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Senate Asks Lai Mohammed to Account for N42m Spent on Travels
The Senate on Tuesday drilled Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, for some hours for spending N19 million on international travel and N23 million on local travel before the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and subsequent lockdown.
Lai Mohammed
The Senator Danladi Sankara, All Progressives Congress (APC), Jigawa North West led Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation was baffled when the Minister at 2021 Budget defence disclosed the amount spent by the ministry as contained in its 2020 budget.
After the minister’s presentation, the Senate Committee expressed surprise how the ministry could spend such amount particularly when the country was on a lockdown due to the global pandemic.
Recall that the first phase of lockdown in Nigeria began on the 30th of March.
Trouble started when Senator Francis Onyewuchi, vice chairman of the Committee, PDP, Imo East questioned the minister to explain how such sums of money could be expended on travel against the backdrop that the COVID- 19 did not only affect Nigeria, but the entire world.
Senator Onyewuchi asked Lai Mohammed thus, “Let me take you on this your 2020 overhead. You have here on Local travels and transport appropriated is N30 million you expended N23 million on local transport you received N96 million as appropriated as released you expended N90 million.
“On International travels and transport, you had N43 million, you expended N19 million. So I am wondering this period of lockdown where nobody was able to go to any country during the 2020 appropriation how were you able to embark on international travels and you expended N19 million? So we need to look at that critically and you also tell us here in parliament how you were able to do that?
“Most part of the year we had travel restrictions. I am sure you will remember you did a lot of enlightenment programmes on this and I am sure you will remember that most of us were prevented from moving into other states; so I don’t know how you also had the luxury of spending the entire amount that was appropriated on those travels so those are the information we need to get from your expenditure.”
In his response, the Information Minister who noted that the amount was spent when they travelled for international summits along side an advocacy done in the United Kingdom before March, said, “You will notice that N43m was budgeted but less than 40% was spent precisely because of the COVID-19 and before then remember that we had travelled to attend several international summits starting UNWTO conference, UNESCO in Spain, in the UK. We have done advocacy in the UK at the same time.
“All before the Lockdown, I think our last trip was actually in Addis Ababa when we accompanied the President to the AU that was about March before the lockdown, the lockdown came at the end of March. So whatever we spent here was before the lockdown.”
Consequently, the Committee asked the Information Minister to forward to it, details of its local and international travels in the 2020 budget, just as it also questioned the Ministry for huge increase in its proposed 2021 budget.
In the Ministry’s 2020 budget, N4 billion was proposed, but N2.9 billion was appropriated while in 2021, N400 billion has been proposed.
In his explanation, Mohammed said that the increment was due to the reviewed national minimum wage.
News
PalmPay Launches CSR Initiatives to Empower Women, Foster Financial Literacy in Northern Nigeria
In a strategic move to expand financial inclusion in Nigeria, leading mobile banking platform, PalmPay has launched a series of CSR programs across Kano and Kaduna. The CSR initiative named “Passing the Baton” represents the brand’s commitment to passing on knowledge and providing the resources individuals and businesses need to achieve financial independence and drive economic empowerment.
This initiative is a bold move by PalmPay to bridge the opportunity gap in the North by providing financial literacy training and micro-business branding support to 5,000 women-owned businesses in Kano and Kaduna. This strategic initiative reaffirms PalmPay’s commitment to inclusive development and economic empowerment, particularly in underserved regions.
“At PalmPay, we believe that real financial inclusion must be far reaching and cover the grassroots,” said Chika Nwosu, Managing Director of PalmPay. “Our new CSR program is focused on supporting gender equity by equipping women with the knowledge, tools, and visibility they need to thrive as entrepreneurs in their communities.”
Through this initiative, beneficiaries will receive free health insurance, hands-on training workshops, enhanced store branding to boost visibility, and branded merchandise to strengthen their business presence.
The initiative is part of PalmPay’s broader strategy to extend its innovative solutions, expand its footprint in Northern Nigeria, while building sustainable partnerships with local stakeholders for long-term impact.
In a show of support, His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kano, Dr. Muhammadu Sanusi II, has endorsed the initiative, calling on other stakeholders to join forces with PalmPay in ensuring the North benefits fully from the growing digital economy. PalmPay has received commendation from community stakeholders, as the initiative aims to serve as a model for similar projects across other northern states.
As PalmPay continues to scale across Nigeria, the company remains committed to bridging the financial inclusion gap and empowering underserved groups, particularly women and youth, through its innovative solutions and impact initiatives.
Anambra State has once again demonstrated its leadership in digital transformation, emerging as one of Nigeria’s top three states in the 2025 e-Governance Report published by the Panorama CIAPS Governance Performance Index (CGPI).
According to the report — a collaborative effort between Nigerian Panorama and the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS) — Anambra ranks alongside Lagos and Enugu as the leading states in adopting and implementing e-governance practices that foster accountability, transparency, and improved service delivery.
In his remarks, Professor Anthony Kila, Director of CIAPS, emphasized the importance of e-governance in shaping how governments interact with citizens. “The centrality of e-governance allows us to assess the performance of state governments in the country. How the government treats the digital world says a lot about them,” he said.
The report evaluated states based on a comprehensive set of criteria, including website security, up-to-date content, public engagement, availability of online services, policy updates, and user accessibility. Anambra’s performance reflects the state’s deliberate investment in digital infrastructure and its commitment to leveraging technology as a tool for inclusive governance.
Reacting to the recognition, the Managing Director/CEO of the Anambra State ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, CFA, described the report as a welcome validation of the efforts being made under the leadership of Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, to reposition Anambra as a liveable and prosperous smart mega-city.
“This is not just about being tech-savvy,” Agbata said. “It’s about using digital tools to create real impact — making the government more accessible, responsive, and transparent. Anambra is building a digital future that works for everyone.”
The CGPI Report recommended that all states intensify efforts to train public servants, maintain digital platforms effectively, and build user-friendly systems that keep citizens informed and empowered. For Anambra, this recognition serves both as a milestone and a motivation to scale new heights.
As the journey continues, Anambra remains focused on setting the pace for e-governance in Nigeria in line with the Governor’s mantra of Everything Technology & Technology Everywhere.
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