Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 15th May 2024
1. President Tinubu Suspends Cybersecurity Levy, Issues Fresh Directive To CBN
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the suspension of the controversial cybersecurity levy.
This was disclosed to newsmen during a press briefing on Tuesday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
He explained that the President directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to temporarily halt the enforcement of the 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy and to review the methods for its application.
The Minister said Tinubu ordered the suspension following deliberations by members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), adding that the policy is under review.
2. ASUU Issues Fresh Nationwide Strike Notice
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on a fresh nationwide strike action except the government responds to its demands.
The president of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, issued the warning at a press conference on Tuesday at the ASUU national headquarters in Abuja.
He said the union is giving the government two weeks to respond to its demands or face a nationwide strike.
He blamed the failure of the federal government to appoint new governing councils for federal universities after dissolving them in May last year for the impending strike action.
Osodeke said the government needs to be accountable to the people for every decision it makes.
The union also accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of having a nonchalant attitude towards matters pertaining to academics in Nigerian Federal Universities.
ASUU further faulted the 35 per cent salary increment for professors and the 25 per cent salary increment for other academics in the university system, saying the wage award could be easily withdrawn by the government anytime it deems fit.
3. Tinubu, Shettima To Pay Tollgate Fees At Airports
President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima will start paying tollgate fees whenever they use airports in Nigeria.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), made this known during a chat with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the State House in Abuja.
Keyamo said the decision was taken after the FEC gave the approval that there should be no more exemption granted to users of the airports from paying tollgate fees.
He said the approval was made following a memorandum he presented to the council that the government was losing over 82% of the revenue it should have earned from the e-tags that provide access to the tollgates.
The minister explained that the memoranda had initially prescribed an exemption for only the president and the vice president before Tinubu overruled and directed that both of them should be included among those who must pay.
4. I Inherited A Huge Debt From Wike’s Adminstration – Fubara
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has disclosed that he inherited a huge debt burden from the Nyesom Wike administration.
Fubara made the revelation on Tuesday during the commissioning of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road, also known as Old Bori Road in the Eleme Local Government Area of the state.
The governor claimed that most of the projects commissioned in the state under the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were not fully funded.
He said the contractors who handled the affected projects are returning for outstanding payments.
Governor Fubara, who did not give an estimate of the debt, said he is now compelled to speak out after being pushed by his detractors.
5. FG Approves New Visa Process For Investors, Tourists
The Federal Government has given the green light for the creation of a tripartite committee aimed at streamlining visa procedures and acquisition for investors looking to invest in Nigeria.
Naija News reports that this development was disclosed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday, which was headed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Our visa processes are becoming cumbersome…The ease of doing business is also tied to our visa processes.
“Going forward, those investors, tourists would find it easy to acquire a visa within the next 48 hours,” Idris announced.
6. Niger Speaker Halts Move To Marry Off 100 Girls, Slams Women Affairs Minister
The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulamlik Sarkindaji, has stopped the planned hosting of the wedding of 100 orphan girls in his constituency.
Naija News recalls that the Speaker recently announced his plan to marry off the orphaned girls, who reportedly lost their parents due to bandits’ attacks in the Mariga Local Government Area of the state.
The Speaker announced that marrying them off would be part of his constituency project.
According to him, the gesture is aimed at alleviating the suffering of the impoverished. He also pledged to pay the dowries for the bridegrooms and procured materials for the mass marriage.
However, while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Women Affairs, Unu Kennedy-Ohanenye described the plan as totally unacceptable.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said she has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to commence a full-scale investigation and sought a court injunction to stop the planned marriage.
Speaking on Tuesday during a media briefing, the Speaker stated that the minister had overstepped her bounds and he would not grace the occasion.
7. NLC Reveals Condition That Will Make It ‘Disown’ Peter Obi
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has stated that the labour union would have disowned the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, if he had adopted the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had he been elected Nigeria’s President.
During his appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief breakfast programme, Ajaero described the NLC’s stance on the removal of petrol and electricity subsidies as “fixated.”
He added that the labour union would have it tough with any LP President who implements the policies of Bretton Woods institutions which support the removal of subsidies on electricity tariff and petrol.
The NLC President emphasized that while Peter Obi is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, he does not own the NLC or the party itself.
He urged a clear separation between the two entities and emphasized that any Labour Party candidate must align with the NLC’s projects and ideologies.
The NLC President asserted that anyone attempting to implement policies contrary to the NLC’s stance, such as those of the IMF and World Bank, would face opposition and disownment from the party.
8. 2027: How Mega Party Will Emerge – Pat Utomi
A professor of political economics, Pat Utomi, has revealed that the proposed mega party for the 2027 elections in Nigeria would not be like the conventional political party Nigerians are used to.
According to him, the party would be based on real issues, values and ideologies that can shape human progress.
Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Arie TV, Utomi lampooned the current crop of politicians in the country for always ignoring real issues but instead, focus on attacking one another based on religious, ethnic and other grounds.
Speaking further, the former presidential candidate said people that would be a part of the platform would have ideologies and goals that the citizens can hold them accountable for.
9. Tinubu Abandoned Us After 2023 Election – APC Women Leaders Lament
The forum of 37 State Women Leaders of the All Progressives Congress and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried being abandoned by President Bola Tinubu despite working hard for his electoral victory in the last election.
Naija News reports that aggrieved leaders expressed their displeasure about their exclusion from the dividend of party politics during a solidarity visit to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, at the party secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.
The President of the forum, Patricia Yakubu, said they find it appalling that none of their people was found worthy of being compensated with an appointment or post-election reward from the presidency.
She noted that after the 2023 general election, they received only one bag of rice and a paper wrapper each.
Yakubu stated that regardless of their frustration, they were impressed with the Ganduje-led National Working Committee, hence passing a vote of confidence on the national chairman.
Speaking further, the forum appealed to the president and the leadership to consider all they sacrificed to ensure the party’s victory, saying they deserve to partake in the federal appointments.
10. Troops Eliminate Shekau’s Top Ally, Tahir Baga In Sambisa Forest
The Nigerian Army’s Theatre Command North East, ‘Operation Hadin Kai,’ has successfully eliminated a prominent commander of the terrorist group Boko Haram, identified as Tahir Baga, during a major offensive in the Sambisa Forest.
Naija News reports that the operation, codenamed ‘Operation Desert Sanity III,’ targeted several terrorist enclaves, including Shababul Umma, Garin Panel Beater, and Lagara Anguwan Gwaigwai, deep within the forest, and took place on May 13, 2024.
This offensive is part of the ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist strongholds in the region.
Zagazola Makama, a respected Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region, confirmed the successful operation. According to intelligence reports, the confrontation with the terrorists led to the demise of Tahir Baga, along with several of his lieutenants, while others fled with injuries.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
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