Barring any last minute change in plan , the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , will sign the 2021 Appropriation Bill into law on Thursday , according to reports .
The National Assembly had last Monday passed the N 13 . 58 tn budget for the next fiscal year.
It had been the desire of the present regime to restore the country’ s budget to January to December cycle.
This was achieved with the 2020 budget which Buhari signed into law on December 17 , 2019 .
It is also the desire of the Presideny to sustain the feat this year.
Thursday on which the 2021 bill is expected to be signed into law is the last day in 2020 .
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity , Garba Shehu , confirmed this to news correspondent .
“ All things being equal (and note this ) , the President will sign the 2021 budget into law on Thursday .
“ It is not likely that the plan will change though, ” the presidential aide said .
Osun State Government has rescinded its earlier decision banning churches from holding cross – over services.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode.
In the statement titled, ‘ Covid – 19 : Osun gives fresh directives on Crossover Service ’ , the commissioner said the government ’ s sensitivity to the mood of the season has necessitated a review of its earlier position.
Egbemode said , “ The Government of the State of Osun has decided to allow cross over religious gatherings , But any organisation holding cross over service must note that they are expected to close the service early and everyone must be off the streets by 1 : 00 am .
“ Security operatives have been given the directive to enforce this guideline . Religious bodies and citizens are therefore advised to comply because we do not want anyone to spend the first day of the year in police custody.
“ Also , the leadership of religious bodies must ensure strict adherence to safety protocols , which include accommodating only 50 percent capacity of their normal attendance , ensuring social distancing , use of nose mask or face fields by participants , avoidance of sharing materials and instruments and avoidance of any other action that can help the virus to spread. ”
The National Identity Management Commission , has issued fresh guidelines for applicants to obtain their National Identification Number .
NIMC spokesman , Kayode Adegoke , made this known in a statement titled, ‘ NIMC Adopts Booking System For NIN Enrolment ’ .
The statement partly read , “ Mindful of the second wave of the COVID- 19 which continues to severely affect public health and cause unprecedented disruptions, the Commission wishes to announce that it has adopted a couple of measures to contain the spread of the virus whilst ensuring its services to Nigerians are not entirely interrupted .
“ Effective December 30 , 2020 , attending to applicants would be based on Booking System . For Bookings , applicants are to visit any of the NIMC Offices closest to them during stipulated business hours ( 9 am – 1 pm ) .
“ Once admitted into the office , a Number – Issuing queue management system will be in place to ensure orderliness and strict adherence to Covid – 19 Protocols. ”
The Commission also urged all applicants to use their face masks, observe social distancing and wash their hands while at its centres nationwide .
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo , has cautioned Nigerian leaders to stop blaming God for insecurity , bad economy , poverty, and other challenges confronting the country.
Obasanjo said the nation’ s woes remain the ‘ choice ’ of the leaders and followers , stressing a change of narrative as the country approaches 2021 .
The former president said this at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta , Ogun State , on his 2021 message to Nigerians .
According to him , with enormous resources available in the country, Nigeria does not have to be poor and no Nigerian must go to bed hungry .
He described 2020 as a year of many challenges but urged Nigerians to work and pray hard in order to achieve “a glorious 2021 ” .
Obasanjo said , “ I like the motto of a school which says ‘ work and pray. ’ Some people say it should be ‘ pray and work’ , but it doesn ’ t matter to me in what order I put it, but prayer must go with work and work must go with prayer .
“ And I believe we need to work hard in this country as we pray hard so that the coming year , the year 2021 will be a glorious year for us . But it will not happen unless we work to make it happen.
“ We do not have to blame God for our situation, we have to blame ourselves . Nigeria does not have to be poor , no Nigerian must go to bed hungry . That we have a situation like that is a choice by our leaders and followers alike . My prayer is that God will make year 2021 a better year for all of us , but it will not happen without work. ”
On strategy to recover the economy from recession, Obasanjo said , “When we do the right thing . We are not doing the right thing now . When we do the right thing , the economy will be what it should be .
“ We have gone from one form of insecurity to bad economy and on the top of it is the COVID- 19 . Some people, either for insecurity or for bad economy or for COVID- 19 have gone to the great beyond , I will say may the would of those who have departed, particularly in this year of challenges , may their souls rest in perfect peace. ”
The National Universities Commission has directed Vice- Chancellors of Universities to suspend academic activities involving large crowds on their campuses . The decision came barely three days after the Academic Staff Union of Universities suspended its nine -month – old strike. The Federal Government, had also issued a circular directing Officers on Grade Level 12 and below to stay at home for a period of five weeks , effective from Wednesday December , 23 2020 , following the resurgence in the number of COVID- 19 cases .
The NUC in a circular by its Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration) , Chris Maiyaki , said classrooms , hostel accommodation , conferences and seminars should be suspended .
The commission also directed that universities should remain closed during the intervening period , pending further directives by goverment on the reopening of schools .
