Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. Former Power Minister, Saleh Mamman had his arraignment shifted from morning till afternoon on Thursday after he collapsed in front of the courtroom at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He was resuscitated and treated by the medical personnel of the Federal High Court, his lawyer Femi Ate (SAN), told trial Judge, Justice James Omotosho.
2. Proponents of local government autonomy scored a major victory on Thursday as the Supreme Court stripped governors of financial control over the councils. The apex court effectively freed the third tier from the control of the state governments by restraining governors from further managing or utilising allocations meant for it.
3. Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State has given assent to the Sokoto Local Government and Chieftaincy Law, which stripped Alhaji Sa`ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, of the power to appoint district and village heads in the state. The law had generated controversy across the country as many were opposed to it.
4. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Nigerian workers deserve improved welfare, better wages, as well as safe and enhanced working conditions as the driving force of the nation. The President, however, urged the Organised labour to be realistic in their expectations.
5. Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, has said that state governors will meet Thursday night to review the judgment of the Supreme Court that granted financial autonomy to local governments. Soludo, who spoke to State House correspondents after meeting with President Bola Tinubu, said even though he had not seen the judgement, it was “great”.
6. A couple, Uchenna Eziekwe, 28, and Chineye Eziekwe, 22, have been arrested by detectives from the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly attempting to sell their 2-year-old child. The couple’s motive was to use the proceeds from the sale to secure travel documents for the husband to enable him to travel to Canada.
7. No fewer than N721bn was received as bribe by Nigerian public officials in 2023, a new report by the National Bureau of Statistics has stated. The report released on Thursday titled, “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, said the N721bn paid in bribes amounts to about 0.35 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
8. The Yobe State Police Command has begun the probe into the case of a self-proclaimed marabout, Auwalu Haruna, arrested for allegedly abducting and impregnating his wife’s friend. It was gathered that the 20-year-old girl, after days of disappearance, was found pregnant at Haruna’s custody in Anguwan Arewa, in the Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State.
9. The Nigeria Police has dismissed Corporal Buba Adamu for refusing to report to his new station in Kaduna, where he was transferred from Cross River Command nine years ago. The corporal was said to have promoted himself to the rank of superintendent and operated illegal activities in the Cross River Command.
10. The House of Representatives has kicked against unlawful arrests and detention of journalists in the country by law enforcement agencies. Consequently, the House urged the police and other law enforcement agencies to charge anyone, including journalists, to court, in line with Section 24 of Cybercrime Act 2015, if they violate the law, rather than depriving them of their constitutional rights.
Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Friday morning
