Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Editor roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 24th February 2024.
1. With 12,433 votes, the senator representing Edo Central, Monday Okpebholo, on Friday won the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship primary in Edo State, clearing the way for him to fly the party’s flag in the September 21, 2024 election. The Labour Party, LP primary, which also took place on Friday, produced the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Olumide Akpata, as winner.
2. The Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammed Idris on Friday said the government would go after economic saboteurs. This is as he assured Nigerians that the administration’s reforms are yielding fruits. The Minister disclosed this in a statement he signed.
3. As part of the efforts to stop contract abuse, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has asked the Presidency, the National Assembly Commission, the Federal Judicial Service Commission and all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs to furnish it with their anti-corruption strategies. The anti-graft agency said all the MDAs should submit their strategies on or before March 1.
4. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has introduced a fresh set of guidelines to keep Bureau De Change, BDCs in check. Under the new guidelines BDCs in the Tier 1 category must have a capital requirement of N2 billion, while Tier 2 BDCs must have a capital requirement of N500 million.
5. The Academic Staff Union of Universities has accused the Nigerian government of inflicting hardship on lecturers and students. Speaking on Friday at a press conference organised at the University of Lagos by the Lagos Zone of the union, the Coordinator, Prof Adelaja Odukoya, said the government had shown consistent insensitivity to agreements and the well-being of patriotic academics in Nigeria’s public universities.
6. Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC have arrested ten, 10 suspects for their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities at different mining sites in Umuahia, the Abia State capital. The suspects were arrested Friday at about 12:15 pm.
7. Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, has described as incorrect, the assertion made by some Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu is responsible for the rot in the country. Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, 2023, announced the removal of fuel subsidy during his first address, a decision that increased the cost of petrol and caused immediate economic inflation.
8. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, has appealed for the liquidation of the N42bn electricity debt of the Nigerian Army following the disconnection of various Army barracks and cantonment by power distribution companies. Lagbaja also revealed that the blackouts in barracks had led to the decomposition of corpses in Army mortuaries, a development that had warranted protests by owners of the corpses.
9. The Kwara State Police Command on Friday said a cop, identified as Fayemi Kehinde, was injured while a mosque and some vehicles were damaged during a protest by angry students of the Kwara State University. It said the protest followed a sting operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Malete, the host community of the university, on Wednesday night.
10. The House of Representatives Committee on National Agency on Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has ordered the suspension of the ban on the sale of spirits and alcoholic drinks in sachets and pet bottles. The suspension is pending the outcome of its investigation into the matter.
