The federal government has proposed N47.9 trillion as the total expenditure in the 2025 budget.

Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning, told journalists on Thursday, after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

Vaguely said the council approved the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

He said the government pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel and oil production at 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd)

The budget minister said the exchange rate was pegged at N1,400 per dollar, noting that the government is targeting a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4 percent.

Ondo state government has declared Friday a public holiday to enable civil servants and others to travel to various communities to exercise their civic responsibilities.

This was contained in a statement on Wednesday evening signed by O.F. Ayodele, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service.

The statement reads, “The 2024 Governorship Election in Ondo State has been scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be held on Saturday, 16th November 2024.

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), recently cast doubt on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s prospects of securing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination for the 2027 presidential race.

During a live media interview on Wednesday in Abuja, Wike pointed out that Atiku’s policy proposals have been repeatedly presented to the Nigerian people and consistently dismissed by voters.

It can recalls that Atiku, the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, recently asserted that his administration would have provided relief from the current hardships faced by Nigerians under President Bola Tinubu.

Responding to this, Wike questioned the viability of giving Atiku another chance, saying, “Did he (Atiku) not present his blueprint to Nigerians? Did they choose him?”

“He is lobbying for another chance, but that chance will not be there. In which party? How can we rely on one individual for so many years?”.

Drawing an analogy with U.S. politics, Wike compared the decision-making process to American voters’ choices, emphasizing that citizens often prioritize the nation’s welfare when casting their ballots, regardless of individual opinions on candidates.

He suggested that while criticisms are part of the democratic landscape, the Nigerian public had assessed Atiku’s vision in 2023 and opted for a different path.

Politics Nigeria