At last, Senate passes 2016 budget

After many weeks of delays and uncertainties which included disappearance and padding of the budget, the Senate has passed the 2016 Appropriation Bill into law.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly communicated the development in a series of tweets on Thursday.

Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
The #Budget2016 is hereby passed.
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Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
Senate President @bukolasaraki puts the question and Senate adjourns to 2pm today.
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Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
"We have tried to reduce the size of the budget towards getting a sustainable
#Budget2016 . " - Senate President @bukolaSaraki
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Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
The Senate will do its part in oversight and amend laws such as the public procurement act"- Senate President @bukolaSaraki
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Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
'We noted the initial hiccups of the #Budget2016 and believe the 2017 process will be better"- Senate President @bukolasaraki
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Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
Senate President @bukolasaraki says its now left to the executive arm to implement.
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Nigerian Senate
@NGRSenate 2h
Senate President @bukolasaraki appreciates all Senators for their statesmanlike behaviour towards passing the #Budget2016

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See what soldiers recovered from Boko Haram in a recent operation... lol

Nigerian troops have been conducting clearing operations to mop up remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast.

In one of the latest operations covering Abukarti, Baradili, Borgozo, Gaijaribul Abukar, kolomi, Marguba, Umarumi and Yasori areas, one of the recovered items was a dead cow.

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Troops gun down 58 Boko Haram terrorists in Borno

The Defence Headquarters on Wednesday announced that Nigerian troops killed 58 Boko Haram fighters in an operation at Musari village in Borno State.

The Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar said that 2 hand grenades and 52 motorcycles were recovered in the operation from the insurgents.

@DefenceInfoNG#Troopskilled 58 terrorist & recovered 2 hand grenades, 52 motorcycles, at Musari village.@RabeAbubakarDDIpic.twitter.com/Kp9OmYfgRE

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FG to pump in N350b to check economic recession

The Federal Government is set to pump in not less than N350b in the coming months to stabilize the wobbling economy.

This was disclosed by Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun at the end of a two day retreat for the thirty six state governors and members of the National Economic Council.

She said that the money would help to offset debts owed local contractors most of which have laid off their workers.

She added that state governors were advised to reduce the number of political appointees and aides as a means of reducing cost of governance.

“We deliberated extensively on the drop in revenue, particularly as to how it affects the state governments and their ability to pay salaries and obligations. The general resolve of the house and consensus was that there was need to bring in more cost efficiency in their operations.

“In particular, to look at the setting up of the efficiency unit within the state governments, to rationalise expenditure and, of course, to increase IGR. To that end, there was a need to generate data because data is the basis of any revenue collecting efforts.

“The federal and state inland revenue services collaborate to do joint audits to invest in revenue, relevant technology and efforts to improve collection. There is a need to develop incentives for both federal and state revenue generating agencies to ensure that there is an alignment of interest.

“There is a focus at state level on property and consumption taxes to help in improving revenue in a fair manner. Tax payer education must be intensified and to expand the tax base and ensure that there is a buy-in in the revenue collection agencies from the populace.

“State governors were encouraged, where possible, to rationalize numbers of commissioners and general political appointees and, in addition, cost control measures to be identified and implemented on an on-going basis and there was a sharing of best practices from a number of states that could be applied elsewhere.

“From the Federal Ministry of Finance in anticipation of the approval of the budget, we have virtually lined up about N350 billion which we would be pumping into the Nigerian economy in the forth coming months. We explained our rationale and the processes that we have put in place, safe guards to ensure that this money actually achieves the desired objective which is to stimulate the economy,” she said.

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Buhari in caucus meeting with APC chieftains

President Muhammadu Buhari is this Tuesday night, meeting with caucus members of the All Progressives Congress, APC at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Those attending the meeting include the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa kwankwaso, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and serving APC governors.

The meeting started around 8.30 pm.

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Importation of rice through land borders banned again

Nigeria Customs Service bans rice importation through land borders http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/03/nigeria-customs-service-bans-rice.html

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Meet Hauwa, the terrorists' wife who almost became a suicide bomber

Hauwa's story: How I almost became a Boko Haram suicide bomber http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/03/hauwas-story-how-i-almost-became-boko.html

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