Cote d’Ivoire youngster, Simon Adingra has said the Elephants’ win against Nigeria was one of the best moments of his career.

Adingra bagged two assists as Cote d’Ivoire defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the final.

The Brighton & Hove Albion star was almost unplayable in the game with his runs and dribbles causing problems for the Nigerian defence.

The winger was named Man of the Match after the game.

Adingra also won the Young Player of the Tournament award.

He also credited the effort of his teammates in winning their third tittle in history.

“We did it together, we’re Africa champions and it’s incredible. I’ve just experienced one of the most beautiful moments of my life, and that’s down to the effort of everyone in the team,” he told CAFonline.com.

Stanley Nwabali, Super Eagles goalkeeper, has apologised to Nigerians after the team lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Super Eagles were defeated 2-1 by the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final held at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday.

Nigeria took the lead in the match after William Troost-Ekong scored a powerful header in the first half, but Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller scored in the second half for the Ivorians.

The loss was a disappointing end to a tournament that had revived the interest of many Nigerians in the Eagles.

In a post on his Instagram page, Nwabali described the loss as a “frustrating end”, adding that the team takes full responsibility.

The goalkeeper added he understands “how it feels giving you a disappointing night” while appreciating Nigerians for their support of the team’s AFCON campaign.

“A disappointing and frustrating end. I deeply apologise to Nigerians,” the post reads.

Nigeria’s vice-president, Kashim Shettima has eulogised the Super Eagles despite the team’s failure to win the title at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against hosts, Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition on Sunday night.

Shettima, who watched the game live at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, stated that the players will be rewarded for their gallant effort in the game.

“We have tried our best and be rest assured that there is always the next time. You must have it in mind that the tragedy of life lies in not reaching your goal but the tragedy lies in not having a goal to reach,” the country’s number two citizen stated while addressing the players and their officials after the game.

“It is not a calamity to die with a dream, but it is a calamity when you don’t have a dream at all.

“A lot of countries, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and others exited the competition, two, three weeks ago.

“We have come this far, be rest assured that we will come back stronger in the next edition. There is cause for celebration. We are second best in Africa.

“You don’t have to be sad. We have every reason to celebrate. The nation is proud of you. You are the source of our unity. It is only when the Super Eagles are playing that we don’t talk about race or religion. You always unite the nation.

“The nation is in grief, but the nation is in solidarity with you. Be rest assured that your name will be written in gold in the history of football in Nigeria.

“I convey to you, the wish and regards from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no need for you to be sad. On Wednesday, we were celebrating and we came so close today. We lost the game within just 15 minutes.

“That’s what football is all about. We must understand that whichever way the pendulum swings, the trophy is still for Africa. It is the Africa Cup of unity and it came to West Africa.

“There is every cause for us to celebrate and rejoice. There is every cause for us to unite. Look at our mistakes and correct them in the next edition.

“Honestly, we are very proud of you and the nation will adequately compensate you for your sacrifice. You came close, there is no cause for you to be remorseful or sad. There is no reason for us to be sad or remorseful.”

Super Eagles on-field Captain, William Troost-Ekong, has been crowned the Best Player of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

The Nigeria’s Captain outjumped Nottingham Forest’s Serge Aurier to score his third goal of the tournament and give the Super Eagles a 1-0 lead in the AFCON final on Sunday night.

South Africa goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, won the ‘Goalkeeper of the Tournament’ award after his heroics to power the Bafana Bafana to a third-placed finish ahead of Nigerian keeper, Stanley Nwabali.

Equatorial Guinea’s Emilo Nsue, who from the group stage nicked five goals, got the top goal scorer award.

Cote D’Ivoire coach, Emerse Fae, won the ‘Coach of the Tournament’ while South Africa won the Fair Play award.

Super Eagles defender, William Troost-Ekong, made bruising tackles, led the defence and team vocally from the back, and even scored for Nigeria, emerging as one of the more outstanding players in Super Eagles squad.

[Leadershtp]

Access Holdings has announced that its board will soon make public the replacement for the late Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, who died alongside his wife and son in a chopper crash in California, United States, on Friday.

Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of Access Holding, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement signed by the company’s secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, while confirming the deaths of Wigwe, his wife, and his son in the unfortunate crash.

“In line with the company’s policy, the board will soon announce the appointment of an acting Group Chief Executive Officer even as we remain confident that the Access Group will build further on Dr Wigwe’s legacy of growth and operational excellence,” the statement reads in part.

