Index to Nigerian Newspapers

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that he does not care who succeeds him in 2023, unlike former President Olusegun Obasanjo who worked to ensure that late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua succeeded him in 2007. On the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, Buhari said he cannot release him because he would not interfere in the judicial process. He also said the government was open to a political solution if he turned a new leaf. Buhari said Kanu should be given an opportunity to defend himself in Nigeria's system  and that there is a possibility of a political solution if he behaves himself. He also expressed no fear for the unity of Nigeria, as he has been in detention for more than three years and believes that Nigeria is better together than separate. On restructuring, he asked promoters to properly define the concept and look at the map of Nigeria to determine what they mean in their own concept of restructuring.

With 78.7% of all new registrations in the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) campaign, Nigerian youths between the ages of 18 and 34 are leading the pack ahead of the 2023 general elections. Youth registered 1,093,834 new registrants out of 1,390,519 legitimate registrants, while middle-aged enrollment peaked at 210,233 or 15%. Yakubu claimed that the 2011 implementation of biometric voter registration helped to sanitise the register.

President Muhammadu Buhari has redeployed Mohammed H. Abdullahi as the substantive Minister of Environment, effective April 6, 2022. He was previously the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation. Business owners cry out over the eviction and planned demolition of Ondo Trade Fair Complex. Military under fire for deploying soldiers to ‘protect’ cows in Ondo while terrorists take over Kaduna.

The national leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has expressed sadness at the news of the tragic incidents that recently affected the Salvation Army and the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the twin tragedy is shocking, thus the need for government to secure the lives of Nigerians.

“The loss of 12 pastors (officers), a baby, and a driver in a fatal accident on the same day, near Benin City, Edo State, is a devastating blow to the congregation, the body of Christ in Nigeria, and the nation at large. “We stand with the Salvation Army during this very difficult time in prayer, asking that God will comfort them and ease their pain. We also urge the government authorities to thoroughly investigate the accident in order to prevent a repeat of this episode.

The midnight to four in the morning movement restrictions put in place in 2019 to slow the spread of COVID 19 in the nation were officially withdrawn yesterday by the federal government. In a statement, Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-29, made the announcement. He said that the decision was made in response to a lower danger of the introduction of novel variations, a decrease in pandemic cases, the availability of vaccines, and an increase in the number of people in Nigeria and around the world who have received vaccinations. However, the SGF emphasised that any political events involving sizable crowds must rigorously abide with COVID 19 regulations established by the Independent National and Electoral Commission (INEC). While there are no restrictions on flying, he continued, people must follow any current laws.

The midnight to four in the morning movement restrictions put in place in 2019 to slow the spread of COVID 19 in the nation were officially withdrawn yesterday by the federal government. In a statement, Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-29, made the announcement. He said that the decision was made in response to a lower danger of the introduction of novel variations, a decrease in pandemic cases, the availability of vaccines, and an increase in the number of people in Nigeria and around the world who have received vaccinations. However, the SGF emphasised that any political events involving sizable crowds must rigorously abide with COVID 19 regulations established by the Independent National and Electoral Commission (INEC). While there are no restrictions on flying, he continued, people must follow any current laws.

The two houses of the parliament yesterday passed different versions of the Electoral Act Bill; the Senate supplied the re-amended bill for direct mode, whilst the House only gave direct and indirect mode. This has sparked a new debate in the National Assembly. The National Assembly already enacted the measure on November 18; the Commission will keep an eye on it. The Red Chamber changed Clause 84 (which refers to the ways of choosing candidates for elective seats as indirect primaries or consensus). There wasn't any agreement. After the House returned to plenary, Femi Gbajabiamila addressed the amendment and stated that only Clause 84 had been discussed and approved by the House. No other provisions of the electoral act modification had been taken into consideration or approved.

