Tag: Federal Government

Kano-Maraɗi rail to reach Katsina by December; completion for March 2027 – FG

Aminu Imam
Kano MaraÉ—i rail

Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Ahmed AlÆ™ali, has announced that the Kano-MaraÉ—i standard-gauge rail project will reach Katsina by December 2025 and is scheduled for full completion by March 2027. AlÆ™ali made this known on Tuesday at the 2nd Transport Summit of the Transportation Correspondents Association of Nigeria, (TCAN) in Lagos. Represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, the minister revealed that construction progress on the Kaduna–Kano and Kano–MaraÉ—i rail lines has advanced significantly, from 5 and 15 percent completion at the start of…

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FG revokes 1,263 mineral licenses over unpaid fees

Aminu Imam
FG revokes

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses. These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases. Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, yesterday in Abuja. The Minister explained that the directive was…

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FG unveils Strategic National Livestock Master Plan to boost sector

Aminu Imam
Screenshot 20250919 221955

The Federal Government has unveiled the National Livestock Master Plan (N-LMP) to address challenges in the sector and attract investments from government, development partners and the private sector. The plan was developed by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It was presented to the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, by the National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Sanusi Abubakar on Thursday, in Abuja. Maiha outlined the plan as a strategic…

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FAAC distributes ₦2.22tr to FG, States, LGAs for August

Aminu Imam
FAAC distributes2

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed a total of ₦2.22 trillion to the three tiers of government for August 2025. The allocation was announced on Wednesday at FAAC’s September meeting in Abuja, chaired by Minister of Finance, Wale Edun. According to the Ministry of Finance, the revenue shared came from a gross total of ₦3.63 trillion, comprising statutory revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and exchange rate differences. Breakdown of Allocation shows Federal Government – ₦810.05 billion; State Governments: ₦709.83 billion; Local Governments:…

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Nigerians dismiss FG’s claim of ₦330bn cash transfers as “fraudulent, baseless’

Aminu Imam
Nigerians dismiss

The Federal Government’s claim that ₦330 billion has been disbursed to vulnerable Nigerians has sparked outrage, with citizens branding the announcement fraudulent, exaggerated, and completely lacking in transparency. Recall that the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun told newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday that the Government had paid 8.5 million households at least ₦25,000 each under a World Bank–backed cash transfer programme. According to him, the payments were made through the National Social Safety-net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), funded by an $800 million facility, with beneficiaries identified…

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FG to provide nutritious meals to 100,000 displaced children in the North

Aminu Imam
FG to provide meals

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding, Dr. Yetunde Adeniji, has unveiled the Federal Government’s initiative to feed 100,000 displaced children in the Northern region.  During a familiarisation tour, Adeniji sought the support of Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule and the Emir of Borgu Kingdom, Mohammed ÆŠantoro, to facilitate the programme. Adeniji disclosed that the government aims to kickstart the feeding initiative with 5,000 displaced children in the initial phase, with plans to progressively increase the number to 100,000. The statement issued by her media team in…

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FG adds Chinese language, Mandarin to schools curriculum

Aminu Imam
FG adds Chinese

…Gives reason The Federal Government has approved the introduction of the Chinese language into the Senior Secondary School curriculum, with the policy set to begin in the 2025/2026 academic session. The move comes after a review of the Basic and Senior Secondary Education Curriculum by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), under the Federal Ministry of Education. With this change, Chinese will now be offered alongside French and Arabic as part of the foreign language options available to students. Education officials explained that Mandarin will be optional, not…

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FG suspends 4% FOB levy on imported goods

Aminu Imam
FG suspends levy

The Federal Government has suspended the newly-introduced free on board (FOB) levy collected by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on imported goods with immediate effect. The directive, issued in a letter on Monday from Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and corresponding chairman of the Nigeria Customs Service Board, was addressed to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service. It states that the suspension follows extensive consultations with stakeholders, including trade experts and government officials. According to the ministry, the 4% FOB charge presented “significant challenges to the Nigerian trade…

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FG drags Sowore, X, Meta to court

Aminu Imam
FG drags Sowore

…Activist counters with own suit against DSS A legal battle over free speech and presidential criticism has erupted in Abuja, with the Federal Government and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore filing suits against each other — dragging global social media giants X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (owners of Facebook) into the storm. Yesterday, the Department of State Services (DSS), through the Federal Ministry of Justice, filed a five-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing Sowore of defaming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The DSS alleges that posts on…

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FG removes 5% Telecom tax on voice, data services

Aminu Imam
FG Telecom tax

The Federal Government has revoked the 5% excise tax previously imposed on telecommunications services in Nigeria, a move expected to ease cost pressures for millions of mobile users. The tax, which was intended to apply to both voice calls and data, had drawn widespread criticism from industry players and consumer advocates since its introduction under the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, disclosed that President Tinubu directed the removal of the tax during discussions on the recently passed Finance Act. The development is…

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