Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Friday, 23rd June, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Friday, 23rd June 2023

1. What President Tinubu Told Investors In France

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Thursday in Paris – France said ongoing reforms, starting with removal of fuel subsidy and streamlining of exchange rate, will be sustained for a more competitive economy that attracts Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), urging investors to take advantage of opportunities in Nigeria.

“We are ready for business, prepared to welcome investments,’’ he said, while receiving President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), Prof. Benedict Oramah and President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud–Basso, in separate meetings, on the sidelines of the Summit for New Global Financing Pact.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake.

Tinubu assured the delegation of AfreximBank Executives led by Dr Oramah that the Federal Government will continue to stimulate the economy with policies that support investments in areas of Nigeria’s competitive advantage, particularly agriculture.

2. Dele Alake Speaks On Tinubu Approving Salary Increment For Politicians, Judges

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake on Thursday declared that reports of a salary increase for political office holders and judicial officers were not true.

He made this clarification in a statement issued on Thursday.

While it is the constitutional duty of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review and adjust salaries, Alake clarified that such changes have not been approved at this time.

He stated, “We state without any equivocation that President Bola Tinubu has not approved any salary increase, and no such proposal has been brought before him for consideration.

“the misinformation was, obviously, contrived to create ill-will for the new administration, slow down the upward momentum and massive goodwill the Tinubu-led administration is currently enjoying among Nigerians as a result of its fast paced, dynamic and progressive policies.

“It is important to reiterate to journalists, media managers, and members of the public that stories on government activities and policy issues that do not emanate from approved official communication channels should be ignored.

“Media practitioners are enjoined to, at all times, cross-check their stories to ensure accurate reportage, which is the hallmark of responsible journalism.”

3. Details Of Discussion Between Shettima, Bill Gates, Dangote And Nigerian Governors Emerge

The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima has reiterated the resolve of the current administration to address the concerns that surround primary healthcare financing in the country.

The Vice President who noted that polio is one of the major primary healthcare challenges in the country disclosed that “the proposal is to provide timely domestic financing for the procurement of vaccines, which couldn’t have come sooner, to boosting our industrial capacity to produce vaccines.”

Naija News reports Shettima stated this on Thursday at a parley with some Governors under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and Bill Gates at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

While acknowledging the threats facing Nigeria in the area of polio, the Vice President according to a statement released by the Director of Information in his office, Olusola Abiola
averred that Nigeria’s three-dose pentavalent vaccine coverage has improved from 33% in 2016 to 57% in 2021.

4. NLC Kicks Against Planned Increase In Electricity Tariff

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has kicked against the planned hike in electricity tariffs by the start of July, Naija News learnt.

The Labour Union has appealed to the federal government to put aside its plans to increase electricity tariff by 40% by July 1st for the safety of the nation.

The NLC in a statement signed by its President, Joseph Ajaero, on Thursday, described the plan to increase electricity tariffs as insensitive and callous and reflects an organized indifference to the well-being of consumers, particularly the poor ones.

5. Presidential Tribunal: INEC Uploaded Picture Of A Book Instead Of Results – Witness

A cybersecurity specialist, Dr. Chibuike Ugwoke voiced allegations at a court hearing on Thursday.

He claimed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) mistakenly uploaded a book’s image, instead of the presidential election results, on its results portal.

Ugwoke appeared before the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja as the eighth witness in a case filed by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate, aiming to overturn President Bola Tinubu’s election.

Although Ugwoke began his testimony on Wednesday, his cross-examination was postponed to Thursday, giving Respondents time to review his statement.

Along with INEC, President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress were among the respondents in the case.

Dr Ugwoke, during questioning, explained that he examined INEC’s ICT infrastructure, referring to his analysis as “Meta Data.”

He focused his study on 12 polling units across three states – Bauchi, Anambra, and Rivers – and included Benue state in his report.

Ugwoke revealed that INEC officials made errors while uploading data to the IReV portal. He, however, did not know who was responsible for these mistakes.

6. Tinubu Sets Up Committee To Resolve NNPC, FAAC Tussle

President Bola Tinubu has set up a committee to resolve the tussle between the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

Naija News understands that the committee was set up to resolve NNPC’s failure to remit funds into the FAAC account, following a memo from the national oil company.

