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Budget Pressure Mounts As Debt Service Consumes ₦4.44trn In Three Months.

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According to Nivo News, the Federal Government recorded a fiscal deficit of ₦2.66 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, following a sharp gap between revenue inflows and expenditure, as revealed in the Budget Office of the Federation’s Second Quarter and Half-Year 2025 Budget Implementation Report.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The report showed that total government revenue during the period stood at ₦5.97 trillion, while aggregate expenditure rose to ₦8.63 trillion, resulting in the deficit, which was largely financed through domestic borrowing. Despite weak revenue performance, the government maintained priority spending on non-discretionary obligations, particularly debt servicing and personnel costs.

According to the Budget Office, budget implementation faced challenges due to subdued but gradually improving revenue outcomes, even as the government continued to meet essential expenditure commitments. Oil sector performance remained a major constraint, with average crude oil production at 1.68 million barrels per day, significantly below the budget benchmark of 2.12 million barrels per day.

Between April and June 2025, aggregate Federal Government revenue stood at ₦5.23 trillion, representing 58.45 per cent of the prorated target. Oil revenue contributed ₦1.50 trillion, accounting for 28.50 per cent of total receipts, but fell short of expectations by 71.50 per cent, reflecting ongoing production challenges and price volatility.

In contrast, non-oil revenue performance surpassed projections, reaching ₦8.90 trillion and accounting for 85.60 per cent of total revenues. This improvement was attributed to stronger collections from Company Income Tax, Value Added Tax, Electronic Money Transfer Levy, and Education Tax, validating ongoing reforms in compliance enforcement, customs automation, and improved remittance of independent revenues.

Total expenditure, including spending by government-owned enterprises and project-tied loans, amounted to ₦8.63 trillion, compared to a prorated target of ₦13.75 trillion. Capital releases to ministries, departments and agencies stood at ₦393.86 billion, while non-debt recurrent expenditure reached ₦2.72 trillion during the quarter.

However, debt servicing consumed ₦4.44 trillion, exceeding projections by 24.10 per cent, largely due to rising domestic debt obligations. The report warned that the debt service-to-revenue ratio remained elevated, significantly constraining fiscal space despite gains recorded in non-oil revenue.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, stated that notwithstanding mounting fiscal pressures, the Federal Government remained committed to capital investment and strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability. He disclosed that the economy recorded real GDP growth of 4.23 per cent during the period, driven mainly by the services and non-oil sectors.

Bagudu added that inflation moderated to 22.22 per cent, while external reserves declined to $37.82 billion, reflecting persistent revenue shortfalls from both oil and non-oil sources. He noted that volatility in oil revenue continued to expose public finances to production and pricing shocks, while structural weaknesses and lower global prices further constrained fiscal outcomes.

The Budget Office stressed the need for urgent revenue mobilisation and expenditure reprioritisation to restore fiscal balance, admitting that cash management bottlenecks, particularly delays in bottom-up cash planning, continued to slow project execution and raise cost risks.

Among other measures, the report recommended aligning oil production assumptions with verifiable capacity, adopting conservative oil price benchmarks, deepening compliance enforcement, rationalising tax expenditures, accelerating e-customs implementation, and improving independent revenue remittance. It also called for value-for-money audits, prioritisation of high-impact projects, and reforms in debt management aimed at reducing the debt service-to-revenue ratio to sustainable levels in 2025.

The report recalled that the 2025 Appropriation Act, titled Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity, is anchored on stabilising the economy, improving livelihoods, and laying the groundwork for sustainable long-term growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

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Sacked In Record Time! How The PFIPC Controversy Cost Adeyemi His Spot In The Adeleke Administration.

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  • New controversy surrounds Prince Matthew Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man accused of operating a fake federal agency, as reports emerge that he was previously fired from a role as an aide to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for alleged corrupt practices.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

    • Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the unrecognized Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), is currently under investigation by the Presidency for operating a fictitious entity and falsely claiming an association with Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff.

    • The Presidency has officially disavowed Adeyemi and emphasized the urgent need for security agencies to dismantle the internal network that facilitated his activities.

    • Sources indicate that Adeyemi served as a Senior Special Assistant on Protocol for Governor Adeleke in 2023, where he was tasked with managing visa and travel documentation.

    • His tenure reportedly ended after four months when the French Embassy contacted the Osun State Government regarding a letter the administration had no record of sending.

    • An internal investigation allegedly revealed that Adeyemi had forged Governor Adeleke’s signature on official correspondence to the embassy to pursue personal fraudulent interests.

    • Following the discovery, the Governor reportedly ordered the Secretary to the State Government to dismiss Adeyemi immediately, though he opted not to pursue legal prosecution at the time to maintain focus on his administration.

    • While the Presidency maintains that the PFIPC does not exist, Adeyemi continues to assert that his appointment is legitimate and has leveled counter-accusations of corruption against the Chief of Staff, claims which the Presidency has rejected.

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“Keep Them Home!” Akah Nnani Demands Radical Law Forcing Politicians’ Kids To Attend Nigerian Schools.

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  • During a recent interview on The Morayo Show with Morayo Afolabi-Brown, Nollywood actor Akah Nnani argued that meaningful improvements to Nigeria’s education system will only occur when political leaders are personally impacted by the same systems they oversee.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

    • Nnani urged citizens to demand greater accountability from their elected officials, noting that leaders often remain detached from the decline of public schools because they send their own children to study abroad.

    • To address this, the actor proposed that lawmakers implement a mandate requiring the children of politicians to receive their education within Nigeria.

    • He contended that public officials lack the incentive to upgrade local institutions as long as their own families are shielded from the poor conditions of the domestic public school system.

    • Nnani concluded by encouraging Nigerians to put pressure on the legislative arm, specifically senators and representatives, to force a change that aligns the interests of leaders with the quality of local education.

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Trump’s Clemency Crosshairs: Will The President Grant Freedom To The Disgraced Hip-Hop Icon?.

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  • President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the possibility of pardoning music executive Sean “P. Diddy” Combs as part of a potential “250 pardons for 250 years” initiative commemorating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

    • The broader clemency effort may also include relief for Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a member of the hip-hop group The Fugees, who is currently incarcerated for foreign lobbying crimes.

    • Both Combs and Michel are actively pursuing legal appeals regarding their respective convictions and sentences.

    • Despite these reports, the White House has referenced earlier statements from President Trump denying any intent to pardon Combs, specifically citing his comments from January where he noted that although he received a request from the mogul, he was not entertaining it.

    • While the President and Combs were previously acquainted through New York social circles, Trump has stated that their relationship ceased once he transitioned into politics.

    • Separately, on Friday, President Trump authorized six pardons for individuals he asserted were treated unjustly for vehicle-related violations during the Biden administration, despite those cases involving breaches of Clean Air Act environmental regulations.

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