Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday, 27th May, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 27th May 2023.

Beyond Keyamo’s Pontification On ‘Minister Of State’ Designation

Two cabinet members of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration this week opened up on what they considered to be an aberration nay even a constitutional breach in the commanding heights of government. These members, Festus Keyamo and Ramatu Aliyu, who would have served in the entire life of the current administration as Ministers of State for Labour and Employment, and for the Federal Capital Territory, respectively described their designation as a contravention of the Constitution, lamenting that they get to share in the fallings of the substantive ministers even when they made no contribution to such failures.

In Nigeria, the Minister of State is a euphemistic nomenclature for a junior minister, an equivalent of an under-secretary in the United States. With a limited number of ministries available, successive Nigerian presidents created the positions of Minister of State ostensibly to accommodate loyalists and political interests in the cabinet. The position was introduced in the First Republic under the pretense of constituting a Government of National Unity where members of the opposition were co-opted into governance to serve under the ruling party’s Ministers. Over time, the contraption took root and was adopted even in a cabinet populated by the same party.

At the outset of his second term in 2019, Buhari appointed 44 ministers out of which 15 were designated to serve in one ministry or the other as ministers of state. This is despite strident calls for a leaner federal government by concerned Nigerians in the spirit of the Stephen Oronsaye report on public sector reforms. The 800-page white paper submitted on April 16, 2012, recommended the abolition and merger of 102 government agencies and parastatals, while some were listed to be self-funding. It added that 263 of the statutory agencies should be reduced to 161. 38 agencies should be abolished while 52 agencies should be merged.

FG Declares May 29 Public Holiday

The Federal Government has announced that Monday, May 29, 2023, will be a non-working day across the country.

This decision, as declared by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, through a statement by Permanent Secretary Shuaib Belgore, is to mark the inauguration of President-elect Bola Tinubu.

Aregbesola encouraged Nigerians to uphold and support democracy by adhering to the rule of law.

The statement partly reads, “The Minister felicitates with all Nigerians on the momentous occasion, commending them for their faith in democracy as expressed in the nationwide election that produced the President and his Deputy being inaugurated and indeed in all elections across the nation.

Apapa Vs Abure: Court Passes Judgement On Labour Party Leadership Tussle

Julius Abure has been confirmed as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

A State High Court in Edo passed the judgement on Friday, putting aside a suit by Lamidi Apapa‘s camp.

Naija News understands that some party members at the ward level had issued a notice of suspension to Abure.

However, the high court judge, Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje, threw away the case on Friday for lacking merit.

At the court session, which reportedly lasted about two hours on Friday, Aihamoje said that the party ward executive in Uromi in Ward 3 lacked the power under the LP constitution, particularly Act 13 & 17 and the Electoral Act 2022, as amended to remove the national chairman of the party.

Therefore, the judge in Suit No: HUC/21/2023 went ahead to impose a perpetual injunction against Lamidi Apapa and his faction from removing or suspending Abure as the national chairman until a new national convention of the party is convened.

Aihamoje further stated that the purported wards three executives who suspended the party’s national chairman acted outside the powers vested on it by the Labour Party Constitution.

REVEALED: Nigeria Air Plane Flown Into Abuja Belongs To Ethiopian Airlines

In a recent revelation, the Boeing 737-800 series aircraft that the Federal Government presented in Abuja for the unveiling of Nigeria Air belongs to Ethiopian Airlines, as confirmed by Daily Trust.

The aircraft, having departed from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Friday.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, jubilantly greeted the aircraft’s arrival, acknowledging the challenging path to the project’s initiation.

The aircraft, with registration ET-APL, was subsequently revealed at the General Aviation Terminal of the Abuja airport.

Investigative checks revealed that Ethiopian Airlines is the rightful owner of the aircraft.

Buhari Directs Osinbajo, Malami, Others To Declare Their Assets

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and all his cabinet members to declare their assets before the end of his tenure on May 29.

The President stated this on Friday when received his Declaration of Assets Form from the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Burea (CCB), Prof. Isah Mohammed, at the State House in Abuja.

President Buhari said no one is excluded from the Constitutional duty of assets declaration before and after taking office, hence his strict adherence to the constitutional requirement.

The president said the purpose of declaring his assets is to strengthen best practices, raise moral standards in Public Service, help to build integrity, and combat corruption.

Buhari Receives Asset Declaration Form From CCB (Photos)

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, formally received and submitted his asset declaration form in Abuja, fulfilling the constitutional requirement for all public officers.

The form was handed to him by a delegation from the Code of Conduct Bureau, led by Chairman Prof Isah Mohammed.

This act adheres to the 1999 constitution’s stipulation that all public officers must declare their assets and liabilities both at the start and end of their tenure.

This mandatory declaration applies to all public officers – whether elected, appointed, recruited, or contracted. Furthermore, they are legally obliged to declare not only their own assets and liabilities but also those of their non-public officer spouses and children under 18 years of age.

They must submit these forms to the Bureau within 30 days of receipt.

Court Rules On Suit Challenging Tinubu’s Age, Citizenship

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a lawsuit aiming to prevent the inauguration of President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his deputy, Kashim Shettima.

The suit alleged age and citizenship discrepancies in the documents Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Justice James Omotosho, delivering the ruling on Friday, described the action brought by Praise Ilemona Isaiah, Pastor Paul Isaac Audu, and Anongu Moses as ‘frivolous’ and an ‘abuse of court process’.

He stated that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to file the suit and the court lacked jurisdiction to hear it as it pertained to a presidential election.

The court also held that the applicants, being participants as only voters in the February 25 presidential election do not afford them the locus standi to bring the action.

Supreme Court Takes Action On Shettima’s Double Nomination

The supreme court has dismissed the suit seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recall, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed a case against Shettima, alleging double nomination of the party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

The PDP had claimed that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate was in breach of the provisions of sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1)(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The opposition party argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of vice-president and Borno central senatorial seat — at the same time — contravened the law.

However, the five-member panel of the supreme court in its sitting on Friday ruled that PDP lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

FG, Striking Health Workers’ Meeting Ends In Deadlock

The talks between the Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) on strike and the Federal Government have reached an impasse, according to reports.

The negotiation, held at the Federal Ministry of Health, was led by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire.

Dr Obinna Ogbonna, the National Vice Chairman of JOHESU, stated that the union members began an indefinite strike on Thursday to highlight their demands.

JOHESU represents health workers’ unions and associations, encompassing a wide range of healthcare professionals.

The health workers are demanding various actions from the government, including approving and implementing the Consolidated Health Salary Structure adjustment, paying omitted and short-changed COVID-19 hazard allowances, recognizing support health workers in the payment of new hazard allowance, and immediate and unconditional payment of withheld salaries of several medical centers, among other things.

APC Chieftain Warns Tinubu Over Kwankwaso’s Alleged Defection Plans

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Kano, Sabo Inuwa, has said the alleged move by the presidential candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, to join APC may plunge the ruling party into crisis.

Naija News reports that President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had met with Kwankwaso, a former Kano State Governor, in France.

Details of the meeting from sources revealed that Kwankwaso is plotting a return to the APC to play an active role in Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking in Kano on Thursday during a chat with journalists, Inuwa said the APC would have to be cautious in admitting Kwankwaso.

He warned that if the situation is not well managed, “potential crises may engulf the APC, particularly in Kano and other states up country, where it is strongest, in the event of missteps, that can be costly and destabilizing to a new Asiwaju government.”

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.