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Atiku preaches love, sacrifice at Easter
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter to pray for Nigeria’s unity and for peace to return to the country.
Atiku, in his Easter message, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain notes that Easter is not only the time to be merry but also the time to reflect on love and sacrifice.
He said, “the essence of Easter celebration is not merely for us to merry. It is a season to reflect on the purpose and meaning of love and sacrifice. Love, because God says we should love our neighbours as ourselves. And sacrifice because love is hardly practicable without an intention to make a sacrifice.
He also recalled how the coronavirus pandemic crippled many activities in most countries in the world last year.
He lauded the health workers who, like the example set by Jesus Christ, sacrificed their lives in battling the virus.
See Atiku’s full statement below…
This year’s Easter celebration is significant in the sense that it is the first major national festival we will be witnessing after the commencement of the administration of vaccines against the dreaded Corona Virus. I recall that during last year’s celebration there was a global lockdown as most countries of the world required that citizens stay indoors and, for the first time in many generations, we celebrated Easter in a low-key style.
But the story this year is slightly different.
Now, there are several certified vaccines and Nigeria, having given nearly a million of our population their first doses of vaccination, has joined the league of countries that are pushing back the virus. But we are not anyway near the safety threshold. The deadly virus is still much potent as it was last year and the requirement for us to stay safe by adhering to all the Covid-19 safety protocols of washing our hands, wearing face-mask, avoiding crowded places and observing social distance, needs to be observed diligently.
However, we remain thankful. First, to the Almighty God for His benevolence in giving us the knowledge to overcome the virus. Secondly, we must thank our ever-courageous health workers, who like the example set by Jesus Christ, sacrificed their time and in many instances, their lives in order for us to get to where we are today in the fight against the deadly virus.
The essence of Easter celebration is not merely for us to merry. It is a season to reflect on the purpose and meaning of love and sacrifice. Love, because God says we should love our neighbours as ourselves. And sacrifice because love is hardly practicable without an intention to make a sacrifice.
Therefore, on this occasion of Easter celebration, I urge all Nigerians to take time to pray first of all for peace to return to the country and also for unity. Nigeria is at the precipice of insecurity, poverty and, most unfortunately, disunity. These are challenges, not impediments. The way to surmount these challenges is to learn from the world when super power countries who are rivals suspended politics to face a common threat in Covid-19.
I believe that when we approach our challenges with a heart of forgiveness and love, humanity will always triumph. This is the lesson that Jesus (Nabil Yisa) taught us.
As I join in wishing the Christian faithful in Nigeria and across the globe a happy Easter celebration, let us take a moment to pray for our military men and women who are keeping the vigil of daily sacrifice in order to keep us all safe.
May God bless our nation and its people.
Atiku Abubakar
Wazirin Adamawa
Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999-2007
3 April, 2021
The Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has distributed a total revenue of N1.678 trillion among the federal, state, and local governments for February 2025.
The revenue distribution was announced in a statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa. The allocation was finalised at the March 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, which was chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and attended by the Accountant General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi.
Breakdown of Distributable Revenue
The total distributable revenue of N1.678 trillion comprised:
Statutory revenue – N827.633 billion
Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue – N609.430 billion
Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue – N35.171 billion
Solid Minerals revenue – N28.218 billion
Augmentation – N178 billion
According to the FAAC communiqué, the total gross revenue available for February 2025 was N2.344 trillion. Deductions for the cost of collection amounted to N89.092 billion, while transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings stood at N577.097 billion.
The communiqué also revealed that gross statutory revenue for February 2025 was N1.653 trillion, which was N194.664 billion lower than the N1.848 trillion recorded in January 2025. Similarly, gross VAT revenue fell from N771.886 billion in January to N654.456 billion in February, reflecting a decrease of N117.430 billion.
