By Felix Umande, Makurdi

Member representing Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency if Benue state, Arc. Dr. Austin Asema Achado, has inaugurated the Achado EduCare Scholarship Committee and launched the scholarship portal with the aim to support deserving undergraduate students from his constituency to achieve their academic dreams.

In his speech, Achado emphasized that youth development is a key aspect of his 5-Point Agenda, and the scholarship is a step towards realizing this vision.

Achado while presenting a cheque of twenty million naira (#20,000,000) to the committee to mark the official launch of the scholarship portal, highlighted his commitment to education, citing the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Center Aliade.

“My commitment to our people’s education is visible in several sustainable initiatives we have embarked upon. It is the same conviction that has fueled my efforts in the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Center Aliade, which is billed to take-off in September 2026. By bringing a University Campus to our Constituency, tertiary education will no longer be a distant dream but an opportunity for every constituent, for learning and growth.” Dr. Achado said.

Inaugurating the committee, Achado tasked them to be transparent and inclusive. “I am here to formally inaugurate this committee, charged with the sacred duty of selecting deserving undergraduate students who will benefit from this year’s fund. I charge this committee to be transparent and inclusive in the assignment. To alleviate the stress of students traveling long distances or standing in queues, we have made this scholarship entirely contactless and digital.
“We have built a dedicated portal for seamless collation of applications. Decisions made will be backed by data, free from human bias, while disbursement of funds to the beneficiaries will be done within one month, from today.”

The lawmaker urged students to take advantage of the opportunity, emphasizing that the scholarship is open to all constituents, including non-indigenes living and working within the constituency

A twelve-member committee was inaugurated for the scholarship program with Mr. Iorfa Stephen Undiar as the Chairman while Akuji Shiaondo is Secretary.

In an interview with Press Icon Newspaper, Undiar assured that the committee will carry out its mandate with utmost transparency and fairness and that the scholarship is open to all deserving members of the constituency, regardless of party affiliation or background. “The scholarship is apolitical, meant for every deserving student in our constituency,”

He also noted that the number of beneficiaries will depend on the volume of applications received after the deadline.

By Saint Mugaga

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement has called for increased budgetary allocation to the Bureau of Public
(BPP) in the 2026 fiscal year to fast-track Nigeria’s transition to a full electronic procurement system

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Unyime Idem, made at the presentation of the Bureau’s 2026 budget estimates before the National Assembly.

Idem said the Bureau occupies a strategic position under the Public Procurement Act 2007 in ensuring transparency, accountability, value for money and due process in the management of public resources.

“Given the urgent need to transition to an e-procurement system in Nigeria, I call on the leadership of the National Assembly and members of this committee to increase budgetary provision for the Bureau in 2026 to facilitate the process,” he said.

The chairman, however, reminded the Bureau that the committee had approved funds in previous budgets to support electronic transmission and digital procurement processes.

He charged the management to ensure that provisions for e-transmission would not reappear as recurring items in subsequent budgets.

“We have approved budgetary provisions in the past for electronic transmission. We expect that with this allocation, e-transmission should not continue to reappear in future budgets,” he said.

Idem also urged the Bureau to urgently forward a comprehensive proposal for the amendment of the Public Procurement Act 2007, noting that nearly two decades after its enactment, evolving realities in digital procurement and global best practices make amendment imperative.

The committee assured the Bureau of constructive oversight and thorough consideration of its proposals in the interest of good governance.

While presenting 2026 budget, the Director-General of the Bureau, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, said the proposed N32.18 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year would focus on digitalising Nigeria’s procurement system and strengthening transparency across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

He said the proposal comprises N17.87 billion for capital expenditure, N8.47 billion for overhead costs and N5.84 billion for personnel.

Adedokun said the 2026 proposal prioritises digitalisation of public procurement, including the deployment of an e-procurement platform that will eliminate manual submissions from MDAs effective March 1, 2026.

According to him, the implementation will be phased, with about 20 agencies to be onboarded by September 2026.

The Department of State Services (DSS) will on February 25, arraign former Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on alleged cybercrime and breach of national security, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court (FHC) fixed the date after the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, assigned the case to her.

The DSS, on Monday, filed a three-count criminal charge against el-Rufai following his alleged involvement in wiretapping the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

The charge, instituted by the Nigerian secret police, is marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026.

The service accused el-Rufai of breaching the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act, (2024), and the Nigerian Communications Act (2003.)

In count one, el-Rufai was alleged to have, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s prime time programme in Abuja, did admit during the interview that he and his cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the NSA, Mr. Ribadu.

The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.

In count two, the ex-governor was alleged to have, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s prime time programme in Abuja, did state during the interview that he knew and related with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of NSA, without reporting the said individual to relevant security agencies.

The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.

Count three alleged that el-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting NSA’s phone communications.

The act, which the DSS said, the ex-governor admitted during an interview on February 13, on Arise TV’s prime time programme in Abuja “and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”

NAN recalls that el-Rufai had, during a live interview on the TV station, claimed he overheard Mr. Ribadu directing security operatives to detain him, linking the alleged directive to an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 after his return from Cairo, Egypt.

The former governor was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday over corruption allegations.

He was granted administrative bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday but was said to have been immediately taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The ICPC’s spokesperson, John Odey, who confirmed the development in a message shared on a journalist’s WhatSapp group Wednesday night, simply said: “Malam Nasiru el-Rufai is in the custody of the commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”

NAN