The company said Wigwe was a driving force with a larger-than-life personality.

DAILY POST reports that Wigwe, his wife and son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo died on Friday in a chopper crash in the US.

Wigwe’s death attracted tributes from all quarters, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has warned that Nigeria is experiencing a deepening economic crisis.

IMF expressed concern that the stagnant per-capita growth, widespread poverty, and severe food insecurity have further intensified the persistent cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria.

This was contained in its recently published report titled ‘Review of Nigeria’s Post Financing Assessment by the IMF Executive Board.’

In line with the report, the inadequate collection of revenue has impeded the delivery of services and the allocation of resources towards public investment.

According to the report, the observed inflation rate for October stood at 27 percent compared to the same period last year (with food inflation at 32 percent).

The growth was attributed to the removal of fuel subsidies, the depreciation of the exchange rate, and the negative impact on agricultural production in the country.

The report read in part, “Nigeria faces a difficult external environment and wide-ranging domestic challenges. External financing (market and official) is scarce, and global food prices have surged, reflecting the repercussions of conflict and geo-economic fragmentation.

“Per-capita growth in Nigeria has stalled, poverty and food insecurity are high, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis. Low reserves and very limited fiscal space constrain the authorities’ option space. Against this backdrop, the authorities’ focus on restoring macroeconomic stability and creating conditions for sustained, high and inclusive growth is appropriate.”

In the midst of Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges, the report highlighted that on January 12, 2024, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed an evaluation of post financing and approved the Staff Appraisal without delay.

Additionally, it emphasized that Nigeria possesses sufficient capability to repay its debts to the IMF.

[DailyPost]

Federal civil servants in about 90 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are yet to receive their January salaries, Daily Trust can report.

The affected MDAs include the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHoCSF), the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Education, the National Population Commission, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Voice of Nigeria, among others.

In separate interviews with Daily Trust and Premium Times, the workers lamented and said their December 2023 salary delay experience ought not to have been repeated.

“As I am talking to you, myself and three of my colleagues have not been paid. The situation is not fair not with the current situation of the daily increment of prices of food items and other things in the country,” one of the workers said.

Others alleged that the delay in the payment of their salaries was an indication that  the government was insensitive to the sufferings of the masses.

The delay in the December salary payment had been attributed to technical issues relating to upload and harmonization of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The delay in the payment of January salaries was blamed on the technical glitch on the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) platform by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).

GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting put in place by the federal government to improve public expenditure management processes and enhance greater accountability and transparency across ministries and agencies.

A January 31 memo titled, ‘Delay in the Payment of January 2024 Salary’, from the bursary department of the National Mathematics Centre, Abuja, to all its staff, signed by the acting bursar, Pius Ukwah, said, “We wish to inform you that January 2024 salaries will be delayed beyond normal.

“As of today, the OAGF is still working on finalising the 2024 appropriation on the GIFMIS platform and as a result, the personnel warrant for January is yet to be released”.

The memo, which copied the Director/CE, the Registrar and pasted on all notice boards, stated further, “The same situation applies to all MDAs and not just the centre. We regret the inconvenience caused by this delay.”

In Ekiti State, some of the workers who spoke with Premium Times included staff of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); National Orientation Agency (NOA), and Federal Ministry of Information, among others.

An official of FUOYE, Wole Balogun, said with the hardship being faced by the people, it was inconceivable that salaries could be delayed longer than necessary.

Balogun, who blamed the delay on an unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck associated with the payment platforms, urged the federal government to expedite action on the payment, “because the situation is becoming unbearable.”

A staffer of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Folashade Daramola, also lamented the delay. She noted that many members of staff have loan obligations that they ought to have paid as at when due, which have remained pending.

Also, Owoeye Ilesanmi, who is a staffer of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), said that in addition to delay in the payment of January salary, the federal government has reneged on the payment of the wage award.

In Katsina State, many federal workers spoken to also said they had not been paid their salary and palliatives support from the government.

Some of the affected workers told Premium Time that the delay was affecting their work schedule, as they now find it difficult to go to work, especially those living in areas far from their offices.

“I work in a department that requires me to go to the office every day, but I’ve finished my savings and I’m finding it difficult to travel to Dutsin Ma to undertake my responsibility,” Faruk (surname withheld), who is an engineer with the department of Physical Planning and Works at the Federal University, Dutsin Ma, said.

Another non-academic worker of the Federal Polytechnic, Daura, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said the delay in salary payment was affecting her activities, especially because she travelled daily from Katsina to Daura.