Revenue Allocation to Tiers of Government
From the total N1.678 trillion distributable revenue:
Federal Government received – N569.656 billion
State Governments received – N562.195 billion
Local Government Councils received – N410.559 billion
Derivation revenue (13% of mineral revenue) to benefiting states – N136.042 billion
Allocation from Statutory Revenue (N827.633 billion)
Federal Government – N366.262 billion
State Governments – N185.773 billion
Local Government Councils – N143.223 billion
Derivation revenue (13%) – N132.374 billion
Allocation from VAT Revenue (N609.430 billion)
Federal Government – N91.415 billion
State Governments – N304.715 billion
Local Government Councils – N213.301 billion
Allocation from EMTL Revenue (N35.171 billion)
Federal Government – N5.276 billion
State Governments – N17.585 billion
Local Government Councils – N12.310 billion
Allocation from Solid Minerals Revenue (N28.218 billion)
Federal Government – N12.933 billion
State Governments – N6.560 billion
Local Government Councils – N5.057 billion
Derivation revenue (13%) – N3.668 billion
Allocation from Augmentation (N178 billion)
Federal Government – N93.770 billion
State Governments – N47.562 billion
Local Government Councils – N36.668 billion
Revenue Trends and Economic Outlook
The FAAC report highlighted a significant increase in Oil and Gas Royalty and Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenues for February 2025. However, there were declines in Value Added Tax (VAT), Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Companies Income Tax (CIT), Excise Duty, Import Duty, and CET Levies compared to the previous month.
… Assures Prompt Salary Payment
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, has announced the release of withheld local government allocations, assuring that necessary steps would be taken to ensure the prompt payment of workers’ salaries.
Ibas disclosed this on Thursday during a meeting with Heads of Local Government Administrators in Port Harcourt, describing the engagement as a crucial step towards restoring stability and progress in the state.
He lamented the economic hardship in the Niger Delta, noting that despite the region’s wealth of natural resources, many of its people continued to suffer.
“This is unacceptable,” he said, stressing the need for transformation and financial accountability.
The administrator expressed concern over the delay in salary payments across local government areas, acknowledging the struggles of affected workers.
“I feel the pain of the workers,” he stated, assuring them that the withheld allocations had been released and that his administration would ensure prompt payment of salaries.
However, he warned that financial discipline would be strictly enforced, directing all local government areas to submit their wage bills with supporting documents through the office of the Head of Service.
Ibas, a retired Vice Admiral and former Chief of Naval Staff, vowed to scrutinise public funds and take decisive action against mismanagement.
“Good governance is not just a slogan; it is a commitment to changing the negative narrative within the next six months,” he added.
He also emphasised the need for collaboration with traditional rulers and security agencies to enhance grassroots security.
“You must take the lead in ensuring security within your domains,” he charged local government administrators.
Reacting, the President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Administrator of Port Harcourt Local Government Area, Clifford Paul, commended the Federal Government for appointing Ibas, attributing the decision to his leadership competence.
He urged the administrator to prioritise workers’ welfare, stating that local government workers were currently owed two months’ salaries.
“With the release of the withheld allocations, we are hopeful that workers will receive their entitlements soon,” he said.
Paul further called on stakeholders to seize the opportunity to rebuild trust and foster unity in the state.
President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (rtd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, following a brief meeting at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday afternoon.
Ibas’ appointment comes a day after Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The President cited Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution as the legal basis for his action, stating that he could no longer stand by as the political crisis in the state escalated.
However, the suspension of Fubara and other elected officials has sparked widespread condemnation. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, senior lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and several civil society groups have rejected the move, describing it as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
In contrast, the pro-Nyesom Wike faction of the Rivers State Assembly, led by Martins Amaewhule, has praised Tinubu’s decision, accusing Fubara of disregarding a Supreme Court ruling related to the state’s political crisis.
Vice Admiral Ibas, a retired naval officer, previously served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under President Muhammadu Buhari. Born in Cross River State, he attended the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979 and went on to have a distinguished military career, rising to the highest ranks in the Navy.
He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Nigerian Institute of Management. In 2022, Buhari conferred upon him the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in recognition of his service.
Ibas now assumes leadership of Rivers State amid a deeply divided political landscape, with tensions running high over the legality and implications of the emergency rule.
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