Senate to address N1.3bn fake agency budget controversy as plenary resumes
via Punch Nigeria11 min read
The Nigerian Senate is set to address the N1.3 billion allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in the 2026 Appropriation Act when it resumes plenary. This follows revelations that a forged appointment letter, bearing a falsified signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was accepted at the Civil Service Headquarters, granting Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew an office and legitimacy for the controversial agency for over a year. Sources indicate that bureaucratic safeguards failed at multiple points, allowing the N1.3 billion allocation to be approved without the council's officials defending the budget before the Senate Committee. The fraud was reportedly detected by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, leading to the Chief of Staff alerting the DSS. Adeyemi was arrested and arraigned, but the prosecution reportedly lost momentum. Civil society organizations and opposition parties, including SERAP, HEDA, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a PDP faction, CDHR, and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, have demanded investigations, transparency, and accountability, with some calling for Gbajabiamila to step down. Senior lawyers, however, have dismissed calls to charge Gbajabiamila, citing a lack of concrete evidence, while questioning why only Adeyemi has been formally charged when many others appear to be involved. Adeyemi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 27, 2026.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
Nigeria is reviewing its basic education program, with the Federal Government announcing plans to replace the 6-3-3-4 system with a 12-year basic education model. This new proposal, which will be presented to the National Council on Education, aims to create a more structured and continuous learning experience by removing the external examination requirement between junior and senior secondary school. According to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the current 6-3-3-4 policy has worsened access to education, leading to a significant number of dropouts. He noted that out of approximately 24 million children enrolled in primary schools, only about four million complete senior secondary school, with 20 million dropouts between primary and junior secondary levels. Alausa also highlighted the issue of learning poverty, stating that about three out of four children at the basic education level cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text by age 10, a figure supported by a 2024 World Bank assessment. The minister suggests that transforming teaching and learning through digital technology is part of the solution. For the new policy to succeed, significant investment in infrastructure, digital technology, teacher retraining, and improved budgetary allocation to the education sector are deemed crucial.
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Nigeria's senior men's basketball team, D'Tigers, defeated Rwanda 106-62, completing a flawless qualifying window and advancing to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers. This victory ensured Nigeria finished the three-game window with a perfect record, having also beaten Tunisia and Guinea. Point guard Uche Iroegbu led the offense with 17 points and seven assists, while Caleb Agada, Ikechukwu Mekowulu, and Stan Okoye each contributed 13 points. Nigeria dominated the game, leading 25-14 after the first quarter and 49-29 at halftime, eventually securing an 80-44 lead by the end of the third quarter. The team had previously secured an 84-81 win over Tunisia and an 80-79 comeback victory against Guinea. Nigeria finished with 10 points, level with Tunisia and Guinea, as the top three teams from each of the four groups progressed to the second round, scheduled between August 2026 and February 2027. The remaining 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six, carrying over their first-round results, with the top two from each group and the best third-placed team qualifying for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.