Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday discharged five ministers from his cabinet. Those affected are: Uju Kennedy (Women Affairs); Lola Ade-John (Tourism); Tahir Mamman (Education); Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo (State for Housing and Development); and Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth).
2. Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, has accused the Pius Odubu-led 24-member transition team of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of not being ready for a peaceful transition on November 12.
He alleged that members of the Edo APC transition team had not shown readiness to ensure a smooth transition, in view of their refusal to attend the meetings of the joint committee.
3. The Federal Government has given Julius Berger a seven-day ultimatum to accept its N740.79 billion offer for the completion of a section of the Abuja-Kano Highway or risk termination of the contract.
Addressing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, insisted that the project must be resolved within the next seven days.
4. Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu of Kano State High Court has fixed November 20 to hear all pending applications in a corruption and misappropriation allegations suit against the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje; his wife, Dr. Hafsat Ganduje; and six others.
5. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said Nigeria’s currency, the naira, is showing signs of stability. This, it said, is due to recent interest rate hikes and the clearing of foreign exchange backlogs by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The IMF made this known during a press briefing in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
6. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has started supplying petrol to some oil marketers directly without recourse to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
It was gathered that while more oil marketers were intensifying efforts to buy the product directly from the plant, others were importing the commodity, as hundreds of millions of litres of imported PMS should hit Nigeria’s shores in two weeks’ time.
7. The Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 41-year-old Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju, to 11 years’ imprisonment for importing 35.20 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud (Cannabis Sativa) into Nigeria.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, who handed down the verdict, also gave her an option of a N100 million fine on the two counts preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
8. The Federal Government on Wednesday withdrew the money laundering charges filed against Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of Binance Holdings Limited.
Gambaryan, who is facing $35 million in money laundering charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, was discharged on health grounds and due to diplomatic pressure.
9. Men of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested three notorious kidnappers terrorising travellers and motorists on the Port Harcourt-Owerri highway area of the state.
The command said the miscreants were responsible for a series of armed robberies and kidnappings on the highway, including the recent abduction of a corps member.
10. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the Federal Capital Territory has arrested nine suspects involved in the vandalism of critical national infrastructure across Abuja.
The arrests were part of an intensified effort by the command to protect public assets and deter criminals from destroying essential services.
