President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday addressed the nation during the celebration of Nigeria’s 65th ndependence anniversary, saying his administration’s reforms are yielding results for Nigerians.

Tinubu also said that Nigeria must become a producing nation, “not just consumers”.

Read Ful Text Below.

NATIONAL BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY BOLA AHNED TINUBU, GCFR, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON
THE 65TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF NIGERIA,
OCTOBER 1, 2025

Fellow Nigerians,
Today marks the 65th anniversary of our great nation’s Independence. As we reflect on the significance of this day and our journey of nationhood since October 1, 1960, when our founding fathers accepted the instruments of self-government from colonial rule, let us remember their sacrifice, devotion, and grand dream of a strong, prosperous, and united Nigeria that will lead Africa and be the beacon of light to the rest of the world.

Our founding heroes and heroines—Herbert Macaulay, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Margaret Ekpo, Anthony Enahoro, Ladoke Akintola, Michael Okpara, Aminu Kano, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and other nationalists—believed it was Nigeria’s manifest destiny to lead the entire black race as the largest black nation on earth.

For decades, the promise of our Independence has been tested by profound social, economic, and political challenges, and we have survived. While we may not have achieved all the lofty dreams of our forebearers, we have not strayed too far from them. In 65 years since our Independence, we have made tremendous progress in economic growth, social cohesion, and physical development. Our economy has experienced significant growth since 1960.

Although, it is much easier for those whose vocation is to focus solely on what ought to be, we must recognise and celebrate our significant progress. Nigerians today have access to better education and healthcare than in 1960. At Independence, Nigeria had 120 secondary schools with a student population of about 130,000. Available data indicate that, as of year 2024, there were more than 23,000 secondary schools in our country. At Independence, we had only the University of Ibadan and Yaba College of Technology as the two tertiary institutions in Nigeria. By the end of last year, there were 274 universities, 183 Polytechnics, and 236 Colleges of Education in Nigeria, comprising Federal, State, and private institutions. We have experienced a significant surge in growth across every sector of our national life since Independence – in healthcare, infrastructure, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, aviation and defence, among others.

READ ALSO: The Worst Is Over, Tinubu Assures Nigerians

Our country has experienced both the good and the bad times in its 65 years of nationhood, as is normal for every nation and its people. We fought a bitter and avoidable civil war, experienced military dictatorships, and lived through major political crises. In all these, we weathered every storm and overcame every challenge with courage, grit, and uncommon determination. While our system and ties that bind us are sometimes stretched by insidious forces opposed to our values and ways of life, we continue to strive to build a more perfect union where every Nigerian can find better accommodation and find purpose and fulfilment.

Fellow Compatriots, this is the third time I will address you on our independence anniversary since I assumed office as your President on May 29, 2023. In the last 28 months of my administration, like our founding fathers and leaders who came before me, I have committed myself irrevocably to the unfinished nation-building business.

Upon assuming office, our administration inherited a near-collapsed economy caused by decades of fiscal policy distortions and misalignment that had impaired real growth. As a new administration, we faced a simple choice: continue business as usual and watch our nation drift, or embark on a courageous, fundamental reform path. We chose the path of reform. We chose the path of tomorrow over the comfort of today. Less than three years later, the seeds of those difficult but necessary decisions are bearing fruit.

In resetting our country for sustainable growth, we ended the corrupt fuel subsidies and multiple foreign exchange rates that created massive incentives for a rentier economy, benefiting only a tiny minority. At the same time, the masses received little or nothing from our Commonwealth. Our administration has redirected the economy towards a more inclusive path, channelling money to fund education, healthcare, national security, agriculture, and critical economic infrastructure, such as roads, power, broadband, and social investment programmes. These initiatives will generally improve Nigerians’ quality of life. As a result of the tough decisions we made, the Federal and State governments, including Local Governments, now have more resources to take care of the people at the lower level of the ladder, to address our development challenges.

Fellow Nigerians, we are racing against time. We must build the roads we need, repair the ones that have become decrepit, and construct the schools our children will attend and the hospitals that will care for our people. We have to plan for the generations that will come after us. We do not have enough electricity to power our industries and homes today, or the resources to repair our deteriorating roads, build seaports, railroads, and international airports comparable to the best in the world, because we failed to make the necessary investments decades ago. Our administration is setting things right.

I am pleased to report that we have finally turned the corner. The worst is over, I say. Yesterday’s pains are giving way to relief. I salute your endurance, support, and understanding. I will continue to work for you and justify the confidence you reposed in me to steer the ship of our nation to a safe harbour.

