Billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, has announced the termination of a further 80 wasteful contracts worth $203.6 million.

DOGE disclosed this in a statement released on its X account on Wednesday.

According to DOGE, among the cancelled contracts is a $2.1 million State Department management consulting contract for senior advisers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The US agency noted that the cancellations have resulted in savings of $139.1 million for the country.

“Agencies terminated 80 wasteful contracts today with a ceiling value of $203.6M and savings of $139.1M, including a $2.1M @StateDept management consulting contract for a ‘senior advisor in the Democratic Republic of Congo,’” DOGE stated on X.

In a more recent development, DOGE highlighted that the US Veterans Affairs Department’s $380,000 monthly payment for website modifications has now been handled internally by the department’s software engineer at no additional cost.

“VA was previously paying ~$380,000/month for minor website modifications. That contract has not been renewed, and the same work is now being executed by one internal VA software engineer, spending ~10 hours/week,” DOGE stated.

DAILY POST reports that DOGE, established primarily to reduce the cost of governance in the US, has saved American taxpayers $130 billion—equating to $807.45 per taxpayer.

This development follows DOGE’s termination last month of 113 contracts valued at $4.7 billion.

The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists has backed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the new Nigerian National Petroleum Company board appointment.

The president of NAPE, Johnbosco Uche, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Ekwutosblog reports that Tinubu removed the NNPCL chairman, Pius Akinyelure, and the GCEO, Mele Kyari, on Wednesday.

Reacting, NAPE noted that the appointment of Bayo Ojulari as group chief executive officer and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman of NNPCL is a bold step towards repositioning the oil and gas industry for greater efficiency, transparency, and profitability.

“The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists wishes to express its profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the recent appointment of a new board and management team for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

“We are confident that the new team will bring the necessary expertise and experience to drive the oil and gas sector forward,” the association said.

STATEHOUSE PRESS STATEMENT

PRESIDENT TINUBU TO EMBARK ON WORKING VISIT TO PARIS

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart for Paris, France, today on a short working visit.

During the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones.

He will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.

This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year.

Recent economic strides reinforce the President’s commitment to these efforts, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria reporting a significant increase in net foreign exchange reserves to $23.11 billion—a testament to the administration’s fiscal reforms since 2023 when net reserves were $3.99 billion.

While away, President Tinubu will remain fully engaged with his team and continue to oversee governance activities.

He will return to Nigeria in about a fortnight.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

April 2, 2025