Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Friday, 15th March, 2024

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Friday, 15th March 2024

1. Tinubu Sends Fresh Student Loan Bill To Reps

President Bola Tinubu has sent a new bill to the National Assembly regarding the student loan scheme.

Naija News reports that the development comes less than 48 hours after the federal government announced the indefinite suspension of the student loan scheme.

The new bill repeals the current Act and replaces it with a new one, aiming to facilitate a smoother scheme implementation.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, President Tinubu emphasized the necessity of this action to ensure the seamless execution of the scheme.

It is worth noting that the existing Act was among the first legislations signed by Tinubu after his inauguration.

The bill itself was sponsored by former speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who now serves as the Chief of Staff to the president.

Despite the government’s efforts, they have faced challenges in implementing the scheme, leading to multiple postponements of its launch.

2. Your Call For Akpabio’s Resignation Morally Reprehensible – Senate Replies PDP

The Senate has rubbished the call by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the resignation of Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the alleged padding of the 2024 budget.

Recall that the major opposition party had on Wednesday called for the resignation of Akpabio over the claim of N3.7trn budget padding allegations by the suspended Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi.

In a statement on Thursday, the spokesman of the Senate, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, berated the PDP for asking Akpabio to resign over an unfounded claim by Senator Ningi.

Adaramodu said Akpabio will not resign and has no intention of resigning at any time because he has not committed any wrongdoing to warrant a resignation.

3. Any Kidnapper Caught Should Be Given Capital Punishment – Remi Tinubu

The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated her call for capital punishment for kidnappers in the country.

She reiterated this on Thursday when she received the Senators representing the three senatorial Districts of Lagos State in her office at the State House in Abuja.

Mrs Tinubu appealed to the lawmakers to consider enacting security-related laws to stem the tide of this crime.

The First Lady said the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to tackling the worsening insecurity in the nation and leaving a good legacy for future generations.

4. I Am Still A PDP Member, Wike Insists

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite recent frictions and threats of expulsion from party chieftains.

Naija News recalls that Wike’s political journey took an unexpected turn during the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, leading to a fallout with the PDP hierarchy over his insistence on adhering to the party’s internal power-sharing formula, which he believed should have zoned the presidential ticket to southern Nigeria.

This stance led Wike to withhold support from Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s candidate, and instead extend his backing to Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who eventually won the presidency.

Following President Tinubu’s appointment of Wike as a minister, debates have swirled around his allegiance and whether he remains a PDP member.

5. Supreme Court Dismisses Order Stopping Ajaka From Inspecting Kogi Election Materials

The Supreme Court has upheld the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, allowing the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the November 2023 Kogi election to inspect election materials.

Naija News recalls that the Court of Appeal’s order to set aside the inspection order was stayed by the apex court.

The Tribunal initially granted an ex parte order in November last year, permitting the SDP and its candidate, Murtala Ajaka, to conduct a forensic examination of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation system (BVAS) used in the election, among other reliefs.

However, on March 1, 2024, the Court of Appeal, through a three-man panel of justices led by Justice J.O.K. Oyewole, overturned the inspection order.

In a turn of events, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomoye Agim, has affirmed the trial court’s decision while dismissing the Court of Appeal’s decision.

The apex court emphasized that the trial court’s order was in accordance with section 146 of the Electoral Act.

6. Bandits ‘Demand N1 Billion’ For Abducted 287 Kaduna Schoolchildren

The abductors of over 287 schoolchildren in Kuriga village of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State are reportedly demanding N1 billion from the victims’ families as ransom.

Naija News reports that gunmen invaded the school last Thursday morning shortly after the Assembly session and abducted the pupils and some staff members of the school.

One of the community youth leaders, Aminu Kuriga, who spoke to Daily Trust, said the bandits called to ask for the ransom, which they claimed should be paid within the next 20 days.

7. Tinubu Okays Relocation Of NACA To Health And Social Welfare Ministry

President BolaAhmed Tinubu has approved the relocation of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

NACA was previously domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The relocation of NACA to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is to foster synergy and enhance collaboration in pursuit of the nation’s goal to achieve the 95-95-95 pathway for ending the AIDS epidemic.

8. Atiku Demands Explanation From Tinubu Govt Over Alleged N3 Trillion Padding Of 2024 Budget

Former Vice President of Nigeria and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has demanded an explanation from the federal government on the allegation of padding rocking the 2024 national budget.

According to Atiku, denials or suspension of one senator is not enough to silence the accusation of financial misappropriation by the federal government.

Speaking via a statement on Thursday, the former Vice President said the news on the alleged N3 trillion padding of the 2024 national budget is a pointer to a disturbing lack of transparency within the government.

He said the news on the alleged padding also brings into question the integrity of the entire 2024 budget.

Speaking on the suspension of Bauchi Senator, Abdul Ningi, who raised the alarm about the alleged padding, Atiku said the action of the Senate only fuels the crisis and leaves the people with more questions than answers.

He, therefore, charged the federal government led by President Bola Tinubu to give a clear explanation to Nigerians and avoid the habit of ignoring due process in public administration.

According to him, failure to address the issues will confirm the government’s complicity in official malpractice.

9. Kyari Reveals When Port Harcourt Refinery Will Start To Deliver Refined Petrol

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has said the Port Harcourt refinery will begin to deliver refined petroleum products in two weeks.

Kyari also disclosed that the Warri refinery was almost ready too, while the refinery in Kaduna would be completed and ready to go into production in December this year.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday shortly after meeting with the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Turnaround Maintenance of the country’s four refineries, Kyari also assured Nigerians that the rehabilitation of the refineries would be completed on schedule.

Kyari also explained that there were no challenges with the pipelines to deliver crude to the refineries, as the existing lines were fully pressurised to deliver crude.

10. Internet Outage: Cause Of MTN, Banks Network Failure Revealed

Nigerian banks and telecommunications companies are grappling with significant internet disruptions following damage to key international undersea cables.

Naija News reports that the disruptions, which began on Thursday, are attributed to damages near Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, affecting vital connectivity across West and South African countries.

The West Africa Cable System (WACS), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3 cables are among those impacted by the incident. This has led to widespread network failures, leaving some Nigerian banks unable to process transactions and causing considerable inconvenience for customers.

Telecommunication users, particularly subscribers of MTN, have reported deteriorating data services since the onset of the disruptions. In response to mounting complaints, MTN released a statement addressing the issue, acknowledging the challenges faced by its customers and attributing the poor connectivity to the damaged undersea cables. The company has assured its subscribers of ongoing repair efforts and has promised to provide updates as the situation evolves.

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