Under our leadership, our economy is recovering fast, and the reforms we started over two years ago are delivering tangible results. The second quarter 2025 Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23%—Nigeria’s fastest pace in four years—and outpaced the 3.4 per cent projected by the International Monetary Fund. Inflation declined to 20.12% in August 2025, the lowest level in three years. The administration is working diligently to boost agricultural production and ensure food security, reducing food costs.

In the last two years of our administration, we have achieved 12 remarkable economic milestones as a result of the implementation of our sound fiscal and monetary policies:

i. We have attained a record-breaking increase in non-oil revenue, achieving the 2025 target by August with over N20 trillion. In September 2025 alone, we raised N3.65 trillion, 411% higher than the amount raised in May 2023.

ii. We have restored Fiscal Health: Our debt service-to-revenue ratio has been significantly reduced from 97% to below 50%. We have paid down the infamous “Ways and Means” advances that threatened our economic stability and triggered inflation. Following the removal of the corrupt petroleum subsidy, we have freed up trillions of Naira for targeted investment in the real economy and social programmes for the most vulnerable, as well as all tiers of government.

iii. We have a stronger foreign Reserve position than three years ago. Our external reserves increased to $42.03 billion this September—the highest since 2019.

iv. Our tax-to-GDP ratio has risen to 13.5 per cent from less than 10 per cent. The ratio is expected to increase further when the new tax law takes effect in January. The tax law is not about increasing the burden on existing taxpayers but about expanding the base to build the Nigeria we deserve and providing tax relief to low-income earners.

v. We are now a Net Exporter: Nigeria has recorded a trade surplus for five consecutive quarters. We are now selling more to the world than we are buying, a fundamental shift that strengthens our currency and creates jobs at home. Nigeria’s trade surplus increased by 44.3% in Q2 2025 to ₦7.46 trillion ($4.74 billion), the largest in about three years. Goods manufactured in Nigeria and exported jumped by 173%. Non-oil exports, as a component of our export trade, now represent 48 per cent, compared to oil exports, which account for 52 per cent. This signals that we are diversifying our economy and foreign exchange sources outside oil and gas.

vi. Oil production rebounded to 1.68 million barrels per day from barely one million in May 2023. The increase occurred due to improved security, new investments, and better stakeholder management in the Niger Delta. Furthermore, the country has made notable advancements by refining PMS domestically for the first time in four decades. It has also established itself as the continent’s leading exporter of aviation fuel.

vii. The Naira has stabilised from the turbulence and volatility witnessed in 2023 and 2024. The gap between the official rate and the unofficial market has reduced substantially, following FX reforms and fresh capital and remittance inflows. The multiple exchange rates, which fostered corruption and arbitrage, are now part of history. Additionally, our currency rate against the dollar is no longer determined by fluctuations in crude oil prices.

viii. Under the social investment programme to support poor households and vulnerable Nigerians, N330 billion has been disbursed to eight million households, many of whom have received either one or two out of the three tranches of the N25,000 each.

ix. Coal mining recovered dramatically from a 22% decline in Q1 to 57.5% growth in Q2, becoming one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing sectors. The solid mineral sector is now pivotal in our economy, encouraging value-added production of minerals extracted from our soil.

x. The administration is expanding transport infrastructure across the country, covering rail, roads, airports, and seaports. Rail and water transport grew by over 40% and 27%, respectively. The 284-kilometre Kano-Kastina-Maradi Standard Gauge rail project and the Kaduna-Kano rail line are nearing completion. Work is progressing well on the legacy Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway. The Federal Executive Council recently approved $3 billion to complete the Eastern Rail Project.

xi. The world is taking notice of our efforts. Sovereign credit rating agencies have upgraded their outlook for Nigeria, recognising our improved economic fundamentals. Our stock market is experiencing an unprecedented boom, rising from an all-share index of 55,000 points in May 2003 to 142,000 points as of September 26, 2025.

xii. At its last MPC meeting, the Central Bank slashed interest rates for the first time in five years, expressing confidence in our country’s macroeconomic stability.

SECURITY

We are working diligently to enhance national security, ensuring our economy experiences improved growth and performance. The officers and men of our armed forces and other security agencies are working tirelessly and making significant sacrifices to keep us safe. They are winning the war against terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes. We see their victories in their blood and sweat to stamp out Boko Haram Terror in North-East, IPOB/ESN terror in South East and banditry and kidnapping. We must continue to celebrate their gallantry and salute their courage on behalf of a grateful nation. Peace has returned to hundreds of our liberated communities in North-West and North-East, and thousands of our people have returned safely to their homes.

