Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday, 4th January, 2025

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naijaonpoint roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 4th January, 2025.

President Bola Tinubu has assured us that his mission is to make the lives of Nigerians better.

President Tinubu, on Friday, after Jummat prayers in Lagos Island, thanked supporters who trooped out and hailed him.

In a brief appreciation tweet on his X handle, the President reassured his commitment to creating a better future for the citizens.

“People are at the heart of our mission. Thank you, Lagos Island, for the warm and rapturous welcome this afternoon.

“I appreciate your support, which further fuels my determination to create a brighter future for a Nigeria that works for everyone—one we will all be proud to call our country.

“We must work and pray together for a better country,” he said.

Nigeria’s President had promised a better year for the citizens in his New Year speech. He said his policies would boost food production, promote local manufacturing and reduce the high cost of living.

The Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has likened the support of Nyesom Wike for the All Progressives Congress (APC) government to a football club giving its best player to a rival football club for free.

He also sarcastically appreciated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for giving its ‘best player’ to the APC.

Naijaonpoint reports that Oshiomhole submitted on Friday against the backdrop of Wike’s support for the APC in the 2023 election after his fallout with his party, the PDP, on the party’s presidential ticket.

Wike was subsequently appointed as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in what is widely seen in political quarters as compensation for his support for the APC and the subsequent emergence of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 election.

Though Wike remains a member of the PDP, he is one of the top officials in the APC government led by President Tinubu.

Speaking on the scenario on Friday during a New Year luncheon organised by Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Oshiomhole took a dig at the PDP, describing the development as a football club allowing its “best player” to join a rival without collecting any transfer fee.

Chairman of the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, has asserted that there is no force capable of preventing President Bola Tinubu from securing victory in the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, January 3, 2025, Zazzaga expressed confidence that Nigerians will overwhelmingly support Tinubu for a second term in office in 2027, as his policies are expected to have positively transformed the nation by the time of the election.

Naijaonpoint reports that Zazzaga, who is also a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council from the 2023 election, made these comments in response to statements from Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, the chairman of the Kano State New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Dungurawa had recently cautioned Tinubu to brace for defeat should he choose to pursue a second term in 2027.

During a press conference in Kano on Thursday, January 2, 2025, Dungurawa claimed that Nigerians would vote Tinubu out in 2027 due to his policies perceived as detrimental to the populace.

In response to the remarks made by the NNPP leader, Zazzaga emphasized that the APC, under Tinubu’s leadership, is certain to maintain the presidency in 2027.

Zazzaga asserted that the ‘courageous measures’ implemented by Tinubu, including the elimination of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the Naira, were essential actions required to steer the nation in a positive direction.

He remarked that Tinubu deserves recognition for making decisions that, in his view, previous governments hesitated to undertake, and he expressed confidence that Nigerians would soon experience the beneficial outcomes of these policies.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being responsible for the assassination attempt on the life of Senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district, Lawal Adamu Usman.

Naijaonpoint recalls that Usman had posted the news of his attempted assassination on his Facebook page on January 1, 2025.

However, the Kaduna State Police Command said it was yet to receive a formal complaint from the senator but had launched an investigation into the alleged assassination attempt.

However, the PDP, in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Maria Dogo, on Friday, described the attempted assassination of Uman as a worrisome tone for 2025.

PDP demanded an immediate investigation into this matter, as well as the arrest and prosecution of the assailants and their sponsors.

The party added that it would not watch the APC and its members allegedly threaten and take the lives of its elected representatives.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has revealed that the late former Nigerian President, Umaru Yar’Adua, cancelled the sale of the Port Harcourt refinery to a consortium led by Dangote Oil to protect Nigeria’s national interest.

Naijaonpoint reports that Falana made this known in a statement issued on Friday, stating that the reversal was a critical step in addressing the legal and ethical breaches surrounding the transaction.

According to the Nigeria Senior Advocate, under the Privatisation and Commercialisation Act, the Vice President is the chairman of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), the body responsible for overseeing the privatisation of public enterprises.

