Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Tuesday 25th October 2022
Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Tuesday, 25th October 2022
1. ‘Unregulated Use Of Social Media, Other Digital Platforms Poses a Global Challenge’
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has reiterated that the unregulated use of social media and other digital platforms is posing a great challenge globally.
Naija News reports that Mohammed, who said this at the Global Media and Information Literacy Week held in Abuja today, noted that world leaders are contending with the identification of what information is true or false on these social media platforms.
Mohammed noted that the theme of this year’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week, tagged “Nurturing Trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative,” is not only apt but also timely.
According to him, there is an urgent need for people to be equipped with the ability to critically evaluate and wisely use the information at their disposal.
The Minister for Information and Culture, however, said he was positive that the suggestions and contributions of participants from 193 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultura (UNESCO) member countries would be useful in proferring solutions to the challenges posed by unregulated use of social media and other online platforms.
2. 2023: Wike Voices Out On Why He Won’t Campaign For Atiku
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday declared that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, will not get his contribution to his presidential campaign activities ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Explaining why he is turning his back on the PDP candidate, Wike said the former vice president had appointed his enemies into his presidential campaign Council.
Naija News understands that Wike’s initial argument is that the party’s national chairman, Iyorchi Ayu, must resign.
Wike and four other aggrieved governors on the platform of the PDP had resolved to withdraw their support for Atiku if Ayu maintained his position as the party’s chairman.
Despite several moves to pacify Wike, the Rivers State Governor on Monday, while addressing party stakeholders and supporters in Port Harcourt during the Inauguration of the state PDP Campaign Rally, said the PDP candidate picked those he wants to work with in Rivers, adding that “if he wants us to work with him, if he wants us to campaign for him, he would have talked to us.”
3. Tinubu Manifesto: “We Are Not Entirely Shocked” – APC Campaign Council Replies PDP
The presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to the claims of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemning the manifesto released by its candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The council in a statement on Monday signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo said the PDP didn’t bother to read the document before making comments.
It will be recalled that the PDP in a statement by Dele Momodu on Sunday had among other things, accused the Tinubu/APC camp of plagiarising the manifesto of the late MKO Abiola.
According to Momodu, Tinubu’s manifesto is a copy and paste of the Abiola Hope ’93 manifesto mixed with President Muhammadu Buhari’s manifesto in 2015.
The publisher of Ovation magazine slammed Tinubu for allowing some members of the APC to plagiarise Abiola’s manifesto and repackage it for him.
However, while expressing disappointment in the position taken by the PDP against Tinubu’s campaign manifesto, Keyamo in a statement on Monday said the ruling party is however not totally surprised.
He said the PDP has been rejected by Nigerians and the drowning major opposition party is only trying to clinch to straws.
Keyamo added that Momodu did a poor job in attempting to criticize Tinubu’s 80-page manifesto tagged ‘Renewed Hope 2023’, which was released on Friday as it couldn’t give a single evidence to support its ‘copy and paste’ claim.
The Minister cum spokesperson said PDP came into power at a time Nigeria was experiencing abundance but wasted the country’s resources through embezzlement and frivolous spending.
4. High Court Rules That Alison-Madueke’s Properties Be Forfeited To FG
A Federal High Court in Abuja has on Monday ordered the final forfeiture of properties belonging to the former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
In his judgement, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered that two Abuja properties and two luxury cars belonging to Alison-Madueke should be returned to the Federal Government.
Naija News gathered that the two properties, which are located at Plot 1854 Mohammed Mahashir Street, and No. 6, Aso Drive, in the highbrow Asokoro and Maitama Districts of Abuja are valued at $2,674,418USD and N380,000,000 respectively.
The luxury cars are a black BMW saloon with Chassis No B8CV54V66629 and registered number, RBC155 DH and a black Jaguar saloon car with Chassis No SAJAA.20 GRDMv43376, valued at N36,000,000.
Justice Olajuwon ordered that forfeiting the assets to the Federal Government of Nigeria was in line with the ruling on the application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in Suit No. 1122/2021 and Suit No 1123/2021, asking for the final forfeiture of the assets.
5. 2023: Obi Refuses To Disclose How To Tackle Security If Elected President
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party(LP) in the forthcoming general election, Peter Obi, has today refused to disclose strategies he would adopt in fighting the insecurity ravaging the country should he become the President in 2023.
According to him, he would be decisive in dealing with the issue of insecurity if voted into power as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Naija News gathered that Obi who spoke on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Monday noted that he would however not hesitate to sack non-performing service chiefs during his tenure as President.
Responding to how he would have handled the type of security alert raised by the United States on possible terror attacks in Nigeria in Abuja, he said “Rufai, even with a gun on my head, I can’t give you details of what I’m going to do with the issue of insecurity. But I’m going to be commander in chief, I will deal with it decisively. I can’t tell you how I’m going to deal with it because if I tell you, it won’t work.
