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News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Friday, 24th May 2024
1. Tinubu Orders Review Of Governing Councils List After ASUU’s Rejection
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, called for a review of the recently announced governing boards of tertiary institutions before the inauguration and retreat being planned for the nominees.
The Ministry of Education last week released a list of governing councils for 111 federal tertiary institutions in the country.
The list contained names of technocrats, politicians and traditional rulers for 50 universities, 37 polytechnics, and 24 colleges of education.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who released the statement containing the list had stated that inauguration and retreat of the councils would hold on May 30 and 31, 2024.
The list, however, was rejected by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), among others.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement released on Thursday said Tinubu had ordered a review of the list.
2. Governor Yusuf Abba Reinstates Sanusi As Emir Of Kano
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has announced the appointment of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the new Emir of Kano.
The governor made the announcement on Thursday after signing the new emirate council law at Government House in Kano, the state capital.
Governor Yusuf had earlier signed the law after meeting behind closed door with Kano kingmakers and lawmakers led by the speaker, Jibrin Falgore, at the Government House.
Yusuf signed the law at exactly 5:10pm alongside his deputy, the Speaker of the State Assembly and other principal officers in the government.
Recall that the state House of Assembly on Thursday morning passed a bill for the dissolution of the four additional emirates created by the immediate past administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the removal of all five emirs.
The law, titled the Kano State Emirates Council (Amendment No.2) Law, 2024, scrapped the five emirates system and first-class emirs in Gaya, Rano, Karaye and Bichi.
3. Senate Passes Bill To Revert To Old National Anthem
The Nigerian Senate, on Thursday, passed a bill to return the national anthem titled “Nigeria we hail Thee.”
The old anthem was composed when Nigeria got her independence on October 1, 1960.
The passage of the bill was sequel to the presentation of the bill during plenary by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central).
At the commencement of the plenary, Bamidele said the old anthem played quite a significant and crucial role in shaping Nigeria’s national identity and unity.
The Ekiti Senator also stated that the anthem engendered a high sense of value and personal belonging amongst the citizenry.
After the passage of the bill, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs and asked it to report back to the committee of the whole as soon as possible.
4. One Year Anniversary: Come Out And Tell Nigerians The Truth – Bode George To Tinubu
A former Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George has asked President Bola Tinubu to disclose to Nigerians the true position of Nigeria’s economy.
He insisted that the problems plaguing the country is huge and there is a need to address the situation.
The elder statesman said this while assessing Tinubu’s one year on office.
Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, George urged Nigerians to give Tinubu more time as one year is not enough to give a comprehensive assessment of his administration.
He noted that Tinubu may not be totally held accountable for the crisis in the country, adding that the situation in the country has been brewing between 2015 and 2023 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He noted that the Nigerian state almost collapsed because the eight-year era was probably the worst in Nigerian history since 1960.
5. FG To Offer Nigerians 2 Months Free Rides On Abuja Light Rail
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed plans by the federal government to offer Nigerians two months of free rides on the Abuja light rail service.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the ministerial press briefing reviewing the one-year performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Wike disclosed that the Abuja light rail would be commissioned by the President on Monday.
He added that the free ride would commence on Tuesday after the inauguration on Monday.
According to Wike, this is part of President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda for the residents of the FCT and its environments.
6. Kano Governor Announces Sack Of Emirs, Gives 48 Hours To Vacate Palaces
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has announced the sack of five Emirs in the North West state.
The governor stated this on Thursday while addressing journalists after signing the Emirate Council Law at the Government House in Kano.
Yusuf directed the sacked monarchs to vacate official residences and palaces and hand over government belongings in their possession to the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs within two days.
He stated that the fve emirs appointed by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje are the ones mainly affected by the new law.
7. Why Nigeria Can’t Continue To Depend On Crude Oil – Sanusi
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and ex-Emir of Kano State, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, has said Nigeria cannot afford to continue to depend on crude oil as a source of revenue.
Sanusi said this on Thursday at the 2024 Rivers State Economic and Investment Summit in Port Harcourt.
The summit, organised by Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration, assembles security, economic, and policy experts and residents of the state to brainstorm on the pathway to economic recovery and sustainable growth for the oil-rich south-southern state.
In his keynote address at the summit, the former CBN governor called for diversification of the Nigerian economy for development.
Sanusi noted that Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil was affecting its pace of development, adding that the national resource is not enough to make Nigeria a wealthy nation.
Sanusi also condemned over-taxation in Nigeria by the Bola Tinubu administration, saying that it drives away investments.
8. 2027: Why I Will Keep Contesting For Presidency – Atiku
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has said he will keep contesting for the Nigerian presidency as long as he is hale and hearty.
Naija News reports that the former Vice President is 77 years old and will be 81 in three years, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The PDP chieftain ran for the country’s number one office six times but has been on the ballot as a presidential candidate on three occasions in 2007, 2019, and 2023.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on the Hausa service of the Voice of America (VOA) in Abuja, Atiku said he will continue to contest for the presidency because of his love for the country.
The former vice president said he is consoled by the fact that former United States President Abraham Lincoln did not win the presidential vote on the first time of asking.
9. Zamfara State Govt Announces New Minimum Wage For Workers
The Zamfara State government has announced that ₦30,000 will be the new minimum wage for workers in the state instead of ₦7,000.
The state governor, Dauda Lawal, who made the announcement yesterday, added that the ₦30,000 minimum wage for civil servants in the state will begin in June.
The Governor revealed this during a meeting with the leadership of the Zamfara State chapter of the Labour Union in Gusau, the state capital.
A statement from the spokesperson of the governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said the implementation of the minimum wage demonstrates the state government’s commitment to improving the well-being of employees.
10. BDC Operators Reject CBN’s New Licensing Directive
Bureau De Change (BDC) operators across Nigeria are expressing strong reservations against the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recent directive that mandates them to reapply for licenses under new, stringent guidelines.
Announced on Wednesday, this directive has stirred concerns among operators about its alignment with global best practices.
According to the CBN, this overhaul aims to enhance the regulatory framework and ensure financial stability. However, BDC operators argue that the new requirements could potentially stifle their operations and deviate from international norms.
Haruna Mustapha, Director of the Financial Policy and Regulation Department at the CBN, issued the circular which outlines that BDCs will now be categorized into Tier 1 and Tier 2, each with specific operational capabilities and capital requirements.
According to Punch Newspaper, the President of the Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadebe, voiced significant concerns regarding the heightened capital requirements and the compressed timeline for compliance.