The two houses of the parliament yesterday passed different versions of the Electoral Act Bill; the Senate supplied the re-amended bill for direct mode, whilst the House only gave direct and indirect mode. This has sparked a new debate in the National Assembly. The National Assembly already enacted the measure on November 18; the Commission will keep an eye on it. The Red Chamber changed Clause 84 (which refers to the ways of choosing candidates for elective seats as indirect primaries or consensus). There wasn't any agreement. After the House returned to plenary, Femi Gbajabiamila addressed the amendment and stated that only Clause 84 had been discussed and approved by the House. No other provisions of the electoral act modification had been taken into consideration or approved.

The Canadian government has pledged to strengthen its relationship with Nigeria, citing mutual economic benefits in agricultural development. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) assured the Canadian government that the current economic situation in Nigeria will be temporary due to the government's policies designed to cushion the situation and provide relief to the citizens. In 2022, Nigeria was Canada's largest bilateral trade partner in Africa, with Canadian imports totaling about $1.7bn. The SGF also recalled that in 2022, 95% of people with Boko Haram's ideology were dead in Borno.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ended the fuel subsidy due to resource drying, urging better investment in public infrastructure, education, healthcare, and jobs. He also called for a unified exchange rate to direct funds towards real economy investments. His administration will treat both new and old naira notes as legal tender, reduce interest rates, and target higher GDP growth and reduced unemployment. They will review investor complaints and ensure dividends are repatriated home. Tinubu pledges to work with international partners to end conflicts and make Nigeria a more perfect nation and democracy.

The International Press Centre (IPC) has charged the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to hold President Bola Ahmed Tinubu accountable on his campaign promises. The IPC Executive Director, Mr Lanre Arongudade, gave the charge on Wednesday in Abuja at the stakeholders’ round table on accountability, incorporating the public presentation of independently compiled campaign promises of Tinubu and the launch of an iOS/web app of media code for election. 

The event was to sensitise the media and civil society to their oversight functions as an institution that is given the constitutional responsibility to monitor governance and hold the government accountable to the people. During the campaigns, we documented the campaign promises of all the presidential candidates. Normally it is our tradition to publish that of the president so that we can look at these promises in our respective way.

These days we talk about solution-driven journalism but you can’t have solutions when you don’t pick promises, follow them, and ensure that they are actually implemented and also ask questions if there are challenges of implementation or there are changes to that plan,” Arogundade said.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a fake couple, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum, who were allegedly going for medical treatment in India. They were intercepted at Lagos airport's screening point and placed on excretion observation. The couple's travel documents identified them as Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum, but preliminary investigation revealed they were not a couple. The couple later gave their real name as Ngogbike Nkechi. Uwaezuoke and another suspect were arrested in Abuja on March 19, 2022.

 

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the 2023 general elections witnessed diverse challenges, including misconduct by INEC officials and the deployment of thugs by some political actors. Yakubu disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the review of the elections, saying, “As you are aware, there were many challenges encountered before and during the elections. The severe cash and fuel situations were compounded by the perennial insecurity nationwide.

“The impact on our deployment plans, compounded by the behaviour of some of our own officials in the field, made logistics management particularly challenging. The deployment of thugs by some political actors made Election Day administration difficult in a number of places.” The INEC boss noted that since the 2019 general elections, the commission had worked together with the National Assembly, CSOs, and other stakeholders for the improvement of the electoral process.

 

Civil Society Organistion (CSOs)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria has raised concerns over the increasing costs of its operational expenses, disruptions caused by frequent changes in proposed primaries, and the arbitrary granting of waivers for defectors. Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu urged political parties to adhere strictly to their proposed dates and modes of primaries to ensure certainty and optimal resource deployment. He also criticised the practice of granting waivers to candidates who were recently members of other political parties, as it consumes legal fees and resources that could be used more productively in other electoral activities. The INEC has announced that only six political parties have uploaded their candidate details on the INEC portal so far, and primaries will begin on April 6.

On Wednesday, retired military personnel marched through Abuja under the banner of the Coalition for Concerned Veterans to demand payment of the pension arrears that resulted from the introduction of the new minimum wage. which picketed the Ministry of Finance and said that even though they had written to the Minister of Defence, we had given them the reins and that their compensation was excessive under government policy.