A source told The Cable that the NNPC management wrote the President to investigate the claim that it has refused to pay over N2.1 trillion to the federation account from crude sales, royalties, and taxes.

He asserted that the committee, set to begin sitting on Friday at the Ministry of Finance, is tasked with resolving the concerns surrounding the debt owed by the federal government to NNPC.

The source added that the committee is also expected to deliberate on the debt the NNPC is said to have failed to remit to the federation account.

7. Alleged Fake NYSC Certificate: Enugu Tribunal Summons Governor Mbah

The Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah has been summoned to appear before the state governorship election petition tribunal tomorrow, Friday 23rd June.

The chairman of the tribunal, Justice K. M. Akano gave the order on Thursday as relating to the suit by the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) challenging Mbah’s victory at the March 18 governorship election.

Naija News reports PRP in its suit is alleging Mbah who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented a forged National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate as part of documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and therefore ineligible to contest the poll and should be sacked from office.

The PRP counsel, Barr Alex Amujiogo however told the tribunal on Thursday that Mbah was supposed to be in court as a subpoenaed witness but it had been difficult to serve Mbah the summon.

Amujiogo, therefore, moved an application, urging the Tribunal to grant a substituted service of the summon on Mbah through his counsel.

Based on the counsel’s request, the tribunal ordered that the subpoena be served on Mbah through his counsel and that he should appear before the Tribunal tomorrow, June 23, 2023.

8. Eid Kabir: DSS Raises Alarm Over Planned Attack

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a warning about potential attacks on worship and recreational centres during the upcoming Eid Kabir celebrations.

The warning comes after the discovery of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in a joint operation conducted by the DSS, the Nigerian Army, and the Police.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the DSS, urged vigilance from operators of public spaces, such as shopping malls.

According to the DSS statement, there have been reports suggesting plans to attack these places of gathering before and during the Eid festivities. The discovery of IEDs further validates these concerns.

“Operators and patrons of public places including markets, malls, etc are advised to be watchful and report any suspicious movements and persons to the relevant security agencies,” the statement read.

The DSS, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and Police, has been conducting operations in Nasarawa and Kogi States.

9. Forensic Expert Claims INEC Erased Presidential Election Results

In the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, digital forensic expert, Hitler Nwala provided an intriguing testimony.

Nwala claimed that he found proof of data deletion by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to him, the erased data were reportedly from the presidential election held on February 25.

He took the stand as the 25th witness for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar is contesting the declaration of Bola Tinubu, from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the presidential election winner.

The witness testified that the deleted results were from Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, used during the election.

Abubakar and his party believe that the BVAS data would support their claim that the election was unfairly tipped in Tinubu’s favour.

Under questioning by Chris Uche, the lead counsel for the petitioners, Nwala said he had inspected and analyzed 110 BVAS machines used in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to Nwala, the INEC had deleted the machines’ information to reuse them for subsequent state elections.

However, during cross-examination, INEC’s counsel Abubakar Mahmood countered Nwala’s report, arguing that the 110 machines analyzed were not enough to substantiate any wrongdoing by the Commission.

10. Stay Away From Borrowing More, DMO Warns Tinubu Govt

The Debt Management Office (DMO) has issued a warning to the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government (FG) against additional borrowing.

Naija News reports that the DMO gave the warning on Thursday following an analysis of the nation’s debt profile in 2022.

The DMO advised the federal government to focus on increasing revenue generation, stressing that 73.5% of this year’s revenue will be used to service debt.

It asserted that attaining a sustainable Debt Service-to-Revenue ratio will require increasing revenue from N10.49 trillion projected in the 2023 budget to about N15.5 trillion.

The agency added that the government can reduce borrowing through privatization and/or the sale of government assets.

DMO’s analysis revealed that the Total Public Debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to increase to 37.1% in 2023, mainly due to new borrowings, FGN Ways and Means at the CBN, and estimated Promissory Notes issuance.

While the baseline scenario indicates that the debt stock remains sustainable, the borrowing space has been reduced compared to the self-imposed debt limit of 40%.

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