Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday, 17th August, 2024

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Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 17th August 2024

1. Tinubu Returns To Nigeria After Three-Day Visit To Equatorial Guinea

President Bola Tinubu arrived back in Abuja on Friday evening after completing a three-day official visit to Equatorial Guinea.

The Gulfstream jet carrying the President touched down at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 6:30 pm.

This marks President Tinubu’s 22nd foreign trip since assuming office 15 months ago.

He was welcomed back to the country by top government officials, including Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among others.

During his visit to the Central African nation, President Tinubu and his Equatorial Guinean counterpart, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, signed an agreement on the Gulf of Guinea Pipeline Project.

The agreement covers legislative and regulatory measures for the gas pipeline, ownership, and general operational principles, strengthening the partnership between the two countries for mutual development.

In remarks made at the signing ceremony, Tinubu emphasized that the new agreement would unlock opportunities for gas exploration and create employment opportunities.

He noted that during a private meeting with President Mbasogo, they discussed critical issues such as employment creation, food security, conflict resolution mechanisms, and the promotion of peace and stability in Africa.

2. Chinese Firm Releases One Presidential Jet To Enable Tinubu Attend Meeting

The Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Limited, has released one of the three Nigerian aircraft, Airbus A330, detained in France, following the court order, to enable President Bola Tinubu to attend a meeting.

Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment, in a statement on Friday, said the release of one of the three Presidential Jets was a goodwill gesture from the company to the President.

The statement, according to Premium Times, explained that Nigeria’s authority notified the company that President Tinubu had a scheduled meeting with French President, Emmanuel Macron, and it would be impossible for the President to attend the meeting without one of the presidential jets.

Zhongshan said it had consistently sought to act reasonably and fairly in the course of its legal dispute with Nigeria.

3. We Will Bring Culprits, Political Cohorts To Book – Rep Committee Speaks On Crude Oil Theft

The House of Representatives Special Committee on Crude Oil Thefts has said those involved in sabotaging the country’s oil wealth including political cohorts will face the full wrath of the law.

Naija News reports that the chairman of the committee, Ado Alhassan Doguwa, made this known in a statement issued on Friday.

Doguwa said the committee will not ignore vandals causing leakages in the production cycle of the oil and gas sector.

4. Rivers: Amaechi Planning To Use Beke To Frustrate Tinubu’s Re-Election In 2027 – Okocha

The chairman of the sacked Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, has claimed that some individuals are planning to seize control of the party in the state in a bid to frustrate President Bola Tinubu’s re-election efforts in 2027.

Naija News reports that the leadership crisis in the APC in Rivers State has escalated following a verdict from the Rivers State High Court, on Monday, sacking the caretaker committee, and reinstating Emeka Beke as the party’s chairman.

However, the APC National Working Committee (NWC), has declared that the Okocha-led Caretaker Committee remains the only recognised leadership of the party in the state.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Okocha criticized the reinstatement of Beke, and accused him of anti-party activities along with one Iheanyichukwu Dike.

He described Beke as a product of political imposition by the former APC leader in the state, Rotimi Amaechi, whom he accused of wanting a “stooge” to lead the party.

5. ‘Obaseki Was Not A Politician, I Made Him Governor’ – Shaibu Boasts

The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has berated Governor Godwin Obaseki for failing to recognise the court judgment on his reinstatement to office.

Naija News recalls that the duo have been at loggerheads over issues regarding the governorship election in the state.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Shaibu said he was asked to be Obaseki’s deputy to add political value to the party’s ticket because the Governor was not a politician.

Shaibu also stated that it took former governor, Adams Oshiomhole, three months to convince him to support Obaseki to become governor.

6. 2023 Presidential Election Results Announced Were Authentic – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the 2023 presidential election results it declared were authentic and official.

INEC said there was no difference between the results gathered by the state returning officers and the one declared at the National Collation Center.

INEC said this in response to a letter directed to the chairman of the electoral body, Mahmood Yakubu, from the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), claiming that in the televised announcements, INEC reported 1,578 polling units (PUs) where voting was cancelled due to irregularities.

The letter dated August 7, from CCIJ, added that the presidential result declared by INEC was different from what was the actual result from polling units.