An official of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Edo State, Jude Abugu, described the delay in payment of salaries as commonplace in recent months.

A memo from the Accountant-General’s Office said work was ongoing towards finalising the 2024 budget on the GIFMIS platform.

When contacted last night, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, told Daily Trust that about 90 offices across the MDAs were affected, including some universities and polytechnics.

He, however, said many of the workers had started receiving their salaries on Thursday; while others did on Friday and at the weekend.

“The issue was attributed to issue of uploading the 2024 budget and making it current because the salary was paid from the 2024 budget instead of the tradition where they overlap the budget,” he explained.

“All has been finalized on Friday. They are supposed to have started getting since yesterday (Saturday). If they don’t get, maybe it is from the banks, from tomorrow (Monday) morning, definitely they will get it”.

A top official in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, who insisted on not being named, said the delay in salary payment was not a punishment for workers.

He confirmed receiving his salary, but said he was aware that some of his “superior officers and some junior workers are yet to receive theirs.”

 [DailyTrust]

Going by the latest report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF), many Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA) violated extant laws and spent billions of naira that were not appropriated in 2020.

The OAuGF gave the detailed account of the infractions two years after its last report.

Section 80 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended States that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation except to meet expenditure that is charged upon the fund by this Constitution or where the issue of those moneys has been authorised by an Appropriation Act, Supplementary Appropriation Act or an Act passed in pursuance of section 81 of this Constitution”.

Also, Section 80(3) states that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation, other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, unless the issue of those moneys has been authorised by an Act of the National Assembly”.

The 2020 Audited Report of government finances dated November 30, 2023, submitted to the National Assembly contained revelations of unbudgeted expenditure and unremitted revenue to government coffers in the 2020 financial year.

Constitutionally, the 2020 Auditor-General’s report ought to have been submitted to the National Assembly in 2021. It was submitted via a letter referenced AuGF/AR.2020/01 dated November 30, 2023.

The report contained 26 audit queries issued to the OAuGF detailing different infractions and abuse of the financial regulations and treasury circulars; 27 queries against the Security and Exchange Commission and 31 audit queries against the Ministry of Labour & Employment.

Last year, The Nation reported that the delay in the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation was delaying the submission of an audited report of government finances to the National Assembly as the director over-seeing the office cannot sign any final audit report.

On October 21, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Shaakaa Chira as the substantive Auditor-General

In its Report, the said that 28 MDAs, including some Federal Pay Offices, Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Airforce Institute of a technology among others had negative balances of cash and cash equivalents amounting to N13,955,069,757,335.20.

The report said: “The amount was presented in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as Current Portion of Borrowings/Cash & Cash Equivalent under Current Liabilities.

“There was no further information in the notes to the FGN CFS on what gave rise to the negative cash and cash equivalents recognised by the twenty eight MDA.

“The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system surrounding the consolidation process at the OAuGF.”

The report also indicted about 256 MDAs for engaging in extra budgetary expenditure amounting to N284, 316,170,124.34 in 2020, saying “the total expenditure disclosed for the affected MDA was N361,273,553,365.49, against the approved budget of N76,957,383,241.15, hence the extra budgetary expenditure.

According to the report, the sources of the extra spending were neither disclosed, nor the evidence of supplementary appropriation or approved virement provided, attributing it to failure of the accounting officers of the affected MDA to ensure that proper budgetary and accounting systems are established and maintained to enhance internal control, accountability and transparency.

It also attribute it to lack of due diligence from the Accountant-General of the Federation in ensuring that the release of the overhead costs was limited to approved estimates.

The accountant-general said in his management response to the issue that “GIFMIS is budget based software; it could not allow payments without a budget. The MDAs with waivers to spend 75 per cent of their revenue were allowed to add whatever they spent as a supplementary budget. Several of the affected MDAs have grants or aid, these is to be classified as supplementary budget. Those, with AIE, revenue & grants sources have had their budgets adjusted as supplementary budgets.

Another 18 MDAs incurred an overhead expenditure of N129,348,691,232.01 which were not supportes by budgetary provision as required by extant regulations, but the accountant-general, in a management response contained in the report said the MDAs involve ate “mostly those that had waivers to spend a percentage of their revenue to sustain themselves”.

The report said that 34 MDAs reported zero overhead expenditure despite having a total budget of N6,965, 100,151.00, adding that “no additional information was disclosed to enable users understand how the MDA operated without overhead costs”.

