Good morning NIGERIANS, happy New Week, welcome to Egalitarian Voice News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 12th February 2023.
1. CBN Gives Latest Update On Naira Notes After False Claims Emerged
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dismissed reports in some quarters claiming that the apex bank is incapable of printing new naira notes.
Egalitarian Voice News recalls that there were reports that the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had noted that the apex bank cannot print adequate naira notes to replace the old N200, N500 and 1,000 notes because the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (The Mint) is suffering from capacity constraints.
The reports claimed that Emefiele made the disclosure on Friday when he briefed former Nigerian leaders at the emergency meeting of the National Council of State.
A source that spoke with Premium Times disclosed that the Mint had received CBN’s request to print 70 million copies of the new notes.
The source added that the new notes, totaling N126 billion to be pumped into circulation by today.
However, the request of the CBN could not be met because “the Mint doesn’t have the capacity.”
2. Full List: Atiku’s Camp Exposes 10 Lies Of Tinubu Campaign, Says 1000 More To Come
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has exposed 10 lies told by the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential campaign against the PDP in one week.
Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communications, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, exposed the alleged lies in a statement to Egalitarian Voice News on Saturday.
Shaibu said in the statement that Tinubu’s campaign will unleash at least 1,000 lies ahead of the Presidential election on February 25.
According to him, four of such lies were busted in Sokoto where the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed 11 commissioners and the deputy governor had decamped to the APC all in a bid to attract loyalists of the PDP to its rally.
Shaibu said the fake photo of the Sokoto rally that was posted by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; and NiDCOM boss, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on social media was part of the grand plot to deceive Nigerians ahead of the polls.
3. Machina vs Lawan: Don’t Mistake Our Silence For Weakness – Supreme Court Knocks Critics
The Supreme Court has lambasted some Nigerians who have come out to tackle the apex court over recent judgments it made.
Egalitarian Voice News reports that the Supreme Court had come under fire for affirming a former Governor of the Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, and Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, senatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the February 25 elections.
In a statement on Saturday by the Director of Press And Information in Supreme Court, Dr. Festus Akande, the Supreme Court warned purveyors of such attacks on the judiciary and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, especially the United States-based Professor, Farooq Kperogi and Progressive Minds Forum, to desist and channel such energies to political parties which “fail to organize themselves well.”
Akande, in the statement titled “Be mindful of unwarranted attacks on judicial officers,” said over 600 cases have so far gone to court from just party primaries which were conducted by political parties without any encumbrance or interference from any external bodies.
4. South African Rapper, AKA, Shot Dead
Popular South African rapper, Kiernan Forbes, professionally known as AKA on Friday night was shot dead on Florida Road.
According to reports by the police in Durban, the rapped was reportedly killed in a drive-by shooting on Florida Road.
Reports had it that AKA was shot by persons in two cars around 10 pm on Friday.
It was reported that AKA was standing outside the Wish Restaurant when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting.
Another person believed to be the rapper’s bodyguard got injured, while an unknown person believed to be a close friend of AKA was also killed.
A spokesperson for the ALS Paramedics, Garrith Jamieson, said Florida Road had been closed off after the shooting incident.
5. Another Governor Drags Buhari Govt, CBN To Supreme Court
The Niger State Government has dragged the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the naira redesign policy introduced by the Godwin Emefiele-led Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Egalitarian Voice News reports that this was made known in a statement on Saturday by Nasara Danmallam, the Niger State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, in Minna, the State capital.
He disclosed that the case with suit number SC/CV/210/2023, was filed on February 10, with the Niger State Government as the plaintiff.
According to Danmallam, the state government was seeking for an extension of the timeframe given by the CBN for the currency swap and withdrawal from circulation of old N200, N500 and N1,000 amongst other reliefs.
He noted that the three months given by the federal government for the withdrawal of old currency across the country was not reasonable and in violation of section 13, 14 (2) (b), 17 (1) (c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
6. Labour Party Supporters Attacked, Cars Destroyed As Peter Obi’s Presidential Rally Holds In Lagos
Supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi, were on Saturday attacked, beaten and harassed on their way to their campaign rally.