YOUTH

I have a message for our young people. You are the future and the greatest assets of this blessed country. You must continue to dream big, innovate, and conquer more territories in your various fields of science, technology, sports, and the art and creative sector. Our administration, through policies and funding, will continue to give you wings to fly sky-high. We created NELFUND to support students with loans for their educational pursuits. Approximately 510,000 students across 36 states and the FCT have benefited from this initiative, covering 228 higher institutions. As of September 10, the total loan disbursed was N99.5 billion, while the upkeep allowance stood at N44.7 billion.

Credicorp, another initiative of our administration, has granted 153,000 Nigerians N30 billion affordable loans for vehicles, solar energy, home upgrades, digital devices, and more.

YouthCred, which I promised last June, is a reality, with tens of thousands of NYSC members now active beneficiaries of consumer credit for resettlement.

Under our Renewed Hope Agenda, we promised to build a Nigeria where every young person, regardless of background, has an equitable opportunity to access a better future—thus, the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme. The Bank of Industry is driving the programme, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, and the Islamic Development Bank. This initiative is at the cusp of implementation. Over the last two years, we have collaborated with our partners to launch the programme, supporting our young builders and dreamers in the technology and creative sectors.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE

Fellow Nigerians, I have always candidly acknowledged that these reforms have come with some temporary pains. The biting effects of inflation and the rising cost of living remain a significant concern to our government. However, the alternative of allowing our country to descend into economic chaos or bankruptcy was not an option. Our macro-economic progress has proven that our sacrifices have not been in vain. Together, we are laying a new foundation cast in concrete, not on quicksand.

The accurate measure of our success will not be limited to economic statistics alone, but rather in the food on our families’ tables, the quality of education our children receive, the electricity in our homes, and the security in our communities. Let me assure you of our administration’s determination to ensure that the resources we have saved and the stability we have built are channelled into these critical areas. Today, the governors at the state level, and the local government autonomy are yielding more developments.

Therefore, on this 65th Anniversary of Our Independence, my message is hope and a call to action. The federal government will continue to do its part to fix the plumbing in our economy. Now, we must all turn on the taps of productivity, innovation, and enterprise, just like the Ministry of Interior has done with our travel passports, by quickening the processing. In this regard, I urge the sub-national entities to join us in nation-building. Let us be a nation of producers, not just consumers. Let us farm our land and build factories to process our produce. Let us patronise ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ goods. I say Nigeria first. Let us pay our taxes.

Finally, let all hands be on deck. Let us believe, once more, in the boundless potential of our great nation.

With Almighty God on our side, I can assure you that the dawn of a new, prosperous, self-reliant Nigeria is here.

Happy 65th Independence Anniversary, and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Amen.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Presidential Villa,
Abuja.

The post Full Text Of President Tinubu’s 2025 Independence Day Address appeared first on Channels Television.

Despite two deadly stampedes that killed dozens, the festival in the northern city of Prayagraj has been hailed as a triumph by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, bolstering its carefully cultivated image as a steward of Hindu resurgence and prosperity.

Both Modi and his ally, firebrand Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath — chief minister of India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh where the festival is being held — say the millennia-old Mela has been the “grandest” yet.

Both men themselves took part in the festival, with Modi bathing in the spot where the waters of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet.

READ ALSO: Trump To Convene First Cabinet Meeting, Including Musk

The Kumbh Mela is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality.

The festival, which opened on January 13, ends Wednesday, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Maha Shivaratri, in honour of the deity Shiva.

“Our purpose to visit on Maha Shivaratri was to worship Lord Shiva,” said devotee Shivam Kumar, 21.

Helicopters scattered flower petals on the vast crowds taking part in sacred bathing rituals at dawn.

‘Salvation’

According to eyebrow-raising figures from the Uttar Pradesh state government, more than 640 million worshippers took part in the festival, a staggering statistic even for the world’s most populous nation of 1.4 billion people.

Just on Wednesday, more than eight million devotees were reported to have shrugged off stomach-churning faecal matter measurements to immerse themselves in sacred river waters.

Authorities say the attendee estimates have been calculated using artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras, but the figures are impossible to independently verify.

