Ministers, heads of departments and chief executives of parastatals who fail to satisfactorily implement the budget by the end of the forthcoming fiscal year deserve to be penalised.

DETAILS and revenue estimates for the 2010 budget inadvertently omitted in the budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly on Tuesday were yesterday circulated to Senators.

Nigeria signed a 677 million euro ($1bn) pact with the European Union on Thursday aimed at combating corruption and promoting peace in its troubled, oil-producing Niger Delta region.

EXECUTIVE Director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoN), Mr. Nnimmo Bassey has called on the Federal Government and stakeholders in the oil industry to realise that the time had come for the nation to plan ahead

The Senate, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties and the Academic Staff Union of Universities were unanimous that the proposed 2010 budget fell short of the people's expectations.

Former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Sylvester J.K. Parker-Allotey, consular-general of Ghana have agreed there should be massive inter-African trade and called on both Nigeria and Ghana to do everything in their power to make such a

A British high street solicitor laundered huge sums of money in bribes to Nigeria via accounts in Switzerland and France, a London court was told during an extradition hearing yesterday.

The Senate yesterday approved President Umar Yar'adua's additional supplementary budget of N353.6 billion as part of total expenditure for the 2009 fiscal year. This is apart from the initial N3. 049 trillion that was approved by the National Assembly last

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the former Minister of FCT, dares tyranny for he has vowed to return home as soon as possible. Rufai who left the shore of the country last year for academic purposes declared in a letter that he

Omatek Ventures Plc has declared a dividend of N147.09 million in its 2009 financial year, representing a dividend per share of N0.05 each.

Governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the 2007 election in Delta State, Comrade Emmanuel Igbini, has faulted the decision by President Umaru Yar'Adua to delegate his Special Adviser, Mohammed Aba Aji, to present the 2010 budget to

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it has injected a total of N65.5 billion into the economy through the sale of Federal Government bonds.

THE Federal Government has clarified that the proposed four new aircraft being procured for the Presidential Air Fleet are not meant for President Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, but that they are to be used by the Senate

An article appeared recently titled "The Changing Face of Kaduna" by Emeka Nwosu who claimed that Kaduna was a place where his umbilical cord was buried many decades ago. Mr Nwosu tried to convince readers that his write-up was instigated

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the opposition for instigating the recent feud between the Senate and the House of Representatives members over the venue for the presentation of the 2010 budget by President Umaru Yar'adua.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has disbursed N2 billion under its cooperative lending scheme to assist women, its Managing Director has said.Mrs. Evyln Oputu said this at a two-day entrepreneurial empowerment workshop last week in Abuja.

One hundred and four farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have benefited from N14. 9 billion disbursed by the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) of the FCT, the Secretary of the Secretariat Alhaji Bala Batsari has said.

Transport fares within and from the Lagos to other parts of the country were jacked up yesterday as motor parks recorded a high number of travellers. Our correspondent gathered that in Lagos metropolis, transport fares were increased by 50 or

Contracts worth N70.99 billion were yesterday awarded for 20 different highway projects by the Federal Government.The Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili made the announcement while briefing newsmen after yesterday's Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice-

Three men caught for allegedly stealing and forging a cheque belonging to the Senate President David Mark have been arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.