Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian newspapers:
1. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took a tough stance yesterday on the enforcement of some cost-saving measures.
In a personal memo, he directed that no member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) should have more than three vehicles in their convoy. None of them is also expected to have more than five security personnel.
2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last night directed the military and other relevant agencies to intensify the rescue operation at the helicopter crash site in Rivers State.
The chartered helicopter, marked 5N-BQG and operated by Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited, was conveying senior officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday morning.
3. Defence Minister Mohammad Badaru has ordered troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in the Northwest to arrest notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji.
The minister gave the order while addressing the troops at the One Brigade Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State capital.
4. Damage to the plane of Vice President Kashim Shettima during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York, United States (U.S.), has forced the cancellation of his scheduled trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, Oceania.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the cancellation in a statement issued in Abuja last night.
5. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said the blackout affecting parts of Northern Nigeria will persist due to security challenges hindering repairs on critical transmission lines.
Despite efforts to restore electricity through alternative means, the TCN said the situation will not be fully resolved anytime soon.
6. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dispelled claims suggesting that the old series of the N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes will cease to be legal tender on December 31, 2024.
The CBN made the clarification following media reports that it had fixed a deadline for the withdrawal of the old notes.
7. Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, has departed Nigeria after eight months of detention.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday.
8. The Kwara State Police Command has arrested five persons over their alleged involvement in the killing of a 46-year-old University of Ilorin graduate.
It was gathered on Thursday that the deceased, identified as Lanre Adebayo, a Political Science graduate of the University of Ilorin, was tortured to death on Monday, October 21, 2024, in the dead of night.
9. An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, has ordered the deposition of the Oluloro of Iloro Ekiti, Oba Femi Olugbesoye, for non-compliance with the native law and custom regarding coronation rites.
Justice Jide Aladejana made the pronouncement while delivering judgment in the suit filed by Prince Olakunle Fadare and four others challenging Olugbesoye and four others over his ascension to the throne.
10. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the FCT Administration’s efforts to develop satellite towns and rural areas of the territory are sacrosanct.
Wike gave the assurance during the inauguration of the construction of a road in Abuja on Thursday.
