Good Morning, Welcome to Daily News24 Roundup of Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines for Wednesday, Jan. 20th
- Electoral Act amendment: Senate bows to Buhari, includes consensus for party primaries
The Senate on Wednesday included the consensus mode of primary in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill as suggested by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Both chambers of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives, however, deleted compulsory direct primaries from the bill.
While the House gave options of parties adopting direct or indirect primaries, the Senate included direct and indirect primaries as well as the consensus mode as suggested by the President during his interview with Channels Television a few weeks ago.
2. Fuel subsidy: NEC considers report today, TUC meets, ASCSN threatens showdown
THE Trade Union Congress will today (Thursday) take a position on the planned removal of the fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
The TUC Deputy Secretary, Nuhu Toro, disclosed to The PUNCH in Abuja on Wednesday, that the congress would hold a meeting over the subsidy issue.
Toro disclosed this ahead of the National Executive Council’s meeting on Thursday.
3. Kano Slashes Registration, Renewal Fees For Tricycle Riders
Tricycle riders and Kano State Government Wednesday evening reached an agreement over registration levies for new tricycles and renewal of licences.
Commercial tricyclists in the state had embarked on a three days strike action last week to protest the new levies.
The peace deal was brokered by the Nigerian Bar Association leadership in Kano at a meeting that lasted about six hours and attended by Kano Road and Traffic Agency (KAROTA), tricycle riders and their legal representatives.
4. FEC Approves N54.95bn For Kuje-Airport Road
FCT Minister, Malam Mohammed Bello, said the contract was awarded to Messrs Arab Contractors O. A. O Nigeria Limited with a completion period 48 months.
He said the council also approved another project to prove access road and car park for the Abuja Light Rail station at the cost of N1,291,568,845.33, bringing the amount of contracts for the territory to N56.2bn.
5. Convention: APC To Pick Chair From 4 Contenders
Ahead of the February 26 convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), top shots of the party including governors and those at the presidency have narrowed down on four of the contenders out of the many vying for the chairmanship seat, Daily Trust reports.
Credible sources told Daily Trust that President Muhammadu Buhari and the governors are looking at the direction of two former governors of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura and Senator Abdullahi Adamu; former Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Saliu Mustapha; and former Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari to pick the national chairman of the party.
6. Governors To Engage Labour Leaders Amid Plot To Jerk Up Fuel Price
Governors of the 36 states of the federation have resolved to engage the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the proposed N302 new fuel pump price.
Addressing newsmen at the end of their meeting in Abuja, which started on Wednesday night and ended in the early hours of Thursday, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, said the engagement would address the issue without causing disaffection.
7. Soldiers raze buildings in Abia community over death of colleagues
Soldiers attached to the 144 Battalion, Asa, Ukwa West council, Abia State reportedly razed buildings in Owaza community over the death of their colleagues.
Owaza is a boundary community between Abia and Rivers states.
Sources told Vanguard that gunmen, suspected to be oil thieves, had killed two soldiers at a location between Owaza and Obibor communities and escaped with their rifles. They were also said to have burnt the soldiers’ patrol van.
8. Price of diesel rises further by 18.5% to N343/litre
There are indications that price of The average retail price of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) is on steady rise reaching N343 per litre as at Wednesday, representing 18.5 per cent rise when compared with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) average figure of N289.37 per litre as at December 31, 2021.
An NBS report also indicated that the December price was higher than the previous month, November, 2021.
9. Ogoni oil: Shell’s exit has cost Nigeria $178bn loss — MOSOP
Movement for Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, has said the Royal Dutch Shell’s exit from farming crude oil in Ogoniland, Rivers State, since 1993 has cost Nigeria at least $178.85 billion in losses.
Factional President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, equated the figure to an estimated N72 trillion, saying it “represents oil revenue alone as revenue losses from gas are inestimable due to non-availability of statistical evidence,” adding that Ogoni gas potentials and revenue generation capacity far exceeded that of its oil.
10. Lagos acquires two speed trains from U.S. for city service
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s commitment to traffic management and mass transportation in Lagos State got a push yesterday.
The governor sealed a pact for the acquisition of two sets of 10-car speed trains for the Lagos Red Line rail project. The trains run at 330km/ph.
The pact was concluded at a public event inside the Milwaukee facilities of Spanish train manufacturer Talgo Incorporated in the United States (U.S.).
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