1. AGF writes Buhari, says mandatory direct primaries will cause confusion
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has written a letter to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), highlighting the problems with the inclusion of mandatory direct primaries in the Electoral Act amendment bill.
The PUNCH on Thursday gathered that the AGF’s letter on the amended Electoral Act bill was received by the President two weeks ago.
When contacted on the telephone, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the President had received a communication from Malami on the bill.
2. Buhari snubs calls to visit North, jets out to Turkey with wife, seven ministers
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has snubbed calls to visit northern Nigeria amid the rising insecurity in the region. Rather, the President on Thursday travelled with his wife, Aisha, and seven ministers to Istanbul to attend the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit.
Buhari had come under attack in recent times due to the rising insecurity in the region with youths campaigning with the #SecureNorth and #NorthisBleeding.
As of Thursday evening, over 32,000 people had signed a petition on Change.Org, calling on the President to declare a state of emergency in parts of Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina due to the insecurity even as the President had refused to visit victims.
3. FAAN suspends workers as car confronts landing plane on Lagos runway
A major air mishap was averted on Wednesday as a Max Air jet, which landed on runway 18L of the Lagos airport, almost rammed into a malfunctioning car that was being tested on the runway.
Investigations by The PUNCH revealed that a Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria’s Civil Department van had developed a fault, and officials were forced to invite an auto technician from outside the airport to fix it.
Unconfirmed sources told the newspaper that the FAAN workers resorted to fetching a technician from the city because the agency’s department meant to cater to such a situation probably lacked the applicable personnel.
4. Auditor-General Uncovers Multi-Billion Naira ‘Fraud’ In N/Assembly
The office of the Auditor- General for the Federation (AuGF) in its 2019 Annual Audit Report has indicted the management of the National Assembly over how it spent funds running into billions of naira.
The AGF, Aghughu Adolphus, in the audit queries uncovered how over N8.5 billion from the funds released to the National Assembly were expended within the period under review without evidence.
The report, submitted to the Clerk to the National Assembly in August this year as required by the constitution, said the monies under scrutiny were not backed by vouchers and retirement documents.
5. No-Work-No-Pay: Buhari Orders Release Of Doctors’ Salaries
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday directed the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to release the salaries of doctors and other health workers, seized to enforce the no-work-no-pay rule.
Addressing reporters after meeting with the president, the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, said Buhari approved the authority letter to release the funds of the resident doctors for September and October 2021.
He said the approval covered members of the Joint Health Services Union who went on strike in 2018.
6. Lawan, Gbajabiamila, governors, others salute Buhari at 79
Senate President Ahmad Lawan, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase yesterday felicitated President Muhammadu Buhari on today’s celebration of his 79th birthday.
Also, Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun) as well as Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige saluted the President on the celebration.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser (Media), Ola Awoniyi, the Senate President said: “I join the multitude of fellow Nigerians and your other well-wishers across the globe in thanking Allah for His great gifts of good health and long life.
7. Conflicting orders: NJC bars three judges from promotion
The bench yesterday unfolded disciplinary measures for whipping erring judges to line.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) wielded the big stick against three High Court judges for issuing conflicting ex parte orders.
Two of the judges — Okogbule Gbasam and Nusirat Umar — will not move to the “higher Bench” in the next two years, it said.
8. N400b Census budget divides senators
Senators are divided over the proposed conduct of a national census next year by the National Population Commission (NPC), no thanks to growing insecurity in some parts of the country.
Some Senators claimed that instead of blowing about N400 billion on census, the cash should be used to fix infrastructure and provide jobs.
Other members of the Red Chamber also picked holes in the budget after they discovered that the NPC may spend N2 billion on sanitizers and face masks within 13 days for the conduct of the exercise.
9. Banditry: Tension in North as groups plan shutdown of states
Following the escalating insecurity in North west states, Sokoto State chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has given the Federal Government three months within which to resolve the security situation in the zone or face mass action.
Criminal activities, ranging from banditry, kidnapping to armed robbery, had escalated in the north west, resulting in the killing of hundreds of people.
The ultimatum came even as North-West Governors’ Forum said in its meeting on Wednesday that to have a banditry-free society, all stakeholders must show commitment at fighting the menace, and stop playing the blame game.
10. Outrage as Nigeria loses 964 security agents in one year
Nigeria has lost no fewer than 964 security agents, including 322 policemen and 642 soldiers, in attacks with insurgents and bandits within the last one year, according to a report by SB Morgen, SBM, Intelligence.
SBM Intelligence is Nigeria’s leading geopolitical research consultancy, vast in the area of primary data gathering, and analyses of data that provides clarity relating to political, economic and social issues in Nigeria and West Africa.
Released yesterday by the research and intelligence firm, the report examined combatant attacks in the period covering Q4 2020 and Q3 2021.
