10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Friday morning, December 20, 2019

These 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers will make your Friday morning, December 20,  2019.

1. N37 billion NASS renovation a misplaced priority —NECA

The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), on Thursday described the allocation of N37 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex as a misplaced priority. The employers group also wondered why the Nigerian Government failed to increase budgetary allocation to critical areas such as education and FERMA. NECA, speaking through its Director-General, Mr Timothy Olawale, noted that the country had become a nation of contradictions that would leave most pressing economic issues for other things whose economic contributions had been questioned. Read more

2. MALABU OIL SCANDAL: EFCC confirms Adoke is in its custody, reveals next steps

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke. The anti-graft agency announced that it arrested Adoke who just returned to Nigeria on Thursday from Dubai. He was arrested on arrival in Abuja by officials of Interpol at the request of the EFCC. The former AGF who fled the country in 2015, has pending criminal charge brought against him by the EFCC for alleged abuse of office and money laundering in respect of the granting of the Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245 to Shell and ENI. Read more

3. Nigerian govt underfunding Public Complaints Commission, workers lament

Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) has called on the President, the leadership of the National Assembly and all relevant stakeholders to give priority to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), which it says is the foremost anti-corruption agency in Nigeria. The body criticised Federal Government’s poor funding of the PCC, saying that the N4.7bn allocated to PCC in the 2020 Appropriation Act.PASAN noted that PCC handled a very high volume of cases, stating that between 2015 and 2018, it received a total of 209,745 cases and resolved a total of 87,461, leaving a total of 122,284 pending cases. Read more

4. For failing to pay tax, companies about to lose 25 properties as court orders forfeiture

A forfeiture order has been secured by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against 25 properties in Abuja belonging to 25 entities. The Abuja Federal High Court sitting in Maitama presided over by Justice Baba H. Yusuf, on Thursday issued the order when it ruled on an ex-parte application filed by ICPC. Many of the forfeited properties are located in central highbrow areas of Abuja such as Wuye, Jahi, Utako, Wuse, and Garki II. Read more

5. Ex-Justice Minister Adoke lands Abuja, to be picked up by EFCC

Former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has arrived at the Abuja Airport. Adoke who landed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at exactly 3:45 pm on board an Emirate Airline flight was accompanied by INTERPOL officials. It is believed that he would be handed over to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which had asked for him to be apprehended. Ripples Nigeria had earlier reported that the Dubai authorities were repatriating the former AGF to Nigeria. Read more

Read also: 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Thursday morning, December 19, 2019

6. We will wipe out PDP from the political map of Lagos —Lagos APC Chairman

Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Tunde Balogun, Thursday stated that the party was determined to obliterate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the political map of Lagos. Balogun, who spoke at the APC secretariat in Ikeja when he received hundreds of PDP defectors, said the defection was a measure of the growing confidence in APC. He said the defectors had decided to join the APC because of the purposeful leadership the party had been giving to Lagosians in the last 20 years. Read more

7. HATE SPEECH BILL: If you don’t want to be criticised, you don’t belong in govt —Alaafin

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has remarked that anyone who did not want to be criticised had no business in government. The monarch made this comment in reaction to the reintroduction of the hate speech bill by the Senate. Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi had reintroduced the bill which seeks to regulate and punish people who make ‘unguarded’ statements. While speaking at a book presentation and platinum recognition as parts of activities marking the 70th anniversary of the Nigerian Tribune titles, Alaafin challenged lawyers and other professionals not to allow the bill to sail through, saying death penalty should not be the punishment for abuse. Read more

8. Withdraw nomination of Nwogu Nwogu as Abia NDDC Board rep, APC urges Buhari

Prominent members of the Abia State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) led by Chief Chibuike Ogbonna have called on the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the nomination of Nwogu N. Nwogu as Abia representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The party members made the call in Umuahia on Thursday while lauding President Buhari’s directive for the re-composition and inauguration of the board, after completion of forensic Audit of the board of the NDDC. Read more

9. Christian group demands removal of CJN over his call for integration of Sharia law

A Christian Fellowship group has charged the Federal Government to immediately remove the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Tanko Muhammad over his call for a constitutional amendment to allow for the integration of Sharia law. The group identified as the Nigeria Christian Graduate, NCG, fellowship condemned the call by Justice Tanko and also urged the National Judicial Council, NJC, to sanction the CJN for making such a call. Read more

10. JAMB generates N20bn from exams in 3 years

Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede has revealed that the board generated N20 billion from University and Tertiary Matriculation Examinations between 2016 and 2019. Oloyede made this known during a two-day meeting with Computer Based Test Centre Operators, State Coordinators of the Board, Financial Institutions and Internet Service Providers on Thursday in Zaria, Kaduna State. He asked CBT centre operators not to worry about their investments while transacting business with the board as long as they were doing their work in accordance with the agreed registration and examination guidelines. Read more

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now