TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY MONDAY 

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY MONDAY 

1. Tinubu Sets Up Economic Advisory Committee

President Bola Tinubu has set up an economic advisory committee to chart a pathway for the economic growth and development of the nation.

The president made this known on Sunday after meeting with some members of the Organised Private Sector at the State House, Abuja.

President Tinubu stated that the committee comprises of the federal government, sub-nationals and the private sector.

Tinubu disclosed that the goal is to advise the government on additional efforts in stabilising the economy and ensuring the best economic future for Nigerians.

2. Nigeria Is Failing Because Of What Tinubu Has Done Or Didn’t Do – Atiku

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has blamed President Bola Tinubu for the current economic hardship ravaging the country.

In a statement on Sunday, Atiku said Nigeria is in a dilemma simply because of Tinubu’s economic reforms and his failure to take advice from experts.

He stated that the reforms so far implemented by the Tinubu administration were ad-hoc and hurriedly put together without proper review.

The former vice president said the shifting of blame by Tinubu on the opposition and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, is needless and myopic.

Atiku, however, asked President Tinubu to take lessons from the reforms implemented by Argentina President, Javier Milei, to stabilise the South American country.

3. NLC Announces Important Decision Hours Before Planned Nationwide Protest

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has disclosed that there is no going back on its plan to hold nationwide protests against the rising cost of living in Nigeria.

The NLC announced that the planned nationwide protest scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday would be held as planned.

The labour union made its decision known in a letter addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) in which it told the federal government that it can’t be stopped from proceeding with the planned protest.

The NLC letter comes on the heels of an initial letter from the federal government in which the Minister of Justice held that the NLC planned protest is illegal and a contempt of court order.

The NLC, through its lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), maintained that contrary to FG’s claim, no court barred its members from exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression to protest against the excruciating economic pains being experienced by the masses.

He added in the letter that both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), won’t be threatened by the government.

4. ‘Lagos Boys’ Arrogantly Misled Tinubu On Niger Crisis – Says Ex-Lawmaker, Bugaje

A former Member of the House of Representatives, Dr Usman Bugaje, has asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was misled by ‘Lagos Boys’.

‘Lagos Boys’ is a name coined for Tinubu’s loyalists from Lagos during his time as governor.

Speaking about how the Nigerian government under Tinubu handled the Niger Republic crisis, Bugaje criticized the ‘Lagos Boys’ for their arrogance and failure to seek advice from experts before advising Tinubu to threaten Niger following the coup in the Niger Republic.

Recall that the neighbouring nation of Niger experienced a coup on July 26, 2023, which led to the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum. Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani has since taken over as the commander of the Nigerien Presidential Guard.

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Despite President Tinubu’s efforts, including sending a delegation to the junta in Niger, the return of the democratically elected government was not successful.

The ECOWAS chair threatened to deploy military force to halt the military takeover, but Tchiani remained steadfast.

Following unsuccessful attempts, Tinubu decided to seal off the Niger-Nigerian border and restrict the supply of electricity, medicine, and other essentials.

Reacting during a conversation with Daily Trust, Bugage, who recently returned from the coup-stricken country, criticized Tinubu for overstepping the ECOWAS mandate.

5. Qatar Backtracks, To Host Investment Forum During Tinubu’s Visit

The Qatar Government has agreed to host the business and investment forum proposed by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The new development was disclosed in a memo dated February 23, 2024, from the Qatar embassy, addressed to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A leaked memo showed that Qatar declined the proposed investment forum, citing the unavailability of the country’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

In the memo, the embassy of Qatar in Abuja said there was no agreement between the Arabian country and Nigeria regarding the investment forum during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the Arab nation on March 2, 2024.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidency have said the President’s trip to Qatar is still on.

In a statement on Saturday, presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, said the state visit will proceed as planned at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

According to the memo, the Qatar Chamber of Commerce will host the investment forum on 3rd March 2024, as proposed by the Nigerian government.

6. I Am Ready To Return To Nigeria Because Of Sunday Igboho – Akintoye

The leader of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, the umbrella body of the Yoruba self-determination struggle, Professor Banji Akintoye, has said he intends to return to Nigeria.

Akintoye has been in self-exile since the incarceration of Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho.

However, following Igboho’s return to the country last Wednesday, Akintoye declared his intention to bring his exile to an end.

He made this known during a reception held in honour of Igboho’s late mother, Sarah Adeyemo, which took place at Sekinat Hall, Soka area in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

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Akintoye announced this through his spokesperson, Gani Alagbala, who came from the United States of America.

7. Tinubu Inherited Dead Economy From Buhari – Fayose

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has said President Bola Tinubu is really trying hard to address the socio-economic challenges facing the nation.

The chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Tinubu inherited a dead economy from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, and has initiated some reforms to turn the nation’s economy around.

Fayose, while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said the effort of President Tinubu to solve Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges should be commended.

The former Ekiti governor also urged President Tinubu to stay focused and do more in solving the country’s issues.

Fayose asserted that Buhari for taking Nigeria backwards and asked Nigerians to be patient with the Tinubu administration.

8. Onanuga Reveals Reason Tinubu Announced Fuel Subsidy Removal On Inauguration Day

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said the removal of fuel subsidy was done for the benefit of Nigerians.

In a chat with TheCable on Sunday, Onanuga said Tinubu acted in the best interest of Nigerians by announcing the removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023.

Onanuga said there was no provision for subsidy in the budget left behind by former President Muhammadu Buhari, which prompted Tinubu to act quickly before things got worse.

Reacting to a statement made by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, Onanuga said the country would have been in deeper problems if Tinubu had not acted swiftly to address the situation.

The presidential aide said Nigeria was in serious debt as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) could no longer import petrol due to the N4 trillion debt owed by the federal government.

9. Edo Guber: Lamidi Apapa’s Letter To INEC Fraudulent – Labour Party

The Comrade Julius Abure-led Labour Party (LP) has stated that a letter allegedly written by the estranged former Vice Chairman, Lamidi Apapa, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), forwarding names of governorship candidates is fraudulent.

The party insisted that some renegade elements were trying to create confusion within the party.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, stated this via a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.

He urged Nigerians to ignore the letter, stating that the party’s leadership was aware of the letter written by “a dissident group and former party members.”

According to him, Apapa and his group were seeking recognition for one Anderson Uwadiae Asemote and Monday Ojore Mawa as the gubernatorial and deputy governorship candidates respectively.

He, however, said the letter did not emanate from the party, and as such should be ignored.

10. Something Is Wrong With Nigeria – Says NEF Convener, Ango Abdullahi

The convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has stated that something is wrong with Nigeria and its citizens.

Speaking during the unveiling of Dr. Umar Ardo’s book “Court and Politics” in Abuja over the weekend, Abdullahi emphasized the need for Nigeria to reassess its strategies, as the current systems are proving to be ineffective.

He stressed the importance of focusing on past successes rather than assigning blame.

Additionally, he reiterated his advocacy for a parliamentary system of government, labelling the Presidential system as a failure after more than two decades of implementation.

Pointing to some of the major issues in the country, the NEF chief noted that a mosque in Saudi Arabia uses at least 18,00 megawatts of electricity daily, but Nigeria still generates 4,000 megawatts of electricity.