During the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, announced that there had been no agreement between the Federal Government and state governors on fuel subsidy palliatives.
The Nigerian government has yet to coordinate with states to establish palliative measures ahead of the June 2023 deadline for the discontinuation of petrol subsidies. Agba disclosed that a committee led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the National Economic Council, which consists of state governors, had been working for over a year to resolve the issue. However, they have yet to harmonize their templates. Agba further explained that the delay was necessary because the issue had far-reaching consequences for the nation. Discussions are ongoing, but there is no definite timeline for the committee to conclude its assignment.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, also announced that the government had postponed the 2023 population and housing census, originally scheduled for March 29. The Independent National Electoral Commission had rescheduled the governorship elections to March 18, making it necessary to delay the census. Mohammed disclosed that the council had approved N2.8bn for the National Population Commission to procure software to conduct the census in May this year. Additionally, the FEC approved N15bn for the construction of an access road linking the Benin-Asaba Expressway to the Second Niger Bridge. The road’s completion will enable the administration to inaugurate the bridge before President Buhari leaves office on May 29.
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