2024 BUDGET: SENATOR ABANDONS LIVE TV INTERVIEW TO AVOID ‘WAHALA’

download 19 1

2024 BUDGET: SENATOR ABANDONS LIVE TV INTERVIEW TO AVOID ‘ ‘WAHALA’

Apparently, to avoid suspension from the Senate, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, on Sunday, abandoned a live TV interview midway over the subject of the 2024 Budget in order to, according to him, avoid facing ‘wahala’.

The Senator, who represents Cross River North Senatorial zone, was a remote guest on Arise News Channel’s breakfast show, and one of the anchors took him to task on the details of the 2024 Budget. Drama, however, ensued when the lawmaker said he did not scrutinise the budget line by line to which the female anchor reacted by saying that it was ‘fascinating’ that the Senator didn’t familiarise himself with the details of the budget, which she had done.

Apparently embarrassed, Senator Jarigbe asked the TV anchor to tell him the details of the budgetary provisions for her senatorial district, to which the anchor replied that she did not have the ‘arithmetic’ but only scrutinised the budget on the basis of Ministry by Ministry.

“I was not elected by the people of Cross River North, you are, it’s your duty, I believe, not mine (to scrutinise the budget), but let’s move on…., ” the TV anchor thereafter said.

At that point, Senator Jarigbe replied saying, “Come oh, what is this budget, budget talk nah? I want to talk about my thanksgiving and representation to my people, you people are doing budget, budget, I will walk away oh. You people want me to say something that I will go and face wahala, you should allow me oh, let me serve my people quietly.”

Thereafter, the connection to Senator Jarigbe was lost.The drama may not be unconnected with the fate of Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi, who was suspended by the Senate a few weeks ago over his claims during a radio interview that there were no details and locations for about N3trn projects in the 2024 budget, among others.

  • Dons Eze

    DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.

    Related Posts

    $52.5 MILLION REPATRIATED FROM US, NOT MINE – DEZIEANI ALISON MADUEKE

    $52.5 MILLION REPATRIATED FROM US, NOT MINE – DIEZANI ALISON MADUEKE Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has clarified that she is not connected to the $52.5 million that was recently brought back to the country from the United States of America (USA). Recall that the federal government on Friday, January 10, announced the receipt of $52.88 million in recovered Galactica assets linked to the former Minister of Petroleum. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, announced the recovery during a formal signing ceremony of the asset return agreement in Abuja. Fagbemi explained that $50 million of the recovered funds would be channelled through the World Bank for the development of rural electrification projects. The remaining $2.88 million, he added, would be allocated to the International Institute of Justice to enhance the justice system and support anti-corruption initiatives. However, in a statement issued on Sunday, Diezani, who has been residing in the United Kingdom (UK) since departing from Nigeria, asserted that the funds associated with her in the media as illicit gains actually belonged to Nigeria’s oil entrepreneur, Kola Aluko. Finally responding to the alleged recovery through her attorney, Mike Ozekhome SAN, Diezani maintained that the term “Diezani Loot” is unfounded, as she had no involvement in the circumstances surrounding the forfeiture of the funds by its rightful owner. Expressing her stance, the former minister stated that the $52.5 million originated from a vessel that was confiscated by the American authorities from Kola Aluko, which was subsequently sold, with the proceeds returned to the Nigerian federal government. Her disavowal of ownership over the funds was detailed in an extensive press release issued on Sunday by the Chambers of Mike Ozekhome SAN, titled “There is no such thing as Diezani Loot.” The statement reads: “My chambers makes this intervention in the public domain as Solicitors to Diezani Alison-Madueke (DAM) ,the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, HMPR. “As her Solicitors, we are fully versed in and conversant with her present ordeal and the entire facts surrounding her matters both here in Nigeria and abroad. So, we write from the vantage position of one that is aware of the cocktail of lies that have been spurned around her cases in the last ten years. “Many of the narratives are outrightly false; some others sheer outlandish speculations; and most, simply bizzare stories cooked up by her traducers to extract a Shylock’s pound of flesh from her for reasons she does not know and cannot even fathom. “This intervention therefore seeks to correct this skewed narrative and set the records straight for purposes of history. Many Nigerians often talk about wanting ‘technocrats’ to be involved in governance. They desire that people with character and integrity should join politics. “We agree with them. However and regrettably too, now and again and many a time, the same people not only allow, but actually join the bandwagon to mob-lynch those who chose to serve the nation. “And we often do this insidiously, covertly and overtly, even when there is no concrete or even any iota of proof that such public officers ever abused their offices or stole from public coffers. “It is therefore surprising and of great concern to us, to see the level of sustained vilification of an innocent Nigerian citizen who has not yet been tried and found guilty of any offence known to law by any court of law whether in Nigeria or abroad. The person at the receiving end is Citizen Diezani Alison-Madueke (DAM).” Mischievous And CruelThe statement from Ozekhome’s office described the earlier claims about the asset recovery as misinformation and defaming. It said: “We note with concern the recent deliberate attempt to link her with what has been described…

