Good Morning, Welcome to Daily News24 Roundup of Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines for Tuesday, Jan. 18th.
- National convention: APC governors propose Feb 26, Al-Makura, Musa lead in party chair’s race
Former Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State and the lawmaker representing Niger East, Senator Sani Musa are favoured by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to emerge as the national chairman of the APC, The PUNCH has learnt.
A top source in the party said while Al-Makura was being favoured by most of the governors, some strong forces in the Presidency and the Senate were backing Musa.
These came to the fore on Monday as the APC governors at their meeting in Abuja on Sunday agreed to hold the party’s national convention on February 26 and February 27, 2021.
2. COVID-19: Three Nigerian Billionaires Got Additional $6.9bn Within 2 Years -Report
The Oxfam in Nigeria has said that beginning in mid-March 2020, three Nigerian billionaires had their wealth increased by $6.9bn while the majority of Nigerians got poorer in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is contained in the 59-page global report on the state of the world inequality index titled “Inequality Kills” -The unparallel action needed to combat unprecedented inequality in the wake of COVID-19, released on Monday in Abuja.
The report was jointly presented by the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani; Oxfam in Nigeria Program Coordinator, Mr. Henry Ushie, and Program Manager, CISLAC, Mr. Chinedu Bassey.
3. Hoodlums in army uniform kidnap seven wedding guests in Ogun, demand N60m ransom
Armed hoodlums dressed in army uniform have abducted seven wedding guests at the Isara, Ogun State end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the victims attended a wedding in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday, and were returning to their base in Lagos State on Sunday, when one of the vehicles conveying them to their destinations broke down on the road.
One of the victims, Folahan Akinsola, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, said they were attempting to tow the faulty vehicle when the kidnappers struck.
4. Shettima To Buhari: It’s Payback Time For Tinubu
AÂ former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said 2023 is payback time for the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Shettima, who chaired a nationwide conference of the Tinubu Support Groups (TSG) held on Monday in Abuja, said none of the 2023 presidential aspirants has made sacrifices to the growth of the nation’s democracy than Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State.
He said the top echelon of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari should compensate Tinubu for his political contributions to the formation of the APC and ensure that Buhari won the presidential election in 2015.Â
5. APC faces integrity test, five chairmanship aspirants on EFCC radar
When on June 25, 2020, the National Executive Council of the All Progressives Congress led by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), appointed a Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Convention Committee with Governor Mai Mala Buni as chairman, the expectation was that by December of the same year, a national convention would have been conducted and a new national chairman and National Working Committee elected.
Eighteen months later and after three extensions, the 13-member caretaker committee has failed to deliver on its mandate while the party now has scores of factions in several states, a development which has only deepened the crisis since the ouster of erstwhile Chairman and former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole.
6. Sit-at-home enforcers flog traders, destroy vehicles in Enugu, Anambra
Hoodlums enforcing the suspended sit-at-home yesterday destroyed vehicles and flogged traders in Enugu State.
There was pandemonium in Obollo-Afor town, Udenu Local Government Area as hooded gunmen attacked residents of the community for disobeying the directive. They flogged traders and destroyed their wares at about 8 am.
The hoodlums, who came into the commercial town on motorcycles, beat up traders who had opened for business.
7. 2023: Known looters shouldn’t rule Nigeria — Bode George
FORMER Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George, yesterday, vowed to work against any questionable character who seeks to be President of the country in 2023.
Speaking during a media interaction in his Lagos office, George also denied nursing any presidential ambition, noting that age is no longer on his side.
He said: “There is time for everything. By 2023, I will be 78 years old. All the energy required to run around for campaign and run Villa affairs will no longer be there.
8. Hard choices for monetary authority as inflation rises
After eight months of decline, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.63 per cent in December 2021, from 15.50 per cent recorded in November. This was disclosed, yesterday, by the Statistician-General of the Federation, Simon Harry, during a press briefing at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Abuja.
Earlier data from the NBS showed that headline inflation has been on a downward trajectory since April 2021. However, the trend was broken in December when month-on-month (MoM) inflation climbed 0.23 points higher than figure recorded in November.
9. Kanu faces eight new terror charges as trial resumes Tuesday
The Federal Government has amended the terrorism charges against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu.
It increased the counts from seven to 15 ahead of the resumed hearing today at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
His lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, had on December 2 applied for a rescheduling of the case till January 18.
10. Olayinka To Lead Eagles Attack Vs Guinea-Bissau; Ejuke, Iwobi, Ajayi Also In
Slavia Prague forward Peter Olayinka will lead the Super Eagles attack in Wednesday’s Group D clash against Guinea-Bissau, Completesports reports.
Interim head coach Austine Eguavoen is set to ring the changes with a place in the second round already secured after wins against Egypt and Sudan.
Olayinka, who is yet to make an appearance for the Super Eagles at the 2021Africa Cup of in Cameroon will shoulder goal scoring responsibility against the Djurtus.