The AuGF report reported an extra budgetary expenditure of N342.916 billion on employee benefits and subsidiaries above the appropriated amounts, adding that while N7.027.nillion was budgeted for Employees Benefit the total expenditure was N335.657 billion was spent.

It also said that the sum of N14, 284,446,488.75 was spent on subsidies without budgetary provisions.

 The report said that 72 MDAs exceeded their Employee benefits budget by N328,631,067,959.54 saying “the total expenditures of the 72 MDA were N335,657,780,939.50 while the total budget was 8’7,026,712,979.96, hence the reported extra budgetary expenditure.

The auditor-general reported that 106 MDAs exceeded  their personnel costs budget by N78,761,272,804.54, saying “the total expenditures of the 106 MDA was N882.90 billion, while the total budget was N804.14 billion

“No information was disclosed thereon in respect to the authorisation of the expenditure by way of either supplementary appropriation or virement upon which the personnel budget was exceeded.”

About N1.23 trillion was recognised as Intangible Assets for 659 MDAs without the schedule showing the classification and nature of the Intangible assets contrary to the provision of IPSAS 31 and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, while there was no disclosure to enable the audit confirm which category of the intangible assets has finite or infinite life.

According to the report, a review of the consolidated statement of financial performance shows that the gain of N244 ,326,407.50 from disposal of assets was disclosed in both Note 24 and Consolidated Statement of Financial Performance as Gain or Loss on Disposal of PPE.

The AuGF stressed that out of a total of One hundred and ten (110) MDA that were circularised, only twenty did not respond, adding that the balances recognised in the FGN CFS against the unresponsive MDA amounted to N1.721 trillion.

The Consolidated Statement of Financial Position showed a negative Net Assets of N33.34 trillions as at December 31, 2020, adding that the accountant-general should provide justification for the negative net assets balance reported in the FGN CFS to the Public Accounts Committees (PAC) of the National Assembly.

[TheNation]

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Sunday, said that the socio-economic as well as security challenges confronting the country require spiritual solutions.

The spiritual leader noted that the nation’s political leaders appeared to have tried their best to seek solutions but that Nigeria urgently needed divine intervention.

Adeboye stated these when he met the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, the state capital.

He said, “I am delighted to be here again. I was here about two years ago with the former governor. At that time I came to pray for some of my members who were kidnapped and were miraculously rescued. I came to encourage their families to let them know that all will be well.

“We, as a country, are blessed. We are blessed with people with great intelligence. We are blessed with all manner of resources and yet we have so many problems.

“It is not as if people in authority are not trying their best. They are doing as much as humanly possible and then we found out that when you have problems that are beyond human ability to solve them, you call on the Almighty. The reason we call Him the Almighty is because He has the power to solve all problems.

“So, we have been going round in our own little ways to support the efforts of all the various governments and parastatals to call on the Almighty to come to our aid because we need help. We need help and we need it urgently.”

In his response, Governor Sani said President Bola Tinubu needed the prayers and support of clerics like Adeboye to put the nation on the path of greatness.

He said,“We also believe that from the remarks you made just now, our country, at this critical time, requires the intervention from people like you who are tested and who have in the past intervened and helped us to find solutions to our problems. We believe you won’t be tired. We also need an intervention at this critical time.

“Many Nigerians are losing hope and they have been very cautious about the future but like I said, we are going through difficulties because of what happened in the past and right now we have a President who is determined and focused and ready to take the country to a greater height and I have no doubt, with your intervention and prayers, that our President will certainly get it right.

“So far, Mr President has taken some very important steps towards moving our country forward but most of these steps are things that might be difficult at this critical time because they are major reforms we need; both economic reforms, as well as social reforms.

“And looking at some of the things that happened in the past hoping to connect them, we need some reforms that might be painful at this critical time but I have no doubt that in the near future, Nigeria will be better for all of us by the grace of God.

“So, we will continue to seek your advice, your wisdom, your support and most importantly, your prayers. We thank you for coming to Kaduna and we will continue to consult you for advice and wisdom, thank you.”

Cote d’Ivoire head coach, Emerse Fae has revealed the key to his side’s victory against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Les Elephants edged Jose Peseiro’s side 2-1 in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday night.

It was the West Africans third AFCON title.

“We noticed the Nigerian players were tired in the first half. They were not at their usual best,” Fae said after the game.

“I told my players during the half-time break that we must increase the intensity of our game and it worked out well for us.

“It was not an easy game but the good thing is that we won at the end of the day.”