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Budget Padding: Disregard Attacks from Misguided Elements Bent on Destabilising Tinubu’s Administration, Northern Group Urges Nigerians
As hordes of media and underhand wars rage regarding the allegations of budget padding against the Senate by the now suspended Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, the Northern Frontier Watch (NFW), has come forward to reiterate the innocence of the Senate, warning those bent on destabilising the current administration to desist forthwith or face the full wrath of the law.
Recall that the Senate has been embroiled in allegations of budget padding following the revelation of Senator Abdul Ningi that the sum of N3.7 trillion in the budget was not tied to any project and that the President was operating a two-faced budget that favoured the southern part of the country against the northern region.
Addressing a press conference at Arewa House Kaduna to state their position in the ongoing fiasco, the National Coordinator of NFW, Alhaji Usman Shehu faulted those casting aspersions on the Senate and described them as a flock of misled and misdirected individuals without any idea about the passage of budgets and the role of the National Assembly.
According to the press text, “the National Assembly has done nothing wrong as far as the 2024 budget is concerned. The budget went through the normal due process with all Senators in attendance. There was no violation of any of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is however, not possible that the National Assembly will approve exactly what has been submitted to it as many Nigerians have been misled to think.
“Since 1999, it has been customary for the National Assembly to include new line items in the Appropriation Bill to fund specific projects in their constituencies or take out some items that are not in the interest of Nigerians. Either ways, there is an increase or reduction in the amounts initially budgeted. Those questioning this open practice are simply stirring the hornets nest with sinister motives”.
The group further dissociated the North from the needless outbursts of Senator Ningi, stating that the allegations raised were his personal opinions howbeit misinformed hence his inability to openly defend same on the floor of the Senate. “All discernible citizens can now clearly see that Senator Ningi’s misinformed allegations were his personal opinion and not the collective stand of the Northern Senators Forum. He could not defend same on the floor of the Senate when given an opportunity. He has owned up to his shortcoming and admitted same as his personal opinion even though wrong. It is therefore glaringly evident that other unpatriotic factors might have informed his views. The Senate is a unified institution that stands at the forefront of promoting national unity, we will therefore not fold our arms and watch some Individuals foment crisis in the name of the North”.
The press text equally exposed those clandestinely scheming to denigrate the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by appearing to be attacking the Senate President and questioning his role in the budget padding saga as well as the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi.
“The attacks on the Senate President are actually a decoy to embarrass, denigrate and discredit the current administration. From plotting artificial forex crisis to staged-managed abductions, the camp of the enemy is determined and relentless to subvert the adminstration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu but they will not succeed”, the statement noted.
The press conference ended by calling on all security agencies to “clamp down heavily and mercilessly on anybody or group of persons trying to foment trouble under any guise including the self-serving, sanctimonious banner of fighting for the North”.
NFW, which is a front line civil society organisation in northern Nigeria has been relentless in monitoring and appraising policies and political developments that affect Northern Nigeria since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
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Kwara community under security cordon as Army goes after criminals

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Kwara State Government has established immediate security cordon around Babanla, a community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, following a security breach by some armed criminals.
The criminals on Friday targeted a police station, attempted to loot a few grocery shops, and a hotel in the community before they were repelled by the security forces and bold members of the community.
In a statement on Friday, the government commended the Nigerian army, gallant policemen, and community folks for the swift response to the situation.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who has been in constant touch with the security commanders and local vigilante, has directed sustained security lockdown of the axis to neutralise the threat and ensure public safety.
“While further briefings are awaited, the Governor reassures the public that concerted efforts are being made in coordination with the Office of the National Security Adviser, to cleanse the area of the criminals,” according to a statement.
“He also urges maximum support and asks the people not to panic as security forces conduct their operations in the area.”
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Headlines
NUC Executive Secretary Lauds KU8+ Consortium as 1st of Its Kind in Nigeria

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, has commended the KU8+ Consortium for pioneering an initiative worthy of emulation by other universities in Nigeria.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 3rd KU8+ Consortium International Conference at Kwara State University, Malete, Professor Ribadu noted that as Nigerian universities are facing growing challenges, such as limited financing and rapid technological changes, institutions need to rethink and expand their core values to meet current realities and societal expectations.
The NUC Executive Secretary, who was represented by former acting Vice-Chancellor of the University to Ibadan, Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola, commended the KU8+ for fostering local partnerships through resource pooling and shared expertise, stressing that such collaborations could produce graduates capable of transforming the nation’s economic landscape.
The NUC, he said, looked forward to learning from the outcomes of the consortium’s partnerships.
In her goodwill message, the Kwara State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening tertiary institutions through strategic investments and policy reform.
“The KU8+ Consortium is proof that collaboration breeds excellence. Kwara State Government, under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, continues to invest in education in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, she said.
The Chairman of the occasion and Pro-Chancellor of Kwara State University, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, OON, described the consortium’s emergence as proof of Kwara State’s growing role as a hub for human capital development.
In his opening address, the Chief Host and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole, SAN, emphasised that no university can thrive in isolation.
He added that national development depends on constructive collaboration in teaching, research, innovation, and community engagement, which he said is one of the motivating factors for the KU8+ Consortium.
The host of the 3rd KU8+ International Conference and Vice-Chancellor of Kwara State University, Malete, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Alade Jimoh, emphasised that innovation and sustainability remain central to the KU8+ Consortium’s mission, stressing that the conference theme aligns with KU8+’s vision to collaborate, innovate, and develop society.
The conference, which had the theme “Innovation and Sustainability of Higher Education in a Changing World,” had lead papers presented by Professor Olutayo C. Adesina, a Professor of History at the University of Ibadan, who is also a British Academy Global Professor of History at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Chrisland University, Abeokuta.
Professor Adesina’s paper titled “Mainstreaming the ‘Think and Do’ Initiative into Nigeria’s Higher Education in the 21st Century: Creating Structural Opportunities and Adding Value” challenged the KU8+ Consortium to focus more on being relevant on the local level before aspiring to regional level.
Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola, on her part, emphasised the importance of higher education institutions focusing on producing graduates with the abilities to solve societal challenges.
End
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Gunmen in military uniform abduct passengers in Benue

Suspected armed men dressed in military camouflage have abducted at least four passengers from a commercial bus along the Otukpo axis of Benue State.
Zagazola Makama gathered that the incident occurred on Aug. 3 at about 10:00 p.m. near Mechanic Village in Otukpo, when a commercial Hummer bus, en route from Abia State to Otukpo, was attacked by the assailants.
Sources said that the gunmen, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, whisked away between four and five passengers to an unknown destination.
One of the passengers, Sandra Okoh, a resident of Otobi Akpa, managed to escape during the attack and was later found during a joint search and rescue operation by the Nigerian Troops.
She told the security forces that her husband, Okoh Mike, was among those abducted. She also alleged that the bus driver fled the scene with passengers’ luggage and failed to report the incident to any nearby police station.
The security forces have since launched a manhunt for the suspects and intensified efforts to rescue the kidnapped victims.
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