Falana alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo bypassed this legal requirement by sidelining then-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and directly managing the privatisation of several state-owned enterprises.

The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has berated President Bola Tinubu over his failure to honour an alleged agreement between his son Seyi and the family over the release of their son.

Naijaonpoint reports that in a statement on Thursday, Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, claimed shortly before the 2023 general election, he and Seyi struck a deal on the release of the IPOB leader.

According to him, Seyi, with his father’s approval, met with him in Abuja, where it was agreed that IPOB would not boycott the election on the condition that Tinubu would release Nnamdi Kanu after he emerged as President.

Prince Emmanuel expressed disappointment that nearly two years after the emergence of Tinubu as President, his brother (Kanu) has continued to languish in detention even though the presiding Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, had since recused herself from the matter.

He said it was shameful that those who claimed to be honourable failed to keep their word.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied the allegation of attempting to turn Rivers State into his personal estate.

According to him, those accusing him of trying to convert Rivers State to personal property have not been able to answer the simple question of how he has been doing it.

Wike, a two-term former governor of Rivers State, made the remarks on Friday while responding to the allegation by another two-term former governor of the state, Peter Odili.

Naijaonpoint recalls Odili had accused Wike of trying to turn Rivers State into his personal estate but praised the incumbent governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, for resisting the attempts.

However, during a New Year luncheon in Port Harcourt on Friday, 3rd January 2025, Wike described himself as the best Governor to ever be in charge of Rivers State.

He praised himself for executing developmental projects during his term in office.

Wike also challenged those accusing him of converting the state to personal property to come forward with their evidence.

The presidency is yet to react as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, raised concerns over the frequent overseas travels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, claiming that the President has spent 30% of his time abroad since assuming office.

Obi shared these views during a media chat in Abuja on Thursday, where he also emphasized the need for selfless leadership in 2025.

“Out of the approximately 584 days President Tinubu has been in office as of January 2, 2025, about 180 days were spent abroad, covering over 30 recorded overseas trips,” Obi alleged.

He argued that such a pattern of governance detracts from the pressing needs of Nigerians and the demands of leadership at home.

According to Daily Trust, President Tinubu has visited no fewer than 16 countries since his inauguration on May 29, 2023, with some destinations being repeat visits.

In 2024 alone, the administration reportedly spent ₦2.3 billion on foreign trips and related expenses within six months, according to GovSpend, a portal documenting Presidential Villa expenditures.

The expenses, covering February to July 2024, highlight the scale of resources directed towards these trips. Critics have pointed out that the funds could be redirected toward addressing critical domestic challenges.

The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has officially dissolved the state executive council, which includes his commissioners, and has terminated the appointment of Barrister Muhammad Aliyu-Ubamdoma as Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

Additionally, all senior special assistants, special assistants, and personal assistants have also been dismissed.

Naijaonpoint understands that the governor communicated this decision during a special emergency executive meeting held at Government House in Lafia on Friday, shortly following the visit of Vice President Kashim Shetima, who was in the state for a one-day working engagement to inaugurate various projects.

A senior government official, who requested to remain unnamed, informed Daily Trust that while the specific reasons for the dissolution remain unclear, the governor is recognized for his efforts in restructuring the administration of the state.

The media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, has accused the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of paying people to attack his principal.

Naijaonpoint reported that Fubara, who had been engaged in face-off with Wike, said on Thursday that he had endured enough insult from Wike’s camp and would tolerate no more.

Fubara spoke shortly after signing the ₦1.1 trillion 2025 budget at the state House in Port Harcourt.

Defending his decision to present the 2025 budget to three lawmakers, Fubara asserted that the 27 members of the State House of Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress have permanently lost their seats.

According to him, there is no remedy or opportunity for the 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike to return to the Assembly.

Fubara dismissed claims of a factional Assembly, stating that the three-member Assembly led by Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo is the only legitimate legislative body.

Reacting, Olayinka, in a post via his X handle on Friday, said Fubara has been paying some persons to attack the FCT minister on social media.

According to Olayinka, governor Fubara has not seen insults yet.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naijaonpoint. See you again tomorrow.