Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Tuesday, 2nd August 2022
President Muhammadu Buhari’s led government has placed a ban on the importation of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards into the country, Naija News reports.
The government said Nigeria is now producing the communication material and hence would not tolerate further importation of the same.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
Pantami who spoke at the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigeria Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at Oniru, Lagos State said Africa’s biggest country should not be importing things that could be produced within.
Pantami urged stakeholders and citizens to support government efforts to boost local patronage and consumption.
The strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been extended by another four weeks.
The development was confirmed on Monday in a statement by the ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke on behalf of the union.
Naija News reports the decision to extend the strike was reached at the end of the union’s National Executive Council meeting held at its national secretariat in Abuja on Sunday and concluded in the early hours of Monday.
ASUU explained that the time extension is to allow the federal government enough time to meet their demands.
The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to meet and discuss the way forward over the lingering crisis in the party.
This was disclosed on Monday by the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin.
He said in a statement issued in Kaduna that it has become imperative to meet and chat the way forward on pacifying Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and other aggrieved members of the party following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate and the subsequent emergence of Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.
Jibrin however said the currently observed grievances within the party are being blown out of proportion by some people, pointing out that everything remains under control.
The BoT chairman explained that after their own meeting on Wednesday, they will meet with Wike and other aggrieved members so the PDP can go into the 2023 elections united and ready to win.
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has watered down the administrative experience of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying he can’t lead Nigeria at the moment.
Okowa who is the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Obi’s only experience is as a former Governor in Anambra State is not enough to lead Nigeria.
He stressed that leading a country like Nigeria is hard and hence someone like Obi needed more to occupy the seat of the presidency.
Naija News understands that Okowa made the claims during an interview with BBC pidgin on Monday.
Okowa said he is eager to learn more under PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar who according to him has a wider experience with the federal government.
The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, on Monday spoke on the issue between the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Okowa while speaking on Atiku’s recent interview with Arise TV, said everything the former vice president said during the interview is the truth.
He, however, stated that Governor Wike is not lying, but it is important to air someone’s view when they are angry.
The vice presidential candidate also described Governor Wike as his friend, adding that they will find a way to talk.
He prayed that everything works in the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has been accused by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites movement of placing a travel ban on their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat.
According to IMN, the continued delay to release their passports is an attempt to eliminate them, a year after they were acquitted by the Kaduna High Court.
The IMN called for the release of their travelling documents to enable them seek medical treatment abroad.
The movement made this call in a statement released by Dauda Nalado, on behalf of the Academic Forum of IMN to mark one year of their acquittal.
Nalado claimed that the 2015 Zaria massacre by the Nigerian Army is an attempt to eliminate El-Zakzaky.
The lawmaker representing Niger East Senatorial district, Sani Musa has called for the resignation of the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno.
Musa made the call during an interview on Channels TV on Sunday, following the security challenges rocking Nigeria.
The legislator condemned Monguno for not being the first to inform President Muhammadu Buhari of the terrorists’ threat to kidnap him.
Recall that terrorists in a video last week had threatened to abduct President Buhari and the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
Governor El-Rufai, thereafter, claimed that Buhari did not know about the threat, and he had to inform him about the terrorist threat.
Musa, while reacting to El-Rufai’s claim, said, “If it is true, going by the saying of Governor el-Rufai that the president was not aware, that singular act is enough for the NSA to be booted out.
“A country is bleeding and you will tell me that as the helmsman to strategise how our security should be functioning, you are not aware of this and the president cannot be informed. It is self-indicting.”
He further stated that Monguno should have resigned over the rise in insecurity and for not acting on intelligence reports.
The Labour Party has claimed that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is been supported by more than five state governors and other national leaders.
The Deputy National Chairman of the party, Bashiru Apapa, stated this during a sensitisation programme for party members at the weekend in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
Apapa, however, said the party will not disclose the names of the governors supporting the former Anambra State Governor.
He claimed that the governors and leaders are supporting Obi and the party because of its popularity, adding that Obi’s presidential bid was daily receiving wide support across the country.
Apapa maintained that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are afraid of Obi’s recent popularity.
The northern leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance in tackling insecurity.
Speaking on Sunday in Kaduna, the secretary-general of the association in the 19 northern states and the FCT, Sunday Oibe, charged the President to live up to his constitutional responsibility by protecting Nigerians and defending the sovereignty of the country, Naija News reports
The association revealed that they were worried about the security crisis in the country.
Oibe urged Buhari and the national assembly to stop living in denial, insisting that nowhere is safe in Nigeria.
He insisted that necessary measures have to be put in place to stop the activities of terrorists and other criminal elements across the country.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar on Monday met with a delegation of the British High Commission, led by the High Commissioner, Catriona Laing.
The meeting held at Atiku’s residence in Abuja, Naija News reports.
During the meeting, Atiku asked for increased collaboration between the government of the United Kingdom and Nigeria in finding solutions to issues that are of mutual benefit to both countries.
Also, they discussed a wide range of issues bordering on security, education, agriculture, economy and fostering national unity in Nigeria.
Atiku asked the UK government to play its role in ensuring the 2023 election in Nigeria is free and fair while stressing the importance of democracy’s growth in the country.
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