Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Friday, 20th October, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Friday, 20th October 2023.

The Supreme Court in Abuja has scheduled Monday 23rd of October to hear the petition of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar against the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February presidential elections.

This is coming about two weeks after PDP’s Atiku addressed a news conference in Abuja, which focused on the validity and authenticity of President Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University.

Atiku had vowed to appeal the tribunal ruling of Sept. 6, which upheld the election of President Tinubu as the winner of the Feb. 25 Presidential election.

The hearing notice dated 19th October, signed by Zainab M. Garba, was shared by PDP chieftain, Dele Momodu via his microblogging X on Thrusday.

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday appointed eight new Chief Executive Officers for Parastatals and Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation:

In a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, the President tasked the new leadership to create new and innovative opportunities for Nigerians.

He also admonished the leadership to leverage the effective reform of these key institutions of government to unify, reshape the mindsets of the Nigerian people.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday cleared the air on the recruitment of “repentant thugs” in Kano State.

According to PSC, the repentant thugs were recruited to fight crime in the nooks and crannies of Kano State.

Naija News understands that there has been controversy over the recruitment of about fifty “repentant thugs” into the Kano State command of the force.

Nigerians had questioned the decision of the authorities to recruit such persons into force.

The spokesperson of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani in a statement released in Abuja argued that the “repentant criminals” were recruited as police constabulary because they had realised that crimes do not pay.

According to Ani, their (thugs’) engagement was obviously for visibility and to promote sustainable peace, economic growth and development of the state, adding they had gotten adequate training on the policing system in the country.

President Bola Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of the nomination of Engr. Imam Kashim Imam to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement on Thursday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

He stated that the President’s withdrawal of the nomination, as mentioned above, is directed with immediate effect.

All other appointments to the Board and Executive Management team of FERMA are not affected by this directive.

Naija News reports that Some Nigerians had slammed the president for appointing the 24-year-old to head the federal agency.

Kashim Imam, who reportedly finished his National Youth Service last year, was widely seen as inexperienced to head such a strategic agency.

Former presidential media aide, Bashir Ahmad has debunked trending reports that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike is about to demolish the National Mosque in Abuja.

Some earlier reports had claimed Wike has given an order for some parts of the National Mosque to be demolished to make way for the construction of a road project.

However, Ahmad in a post via his X account on Thursday, said the Minister has no such plans and has not given such orders.

Quoting a statement from the Federal Capital Territory, Ahmad noted that the mosque’s allocated land remains untouched, and the construction is at a considerable distance from the mosque building itself.

Naija News understands the road construction project is in the pipeline, but would not affect the National Mosque as being speculated in some quarters.

The Federal Government will, on Saturday, October 21, until midnight of Sunday, October 22, shut down the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State to carry out repairs.

Naija News reports that the FG made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday through the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olukorede Kesha.

Kesha said the government was ready to begin comprehensive rehabilitation works on the bridge, starting with repairs of the critical failed sections along the Adeniji bound carriageway.

She said the comprehensive repairs of the Third Mainland Bridge aimed to alleviate the pains currently experienced on the bridge.

She advised motorists to cooperate with traffic management officials by obeying and observing all diversions during the period of palliative works to ensure seamless movement.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has said there is no fuel scarcity in Lagos and other parts of the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the national oil company’s subsidiary, NNPC Retail, disclosed that petrol queues in Lagos and some other parts of the country are due to reduced depot loadout in Apapa.

According to NNPC Retail, the reason for the low depot loadout has since been addressed, adding that the country has adequate stock of petrol to last for 30 days.

The oil company, therefore, advised motorists to desist from panic buying as distribution “will normalise over the next couple of days”.

Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has slammed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for recently receiving the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office.

The cleric, in a video sermon posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday, labelled Wike as a satanic person for meeting the Israeli ambassador and planning to collaborate with the Israelis on Abuja’s security issues.

Gumi claimed that the FCT minister want to turn Abuja to an extension of Tel Aviv, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be stopped from serving for eight years.

The cleric said Muslims appointed into top security positions are only figureheads and not in charge of military command and control, saying that Christians and Southerners are in charge of Nigeria’s national security.

Gumi also described Nigerians who campaigned assiduously for the Muslim-Muslim ticket as worthless hypocrites and money-mongers who chased dollars for pleasure and worldly purposes.

The Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lambasted President Bola Tinubu over his fresh attempt to block the release of the details of his criminal investigation by American authorities.

Recall that Tinubu’s lawyers in the US filed motions to appear in an ongoing freedom of information action brought against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where records that may help answer questions about Bola A. Tinubu’s real identity and decades-long endeavours are domiciled.

Christopher Carmichael, one of the lawyers who represented Tinubu in the recent Chicago State University (CSU) records case, filed the motion, dated October 18, 2023, stating that he was a lawyer in good standing to appear in the FOIA lawsuit underway in Washington D.C.

Reacting to the development, however, Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu said Tinubu’s constant attempts to hide details of his sordid past were unbecoming of a man ruling over 200 million people.

10. Tinubu Signs Ratification Of AU Charter On Rights Of PWDs

President Bola Tinubu has signed the Instrument of Ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.

According to a statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the instrument was adopted by the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the 29th day of January, 2018.

“I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, do hereby formally declare that the Federal Republic of Nigeria accepts the aforementioned Protocol and undertakes to faithfully perform and carry out the stipulations therein contained;

“In witness whereof, I, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, have set my hand and Seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on this Instrument of Ratification at Abuja on this 19th day of October in the year Two Thousand and Twenty-Three.”

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