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Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 14th December, 2024
1. CBN Gives Fresh Update On Validity Of Old ₦1000, ₦500, ₦200 Notes
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that all versions of the naira, including the old and new designs of ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 denominations, as well as the commemorative and previous designs of the ₦100 denomination, remain valid and continue to be legal tender without any deadline.
Naija News reports that CBN, in a statement signed by its Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Sidi Ali Hakama, said it is essential to clarify the misinformation regarding the validity of the old ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 banknotes currently in circulation.
The apex bank reiterated that the subsisting Supreme Court ruling granted on November 29, 2023, permits the concurrent circulation of all versions of the ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 denominations of the Naira indefinitely.
It further advised the public to disregard any claims that the old series of banknotes will cease to be legal tender on December 31, 2024.
2. 2027: Anybody Who Rules Out Tinubu Is A Fool – Sowunmi
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Ogun State governorship candidate of the party, Segun Sowunmi, says President Bola Tinubu stands a good chance of winning the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, anybody who plays down the chances of a victory for Tinubu for the 2027 presidency is a fool.
Speaking during an interview with Daily Post which was published on Friday, the PDP chieftain said many factors, including incumbency, public perception and others, may work in favour of Tinubu.
Sowunmi, however, added that the opposition can also unseat Tinubu in 2027 if they start planning and mobilization, including possible mergers early enough.
He concluded that nobody should sit in their houses and think the presidency would fall on their laps.
3. Fubara Wins As Appeal Court Rules On Rivers Allocation
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned orders preventing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation from disbursing funds to the Rivers State Government.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Hamman Barka, ruled that the issue of state revenue does not fall within the jurisdiction of the lower court.
The court upheld the appeal filed by the Rivers State Government and nullified the earlier orders issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The appellate court deemed those orders unconstitutional, stating they improperly restricted the Rivers State Government from accessing funds from its consolidated revenue.
The court further criticized the Federal High Court’s decision, concluding that it had exceeded its authority and lacked the jurisdiction to handle the matter.
Naija News recalls that in October, Justice Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January violated constitutional provisions.
4. Tinubu Appoints Ndidi As Acting CG For Correctional Service
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Nwakuche Ndidi as the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Naija News reports that Ndidi’s appointment follows the expiration of the tenure of the current CG, Haliru Nababa, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on February 18, 2021.
This appointment was made known in a statement on Friday by the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Board, Ja’afaru Ahmed.
He said Ndidi’s appointment takes effect from December 15, 2024.
Ahmed stated, “The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has graciously approved the appointment of Nwakuche Sylvester Ndidi as Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service following the expiration of the tenure of Haliru Nababa. His appointment takes effect from December 15, 2024.
“Nwakuche, born on November 26, 1966, hails from Oguta in Imo State. Until his appointment, he was the Deputy Controller-General in charge of the Training and Staff Development Directorate. He is a fellow of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and holds the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic.
“The President further enjoined him to bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new capacity.”
5. VP Shettima To ‘Commission’ Oil Production Facility In Dubai
Vice President Kashim Shettima has left Abuja for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration and naming of a $315 million oil production and storage facility.
Naija News reports that this facility, which is fully owned by a Nigerian oil and gas company, was acquired by Oriental Energy Limited and is set to be inaugurated on December 14, 2024.
According to a statement from Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, the Vice President will travel from Dubai to Saudi Arabia, where he is scheduled to perform the Lesser Hajj (Umrah) in the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah from December 16 to 19, 2024.
The statement further indicated that on December 20, Vice President Shettima is expected to engage in a bilateral meeting with the President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in Jeddah.
6. Former Reps Deputy Minority Leader Dumps PDP
A former Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and ex-chief of Staff to the Deputy Speaker, Toby Okechukwu, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Naija News reports that Okechukwu was recently appointed Executive Director of Projects for the South East Development Commission by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a resignation letter dated December 6, 2024, and addressed to the PDP chairman of Owelli/Amoli/Ugbo/Ogugu Ward in Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State, Okechukwu expressed gratitude to the party for enabling him to serve his constituents during his political career.
Okechukwu served as the representative for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency of Enugu State in the 7th, 8th, and 9th National Assemblies.
