Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Wednesday, 31st January, 2024

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 31st January 2024.

1. Tinubu Reacts To Murder Of Ekiti Monarchs, Directs Immediate Rescue Of Kidnapped Pupils

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reacted to the murder of two traditional rulers in Ekiti and the abduction of some pupils around the Eporo-Ekiti area of the State.

Naija News reports that armed men ambushed and killed two traditional rulers, namely the Onimojo of Imojo Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Samuel Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsola, as they were returning from a meeting.

Similarly, unknown gunmen on Tuesday whisked away an unspecified number of school children in the State to an undisclosed location.

In a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu expressed grief and condemned the mindless murder in the South West state.

Tinubu also directed the immediate rescue of the pupils and teachers kidnapped in the State on Tuesday, stressing that the security of life and property is the primary responsibility of his administration.

2. Incessant Kidnapping: Step Aside If The Shoes Are Too Big For You – Atiku Slams Tinubu

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to step aside if he knows the responsibilities of being Nigeria’s president are bigger than his capacity.

Making this call in a post made available on his official X account, the former vice president, who faulted Tinubu for embarking on a private trip to France in the wake of the incessant kidnapping currently ravaging the nation, said that Nigeria does not need another tourist in chief.

Naija News reports that Atiku argued that the country needs a leadership that can confront the pervasive insecurity and collapsing economy.

His comment comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu travelled to France on a private visit.

Naija News had earlier reported that Tinubu last week departed the country to France. In a statement released by presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, it was revealed that the president will return to the country in the first week of February.

3. CBN Completes Payment Of All Verified FX Claims By Foreign Airlines

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced the completion of payments for all verified claims by airlines, adding an additional $64.44 million to foreign aviation firms.

The disclosure came on Tuesday from Hakama Sidi-Ali, the acting director of corporate communications at the CBN.

According to Sidi-Ali, this latest payment brings the total verified sum disbursed to the aviation sector to a substantial $136.73 million.

According to Sidi-Ali, the CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso and his team are committed and would stop at nothing to ensure that the verified backlog of payments across all other sectors are cleared and confidence restored in the Nigerian FX market.

She also assured that the CBN is working with stakeholders to ensure liquidity improves within the forex market, thereby reducing pressure on the naira — Nigeria’s local currency.

While expressing optimism that the market would respond positively with the latest injection of over $64 million, she admonished actors in the FX market to guard against speculation as such actions could hurt the naira.

4. ‘It Is Constitutional’ – Ndume Reacts As Tinubu Directs NNPCL To Pay Crude Oil Sales Money To CBN

The Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Ali Ndume, has commended President Bola Tinubu over his directive for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to take over the responsibility for crude oil sales from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Based on President Tinubu’s directive, the NNPCL is now to pay all crude oil proceeds into the Consolidated Revenue Fund domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Senate Chief Whip said the move by the President is constitutional, and a welcome development that should be supported by everybody.

Naija News earlier reported that the move by the President was to show transparency and accountability as NNPCL over the years has maintained sole control over crude oil sales, and only rendered accounts to the Federal Government.

Under the new arrangement, NNPC will submit receipts for crude oil sales to CBN for vetting and documentation.

Reacting to the development, Ndume, while speaking with reporters in Abuja, commended the move and also asked President Tinubu to sign an Executive Order on Unexplained Wealth to empower anti-corruption and security agencies to go after Nigerians with questionable riches.

The Senator further charged the President to extend his directive to NNPCL to all revenue-generating agencies of the Federal Government.

5. Future Generations Will Not Forgive Us – Akpabio ‘Confronts’ Senators On Pressing Issues

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has challenged his colleagues to work towards addressing pressing concerns faced by Nigerians.

Speaking during the resumed plenary session on the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Akpabio emphasized the significance of senators addressing the issues, stating that both history and future generations will not forgive them if they fail to do so.

Akpabio highlighted that senators have a unique chance to etch their names in the records of history.

The former Governor of Akwa Ibom State urged his fellow lawmakers to collaborate with President Bola Tinubu in tackling the nation’s challenges while maintaining their independence.

6. FG Inaugurates New Minimum Wage Committee

The federal government of Nigeria on Tuesday, inaugurated a 37-man Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage with a mandate to recommend a new National Minimum Wage for the Country.

The committee was inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the council chamber of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

While inaugurating the committee, Shettima charged the members to consider the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy and work to alleviate the suffering of the people.

As earlier reported by Naija News, the thirty-seven-member Committee is chaired by a former Head of Service of the Federation, Bukar Goni Aji.

The Vice President urged collective bargaining in good faith, emphasizing contract adherence and encouraging consultations outside the committee.

He further urged committee members to promptly reach a resolution and submit their reports.

7. Gov Oyebanji Confirms Ekiti School Children Abduction

The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has confirmed the recent abduction of some school children in the state by unknown criminals.

Naija News reported earlier that some hoodlums suspected to be bandits attacked a school bus and whisked away the pupils.

The school bus driver’s whereabouts also could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

Speculations are that the gunmen abducted six pupils and three teachers of a private school and their bus driver while they were returning from Eporo-Ekiti on Monday night.

Reacting to the incident, the Ekiti State Government, in a statement released on Tuesday, assured residents of the state not to despair as security has been stepped up to rescue them.

Oyebanji also described the kidnap as callous and unacceptable, saying nothing would be spared in the efforts to rescue them.

8. Ododo Debunks Reports Of Creating Office Of The Immediate Past Governor For Yahaya Bello In Kogi

The Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, has distanced himself from reports circulating various social media and news platforms, suggesting that he approved the establishment of an office for the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

Naija News understands that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate for Dekina/Bassa Fender Constituency in the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, had asserted in a post via his official X handle on Monday that the new office will be domiciled in the Government House in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

He insinuated that the new office would be occupied by the immediate past Governor of the state, Yahaya Bello.

However, in a press release made available to journalists on Tuesday morning, the Kogi State government through the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ododo, Oladele John NIHI, stated that the viral claim is merely a fabrication created by individuals with malicious intentions.

9. Senate Summons Security Chiefs Amid Escalating Insecurity In Nigeria

The Nigerian Senate has called upon security chiefs for a meeting in response to the escalating insecurity in the country, with a specific date for the interaction to be determined later.

After a closed-door meeting lasting over three hours, the senate expressed its condemnation of the rising occurrences of kidnappings, banditry, and the outright murder of innocent citizens by criminals.

The Senate Leader, Michael Bamidele Opeyemi, revealed that all 109 senators sponsored the insecurity motion due to its importance.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, expressed deep concern over the ongoing banditry and kidnappings.

He highlighted that the situation has escalated to the extent where intermediaries are facilitating ransom payments on behalf of kidnappers.

Akpabio vehemently condemned recent attacks by bandits in Plateau and the gas explosion in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

Akpabio also mentioned that a specific date will be decided for the security chiefs to appear before the Senate.

10. Nigeria Climbs In 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index By Transparency International

Nigeria has shown a notable improvement in the global fight against corruption, moving up five places in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

This advancement was reported on Tuesday by Transparency International, a leading global coalition against corruption.

In the latest CPI ranking, Nigeria scored 25 out of 100, a one-point increase from the previous year.

The country is now ranked 145th out of 180 nations and territories evaluated for perceived levels of public sector corruption.

This information was officially released on the Transparency International website.

The 2023 ranking marks a positive shift for Nigeria, which was placed 150th in 2022.

This improvement builds upon the nation’s gradual progress in the CPI over recent years.

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