The festival was marred by a deadly stampede on January 29 that killed at least 30 people and injured 90 others.

Officials insisted for hours that no one was seriously injured, despite graphic television footage from the scene.

Another 18 people died this month during a stampede at the main railway station in New Delhi when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to Prayagraj.

The deaths have taken the sheen off the government’s claims of stellar management of the event.

But the twin tragedies failed to deter millions who continued to pour into the sprawling temporary township along the banks of the river.

Organisers now face the massive task of cleaning the site up after the festival ends and pilgrims go home.

Deepak Prajapati, 43, said his family decided to come on the last day of the festival because it was auspicious.

“We hope that our family has found salvation from the cycle of life and death,” he told AFP.

AFP

The post India’s Vast Hindu Festival Draws To An End appeared first on Channels Television.

The five women and three men, who have not been identified, were killed in the street on Saturday night in Guanajuato, the prosecutor’s office said.

Guanajuato is a thriving industrial hub and home to several popular tourist destinations, but it is also considered Mexico’s most violent state, according to official homicide statistics.

READ ALSO: At Least One Dead As Business Jets Collide At US Airport

The gunmen have not been caught.

The shootings took place in the municipality of Cortazar, where in 2023 gunmen stormed a water park and killed seven people, including a child.

The National Guard arrested on Sunday a man in Guanajuato identified by local media as the leader of hitmen for the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel.

Violence in Guanajuato is linked to ongoing conflict between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful in the Latin American nation.

Drug-related violence has seen more than 480,000 people killed in Mexico since the government deployed the army to combat trafficking in 2006, according to official figures.

AFP

The post Gunmen Kill Eight In Central Mexico appeared first on Channels Television.

“Human rights are the oxygen of humanity,” United Nations chief Antonio Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“But one by one, human rights are being suffocated,” he said, adding: “by autocrats, crushing opposition because they fear what a truly empowered people would do. By a patriarchy that keeps girls out of school and women at arm’s length from basic rights.”

READ ALSO: UN Peacekeepers Report Deadly Clashes In South Sudan

Warmongers meanwhile “thumb their nose at international law, international humanitarian law and the UN Charter”, he said, while wars and violence were stripping people “of their right to food, water and education”.

Guterres also pointed to the impact of “a morally bankrupt global financial system”, and to “runaway technologies like artificial intelligence that hold great promise, but also the ability to violate human rights at the touch of a button”.

He highlighted “growing intolerance against entire groups — from Indigenous peoples, to migrants and refugees, to the LGBTQI+ community, to persons with disabilities”, as well as “voices of division and anger who view human rights not as a boon to humanity, but as a barrier to the power, profit and control they seek”.

All combined, “this represents a direct threat to all of the hard-won mechanisms and systems established over the last 80 years to protect and advance human rights”, he warned.

AFP

The post Human Rights Around The World ‘Being Suffocated’ – UN appeared first on Channels Television.

The 88-year-old pope, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted on February 14 with breathing difficulties.

“The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting”, the Vatican said. This is the longest hospitalisation of in Francis’s papacy.

The 88-year-old pope, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted on February 14 with breathing difficulties.

READ ALSO: Global Prayers For ‘Critically’ Sick Pope Francis

He was initially diagnosed with bronchitis but this developed into pneumonia in both lungs — and on Saturday night, the Vatican warned for the first time that his condition was critical.

On Sunday it said he continues to receive “high-flow” oxygen through a nasal cannula, and blood tests demonstrated an “initial, mild, renal failure, currently under control”.

Francis is alert but “the complexity of the clinical picture, and the need to wait for the pharmacological treatments to have some effect, mean that the prognosis remains reserved”, it concluded.

Abele Donati, head of the anaesthesia and intensive care unit at the Marche University Hospital, told the Corriere della Sera daily that the renal failure “could signal the presence of sepsis in the early stages”.

“It is the body’s response to an ongoing infection, in this case of the two lungs”, he said.

Professor Sergio Alfieri, leading the medical team treating the pope at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, warned at a press conference on Friday that “the real risk in these cases is that the germs pass into the blood”, which could result in sepsis, a life-threatening condition.

Francis’s continued hospitalisation has sparked widespread concern, with Catholics around the world praying for his recovery.

It has also fuelled speculation about whether he might step down.

He has always left the door open to following his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign.

But he has repeatedly said it was not the time.

AFP

The post Critically-Ill Pope Had A Good Night, Says Vatican appeared first on Channels Television.

