TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY WEDNESDAY 

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TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY WEDNESDAY 

1. Protest: ‘Replace Dead Woods In Your Cabinet With More Politicians’ – Ex-SGF, Lawal Tells Tinubu

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to reshuffle his cabinet and include more politicians and technocrats.

Lawal made this known in a statement on Tuesday while reacting to the build-up of the nationwide protest and warning from the Federal and State Governments to citizens to shun the scheduled protests.

Lawal urged Tinubu to address the nation immediately with persuasive arguments to appease the angry and hungry citizens instead of issuing threats against the planned hunger protests.

He asked President Tinubu to enumerate concrete and believable government policies intended to address current challenges on an immediate, medium and long-term basis.

Speaking further, Babachir Lawal faulted the Senate’s ‘dictatorship leadership’, stating that it is deceptively building an imperceptible revolt that might soon explode.

2. FG Suspends Import Duties, Taxes On Essential Food Items

In an effort to mitigate the impact of rising inflation in Nigeria, the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has announced the suspension of import duties and taxes on certain items.

This measure aims to make these goods more affordable for Nigerians amidst the current economic challenges.

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this initiative on Tuesday, emphasizing the government’s commitment to addressing inflation seamlessly.

Mr Adeniyi explained that the NCS has streamlined export processes to facilitate the efficient movement of Nigerian goods to international markets.

This includes the introduction of advanced ruling systems, authorized economic operators, and a time-release study.

These measures are designed to enhance trade, stimulate the economy, and create new opportunities for Nigerian farmers, artisans, and entrepreneurs.

3. ‘Offices Are Allocated On Seniority Basis’ – Ndume Rejects New Office At National Assembly

The senator representing Borno South at the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has rejected a new office allocated to him by the Senate Services Committee.

Ndume was recently stripped of his position as Chief Whip of the Senate, following his criticisms of the President Bola Tinubu-led government, hence the decision to allocate a new office to him.

However, Ndume, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Senate Services Committee on Tuesday, signed by his Chief Confidential Secretary, Yati Shuaibu Gawu, said the office given him does not reflect his seniority in the Senate.

The letter reads: “I am directed to inform you that, Distinguished Senator Mohammed All Ndume, has rejected the allocation of office number 3.10 by the Committee.

“This is because offices are traditionally allocated on seniority basis.

“Sen Ndume is the most Senior Senator after Sen Ahmad Lawan and will only occupy an office on the fourth floor.”

4. Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

A Lagos High Court has issued a restriction on protesters willing to participate in the proposed August 1 nationwide protest, limiting them to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in the Ketu area of the state.

The ruling was handed down on Tuesday by Justice Emmanuel Ogundare following a preemptive ex parte application filed by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN.

The application aimed to maintain public safety and prevent potential loss of lives and property during the protests.

Justice Ogundare’s order restricts the protests to the two designated parks, effectively preventing demonstrations from spreading to other parts of Lagos.

The application listed Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (representing Active Citizens Group), Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (representing Take it Back Movement), persons unknown, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, as co-defendants.

Mr Pedro argued that, as the Chief Law Officer of the State, he was aware of various groups planning to participate in the protest, both for and against it.

He emphasized the need to protect critical infrastructure and prevent a repeat of the irreparable loss of lives and property witnessed during the EndSARS protest in 2020.

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Pedro pointed out that the police in Lagos State lack sufficient manpower to provide adequate security for protests across all local government councils, public highways, and other public areas.

He stressed the importance of preventing the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums who could disrupt law and order under the guise of protesting against alleged bad governance.

The ruling comes amidst heightened tensions and preparations for the nationwide protest set to commence on August 1.

5. Keyamo Grounds Arik Air Fleet Till Further Notice

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reportedly grounded the operations of a local airline operator, Arik Air.

The Minister ordered that the operations of the airline be grounded until further notice.

The decision to ground Arik Airlines follows an order from the enforcement department of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court due to an outstanding debt of $2.5 million by the airline.

Confirming the suspension, the chief executive officer, Arik Air (in Receivership), Roy Ilegbodu, however, expressed disappointment with the Minister’s decision over the airline.

According to him, the grounding of the airline’s operations is a devastating blow which would have negative impacts on the passengers, the company and the Nigerian economy.

Ilegbodu added that Keyamo’s directive is in violation of court processes and therefore urged the Minister to reconsider the directive.

