10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Saturday morning, December 28, 2019

These 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers will make your Saturday morning.

1. Terrorists ‘have given Islam a bad name’ —Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians not to let terrorists divide the country along religious lines. He made this call in reaction to the recent execution of some Christians and Muslims by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

In a statement signed by his Spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Friday, expressed sadness over the execution. Buhari also called on all Nigerians to be united against terrorists and avoid unhelpful conspiracy theories that serve the interest of Boko Haram terrorists and ISWAP. Read more

2. Obasanjo raises alarm over rising debts, says future generation in trouble

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday lamented the rising debt profile of Nigeria, saying the country risks going bankrupt over the appetite of the government for accumulating debts. The ex-president, who expressed worry for future generations that would have to pay back the debts, said things may get worse for Nigeria and other African countries economically over piling debts.

He spoke in Lagos as a keynote speaker at the “Why I am Alive” with his speech, titled ‘Nigeria: The challenges of debt and sustenance of democracy,’ noting that as at 2015, Nigeria’s total external debt was about $10.32bn but had increased to $81.274bn as at April 2019. Read more

3. Oshiomhole manipulated Edo assembly primaries because he wanted to remove me, Obaseki claims

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki on Friday, continued his verbal onslaught against the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, claiming that he wanted to use the state House of Assembly to remove him from office. According to him, Oshiomhole cancelled the primaries conducted by the party ahead of the 2019 general elections and did his own to carry out his alleged plans to remove him from office. Read more

4. Boko Haram faction ISWAP reportedly executes 11 Christian captives in North East

The Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) fighters have reportedly executed 11 captives in its den on Christmas Day. Ahmad Salkida, a conflict journalist known for monitoring terrorist activities in Nigeria’s northeast, claimed that the captives were executed on Christmas Day. Salkida, who disclosed this on his website @ salkida.com, said ISWAP boasted that the captives were executed as a revenge for the killings of some of their leaders including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir in Iraq and Syria. Read more

5. GROUP TO SULTAN: You’re either a liar or an ‘accomplice’ to claim Christians not being persecuted in Nigeria

The Nigeria Christian Graduate Fellowship (NCGF) has criticized the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, for his comment that Christians were not being persecuted in Nigeria. The sultan, who was reacting to the inclusion of Nigeria in the United States’ list of countries with violation of religious freedom, had said “It is a lie to say Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria.” Abubakar, who is the President of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs had also criticised the Christian Association of Nigeria for endorsing the placement of Nigeria on the Special Watch List. Read more

Read also: 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Friday morning, December 27,  2019

6. Plateau gov Lalong gives update on aid worker kidnapped by Boko Haram

The Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong has provided an update on the release of Miss Jennifer Samuel, an aid worker who was abducted recently in Borno by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. Governor Lalong in a statement issued late on Thursday assured that his administration was working with the federal government and security agencies to secure the release of the aid personnel who works with Alliance for International Medical Action, a humanitarian organisation in the North-East, and others abducted in Borno by terrorists.

Lalong who gave the assurance in the statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang, also said that his government would not rest until Miss Samuel and her colleagues were released. Read more

7. Why Nigerian govt did not release El-Zakzaky —Malami

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said on Friday, that the duo of convener of #RevolutionNow protest movement, Omoyele Sowore, and a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), were released from custody on compassionate grounds.

He also said the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN),  Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat, were not released because the duo were being prosecuted by the Kaduna State Government. The Federal Government, according to Malami, does not interfere with cases prosecuted by state governments.” Read more

8. I have no problems with the Presidency —Minister Farouq

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Friday dismissed claims that the Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, was reprimanded by the presidency as false. The Assistant Director of Information in the ministry, Mrs. Rhoda Ishaku Illiya, stated this in a statement in Abuja.

The statement was in reaction to a report by an online platform alleging that Farouq was reprimanded by the presidency. She stressed that at no time did the presidency reprimand the minister for “excessive use of power and employment of staff beyond the financial capacity of the ministry.” Read more

9. Dangote Cement to buy back 10% of its own shares

Nigeria’s largest company by market capitalisation, Dangote Cement PLC, has announced its plan to repurchase up to 10% of its issued share capital. The decision is subject to shareholders approval at the forthcoming Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) scheduled to hold on 22nd January 2019. This and other relevant details are contained in the company’s notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), posted on the latter’s website today.

Read more

10. Younger politicians, not old breed, is what Nigeria needs to develop —Archbishop Benjamin

Founder of the Resurrection Praise Ministries, Worldwide, Archbishop Samson Benjamin has called for a generational change, as the antidote that would bring needed developmental changes to Nigeria. He stated that what the country needs, is for younger politicians to be tutored, and mentored to take over the realms of power to run the affairs of the country.

He lamented a situation, which he described as a “recycling of same old politicians, in different positions across the county”, and that the youths should be given more opportunities to showcase what they have to offer, in terms of leadership qualities. Read more

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