Onnoghen: Atiku reports Buhari to US, France, three others (Punch)
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has petitioned France, Germany, European Union, United States of America and United Kingdom over alleged undemocratic actions and infractions of President Muhammadu Buhari. The petition, which was made available to journalists on Tuesday, was dated January 27. Atiku alleged that Buhari was threatening Nigeria’s democracy by “serially breaching the provisions of the nation’s Constitution” and “undermining organs and institutions of State in order to advance his personal interest.” Read more
Boycott stalls court proceedings (Nation)
The Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) order to lawyers to boycott courts nationwide from Tuesday, Jan. 29, was complied with in Ebonyi. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NBA ordered its members nationwide to boycott the courts for two days to protest the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnogheni. When NAN visited some of the courts, most judges reported for duties, but when some cases were called, there were no legal representations and no reason was given for the absence of counsel. Lawyers deserted the Ebonyi High and Magistrates’ Courts, except for some judicial workers who were at their duty posts. Read more
Don’t arm thugs for elections, NSA warns politicians (Punch)
The National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno, has said that reports reaching the security forces revealed that some politicians are planning to use bandits and terrorists to cause violence in the forthcoming general elections. Monguno stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. He said, “Reports reaching me have revealed that some individuals that are uncertain of their fate in the elections are plotting to precipitate widespread violence aimed at scuttling the conduct of the polls. Read more
Reps pass N30, 000 minimum wage (Nation)
The House of Representatives has approved N30, 000 as minimum wage for workers. This followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the Yussuff Lasun-led ad hoc Committee that conducted a public hearing on the subject on Monday. The bill was also read the third time which now leaves it to the legislation action on the same bill by the Senate All the clauses of the bill were adopted by the lawmakers. Issues were however raised on the timing of signing the bill into law and the takeoff of the new salary regime. While giving a synopsis of the report, Lasun said it was at the hearing that it was actually discovered that the Federal government agreed to pay its own workers N30000. Read more
Ghost workers: FG saves over N206bn in two years —IPPIS Director (Punch)
Mr Olufehinti Olusegun, the Director, Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System has said the Federal Government saved over N206 billion in salaries of federal civil servants during the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years. Olusegun, who made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday, said this was achieved through blocking financial leakages of ghost workers. He gave the breakdown was N76 billion in 2017 and N130 billion in 2018, adding that the current administration of President Mohammadu Buhari had helped sustain the policy introduced in 2007. Read more
Foreign interference won’t be allowed – Oshiomhole (Nation)
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has declared that it would not allow foreign countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Nigeria. Oshiomhole was reacting to the coordinated statements by the United States of America (US), United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) on the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen. Speaking with State House correspondents on Monday night after President Muhammadu Buhari had dinner with APC senators, he said: “The thing is that Nigeria is not a colony. I think we all have to be careful. We must defend the sovereignty of our country. Read more
Dogara, two others formally defect to PDP as House adjourns (Nation)
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Dogara announced his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a letter he read on the floor on Tuesday. He said he had to defect back to the party on whose platform he originally came to the House. The House has adjourned sitting till after the general election, 19th February, 2019. Read more
May to ask EU to reopen Brexit deal (BBC)
Theresa May has told MPs she will seek to re-open negotiations with the EU over the Northern Ireland backstop. The PM said she would go back to Brussels to get a “significant and legally binding change” to the controversial proposal, which aims to stop the return of border checks. The EU has said it will not change the legal text agreed with the UK PM. Mrs May said she knew there was a “limited appetite” in the EU, but she believed she could “secure” it. Read more
Guaidó: Venezuela ‘under dictatorship’ (BBC)
Venezuela’s opposition leader has told the BBC that people are living in a “dictatorship”, and renewed his calls for fresh elections. Juan Guaidó declared himself interim leader last week and has been recognised by more than 20 countries, including the US. President Nicolás Maduro retains the support of Russia, which has accused the US of “illegal” interference. At least 40 people are believed to have died in recent unrest, the UN says. Protests have been growing since Mr Maduro began a second term as president this month. He was elected last year during a controversial vote in which many opposition candidates were barred from running or jailed. Read more
US doctor gave boy, 4, cannabis cookies (BBC)
A California doctor is fighting for his licence after he prescribed cannabis cookies to a four-year-old boy. Dr William Eidelman, a natural medicine physician, said small doses of marijuana would help control the child’s temper tantrums. The doctor misdiagnosed the child as having bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder (ADD). The Medical Board of California ruled to revoke the doctor’s licence but he has launched an appeal. The board did not seek to revoke the licence because the doctor had prescribed cannabis to a child, which is legal for medicinal purposes in the state of California. Read more
Black Panther returns to cinemas in honour of Black History Month (Metro)
Marvel’s Black Panther will be returning to US cinema screens in honour of Black History Month. The blockbuster will be re-released at select cinemas across America for a week from 1 February – and tickets will be free. The film has enjoyed a stellar month after picking up the award for outstanding performance by an ensemble at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. Collecting the gong, the film’s star Chadwick Boseman referenced Nina Simone song To Be Young, Gifted and Black. Read more
Man Utd in talks to sell Fellaini (BBC)
Manchester United are in talks with a Chinese club about the sale of Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini. The name of the club concerned has not been revealed but the Chinese transfer window does not close until 28 February. United are refusing to say whether a fee has been agreed for the player. Fellaini, 31, was the first major signing of the post Sir Alex Ferguson era, joining for £27.5m on deadline day in the 2013 summer transfer window. The Belgian has never won over the United fans, even though he was regularly selected by David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. Read more
Hudson-Odoi going nowhere insists Chelsea boss Sarri (Punch)
Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi will be staying put at Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window, with Blues manager Maurizio Sarri saying Tuesday “the club told me he’s out of the market”. The 18-year-old England youth international is out of contract in 2020, with Hudson-Odoi reportedly keen to force through a move to German giants Bayern Munich before Thursday’s transfer deadline. Hudson-Odoi scored his second Chelsea goal on his sixth start of the season in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Sheffield Wednesday. Read more
Jarrell Miller claims he, not Dillian Whyte, is facing Anthony Joshua next (Metro)
The saga over who will be Anthony Joshua’s next opponent has taken a new twist as Jarrell Miller now claims he is in pole position to get the nod. The American reckons that Dillian Whyte has missed his opportunity to take on ‘AJ’ at Wembley in April after haggling too much over his purse. As a result, the booked date on 13 April in London could be cancelled and Joshua will take on Miller in New York at the start of June. Ring Magazine, report that Miller has been made an official offer for the scrap, which the fighter himself described it as ‘not bad.’ Read more
Four in court over slaughter of 148 people at university (Punch)
A Kenyan court on Tuesday acquitted one suspect and ruled four others have a case to answer for the 2015 slaughter of 148 people at a university. The five suspects went on trial in January 2016 for their involvement in the deadly attack at Garissa University in northeastern Kenya which was claimed by Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab insurgents. It was the east African nation’s deadliest attack since the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi. Four gunmen involved in the massacre were killed, but five others were prosecuted for terrorism and conspiracy to commit an attack, with 22 witnesses testifying. Read more