TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY,  TUESDAY 

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY,  TUESDAY 

1. ‘It Is Massive’ – Says Sanwo-Olu As Buhari Commissions Lekki Deep Sea Port

Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, January 23 welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari to the state for the unveiling and commissioning of the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

In his remark, while welcoming the Nigerian leader, Sanwo-Olu said the project is a massive infrastructure that will, directly and indirectly, create job opportunities for residents of the state.

The event tagged ‘Lagos Festival of Projects Commissioning’ by Sanwo-Olu will run from Monday, 23rd, to Tuesday 24th, 2023.

The Lekki Sea Port project is said to be the largest in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. The multi-purpose Deep Sea Port promises to offer enormous support to the burgeoning commercial operations across the country and the entire West African region.

Upon his arrival in Lagos today, President Buhari briefly inspected the infrastructures the governor Sanwo-Olu administration put down and the projects to be commissioned.

Elated with the President’s presence in the state and the completion of the project under his administration, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the Lekki Deep Sea Port is a total combination of the efforts of the Federal Government, Lagos State Government and the private sector.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governor said the project was started and completed in the administration of Buhari, adding the size of vessels that would be coming to the Lekki Port could be up to four times the size of vessels that currently berth at both Tin Can and Apapa Ports.

2. Drama As Police Service Commission Denies Endorsing IGP’s Tenure Elongation By Buhari

The Police Service Commission has denied any knowledge about the recent tenure elongation granted to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.

The position of the PSC was made known in a statement on Monday by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani.

The Commission was reacting to a statement credited to an online medium claiming that a commissioner representing the police in the commission, AIG Lawal Bawa told it the PSC endorsed Baba’s tenure elongation.

But according to Ani, the Police Commission was not even contacted for its opinion before President Muhammadu Buhari carried out the action.

Ani however said the commissioner has since denied making such a statement, stressing that he was obviously misquoted.

3. Calm Restored At Murtala Mohammed International Airport, As Aviation Workers Suspend Strike

Aviation workers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos have suspended their strike which earlier disrupted activities at the airport on Monday.

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The suspension of the strike has restored calm to the airport as the leadership of the workers under the aegis of the National Union of Air Transport Employees and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has disclosed that negotiation over their unpaid salary would commence.

It was gathered that the development was confirmed to Vanguard by the union’s Deputy General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, who said the strike action has been suspended.

This platform recalls that the association suspended operations on Monday, January 23, 2023, over non-payment of salaries, a development which disrupted flight operations across the nation as passengers were stranded at the airport.

4. Akpabio Reacts To Court Judgement Affirming His Senatorial Candidacy

The immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has expressed happiness over his victory in the judgement at the Supreme Court held last Friday.

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The apex court, in a ruling, affirmed that Akpabio is the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.

Akpabio, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Jackson Udom and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Uyo, attributed his victory to God’s grace, benevolence and fervent prayers by Nigerians.

According to the statement, Akpabio spoke on Sunday during a thanksgiving Mass at St Lucy Catholic Church, in his home country Ukana Ikot Ntuen in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.

He said he bears no grudge against anybody and has forgiven all over the legal battle to validate the ticket given to him by the APC as its senatorial candidate.

5. Court Of Appeal Nullifies APC Guber Primaries In Benue

The governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been nullified by the Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi.

The court on Monday directed the APC to conduct a fresh primary election in 11 out of the 23 local government areas of Benue State.

The local government areas listed are Gboko, Gwer- East, Gwer-West, Guma, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Makurdi, Otukpo, Ukum, Tarka and Vandeikya.

APC was also directed to conduct the primaries within fourteen days and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognises the winner after adding election results from the 12 local government areas.

The court ruling is coming thirty-three days before the 2023 general elections.

The judgement was passed following an appeal filed by one of the aspirants on the platform of the APC, Professor Terhemba Shija.

Shija argued that there was no valid primary election held on 27th May 2022 by APC for the nomination of its gubernatorial candidate which produced Fr Alia as the winner.

6. Buhari: Despite My Constant Criticism Of His Government, He Recognized My Effort – Wike

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has said that despite his criticism of the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari awarded him best in infrastructure delivery.