Eight patients treated for Ebola in Uganda have recovered, the country’s health minister said on Wednesday, declaring the country’s latest outbreak of the deadly disease “contained”.

The eight “have been under treatment and have fully recovered,” Jane Ruth Aceng told AFP.

“This is a major breakthrough,” the minister added.

She said the patients had been discharged on Tuesday and Wednesday from a hospital in Kampala.

Uganda had confirmed nine cases overall in the latest outbreak, including a nurse who died from the disease in the capital Kampala in January.

Aceng said 265 other people remained “under quarantine for monitoring” after coming into contact with the patient who died.

“At the moment, Ebola spread is contained as part of the Ugandan government’s robust mechanism to contain the spread of diseases” alongside international agencies, she added.

It is the sixth time the east African nation has been hit by the Ebola Sudan species of the virus, for which there is no approved vaccine.

A vaccination trial for the strain was launched in the country earlier this month.

Uganda’s previous Ebola outbreak lasted for four months in 2022 and 2023 and claimed 55 lives.

The deadliest Ebola epidemic unfolded in west Africa between 2013 and 2016, killing more than 11,300 people, according to WHO estimates.

AFP

The post Uganda Ebola Patients Recover, Outbreak ‘Contained’ – Minister appeared first on Channels Television.

Rapper A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of two counts of felony assault at the conclusion of a trial in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The musician, who has two children with singer Rihanna, had faced more than two decades in prison if he had been convicted of the alleged attack on a former friend in Hollywood in 2021.

There was commotion in the courtroom as the jury’s verdict was read out, with the Grammy-nominated hip hop star, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, hugging people in relief as he was declared not guilty.

During the weeks-long trial, prosecutors said Mayers had shot a nine-millimeter semi-automatic weapon during a confrontation with Terell Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, on November 6, 2021, in the heart of Hollywood, grazing Ephron’s hand.

Mayers, 36, had insisted he had been carrying only a harmless prop gun.

The two had previously been friends, and had both been part of A$AP, a rap collective from New York, but had fallen out because other members of the group felt Mayers’ commercial success had made him arrogant.

Ephron told the jury he had been lured to a parking garage for an encounter that was partially caught on grainy surveillance video.

He claimed that after the two exchanged words, Mayers pulled a gun from his waistband, put it toward Relli’s stomach and said, “I’ll kill you right now.”

Ephron said two bullets were fired, with one of them grazing his knuckles.

Defending attorney Joe Tacopina said the weapon was “absolutely nothing more than a prop gun… a starter gun, a blank gun, a fake gun. It’s used in pop movies and music videos.”

Describing Ephron as “a criminal and a perjurer,” Tacopina said seven police officers searched the scene of the shooting hours later but found neither shell casings nor a weapon.

Yet, after officers left, Ephron returned to the scene and discovered a pair of nine-millimeter shell casings he said he had picked up from the street where he was shot at, Tacopina said.

Neither side was able to produce the gun they said had been used on the night.

‘Extortion’

Tacopina said the whole story of a shooting had been manufactured to extort money from his wealthy and successful client.

Speaking after the verdict, Tacopina told reporters the jury had seen through the “mirage of a case.”

“I’ve always said this was an extortion. The extortion played out live in court,” he said.

“The district attorney should look long and hard at prosecuting Terell Ephron.”

Tacopina paid tribute to Mayers and Rihanna, whom he described as “the greatest people.”

There was no immediate reaction from either Mayers or Rihanna, who had been in court frequently during the trial.

A$AP Rocky shot to fame in the first half of the last decade with two mega-selling albums: “Long. Live. A$AP” and “At. Long. Last. A$AP.”

In 2019, he was given a suspended prison sentence in Sweden after a fight, in an affair that caused diplomatic tensions between Stockholm and Washington, pushing then-president Donald Trump to intervene.

The post Rapper A$AP Rocky Found Not Guilty In Assault Trial appeared first on Channels Television.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has ordered the firing of all remaining US attorneys nominated by his predecessor Joe Biden.

“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

“Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys,” he said.

“We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence,” Trump added. “America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!”

It is standard practice for an incoming president to replace the federal prosecutors, known as US attorneys, nominated by their predecessor.

READ ALSO: Russia, US To Name Negotiators On Ending Ukraine War

There are 93 US attorneys, one for each of the 94 federal court districts in the country. Two districts share a US attorney.

US attorneys are the top federal law enforcement officer in each district.

