News

Plateau State Governor Announces Savings of Over N500 Million After Staff Audit

Published

3 years ago

August 5, 2023

vicky

Plateau Commissioners Inauguration Mutfwang

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has unveiled that the state achieved significant savings exceeding N500 million as a result of a comprehensive staff audit aimed at verifying the authentic and accurate number of employees on the state’s payroll.

He disclosed this during the swearing-in ceremony of 19 Commissioners and the inauguration of members of the Teachers Service Commission. He used the occasion to challenge the appointees to perform their roles diligently while serving the people of the state.

Mutfwang who addressed the appointees at the event held in Jos reminded them that the opportunity given to them to serve is not the time to pursue selfish goals and desires but to add value to governance in the State.

He also assured women and youths of giving them the opportunity to serve where necessary, appealed for patience among his supporters as governance progresses, stated that he is working to provide palliative to cushion the effects of the economic hardship on the people and promised the civil servants of the payment of their salaries.

Speaking shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, the Governor said, “… I promised I will carry the women along, I know we have not done enough but we will do more to bring the women on board… The youths should be patient with us, we will mentor you to step into leadership successfully…

“For the Commissioners, this is not an opportunity to pursue your selfish goals and desires, you don’t represent your local government area but the people of Plateau State, fight for your brothers and sisters, Plateau must be liberated from the shackles of poverty and insecurity. We will be checking your performances, once your performance is not satisfactory, others will be given the chance to perform… We will continue to select people who will add value to Plateau State.

“We embarked upon staff verification, and we have saved nothing less than N500m from the exercise… We are working on getting palliative for the people, don’t rush the warehouses, the palliative will not be diverted but it will get to the poorest of the poor first…”

To the religious leaders, he cautioned them against fanning the embers of hatred on the account of faith assuring, “I am the governor for all, we will work on the path of fairness and justice.”

The Governor further charged those inaugurated to add value in their respective offices as he assigned portfolios to the Commissioners.

News

2026 FIFA World Cup: Tani Oluwaseyi Carries Nigerian Presence as Canada Thrash Qatar 6-0

Published

3 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Preport

Nigeria may have missed out on the FIFA World Cup, but the country’s presence is still being felt through players of Nigerian descent competing for other nations.

One of those players is Tani Oluwaseyi, who was part of a historic night as Canada dismantled Qatar 6-0 to register their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory.

Canada were dominant from the opening whistle at BC Place and took the lead in the 17th minute when veteran striker Cyle Larin found the back of the net once again.

The Canadians doubled their advantage in the 29th minute through Jonathan David, before Qatar’s task became even more difficult two minutes later after Homam Elamin was shown a red card, reducing the Asian side to 10 men.

Jonathan David grabbed his second goal in first-half stoppage time after reacting quickest to a rebound following a saved header from Larin, sending Canada into the break with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Canada’s momentum continued after halftime despite concerns over midfielder Ismaël Koné, who suffered an injury following a challenge from Assim Madibo. The Qatari midfielder was sent off, leaving his side with just nine men.

Inspired by their dominance, Canada extended their advantage in the 64th minute when Nathan Saliba curled home a brilliant free-kick, with players dedicating the goal to the injured Koné.

For Nigerian fans, the spotlight then shifted to Tani Oluwaseyi.

The Nigerian-born striker was introduced in the 71st minute by head coach Jesse Marsch, replacing Ali Ahmed as Canada continued their march toward a memorable victory.

Just four minutes later, Canada made it 5-0 after pressure from substitute Jacob Shaffelburg forced a Qatar defensive error.

Jonathan David then completed his hat-trick in second-half stoppage time to seal an emphatic 6-0 triumph.

While Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup remains a disappointment, Oluwaseyi’s participation offers a reminder of the country’s enormous football influence beyond its borders.

Though he did not get on the scoresheet, the forward proudly represented Nigeria’s football heritage on the biggest stage, giving supporters back home a player to rally behind.

Canada’s victory was not only historic; it also showcased how players with Nigerian roots continue to shape international football, even when the Super Eagles themselves are not part of the tournament.

Business

Senate Clears Customs of ₦62.2BN Under-remittance Allegation

Published

4 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Preport

BY JAMES OBIOMA—The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has officially cleared the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of a N62.2 billion under-remittance allegation originally raised by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation in its 2019 audit report.

The clearance followed an investigative session on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, during which the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, successfully defended the Service by proving that the alleged shortfall was a misclassification of revenue by auditors.

The original query, read by a representative of the Auditor-General under the direction of SPAC Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, had alleged that out of N691.242 billion generated by Customs in 2017, only N629.23 billion reached the Federation Account, leaving a balance of N62.2 billion.

Defending the Service’s financial integrity, CG Adeniyi explained that the multi-billion naira deficit was completely non-existent.

“The under-remittance of N62.2 billion levelled against Customs in the 2019 audit report was wrongly arrived at through misclassification of levies collected,” Adeniyi stated. “While most of the levies are to be collected and remitted into the federation account, others like the ones on local production of wheat, textiles and wines, etc do not go into the federation account, the totality of which accounted for the alleged unremitted N62.2 billion.”

Following identical, convincing clarifications on the first three major queries, a member of the committee, Senator Babangida Hussaini, wondered why the issues had not been ironed out sooner. He noted that as a former civil servant, such straightforward technicalities should have been resolved at the preliminary audit level rather than escalating to a full Senate investigation.

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