Senate tackles contractors' debts, Oyo abductions, malaria elimination after primaries break
Senate resumed plenary last Tuesday after a four-week break, addressing several national issues. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the formation of a six-member committee chaired by Sani Musa to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Finance on resolving unpaid contractors' debts nationwide, with the directive to submit a report within one week.
Lawmakers also condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed abductors tied eight children together on a motorcycle and took them into the forest. The senators observed a minute's silence for Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher who was beheaded, and called on security agencies to intensify rescue efforts.
The Senate adopted a new excise duty framework for sugar-sweetened beverages that replaces the ₦10-per-litre levy with a retail price-based tax system, passing a bill to establish the National Agency for Malaria Elimination to coordinate nationwide efforts. President Tinubu also requested confirmation of Zainab Marwa as a member of the NDDC board, referred to committee for screening within two weeks.
How should Nigeria address the rising insecurity in educational institutions while balancing development projects nationwide?