Good Morning, Welcome to Daily News24 Roundup of Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines for Friday, Dec. 31st
- Our Senior Officers Conniving With Oil Thieves – Navy
The Nigerian Navy Thursday said it would next year go tougher than before on some of its senior personnel colluding with bunkers, oil thieves and other maritime criminals sabotaging the nation’s economy.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral A.Z. Gambo warned that any act of collusion with criminals or sabotage of measures emplaced to checkmate illegalities would be met with stiff sanctions in accordance with the law of the land.
He spoke in Abuja during the decoration of the newly promoted senior officers of the Nigerian Navy.
2. APC national convention: Uncertainty over February date as peace panel flops
The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress has shown no signs of abating even as the national reconciliation committee set up by the party to curb hostilities have failed to make headway three months after it was set up, The PUNCH has learnt.
The PUNCH also learnt that with the plethora of cases in court, the APC feared that its national convention could be declared illegal if court cases instituted in several states were not withdrawn or concluded.
A member of the Mala Buni Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, who confided in one of our correspondents, said the party was not sure of the February convention because of the various cases instituted by its aggrieved members.
3. Six multinationals to pay N249bn oil proceeds in January – NNPC
A total of N249.3bn for October 2021 domestic crude oil sales by six multinational oil companies operating in the upstream sector will be paid in January 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said.
The NNPC made this known in its latest report on Nigeria’s crude oil export and domestic crude oil sales in the month of October 2021. The report was obtained in Abuja on Thursday.
This came as the oil firm revealed that it would also deduct N270.83bn from what would be shared by the three tiers o
4. Buhari on NDDC audit: we will recover every stolen funds
Those seeking information on the forensic audit report submitted by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) got an answer from President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday.
The President assured Nigerians that every kobo stolen from the agency would be recovered and everyone indicted in the audit report would be prosecuted.
Buhari gave the assurance yesterday during the virtual commissioning of the NDDC Prototype Hostel at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
5. Brace for more challenges, CDS Irabor tells military
The Federal Government has yesterday unfolded plans for a reinvigorated anti-terror war next year to get rid of insurgents, kidnappers and other criminal elements.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, who acknowledged the need to regig the battle, charged officers and men of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to brace for more challenges next year.
Gen. Irabor said although the outgoing year was challenging, 2022 will be more challenging in all aspects of national security.
6. Electoral Bill: National Assembly to delete direct primary
House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday spoke of how the National National Assembly plans to resolve the logjam over the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
He hinted that lawmakers may drop the controversial clause from the Bill before passing it into law when they reconvene next month.
According to him, legislators could resort to the option, if they failed to muster the two-thirds majority votes needed to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Bill.
7. APC Women Leader Seeks Probe Of Idah Council Boss Over Alleged Constant Women Abuses
The National Women Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon. Stella Okotete, has called on Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to as a matter of urgency query the Executive Chairman of Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State, Abuh Odoma, over reported cases of women abuses in the state.
In a statement sent to newsmen on Thursday, Okotete urged the governor to order a Commission of Inquiry into the reoccurring excesses of the Chairman who was recently all over the news for attacking a former Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development during which many women were beaten up.
8. How Sambisa Forest community celebrated Christmas despite threats of invasion by ISWAP terrorists
It was unexpected and scary. Hence, most of them froze as soon as the letter was dropped. The peace they had enjoyed until then immediately took flight. With danger staring them in the face, all thoughts of the fanfare that usually pervades the neighbourhood prior to Christmas evaporated like hot air.
The reasons for the apprehension and confusion were not far to seek: The Islamic State of West Africa Province ISWAP, working in tandem with the malevolent Boko Haram terrorists, had a few days back served a message of the impending invasion of the community and its environs bordering the dreaded Sambisa Forests, which is believed to harbour a large army of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers and their captives.
9. INC Chief To Obasanjo: Nigeria Collapsing Under 1999 Constitution
The President of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benjamin Okaba, has berated former President Olusegun Obasanjo for using the 1999 constitution of Nigeria to justify his claims that crude oil and gas in the Niger Delta belonged to the country and not the people of the region.
Okaba, who spoke on ‘The Morning Show’ programme of Arise Television on Thursday, described Obasanjo’s position as a second-thought as it contradicts his earlier argument that mineral resources in the Niger Delta were given by God for all Nigerians.
He argued that the former president could not be relying on a constitution that had been variously rejected and described as a fraud and a military document imposed on Nigerians.
10. Senate Launches Investigation Into Award Of N7.5bn Contract In NPA
The upper chamber of the National Assembly has launched investigation into Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over alleged irregularities in the award of N7.5 billion contract.
The contract, according to the Auditor-General of the Federation’s report submitted to the Senate for consideration, was for shore erosion control work at Akipelai, Ayakoro and Otuoke in Bayelsa State.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide hinged the investigation on 2017 Auditor-General’s report submitted to the Senate.
