Naija News: Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Friday, 13th October, 2023

Top Headlines from Naija News, Friday, 13th October 2023:

1. National Commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), Professor Dickson Akoh, has commended the House of Representatives for passing the Peace Corps establishment Bill. 

   The lower chamber of the National Assembly, had, during the plenary on Thursday, passed a Bill for an Act to establish Nigerian Peace Corps. Thursday’s passage of the Bill was the third attempt at pushing the establishment Bill to becoming law.

2. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has lifted the ban on 43 previously restricted items, allowing access to foreign exchange (FX). This move was confirmed by Isa AbdulMumin, the Director of Corporate Communications at CBN.

   The apex bank emphasized its commitment to resolving the foreign exchange crisis and addressing the FX backlog by engaging with existing participants and fostering dialogues with stakeholders. According to the CBN’s statement, “Importers of all the 43 items previously restricted by the 2015 Circular are now allowed to purchase foreign exchange in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.”

3. Rev. Fr. Faustinus Ukenongo Gundu, also known as “Albino” and the Parish Priest of St. Joseph Catholic Church Jootar in Ukum LGA of Benue State is dead.

   The revered clergyman suffered a fatal collapse following a thunder strike in Jootar.

4. Abayomi Arabambi, the National Publicity Secretary of the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party (LP), raised concerns about a potential discrepancy in the academic certificates of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

   Arabambi, who played a role in screening Obi for the party’s presidential primary, pointed out a contradiction in the name on Obi’s academic certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.

5. The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder successfully dismantled an illegal refining site located in the creeks of Degema Local Government Area in Rivers State.

   Commander of the NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, provided insights during a guided tour of the site on Wednesday. He estimated the refinery’s capacity to be well over a million liters, highlighting the operation’s reach from siphoning crude at the wellhead to storing it in the illicit reservoir.

6. Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has expressed his solidarity with Israel during the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas.

   IDOMA VOICE reported that on Saturday, October 7, Hamas launched a significant attack on Israel, resulting in the loss of over a thousand lives and injuring hundreds in a surprise assault that involved both gunmen infiltrating Israel and a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza.

7. Gbadebo-Rhodes Vivour (GRV), the Lagos State Labour Party’s governorship candidate, has taken legal action by filing a Notice of Appeal before the Court of Appeal in Lagos. This move challenges the State Governorship Tribunal’s decision, which upheld the election victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

   The Notice of Appeal, prepared by his lawyer Olagbade Benson along with 12 others, was officially submitted on Saturday, October 7th. It encompasses 21 grounds of appeal and has been duly served to the respondents: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor, his deputy Obafemi Hamzat, and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

8. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted approval for the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The appointment is initially for a renewable term of four years and is subject to Senate confirmation, following the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.

   Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the Presidential spokesman, made this announcement in a statement on Thursday. Ngelale clarified that Mr. Olukoyede’s extensive experience in regulatory compliance consulting, fraud management, and corporate intelligence spanning over twenty-two (22) years positions him as a suitable candidate for this role. Notably, he has prior service at EFCC, having served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023).

9. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) affirmed on Wednesday that it will persist in taking industrial actions until the government addresses its demands. Additionally, the union expressed opposition to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s plan to extend project benefits to private universities in the country.

   ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, conveyed the union’s stance during a two-day interactive session between TETFund and all beneficiary institutions’ unions. Osodeke emphasized that including private universities could lead to a proliferation of institutions lacking in quality.

10. President Bola Tinubu has made key appointments in various agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. Some executives have been newly appointed, while others have been renewed for a new term.

    Aminu Maida, the former Executive Director of Technology & Operations at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), has been newly appointed as the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC)/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

     

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