Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has said the 114 per cent increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the president, vice president, governors, lawmakers as well as judicial and public office holders is still a proposal.

RMAFC chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, represented by a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, had presented reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State, on Tuesday. Shehu was reported to have urged the 36 states’ Houses of Assembly to hasten efforts on amendment of relevant laws to give room for upward review of remuneration packages for political, judicial and public officers.

RMAFC is saddled with the responsibility of determining the appropriate remuneration for political officeholders including the president, vice president, governors, deputy governors, ministers, commissioners, special advisers, legislators and the holders of the offices as mentioned in sections 84 and 124 of the constitution. The proposal, which was developed during ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, needs the approval of 2/3 of states assemblies before it is presented to the President for assent.

Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has revealed that the federal government is exploring strategies to boost agricultural production to combat rising food and commodity prices. The minister made the announcement during a bilateral meeting with a visiting German delegation, led by Germany's Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Svenja Shulze. Edun emphasised the importance of increasing agricultural production to address the rising cost of food items. The president has intervened in the sector to provide grain, fertilizers, and additional acreage for rice, wheat, maize, and cassava to increase output and reduce prices, ultimately reducing inflation. The trade minister also noted that the partnership with Germany aims to develop Nigeria's small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) subsector with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve access to finance for women-owned enterprises.

The Nigeria Customs Service has seized a total of 206,838 bags of rice valued at N2 billion in the last one year, data of seizures obtained by Daily Trust has shown. Daily Trust had reported how renewed rice smuggling through the country’s borders is currently threatening the federal government’s efforts towards local production. Analysis of data by Daily Trust show that the seizures were done between May 2022 to April 2023 with the highest number of seizure coming in September 2022 as the Service seized 96,312 bags of rice.

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has raised concerns over the planned relocation of critical firefighting simulation equipment from the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, Kaduna State, to Lagos. The NEF believes the relocation could have negative implications for the institution and the broader aviation sector in Nigeria. The firefighting simulators at NCAT are crucial in preparing future aviation professionals for potential fire emergencies. Relocating these simulators to an undisclosed location could jeopardize the quality of training provided to students and compromise the safety of air travel in Nigeria. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has debunked the allegations, stating that the report was false, unfounded, and pure mischief. The federal government acquired the N5bn automatic aircraft firefighting simulator for NCAT in 2019, the first of its kind in Africa.

Telecommunication users whose telephone lines have been barred due to their inability to link their numbers to a National Identity Number (NIN) have been counting their losses since Monday, April 2, 2022, following a federal government directive. Business owners who use their phone numbers for commercial activities have been counting their losses. Checks by Daily Trust have shown that affected subscribers still access the internet, send SMS and receive calls.