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Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Tuesday, 17th December, 2024
1. President Tinubu Approves New Terms And Conditions Of Service For Nigerian Military
President Bola Tinubu has approved a new Harmonized Terms And Conditions Of Service (HTACOS ) for officers, soldiers/ratings/airmen in the Nigerian Military.
The approval was given during a National Defense Council meeting on Monday presided by President Tinubu.
The meeting had in attendance the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, as well as the nation’s service chiefs.
Naija News reports the last HTACOS was signed by then-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 and is to be reviewed every five years.
2. Supreme Court Slams ₦5 Million On Ex-presidential Candidate For Challenging Tinubu’s Election
The Supreme Court in Abuja levied a fine of ₦5 million against Ambrose Albert Owuru, a former presidential candidate, for subjecting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to harassment through a baseless and vexatious lawsuit.
Naija News reports that Owuru, who ran for the presidency in 2019 under the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) against former President Muhammadu Buhari, was mandated to remit the ₦5 million to Tinubu.
Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji issued this directive while dismissing Owuru’s latest suit, which sought the removal of Tinubu from Nigeria’s presidency.
In addition to the monetary penalty, the Supreme Court instructed its Registry to reject any future frivolous originating summons submitted by Owuru.
During the proceedings, Owuru, who asserted that he was a lawyer admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, attempted to represent himself while donning his wig and gown.
He was subsequently ordered to leave the courtroom and to remove his wig and gown before being permitted to present his case.
After complying with the court’s orders, Owuru was questioned about his repeated appearances before the court, given that his previous suits had been dismissed on three occasions.
Despite his efforts to persuade the Supreme Court to hear his arguments, his explanations were deemed unconvincing.
Justice Aba-Aji remarked that Owuru’s behaviour was inappropriate for someone claiming to have over 40 years of legal experience. Ultimately, the court dismissed his suit and mandated him to pay ₦5 million to Tinubu.
3. FG Approves 2025 Budget, Sets $75 Per Barrel Oil Benchmark, ₦1,400/$ Exchange Rate
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved Nigeria’s 2025 budget proposal, setting a $75 per barrel oil benchmark and an exchange rate of ₦1,400 to $1.
Naija News reports that this was disclosed on Monday by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, during a briefing with State House correspondents after the Council’s final meeting for 2024 at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Bagudu stated, “Today, the Federal Executive Council approved the budget proposals for 2025 with amendments which Mr President directed following a presentation to the Federal Executive Council led by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu.
“The 2025 framework is based on an oil price benchmark of $75 per barrel. Oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day; exchange rate of one ₦1,400 (to the dollar).
“All these are already included in the medium-term expenditure framework which we have presented here, which has also been approved by the National Assembly.
“So the total projected revenue for 2025 stands at ₦34.82tn, out of which the expenditure is projected at ₦47.96tn, which is an increase of 36.8% from the 2024 estimate. The deficit for 2025 is projected at ₦13.13tn, representing 3.89% of GDP.”
4. 2027: ‘If Atiku Says He Is Not Contesting The Presidency Again, PDP Crisis Will Go Down’ – Wike’s Aide
The Senior Special Assistant to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, has blamed the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He submitted that Atiku has always been putting his personal interest above party interest, and the leadership of the PDP have so far failed to call him to order.
Naija News reports Olayinka made the submission during an interview with Punch on Monday, where he was asked about the internal challenges facing the party and the probability of the PDP challenging for power in 2027.
The media aide to the FCT Minister, in his response, blamed Atiku for the crisis rocking the PDP. He said the former Vice President has always been leading rebellion in the PDP and is responsible for the current sorry state of the party including the famous loss of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election.
Olayinka submitted that if Atiku withdraws from the 2027 presidency, the crisis rocking the PDP would calm down.
He charged Atiku to, in the light of current happenings and in the best interest of the PDP, step down from running for the presidency and support whoever emerges as the party’s presidential candidate.
According to him, Atiku is not the only one in PDP, and everything should not always be about him.
5. Yuletide: FG To Give Nigerians Free Train Services
The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government has announced a free train service for Nigerians wishing to travel during the Christmas and New Year festive period.
