Osinbajo Presides Over FEC Meeting

Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of Nigeria, is presiding over this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Council chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, for the second consecutive time.The meeting began at 10:03 am after opening prayers by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.Present are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan.Also present are the Ministers of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Science and Technology, Olorunimbe Mamora; Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Agriculture, Mohammed Abubakar; Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Information, Lai Mohammed and Sports, Sunday Dare.Others are ministers of State for Mines and Steel, Health, Trade and Investment, amongst others.Meanwhile, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is expected back to Abuja later today.Buhari, who had been in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for an eight-day official trip, performed Umrah and met with his counterpart from the Republic of Chad, Mahamat Deby-Itno.He also visited the Prophet’s Holy Mosque and toured the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography in Madinah where he sued for a balanced understanding of Islam in a way that corrected misperceptions of the millennia-old religion.It is his last trip to the Kingdom as President and his fifth foreign trip in 2023.