Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Editor roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 24th January 2024.
1. United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Tuesday said the US would provide an additional $45m to West African nations as part of a plan to battle instability, bringing total funding under the year-old programme to nearly $300m.
2. Oil marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, have berated the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for alleged delay in the supply of petroleum products. As a result, the marketers said they have been forced to boycott the NNPCL to source fuel from private depot owners at a higher cost.
3. The troops of the 8 Division, Nigerian Army, in conjunction with operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and local vigilantes in the early hours of Tuesday raided a terrorists’ camp in Kebbi State. The troops, during the operation, killed one of the terrorists, rescued four kidnapped persons and recovered arms and ammunition.
4. The Ondo State Police Command on Tuesday said it arrested two persons in connection with the death of a man, Abiodun Akintomowo, in Ondo town, Ondo State. Akintomowo reportedly lost his life after having a sex romp with a woman suspected to be his girlfriend, in a hotel located at Akinjagunla community, on Sunday.
5. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has promised that Nigerians would soon enjoy the benefits of the “tough but yet necessary decisions” of his administration. The president made the promise on Tuesday at the State House during a meeting with the South-South Monarchs’ Forum.
6. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has raised the alarm over plans to disrupt the February 3 rerun and bye-elections in parts of the country. Yakubu raised the alarm on Tuesday in Abuja at the first quarterly meeting of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES.
7. The Ghana Football Association has sacked national team coach, Chris Hughton with immediate effect following the country’s limp exit from the ongoing AFCON in Ivory Coast. The technical team was also dissolved in the aftermath of the embarrassing exit as Ghana failed to advance from the group stage in their past two AFCON tournaments.
8. Combined security forces have taken over the Ogun State House of Assembly complex in Abeokuta, following the impeachment of Olakunle Oluomo as the speaker. Olumo, representing Ifo I constituency, was impeached on Tuesday, during plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mrs Bolanle Ajayi.
9. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will on Wednesday, arraign former Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State before a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged money laundering during his tenure. The EFCC alleged that Obiano misappropriated public funds to the tune of N4.8 billion belonging to the Anambra State government while he was in office between 2014 and 2022.
10. It was a huge “payday” for the three tiers of government on Tuesday. The federal, state and local governments shared a handsome N1.127 trillion from the N1.674 trillion collectable revenue in December 2023.
