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Senate passes 2023 Appropriation Bill for second reading

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Senate in Session
— Suspends Plenary to Nov 15th for budget defence 
The Senate on Wednesday passed for a second reading the 2023 Appropriation Bill which was presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday.
The bill seeks to authorise the issue out of the consolidated revenue fund of the federation the total sum of 20,507,942,180,704 for the year ending on 31st December, 2023.
After the bill passed for a second reading following a debate on its general principles, the Senate suspended its plenary until 15th November, 2022 to enable its Committees embark on budget defence with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Leading the debate on the bill, the Senate Leader, Abdullahi Gobir said based on the budget fiscal assumptions and parameters, the current expenditure which is constituting over 43% of the total budget outlay is still too high.
According to Gobir, the current expenditure contained personnel costs, pensions, benefits and over heads that are expenses that are necessary for stabilising the government and the polity.
He said, “it is expected that the total operations of the Federal Government to result in a deficit of N10.78 trillion Naira. This represents 4.78% of estimated GDP, above the 3% threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
“Countries around the world have of necessity over-shoot their fiscal thresholds for their economies to survive and thrive.
“There is a need to exceed the threshold considering the administration collective desire to continue tackling the existential security challenges facing the country.
“It is important to point out that issues of revenue shortfall and meeting unexpected emergencies can only be tackled either by borrowing or cutting expenditure, shrinking the economy and government and social services, rationalisation, job cuts etc.
“While the first option will pile up debts which must be paid in the future, it allows you to survive the present and stabilize to enable you to device the means of paying the debt. If invested properly, debt could provide one with the platform and capacity to pay the debt itself and catapult into a brighter future.
“The second option which is more dangerous is to shrink the economy and risk political suicide and economic turbulence by sacking workers, obliterating opportunities, cutting social service and starving our communities to death and Oblivion.
“To finance the deficit therefore is to engage in new browings totalling N8.80 trillion; N206.18 from privatisation proceeds and N1.77 trillion drawdowns on bilateral/multilateral loans secured for specific development projects/programmes”.
“Although there is a growing concern over this administration resort to borrowing to finance fiscal gaps, let me state here that the debt level of the Federal Government is still within sustainable limits.
“Very importantly, these loans are used to finance critical development projects and programmes aimed at improving our economic environment and ensuring effective delivery of public services to our people.
“Nevertheless,  it is also important to note that a budget deficit of this size requiring more indebtedness is not healthy for the long term development of the country, but this must be tolerated now because of the challenges of the time.
“It is important, above all to note that this is a budget of fiscal sustainability and transition with the principal objective of maintaining a fiscal viability and ensuring a smooth to the transition to the incoming administrations.”
In his remarks, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan bemoaned the huge loss of revenue due to high scale oil theft and called for appropriate sanctions against the pepetrators.
Lawan charged the committees of the Senate to, in the course of the budget defence, ensure critical scrutiny of the submissions and trace any leakage or wastages contained in it.
He futher called on them to give more priority on the completion of on going projects rather than initiating new ones to avoid incidents of abandoned projects, particularly now that the present administrtaiion is on its last lap.
The Senate President referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Appropriation for further legislative process, to report back in four weeks.
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Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

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Anglican Church logo

At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

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1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

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Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

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…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

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