Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 7th December, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 7th December 2023.

1. Benin Republic President Visits Tinubu In Aso Rock

President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic, on Wednesday, visited President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The visit of President Talon comes hours after President Tinubu returned to Abuja following his outing at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Naija News reports that the president was received at the airport by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, among others.

2. NJC Recommends Appointment Of 11 Supreme Court Justices, Other Judicial Officers

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the appointment of 11 persons as Justices of the Supreme Court.

The NJC also recommended the appointment of 1 Justice of the Court of Appeal, 6 heads of Court and 26 other judicial officers.

The decision on the recommendations was taken at a meeting of the council on Wednesday, 6th December 2023 according to a statement released by the NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye.

According to him, the National Judicial Council, at its 104th meeting held on Wednesday, considered the list of candidates presented by its Interview Committee and at the end of deliberations, recommended the names of successful candidates as Heads of Courts and other Judicial Officers for the Federal and State Courts in Nigeria.

All recommended candidates to the Supreme Court Bench would be sworn in after the approval of their recommendation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the subsequent confirmation of their appointment by the Senate.

The various Heads of Court recommended would also be sworn in upon the approval of their appointment by their various State Governors and subsequent confirmation of same by their respective State Houses of Assembly.

3. 2024 Budget: There Is No N10bn Allocation To Renovate My Residence – Gbajabiamila Speaks

The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila has denounced trending reports of a N10 billion provision in the 2024 budget for the renovation of his official residence.

Gbajabiamila in a statement released on Wednesday said the reports of such budgetary provision are false and erroneous.

Earlier reports had claimed that the President’s Chief of Staff was set to spend N10 billion for the reconstruction and repair of his official residence in Abuja but the former House of Representatives Speaker clarified that he lives in his personal house in Abuja and there is no provision in the 2024 Appropriation Bill for the renovation of any residence for the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to him, the sum erroneously credited to his office in the report is for renovating the Presidential Quarters in Dodan Barracks and the Vice President’s Lodge in Lagos, to overhaul the information management and communications facilities in the Presidency to meet modern standards and to provide vehicles for the staff of the Presidency.

4. Gunmen Stole Kogi Governorship Election Petitions From Tribunal Secretary – Police

The Kogi State Police Command has verified that David Umar Mike, the secretary of the state governorship election tribunal, was attacked by gunmen in Lokoja.

The incident involved the theft of sensitive documents related to the recent gubernatorial election.

SP William Aya, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Kogi State Police Command, reported the details of the attack in Lokoja on Wednesday.

The police authorities said the attackers of the state governorship tribunal secretary carted away all the petition documents filed by five political parties at gunpoint.

According to the police authorities, the documents carted away from Mike include, petitions filed by four (4) Parties: Action Alliance (AA), Action People’s Party (APP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) as well as two (2) Record Books/a Bag containing his item.

The police added that the incident happened just before the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office at about 1320hrs on Monday, while victims were on their way to the tribunal venue at the state High court complex, Lokoja.

5. Protesters Storm National Assembly, Seek Wike’s Resignation

Thousands of Abuja natives and members of civil society groups gathered in a large protest at the National Assembly complex, demanding the resignation of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The protesters criticized Wike’s leadership, labeling it as incompetent and lacking vision for the development of the Federal Capital Territory.

Adamu Kabir Matazu, speaking on behalf of the protesters and representing the Network of Civil Societies for Economic Sustainability, urged for an investigation into Wike’s land allocation policies in the FCT.

6. Court Of Appeal Relocates Kogi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal To Abuja

Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal, has ordered the relocation of the Kogi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal from Lokoja to Abuja.

According to a statement released by David Umar Mike, Secretary of the Tribunal, future sittings will take place at the National Judicial Institute on Umar Yar’Adua Way, and litigants are advised to note the venue change.

While the statement did not specify the reason for the relocation, a high-ranking tribunal source who spoke with Vanguard indicated it was due to security concerns.

The source said that members of staff of the tribunal had been attacked on several occasions in Lokoja.

7. ‘Minister Of Defence Is Incompetent’ – Protesters Storm National Assembly, Make Demands Over Kaduna Village Bombing

Some protesters under the aegis of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) North West Zone, and Arewa Youth Movement, on Wednesday, besieged the National Assembly premises in Abuja for over two hours, following the killing of many innocent citizens by a military drone on Sunday.

Naija News learnt that the protesters demanded justice for victims of the bombing and asked the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, to either live up to his responsibility or resign from his position.

Recall that no fewer than 120 persons were killed and about 60 persons injured in a bomb attack on Tundun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army on Sunday night.

Addressing newsmen, the leader of the protesters, Nasir Ishaku, said the killing of innocent Nigerians, especially in the Northern part of the country was unacceptable and can’t be tolerated any more.

Ishaku urged the National Assembly to probe into the Sunday killing in Kaduna and take decisive action to save the country.

He argued that the security situation in the country has continued to deteriorate since the inception of Badaru as the Minister of Defence, adding it was a clear indication that he is incompetent.

8. Court Orders Ondo Assembly To Investigate Akeredolu’s Health Situation

An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure on Wednesday has granted an order mandamus compelling the Ondo State House of Assembly and its Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, to constitute a medical panel to assess Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s health.

Naija News understands that after Akeredolu returned from a medical leave in Germany, he relocated to Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, for alleged further treatment.

In response, a coalition of civil society groups through their conveners; Olufemi Lawson, Isijola Kike, Ologun Ayodeji and Arogbo Olaniyi, approached the court to seek an order compelling the state assembly to investigate Akeredolu’s health.

The group’s insisted that the suit was necessary to uphold public trust and ensure transparency by elected officials.

After hearing the submissions of the legal team to the applicants, the court presided over by Justice A. I. Kolawole ordered the lawmakers to set up a medical panel that would provide a report on the governor’s health in line with Section 189(4) of the 1999 Constitution.

9. Kaduna Bombing Wasn’t Deliberately Carried Out To Wipe Out Particular Ethnic Group – CDS Musa

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has refuted claims that the Kaduna bombing was deliberately carried out to wipe out a particular ethnic nationality.

Recall that no fewer than 120 persons were killed and about 60 persons injured in a bomb attack on Tundun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army on Sunday night.

Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday night, Musa described the claims that the bomb attack was deliberately carried out as unfortunate and made to turn the people against the military.

Speaking on what led to the mistake, Musa said the way the villagers moved and converged was similar to the style of the terrorists, which misled the army to think they were terrorists.

The CDS lamented that the proximity of civilians to the terrorists had also slowed down the war against terror, as there were times when air strikes were called off so as not to hurt civilians.

10. Shettima Reveals Approach To End Insecurity In South-East

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the best option to end the insecurity in the South East is a non-kinetic approach.

He stated this on Tuesday when he received a delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Under the auspices of the Peace In South East Project (PISE-P), the delegation visited Shettima to present the initiative and invited him to launch the project that proposes a non-kinetic solution to the crisis in the South East.

The vice president said that unless the country wants to engage in an endless war of attrition, all issues affecting the region must be sorted out on the negotiation table.

Shettima further explained the wisdom of adopting a non-kinetic approach in addressing the security situation in the South East, saying it would save the region from endless war.

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