Index to Nigerian Newspapers

A Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, has issued fresh summons for former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, over pending corruption charges. This is the second arrest warrant to be issued against the ex-minister, who is believed to have fled to the United Kingdom since leaving office in 2015. On July 24, 2020, Ijeoma Ojukwu issued a summons for the former minister to appear to answer to the charges, but she allegedly ignored the summons. An Abuja court has also fixed February 7 for the arraignment of the Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Olanrewaju Suraju, for alleged forgery. The trial of former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, continued with the continuation of cross-examination of Mercy Titus, a certified ethical hacker and forensic analyst of EFCC.

A Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, has issued fresh summons for former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, over pending corruption charges. This is the second arrest warrant to be issued against the ex-minister, who is believed to have fled to the United Kingdom since leaving office in 2015. On July 24, 2020, Ijeoma Ojukwu issued a summons for the former minister to appear to answer to the charges, but she allegedly ignored the summons. An Abuja court has also fixed February 7 for the arraignment of the Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Olanrewaju Suraju, for alleged forgery. The trial of former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, continued with the continuation of cross-examination of Mercy Titus, a certified ethical hacker and forensic analyst of EFCC.

The Senate re-amended the 2021 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill to accommodate the direct, indirect and consensus mode of electing candidates by political parties. Clause 84(3) requires that all aspirants are given equal opportunity of being voted for by members of the party, while Clause 84(4) requires that a National Convention be held for the ratification of the candidate with the highest number of votes. The amendment followed a motion for its re-committal to the Committee of the Whole. Members of the House of Representatives expunged clause 84 (2) of the bill to incorporate a fresh stipulation that allows political parties to adopt direct and indirect primary methods of nominating candidates for election. A member of the House, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, alleged new clauses have been inputted into the bill to ensure President Buhari rejects it. The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, denied the allegation, saying nothing was included in the bill. The bill was passed despite the opposition.

Nigeria has dropped in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking released by Transparency International (TI). The country scored 24 out of 100 points in the 2021 index, ranking 154th out of 180 countries surveyed. CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Ibrahim Musa cited security sector corruption, high level of financial recklessness, abuse of budgetary processes and failure of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to follow due process of appropriation as reasons Nigeria was ranked low in the CPI. He also called for the National Judicial Council (NJC) to ensure that officers appointed are competent and qualified. The NJC should shun nepotism in its appointment of judges and take disciplinary actions against them, while the Auditor General revealed that N49 billion was spent by nine MDAs without appropriation by the National Assembly. The government should also address the shrinking civic space and clampdown on freedom of speech, as well as the arbitrary and illogical decision to ban Twitter for seven months. Finally, systemic corruption in the Nigeria Police Force has continued unabated, putting the country in bad light.

The Bishop of Anglican Communion, Kaduna Diocese, Timothy Yahaya, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that he has lost grip on good governance in Nigeria, just as political leaders are no longer accountable to the people. He argued that the fight against corruption, insecurity and the economic policies of the current administration had gone worse, but urged Nigerians not to lose hope because there will be recovery and transformationin 2022.. He also called  the government to visit every scene where killings happened in the country to show how affectionate they are to the people, and for the world to also judge on the issue of security. The Atiku Kawai Media Group has urged Nigerians to vote for leaders that would ensure unity and progress in the country come 2023, citing insecurity and poor living standards as challenges. The North Central Nigeria for Good Governance (NCNGG) has backed ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki for the 2023 presidential race, citing his five unique attributes.