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10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Friday morning, January 24, 2020

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Top 10 stories from Nigerian newspapers

These 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers will interest you this Friday morning.

1. Nigerian govt, governors agree on Amotekun

The Federal Government and the governors of the six southwest states on Thursday agreed on the operational modality of the newly formed regional security outfit, Amotekun. The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, who disclosed this in a statement said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met with the governors after the expanded National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja. The meeting, according to him, was also attended by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and the Inspector- General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar. Read more

2. Amotekun will complement conventional police – S’West Speakers

Speakers of the Houses of Assembly in the six southwest states on Thursday endorsed the recently launched regional security network, Operation Amotekun. The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, who spoke at a meeting of the Conference of Speakers of South West State Legislatures held in Ibadan, Oyo State, declared that the speakers are in full support of the Amotekun.

Ogundoyin decried comments credited to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that the Amotekun is illegal, said the security outfit was launched to complement the efforts of the police and other security agencies. Read more

3. MAKINDE TO MALAMI: Don’t meddle in Oyo local council dispute

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday warned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, not to meddle in the state local council matter. The AGF had in a letter to the governor asked him to dissolve the caretaker committee chairmen in the 33 local government areas of the state.

But in a four-page reply to the minister’s letter written by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, the government said Malami has no business dabbling into the matter on local council dissolution pending before the Court of Appeal. Read more

4. After Nigerian govt spends N1.7trn, El-Rufai says ‘power sector broken, unsustainable’

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, said on Thursday the present administration has spent N1.7 trillion on the nation’s electricity sector in the last three years. El-Rufai, who stated this after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, said such huge expenditure on the “broken” electricity sector is “unsustainable.” To tackle the myriads of problems plaguing the power sector, he said the federal government must be ready to take difficult decisions in the interest of Nigerians. Read more

5. INEC confirms readiness for Imo rerun, receives election materials

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday confirmed the receipt of election materials for the rerun elections in Imo State. The rerun election will take place in two constituencies – federal and state – on Saturday.The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu, who expressed INEC’s readiness for the election during a chat with journalists, said the sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been received by the Commission. Read more

Read also: 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Thursday morning, January 23, 2020

6. MBAKA: Opportunist, extortionist, or modern day Nostradamus?

Following the sack of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), as the governor of Imo State, on January 14, 2020, by a 5-man panel of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, Rev. Fr. Ejike Camillus Mbaka became an item of national discussion.

Fr. Mbaka, the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), was reported to have prophesied, on December 31, 2019, during the crossover night, at his Adoration ground permanent site at Umuchigbo-Nike, Enugu State, that Senator Hope Uzodinma, who contested the March 9, 2019, Imo State governorship election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would become the governor of the State.

“Many things are going to happen in Nigeria this 2020 that will shock countrymen and countrywomen; but all would be to God’s glory. In spite of all that would happen this 2020. There is hope. In Imo State, there is hope. Hope, hope, hope in Imo State! Lift your candles as I bless Hope Uzodinma; and I empower him to, spiritually, to take over. How? I do not know,” he stated.

Though Fr Mbaka’s prophesy came to pass, in different quarters, doubts rest on the minds of many that he did not hear from God. They believe that someone in the APC might have leaked the information, on the Supreme Court judgement, to him. This might have stemmed from his established relationship with the party as he is an ardent supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari. Read more

7. TI report confirmed our claim that corruption has worsened under Buhari —PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the Transparent International’s Corruption Index report on Nigeria has further validated its position that corruption has worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan described as a national embarrassment that under an administration hailed by the “African Union as Anti-Corruption Champion and whose government boasts of zero-tolerance for corruption, our nation now ranks as fourth most corrupt country in West African and one of the most corrupt nations of the world. Read more

8. CAN TO NIGERIAN GOVT: Declare Miyetti Allah a terror group

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Thursday urged the Federal Government to proscribe and label the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, as a terror group over the recent upsurge in the killing of Christians in the country. The CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, made the call at a world press conference on the state of the nation in Abuja.

Ayokunle said the failure of the federal government to call Miyetti Allah to order over the killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, and other parts of the country had emboldened criminals to attack non-Muslims with impunity. Read more

9. Court acquits ex-Oyo Assembly Chief Whip on murder charges

The Oyo State High Court on Thursday discharged and acquitted the immediate-past Chief Whip of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, of complicity in the murder of a former member of the House of Representatives, Temitope Olatoye, known as Sugar.

Olatoye was killed during the March 9, 2019 governorship and House of Assembly elections at Alape village of Ibadan where he had gone to cast his vote. The deceased was a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly between 2011 and 2015. He was also elected into the House of Representatives in 2015. Read more

10. Group attacks Magu for justifying EFCC invasion of Ibadan nightclub

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu has been chided for justifying the raid on a club in Ibadan by his men. He was chided by an Abuja based Civil Society Organisation; the Society for Rule of Law in Nigeria (SRLN). The group said the raid was crude, adding that the EFCC under Magu would soon start to also invade churches, mosques or even social gatherings. Read more

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