    OVER 18 TRANSMISSION TOWERS VANDALIZED IN FIVE DAYS – TCN CRIES OUT

    OVER 18 TRANSMISSION TOWERS VANDALIZED IN FIVE DAYS – TCN CRIES OUT The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed that over 18 transmission towers have been vandalized between January 9 and January 14, 2025, across Rivers, Abia, and Kano States. TCN’s General Manager of Transmission for the Port Harcourt Region, Engr. Emmanuel Okpa, reported that routine patrols by linesmen on January 10, 2025, uncovered damage to towers 171 through 181 and tower 184. On January 14, vandals targeted towers 146, 147, and 149 along the Owerri/Ahoada 132kV line in Rivers State, removing base brackets and compromising the stability of the towers. In Abia, Head of the Lines Department for the Region, Engr. Azuh Lucky, reported the theft of bolts, nuts, and structural members from towers 160 to 162 on the Alaoji/Umuahia 132kV line, which was under repair on January 13, 2025. Meanwhile, in Kano, towers 105, 106, and 107 along the Katsina-Gazoua 132/33kV transmission line were critically damaged by vandals on January 9, 2025, compromising their structural integrity and risking collapse. In the early hours of January 17, 2025, vandalized 132kV underground transmission cables were discovered by TCN engineers near Millennium Park in Abuja. This affected power supply to the central area and its environs. A statement by TCN’s General Manager on Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, on Sunday said these incidents pose a significant challenge to our operations as a company. “We have bolstered security measures, increased lines patrol, and the number of vigilante groups, and we are also collaborating with security operatives. However, we need and are appealing for the full support of every Nigerian, particularly those in communities hosting our installations. We must collectively recognize that the transmission network is our collective asset and essential for our socioeconomic development.” She said the vandals and those who buy stolen materials are sabotaging the nation and thus all hands must be on deck to ensure the growth of the nation’s power sector, which is critical to the development of our country. “TCN’s grid expansion plans are under tremendous strain due to the persistent vandalism of its installations. The financial implications of constant repairs to vandalized transmission installations, along with the stress on the grid, are having adverse effects on TCNs grid expansion drive.”

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    $52.5 MILLION REPATRIATED FROM US, NOT MINE – DEZIEANI ALISON MADUEKE

    OVER 18 TRANSMISSION TOWERS VANDALIZED IN FIVE DAYS – TCN CRIES OUT

    NIGERIAN SUFFERING BECAUSE OF SOUTH EAST – ORJI UZOR KALU

    COURT BARS FRSC FROM IMPOUNDING VEHICLES WITH FADED NUMBER PLATES

    YOU SENSATIONALIZED MY COMMENTS – EMIR SANUSI ACCUSES FG

    NIGERIAN MUSICIANS WHO FEEL FROM FAME