In order to successfully hold free, fair, and credible general elections in 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has highlighted voter education and sensitization as one of the five main areas that require cooperation from the UN. The other areas were enumerated by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, and included inclusion measures, voter education and sensitization, security, capacity building for political parties, and assistance for staff in terms of training and capacity building. Serge Gakwandi Kubwimana, the head of the UN delegation, had earlier stated that the delegation had been to Nigeria in response to a letter the UN secretary general had received in January asking for the UN to support Nigerian elections in 2023.

Ahead of the November 11 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have called for action against fake news and hate speech to ensure the success of the elections and sable democracy in the country. They made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the commission’s meeting with media executives on the review of the 2023 general elections, which was the sixth in the series of meetings held by the commission in the last three weeks to review the election.

Speaking at the parley, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, assured that the commission will continue to welcome suggestions that will improve the future conduct of elections and the electoral process in Nigeria. He said that there are many positive aspects of the 2023 General Election and at the same time, there were challenges.

“As we review the 2023 elections, let us candidly address the issue of hate speech and misinformation, seeking ways to combat them without infringing on the principles of free speech. Additionally, we must discuss how to ensure equitable access to media platforms for all political actors, promoting inclusivity and fair representation,” Isiguzo said.

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday the Federal Government to reverse all “anti-poor” and anti-workers policies within seven days or risk a nationwide strike. It listed the policies as including the recent petrol price hike, the increase in school fees and the Value Added Tax increase.

The NLC also demanded release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers as well as inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues. Joe Ajaero and Emmanuel Ugboaja, the president and the secretary of the NLC respectively stated this in a communique they jointly issued at the end of the congress’ emergency Central Working Committee. They alleged government’s insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians.

Asked if the NLC will go ahead with the threat to go on strike on August 2 if the federal government failed to reverse alleged anti-labour policies, Ajaero said, “Well, protest,? I wouldn’t know, we are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, we said we’re commencing protests from the 2nd.”

The death toll from devastating floods in Libya’s eastern coastal city of Derna yesterday rose to over 6,000, according to local officials. The figure is expected to rise as recovery operations continue in the city pummeled by Storm Daniel. The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration in Libya said over 30,000 people were displaced. This is just as authorities are racing to bury the deceased as bodies pile up in the streets of Derna devastated by flooding after a torrential downpour smashed through two dams, washing homes into the sea. Saadeddin Abdul Wakil, health ministry’s undersecretary of the Unity Government in Tripoli, one of two rival governments operating in the country, confirmed the over 6,000 casualty figure. He said: “Morgues are full in hospitals that remain out of service despite the desperate need to treat survivors of the disaster, according to staff. In Egypt, the government buried 87 Egyptian victims who died in Libya, according to the country’s emigration ministry. “Around 10,000 more are missing, potentially either swept out to sea or buried beneath rubble that’s strewn throughout the city once home to over 100,000 people.”  Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday assured Libya of Nigeria’s unwavering solidarity and goodwill during these trying times. Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, commiserated with all families who had lost loved ones in what he called “monumental disaster”. Deputy Secretary-General of the council, Prof. Salisu Shehu, in a statement, said the council beseeched the Ummah in Nigeria and all over the world, all global humanitarian agencies, supranational governments, organisations and well-meaning individuals to assist Libya “during this trying period.”

The people that are paid the least are really the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress, departments, and parastatals. because there will be penalties and repercussions. The Federation's Head of Civil Service responded by warning that raising pay might have negative effects. The vice president "put a caveat that by the time we raise the salary of civil servants, they must be ready to sit up and do the work that is expected of them," she said during a meeting she held with him. We must realise that there will be penalties and repercussions because of this. She mentioned the government's formation of a committee to synchronise public and civil worker wages.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last night approved the indefinite suspension of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa, to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office. Immediately after the suspension, the Department of State Services (DSS) invited Bawa for interrogation.

It was learnt that he arrived the headquarters of the DSS at about 9:02pm. A source said he was already being grilled at the facility popularly called "yellow house" over his alleged activities when he held sway in the commision. The spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunanya confirmed Bawa's Presence. Bawa arrived a few hours ago. the invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him, Afunanya said in his statement.