Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Sunday, 29th December, 2024

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naijaonpoint roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 29th December 2024.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, led a delegation from President Bola Tinubu on a condolence visit to the government and people of Jigawa State on the passing of the mother and son of the state governor, Alhaji Umar Namadi.

Naijaonpoint reports that Shettima was accompanied on the visit by Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, some members of the National Assembly from Jigawa State and other top government functionaries.

The visit follows the tragic loss by Governor Namadi of his mother, Hajiya Mariam Namadi, on December 25, and the loss of his eldest son, Abdulwahab Namadi, within 24 hours.

Northern leaders have voiced strong objections to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent announcement that the controversial tax reform bills will not be reversed.

The leaders, including members of the National Assembly, the League of Northern Democrats, and the Northern Elders’ Forum, criticized the President’s stance, labelling it as unilateral and lacking adequate consultation with key stakeholders.

Naijaonpoint recalls that during a media chat on Monday in Lagos, President Tinubu defended the reforms, acknowledging the potential backlash but insisting they were necessary to modernize the nation’s tax system and eliminate colonial-era practices.

Senator Mohammed Onawo, representing Nasarawa South, emphasized the importance of legislative independence and due process.

He stated that the President, as a former legislator, should respect the established procedure and allow lawmakers to review and amend the bills as necessary.

Former Publicity Secretary of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Anabs Sara-Igbe, has said the political crisis in Rivers State was caused by the desire of Nyesom Wike to control the resources of the state.

Anabs Sara-Igbe alleged that the Minister of FCT, Wike, had hoped he would control the money of Rivers State even though Governor Siminalaya Fubara is in charge.

In an interview with News Central on Friday, the Rivers State elder statesman further claimed that Wike‘s presidential ambition was influencing his desire to control the state’s money.

“The crisis river state is not about political structure it’s about money. It is about money control the money; who controls the money in Rivers State, that is the structure Wike is referring to.

“Let me tell you something Wike is nursing presidential ambition and he believes it is only money that can give him that presidential ticket and so he is trying to ensure he controls all the resources both in Rivers State and his present office. But unfortunately, he did not approach it in the right way. He wanted force to get it and that was the bedrock, who controls the resources,” he said.

Sara-Igbe further alleged that Wike nominated all the commissioners, special advisers and chief of staff for Governor Fubara.

He claimed that the former Rivers State governor awarded contracts that would gulp the federal allocations of the state before leaving office.

According to him, Wike also allegedly was in charge of the state’s internally generated revenue for months before Governor Fubara took action.

The Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, has apologized to the families of victims caught in the crossfire when military airstrikes against Lakurawa terrorists killed some innocent residents of Sokoto State.

The Vice President, who visited Sokoto on Saturday, said it was unfortunate that civilian casualties were recorded in the operation against criminals and called for understanding from the people.

Naijaonpoint recalls about 10 people were killed on December 25, 2024, when a military airstrike against Lakurawa terrorists mistakenly resulted in the killing of villagers in the Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa communities of Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and also left many others injured.

The Military authorities had maintained that the airstrike was against terrorists and it was a secondary explosion that resulted in civilian casualties.

Shettima on Saturday expressed deep condolences over the death of civilians in the military operation and commiserated with the people and government of Sokoto State.

The Vice President extended his heartfelt sympathy to families of those mistakenly hit by the military onslaught on the terrorist group, noting that it was one of those rare sad moments when innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire in the ongoing efforts to rid the country of all forms of terror.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has attributed the state’s triumph over recent political crises to divine intervention, acknowledging God as the ultimate liberator of the state and its people.

Governor Fubara shared these reflections during the Christmas Ballad hosted by former Governor Dr. Peter Odili at his residence in Old GRA, Port Harcourt, on Friday evening.

Reflecting on the political challenges, Governor Fubara stated that the crisis provided him with new insights into leadership.

He added that the unwavering support of Rivers people strengthened his resolve to view the challenges as stepping stones rather than obstacles.

Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has advised Nigerian youths not to neglect farming and investment in agriculture.

