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Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Tuesday, 29th October, 2024
1. Tinubu Summons Power Minister, NSA Over Blackout In The North, Issues Directive
President Bola Tinubu on Monday summoned the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, over the blackout affecting the northern part of Nigeria for several days.
During the meeting with the Minister and NSA, President Tinubu lamented the disruption to power supply in the North and its attendant effects on the socio-economic life in the region.
He also said the government would not allow the willful damage of public utilities to continue.
According to a statement issued after the meeting and made available to Naija News by the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President has ordered an urgent and long-term restoration of electricity in the north.
Onanuga explained that Adelabu briefed the President on efforts made by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to repair the damaged Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines.
Onanuga disclosed that to ensure a speedy resolution, President Tinubu has ordered the National Security Adviser to work with the Army and Air Force to deploy adequate security personnel, including aerial cover, to protect the engineers who are fixing the damaged transmission line.
2. Shettima Returns To Nigeria After Plane Damage, Briefs Tinubu
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has safely returned to Nigeria following the cancellation of his trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa.
The vice president’s journey was abruptly halted due to an incident at JFK Airport in New York, where a foreign object damaged his aircraft during a stopover, necessitating urgent repairs.
Initially, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had designated Shettima to head the Nigerian delegation to the summit.
However, following the incident, a team of ministers represented Nigeria at the event instead.
Upon his return, Vice-President Shettima immediately briefed President Tinubu on the state of the nation and his other official engagements, including a trip to Sweden, where he represented Nigeria in high-level bilateral talks.
During his visit to Sweden, Shettima met with several key government officials, including Crown Princess Victoria and the Swedish Prime Minister, to discuss bilateral relations.
The talks were part of Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to strengthen international partnerships and foster economic development.
State House released photographs on Monday showing Vice-President Shettima and President Tinubu in discussion at the Presidential Villa.
3. NJC Probes Judges Over Conflicting Rulings In Cases Involving Rivers State
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has officially launched a probe into judges of federal and state high courts over conflicting rulings concerning political cases in Rivers State.
The investigation is led by a panel, including a former justice of the Court of Appeal and two heads of courts, under the oversight of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The Chief Justice met with the panel on Monday and issued a directive for a swift conclusion to the investigation, mandating that the probe’s report be submitted within the week.
The inquiry focuses on several judges involved in adjudicating the ongoing political turmoil between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged godfather, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which has led to multiple legal disputes.
Additionally, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court has been summoned by the Chief Justice and is scheduled to be questioned on Tuesday regarding these issues.
4. Stop Seeing Yourself As The Only Saviour Of Nigeria, Tinubu Doing What You Lacked the Courage To Do 20 Years Ago – Presidency Fires Back At Obasanjo
The presidency on Monday, submitted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo chickened out in the face of opposition when he should have activated some economic policies needed to save Nigeria during his tenure.
The presidency also submitted that some of the bold reforms Obasanjo lacked the courage to implement are what President Bola Tinubu has set in motion for the good of the country.
The presidency also chided Obasanjo, asking him to stop seeing himself as the only saviour of Nigeria.
The statement by Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, comes as a direct response to an interview by Obasanjo in which the former Nigerian leader, in an interview with News Central Television, made a veiled reference in which he accused Tinubu of coming to power without any plan.
However, Ajayi, in his statement, defended the policies of the Tinubu government, saying Tinubu is displaying the courage to do what Obasanjo failed to do twenty years ago.
In further rejecting the call that the President came into office unprepared, the statement said Obasanjo saw a looming calamity but failed to address it, but now Tinubu has chosen to address the challenge head-on and focus on the bigger picture.
He explained further that contrary to Obasanjo’s submission, President Tinubu came into office with the Renewed Hope Agenda and has been implementing it since May 2023.
5. SSANU President Speaks Amidst Nationwide Strike
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have commenced an indefinite nationwide strike across public universities.