6. Organisers Reject IGP’s Proposal For Confined Protest, Insist On Street Processions

Organisers of the proposed #EndBadGovernance protest slated for August 1-10 have rejected the proposal by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun for a confined protest.

This was made known during a meeting with the organisers on Tuesday.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), other lawyers, civil society organisations, and some arrowheads of the planned protests attended the virtual meeting.

According to Channels TV, the IGP had suggested confined protests in identified locations and advised against street rallies.

However, one of the lawyers to the Take It Back Movement, and the groups organising the August protest, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, rejected the proposal of the IGP, stating there would be street processions before protesters converged at specific locations sent to the police.

Adegboruwa said the attention of the police should be focused on thugs and groups threatening fire and brimstone.

According to him, the protest organisers cannot give a specific number of people who would participate in the protests as Nigerians have been invited to join the rallies.

The senior lawyer assured the IGP that the organisers are not destructive.

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Egbetokun said the police would provide security cover for protesters at confined locations sent to the Force Headquarters.

The police boss added that if Commissioners of Police in states across the Federation have enough manpower, they could deploy their men to guard protesters during street processions.

He advised the organisers to contact police top brass in their various locations to notify them of their requests for security cover during street processions and confined protests.

7. Nigeria Is Currently Cursed With Tinubu – Atiku’s Spokesman

Former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, said Nigeria is currently cursed with President Bola Tinubu.

The Special Adviser on Media to Atiku said the argument from former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, that Nigeria’s economic challenges are caused by population was false.

Paul Ibe said while population control is important, the country is plagued by poor leadership policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

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Ayo Fayose while speaking on a national television programme condemned the planned hunger protest. Fayose argued that too much population in the country should be blamed for hunger and not President Tinubu’s policies.

Atiku’s spokesman also blamed the former governor of Ekiti State for poverty. He alleged that Fayose looted money that he should have used to address poverty of residents of Ekiti as governor.

He added that Fayose’s reference to too much population particularly in the North was ethnic profiling.

8. Wike Should Apologize To Me – Labour Party Senator, Ireti Kingibe

The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Ireti Kingibe, has demanded an apology from the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over his comments threatening to unseat her as an FCT senator in 2027.

Kingibe and Wike have been at loggerheads since they assumed their respective offices and have lashed out at each other on various occasions.

On July 1, Wike, who spoke at the flag-off ceremony of the construction of the Mabushi Bus Terminal in Abuja, argued that Kinigibe has not done well since coming into office.

Wike also told the Labour Party (LP) chieftain to hang herself on a transformer if she was unhappy with his performance in FCT.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, Kinigibe stated that Wike does not understand the concept of leadership in FCT, and courtesy demands that the Minister should not speak to her in such a manner.

The LP Senator said Wike should apologise to her so that she could put everything that had happened between them in the past.

9. Protests: FG Declares Prisons ‘Red Zones’

The Federal Government, ahead of the August 1st nationwide protest, has declared all its 256 custodial centres across the country as “red zones”, whose sanctity must not be violated under any guise.

The Controller General of Corrections, Hailey Nababa, gave the warning in a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja.

Nababa in a statement released through the service spokesman, Abubakar Danlami Umar, said, “In view of the purported national protest scheduled to hold on the first day of August 2024, the Nigerian Correctional Service wishes to inform the public that the Custodial Centres have been designated as red zones; therefore, any person or group of persons who have no business whatsoever, should steer clear.

“Furthermore, the Service wishes to enjoin the public that Custodial and Non-custodial Centres are critical national assets which are germane to public safety as well as national security.

“Tampering with or attacking them will lead to breakdown of law and order, and further exacerbate the security of the society in general.”

10. Some Salary Earners Will Not Pay Personal Income Tax – FG

The Federal Government has said some categories of income earners have been exempted from paying personal income tax.

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Reform, Taiwo Oyedele, said the exemption for some salary earners covers both workers in the public and private sectors and self-employed citizens.

Oyedele said this while speaking on how the new Withholding Tax Policy would help to address the economic hardship faced by small businesses and households, during AIT Money Line programme, on Tuesday.

He disclosed that Nigerians who make more than five million naira a month would have to pay more tax. He explained that businesses that have turnaround of ₦25 million would not have to pay withholding tax. He added that his committee hopes to increase the rule from ₦25 million to ₦50 million through the National Assembly.