Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. President Muhammadu Buhari will today depart Nigeria to attend a three-day Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia. The summit will hold between Oct. 23 and Oct. 25. A statement by the President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the summit would focus on exploring and expanding opportunities in security, trade and investment, science and technology, and gas production. President Buhari will equally meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to further strengthen relations between Nigeria and Russia.
2. The impeached Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Elder Simon Achuba, on Sunday cried out over the ill-treatment meted on him by different forces in the state. Achuba, while speaking in his private residence, he said he was treated like a common criminal even when the law recognised him as the deputy governor of the state. He also condemned the action of the Kogi State House of Assembly for doing the biddings of their paymaster, described the sitting that removed him from office as kangaroo, which will not stand.
3. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has vehemently taken a stand against MTN Nigeria over its plan to start charging its subscribers for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data access to banking services from Monday (today). The governor said on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank/International Monetary Fund holding in Washington DC. He said that such a move would discourage the CBN’s financial inclusion drive.
4. The convoy of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate, Engr. Musa Wada, was on Saturday allegedly ambushed at Anyigba in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. Report has it that Wada was on his way to Kogi East PDP stakeholders’ meeting when the incident happened. The attack allegedly led to the death of a young man identified as Yusuf Seidu Uhiene on the spot. It was also reported that two of PDP loyalists, Nasir Sule and Ilemona sustained injuries from gunshots by those suspected to be political thugs.
5. A former Executive Secretary, Nigeria National Missions Movement, Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, and close friend to Leah Sharibu’s family has expressed decried the poor attitude of President Muhammadu Buhari towards the parents of Leah Sharibu. According to him, Leah’s father, Nathan Sharibu, has not heard a single word about his daughter’s release beyond the promises and has not received any phone call from Buhari on the matter.
6. Groups associated with Atiku Abubakar, Democracy Vanguard of Nigeria in Diaspora DVND have raised concerns over the delay by the Judiciary in constituting the 7-member Presidential Election Appeal Panel. They made their position known in a statement. The pro-Atiku group noted that the statute of limitation for Appeal at the Supreme Court is 60 days, but that since the tribunal gave its judgement on September 11, the appeal had not been heard and the expiration of the statute of limitation is on the 11th of November, 2019. The DVND accused the All Progressives Congress APC-led administration of forcing the judiciary to frustrate the constitution of the 7-man Justices to preside over the case.
7. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has advised Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who is the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kogi State National Campaign Council, to steer clear of the state, saying that the people would not welcome violence in the November 16 governorship election. The party also cautioned that the people of Kogi state are already aware of individuals in the APC known for issuing threats as well as the “body bag” metaphor and will not allow such in the State. PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan signed the statement.
8. The Kaduna State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the abduction of an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Musa Rambo, the Police Area Commander in Suleja. A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo said that the police officer’s car with registration number KRD 753 BT and his ID card were found abandoned along the road by a team of Operation Safe Haven. He also said that contact had been established with the kidnappers who requested for ransom but did not state the exact amount.
9. The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed has disclosed that the Federal Government has secured a $3bn loan from the World Bank. She said the loan will be used for reforming the nation’s power sector. The was announced at the World Bank/IMF annual meetings in Washington DC on Sunday. The loan would be disbursed in four tranches of $750m each beginning from April 2020. The loan, according to her, would cover the funding gap and the current tariff which investors had described as very low.
10. Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State Saturday witnessed a tragedy as a bridegroom, Chukwuemeka Onwuka, slumped at the reception venue of his wedding and later died in the hospital. Onwuka who was getting married to one Miss Onyinyechi Amadi Ugbor slumped during their second dance at the venue ceremony. The incident happened just immediately a wristwatch was found at the venue, yet nobody came out for it.