The announcement was made by the National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, during his appearance on Channels Television’s News Track on Monday.
Ibrahim stated that the decision to strike was a “last resort,” driven by the failure of multiple negotiations with government officials to address the unions’ grievances.
He emphasized that the members of SSANU and NASU felt “pushed to the wall,” leading to this drastic measure.
The primary demand fueling the strike is the immediate release of four months’ worth of salaries withheld from the unions’ members.
6. Tinubu Committed To New Minimum Wage, Urges State Governments To Ensure Full Implementation – Akume
The federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, is fully committed to implementing the new ₦70,000 minimum wage.
This assurance was given on Monday by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, after a meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Akume appreciated all the state governments that have started implementing the new minimum wage and appealed to those yet to start the implementation to do so as soon as possible.
The SGF emphasized that the new national minimum wage remains a priority for President Tinubu’s administration and urged state governments not just to implement the new minimum wage, but to implement it fully.
The SGF commended states that have gone beyond the ₦70,000 benchmark, reiterating that the implementation must not be in half measure.
The SGF revealed that his discussion with the President also included other matters concerning state governance.
7. ‘Yahaya Bello Not Hiding’ – Lawyer, Onokpasa Counters Presidency
Jesutega Onokpasa, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has publicly refuted recent claims made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy.
Onanuga had alleged that Yahaya Bello, the former Governor of Kogi State, was evading arrest due to the protective efforts of his successor, Governor Usman Ododo.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, Onanuga expressed difficulties in arresting Bello, suggesting that the current governor was shielding him under his immunity.
This assertion comes in the wake of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declaring Bello wanted for alleged financial crimes amounting to N80.2 billion, related to his tenure from May 2015 to May 2023.
Contradicting these claims, Onokpasa, who is also a lawyer, argued in a statement on Monday that Bello is not hiding and has actively engaged in legal processes.
He cited an instance where Bello presented himself at the EFCC headquarters but was instructed to leave, suggesting a lack of immediate grounds for detention.
8. It’s Not Bandits – CDS Musa Reveals Why The North Has Been In Darkness For Several Days
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has dismissed claims that insecurity and bandits are responsible for the inability of electrical personnel to restore power to the northern part of the country.
Speaking on Monday after a meeting in Kaduna with Northern Governors and traditional rulers from the region, General Musa dismissed claims that bandits control parts of the transmission infrastructure.
He submitted that the thick forest in the area and the need to create access are responsible for the delay, dismissing reports that criminal elements are in control of the area.
Regarding the insecurity in the country, General Musa revealed that military operations have intensified, and Nigeria will be peaceful.
He commended the commitment of the security forces and cautioned locals against supporting the criminals.
9. House Of Representatives Reacts To Controversy Over Lawmaker Who ‘Assaulted’ Bolt Driver
The House of Representatives has officially responded to the allegations of assault involving Alex Ikwechegh, the member representing Aba North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, following a viral video that captured him assaulting Stephen Abuwatseya, a Bolt driver.
In the footage, Ikwechegh threatened the driver, boasting that not even the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, could intervene.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, Rotimi Akin Rotimi, Jr, the spokesman for the House of Representatives, announced that an investigation into the matter was underway.
10. There Are Now Evident Attempts To Undermine The CNG Project – Presidency Cries Out
The presidency has declared that there are some deliberate attempts to undermine the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) project marked upon by the federal government.
According to the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, some people are deliberately trying to discredit the CNG project by spreading fake news about it.
He noted that such people are creating confusion and fear among Nigerians about the CNG initiative and conversions.
Speaking against the backdrop of a recent road accident in Ebonyi State in which at least five people, unfortunately, got burnt beyond recognition when their bus caught fire along the Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway, Olusegun said some people have been falsely attributing the accident to the use of CNG by the bus.
He, however, clarified that Police confirmation and other credible media platforms have affirmed that the incident had no CNG involvement.
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