Egalitarian Voice News reports the supporters took to major roads in the city to march in support of the former Anambra governor following the presidential rally scheduled to hold today at the Tafewa Belawa Square.
Obi’s supporters were assembled at different locations in the cities before heading out in accord to the stadium for the campaign rally.
However, viral videos that surfaced on social media captured some supporters donning the Labour party attire who were harassed and beaten by thugs with their vehicles destroyed in the process.
Some of the supporters had their clothing torn to shreds, while others sustained various degrees of injuries during the incident.
7. Biafra: Our Peaceful Protest Won’t Be Guaranteed If Anything Happens To Nnamdi Kanu – IPOB Threatens
The Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB) has threatened that its protest toward Biafra independence might no longer be a peaceful one if anything happens to its leader, Nnamdi Kanu in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS).
The separatist group insists that the health of its leader keeps deteriorating daily inside DSS solitary confinement, yet the agency claims he is fine.
It maintained that if anything happens to Kanu in DSS custody, it will “be a tit for tat” towards anybody behind the kidnap and extraordinary rendition of its leader from Kenya to Nigeria.
Egalitarian Voice News reports that the warning was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful.
According to the group, it has so far maintained a peaceful and nonviolent stance in its movement and struggles to restore Biafra, but the narrative might change in case anything happens to Kanu.
The IPOB reiterated that Kanu’s medical needs can’t be met in DSS custody while alleging that the DSS lied about his health because it has not improved while in custody.
8. Peter Obi Has One Condition To Win 2023 Presidential Election – Kwankwaso Reveals
Fourteen days before the commencement of the 2023 general elections, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, watered down the possibility of his counterpart from the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, winning the presidential election.
The former Governor of Kano State was live on Friday evening on Channels Television’s ‘The 2023 Verdict’ when he declared that Obi’s chances of winning the presidential election depend on a merger with him.
Egalitarian Voice News understands that Kwankwaso stated this in reaction to a series of independent pre-election polls projecting the former Governor of Anambra State as the winner of the 2023 election.
“You see, I can tell you, and I’ve said it here on this chair when we were about to come together, and I said it that the only opportunity they (Labour Party) had was for us to come together,” Kwankwaso said.
Earlier this month, the presidential candidate of the NNPP said there was no truth to reports claiming that he is planning a merger with other leading candidates.
9. Terrorists Kidnap ECWA Pastor, Wife In Kaduna
Terrorists have reportedly kidnapped a pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kaduna State.
Reports obtained by Egalitarian Voice News on Saturday morning revealed that the cleric, Nasamu and his wife were whisked away from their residence when the assailants raided Maro, a village in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Friday night.
During the same attack, the terrorists reportedly killed a farmer whose name is identified only as Namiji.
SaharaReporters quoted a community leader, Simon John, who confirmed the incident and said that the bandits arrived in the community in the evening hour riding motorcycles.
They were reportedly passing through a lonely part to their destination when they saw the farmer tilling, clearing his farmland, and killing him.
10. Peter Obi Sends Message To Nigerians As LP Ends State Campaign Rally In Lagos
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has thanked Nigerians for their activeness during his campaign rallies across the 36 states of the federation.
Obi sent his appreciation to Nigerians this morning while confirming that the party’s state-to-state campaign will end in Lagos State on Saturday (today).
Egalitarian Voice News reports that Obi, his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, and top party stakeholders stormed the commercial and market hub city today to woo electorates ahead of the forthcoming election.
Taking to his verified Twitter page on Saturday morning, Obi said his trip around the Nigerian states was a whirlwind and value-added experience.
He reiterated on the Obi-Datti’s mission to salvage Nigeria from its current state. The former Governor of Anambra State tweeted: “Today, the LP and Obidient Family will conclude the State rallies in Lagos. It’s been a whirlwind and a very value-added experience across the 36 States. Thank you, Nigerians, for engaging constructively. The Mission to take back Nigeria is real, and the core objective is in sight.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Egalitarian Voice News.
Happy New Week!