Naija News reports that the Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, announced this on Monday following the conclusion of the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to the Minister, the free train service will operate from December 20, 2024, until January 5, 2025.
He stated that the initiative aims to alleviate transportation expenses during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Recall that last year the federal government also initiated similar initiatives, including arrangements for luxury buses.
6. ‘Totally False, Mischievous’ – DHQ Debunks Claims Of French Military Base In Nigeria
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has strongly denied allegations that the French military is planning to establish a base in Nigeria.
The claim was initially made by human rights activist Mahdi Shehu, who, in a social media post accompanied by a video, accused the Nigerian government of secretly allowing French troops into the country.
The human rights activist alleged that French military officers had already arrived in Borno State as part of plans to establish a base in Maiduguri.
He further suggested that the establishment of a French military base would result in the exploitation of Nigeria’s natural resources and mistreatment of local communities, drawing parallels with France’s controversial role in other African countries.
In response, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, released a statement on Monday categorically dismissing the claims as false and misleading.
7. Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Rises To 34.60% In November
Nigeria’s inflation rate has risen from 33.88 percent in October to 34.60 percent in November.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in the November Consumer Price Index and Inflation (CPI) report released on Monday.
According to the report, the increase in November was by 0.72 percent. The report showed an increase of 6.40 percent when compared with the report of November 2023.
However, the report showed that the increase in the average price in November was slower than in October 2024.
The report also disclosed that Nigeria’s food inflation was 39.93%.
8. Why Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari, Others Must Work To Oust Tinubu In 2027 – Former APC Leader
A former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has penned an open letter to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, urging him to lead efforts in uniting opposition leaders to form a new political party capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 general elections.
Lukman referenced a December 8 interview where Obasanjo reportedly stated that “a leader made by Satan is bound to fail, while God’s chosen one will thrive.”
In response, Lukman emphasized the need for Nigeria to produce leaders with what he termed “Godly genotypes” and called on Obasanjo, alongside other former leaders like Generals Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Goodluck Jonathan, to take moral responsibility in facilitating this process.
In his letter, Lukman urged collective action to address the nation’s leadership challenges.
He asserted that the failure of past leaders to assert their moral authority could pave the way for another term of what he described as “failed leadership” under Tinubu and the APC.
He lamented that political and governance systems in the country have devolved into platforms for impunity and self-serving interests.
Lukman argued that without significant reforms, new political parties could end up being replicas of the APC and PDP.
He stressed the urgency of creating a functional political platform to foster leadership grounded in moral principles, warning that the failure to unite opposition leaders could result in even worse outcomes in 2027.
He also highlighted resistance among some opposition leaders to unification efforts, citing personal ambitions and regional interests as barriers.
9. Your Police Story Is Cock And Bull Story – Presidency Replies Kemi Badenoch
The Presidency has said the story British Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, shared on how policemen stole her brother’s shoes and wristwatch was a cock and bull story.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said Mrs. Badenoch lies about everything her upbringing and could have lied about her Nigerian Police experience.
Ajayi, on Monday morning, stated that the Conservative Party leader should have focused on answering questions she was asked and not resort to telling her experience with the Nigerian Police.
10. Ademola Lookman Succeeds Victor Osimhen As 2024 CAF Men’s Player Of The Year
Super Eagles of Nigeria forward, Ademola Lookman has succeeded his countryman, Victor Osimhen, as the CAF Men’s Player of the Year in 2024.
Ademola Lookman, who is currently 27-year-old clinched the CAF prestigious honor during the award ceremony at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier today, December 16.
The Atalanta winger, who started his international football career with the England youth team, contended with Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams for the honor. Interestingly, he was deemed better than the aforementioned players.
Note that since the list of nominees was announced in November, most football enthusiasts believe that Lookman was more deserving of the honor than his competitors.
The former Leicester City winger had a superb 2023-2024 season with Atalanta as he helped them to win the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the history of the Italian side.
Recall that Lookman became the first player in history to score a hat-trick in the final of the said tournament as Atalanta won the trophy by beating the German Bundesliga invincibles Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
He was also one of the highest goalscorers at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in which he helped Nigeria finish second behind the hosts.
Last season, Ademola Lookman scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists for Atalanta. So far this season, the Nigeria international has scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists in 19 games in all competitions.
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