Good morning Nigeria, welcome to OsunDaily News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Tuesday, 11th April 2023
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday travel to Saudi Arabia on an official visit from April 11th to 19th.
OsunDaily News reports that this will be Buhari’s last trip to the Kingdom as President.
This was made known in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, Monday.
The presidential aide explained that during the visit, the President will perform Umrah, the Lesser Pilgrimage.
According to the terse statement, President Buhari will be accompanied by his aides.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has disclosed that its position on the agitation concerning the removal of fuel subsidies would be known after May 29 when the new administration would have been inaugurated.
It was learnt that the NLC Vice President, Adewale Adeyanju told The Punch on Monday that the union was yet to come out with any position as regards the subsidy removal.
He revealed that the union was waiting for the Bola Tinubu-led administration to be sworn in before engaging the government on the matter.
The NLC vice president further denied that the All Progressive Congress was accusing the union of opposing the removal of subsidy.
Former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has demanded the immediate prosecution of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed for spreading false information concerning the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
The elder statesman insisted that Mohammed, in his various statements over the past eight years, had led to divisions in the country.
According to the Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), Mohammed has failed in his duty of creating an atmosphere for Nigerians to live in unity.
Speaking via a statement on Monday, Clark noted that Mohammed’s activities in the Ministry of Information and Culture have been disappointing.
The vice-chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the north-west, Salihu Lukman, has slammed Muslim Senators-elect jostling to emerge as Senate President.
He stated that with the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as President-elect and Vice President-elect, both Muslims, any Muslim aspiring to be senate president, do not respect the constitution and the party.
In a statement on Monday, the outspoken APC chieftain said the emergence of a Muslim Senate President would be injurious to Nigeria’s unity and peaceful co-existence.
According to the former Director-general of the Progressives Governors Forum, any attempt to elect a Muslim as senate president would promote the dominance of Muslims in the federal government.
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has assured his supporters popularly known as obidients that their dream of a new Nigeria is possible.
Obi in a statement on Monday via his Twitter handle said though the obidient movement is facing a lot of challenges from those trying to discredit it, they won’t give up.
The LP candidate said he and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed will be with the obidients, urging them to bear with all forms of attacks that may come their way.
Obi assured his supporters that attempts by members of the opposition to demarket the obidient movement will fail.
The former Anambra State Governor added that all lawful and peaceful means allowed under our laws and constitution to “reclaim our mandate to create a New Nigeria.”
The governors and local government chairmen across the country would have to be more accountable for how they spend their security votes as the Federal government has banned them from withdrawing the funds from May 29.
Over the years, the agitations against security votes have been gaining ground in public squares. Many think that the essence of the funds is not well spelled out while others have been urging for the release of the funds to be halted since the governors and local government chairmen can’t account for it.
In a way to coordinate how the funds are spent, the governors and LGA chairs who want to access the funds must now have to create an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for that purpose. This is believed to be a way to monitor how the governors spend the security votes.
OsunDaily News recalls that the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has stopped the withdrawal of cash from public accounts since January 2023. This directive has taken effect since March 1.
This effect does not only affect the state governors but also affects every other public office holder at all levels who want to access government funds.
However, the Federal government decided to permit the local and state governments to continue to use their security votes in cash until May 29, the same date the current dispensation is expected to hand over to a new government. Nevertheless, they can only make withdrawals through the CBN.
This means that after May 29, over a month from now, the state and local governments can’t use the security votes in cash but through a cashless policy.
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has been warned that getting victory through the election petition tribunal won’t be a stroll in the park.
An evangelist cum politician, Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko stated this during an interview with Daily Trust about the outcome of the 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria.
Ugochukwu-Uko, who is the founder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) and Secretary General, Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) spoke about experiences from the 2023 polls, particularly in the southeast.
He added that restructuring is a must if Nigeria wants to make progress and stamp out impunity.
The evangelist/politician disclosed that he personally warned Peter Obi that the task of going to the tribunal won’t be an easy one but he doesn’t want to talk too much so as not to be dragged into the politics of the election.
The Nigeria Police has denied any knowledge of payment of ransom before the kidnapped former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Onye Gye-Wado was released by his abductors.
OsunDaily News recalls unknown gunmen had in the early hours of Friday, kidnapped the former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State.
The gunmen abducted the politician from his residence in Gwagi village of Wamba Local Government Area of the state.
Confirming the development in a press release, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, said the assailants forcefully broke into Gye-Wado’s residence.
Kidnappers responsible for the abduction reached out to the former Deputy Governor’s family on phone to make a demand of N70 million for his release but the family negotiated from N2 million and later N3.5 million, eventually paying N4 million before he was released.
His release was also confirmed by the police public relations officer (PPRO) in Nasarawa, Ramhan Nansel but the command spokesperson on Monday however said he is not aware if a ransom was paid before the former deputy governor was released.
Nansel said Gye-Wado regained his freedom following the “search and rescue” operation of the police.
Ahead of his inauguration on May 29, 2023, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has asked the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, to prioritise the security of Nigerians.
In a statement on Sunday, the cleric called on the former Governor of Lagos State to ensure that Nigerians are safe “because only the living can enjoy infrastructure.”
Kukah also asked Tinubu to urgently revive the minds of citizens in order to reposition the country on the path to greatness and to eliminate chains of ethnic and religious bigotry.
The Bishop also advised the President-elect to urgently begin a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again.
Senator Obinna Ogba (PDP–Ebonyi Central) has opened up on the reason the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, lost in the recently concluded presidential election.
According to Ogba, Atiku lost because he did not allow an Igbo man to fly the flag of the Party as the presidential candidate.
He insisted that Atiku had no business contesting the presidential election.
According to him: “The National Working Committee, NWC, deserves to be suspended, starting from the national chairman who lost his booth, ward and state. All the conspirators who gave tickets to those who understood their languages lost.
“Our presidential candidate (Atiku Abubakar) had no business contesting the election. It could have been left for an Igbo man. Even the presidential candidate (Atiku) is battling to reclaim his state.”
Speaking further, Ogba argued that no party is as strong as the PDP and it remains the people’s choice, while also adding that Labour Party supporters are those who are angry with the situation in the country.
Speaking with newsmen in his hometown in Nkalagu community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the PDP chieftain stated that the 9th Senate will commence the amendment of the Electoral Act to pave way for all elections to hold in one day.
