Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the southwest by the Edo and Ondo states, to the southeast by the states of Anambra and Enugu, and to the east by Benue State. It is the only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. Named for the Hausa word for river (Kogi). Kogi State was formed from parts of Benue State, Niger State, and Kwara State on 27 August 1991. The state is nicknamed the "Confluence State" due to the fact that the confluence of the River Niger and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja.
Dimitrios Papadimoulis is a Greek politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) as a member of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL.
Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in the 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 and was among the seven states created at that time. The state derives its name from the Benue River initially called Ber-nor, a compound word in Tiv language which means river or lake of hippopotamus the name Ber-nor was corrupted to BENUE by colonial masters, the river is the second largest river in Nigeria after the River Niger. The state borders Nasarawa State to the North; Taraba State to the East; Kogi State to the West; Enugu State to the South-West; Ebonyi and Cross-Rivers State to the South; and has an international border with Cameroon to the South-East. It is inhabited predominantly by the Tiv, Idoma and Igede people. Minority ethnic groups in Benue are Etulo, Igbo and Jukun people etc. Its capital is Makurdi. Benue is a rich agricultural region; common crops cultivated in the state include oranges, yams, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, guinea corn, flax, sesame, rice, groundnuts and palm trees.
Bendt Bendtsen is a Danish politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 until 2019. He was the leader of the Conservative People's Party from 1999 to 2008, and served as Minister of Economic and Business Affairs. As a MEP, he was part of the European People's Party.
Yaba is a suburb located on Lagos Mainland, Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria. With its educational institutions and technological start-ups, Yaba is considered the technological hub of Lagos. Inaugurated in 2021, the ultra-modern Mobolaji Johnson Central Station in Yaba connects Lagos with the country's third largest city, Ibadan, via one of the few standard-gauge railway lines in Africa. The bus station in Yaba stands out with its tent-like architecture. Yaba's market, especially around Tejuosho, is known as "the shopping centre of Lagos".
Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria. It is the largest state in the country by area. The state capital is Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. Niger state was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was divided into Niger State and Sokoto State. It is home state of two former Nigerian military heads of state— Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar. The Nupe,Adara, Gbagyi, Kamuku, Kambari, Gungawa, Hun-Saare, Hausa and Koro form the majority of numerous indigenous tribes of Niger State.
Nasarawa State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the east by the states of Taraba and Plateau, to the north by Kaduna State, to the south by the states of Benue and Kogi, and to the west by the Federal Capital Territory. Named for the historic Nasarawa Emirate, the state was formed from the west of Plateau State on 1 October 1996. The state has thirteen local government areas and its capital is Lafia, located in the east of the state, while a key economic centre of the state is the Karu Urban Area—suburbs of Abuja—along the western border with the FCT.
SokotoState is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country. Bounded by Republic of the Niger to the north and west for 363 km, and the states of Zamfara to the east, and Kebbi to the south and west, partly across the Ka River. Its capital and largest city is the city of Sokoto. Sokoto is located near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2022 it has an estimated population of more than 6.3 million.
Zamfara is a state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current governor is Dauda Lawal. Until 1996, the area was part of Sokoto State.
The Committee on Budgets (BUDG) is a committee of the European Parliament. It has 41 members plus 39 substitute members. The committee's current chair is Jean Arthuis, who has held this position since 7 July 2014.
Bowden Island is one of the southern islands of the Family Islandsgroup and located approximately 20 km East of Tully Heads.
The Directorate-General for Budget is a Directorate-General of the European Commission.
Indrek Tarand is an Estonian politician and a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Estonia. He was an independent politician, but a member of the European Green Party.
Esther M. R. de Lange is a Dutch politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) between 2007 and 2024. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), part of the European People's Party (EPP), she was elected as delegation leader in the European Parliament at a party conference on 2 November 2013 in Leeuwarden, a position she assumed the following year. In July 2014 she was elected as Vice President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament and in June 2018 as Vice President of the EPP Party. De Lange stepped down as MEP in February 2024.
Oluseun Onigbinde is a Nigerian entrepreneur and open data analyst, known as the co-founder and CEO of budgIT, a Nigerian civic startup. Oluseun Onigbinde is an advocate for fiscal transparency and open data. In 2012, he was awarded the Future Awards Prize for Science and Tech Innovation. Oluseun on 13 September 2019, was appointed as Technical Adviser in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning. His appointment was controversial among government critics.
BudgIT is a Nigerian civic organisation that applies technology for citizen engagement with institutional improvement to facilitate societal change. The company, which launched operations in Lagos, Nigeria, was founded by Oluseun Onigbinde and Joseph Agunbiade in 2011 to provide social advocacy using technology.
Karlo Ressler is a Croatian politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019.
Citizens' Gavel is a civic tech organization aimed at improving the pace of justice delivery through the use of technology. It was established in 2017 as Open Justice by Nelson Olanipekun, from an incubation programme of Civic Hive; the incubation and media arm of BudgIT.
Nelson Olanipekun is a Nigerian human rights lawyer, entrepreneur, and founder of Citizens' Gavel. He graduated from Ekiti State University and the University of Ibadan. He started Citizens' Gavel in 2017, which aims to improve the pace of justice delivery through the use of technology. He is notable for being a co-strategist and legal counsel for the End SARS campaign alongside Segun Awosanya in 2017.
The Ministry of Transportation is a branch of the federal government of Nigeria responsible for watching the movement of people and goods across the country. Sa'idu Ahmed Alkali is the Minister of Transportation. The ministry oversees road vehicles, aviation, and rail transport.
