Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines For Today, Thursday, 28th October, 2021

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspapers headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 28th October 2021

1. President Buhari Makes Intense Prayers For Nigeria’s Peace In Saudi Arabia

The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, took time to offer prayers on behalf of the country during a brief stopover in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

The President prayed for total peace in Nigeria according to information made available to Naija News by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu.

Shehu in a statement told our correspondent that President Buhari along with his entourage prayed for the return of peace in Nigeria.

He also prayed that the insecurity raving the country and many other parts of the world will be overcome soonest and become a thing of the past.

Buhari spent quality time at the Mosque of the Holy Prophet Muhammed, engaging in prayers and recitation of the Holy Qur’an.

2. President Buhari To Give Ortom, Akeredolu, Others Ranching Funds

President Muhammadu Buhari is set to direct the disbursement of funds for model ranches in 22 states in the coming weeks.

In an interview with The Punch, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Andrew Kwasari, said the 22 states have indicated their interest in setting up ranches.

Kwasari stated that the government set up the National Livestock Transformation Programme (NLTP) in 2018 to curb the incessant farmers-herders clashes.

He stated that states that have indicated their interest in the programme include Benue, Ondo, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Gombe, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Ekiti, Kogi, Ebonyi and Kwara.

He noted that states like Nasarawa, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe, Kogi, Kwara and Ondo, had met the NLTP conditions and would be supported by the Federal Government in establishing model ranches.

Kwasari said Nasarawa and Plateau would be getting financial support from the Federal Government for the establishment of model ranches in about a week.

Kwasari refused to specify how much the Federal Government would give as support but disclosed that to build a pilot ranch for the training of pastoralists and crop farmers costs about N400m.

3. NLC Blocks Popular Lagos-Abeokuta Express Way In Protest Of Bad Road Condition

The Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday blocked the Sango-Ota section of the popular Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in protest of the bad road condition.

The NLC members were joined by some residents who demanded the Ogun State government and the federal government must urgently fix the road.

The protest comes after the expiration of the 21-days ultimatum initially issued to the government.

Naija News reports that the protesters had on October 6, taken to the roads and demanded the government fixes the bad portions of the road. They threatened to lock down the road if nothing was done within 21 days.

With the road still in a state of major disrepair when the ultimatum expired, the protesters mobilized and blocked off the major highway, causing pain to the road users who got stranded.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Enough of bad governance”, “Dapo Abiodun, let us enjoy the dividends of democracy in Ogun”, “Dapo, this suffering is too much”, “Hear our cries, Ogun people are suffering”, “Dapo repair our roads, it is our right,” and many others.

4. Why Anambra Guber Election Must Hold – Asari Dokubo Tells IPOB

Former Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo has berated the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for threatening the conduct of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

Naija News reports the separatist group had threatened to lock down the South-east if Kanu is not released from detention by November 4.

However, Asari Dokubo has asked IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu not to deny the people of the state their right to elect a new governor.

The militant leader made this known in a statement on Wednesday by Uche Mefor.

Dokubo also asked the proscribed group to suspend the sit-at-home order in the region in order to allow people to go about their normal activities.

The former militant leader stated any violent enforcement of the sit-at-home exercise is criminal conduct and inhumane.

5. Police Well Motivated In Dealing With Insecurity In Nigeria – Frank Mba

The Nigeria Police Force is more than capable and committed to dealing with the various security challenges affecting the country.

The submission was made on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba who acknowledged that the country is faced with numerous challenges but police operatives are equally up to the task.

He made the submission while speaking at a Roundtable on Internal Security Management, organized by an NGO.

According to the Force spokesperson, the security challenges have not overwhelmed the police in any way, and the passion, commitment, and zeal with which operatives face the situation is not diminishing.

Rather than lose zeal and focus, it has made more gallant operatives out of the members of the Force personnel, Mba submitted.

6. eNaira App Removed From Google Play Store 48hrs After Launch

The application of the eNaira speed wallet has been taken down from the Google Play Store, 48 hours after the digital currency was launched on Monday.

Naija News had earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday launched the Central Bank digital currency.

The development saw the west-african country emerge as the first country in the continent to create a Central Bank digital currency (CBDC).

The CBN released the digital currency which is a digital form of the naira that is housed in a secured wallet called the eNaira wallet.

Nigerians had downloaded the speed wallet for eNaira on Google Play store after it was launched by the president.

However, on Wednesday evening, the eNaira speed wallet could not be downloaded, while the eNaira merchant wallet was available for download.

7. 2023: The South Will Square Up With The North To Produce The Next Nigerian President – Akande

Former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande has said the south will not just lie low and get trampled in the race to the 2023 presidency.

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the debates have continued among Nigerians on the legality and desirability of zoning the presidency to a particular region.

Some stakeholders are of the opinion that it is the turn of the south to produce Nigeria’s next president after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure ends in 2023 but some others are of the opinion that zoning is non-constitutional and should not be enforced as the best candidate should be allowed to emerge.

However, when asked for his view on the matter particularly as it concerns the APC, Akande said the South will square up with the North, and “whoever becomes our candidate will win the presidency.”

He spoke while briefing newsmen at the end of the Osun APC Elders’ stakeholders’ meeting held behind closed doors at his Ila country home.

8. PDP Crisis: What Will Be Very Wrong For Secondus To Do – BoT Chair

Ahead of the national convention of the party, the Board of Trustees chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibril, has advised the suspended chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, not to make the party ungovernable.

Naija News had reported that Secondus on October 18, said he will not withdraw the suit challenging his removal, insisting that the party should stop the preparation for the convention, pending the hearing of his case in the court of appeal.

Speaking on the issue on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Wednesday, Jibril said it will be “very wrong” for Secondus, being a founding member of the PDP, to make the party “ungovernable”.

He pointed out that the decision of the party is supreme, and as such, the national convention will take place on the appointed date.

9. Adesina Reveals One Abnormal Situation That Is Killing Businesses In Nigeria

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Mr. Akinwumi Adesina has reasoned that it is abnormal for all businesses to depend on generators for power supply in Nigeria.

This is as he revealed that annually, Nigerians spend a whopping $14 billion that could have been used for more productive ventures on generators and fuel.

He lamented that a situation where manufacturers have to constantly source for alternative power supply at exorbitant rates has made it more difficult for businesses to survive in Nigeria.

In his view, the epileptic power supply and its attendant challenges have now made something abnormal to become normal in Nigeria.

Adesina spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the 49th annual general meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) where he further revealed based on a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), that Nigeria loses $29 billion annually, which is about 5.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to a lack of reliable power supply.

10. IPOB’s Sit-at-home: Ohanaeze Makes Demands Ahead Of Anambra Election

The pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo has urged the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to rescind its threat to impose a sit-at-home order in the South-east that will stretch from November 5 to November 11.

Ohanaeze said the appeal became necessary to enable the success of the Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 6.

This was as it called on the Chairman of the South-east Governors Forum, and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi to convene an emergency meeting of Igbo stakeholders and the Youth Leaders

The apex Igbo socio-cultural body stated that this meeting will be used to address the legitimacy crisis in the South-east, especially as it relates to Anambra State election and the political solution for the release of IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Ohanaeze stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, which was titled: ‘Ohanaeze pleads with IPOB for Anambra election’.

Those are the top Nigerian newspapers headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.