Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naijaonpoint roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Monday, 20th January, 2025
The federal government has ordered the immediate relocation of victims of the recent tanker explosion in Niger State rom Suleija General Hospital to tertiary health facilities.
This directive was disclosed on Sunday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, when he led a government delegation to the state to console the government and people of Niger State over the unfortunate incident in which several lives were lost.
He explained that the move is to ensure the victims get prompt and improved medical care.
The government delegation, which also included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda and some heads of agencies, also carried out some on-the-spot assessment of the situation following Saturday’s tanker explosion along Dikko Junction in Suleija.
Idris also revealed that President Bola Tinubu is deeply worried by the happening and has ordered the setting up of a committee to look into the incidence.
The Dangote Refinery has assured Nigerians that despite the recent hike in the ex-depot price of petrol, its three major partners will maintain a uniform pump price of ₦970 per litre across the country.
Speaking on behalf of the refinery, Anthony Chiejina, the company’s spokesperson, attributed the adjustment to global market dynamics.
Chiejina said Dangote Refinery has absorbed approximately 50% of the cost increases in the international oil market.
The company’s spokesman said in the interest of transparency and good governance, Dangote Refinery would commence publishing its ex-depot price, ex-vessel price as well as pump price on a weekly basis so that consumers are not exploited.
The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has urged the United Kingdom (UK)’s Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, to avoid denigrating Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Nigerian-born politician made headlines in 2024 over the repeated onslaught against the country of her birth.
While delivering her first speech of the year at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank that researches economic and social issues, Badenoch said she does not want Britain to be like Nigeria’s terrible government, which destroys lives.
The Tory leader highlighted the importance of building trust, saying the Conservative Party is the right group to fix Britain, because the UK could become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed
Reacting in a post on X on Sunday, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, asked Kemi to stop using Nigeria as a weapon to please her far right support base.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has condemned the wrong narratives in some quarters regarding the death of its officer, Aminu Sahabi Salisu, who was killed recently by a fraudster.
The EFCC, while confirming the killing of its officer, condemned what it described as irresponsible, callous, inhuman and outrageous narratives being circulated on social media regarding the operative’s death.
According to a statement on Sunday by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the late Salihu was killed while on legal duty.
It would be recalled that Naijaonpoint previously reported the attack on some EFCC officials in Anambra State.
In an official reaction to the incident, EFCC on Sunday said its operatives had gone to the house of some suspected fraudsters on legitimate duty when they were attacked.
The anti-graft agency also narrated how its operative was killed, noting that one of the suspects, Joshua Chukwubueze Ikechukwu, after sighting the officials through a CCTV Camera mounted at his doorpost, refused to grant them entrance and eventually resorted to shooting the officials, killing Salihu in the process.
The statement vowed to bring Ikechukwu to justice.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent Nigeria at the 2025 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) scheduled for Davos, Switzerland.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Vice President would join world leaders, top business executives and representatives of development partners at the meeting to discuss the state of the world economy with the view to improving its conditions.
According to a statement from his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Senator Shettima, while in Davos would hold bilateral meetings with other leaders as well as participate in workshops and forums slated for the annual gathering.
Among events slated for the Vice President include a workshop entitled, ‘Roadmap to Co-create Investment Opportunities for Africa’s Frontier Markets’, organized by the African Development Bank in collaboration with the World Economic Forum to boost the flow of capital into Africa’s frontier markets, to scale solutions that build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient continent. It is slated for the Congress Centre in Jakobshorn.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has vowed that vandals who stole electricity cables in Abuja, thereby plunging parts of the city into darkness, would face the full wrath of the law.
The Minister disclosed that security operatives are already handling the matter, and some of the suspects have been arrested.
According to him, he would ensure all those involved never come out of litigation until the law has its full course and people learn lessons from the incident.
He disclosed that the vandals would be charged with economic sabotage, adding that their action is totally unacceptable.
Naijaonpoint reports Wike made the vow on Sunday during a media chat.
It would be recalled that major areas in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including the seat of power Aso Rock, Maitama, and Asokoro, among others, were thrown into darkness as a result of the vandals’ attack on underground cables.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
The Presidency has said the official acceptance of Nigeria as a partner nation with the BRICS economic bloc was a significant milestone achieved by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on New Media, O’tega Ogra, said the acceptance was a great step for Nigeria in the government’s effort to strengthen South-South cooperation and reform global governance.
Naijaonpoint reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maitama Yusuf Tuggar, announced Nigeria’s acceptance in a statement on Saturday.
Ogra, on Sunday, added that the country’s acceptance reflected the nation’s growing influence on the global stage.
Nigerian military forces have reportedly killed the son of notorious bandits kingpin Bello Turji.
This is as the military intensified their operations against the infamous bandit leader.
The latest development was confirmed in a statement released on X on Sunday by an expert in counterterrorism and insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin, Zagazola Makama.
He noted that the recent coordinated military actions have successfully dismantled several of Turji’s primary hideouts located in Fakai, within the Shinkafi Local Government Area.
Makama indicated that this progress follows a series of effective missions that led to the destruction of numerous bandit camps in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The security expert identified the camps targeted by the military as Zangon Dan Gwandi, Zangon Tsaika, Zangon Kagara, as well as a school that Turji allegedly utilized for the storage of food and weapons.
He further reported that the military set fire to the school to prevent it from being used as a supply depot for Turji’s operations.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has downplayed the chances of resolving his feud with Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State, accusing Fubara and his camp of disregarding directives from President Bola Tinubu during a peace meeting.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday, Wike criticized Fubara for failing to carry out the president’s instructions aimed at resolving their conflict.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, expressed disappointment with Fubara and his supporters.
Naijaonpoint understands that the rift between Wike and Fubara, which began after the latter assumed office as governor, has escalated into a power struggle over control of the state’s political and structural resources.
The feud has also caused significant upheaval in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Twenty-seven members have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), further deepening the crisis.
The conflict has resulted in the emergence of factional speakers and a parallel assembly, complicating legislative processes in the state.
Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has clarified that she is not connected to the $52.5 million that was recently brought back to the country from the United States of America (USA).
Naijaonpoint recalls that the federal government on Friday, January 10, announced the receipt of $52.88 million in recovered Galactica assets linked to the former Minister of Petroleum.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, announced the recovery during a formal signing ceremony of the asset return agreement in Abuja.
Fagbemi explained that $50 million of the recovered funds would be channelled through the World Bank for the development of rural electrification projects.
The remaining $2.88 million, he added, would be allocated to the International Institute of Justice to enhance the justice system and support anti-corruption initiatives.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday, Diezani, who has been residing in the United Kingdom (UK) since departing from Nigeria, asserted that the funds associated with her in the media as illicit gains actually belonged to Nigeria’s oil entrepreneur, Kola Aluko.
Finally responding to the alleged recovery through her attorney, Mike Ozekhome SAN, Diezani maintained that the term “Diezani Loot” is unfounded, as she had no involvement in the circumstances surrounding the forfeiture of the funds by its rightful owner.
Expressing her stance, the former minister stated that the $52.5 million originated from a vessel that was confiscated by the American authorities from Kola Aluko, which was subsequently sold, with the proceeds returned to the Nigerian federal government.
Her disavowal of ownership over the funds was detailed in an extensive press release issued on Sunday by the Chambers of Mike Ozekhome SAN, titled “There is no such thing as Diezani Loot.”
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naijaonpoint. See you again tomorrow.