Lagos, Kano top list of voters (Nation)
Lagos and Kano states have the highest number of registered voters, going by the register which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presented to political parties yesterday. INEC has cleared 84,004,084 would-be voters for the forthcoming elections, after carrying out Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) on those who registered during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). Of the over 84 million voters, Lagos State has 6, 570,291 million. Kano has 5, 457,747 million would be voters. Read more
Buhari: Tinubu’ll be fully in charge of my campaign (Nation)
Former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will lead the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday. The President said the designation of the APC chieftain as leader of his re-election campaign will allow him to concentrate on governance. “But, I must also add that though we will all be deeply involved, I would like to assure the nation that I will do my part without making governance or my work suffer,” Buhari said while inaugurating the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja yesterday. Read more
Why we invaded newspaper offices, by Army spokesman (Nation)
The Army yesterday explained its invasion of the Abuja, Maiduguri and Lagos offices Daily Trust Newspapers. It said the newspaper published classified information on the on-going war against Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast. Its Director of Public Relations, Brig. Gen Sani Usman, said in a statement that the publication made details disclosure of planned military operations, putting the lives of troops in danger and breached national security. Gen. Usman said: “The Nigerian Army wishes to clarify on alleged invasion of Media Trust Headquarters in Abuja and regional office in Maiduguri. Read more
No to siege on the press, says npan (Nation)
The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has received with shock the news of the Nigerian Army’s siege to the Daily Trust offices in Abuja, Lagos and Maiduguri over the weekend; arresting an editor and reporter in addition to seizure of computers thereby disrupting the operation of that newspaper. Although the unwholesome raid was called off on the order of the Presidency, and the Army has explained that its action was warranted by the violation of the Official Secret Act by the newspaper giving prior notice of military strategy and tactics to Boko Haram insurgents, the siege left in its trail panic and anger reminscient of the military era brutalisation of the press and the people. Read more
Strike: ASUU asks OAU students to boycott examinations (Vanguard)
The striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, warned the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife, against conducting examinations when 70 per cent of the courses have not been taught. The university which called back its students to school on Monday has scheduled the examinations to start on January 14. But members of the union at the university, who are observing the strike, called by their national body, said the examinations would be “null and void” if conducted and warned the students against participating in the examinations. Lecturers of the university are divided over the strike as those of them in the parallel Congress of Universities Academics (CONUA) refused to join in the nationwide strike of ASUU which began on November 4. Read more
IPAC members clash at meeting with INEC (Punch)
The quarterly consultative meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission for political parties commenced on a dramatic note on Monday as two factions of the Inter Party Advisory Council clashed over who would speak on IPAC’s behalf. But about 70 political parties at the venue vowed to reject the election guidelines presented for them ahead of the 2019 general elections. While arguing that they were excluded from the process which was against the agreement reached with INEC, the parties alleged that the commission allegedly doctored and tampered with the guidelines for the 2019 election accreditation procedures. Read more
Start preparing your handover notes, Imo people tell Okorocha (Vanguard)
A cross section of Imo people yesterday, urged Governor Rochas Okorocha to start preparing his handover notes, ahead of May 29, 2019, even as they were insistent that “his son in-law, Uche Nwosu cannot succeed him as governor”. Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in Owerri, a legal practitioner, Mr. Stanley Ozuzu, recalled that Okorocha, who came on board through an overwhelming support of the citizens, has sadly drifted. “Governor Okorocha’s free education policy made him very popular, but today, what the citizenry have been witnessing is excruciating pain, poverty, gross insensitivity and inexplicable high handedness, never before experienced in the history of Imo State. I urge him to start preparing his handover notes”, Ozuzu said. Read more
Salary Arrears: Oyo State-owned tertiary institutions issue seven-day ultimatum to govt (Nation)
