Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Editor roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 19th October 2023.
1. The Ondo State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, asked the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to withdraw all the court cases filed against the impeachment process as part of the condition for settling the matter. The Assembly had on Tuesday halted the impeachment process against the embattled deputy governor, following the intervention of the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, who met with some members of the Assembly and some party leaders in Abuja.
2. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday, emphasised the unity and maturity of the Nigerian Senate, even amidst disagreements. He stated this shortly after visiting President Bola Tinubu at the States House, Abuja. Akpabio’s visit comes barely 24 hours after the senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, stormed out of the chamber.
3. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to allow him to present fresh evidence to back his claim that President Bola Tinubu forged the document he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission. He said the presentation of forged documents by any candidate was a grave constitutional issue that should not be overlooked.
4. A 16-year-old girl, Temitope Ewuoso, has accused her father, Kayode, of raping her.
The victim alleged that her father had continuously been demanding and forcing her to have sex inside his room in Solotan Estate, Laderin, Abeokuta, Ogun State. While reporting the incident to the operatives of the Ogun State Social Orientation and Safety Corps, who in turn took the case to the nearest police station, the father was arrested.
5. China on Wednesday pledged to pump more money into railway projects, the power sector and the digital economy in Nigeria. Chinese President Xi Jinping stated this in Beijing during a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima.
6. Nigeria lost N2.9 trillion to contract and procurement scams between 2018 and 2020, Olanipekun Olukoyede said yesterday during his screening by senators for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman’s job.
Olukoyede told the Senate, shortly before he was cleared, that a survey he conducted on 50 individuals and corporate bodies revealed the loss.
7. President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Education to stagger the take-off of some of the federal tertiary institutions established by the previous administration. Minister of Education, Dr Mamman Tahir, who disclosed this to journalists at the State House, Abuja after meeting with President Tinubu on Wednesday, explained that the decision was based on some considerations, including funding.
8. At least three persons have been killed, while over 51 others, including a district head, were kidnapped by bandits in parts of Zamfara State. It was gathered on Wednesday that the incident occurred on Tuesday when the armed men invaded Bagega, a mining village in the state, and shot sporadically, leading to the death of the three villagers.
9. Nollywood comic actor, Mr. John Okafor, popularly called Mr. Ibu, says he may lose one of his legs to an ailment that has left him bedridden for weeks if nothing happens urgently. In a viral video shared on Instagram, on Wednesday, the comic actor said he had been down with an undisclosed ailment for weeks, and had been on admission.
10. Osun State Government has ordered commercial tricycle operators working in the state to ensure that they have valid documents to back their operations or face sanctions. The government said the warning was a sequel to the report linking some tricycle operators to criminal activities in the state.