Wike stated this at the Kelechi Nwogu Legacy Stadium’s campaign rally of Rivers PDP for Omuma Local Government Area on Monday.

The Governor urged the indigenes to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sir. Siminialayi Fubara as his successor, insisting that Rivers would be safe in his hands.

He stated that both the PDP guber candidate and his deputy are seasoned technocrats with vast experience and capacity with the ability to continue in the same path of project delivery.

Wike urged Omuma people to not to support Tonye Cole, guber candidate of the Rivers All Progressives Congress, (APC) and his godfather and immediate past Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi, over their role in the sales of Rivers public assets.

7. Buhari Off To Senegal On Tuesday After Lagos Visit

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday depart Lagos for Dakar, Senegal, to attend the second edition of the Dakar International Conference on Agriculture.

The president is currently on a two-day working visit to Lagos to commission some project executed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Recall that Buhari had in July 2022 joined other African leaders in Senegal for the International Development Association for Africa Summit which led to an outcome document, the Dakar Declaration.

In a statement on Monday by Media and Publicity Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina, Buhari will be attending the high-level Dakar 2 Summit hosted by President Macky Sall of Senegal and the Chairperson of the African Union is holding under the theme “Feeding Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience.”

The conference is convened jointly by the government of Senegal and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The statement is titled ‘President Buhari to attend Dakar International Conference on Agricultural.’

8. Gunmen Behead Imo LG Boss After Collecting Ransom

Gunmen on Sunday beheaded the Sole Administrator of the Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, Chris Ohizu.

Ohizu was beheaded by his abductors after the gunmen were allegedly paid the sum of N6 million as ransom to release him.

In a video posted online on Sunday, the gunmen insisted that there would be no election in Nigeria.

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A source that spoke with Punch from the local government area claimed that the killers of Ohizu published videos of the beheading with the phone of their victim on his WhatsApp status.

The development was confirmed by the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

Ohizu was abducted on Friday alongside two others after the gunmen had burnt his country home in the Imoko community in the Arondizuogu area of the LGA.

He was shot before he was taken away.

9. Subsidy Removal: Nigerians May Buy Fuel For N800/litre

As the push for a total deregulation of the downstream oil sector gets stronger, Nigerians have been forewarned that they might likely pay as high as N800/litre if subsidies are removed from the fuel.

Oil marketers made this prediction even as the fuel scarcity bites harder and lingers longer than expected.

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The federal government through the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, recently revealed that it would gradually withdraw subsidy on petrol, as budgetary allocation for subsidy would end in June.

The pronouncement follows several calls for fuel subsidies to be removed in other to attract more investments to the downstream oil sector in the country.

Industry experts have continually push for this course with the argument that the high cost of subsidy on petrol was a burden on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and that it’s the rich and not the average that benefit from the exercise.

The subsidy regime has brought burdens upon the NNPCL as the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria, and this has lingered the crisis of price and other factors in the downstream oil sector.

However, reacting to the push, oil markers have called on the federal government to ensure a friendly subsidy removal regime.

The Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu told Punch while it could be advisable to remove subsidy, Nigerians should know that the cost of petrol could cross N800/litre once the commodity was no longer subsidised.

According to him, the federal government should ensure that all the necessary measures and infrastructure to ensure a less stressful subsidy removal regime were put in place before implementing the decision.

10. 2023: DSS Makes Vow To INEC Weeks To General Elections

The Department of State Services (DSS) has made a promise to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the February/March general election.

The security agency assured the electoral body that it would provide a conducive atmosphere for the elections.

The Director General, State Services, DGSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi made the pledge in Abuja at the opening of a 4-day strategic workshop organized by the Service for its state directors and heads of institutions.

Service Spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, explained that the workshop whichp took place between 18th and 21st January, 2023, was part of the Service’s preparedness for the general elections.

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Afunnaya stated that the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, during his speech, assured the DSS that it would ensure that they deliver free, fair and credible election.

Also, the Commission, through its Director of Legal Services, Oluwatoyin Babalola, educated participants on the Electoral Act 2022 and its implications for Security agencies.