Nigerian Newspapers Headlines Today
Nowadays, February 16, leading Nigerian newspapers focus on various issues like the secret meeting involving the presidency and also the National Assembly to correct the mistakes in the 2016 budget as well as the sack of the director general (Budget) Yahaya Gusau for various discrepancies identified in the 2016 budget proposals among others.The Guardian reports the presidency may no longer need to remove and re write the 2016 budget to correct discrepancies identified therein following a likely secret deal involving the National Assembly and Federal Executive Council (FEC) members to correct the anomalies associated with the N6.077 trillion budget.
Still on the side effect of the 2016 budget, The Clout reports the director-general (Budget), Yahaya Gusau was sacked and replaced with Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi. The paper mentioned various discrepancies in the 2016 budget as the likely basis for his sack. Supporting this theory, a source told the Punch that: «His removal has to do with errors and discrepancies in the budget. I will assure 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 could be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation.
The newspaper reports that news of large-scale fraud within their agencies told President Muhammadu Buhari decision to sack the DGs and heads of parastatals Some of the agencies under investigation by the EFCC and ICPC include: 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 and the ICPC. The report on their misconduct is prepared for all these anti-graft agencies to act upon. „All security agencies received the list of the changed about 24 hours ahead of the formal statement. They will all be placed on surveillance until cleared. “Some of them have really appeared before EFCC and ICPC in the past eight months.
The newspaper says that underneath the arraignment, ministers dissatisfied with the distribution of figures within their ministries are to send to the National Assembly the distributions as they are preferred by them without surpassing the sums allocated to the many ministries, departments, and bureaus under them. The Sun reports on the immediate sack of the 26 chief executive officers (CEOs) of parastatals and agencies by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, February 15, after the embarrassing blunders that trailed the 2016 Budget.
Among those affected by the dismissal 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.
Their cases are under various phases of investigation. „The revelations are mind-boggling and it is sad that a few of these chief executives continued together with the impunity even after a fresh government had taken over.“ In another development, Vanguard reports that the former House of Representatives member, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has been appointed on foreign affairs and the diaspora as his senior special assistant. President Buhari has additionally approved the appointment of Mr Akabueze as the special advisor to the president on national planning.
