Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday summoned the six governors from the South West region to a meeting at Aso Rock in connection with the launch of a new security outfit code-named Amotekun by the six governors. The Presidency has asked the six governors to attend a meeting at Aso Rock Wednesday evening to discuss the details of Amotekun and why it should be allowed to fly.
2. Nigerian troops have again repelled Boko Haram attacks in a deadly clash in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State. Report claims that a patrol team of the Operation Lafiya Dole engaged Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) terrorists after they were attacked near Monguno town on Tuesday night. However, re-enforcement was quickly sent from troops located in other platforms to assist in repelling the attack with casualties on both sides.
3. Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have reportedly invaded the Abuja residence of Senator Shehu Sani over alleged extortion. It was gathered that the EFCC stormed the apartment in Wuse, Abuja at about 3:30pm on Wednesday to look for incriminating evidence against the former Kaduna senator over alleged extortion of $20,000 from the owner of ASD Motors, Sani Dauda.
4. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Thursday advised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to suspend the compulsory requirement for young tertiary education seekers to possess National Identification Number (NIN). Lagos State Chapter Chairman of the party, Pastor Kayode Jacobs, said the call followed the inability of the National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC) to provide enough capacity to cope with the volume of persons seeking registration within the very short time limit given by JAMB. The ADC leader questioned the rationale for the urgency of the requirement and wondered why it could not have been made to take effect a year or two after the policy formulation and announcement.
5. The Rivers State Government has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has no power to investigate the financial transactions of the state. The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, made the remark in Port Harcourt on Wednesday in reaction to statements credited to the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu where he said that Lagos and Rivers States were headquarters of money laundering.
6. The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the election of Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as Governor of Delta State. Delivering the judgment, Justice Centus Nweze held that the apex court had no reason to upturn the concurrent decisions of the lower court.
7. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced de-escalation of war with Iran, saying that Tehran appeared to be “standing down” after firing missiles at US troops based in Iraq. In a nationwide address, Trump revealed that “no American was harmed in the ballistic missile salvo aimed at two bases and damages done were quite minimal.
8. Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its nationwide strike which was to begin on Wednesday. This decision was reached after Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) agreed to recall its members sacked on New Year day. In the agreement reached by the parties, CNL was given three weeks to reinstate the workers, while NUPENG was asked to call off its actions against CNL.
9. The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday described as an acceptance of failure and lack of capacity, the Presidency’s continuous reference to a presidential successor, less than a year into the second term of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). The party also alleged that the Buhari regime lacked the capacity to manage the affairs of Nigeria. The National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
10. The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the election of Okezie Ikpeazu as Abia State Governor. Earlier before the appeal court judgment, a three-man panel of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia state capital, and chaired by Justice A.L. Ogumoye, had dismissed the petition filed by 2019 APGA gubernatorial candidate, Dr Alex Otti against the declaration of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu. The tribunal ruled that the petitioner failed to prove the case of over-voting, non-compliance to the INEC election guideline and the electoral act.
Daily Post