In his letter, he highlighted his achievements while holding various leadership roles in the House.
7. Wike Was Only 14 When We Got Here, I Would Rather Die Than Appeal To Him Or Tinubu Over Abuja Land – 84-Year-Old Woman
The widow of late Col. Paul Ogbebor, Mrs Rita Lori Ogbebor, has stated that she prefers to die than beg President Bola Tinubu or the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike over a land dispute in Abuja.
Mrs Ogbebor made the declaration on Friday during a press conference in Abuja, in which she spoke about a demolition notice issued to the residents and management of Paullosa Nigeria Limited, an estate management company owned by her late husband.
She alleged that Wike was only fourteen years old when her husband brought people to work on the land and contributed his quota to the development of Abuja.
According to her, 42 years later, the FCT Minister now wants to take the land, demolish it and give it to someone named Chinda.
The wife of the late military man said those who knew her could appeal to the President on her behalf, but she’d rather die than make a personal appeal to Tinubu or Wike over the land dispute.
8. 2027: Wike Is Not Afraid To Say He Wants To Be President – Sowunmi
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has ruled out the possibility that a hidden presidential ambition of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is responsible for the crisis rocking the party.
According to him, while he can not speak authoritatively on Wike’s 2027 presidential ambition or otherwise, he is sure the FCT Minister is not a pretentious character who would hide his intentions.
Sowunmi, in an interview with Daily Post, which was published on Friday, submitted that if Wike wants to be the president of Nigeria, he is not afraid to say so and the ambition is not something to be hidden.
The former Ogun PDP governorship candidate, however, added that so far, he has not heard anything about Wike’s interest in the 2027 presidency.
“I’m not his spokesperson and do not have the power to speak for him but the truth of the matter is that Wike is not a pretentious character. He is even so unpretentious, which is part of the problem, so I don’t think that if Wike wants to run for the presidency, he will be hiding; that’s not who he is. At least, I have been in this party since he has been here, and we have seen ourselves; we’ve had the benefit of lots of good positions in the party; he’s not made of that kind of pretentious material to say he wants to be president when he doesn’t want to be or being afraid to say when he wants to be president.
“At least, for the 2027 circle, I have not heard anything to that effect, and if he wants to be president, he will obviously say it at some point, but certainly, you can’t be accusing him of such because it will be uncharitable to do so,” Sowunmi stated.
He added that the genesis of the current PDP crisis can be traced back to how the selection of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections was handled.
He noted that some people feel hurt as a result of the outcome and are reacting based on such feelings.
9. Court Grants Ex-Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello ₦500 Million Bail
The Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Friday granted bail of ₦500 million to the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
The presiding Judge, Emeka Nwite, in his ruling ordered that Bello must produce two sureties in like sum.
He said the two sureties must swear to an affidavit of means and must be owners of Properties in Abuja.
In addition, the title documents of the properties, which must be in Abuja, will be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.
Justice Nwite ordered that the ex-governor must deposit his international passport with the court, while he and his two sureties are also to deposit two recent passport photographs with the court.
He also ruled that Bello be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
Bello pleaded not guilty to the alleged ₦80 billion fraud levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC had arraigned Bello before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja on a 19-count charge, bordering on alleged money laundering.
10. I’m Yoruba, I Have Nothing In Common With Northern Nigeria – Kemi Badenoch
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has stated that she identifies more with her Yoruba heritage than with Nigeria.
Naija News reports that Badenoch, in an interview with ‘The Spectator’, asserted that her true identity lies in her Yoruba roots and feels no connection to northern Nigeria, which she described as a haven for Islamism and Boko Haram.
She said, “I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity (Yoruba).
“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.
“Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname was a name for people who were warriors. They protected the crown, and that’s what I see myself as doing.
“I am here to protect and I will die protecting this country because I know what’s out there.”
It would be recalled that Kemi Badenoch’s comments about Nigeria have drawn significant backlash from many Nigerians, including high-profile figures.
Among her critics is Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who recently told Badenoch she could change her name if she wished to disassociate from Nigeria, calling it the greatest black nation on earth.
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