News

SEDC and senate oversight: A milestone or missed opportunity?

Sharon EboesomiMarch 13, 20256 min

Sen. Kalu might be well-versed in the commission’s framework but his suitability for this role is not without controversy. The recent establishment of regional development commissions across Nigeria marks a pivotal shift in the country’s governance framework. These commissions are designed to address regional inequalities, boost economic development, and facilitate much-needed infrastructural projects. Among them is the South East Development Commission (SEDC), a long-overdue initiative aimed at tackling the region’s historic marginalisation, infrastructural decay, and...

Senate

Senate summons security chiefs over Benue bandits attack

Sharon EboesomiMarch 13, 20253 min

On March 10, 2025, armed bandits posed as herders and invaded a community in Benue killing and attacking several people. The senate has once again summoned all security chiefs to appear before it next week to address growing concerns over escalating insecurity, banditry, and kidnappings nationwide. Those summoned include: Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, Chief of Air Staff,...

House of Representatives

Kings College: Reps demand urgent action on diphtheria outbreak

Leah TwakiMarch 12, 20255 min

The House of Representatives urges decisive measures to combat the diphtheria outbreak, advocating for school vaccinations and awareness campaigns The House of Representatives has called for immediate and decisive action to strengthen health and safety measures in federal unity colleges following the diphtheria outbreak at King’s College, Lagos, which led to the death of a 12-year-old student and the hospitalization of several others. In a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Rep. Akintunde Rotimi...

Senate

IPU faces tough test as Natasha-Akpabio tango goes global

Sharon EboesomiMarch 12, 20256 min

It may seem as though the controversy between Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio may not be getting off the news anytime soon. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has been thrust into the center of a growing political storm following Nigerian Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal for intervention over her suspension from the Senate. By taking her case beyond Nigeria’s borders, the embattled senator has positioned the IPU as a potential arbiter in a controversy that touches on political...

House of Representatives

Suspend new ATM transaction charges – Reps tells CBN

Leah TwakiMarch 11, 20253 min

The CBN has been directed to suspend its new ATM transaction charges pending proper engagement with relevant House Committees The House of Representatives has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the implementation of its policy on the new Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transaction charges and the stoppage of free ATM withdrawals for customers using other banks’ ATMs. It said the CBN is to suspend the charges pending proper engagement with the relevant...

Senate

Senate to INEC: Conduct by-elections in Edo, Anambra

Sharon EboesomiMarch 11, 20252 min

INEC had previously stated in January 2025 that it was waiting for an official request from the Senate before proceeding with the Anambra south by-election. The senate has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections for the vacant seats in Edo central and Anambra south senatorial districts. This call was made by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, during Tuesday’s plenary while officially declaring both seats vacant and emphasising the need...

House of Representatives

Reps move to protect human rights defenders with new bill

Leah TwakiMarch 11, 20254 min

Human rights defenders get the backing of members of House of Representatives as bill passes second reading The House of Representatives has taken a crucial step toward safeguarding human rights defenders in Nigeria by advancing the National Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill. Sponsored by Rep. Abiola Makinde (APC Ondo), who is the Chairman House Committee on Human Rights and Rep. Mudasiru Lukman (APC Osun), the bill, which passed second reading on Tuesday, seeks to establish...

House of Representatives Spotlight

SEDC: Can the new commission turn the tide for the Igbos? (1)

Elizabeth AtimeMarch 11, 202510 min

The newly established South East Development Commission (SEDC) bears a renewed hope for accelerated development of a long neglected region. Since 2017, federal lawmakers from the south-east geopolitical zone made several unsuccessful attempts to create the South East Development Commission (SEDC). However, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia) led others to reignite the effort through a bill brought forward in 2023. With the support of his colleagues...

House of Representatives

Applause as top technocrat, Njemanze, is nominated for UN award

Leah TwakiMarch 11, 20254 min

Reps Deputy Clerk, Vivian Njemanze, has been nominated by UN-POLAC for the prestigious Distinguished Woman of Peace Honour Award (DWOPHA) The Deputy Clerk (Administration) of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Vivian Njemanze, has been nominated for the prestigious Distinguished Woman of Peace Honour Award (DWOPHA) by the United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC). The nomination was announced in a letter dated February 5, 2025, and signed by the Director General of UN-POLAC, Prof. Halo B....

House of Representatives Senate

2025 budget and the new regional development commissions

Leah TwakiMarch 11, 20258 min

All the regional development commissions have largely personnel cost allocation in the assented 2025 budget except for SEDC In the recently enacted N54.99 trillion 2025 budget assented by President Bola Tinubu, the total allocation for the newly created Federal Ministry of Regional Development was N29.72 billion. The ministry was established on October 23, 2024, by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to oversee the activities of the various regional development commissions, including the North West Development...

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