Headlines
Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday, 30th March, 2024
Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 30th March 2024.
The representative of Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Senator Seriake Dickson, has highlighted the critical need for reform in the nation’s constitution to address what he describes as a lack of sufficient accountability mechanisms for leaders.
Naija News reports that the senator made this comment while speaking at a Channels Television bulletin on Friday.
Dickson, who has been in the Senate since 2020 following his tenure as the Governor of Bayelsa State, argued that the 1999 Constitution inadvertently empowered leaders at the expense of accountability.
He expressed concern over the constitution’s framing, which, according to him, elevates the President and governors to the status of ’emperors’ by failing to incorporate adequate checks and balances on the use of power.
The Nigerian Senate is set to review the three-month suspension handed to Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi, over his allegation of a N3.7 trillion padding of the 2024 budget.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio who gave the update on Friday, said Ningi’s suspension would be reviewed and settled like a family matter.
Naija News understands Akpabio gave the update while fielding questions from newsmen upon his arrival back in the country from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
On the letter written by Ningi’s lawyer, Femi Falana, demanding the lawmaker’s reinstatement within seven days or face legal action, Akpabio said he is yet to see the letter but that the matter is receiving due attention.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that it recorded an inflow of over $1.5 billion into the economy over the past few days.
The Acting Director of the Corporate Communications Department of the apex bank, Sidi Ali, made this known in a statement on Friday.
According to Ali, the CBN said the high inflow indicated that its monetary policy efforts are working positively.
She noted that data available to the bank indicated that the inflow resulted from the bank’s concerted effort to stabilise the foreign exchange market.
President Bola Tinubu has hailed the resilience and sacrifices of Nigerians in the past few months, saying it is necessary for economic recovery.
In a statement on Friday by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu felicitated with Christians in Nigeria and around the world as they celebrate the Easter season.
The Nigerian leader also called on Christians to imbibe the virtues of love, sacrifice, and compassion associated with the season.
The Delta State Police Command has handed over the arrested traditional ruler of Ewu kingdom in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe, to the Nigerian military.
It was learned that the suspect was escorted to the Asaba Airport by the Commanding Officer, 63 Brigade Nigeria Army, Asaba, the Delta State Commissioner of Police and other senior military officers.
The monarch, accompanied by a combined team of military officers and the police as well as personal aides, later boarded an commercial aircraft and the plane departed the tarmac of Asaba Airport at about 9:10am to Abuja.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the development to reporters on Friday morning.
The traditional ruler of Ewu kingdom in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe, who has surrendered himself to police over the killing of 17 Soldiers in the Okuama Community, has denied having a hand in their death.
Naija News reports that Oghenerukevwe has been taken into custody by the Delta State Police Command after he was declared wanted by the military high command on Thursday morning.
The monarch was declared wanted alongside the president general of Ewu, Prof Ekpekpo Arthur, and six others over the alleged killing of 17 soldiers, including their commanding officer.
But shortly before surrendering to the police, the traditional ruler reportedly addressed journalists at a press conference.
The Federal Government has announced a postponement in the commencement of train services on the crucial Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line, now rescheduled to begin in April.
Naija News reports that this delay marks a shift from the originally planned launch at the end of March, signalling a temporary setback in the execution of one of the key infrastructural projects under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The Minister for Transportation, Saidu Alkali, disclosed the revised schedule during an inspection visit to the site in Port Harcourt on Friday.
According to Alkali, the delay was necessitated by unforeseen challenges encountered by the contractors responsible for the project’s execution.
The representative of Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Senator Seriake Dickson, has alleged that elites from Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are behind the rampant oil theft plaguing the Niger Delta region.
Making this allegation while speaking on a Channels Television’s bulletin on Friday, the lawmaker, who is a two-term governor of Bayelsa State, shed light on the complex web of interests benefitting from oil theft.
Naija News reports that Senator Dickson criticized the systemic failure and lack of national values that allow for the exploitation of Nigeria’s oil resources for personal gain.
He questioned the absence of scientific methods for metering and monitoring oil production, suggesting a deliberate oversight by those in power to perpetuate the theft.
The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has openly expressed his confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s capacity to address and ultimately resolve Nigeria’s lingering economic challenges.
Naija News reports that the governor expressed confidence in Tinubu’s government in a birthday message on the occasion of President Tinubu’s 72nd birthday, celebrated on Friday.
In his message, which was shared on the social media platform X, Governor Otti lauded President Tinubu’s remarkable political journey.
He highlighted his ascent from the Senate to becoming the Governor of Lagos State and finally assuming the highest office in the country as a testament to his unwavering commitment and service to the nation.
Former President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, expressed his commitment to the success of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
According to ex-presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Buhari stated this in a telephone conversation with Tinubu during which he congratulated the president on his 72nd birthday.
Shehu said Buhari followed his public statement on Tinubu’s birthday with a telephone conversation.
