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Just In: Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma-Faces Criticism Over Allocation Priorities (Details)

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Civil society organization, Policy Alert, has raised concerns over Governor Hope Uzodimma’s allocation priorities, accusing him of favoring his office at the expense of the state’s social sector budget implementation in the third quarter of 2023….CONTINUE READING....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

 

 

 

 

The group, in a statement signed by Faith Paulinus, its Programme Officer for Fiscal Reforms and Anti-Corruption, expressed worry that the governor’s office received higher expenditure preference compared to essential sectors in the state. According to their analysis of the Imo State Third Quarter Budget Performance Report 2023 (July – September), the Office of the Governor had a total expenditure of N11.84 billion, surpassing the combined capital release of N7.37 billion allocated to all other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the state.

Policy Alert, dedicated to promoting fiscal and ecological justice in the Niger Delta, highlighted a concerning trend in the high priority given to the Office of the Governor, especially noting that it had already received 95 percent of its N33.1 billion budget for the entire 2023 fiscal year in the first three quarters.

While acknowledging that expenditures for the Governor’s Office are legitimate if budgeted for, the organization expressed distress over the complete neglect of social sectors, which received zero capital release during the quarter. The statement emphasized that social sectors encompass critical areas such as Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Education, Health, Youth and Social Development, Women’s Affairs, Vulnerable Groups, Agriculture, and food security.

Policy Alert urged the state government to redirect focus to the social sector in the final quarter of 2023, emphasizing that citizens were being deprived of essential social services with only a 14 percent capital release (N4.17 billion) for the entire Social Services Sector throughout the year.

The organization underscored the imbalance between recurrent and capital spending during the quarter, with recurrent spending at N18.76 billion and capital spending at N7.37 billion. It called on the Imo State government to reconsider its prioritization, advocating for a more equitable distribution between recurrent and capital expenditures.

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“I’ve Defeated Gov. Abiodun Before And I’ll Do It Again – Senator Gbenga Daniel Issues Bold Warning”

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Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has revealed that he disregarded cautionary advice predicting that backing former Governor Gbenga Daniel’s 2023 Senate bid would backfire. According to a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, Abiodun explained that his support was rooted in mutual respect for the office of the governor, noting that he too would one day become a former governor.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Abiodun made these remarks in Abeokuta while welcoming members of Daniel’s political network and loyalists of the late Buruji Kashamu into the mainstream All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor expressed disappointment over recent political developments, pointing to the relaunch of the Daniel Foundation where the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, served as a special guest of honour. Abiodun suggested this move signaled that Daniel was operating outside the ruling party’s fold.

Reflecting on their history, Abiodun acknowledged Daniel’s status as a former leader while emphasizing his own long-standing political footprint in the state, which included being elected senator back in 1996 and 1997. He concluded by stressing that political power is a divine privilege that demands humility and responsible stewardship rather than arrogance or empire-building.

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ELECTORAL SHOWDOWN: Sensitive Materials Land At CBN As INEC Triggers Massive Osun Distribution!.

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As preparations reach a fever pitch for the upcoming election, sensitive electoral items shipped via truck from Abuja have successfully arrived at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) facility in Osogbo, ready to be deployed across all 30 local government areas.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The development increased the number of candidates for the governorship election from 14 to 15.

The additional printing exercise is believed to have affected the original timetable for moving the sensitive materials to the local government areas.

Once the offloading process is completed, the materials are expected to be distributed to the 30 LGAs before being moved to polling units ahead of voting.

Sensitive election materials typically include ballot papers, result sheets and other documents required for the conduct and collation of election results.

The arrival of the materials comes less than 48 hours before voters across Osun State head to the polls to elect the next governor.

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PAYROLL SCANDAL: ICPC Uncovers Shocking Scheme Where One Person Enrolled 14 Family Members As Ghost Workers!.

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered a massive payroll fraud scheme where a government official fraudulently added 14 family members to the public payroll as ghost workers.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The disclosure was made by the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, while delivering a keynote address at the 2026 Economic Confidential Lecture and National Spokespersons Award held in Abuja on Thursday, an event organized by Image Merchants Promotions Limited (IMPR).

According to Aliyu, a comprehensive year-long investigation by the anti-graft agency revealed various manipulative tactics used to inject fictitious names into government salary systems. In one striking instance, an individual registered 14 relatives while residing in a public hotel, drawing multiple salaries. Another case involved an official who enrolled his wife, son, and daughter, successfully collecting 13 simultaneous salaries through bank accounts whose names did not match the official payroll records.

The ICPC has flagged roughly 900 suspected ghost workers, publishing their identities to provide them an opportunity to verify their employment status. Aliyu highlighted that payroll corruption has a compounding financial effect on the nation, creating fraudulent beneficiaries across pensions, mortgages, housing funds, and health insurance schemes. Notably, the commission successfully recovered over ₦24 billion in fraudulent pension funds in 2024 alone.

Conclude with the commission’s broader strategy, the ICPC chairman emphasized that the agency is increasingly focusing on systemic preventive measures and asset recovery over criminal prosecution to ensure that public resources are properly safeguarded and taxpayers receive true value for government expenditures.

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