Maiyaki said , “Vice – Chancellors are to please note that the directive is part of the measures approved by Mr . President to mitigate the second wave of coronavirus infections in the country.
“ The affected officers are expected to perform their duties from home while those on GL 13 and above should strictly adhere to the extant preventive measures , including maintenance of physical distancing , regular washing of hands and / or sanitizing of hands , wearing of face masks and reducing the number of visitors to offices. ”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has indicated that it might resume its suspended strike in February if the Federal Government failed to implement agreements it signed with the lecturers .
The National President of ASUU , Prof Biodun Ogunyemi , disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos while shedding more light on the decision of the union to suspend its nine – month strike.
Ogunyemi , said if the government reneged on its promises , members of the union would not hesitate to withdraw their services.
Earlier at a press conference in Abuja , he said the union would as from 12 am on Thursday ( today ) suspend its strike .
The decision to suspend the strike , according to Ogunyemi , was unanimously reached by the National Executive Committee of the union , after considering reports from the national secretariat and various branches .
While assuring Nigerians that ASUU would fulfil its own part of the agreements it reached with government , Ogunyemi warned that the union would not hesitate to resume its suspended strike should government fail to reciprocate the gesture .
The Academic Staff Union of University, has suspended its strike, ending the industrial action that started since March 2020 .
ASUU National President , Biodun Ogunyemi , made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja .
He said the suspension of the strike takes effect from Thursday , December 24 th , 2020 .
Ogunyemi also said the lecturers sympathised with students who were also their children , adding that “ no amount of sacrifice would be too much to get the matter resolved as long as the government is consistent with its commitments . ”
While warning that the union would return to strike without notice if the government fails in meeting its part of the agreement reached with the university lecturers , Ogunyemi noted that the reopening of the schools , considering the COVID- 19 pandemic , lies with the Federal Government and Senate.
The Federal Government has again assured that the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities would soon come to an end.
The assurances followed the payment of part of the arrears of salaries to the university lecturers in line with the agreement reached with the union .
Speaking at the meeting with ASUU , the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige , assured that the strike would be called off before January 15 .
Ngige said , “The government would disappoint all those wishing for the protests as all the matters in dispute must have been resolved by January 15 .
“ Those who want to use the # EndASUU protest to destroy public and private property or lecturers ’ homes will be disappointed.
“ I am optimistic that the meeting will produce the final result that will make everybody happy , ” Ngige said .
“ We are hopeful that ASUU will then take the report of what we achieved today to their members. We allow social dialogue in line with ILO conventions for all employers and employee , to guide this meeting, ” he stated .
The Department of State Services has alerted Nigerians about plans by “ enemies of state ” to unleash terror on vulnerable places , including critical infrastructure, places of worship as well as recreational centres during the Christmas and New Year celebrations .
The DSS spokesperson for the Service , Dr Peter Afunanya , in a statement , however , assured that the security forces had taken measures to thwart the plot , which according to him , was meant to undermine the authority of the government .
He stated , “The Department of State Services wishes to inform the public about plans by some criminal elements to carry out violent attacks on public places including key and vulnerable points during the yuletide seasons.
“ The planned dastardly acts are to be executed through the use of explosives , suicide bombing and other dangerous weapons.
“ The objective is to create a general sense of fear among the people and subsequently undermine the government . ”
Against this backdrop , the service called on Nigerians to be extra vigilant and report strange movements to security and law enforcement agencies .
“ On its part, the Service is collaborating with other sister agencies to ensure that adequate measures are put in place for protection of lives and property .
“ To further achieve this purpose , the Service has provided these emergency response numbers : 08132222105 and 09030002189 for urgent contacts . It is also using this opportunity to unveil its interactive website, www. dss . gov . ng, for public communication support, ” the secret police said .
The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria says preparations are being finalised for network operators to become enrolment agents for the National Identity Management Commission .
ALTON Chairman , Gbenga Adebayo , who is a member of the National Task Force on National Identification Number and SIM Registration , said the opening of more enrolment centres would make it easier for Nigerians to register and obtain their NIN for onward linkage to their SIM cards.
He said , “Before now, it has been apathy on the part of citizens to visit the enrolment centre of NIMC . I must say that until the time when NIN became a condition for Bank Verification Number , the number of uptake on NIN enrolment was quite low . And it all boils down to our attitude of low response or poor response as a people in general .
“ NIMC has been on it for eight years but people have failed to visit those centres to enroll . Until there is a significant mandate that people need to do it before certain things happen, you don ’ t see people visiting those centres . ”
He said , “ NIMC has done it alone in the last eight years but it has now opened more centres of enrolment in the last few weeks . There are many centres that are being opened up including the network operators which will now be enrolment agents for the NIMC. That will make access better and make enrolment easier for people. ”
Adebayo further stated that the present NIN linkage to SIM cards is an opportunity for Nigerians to have a national database.
“ We must take responsibility as a people. We all complain that we don ’ t have a national database. We must take advantage of this opportunity and ensure that we create a national database once and for all, ” he said .
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