Index to Nigerian Newspapers

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has resolved the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the principal officers of the ruling party at the National Assembly, Daily Trust reliably gathered last night.  A fresh crisis erupted in the ruling party on Tuesday when the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, rejected the principal officers of the party announced by both the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas. 

Akpabio and Abbas had announced the principal officers of the APC, including the majority leaders, chief whips and their deputies during the plenary. But shortly after the announcement, Adamu was quoted as saying the list did not emanate from the party although the governors of the party under the aegis of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) endorsed the new officers.

A 29-year-old chef, Moses Ibor, was on Monday sentenced to one month in prison by a Dei-Dei rea court, Abuja, for stealing three cartons of Indomie noodles. Ibor, of Apo, Abuja, had pleaded guilty to a count charge of theft and prayed for leniency.

The Judge, Saminu Suleiman, gave the convict an option of a N10,000 fine and warned him to desist from crime. Earlier, the prosecutor, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Bashir Umar, of Olajumoke Market, Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, reported on July 10, that on the same date while he was in his shop, the defendant criminally went into the shop and stole three cartons of Indomie valued at N21,000.

The prosecutor noted that during investigation the three cartons of Indomie were recovered from the defendant, adding that the offence contravened Section 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Niger's military junta are set to begin talks this week, with a date set after Nigeria's Islamic scholars brief President Bola Tinubu. ECOWAS welcomed Niger's military rulers' readiness for dialogue, and General Abdourahmane Tchiani expressed readiness for dialogue. President Tinubu is keen to see progress and ECOWAS leaders are committed to a peaceful end to the issue. Niger's military leaders have disclosed the reason they ignored a delegation led by former Nigeria's Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, in an attempt to restore the toppled government. Both parties had fruitful discussions. The Nigeria Labour Congress cautions ECOWAS against military action, while Ajaero calls for ECOWAS to listen to Nigerians and stakeholders across continents and not wage war against the junta.

Olawepo-Hashim, a past contender for president and a significant player in Nigeria's energy business, has praised the appointment of Hon. Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo, a native of the FCT, as minister.He characterised the selection as proof of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's dedication to national cohesion.People from the grassroots have been flocking to congratulate the honourable gentleman because they realise how significant this is just to those who are from Abuja or the North Central.Jisalo, who previously represented the Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency, is the first native person to be appointed minister since 1999.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) residents have praised the FCT Administration's efforts to rid the city of "one chance" robbers. They commended the raid on one chance operators, illegal motor parks, and motorists engaging in illegal parking. The initiative aims to address the menace of once chance operators and encourage residents to board taxis at designated motor parks.

The federal government has disclosed that it may inject some foreign exchange into the economy to shore up the value of the naira while market forces stabilise. The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake stated this on Wednesday while speaking with reporters in Paris.

Although the presidential spokesman was not specific about the nature of the dollar injection, he said: “Don’t forget that Mr. President has taken some very bold steps in the area of economy, in the area of social engineering in the last few weeks, and particularly with reference to the unification of the multiple exchange rates, which has caused very positive multiplier effect.

However, in the short term, we have noticed and expected that there will be a slight spike in the demand and then that would affect the value of the naira viz-viz the dollar.  So, apart from the immediate, short and long term positive effects of that unification policy, there could be a need for an injection of direct foreign exchange into the economy to shore up the value of the naira while market forces stabilise. And in the short run or medium term, there is going to be when the effects of this policy begin to mature.

Yet-to-be-identified gunmen have abducted seven students of the University of Jos. DSP Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Police Command in Plateau State, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos.

According to Alabo, the students were abducted on Monday night at their hostel located outside the campus. He explained that the students were whisked away while reading for their second-semester examinations that commenced on Tuesday.

”The Commissioner of Police in the state, Bartholomew Onyeka, has deployed armed police personnel to arrest the kidnappers and ensure the safe release of the abducted students. Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), and other security agencies have also deployed their personnel for search and rescue operations,” he said.

Bandits invaded Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC) in Osara, Okene, Nigeria, and abducted some students. The bandits entered the university through the bush, entered three lecture halls, and began shooting into the air. They trapped students inside the halls and started taking them, causing confusion and fear among students in other halls. Local security guards and conventional security men attempted to engage the bandits, but they minimized damage. The students were preparing for their first semester examination on May 13. CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but declined to provide details.

The Federal Government says Nigeria’s higher education sub-sector is plagued with inadequate funding, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of academic staff, strike, brain drain, poor research, weak governance and insecurity. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, called for the total overhauling of the higher education system to put the universities and other tertiary institutions at par with others around the globe. He spoke in Abuja yesterday while declaring open the 8th edition of the Libsense Open Science Symposium, with the theme ‘Advancing Open Science and Collaboration: The role of Stakeholders’. Represented by the Director of University Education in the ministry, Rakiya Ilyasu, he said the ministry was committed to fostering the role of science through partnership from shared knowledge. The event was organised by the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) in partnership with the West and Central African Research Education Network and other partners. The minister said this informed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to increase the education budget to 25 per cent with the right policies in place. “We need to understand that before we can harness our human resources, we need to be sure of what we need to do to fill in the gaps that have, over the years, inexplicably pulled us back. “We need to know the extent at which we have met contemporary demands of tertiary education globally and if it is not sufficient, how to address them. Also, the Secretary General, CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, said there was need to explore innovative ways on the scientific future of the country. Represented by Vice Chancellor, Kaduna State University, Prof. Abdullahi Musa, he said the conference was apt as it would help uncover innovative ways toward research development as well as foster collaboration to new opportunities. (NAN)

No fewer than 4,387 persons have been killed in road crashes across the country from January 1 to June 30 this year. An independent finding by Daily Trust from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) revealed that in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, 1,080 people died in the 2,056 crashes recorded. Of the 13,415 people involved in the road crashes, 6,803 were injured while 5,879 persons were rescued without injuries. However, in the second quarter of the year, the number of accidents rose to 2,635 while people involved in road crashes increased to 16,354, out of which 8,919 were rescued without injuries. The number of deaths also rose with 3,307 losing their lives while 7,305 were injured.

Also speaking, the Organising Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), FCT chapter, Mr Lawrence Fadipe, said the accident and fatality figures from the FRSC were not exclusive to commercial transporters. He said the reports obtained from their members indicated that they recorded fewer accidents. “The figures released by the FRSC are not for NURTW members alone but also include private vehicle owners and road users. Fadipe, however, said that bad roads and the rainy season could be the reason for the increase in accidents on the roads.