Here are the stories you should be monitoring today:

The 2018 budget has been increased to N9.1 trillion by the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday, announced an increase on the 2018 Appropriation Bill from its previous N8.6 trillion. The House committee chairman on Appropriation, Honourable Mustapha Dawaki, made the disclosure while presenting a report to the House on a Bill for an Act to authorise the increase from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, the total sum of N9,120,334,988,225.

According to the document laid on Tuesday, N530,421,368,624 was proposed for statutory transfer; N2,869,600,351,825 for development fund for capital expenditure; N3,516,477,902,077 for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure while N2,203,835,365,699 is for debt service; and N199b for sinking fund for maturing loans.

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The Federal government said it has released N10billion to rebuild destroyed properties in all areas affected by crisis across the country.

Vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this in Benue while addressing displaced persons he visited at the Abagena IDPs camp along Makurdi Laafia road as well as RCM in Daudu of Guma local government area of the state.

He stated that the president had identified three major areas of prompt action which he named as; security, rebuild and to restore back the farmland to the people.

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The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu says the anti-graft agency has secured 486 convictions and recovered over N500 billion in two and half years.

Magu said this on Tuesday at the commissioning of new headquarters of EFCC in Abuja.

According to him, “the EFCC is also making giant strides in high profile cases including the conviction of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), adding that the commission would not go after the innocent but those who have looted funds.”

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Honourable Olagunju Ojo representing Oriire State Constituency has emerged as the new Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly.

Ojo, the former minority leader in the assembly, was elected following the death of the speaker of the eighth Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo (APC-Ibarapa East),  on April 27.

The new Speaker was elected by his colleagues unopposed during plenary on Tuesday while Hon. Ademola Ige (Accord Party-Ibadan South East I) replaced him as minority leader. Hon. Abdulwasi Musa (APC- Saki East/West Constituency) however retained his position as the Deputy Speaker of the assembly.

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Vice Chairman of Irepo Local Council Development Area in Oyo, Hon Ojedele Adeyemo, has passed on hours after his inauguration.

Adeyemo who was among the newly elected vice chairmen of 33 local governments and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) inaugurated into office alongside their chairmen, by Governor Abiola Ajimobi, in Ibadan on Monday, died alongside some of his supporters in an auto-crash on their way home from the venue of the inauguration.

Reports say the accident occurred between Olokoto and Adafila villages, along Ogbomoso-Igbeti road.