Ali Ndume said the foundation of economic growth and self-reliance lay in productive ventures. He urged the youths to explore entrepreneurship and invest in livestock farming.

In a brief post on his X handle on Saturday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain stated that there are great opportunities for wealth creation in agriculture.

“Youths, the foundation of economic growth and self-reliance lies in productive ventures. Engage in agriculture, explore entrepreneurship, and invest in livestock farming. These sectors hold immense opportunities for wealth creation and community development,” Ndume said.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has advised Nigerians against entering vehicles with compromised security as the year 2025 draws closer.

The FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, said as end-of-the-year travels keep gathering expected momentum roads are expected to be busier than they were in the previous months.

In a statement on Saturday, Mohammed urged commuters to be at alert and mindful of drivers who show signs of recklessness and drunkenness before embarking on or during their journeys.

“This has become overly imperative in view of the recent crashes that occurred in Jebba, Kwara State on Thursday 26 December, 2024 and the other that happened on the Owo-Ikare route, before Ose bridge on 28 December, 2024,” he said.

He noted that recorded road crashes in the festive season occurred due to the negligence or recklessness of drivers and the inability of passengers to checkmate them, call them to order or even report them to FRSC or other security agencies along their routes.

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the death of two soldiers following an attack by operatives of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The incident occurred on Friday at Osina in Ideator North Local Government Area of Imo State.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Nigerian Army revealed that the attack happened when troops from the 34 Artillery Brigade were returning from a routine patrol and responded to a distress call about an IPOB/ESN attack on Osina community.

The Army stated that its troops engaged the “terrorists” with overwhelming firepower, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray.

While the Army did not disclose the number of casualties on the side of the IPOB/ESN operatives, it confirmed the loss of two soldiers and reported that weapons were carted away during the confrontation.

The Army described IPOB and its armed wing, ESN, as “dissidents” and reiterated its commitment to maintaining peace and security in the South-East region.

It stated, “Unfortunately, two security agents had been killed in action and one other missing in action and their weapons, an AK 47 Rifle and a Tear Gas Launcher were carted away by the terrorists.”

The statement noted that the corpses of the slain agents had been recovered, and the troops had proceeded in pursuit of the fleeing “terrorists”.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Tukur Muhammad Baba, has said the account of the Sokoto bombing from the military was insensitive.

Tukur Baba said the military could not be investigating the bombing of Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa villages that involve its personnel.

In an interview with News Central on Friday, ACF’s spokesman decried that the military has refused to come clean with a thorough investigation report involving civil society organizations.

Professor Baba also condemned the account of intelligence from the military. He stated that the two villages were more of desert zones and the military would have been provided with every necessary intelligence by the traditional rulers of the villages.

“At first, the military said they acted on intelligence. It turned out to be very devastating intelligence. Then, of course, they tried to scatter around when that couldn’t work. They promised investigations and actually the investigation was conducted by the military itself.

“So the military was allowed to investigate itself. A report came out, it was an error and some people had been held to account. There are no details of who was held to account. Or exactly what happened to them. Be that as it may, we could excuse that,” he said.

The ACF spokesman regretted that no information was given by the military on the actual account of the event, stating that lessons have not been learned.

Nigeria cryptocurrency entrepreneur and businessman Linus Williams, known as BLord, has called out social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan on an alleged loss of ₦160 million from ca harity fund.

Naijaonpoint reported that VeryDarkMan on his social media handle on Friday narrated that hackers made their way to his website, leading to his loss of ₦160 million donated by Nigerians to his charity foundation.

VeryDarkMan’s account has been generating criticism from his fans and donors, most of whom argue that hacking website does not result in loss of funds in account balance.

Also, X Community Note, disagreed with VeryDarkMan‘s post of the account on his X handle, stating that website hacking does not lead to loss of funds in bank account.

Reacting to the controversy, BLord, who had been criticized by Otse, demanded that he provide the ₦160 million donated to his charity foundation by Nigerians for helping the poor.

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