Trade unions in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to pay their salary arrears. JAC said this in a communique signed by its Chairman, Mr Afees Adeniyi in Ibadan on Monday. NAN reports that JAC issued the communique after its meeting held on Friday, Jan. 4 at Oke-Ogun Polytechnic in Saki area of the state. JAC in its resolutions threatened to resume its suspended industrial action if the state government failed to pay its members backlogs of salary arrears ranging from three to 18 months. Read more
North Korea’s Kim begins visit to China (BBC)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived in Beijing for an unannounced visit, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Kim will be in China until 10 January with his wife Ri Sol-ju, according to state media reports. The visit comes amid reports that negotiations are under way for a second summit between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump. The two met last June, the first such meeting for a sitting US president. Speculation had grown on Monday that Mr Kim was possibly making his way to China on board his armoured train. Read more
Neves strike sees Wolves past Liverpool (BBC)
Ruben Neves’ superb second-half strike sent Wolves through to the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of a Liverpool side that featured three teenagers making their full debuts. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp made nine changes to his starting XI, which included 17-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones and 18-year-old Rafael Camacho. They were joined by Dutch defender Ki-Jana Hoever – at 16, the club’s third youngest debutant – in the sixth minute following an injury to Dejan Lovren. Wolves found it difficult to trouble the inexperienced backline until the 38th minute when Raul Jimenez fired them ahead following an error by midfielder James Milner. Read more
Arsenal host Man Utd in FA Cup draw (BBC)
Arsenal have been drawn at home to Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round. The Gunners have won the competition a record 13 times, while United are 12-time winners. Non-league Barnet – the lowest-ranked club left in the competition – are at home to Championship side Brentford. League One Gillingham, who knocked out Premier League Cardiff in the third round, will face another Welsh side when they travel to Swansea City. Premier League champions Manchester City are at home to relegation-battling Burnley, while another top-flight match-up sees Crystal Palace host Tottenham. Read more
Real Madrid have ‘special’ talent in Diaz (BBC)
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says the club has signed a “special talent” after concluding a deal with Manchester City for Brahim Diaz. The Spanish club acquired the 19-year-old midfielder for around £15m, though the deal also includes around £6.5m in add-ons and a 15% fee if he is sold on. “This is the most important day in my life,” Diaz told reporters on Monday. “I have joined the club which I have dreamed of playing at since I was a child,” he added. “When I decided it was time to leave Manchester City I only considered three options: the first was joining Real Madrid, the second was playing at Real Madrid and the third and last was playing at Real Madrid. I didn’t want to go anywhere else.” Read more
Bus driver allegedly rapes 78- year-old woman in Lagos (Punch)
A commercial bus driver, Jelili Lawal, has been arrested by the operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly raping a 78-year-old woman in the Adeniyi Jones area of Ikeja, Lagos State. The septuagenarian, who was going to her place of residence in the Ketu area of Lagos, was said to have missed her way before the 41-year-old Lawal offered her a lift to her destination. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, said at a press briefing on Monday that the woman, who was delighted at Lawal’s offer, never suspected that he had other intentions, adding that he drove her to another location to perpetuate the crime. Read more
Residents flee village as farmer kills Fulani herdsman in Ogun (Punch)
Residents of Pakudi village near Obada-Oko in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have fled their homes to avoid alleged reprisal by Fulani herdsmen over the killing of one of them by a farmer in the village. The PUNCH gathered that a Benue State-born farmer reportedly killed a Fulani herdsman for allegedly destroying his farm and ran away. Our correspondent gathered that since the incident occurred on Wednesday, residents had started to flee their homes to avoid reprisal from the Fulani herdsmen. When our correspondent visited the village on Monday, it was observed that the village had almost been deserted. Read more
Suspected smugglers kill Customs officer, injure another in Ogun (Punch)
Some suspected smugglers have killed a Customs Assistant 1, Hamisu Sani, and injured another officer, Tijani Michel, at the Asero area of Abeokuta, Ogun State. PUNCH Metro gathered that the operatives attached to the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command, on Sunday, were on a routine anti-smuggling patrol in an attempt to seize eight vehicles loaded with smuggled rice and kept in the Asero community. It was learnt that the suspected smugglers, in a bid to resist the customs officers from seizing their vehicles, laid an ambush for them, leading to the death of Sani due to the grievous injuries he sustained in the encounter. Read more