10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Thursday morning, January 30, 2020

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

1. Senators to Buhari: Declare national security emergency

The Senate said on Wednesday the country’s security infrastructure has failed Nigerians and implored President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency declare a National Security Emergency. The senators also urged President Buhari to sack the service chiefs who were appointed in July 2015 over rising insecurity in the country. According to the lawmakers, the service chiefs have run out ideas and overstayed their welcome. Read more

2. Inordinate ambition of Oshiomhole cause of APC crisis in Edo –Speaker

The Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Frank Okiye, has blamed the crisis rocking the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state to the inordinate ambition of the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. Okiye who revealed this during a press conference on Wednesday tagged, “putting the record straight” at the premises of the House, said that Oshiomhole is hell bent on dictating the political affairs of the state at the expense of the sitting governor, Godwin Obaseki. Read more

3. MONEY LAUNDERING: Witness gives evidence of Bauchi gov son’s huge bank deposits

The fifth prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Idoko Akor Idoko, on Wednesday told the court how Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed, the son of the governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, made several cash deposits and withdrawals from his four accounts in Standard Chartered Bank. Idoko who is a branch sales and service executive with the Standard Chartered Bank told the court that Shamsudeen Bala opened four personal accounts with the bank, to wit: one Naira account and three domiciliary accounts, with payments made into the accounts in later part of 2014. He said the accounts had since been closed since April 30, 2019. Read more

4. Sen Abaribe in order, Buhari has failed Nigerians and should resign, PDP argues

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent comment that he was surprised at the heightened insecurity across the country as proof he had become overwhelmed with the situation and has no solution to it. Noting that Buhari’s comment was “defeatist, demoralizing and traumatizing”, the PDP said he had displayed “a disheartening dereliction of duty” and lacks the required capacity to articulate and implement any solutions to the escalated insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, bloodletting and an increased wave of violence under his administration. Read more

5. Abaribe should resign from Senate, his opinion differs from that of Nigerians – Presidency

The Presidency on Wednesday described the call by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over the country’s security challenges as foolish. The Presidency also asked the Senator to resign from his position and replace the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in Correctional Service over his failure to produce the IPOB leader for trial in line with the bail bond he signed in court. Read more

Read also: 10 top stories from Nigerian newspapers Tuesday morning, January 28, 2020

6. EFCC arraigns ex-Kwara commissioner for alleged money laundering

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned the immediate past Commissioner for Finance in Kwara State, Ademola Banu, at the Federal High Court, Ilorin, for alleged money laundering. Banu was arraigned alongside a firm, Travel Messenger Company Limited and one Olarewaju Adeniyi on a nine-count charge of fraud and money laundering. The Commission alleged that the defendants conspired to launder the sum of N411 million belonging to the Kwara State Government. Read more

7. 2023: I will make public my presidential intention soon- George

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Bode George, said on Wednesday he would declare his intentions on the 2023 presidential election soon. However, the ex-chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Board said he possesses the requisite knowledge and experience to make the country better. George, who stated these when some youth groups visited him at his Lugard office in Lagos, revealed that many Nigerians mooted to him, the idea of contesting for the presidency in three years time. Read more

8. CORONAVIRUS: Stay away from China for now, govt tells Nigerians

The Federal Government on Wednesday urged Nigerians planning to visit China to jettison the idea until further notice, except under an extremely essential circumstance. The government also advised all persons arriving from China or any country that has a major disease outbreak to self-isolate by staying indoors for at least two weeks. The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in a chat with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said the call was part of the government’s effort to prevent the spread of the disease to Nigeria. Read more

9. Nigerian govt to repatriate fresh $321m Abacha loot

The Federal Government said on Wednesday it is working assiduously to repatriate back to the country, another $321million reportedly looted from the country by the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said the development was an outcome of a tripartite understanding between the Island of Jersey, the United States and Nigeria. Read more

10. Why Nigeria must achieve universal health coverage – Senate

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, D. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said on Wednesday the National Assembly (NASS) is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UCH) by supporting a Legal Framework on State Health Insurance Scheme. UHC is the ability of people and communities to use promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship. 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