In his response, Yakubu’s spokesman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said INEC there are no discrepancies either in the number of registered voters or the presidential election results announced by the Commission.

7. #IgboMustGo: Paternity Claim Just Makes Me Laugh – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reacted to the call by some individuals demanding that Igbos must leave Southwest states.

Obasanjo argued that he does not believe anybody in Nigeria should be driven away from any part of the country, insisting that the country belongs to everyone.

Reacting to the claim of his Igbo paternity, he said such insinuation makes him laugh.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo, who did not speak much further on the paternity claim issue, simply said it just makes him laugh.

Obasanjo spoke when he received the leadership of Ndigbo Amaka Progressive Market Association, an umbrella body of major markets in Lagos State held at the boardroom of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The former Nigerian leader explained that the leadership of the group reached out to him to support the establishment of the Owerri Central Market positioned to be the best of its kind in the country.

8. President Tinubu Slashes IGR Deductions Of Govt Agencies From 50% To 20%

President Bola Tinubu has directed that the direct deduction from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of government agencies in the aviation sector be reduced from 50% to 20%.

Naija News reports the move is part of efforts to ease the financial burden on the government agencies and encourage financial autonomy.

Gbenga Saka, the Special Adviser on Digital Media to the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, announced this on his X page on Friday after the Minister had appealed to aviation union members who threatened strike action over the 50% deductions.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has authorized a significant reduction in deductions from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Aviation Agencies—from 50% down to 20%.

“This move aligns with the Honourable Minister, Festus Keyamo’s assurance to workers’ unions and other stakeholders that President Tinubu is deeply committed to enhancing the Aviation sector.

“The President aims to thoughtfully address their demands, seeking a balanced, lasting solution that meets both government fiscal needs and the operational requirements of Aviation Agencies,” he said.

Based on the fresh directive, the leaders of several unions in the aviation sector, who had earlier threatened to embark on a strike, have opened discussions with the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to deliberate on their stance and the implications of this policy change.

9. Seized Presidential Jet: FG Working To Resolve Dispute With Chinese Firm – Tuggar

The Federal Government of Nigeria is actively working to resolve the ongoing dispute with Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment, a Chinese firm, following the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets by a French court.

The jets, located at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse international airports, were ordered to be used as “security” for a claim of EUR 74,459,221 by the Chinese firm.

The dispute stems from a contract disagreement between Zhongshan and the Ogun State government over the management of a free trade zone.

The French court’s ruling, along with a recent decision by a U.S. appellate court, has complicated the situation for Nigeria.

The U.S. court ruled that Nigeria’s claim to sovereign immunity could not be upheld in this commercial venture, rejecting the country’s defense against enforcing a $70 million investment treaty award won by Zhongshan.

In response to the situation, Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the government is actively engaging with the matter.

Speaking with reporters in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on Friday, Tuggar emphasized that both he and Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, are closely monitoring the developments and are committed to resolving the issue.

The Chinese company has indicated a willingness to release one of the seized jets as negotiations continue. The federal government is exploring all legal and diplomatic channels to address the dispute and prevent further escalation.

10. Tony Okocha: Your Activities Are Becoming A Cog In The Wheel Of Progress – Rivers APC Knocks NWC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has warned that the response of the National Working Committee (NWC) to the sacking of Tony Okocha by a High Court was a direct invitation to anarchy in the State.

Recall that Rivers State High Court on Monday sacked the caretaker committee of the APC led by Okocha and reinstated Emeka Beke and his executive as the duly elected Exco of the party.

However, the national leadership of the party on Thursday directed Okocha to immediately commence the processes of Congress from the ward to the state levels in October.

Reacting to the directive, the party in Rivers State warned that the NWC is constituting a great cog in the wheel of progress in the party.

The party insisted that the danger signal is incalculable and has the potency to scare away investors, as no business or investment can thrive in an atmosphere bereft of the rule of law.

Speaking via a statement on Friday by the state’s spokesman of the party, Darlington Nwauju, the party argued that no individual or group of individuals has the right under the law to act, serve or represent the APC Rivers State chapter without the express approval of the validly Elected Executives of the party under Emeka Beke.