Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Sunday, 22nd December, 2024

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naijaonpoint roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 22nd December 2024.

President Bola Tinubu has cancelled all his official events in Lagos today in honour of the stampede victims in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Anambra state.
Naijaonpoint reported that 10 people, including children, died in a stampede that occurred at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, while no fewer than 20 residents of the Okija community in Anambra lost their lives in a stampede during an event for the distribution of rice on Saturday morning.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Saturday, said Tinubu cancelled his scheduled events despite the presence of dignitaries and top officials already at the venue of the event.

While commiserating with the victims of the unfortunate incidents in Anambra and the FCT, Tinubu urged states and relevant authorities to enforce strict crowd control measures immediately.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has slashed the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from ₦1,020 to ₦899 per litre.

This adjustment follows a similar move by the Dangote Refinery, which recently reduced its petrol price to ₦899 per litre.

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) confirmed this development in a statement released on Saturday.

Signed by PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Dr. Joseph Obele, the statement referenced a document issued by NNPCL’s Commercial Department detailing the price adjustment under the regional pricing framework.

Marketers will now purchase PMS at ₦899 per litre, aligning with the price set by the Dangote Refinery.

However, buyers sourcing from locations such as Warri, Oghara, Port Harcourt, and Calabar will pay ₦970 per litre.

The Federal Government has allocated a whopping ₦27bn for the entitlements of former presidents, vice presidents, heads of state, chiefs of staff, retired heads of service, and professors in the 2025 fiscal year.

According to Saturday Punch investigation, the beneficiaries of this allocation include prominent figures such as former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari, alongside ex-Vice-Presidents Atiku Abubakar, Namadi Sambo, and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Military leaders like Generals Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, are also listed as beneficiaries.

The allocation is part of the ₦49.70tn 2025 budget, tagged the ‘Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity,’ presented by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The budget prioritizes defence, infrastructure, and human capital development, with a ₦13.39tn deficit set to be financed through borrowing.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has confirmed that the 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity of Port Harcourt Refinery remains fully operational despite circulating media reports suggesting otherwise.

The refinery, which resumed operations in November 2024 after extensive rehabilitation, is contributing significantly to enhancing domestic supply.

However, according to an earlier report by The PUNCH, the cessation of petrol lifting particularly occurred on Friday, December 13, as the 18-arm loading bay of the new Port Harcourt refinery was found to be vacant.

While approximately 18 trucks were observed along the busy road leading to the refinery, journalists who visited the refinery noted that nine trucks were parked within the yard, and the loading bay remained empty.

Meanwhile, NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi O. Soneye, has dismissed these claims, stating that the refinery is indeed fully operational and loading operations are proceeding as scheduled.

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has explained that the focus of his administration is to finish the work he started in the state.

Governor Makinde said his 2027 presidential ambition is not in sight at the moment. He noted that he would not want to end his government and have abandoned projects.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor stated this on Saturday in an online interview across his social media platforms tagged #AskSeyiMakinde.

“I have work that the people of Oyo State gave me, so that is my focus right now not presidency in 2027,” he said.

When answering a question on why Oyo is yet to have Alaafin, he stated that the kingmakers have not made their decisions.

“This is the decision of the kingmakers. They decide when we will have a new Alaafin,” Makinde stated.

The Governor of Oyo State also clarified that the federal government has not paid monthly allocations to local council areas directly into their accounts.

He maintained that the decision to pay allocations directly to local government accounts would affect some council areas.

President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has praised President Bola Tinubu for implementing the naira-for-crude swap deal, highlighting its positive impact on Nigeria’s economy.

Dangote attributed the recent reduction in petroleum product prices to the initiative.

In a statement posted on its social media handles on Saturday, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a partnership with MRS Petrol Station to sell petrol at ₦935 per litre across its retail outlets nationwide.

According to the firm, the partnership is aimed at ensuring the benefits of the price reduction reach consumers directly.

The company emphasized its commitment to lowering costs for marketers and consumers, noting the introduction of a credit facility to ease procurement. The refinery recently slashed the price of petrol by ₦71 to ₦899.50 per litre for interested marketers.

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has raised concerns over the alleged use of land revocations in Abuja as a tool for political vendetta.

Frank accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of using land revocations to target political opponents ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Frank alleged that Wike’s actions were designed to persecute and oppress members of opposition political parties intending to run against President Bola Tinubu.

He also warned individuals who had previously opposed Wike during his tenure as governor of Rivers State to prepare for similar treatment.

“The revocation of land titles is nothing but a Nollywood script,” Frank said, referring to the purported revocation of the Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) belonging to former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

He said: “We have intelligence at our disposal that the list of land allottees whose C of O have purportedly been revoked by Wike is part of his grand strategy to harass and intimidate members of opposition political parties and others that may want to contest against President Bola Tinubu in 2027.”

Frank noted that Buhari has already denied owning the land attached to his name, which Wike purportedly revoked, while Abbas has said he is not indebted to the FCTA.

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has said the party is not in any coalition talks with any other political party.

The PDP chieftain disclosed that political actors within the party are talking about a coalition, but the party has not made any move to merge with any party.

Ologobondiyan stated this in an interview with Channels TV on Friday.

“As a political party, I don’t think the People’s Democratic Party is talking to any party. I don’t think so, based on my own findings. But I also know or let me as,y that does not restrict the fact that there are actors in the political space who are discussing among themselves on the need to bind together. I’m not involved in any, but I think that is the picture that one is getting going by discourse in the political environment,” he said.

When asked if the PDP could oust the current All Progressives Congress (APC) government or would later consider a merging option, the former spokesman of the PDP said the party was still considering its possibilities.

A former Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Oseloka Obaze, has said the 2025 budget showed misplaced priorities on the side of the federal government.

The former SSG, under former Governor Peter Obi, Obaze, regretted that the 2025 budget made more provisions for members of the National Assembly than it made for critical sectors of the national economy.

In a brief statement on the budget on his X handle on Saturday, the Labour Party chieftain also decried the amount allocated for building offices for aides of President Bola Tinubu and for their vehicles.

Obaze questioned why the education and health sector have only ₦94 billion while National Assembly members have a total budget of ₦125 billion.

“We are a nation of grossly misplaced priorities, where national conscience and probity stand mortgaged. If not, how does a nation that budgeted ₦48bn for education ₦46bn for healthcare inexplicably budget N125bn for 465 federal legislators and ₦15bn for vehicles and office construction for aides to the President? Something sinister is wrong with our present crop of leaders,” he stated.

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has opined that the harsh economic reality has pushed Nigerians to search for food at the cost of their lives.

Naijaonpoint reports that Obi made this known while reacting to the stampedes in Oyo, Anambra States, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Not less than 20 residents of the Okija community in Anambra State reportedly lost their lives in a stampede on Saturday during an event for the distribution of rice.

Similarly, 10 persons were confirmed dead following a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama area of Abuja, during palliative distribution.

In a statement via his X handle on Saturday, Peter Obi said Nigerians are desperately searching for survival due to the harsh economic situation.

According to the former Governor of Anambra State, the tragedies reflect the systemic failures plaguing Nigeria.

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