Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 23rd January, 2025

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naijaonpoint roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 23rd January, 2025

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the recent approval for a tariff hike given to telecommunications operators in the country by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The NLC, in a statement on Wednesday by its president, Joe Ajaero, condemned the tariff increase, labelling it as a harsh development and another burden on Nigerians.

The NLC accused the government of prioritizing corporate profits over the welfare of its citizens.

Ajaero in the statement, accused the government at all levels of failing to protect the interest of the citizens and making life more difficult for the common man.

The NLC however clarified that it is not opposed to the upward review of telecoms tariff but is opposed to the figure and lack of consultation before announcing it.

It threatened to mobilize for nationwide action against telecom operators to force a reduction in the tariff and vowed to always defend the interest of Nigerian workers and the masses.

Elected deputies of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) have declared that all members of the party contributed to the current crisis rocking the main opposition party.

This is as they declared support for Umar Damagum and maintained that he would remain in office as the PDP Chairman until December 2025.

The PDP chieftains, led by the party’s Deputy National Youth Leader, Comrade Timothy Osadolor, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, added that anyone who is not okay with the declaration can exit the party.

According to Osadolor and his colleagues, no single individual can be blamed for the current situation in which the party has found itself, adding that it is time to stop the blame game and work for the restoration of the party’s fortunes.

He also challenged party members to stop using court orders and media interviews to distract the party and join hands with Damagum to move the PDP forward.

On the leadership crisis rocking the PDP regarding the National Secretary position, which two persons are laying claim to, Osadolor said the party would wait for the court’s decision.

The Minister of Aviation and AeroSpace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed on Wednesday that the contract for the 2nd runway of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, was revoked due to price variation demands from the contractor initially awarded the project.

He disclosed that the original sum for the contract awarded was ₦90 billion, but the contractor started demanding an outrageous contract variation of ₦532 billion, which appeared to them as a fraud.

Speaking before the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, to defend his Ministry’s 2025 budget, Keyamo explained that based on the development, the contract was revoked by his Ministry to pave the way for fresh bidding.

Asked by members of the committee why the ₦36 billion owed workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways was not reflected in the Ministry’s 2025 budget for required payment, Keyamo explained that the money has been shifted to the Ministry of Finance since the money is not meant for capital projects.

He assured that they would soon get their dues.

In a significant victory against terrorism in the Northwest, troops of Operation Fasan Yamma have neutralized Aminu Kanawa, the second-in-command to notorious terrorist leader, Bello Turji.

The operation, which spanned January 20–21, 2025, targeted key terrorist strongholds in the region.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, announced the development on Wednesday in Abuja, describing the neutralization of Kanawa as a strategic blow to Turji’s criminal network.

He said, “Troops also inflicted terminal injuries on some of Bello Turji’s close allies, namely Dosso (Bello Turji’s younger brother) and Danbokolo (one of Turji’s closest allies).

“Additionally, troops neutralized several of Bello Turji’s key commanders, namely: Abu Dan Shehu, Jabbi Dogo, Dan Kane, Basiru Yellow, Kabiru Gebe, Bello Buba, and Dan Inna Kahon-Saniya-Yafi-Bahaushe, among others.

“Furthermore, troops neutralised over 24 fleeing terrorists from Bello Turji’s Camp around Gebe and Isa LGA of Sokoto State, as well as around Gidan Rijiya in Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara State.”

Trade Union Congress (TUC) has slammed 36 state governors for mismanaging funds that should be utilized to address critical issues in their states.

Naijaonpoint reports that the National President of TUC, Festus Osifo, said most governors placed priority on building flyovers rather than addressing education gaps, and lack of primary healthcare facilities in their states.

He stated this on Wednesday while speaking in an interview with Channels TV.

Osifo said the organized labour was more concerned about how the Tax Reform Bill would activate responsible governance at the sub-national levels.

He stressed that the Tax Reform Bill has the potential to activate the governors to be productive in managing their states.

The Trade Union Congress president disclosed that it was pressure and constructive engagment of organized labour state chapters that forced governors to accept governors to accept minimum wage.

The wife of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice Ekweremadu, has returned to Nigeria following her imprisonment in the United Kingdom for organ harvesting.

A reliable source confirmed to Daily Post on Wednesday that Mrs Ekweremadu arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday.

Ekweremadu, along with her husband, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and their associate, Dr. Obinna Obeta, were convicted by a UK court for conspiring to bring a young Nigerian man to the UK to harvest his kidney for their ailing daughter.

In May 2023, the UK court sentenced Ike Ekweremadu to 10 years and eight months in prison, while Beatrice Ekweremadu received a six-year sentence. Dr. Obeta was sentenced to 10 years.

The landmark case drew significant attention, both in Nigeria and internationally, as it was the first organ trafficking conviction under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.

Her return marks the first visible sign of relief for the Ekweremadu family since the conclusion of the high-profile trial.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has shared his sadness over the fire incident at the Sokoto Timber Market.

Naijaonpoint reports that the Wednesday morning inferno razed several shops and destroyed goods worth millions of naira. The fire incident is the second in two weeks in the market.

Speaking via a statement on his X account, Atiku condoled with the traders affected by the fire incident.

He urged the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the fire incident to prevent a recurrence.

Atiku stated that markets like the Sokoto Timber Market are lifelines for many families, adding: “It is critical that we take the necessary steps to safeguard their safety and security.”

The Labour Party Chairman, Julius Abure, has said his faction was ready to resolve all issues with the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Naijaonpoint reports that Abure said he believed Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, were working for the betterment of the party.

He stated this on Wednesday at the occasion of the first consultative meeting of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the leadership of the political parties in 2025.

Speaking to the media, the National Chairman of the Labour Party insisted that the misunderstanding has been exaggerated and must be seen as a family affair that must be resolved amicably within the family.

He lauded both the High Court and Court of Appeal for their judgments which favoured his leadership of the Labour Party.

He pledged to reconcile all aggrieved members of the party and reposition the party for future elections.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has upgraded some medical-related courses which were offered as Bachelor’s degrees in Nigerian universities to doctoral status.
The upgraded courses include pharmacy, physiotherapy, and optometry degrees.

The NUC explained that the upgrade aligns with global best practices for training professionals in these fields.

The development was made known in a statement on Wednesday by the NUC Acting Director of Public Affairs, Franca Chukwuonwo.

She explained that the decision is in line with global best practices and designed to enhance the quality of training for healthcare professionals in Nigeria.

According to her, the degrees did not incorporate the additional clinical training and coursework required to award a doctor status as they were offered as bachelor degrees lasting five years in total.

The former nomenclature for the degrees was Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm), Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), and Bachelor of Science in Optometry (B.Sc. Optometry).

However, Naijaonpoint reports following the upgrade, the new names are Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), and Doctor of Optometry (OD). The change extends the duration of the programmes from five to six years to incorporate additional clinical training and coursework.

Nigeria’s total public debt rose to ₦142.3 trillion as of September 30, 2024, reflecting a 5.97 percent increase from ₦134.3 trillion in June, according to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO).

Naijaonpoint understands that the surge in public debt, driven by both external and domestic obligations, underscores the significant impact of exchange rate depreciation on the country’s debt profile, particularly external borrowings.

In dollar terms, external debt saw a marginal increase of 0.29 percent, from $42.90bn in June to $43.03bn in September.

However, in naira terms, external debt jumped by 9.22 percent, rising from ₦63.07tn to ₦68.89tn during the same period.

This sharp increase was attributed to the weakening of the naira, which depreciated from ₦1,470.19/$ in June to ₦1,601.03/$ by the end of September.

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