OduNews bring to you the major highlights from today’s Nigerian newspapers
1. Presidency: Search For Strong Consensus Candidate, Buhari Directs Governors
President Muhammadu Buhari met with Governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress to discuss the coming presidential primary of the party. Although Buhari did not mention any of the aspirants as his preferred candidate, he rolled out some qualities he expects the party’s presidential candidate should be.
2. Presidential Primary: Buhari’s sucker punch to APC govs: I’ll pick my successor
During the meeting with the APC governors, President Buhari reminded them of how he has always supported their reelection bid and importantly, how he has enabled them to pick their successor at the end of their tenures. There President thereafter urged the governors to reciprocate such by allowing him to pick his successor whom they should all support.
3. the US Denies Spreading Monkey Pox Through Nigerian Labs
The United States has debunked claims that the US-controlled laboratories are being used to spread Monkeypox in Nigeria. According to the US embassy in Nigeria, there are no US-controlled laboratories in the country and thus, such a claim is false. “These falsehoods detract from the work that the United States, in close coordination with Nigeria and multilateral partners, accomplish together on public health that includes disease surveillance, diagnosis, prevention, and control,” the US embassy in Nigeria said.
4. Bandits Abducts Kaduna Students, Travelers On Birnin-Gwari Road, Burn Vehicles
Bandits have continued to exploit Nigeria’s security woos on highways. On Tuesday, the Bandits burnt eight vehicles conveying students to their examination for admission into the School of Health at Makarfi, scheduled for Kaduna State University.
5. Jonathan Absent As APC Screens Presidential Aspirants
Rumours of Nigeria’s ex-President Goodluck Jonathan participating in the Presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress have been proved false. The party rounded off its screening of presidential aspirants yesterday and the former president did not partake. The former president is currently in Milan, Italy, attending the European Corporate Council’s high-level advisory board meeting on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM Council).
6. Fresh Hurdles For Atiku As Group Seeks Disqualification, Queries Citizenship
A constitutional lawyer, Mr Johnmary Jideobi, yesterday, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the eligibility of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to contest the 2023 presidential election. He posed two legal questions for the court to determine, after which he sought seven principal reliefs against Atiku, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who were cited as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants in the matter.
7. Crisis In APC As NWC Members Square Up Against Party Chairman
Two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), Salihu Lukman and Isaacs Kekemeke, have called for urgent intervention of well-meaning leaders of the party before the APC again slides into another round of crisis. Salihu Lukman and Isaacs Kekemeke, APC national chairmen, North-West, and South-West, respectively, in a joint statement, cried out that Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC has been rendered redundant and urged leaders of the party to call Senator Abdullahi Adamu to order before another crisis envelopes the party.
8. Lagos Govt Dismisses Anxiety Over Okada Ban
The ban on commercial motorcycles in some parts of Lagos state will be implemented from today. On Tuesday, the Lagos State government dismissed the anxiety that has followed the planned enforcement of the ban on commercial motorcycles, popularly called okada, in six local government areas from today.
9. 81% Of Nigerians Lack Meaningful Internet Connectivity
According to in-depth research by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), Only 12.1 per cent of the Nigerian population currently enjoys Internet services (Meaningful Connectivity) quality in the country. This is coming as broadband penetration in Nigeria hits 42.3 per cent, while users increased to 80.7 million in March. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) statistics, which revealed this, also informed that Internet users via the narrow band also rose to 145.8 million within the same period.
10. Lagos International Airport Runway Lights Collapse, Pilots Warn FAAN
The approach lights on the runway of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, have gone off, forcing pilots to depend solely on equipment on board their aircraft to land. An approach lighting system is installed on the approach end of an airport runway and consists of a series of light bars, strobe lights, or a combination of the two that extends outward from the runway end, according to Wikipedia. It is a lighting system that assists the pilot/aircraft to come in and land safely.
