Good Morning, Welcome to Daily News24 Roundup of Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 29th
- 2023: Electronic transmission of results doubtful, 301 LGs lack Internet facilities
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s plan to transmit election results electronically in 2023 is currently doubtful as the Federal Government has revealed that only 473 out of 774 local government areas in the country have Internet access.
By implication, 301 local government areas have no Internet access, thus transmitting election results in those areas may not be possible in 2023 even if the Electoral Act is amended.
According to the National Development Plan 2021 – 2025 launched last week by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and obtained by The PUNCH, the government projects that 697 LGAs will have Internet access by 2023. The 2023 elections are expected to hold in February.
2. Make recovery your resolution in 2022, UN boss urges countries
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged countries to make recovery for people, planet and prosperity their resolution for 2022.
Guterres, in his New Year message, said countries could together make recovery for people and planet their priority.
“The world welcomes 2022 with our hopes for the future being tested by deepening poverty and worsening inequality…an unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines…climate commitments that fall short, and by ongoing conflict, division, and misinformation,” he said.
3. 13 states yet to administer COVID-19 booster shots amid Omicron cases
Two weeks after the Federal Government declared the commencement of the administration of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, no fewer than 13 states have yet to commence giving the booster jabs.
The list of the states was obtained from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
The PUNCH reports that the World Health Organisation and other international bodies and vaccine development companies such as Pfizer and Moderna had recommended the administration of booster shots for people to gain more protection against the coronavirus disease.
4. Itunu Babalola: FG, Family Reject Autopsy, Demand Justice
The federal government and the family of the late Itunu Babalola, the Nigerian lady who died in Côte d’Ivoire after she was wrongly jailed, have rejected the autopsy on the cause of her death.
The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and the father of the deceased, Mr Emmanuel Babalola, yesterday gave this position at a meeting at the NiDCOM office in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that 24-year-old Itunu from Oyo State reportedly died on November 14 and Nigerians took to social media to express their angst over her death.
5. Launch Offensive Against Insurgents, MJTF Commander Tells Troops
The Commander of Multinationals Joint Task Force (MJTF), Major General Abdul Khalifa Ibrahim, has urged newly promoted generals and troops of Operation Hadin Kai to be decisive and offensive-minded in the fight against the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram terrorists in North East, Nigeria.
He spoke at the investiture and decoration ceremony for the newly promoted officers at the headquarters of the operation at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Tuesday.
“Don’t use resources meant for operations for your personal use, it won’t get you anywhere. You must ensure that we end this war in the theatre next year so that we can have time for our families.
6. Obasanjo To Clark: Niger Delta Can’t Claim Oil Ownership While In Nigeria
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the oil in the Niger Delta belongs to Nigeria and the region cannot claim ownership provided it is part of the Nigerian state.
Obasanjo said that any natural resource discovered in any part of Nigeria belongs to the country and not the region.
He said this while responding to the prominent Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark, who alleged that Obasanjo hates the Niger Delta region.
7. Bandits Are Raping Us, Zamfara Women Speak
Women displaced by a recent wave of attacks in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State have recounted shocking ordeal of gang rapes by bandits, Caliphate Trust learnt.
In recent weeks, hundreds of women including children were displaced by the armed men following horrible attacks on several villages in the local government.
“They are gang raping us, and if any woman or lady dares to reject their sexual advances, she would be shot dead instantly. Several women were killed for not accepting their sexual demands”
8. Budgets: 26 states to spend more on capital projects in 2022
Determined to improve on the country’s socio-economic indices, 26 states of the federation will spend a larger percentage of their 2022 budgets on capital projects.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government and 10 states are to spend more of their 2022 budgets on recurrent expenditure.
In all, the Federal Government and the 36 states of the federation are bidding to spend the sum of N26.6 trillion in 2022.
9. 17 months enough to end insecurity before Buhari leaves office — Presidency
The Presidency has said 17 months was enough time for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to bring to an end the various security challenges plaguing the country.
President Buhari, who took over the presidential seat in 2015 for the period of four years was re-elected in 2019 and is expected to leave office in May 2023, about 17 months.
Multiple explosions rocked Maiduguri last Thursday with rockets landing on many houses around Ngomari, Bulumkutu and Ayafe near the airport, hours before the visit of President Buhari to the state.
10. 2023: Ndigbo must connect to politics at centre to realize President of Igbo extraction — Fmr Ebonyi PDP Chair
THE former State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ebonyi State, Barr. Onyekachi Nwebonyi, Wednesday stated that Ndigbo must connect to the politics at the Centre to be able to realize their aspiration of producing the next Nigerian President of Igbo extraction.
Nwebonyi who is the Commissioner for Abakaliki Capital City Development Authority added that “as Igbo, we should see a reason to connect to the party at the centre because as a minority in Nigeria we cannot afford to play opposition politics.”
