Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 30th January, 2025

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naijaonpoint roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 30th January, 2025

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu as an embodiment of a desperate politician.

Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, said Tinubu is no longer the activist that people know as he has turned against the ideals that birthed his political career.

He added that President Tinubu has turned the All Progressives Congress (APC) into a party that can not function outside the whims and dictates of Tinubu’s desires.

He also accused the President of turning state institutions into an extension of his will by appointing his political loyalists into such places, thereby extending his monopolistic tendencies.

Naijaonpoint reports the position of Atiku comes as a direct response to a statement by the APC which berated the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate over an allegation claiming that President Bola Tinubu’s administration paid ₦50 million bribe to buy out opposition parties ahead of the 2027 election.

Recall Atiku made the allegation while speaking as a panellist at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria in Abuja on Monday.

In response, the APC on Tuesday, said an elder statesman like him should not been seen making flippant allegations and challenged the former presidential candidate to provide proof to back his allegation.

Atiku, however maintained that he only spoke the truth to power and urged the APC under the leadership of Tinubu to stop undermining the democratic process in Nigeria by trying to force a one-party state on Nigerians.

He charged the President and the APC to desist from personal attacks and focus on issues.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has decided to organize a nationwide protest on Tuesday, February 4, against the proposed 50 percent increase in telecom tariffs.

Naijaonpoint understands that the nationwide demonstration was agreed upon during the ongoing National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of the NLC.

The protest aims to send a strong message to the government that workers will oppose the planned increase, which would exacerbate poverty throughout the nation.

It is important to note that on January 22, the NLC rejected the 50 per cent increase in telecommunication tariffs that the Federal Government sanctioned via the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The NLC argues that approving such a significant tariff hike while Nigerian workers and the general populace are facing extraordinary economic challenges is a blatant attack on their well-being and a neglect of the people in favour of corporate interests.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, has warned those promoting the introduction of Sharia in the Southwest not to set the region on fire with their action.

Gani Adams warned that Sharia is alien to Yoruba culture and religious beliefs.

According to him, those promoting the introduction of Sharia in the southwest are religious fanatics only masquerading as Muslims.

Speaking further at the 2025 Oodua festival, held at Enuwa Square, Ile-Ife, Osun state, on Wednesday, Adams submitted that Nigeria is a secular nation and should not be compared to the likes of Saudi Arabia.

He stressed that while Saudi Arabia is an Islamic kingdom where Sharia aligns with religious teachings and is widely accepted, Nigeria remains a nation where the constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

The Yoruba generalissimo said the Saudis are happy with Sharia because it aligns with their belief and culture, but the same can not be said of Nigeria as a nation.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has lamented the internal crisis rocking the main opposition party in Nigeria.

The party also blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for heaping economic pressure on Nigerians through its policies, such as increased taxation and fuel subsidy removal and called for a reversal of such policies.

The position of the PDP was made known in a communique presented by the Chairman of its BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, at the end of its Board of Trustees 79th meeting today, Wednesday, January 29.

Wabara said the party critically assessed the State of affairs of the Nation and the Party during its meeting.

The communique encouraged members of the PDP to allow party interests to supercede their personal ambitions.

The party also set up a committee led by Barr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) to interface with aggrieved parties relating to the crisis rocking the National Secretary position of the PDP.

The PDP assured Nigerians that the party remains strong and committed to sustaining democracy in the country.

The domestic operations of Max Air have been suspended for three months by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The suspension was announced in a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu.

He said during the three-month suspension period, the NCAA will carry out a comprehensive safety and economic assessment of Max Air and the resumption of Max Air’s domestic operations would be based on the satisfactory completion of this audit.

Naijaonpoint reports the suspension follows the tyre burst experienced at the Mallam Aminu International Airport in Kano on Tuesday night by a Max Air aircraft, registered as 5N-MBD and carrying 53 passengers.

Fortunately, no life was lost in the incident.

The NCAA, while announcing the suspension, said it is aware of the impact the suspension would have on customers of the airline, and apologized for the inconvenience, submitting that safety is most important.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially expelled former Minister of Interior and ex-Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, citing anti-party activities as the reason for his removal.

The decision was contained in a letter from the APC leadership, titled “Allegations of Anti-Party Activities – Conveyance of State Exco Decision to You”, which formally notified Aregbesola of his expulsion.

The letter further stated that Aregbesola’s expulsion was due to clear evidence that his actions undermined the unity and integrity of the party, violating Article 21 of the APC Constitution that governs the conduct and discipline of members.

Aregbesola, who governed Osun State from 2010 to 2018, was at loggerheads with the APC leadership after forming a faction known as The Osun Progressives (TOP), which was later rebranded as the Omoluabi Caucus.

The faction was accused of contributing to APC’s loss in the 2022 Osun governorship election, where Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was defeated by Senator Ademola Adeleke of the PDP.

Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb. Umar Damagum, has cautioned party leaders against actions that could deepen the ongoing crisis within the National Working Committee (NWC).

Speaking at the Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting in Abuja, Damagum accused some PDP leaders, including BoT members, of fueling internal divisions for personal gain.

He urged them to prioritize the party’s unity, warning that destabilizing the PDP for individual ambitions could ultimately backfire.

In what appeared to be a response to BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara’s earlier remarks, he called for introspection among party leaders.

He cautioned those with political ambitions against creating chaos for personal gains.

Despite the internal turmoil, Damagum stressed that the PDP remains the hope of Nigerians. He urged members to put aside differences and focus on strengthening the party’s structure.

The House of Representatives has rubbished claims that some lawmakers are demanding bribes from vice-chancellors of federal universities to approve their allocations in the 2025 budget.

The House of Reps said such allegations are unfounded and simply an attempt to blackmail the lawmakers.

Naijaonpoint recalls that an online news medium had claimed some lawmakers in the National Assembly set up a bribery scheme targeting federal universities and other tertiary institutions in the country.

The report claimed lawmakers are using intimidation and threats to force the heads of universities to pay ₦8 million each to approve their allocations in the 2025 budget.

However, in a reaction on Wednesday via its account on the X platform, the Green Chamber, while maintaining its integrity, said the leadership of many federal universities have many questions to answer.

It accused them of avoiding questions and inquiries into their operational activities, adding that the House of Reps, while on oversight duties, discovered troubling issues in the governance of several institutions in the country.

The statement added that a comprehensive report is being prepared but preliminary reports suggest many of these institutions are not been properly managed.

The Labour Party (LP) has slammed former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, over claims of ₦50 million bribe paid to the leadership of opposition parties in Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu‘s government.

Naijaonpoint reported that Atiku had accused the ruling party of bribing the opposition with ₦50 million each ahead of the 2027 election.

Reacting to the claim, LP, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said the party’s leadership has never received a dime from any individual, group, organisation or government.

Describing the claim as reckless and demeaning, LP stated that such a statement is a letdown from someone like Atiku.

The party further urged Atiku to provide concrete evidence to substantiate his allegations, without which Nigerians will be forced to take every other of his statements with a pinch of salt.

The Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has clarified he is not against coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

Naijaonpoint reports that the former Governor of Anambra State, in a post via his X handle on Wednesday, stated that many media outlets misquoted his coalition position, creating a false narrative.

Peter Obi stated that he will not advocate for any coalition or alliance that does not prioritize the welfare and progress of the ordinary Nigerian.

He emphasized that leadership must be about service, building a nation where opportunities abound for all, not power grabbing.

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