I extend this call to my political opponents in the last election. Election is over. It’s time for all of us to work together for the sake of our country. We must let the light each of us carries – men and women, young and old – shine bright and brighter to illuminate our path to a glorious dawn. I wish all of us a happy and prosperous year 2024. May God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR January 01, 2024
Former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has asked the government of President Bola Tinubu to show a clear direction of its economic policy projections “and desist from the subsisting behaviour of groping in the dark.” In a message today, December 31, to wish Nigerians happy New Year, Atiku advised the government to seize the ample time in 2024 to champion a pathway to address the acute hardship that Nigerians are going through. He regretted that because of the tough economic measures taken by the government, many companies have closed their operations in Nigeria and moved their enterprises elsewhere. According to Atiku, “with clearer policies and visions, the situation of life for Nigerians keeps getting direr. “To walk back from these throes of adversities will require a well-thought vision of National Planning that will deliberately make the common people of Nigeria the centrepiece of our development.” Atiku noted that the rising cost of food items, goods and services; the malfunction in the national economy and the degenerating state of the national and community security are all existential challenges that the citizens have to face squarely in the New Year. “Certainly, many families and businesses already know the intensity of the trying times that we are currently going through – though we could have taken a completely different pathway, had the government been smarter with their policy prescriptions.” The former Vice President acknowledged that the year 2023 had been a challenging one, but that the lessons that should be taken away from it “are what should prepare us for the future that the New Year holds.” “While I congratulate all Nigerians for witnessing this New Year, I also wish to call on everyone to double our efforts to put our respective families and businesses in good shape.”
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has assured Nigerians that the sacrifices they are patiently making in the wake of the tough economic measures taken by the government of President Bola Tinubu will soon bear fruit for them. In a New Year message today , December 31, signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, the Senate President expressed optimism that with President Tinubu on the driving seat, Nigeria is on course to regaining its enviable place in the comity of nations. “I wish to use the occasion of this New Year to congratulate our country men and women for successfully stepping into 2024. I wish to reassure you that things will turn for the better in the year 2024. Keep believing in us and we shall surely deliver on our promises. “The Executive arm of government and indeed members of the National Assembly are not oblivious of the sacrifices you are making. I still appeal to you not to lose faith in Nigeria but be hopeful and prayerful. “I want to assure you that it will not be long before you will start reaping the benefits of voting the present government to power. The president is committed, the National Assembly is intentional and the Renewed Hope Agenda is real and we will not fail you” Senator Akpabio also assured that the National Assembly under his leadership will not abdicate its constitutional responsibility but will ensure that the timely intervention in the passage of the 2024 budget in a record time is a promise kept, “and we shall ensure the judicious implementation of the budget by the Executive. “The passage of the 2024 Appropriation Bill before the end of the year was deliberate and a promise kept to pave the way for presidential assent and immediate commencement of its implementation in the New Year so that Nigerians can begin to feel the impact of the President Tinubu-led government. “We understand the plight of the average Nigerian and every decision we make is aimed at improving your standard of living and making things easy for you. We appreciate the confidence you have entrusted in the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration and we will not fail to reciprocate your kind gesture. “On behalf of my family, my constituents, the Senate and the entire National Assembly, I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.”
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