Today, February 16, leading Nigerian newspapers focus on various issues like the secret meeting involving the presidency and also the National Assembly to fix the errors in the 2016 budget and the bag of the director general (Budget) Yahaya Gusau for various discrepancies identified in the 2016 budget propositions amongst others.

The Guardian reports the presidency may no longer need to remove and re-write the 2016 budget to correct discrepancies identified therein adhering to a probable secret deal between the National Assembly and Federal Executive Council (FEC) members to correct the anomalies associated with the N6.077 trillion budget.

The paper states that under the arraignment, ministers dissatisfied with the distribution of figures within their ministries are to send to the National Assembly the distributions as they prefer them without surpassing the amounts allocated to the many ministries, departments, and bureaus under them. The Sun reports on the immediate dismissal of the 26 chief executive officers (CEOs) of parastatals and agencies by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, February 15, following the embarrassing errors that trailed the 2016 Budget.

Among those impacted by the sack are the DGs of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON and Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Dr. Paul Orhii, Dr Joseph Odumodu and Mr Sola Omole respectively.

Still on the fallout of the 2016 budget, The Clout reports that the director general (Budget), Yahaya Gusau was dismissed and replaced with Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi. The paper cited various discrepancies as the likely reason for his sack in the 2016 budget. Supporting this theory, a source told the Clout that: «His removal has to do with mistakes and discrepancies in the budget. I could promise you that more heads will roll.»

Following the sack of the 26 DGs and heads of parastatals, The Nation reports that 10 of the sacked DGs may be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation.

The newspaper reports that news of large scale fraud in their bureaus informed President Muhammadu Buhari choice to dismiss the DGs and heads of parastatals Some of the bureaus under investigation by the EFCC and ICPC comprise: National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Bureau of Public Enterprises(BPE), National Women Development Centre(NWDC); Industrial Training Fund(ITF); Nigerian Investment Promotion Council; Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSIT), amongst others. A source told The Nation that: «At least 10 of those dismissed chief executives will likely be handed over to the EFCC as well as the ICPC. The report on their misconduct is ready for these anti-graft agencies to act upon. „All security agencies received the list of those impacted about 24 hours ahead of the formal statement. They are going to all be set on surveillance until cleared. “Some of them have really appeared before EFCC and ICPC in the last eight months.

Their cases are under various stages of investigation. „The revelations are mind boggling and it is sad that many of these chief executives continued with the impunity even following a new government had taken over.“ In another development, Vanguard reports that the former House of Representatives member, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has been made on the diaspora as well as foreign affairs. President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Mr Akabueze as the special adviser to the president on national preparation.