A number of US attorneys nominated by Democrat Biden resigned following Trump’s November election victory in anticipation of being replaced.

The Justice Department, which Trump has accused of unjustly prosecuting him, has been the target of a sweeping shakeup since the Republican took office and a number of high-ranking officials have been fired, demoted or reassigned.

Among those sacked were members of the office of special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two now-abandoned criminal cases against Trump.

The acting US attorney for the powerful Southern District of New York, a Trump appointee, resigned last week after being asked by the Justice Department to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

AFP

The post Trump Orders Firing Of All ‘Biden-Era’ US Attorneys appeared first on Channels Television.

A US judge on Tuesday declined a request to temporarily block Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from firing federal employees and accessing agency data, a victory for President Donald Trump in his bid to shrink the government workforce.

Fourteen Democratic-ruled states had filed suit last week contesting Musk’s legal authority but District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied their emergency request to pause his actions.

“Plaintiffs have not carried their burden of showing that they will suffer imminent, irreparable harm absent a temporary restraining order,” Chutkan said.

DOGE is a free-ranging entity run by Musk, the world’s richest person and Trump’s biggest donor. The billionaire has taken an assertive role in the new administration, with his agency aiming to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in government spending.

READ ALSO: Musk’s DOGE Seeks Access To US Tax System – Reports

His plans have effectively shuttered some federal agencies, sent thousands of staff members home and sparked legal battles across the country.

In their suit, the 14 states claimed that Musk and DOGE lacked statutory authority for their actions because he had not been formally nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

“(Musk) exercises virtually unchecked power across the Executive Branch, making decisions about expenditures, contracts, government property, regulations, and the very existence of federal agencies,” they said.

In addition, Musk and DOGE have gained access to “sensitive data, information, systems, and technological and financial infrastructure across the federal government,” they added.

The 14 states had sought to block DOGE from accessing the data systems of the Office of Personnel Management and the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation and Commerce, and from terminating any of their employees.

‘Considerable uncertainty’

Chutkan, in her ruling, said “the court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for Plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents.

“But the ‘possibility’ that Defendants may take actions that irreparably harm Plaintiffs ‘is not enough,'” she said.

Musk’s cost-cutting spree has been met with legal pushback on a number of fronts and a mixed bag of rulings.

A different federal judge last week lifted a freeze he had temporarily imposed on a mass buyout plan offered by the Trump administration to federal workers.

In the mass buyout case, labor unions representing federal employees had filed suit to block the scheme masterminded by Musk to slash the size of government by encouraging federal workers to quit.

In an email titled “Fork in the Road,” the more than two million US government employees were given an offer to leave with eight months’ pay or risk being fired in future culls.

According to the White House, more than 75,000 federal employees signed on to the buyout offer from the Office of Personnel Management.

Trump’s executive actions have been challenged in dozens of court cases and the White House has accused “judges in liberal districts” of “abusing their power” to block the president’s moves.

The decisions have come from judges nominated by both Republican and Democratic presidents, including Trump himself during his first term.

Chutkan, an appointee of Democratic former president Barack Obama, presided over the now-abandoned case against Trump on charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

AFP

The post US Judge Declines To Block Musk From Accessing Data, Firing Workers appeared first on Channels Television.

The drive by Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash outgoings deemed wasteful or contrary to US President Donald Trump’s policies has run up against multiple legal challenges.

The University of California Student Association had sought to block DOGE from accessing students’ data including social security numbers, loans and tax information.

READ ALSO: Musk Says Smartest AI Chatbot Grok 3 To Be Unveiled Monday

But federal Court Judge Randolph D. Moss said in his order on Monday that potential harm to students was “entirely conjectural” and that their lawsuit “provides no evidence beyond sheer speculation” that Musk’s team would “misuse or further disseminate this information”.

The order allows both sides time to gather more evidence about Musk’s handling of the data, before Judge Moss rules on whether to allow the lawsuit to advance.

DOGE is not an official government department but has sought to access data from several federal bodies.

The Tesla, SpaceX and X chief ran into controversy this month when he and his team tried accessing sensitive Treasury Department data.

An internal assessment from the Treasury called the DOGE team’s access to federal payment systems “the single biggest insider threat the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) has ever faced,” US media reported.

Meanwhile the Social Security Administration chief quit on Monday over DOGE’s requests to access Social Security recipient information, US media reported citing unnamed sources.

AFP

The post US Judge Refuses To Block Musk’s DOGE From Student Data appeared first on Channels Television.