6. What Peter Obi Said About Awkuzu SARS Killings
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has refuted claims that he knew about the killings of innocent citizens by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Awkuzu in Anambra State, during his tenure as the Governor of the State.
Naija News reports that some critics of the LP Presidential candidate had blamed him for the killings and torture carried out by the now-disbanded police outfit in the South East state.
During an appearance on a programme on Arise News on Monday, Obi said the police outfit was already in the state before he became the governor and he had no control over its mode of operations during his tenure.
He said the activities of Awkuzu SARS was controlled by the Federal Government and not the state governments.
7. Scores Killed As Military Raids Halilu, Zamfara Wealthiest Bandit’s Camp
No fewer than 30 terrorists working for one Halilu, a notorious bandit in the North West, have been killed by airstrikes of a Nigerian Military fighter jet in Zamfara State.
Halilu, who is a high-profile arms trafficker responsible for supply of arms to all other terrorists in Zamfara and Katsina States, is also known to usually operate around Sububu, Anka (Bayan Daji) and Bayan Ruwa axis in Zamfara.
The notorious bandit is regarded as one of the wealthiest terrorist operating in Zamfara, and he is believed to be responsible for several kidnappings, cattle rustling and other terrorist activities.
The massacre of Halilu’s gang members followed a credible intelligence, which revealed that he (Halilu) had scheduled an early-morning meeting with some of his foot soldiers at his logistics base in Maradun Local Government Area of the State.
A senior military officer told PRNigeria that the intelligence had also revealed the location and exact position of Halilu’s logistic base.
This base is reportedly where he and his cohorts usually store their ammunition, vehicles, motorcycles, and other ill-gotten loots.
8. Court Affirms Bassey Otu As APC Gov Candidate In Cross River
Former Senator representing Southern Senatorial District in Cross River State, Sen. Bassey Otu, has been affirmed as the standard flag-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State for the 2023 general elections.
Naija News reports that the Federal High Court in Calabar gave a verdict on Otu’s candidature on Monday, October 24, 2022.
Leading the court sitting, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu ruled out the suit by an APC governorship aspirant in the state, Owan Enoh, who had earlier approached the court seeking to disqualify Otu as the party’s governorship candidate forthcoming 2023 general elections.
It could be recalled that Otu emerged as the party’s governorship candidate at the primaries held in May 2022.
In her ruling, Justice Ojukwu said, “A candidate contesting for the governorship position must be a Nigerian, meet the stipulated age requirement and have basic qualifications according to the constitution.”
She said the matter of determination of a governorship candidate of a political party is, and remains, the right of a political party.
9. Tinubu: APC Drags Atiku, Dele Momodu
The presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu over his recent criticism of the manifesto presented by the presidential candidate of the ruling party, Bola Tinubu.
The APC in a statement on Monday by the spokesperson of its presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo, said Momodu is not qualified to criticize the document presented by Tinubu.
Keyamo also hit the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, mocking him for calling himself a unifier when he can’t even resolve the crisis rocking his own party.
Keyamo also accused the former Vice President of being lazy, accusing him of lifting the policies and programmes of the Muhammadu Buhari government and claiming them as his own manifesto.
Naija News understands the statement from Keyamo on Monday comes as a response to the position by Momodu, the Director, Strategic Communications of the PDP presidential campaign council who submitted on Sunday that Tinubu’s manifesto is a copy and paste of the Abiola Hope ’93 manifesto mixed with President Muhammadu Buhari’s manifesto in 2015.
The Minister of State for Labour said the PDP has wasted its opportunity and Nigerians would never vote for the party again.
10. Ignore Tinubu’s Promises, Nigeria Does Not Need An Unhealthy President In 2023 – Atiku
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has asked Nigerians to ignore promises made by his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, that he will give 100% of his time to governance.
Naija News reports that Tinubu’s running mate, Kashim Shettima, over the weekend told Nigerians that his principal would not divide his stay in the country by 50% as other candidates would do.
Referring to Atiku, Shettima said unlike the PDP candidate, Tinubu will not divide 50% of his time in Dubai and 50% in Nigeria.
The former Governor of Borno State, who spoke at an interactive session with leaders of the Tijanniya Sect in Kano on Sunday, further alluded to Atiku’s often visits and stay in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, telling the clerics that, unlike the PDP candidate, his principal would be promising total dedication.
Reacting, however, in a statement made available to journalists on Monday through his media aide, Paul Ibe, the PDP candidate said that, unlike some persons who were not open to Nigerians, he would fully disclose his health status if elected.
According to him, what the country needs at the moment is a president who is healthy and fit. “A president with the requisite capacity to tackle the myriad of challenges confronting the country and not a kindergarten president,” Ibe said.
Those are the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
This article was originally published on Naija News
