TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY, WEDNESDAY

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY, WEDNESDAY

 

1. President Buhari Attends Unveiling Of NNPC Limited

President Muhammadu Buhari was on Tuesday live at the unveiling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC LTD.

The name change for the oil corporation through which the federal government of Nigeria regulates and participates in the country’s petroleum industry was pertinent to the Petroleum Industry Act.

The event held in Abuja had in attendance some top government officials including the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; and the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari; among other top stakeholders in the oil and gas sector.

The new Petroleum Industry Act uphold that NNPC Limited will run a commercial and profit-focused organisation under the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

2. ASUU Gives Update On When 5-Month-Old Strike Will End

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday announced that there is no going back on the strike action embarked upon by members of the union until the federal government accedes to their demand.

The ASUU National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this on Tuesday while providing an update to newsmen about the strike action that commenced on February 14.

According to him, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige is a major hindrance in the way of efforts to end the strike and ensure the nation’s public universities are re-opened.

Osodeke stressed that issues such as the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) instead of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), the poor funding of universities, non-payment of salaries and allowances of some of their colleagues, as well as the inability of the government to pay earned academic allowance to lecturers, among other issues must be addressed before resumption can take place.

ASUU further decried the non-implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, noting that the issues on ground must be addressed in order to break the deadlock.

The union’s president said for now, the struggle continues adding that while ASUU remains bothered about the lingering strike and its impact, the strike is in the overall interest of Nigeria.

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3. NNPC Denies Issuing Order For Petrol Price Increase In Nigeria

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it didn’t give any instruction for marketers to increase the pump price of petrol in the country.

The NNPC spokesperson, Garba Deen Muhammad gave the denial on Tuesday after earlier reports claimed the company had quietly approved the increase in the pump price of petrol across the country.

It was reported that the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol from N165 per litre to N179 per litre has been approved by the NNPC.

The new price approved by NNPC is expected to take effect today across the country according to the report as it directs fuel marketers to change the petrol price on pumps.

NNPC also increased the ex-depot price from N148.17 to N167 per litre.

The decision was said to have been reached weeks after fuel marketers adopted different prices following petrol scarcity across the country.

However, when contacted about the development, the NNPC’s spokesperson, said the national oil firm does not set prices for petrol nor did the directive emanate from it.

4. Adeleke: INEC Replies Davido Over Comment On Certificate Of Return

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has replied to popular Nigerian singer, Davido over the time frame for the issuance of a Certificate of Return.

Davido had queried the electoral body why it had not presented his uncle with the certificate of return, 48 hours after he was declared the winner of the Osun governorship election.

The nephew to the Osun Governor-elect asked INEC if it needed money for fuel to get to the state to present the certificate of return to the governor-elect.

In a statement on Tuesday by the INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye said the law does not mandate the Commission to issue a certificate to the winner of any election within 48 hours.

Okoye disclosed the electoral agency has up to 14 days to issue the winner with the certificate, stating the Commission is a creation of the Constitution.

He added that the Supervising National Commissioner whose responsibility it is to present the certificate is still in Osun waiting for the arrival of the certificate.

5. Muslim-Muslim Ticket: APC Muslim Youths Reject Shettima, Issues Directive To Buhari, Tinubu

Muslim youths of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected former Borno State Governor Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate to Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the leader of the APC Muslim youths, Abdullahi Saleh, asked the party’s presidential candidate to replace Shettima with a Christian political leader or cleric from the North.

While stating that they reject a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Saleh admitted that Tinubu reserves the right to make decisions regarding his choice of running mate.

He said the group finds it worrisome that such a decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the party’s electoral chances and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about in the country.

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6. Buhari Directs Adamu To Address ASUU Strike Within 14 Days

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu to settle issues with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end their lingering strike.

The public varsity lecturers commenced the industrial actions in early February 2022.

Although the union had initially embarked on a warning strike but eventually elongated the strike over the failure of the government to meet their pressing demands.

Despite several meetings, the varsity staff and representatives of the government still couldn’t reach a good end to call off the strike.

Wading into the issue, President Buhari on Tuesday after receiving briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments involved in resolving the face-off with the university unions, ordered the Minister of Education to ensure that the impasse was resolved within two weeks and report back to him.

7. PDP’s Wike In Closed-door Meeting With Top APC Chieftain

A former presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party and Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday met with the former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari.

Yari met with Wike at his residence located in Rumuepriokom community in Obio/Akpor local government area of the State.

Yari and Wike thereafter went into a closed-door meeting.

Governor Wike has been silent on the activities of the main opposition party following the decision of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to pick Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate.

Party leadership had taken steps to resolve the crisis in the PDP, but Wike has been resistant.

There are claims that he wants the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu removed on the basis that the presidential candidate and the party chairman can not come from the same region.

Wike has met with numerous members of the opposition party who have tried to woo the PDP governor to their side.

8. CBN Hikes Monetary Interest Rate To 14%

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again hiked the monetary interest rate to 14 per cent from 13.5 per cent.

The apex bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele disclosed this on Tuesday, July 19 while addressing journalists shortly after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Lagos, Naija News reports.

This is the second time CBN will announce interest raise this year. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) announced the first hike about three months ago.

The latest update showed that the committee increased the Monetary Interest Rate (MPR) by 150 basis points in May 2022 – from 11.5 per cent to 13 per cent.

The MPC announced a further tightening of the rates by 100 basis points – 14 per cent from 13 per cent in May.

9. Lawan, Akpabio, Tambuwal, Others Risk Jail Terms For Contesting In More Than One Primary

The former Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Sokoto State Governor and others that participated in more than one primary risk two years’ imprisonment under the Electoral Act, 2022.

Some politicians who had contested for the presidency under their party had lost out, only for them to bounce back on another ticket of their party.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, who quoted Section 115 (D) of the Electoral Act, 2022, while on Channels TV said the politicians risk jail terms.

Igini said, “A person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election [commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years].”

He further stated that by “constituency,” the electoral term refers to a separate election whether it is presidential, governorship, senatorial, the House of Representatives or that of the state assembly.

According to Igini, any politician who fails to obey the law is liable to be jailed for two years, and Section 115 (3) even states that any attempt to obtain multiple forms is an offence.

10. Campaign Spokesperson Discloses Why Tinubu Shunned North-West And Picked Shettima As Running Mate

The Tinubu Campaign Organisation has said that religion or ethnicity was far from the calculations of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu in picking former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

The group, in a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by the TCO Director of Media and Communication, Bayo Onanuga said that clarification is coming on the eve of Shettima’s unveiling, which is slated for Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja by 11.00 am Wednesday.

He went on to state that Shettima was chosen because he is a tested politician and technocrat while also adding that If Tinubu wanted to cash in on ethnicity he would have chosen a running mate from the North West, which has the highest number of registered voters.