- Electoral Act Amendment: Buhari returns bill to NASS, faults direct primaries, cites insecurity
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has asked the National Assembly to remove the clause that has to do with direct primaries from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The PUNCHÂ gathered on Monday that the President, who stated this in his letter to the Senate, asked the National Assembly to remove the controversial clause on direct primaries from the bill and return the proposed law to him for assent.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed to one of our correspondents that Buhari had sent the letter to the National Assembly.
But a source who was privy to the content of the letter said the President refused assent because political parties had their various constitutions that stipulated mode of primaries that should be adopted.
2. London cancels New Year event over COVID-19 surge
A major New year celebration in London will be cancelled, the British capital’s mayor said on Monday, as worries mount over a surge in virus cases sparked by the Omicron variant.
Sadiq Khan said infections were at record levels in the city and he needed to do everything possible to slow the spread of the new variant. “This means that we will no longer be hosting a celebration event for 6,500 people on Trafalgar Square this New Year’s Eve,” he said.
“This will be very disappointing for many Londoners, but we must take the right steps to reduce the spread of the virus.” The city authorities said there would be a “live broadcast spectacular” on the BBC instead that would celebrate the city.
3. Nigeria enters COVID-19 fourth wave
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC has said that the country is currently experiencing a fourth wave of coronavirus disease following the recent surge in cases and deaths.
This was made known in a statement issued and made available to journalists on Monday night by the Director-General of the agency, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa.
He said the development was sequel to the 500 per cent increase in the number of cases being recorded in the past two weeks.
4.  45 Farmers Killed, 5,000 Displaced In Nasarawa
Forty-five people have been killed and 27 injured following renewed hostility between farmers and herders in Lafia, Obi and Awe local government areas of Nasarawa State.Â
Daily Trust gathered that the first attack, which started on Friday morning, continued up till Sunday night. A source said at least 5, 000 farmers across 12 communities have been displaced as a result of the attacks in the three local government areas.
Sources and authorities said some of those who sustained injuries were currently receiving treatment at hospitals in Obi, Lafia and Awe local government areas.Â
5. Love In NYSC Camp: Falana’s Wife Writes Army Over Female Soldier’s Detention
Funmi Falana, wife of a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has written to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, seeking the release of female soldier detained for accepting a marriage proposal from a youth corps member.Â
 Falana said Private Sofiyat Akinlabi’s decision to marry the corps member be respected in accordance with the freedom of association guaranteed by Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution.Â
 Army spokesman, Brig-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, had explained that Akinlabi violated extant military guidelines and directives by getting involved in a public display of amorous relationship with the trainee corps member and for not completing three years in service.
6.  Pressure mounts on National Assembly to override President
There is pressure on the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, it was learnt yesterday.
Civil Society Organisations, including Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) and YIAGA Africa, said that the bill should be given legal tooth by the parliament through a two-third majority vote of members.
But, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike differed saying that the National Assembly lacked the capacity to reverse the President’s decision.
CTA, in a statement by its Executive Director, Faith Nwadishi, urged the National Assembly to, in the “spirit of patriotism, upturn the President’s decision as “a way to conducting free, fair, and credible elections that will stand the taste of the time.”
7. Stop blatant lies against DSS, FG — Save Nigeria Movement tells El-Zakzaky
The Save Nigeria Movement has dismissed the recent comments by the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, who claimed that the Department of State Security, DSS diverted N4million monthly meant for his upkeep while in detention.
El-Zakzaky who made the comment during an interview with a national newspaper (not Vanguard), also claimed he was responsible for his feeding and other logistics during his time at the DSS custody.
Solomon Semaka, convener of the Save Nigeria Movement stated that “The claim by Sheikh El-Zakzaky that he was responsible for his feeding from the day he went into detention to the day he left in addition to purchasing a generator set and fuelling it runs contrary to the claim he made earlier that he was maltreated by the DSS.”
8. ASUU Flays Federal Govt, Shifts Ground On Planned Strike
Even though it accused the federal government of failing to meet its demands, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has resolved not to go ahead with its planned strike.
The union said its decision was to allow the ongoing consultations to produce the desired results.
At the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Saturday, the union reviewed the level of government’s implementation of the FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) of December 23, 2020 and other related matters.
9. Customs Generates N2.3trn Revenues In 2021
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday said it has generated over N2.3trillion revenue into the federation account from January to December 19th, 2021.
Speaking yesterday during NCS, stakeholders/media engagement on trade facilitation held at the Apapa command of the service, the deputy national public relations officer, Timi Bomodi, said the service has surpassed the revenue target given to them by the federal government.
Bomodi, who said the service was given revenue target of N1.687trillion, further disclosed that the Apapa and Tin-Can Island Commands of the service generated the highest revenues for the service.
10. Why European Union Plans To Stop Funding New Oil, Gas Pipelines
The European Union plans to stop funding new oil and gas pipelines in future, as it switches the focus to promoting energy sources that are less harmful to the climate.
Negotiators from the EU member states and the European Parliament agreed recently on a reform of the TEN-E regulation which governs the expansion of cross-border energy networks.
The revised regulation sets new priorities in energy production in order to achieve the EU’s climate goals, with the aim of promoting electricity grids, lines to off-shore wind farms and for climate-friendly gases such as hydrogen.
