1) The National Youth CONFAB:

This is expected to kick off in the first quarter of the new year as the administration seeks to strengthen the synergy between its young population and the leadership.
The Ministry of Youth is expected to announce, soon, the modalities for selecting the conference’s representatives from across the country.

2) National Credit Guarantee Company:

First announced during the President’s 2025 New Year Message, the administration is expected to launch the National Credit Guarantee Company before the end of the second quarter of 2025.
This company will assist the administration to further consolidate and increase access to credit for individuals and critical sectors of the economy to boost national economic output.

3) Tax Reform Bills Implementation:

The tax reform bills that are currently being debated on the floor of the National Assembly are expected to be passed over the next few months with implementation expected to begin in earnest.
The bills, apart from strengthening Nigeria’s tax collection capacity also aim to fix many basics of the economy which will in turn tackle poverty, inflation, unemployment, pand oor revenue as well as strengthen the ease-of-doing business rating of the country.

4) Consumer Credit Phase 2:

The Consumer Credit Scheme which is a major initiative of President Tinubu’s administration is expected to be taken to a new level as the general public starts to access the benefits embedded in it.

The first phase of the scheme which has already benefited tens of thousands of civil servants will now be extended to the general public as the administration completes to increase access to consumable goods which will help drive industrialization, reduce corruption and improve the standard of living of the populace.

5) Special Agro Processing Zones/Green Imperative:

The Special Agro Processing Zones which is an initiative of the federal government in partnership with the African Development Bank seeks to improve food production on a large scale in the country with six states pencilled down for the first phase. Large farming clusters will be setup across the country.

The Green Imperative seeks to ensure farmers at the grassroots get access to extension services including mechanized farming, and training on the use and maintenance of modern equipment by establishing centres across the 774 Local Governments.

6) Full Implementation of the Local Government Autonomy:

All things being equal, the judgement of the Supreme Court on Local government autonomy is expected to be fully implemented in the new year.

This is expected to improve governance at the grassroots level as it enables the FG to send allocations directly to local governments without interference from the states, which is currently obtainable.

7) National Livestock Program:

Following the introduction of a new Ministry of Livestock by President Tinubu’s administration, a National Livestock Program is billed to commence in the new year as Nigeria seeks to harness the potential in the livestock sector.

Northern Nigeria is a major player in the development of livestock and with a new operational framework in place, the sector is expected to contribute significantly to the economic growth of Nigeria, eliminate issues of farmers-herders crisis and reduce poverty in the country.

8) Renewed Hope Creative Villages:

According to the Presidency, plans have been finalized to establish creative villages of arts in each state across Nigeria, named “Renewed Hope Creative Villages” with the goal of enhancing the creative industry and preserving historic sites.

The initiative would collaborate with state governments to identify historic locations and transform them into creative hubs.
This one-stop-shop solution will help the government to harness the potentials of the sector to create thousands of jobs, preserve monumental sites across the country and develop a sector that could contribute immensely to economic growth.

9) Infrastructure Commissioning:

The Presidency said several Infrastructural projects are expected to be commissioned in 2025. Some of them are:

Phase one of Lagos-Calabar Highway
• 3 bus terminal stations in FCT
•Renewed Hope Cities
• The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project
• Kaduna Refinery
• 52MW Maiduguri Emergency Power Project (MEPP)
• The next phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI)
• Kaduna power project (Kudendan power plant)
• 375MW Egbema Power Station, Imo State

Edinburgh is set to become the first city in Scotland to introduce a tourist tax after the Scottish government granted powers to local authorities to introduce visitor charges.

Edinburgh’s city council has approved a proposal called the ‘Transient Visitor Levy’ to be introduced in 2026.

The fee has been set at five per cent of accommodation costs and is expected to raise up to £50 million (€59 million) a year to be used to make improvements to the city.

However, some tourism operators are concerned it will put travellers off the destination.

Authorities in the Scottish Highlands are also considering introducing a tourist tax.

Edinburgh to become the first city in Scotland to charge a tourist tax

Last September, Edinburgh officials approved a proposal to charge guests at hotels, B&Bs, hostels and holiday rentals including Airbnbs five per cent of the cost per room per night.

The fee will be capped at seven consecutive days and is scheduled to come into force on 24 July 2026.

A new report for the council’s policy and sustainability committee has proposed introducing a transition period to help businesses adjust.

This means tourists will likely only be required to pay the tax on bookings made after 1 May 2025 for stays after 24 July 2026.

The measure comes after the Scottish Parliament passed a bill that allows local authorities to introduce visitor taxes.

The city council says the funds will be invested in infrastructure, affordable housing, destination management and culture, heritage and events.

The tax is expected to raise up to £50 million (€59 million) per year by 2029 for the Scottish capital.

Council leader Cammy Day said 35 per cent of the proceeds will be earmarked for the arts sector.

Tourism operators concerned over introduction of Edinburgh tourist tax

The fee will bring Edinburgh in line with other popular tourist destinations around Europe including Amsterdam, which has a 12.5 per cent tourist tax, and Berlin.

However, some tourism operators worry the levy will make Edinburgh a less competitive holiday destination and deter visitors.

“It remains a very contentious matter,” Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, told travel news site Skift.

“There are concerns around the future total price point to the customer and what impact this might have on future bookings, especially by our domestic visitors when there are already signs of decline in bookings from this market due to the UK cost of living crisis still biting.”

But Day thinks the tax won’t put off visitors. “I can’t see a few pounds putting somebody off visiting the city,” told BBC Radio Scotland. “If you can afford to spend hundreds of pounds on a hotel room, you can afford a few pounds to support the city that you are visiting.”

Scottish Highlands mull tourist tax

The Highland Council is also considering implementing a tourist tax under the new powers introduced by the Scottish Government.

The region of mountains and glens receives over six million tourists a year, including daytrippers and cruise passengers.

As with the Edinburgh tax, it would be a percentage of the accommodation cost per night.

The Highlands region was already considering a visitor charge in 2019 and calculated that it would raise as much as £10 million (€12 million) a year to go towards improving local infrastructure.

Peter Obi has denied rumours of his arrest, stating that he is currently at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State.

His statement comes amid allegations of death threats and counterclaims involving him and Felix Morka, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a post shared on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Obi urged his supporters to disregard the rumours of his alleged arrest, emphasizing that the claims were completely untrue. “The recurring fake News on me. I have been made aware of a circulating fake News about my alleged arrest. Let me state unequivocally that these claims are entirely false. I am currently at my home in Onitsha, Anambra State. Such fake News on my person has become a pastime for some people,” Obi stated.

The former Governor of Anambra State recalled a similar incident in 2024 when a rumour surfaced alleging that he was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS). “Recall last year September, when I was in Rwanda, similar lies had gone out that DSS invaded my house; now, while I was in my home in Onitsha, Anambra State, they said I was arrested in Abuja. The motive of these peddlers cannot be positive but let us not allow baseless rumours to distract us from the critical challenges we face as a nation,” Obi added.