Full Breakdown Of 2019 Budget Presented By President Buhari - Politics -

PoliticsNGR has been furnished with a transcript of President Muhammadu Buhari's speech as he presented the 2019 Budget before the two chambers of the National Assembly today.

Read it below;

OVERVIEW OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3.             The last three and a half years have been challenging both at home and abroad.  Commodity prices, both oil and non-oil, have been volatile.  Global trends, be it security, trade or politics have also been unpredictable. Here in Nigeria, we have had to cope with disruptions in oil production and exports, security challenges and devastating floods.

4.             Through hard work, and by the special grace of God, we have weathered these storms and made progress on many fronts which is why we have cause to be optimistic about the future.

5.             The economy has recovered from recession and we have had six quarters of growth since then.

6.             We have done more work with less resources in agriculture, infrastructure and social investments.  We have built better understanding between the Federal Government and the States on non-partisan lines, in particular, intervening several times to support States to meet their obligations including the payment of salaries and pensions. 

7.             Sustained development is difficult, if not impossible, in an atmosphere of insecurity and poor governance.   We have therefore made strenuous and successful efforts to overcome the insurgency in the North-East and to resolve inter-communal misunderstandings elsewhere.

History As Ameachi, Lawmakers Test Run 32km Segment Lagos-ibadan Rail (pics) - Politics -

It was a mere 50-minute ride, yet it was historic in many ways.

The first standard guage rail line between Lagos, Nigeria’s business headquarters, and Ibadan in the heart of the Southwest was test run.

The 36-kilometre journey was the result of a project that began in June 2017.

Leading the group of select passengers was Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi. The 150km per hour speed will be realised early next year when the job is completed. It is comfortable inside the rail car.

The minister had, during his routine visit on December 4, insisted he must ride a rail car on the tracks by December 18.

Belgium's Prime Minister, Charles Michel resigns amid migration row

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has offered his resignation just days after one of his main coalition partners quit in a row over migration. Michel lost the backing of the nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) over his support for a UN migration deal signed in Marrakesh last week.  

He announced his intention to resign after opposition parties refused to support his minority government.  Mr Michel told King Philippe of his decision late on Tuesday. The king has yet to announce whether he will accept the resignation.  

Belgians were due to go to the polls in May and the king will meet party leaders on Wednesday to decide whether there is any support for early elections.

Offset's father blasts Cardi B, says she "screwed" his "whole family over"...my mehn offset u gotta let her go

Offset's father went on a Facebook group to blast Cardi B for being the cause of troubles in his son's life and in their family. He also made some revelations about the drama going on behind the scenes in their relationship.

Michael Woodward, who is Offset’s stepfather, is a member of a Facebook group for fraternity and sorority Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha. In the group, he is believed to go by the name Tony Pla.

Over the weekend, Michael reportedly wrote a lengthy post about how Cardi B has been trouble for his son and has tried to sabotage the release of Offset’s album and cause chaos and confusion for their family.

Cardi B reacts to Offset's public apology and asks her fans to stop hating on him (videos)

Cardi B has reacted after her estranged husband came on stage while she performed at the Rolling Loud festival to beg her for forgiveness.

Following Offset's apology, social media users called him out for being so insensitive and disrupting her performance. Others insulted him for not showing remorse all the while he was cheating, only to turn around and start begging for apology now that it's too late.

The social media criticisms directed at Offset was so much that Cardi B stepped in and asked her fans to respect him because he's still the father of her child. She pointed out that the last thing she wants is for her baby daddy to become suicidal.

Rapper, Olamide shows off his Bentley...My man ola badho, congrats (Photo)

Nigerian rapper, Olamide, is one of the few artists with a Bentley.

The Indigenous rapper took to his Instagram page to share a photo of himself posing next to the luxury car and wrote: 'Another day, another opportunity to make things right.'

See full photo below.

Alex Badeh’s Wife, Mary Iya Badeh, Sons Alex & Kam Remain On DSS Watch List - Politics -

The late former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh's wife and children may miss his burial as they remain on the watch list of the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Badeh’s widow, Mary Iya Badeh, and his two sons, Alex (jnr) and Kam have been in the United States since 2016 following his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

According to a report by The Punch, a family friend of the Badehs hinted that it was unlikely if they would come.

He said,

“I have spoken with them and I don’t know for now if they will be coming but it is highly unlikely. Their father has just been killed under controversial circumstances and the government has not removed them from the watch list. If they return and their passports are seized and they are not allowed to return, it would be a double tragedy.

“Everybody is still in shock so we cannot say for now if they will be coming but since they are Christians, there is no rush. A lot can happen before then.”

A prosecution witness, Abubakar Madaki, had told a Federal High Court sitting in Maitama that Badeh’s wife and two of his children were being investigated for offences with which the ex-Chief of Air Staff was charged.

Madaki said the three of them, however, escaped to the United States before the investigation was concluded.

He said all attempts to get them arrested turned out to be futile.

The witness had said,

“At the initial stage, when we started the investigation, we invited Alex Badeh (Jnr.) who lives in 19 Kumasi Crescent, Abuja, one of the properties, among the properties earlier mentioned.

“He happened to be a son of the first defendant (Badeh). He claimed to be a tenant in that property and since an investigation was ongoing at the preliminary stage, we allowed him to go and come back when we had enough issues to question him about.

“He left and never came back. We later got to know that he has left the country for America.

“We were also looking for Mary Iya Badeh, the wife of the first defendant, who is one of the directors in the second defendant (Iyalikam Nigeria Limited).

“The second defendant (Iyalikam) had received so much funds from the alleged funds we are investigating.

“She too, according to the investigation has left the country for America. Kam Badeh (another of Badeh’s son) is one of the directors in one of the companies.

“We have gone round the locations that we had information that he does business, but we are unable to get him.

“Since the information was that they left through the International Airport, we wrote a letter to the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Department of Security Service to watch them. But we have not been able to get them.”

He said when his team concluded investigation in the case, it “discovered that the first defendant (Badeh) and his wife had earlier incorporated a company Iyalikam Nigeria Limited” in whose accounts they allegedly diverted the Nigerian Air Force’s funds.

https://lailasnews.com/alex-badehs-wife-sons-remain-on-dss-watch-list-may-miss-burial

Extreme Poverty Looms As Nigerians Lose 20.9m Jobs In Three APC Years - Politics -

Extreme Poverty Looms As Nigerians Lose 20.9m Jobs In Three APC Years
The National Bureau of Statistics has released eye-popping figures about the woes of the Nigerian economy. The body amidst pressures from the FG, stated that 20.9 millions Nigerians have lost their jobs under the three and half years of President Buhari’s administration. This did not come as a surprise to the Nigerian public, as indicators in the economy have long shown an ailing economy.

It is noteworthy that Nigeria has over the last three years, become the headquarters of extreme poverty. This comes at a time when the inflation rate has risen from 8% in 2013/2014, to 15% in recent times. The affront on the Naira by the dollar in the past three years has led to 50% devaluation of the Naira, from 155 Naira in 2013/2014 to 365 Naira in 2018. This has led to prices of basic goods and services skyrocketing unimaginably. All of these are definitely due to the anti-business stance of the Buhari-led administration, which has endangered the economic environment of the country, leading to the exit of the country by top foreign companies.