Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Monday, 10th June 2024
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe as the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) in interim capacity, pending the confirmation of her appointment by the NCCC Supervisory Council.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Sunday, said the President gave the approval in accordance with his commitment to actualize Nigeria’s green industrial vision, boost investor confidence, and unlock sustainable economic value through various climate finance instruments.
Tinubu also approved that Dr. Maduekwe, 39, who holds a Bachelor of Law degree; a Master’s degree in Environmental Law & Policy from the University of Dundee (UK), and a Doctorate degree in Law from the University of Hull (UK), to serve as the Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP).
Naija News reports that Dr. Maduekwe has over 15 years of national and international experience in climate policy development and project implementation. She previously served as Nigeria National Coordinator, Climate Parliament. Climate Parliament is an international, multi-partisan network of legislators working worldwide to help solve the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has berated current Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, for claiming that he (Atiku) benefitted from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goodwill.
Recall that Shettima had claimed that Atiku ran to Tinubu for help when he was chased out of his party.
Shettima noted that Tinubu has always been a great supporter of northerners in their quest for political attainment.
Speaking on Thursday at the 3rd Expanded National MSMES Clinics, Ekiti 2024, held in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, Shettima said: “When many of his (Tinubu) contemporaries were struggling to have a seat at the dinner table in Abuja, he was sacrificing his resources and goodwill energy towards the enthronement of democracy in this country.
“He has been a very veritable sanctuary for victims of political witchhunts. When Atiku Abubakar was harassed, intimidated, dehumanised and chased out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it was the Bourdilion he ran to for support and it was in Bourdilion that he got the needed support and he contested for the presidency of this country.”
Reacting in a statement sent to Naija News on Sunday, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, stated that it was Tinubu that actually benefitted immensely from Atiku’s goodwill.
According to him, if not for Atiku’s backing Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos would have been rough with a wide possibility of termination of his political career.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has called on the Federal Government to put an end to the killing spree in the country.
Obi stated this while reacting to the gruesome murder of seven mobile police officers by armed bandits in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
He insisted that the government must keep the nation safe by bringing the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
Speaking via his X handle on Sunday, the LP chieftain said he would continue to add his voice against the ever-rising tide of insecurity in Nigeria, stressing that the life of every Nigerian matters and must be protected.
A former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has disclosed that prominent figures such as former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Rivers State Governors, Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi, who were instrumental in Nyesom Wike’s political ascent, are no longer on speaking terms with the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Clark made these assertions in an open letter addressed to Rivers politician, Senator George Sekibo, on Sunday.
The letter aimed to address and correct what Clark termed as misconceptions presented by Sekibo, who allegedly claimed that the Ijaws wanted Wike to bow to them.
The 97-year-old leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) used the letter to highlight the significant contributions and influence of Ijaw leaders in Rivers State politics and the broader South region.
He detailed the supportive role played by the Ijaw community in ensuring Wike’s election as the Governor of Rivers State.
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called for a collaborative and inclusive approach to decision-making to the ongoing debate on the proposed law to phase out open grazing and establish ranching agencies.
Naija News recalls that the proposed law sparked conflicting views last week among some northern senators and stakeholders in the country.
In a statement by its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, NEF, called on the Federal Government to set up a National Pastoralist Commission to protect the interest of Nigerian herdsmen.
The group opined that there was no reason why a special initiative should not be introduced to address the concerns and plights of herders, stressing that successive governments have established agencies, ministries, and programmes such as NDDC and OMPADEC to tackle challenges affecting specific communities in the South.
The NEF further urged the government to establish special funds and policies to support pastoral communities and improve their livelihoods.
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of the Middle-Belt Pan Nigerian Forum has called on the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to accept the outcome of the 2023 presidential election won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The group said in a statement by its spokesperson, Danladi Ceceko, that the 2023 election was one of the most transparent elections in the country and reflects the will of Nigerians. It added that the verdict of the Supreme Court further validates the outcome of the polls.
The group spoke against the backdrop of the recent statement by Obi in which he compared the Nigerian electoral process to that of South Africa and described the 2023 polls as a show of shame.
However, Ceceko urged Obi to stop discrediting institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) simply because he lost in the 2023 elections.
The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has advocated for a ₦100,000 national minimum wage, amidst ongoing deadlock between the Federal Government and labour unions.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Gabam expressed his view that such an amount would substantially ease the economic pressures on Nigerian workers.
Gabam’s proposal comes at a critical time when the government and organized labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), are struggling to agree on a new wage structure.
Recent negotiations have seen minimal progress, with labour unions recently dismissing the government’s revised offer of ₦62,000, a slight increase from an initial ₦60,000 proposal. Labour’s stance remains firm, demanding a minimum wage of ₦250,000, a reduction from their earlier demand of ₦494,000.
The SDP chairman pinpointed the removal of fuel subsidies by the Federal Government as a principal factor exacerbating the cost of living, intensifying hardships for the average Nigerian.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that there is misinformation regarding the operation of its operatives who recently made some arrests at two clubs in Akure, Ondo State.
The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Sunday, said its operatives from the Ibadan Zonal Command, who carried out the arrests on Saturday, were very professional.
He further denied the alleged brutalization of any of the suspects, claiming the videos in circulation on social media, including a trending video of two ladies showing bodies lacerated by whips, may have been stage-managed by those involved to achieve other objectives.
The anti-graft commission also said no tear gas was used during the operation neither was damage done to the CCTV facility at the scene of the arrest.
Oyewale clarified that the manager of the club, who confessed to the crime and directed the removal of the CCTV device for further investigative works by the Commission, is in the custody of the EFCC with the CCTV.
The federal government has unveiled a lineup of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Democracy Day, marking twenty-five years of continuous democratic governance in Nigeria.
The announcement was made in a notice issued by Abdulhakeem Adeoye, acting on behalf of the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The notice outlines that the celebration will start on Tuesday, June 11, with a symposium held at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, commencing at 9:00 am.
Following the symposium, a youth conference is scheduled to take place at Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, starting at 6:00 pm.
The agenda for Wednesday, June 12, includes a grand parade at Eagle Square, Abuja, at 8:00 AM, followed by a dinner at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, at 6:00 PM.
The immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has said that he is not responsible for the insecurity situation in the state.
He lamented that some financial assistance meant to cater for the needs in the state was denied during his tenure.
The erstwhile governor stated this while responding to his successor Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, who, in an interview, accused his administration of being complicit in the insecurity that ravaged the state.
Ortom insisted that he sacrificed his future political ambition to ensure that enemies did not succeed in annexing the state.
He disclosed this via a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Terver Akase.
Ortom boasted that he was the first governor in Benue to tackle the menace of herdsmen with the enactment of an anti-open grazing law and added that at no time during his tenure that youths in the state engage in rustling of cows or kill their people.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
