1. The Senate, on Wednesday commenced the screening of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees. The screening commenced on the floor of the upper legislative chamber yesterday and will continue today until 43 nominees are screened.
2. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday confirmed that its Enugu Zonal Office have traced and marked some properties traced to the former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha as well as those of his family members and cronies. The anti-graft agency said the marking of the properties which is a fall-out of their painstaking investigation, is as a result of the failure of the suspects to honour the Commission’s invitation for questioning on the propriety of their acquisition.
3. Unknown persons, suspected to be hoodlums, yesterday, allegedly attacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat in Zamfara and destroyed property worth million of Naira, including billboards, posters and windows. Abdullahi Tsafe, the Chairman of the Security Committee of the party, said that the attacks were carried out on Monday and Tuesday.
4. United Kingdom (UK) Government on Wednesday advised its citizens against travelling to Nigeria over heightened insecurity following clashes between the Nigeria Police Force and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN). In its updated travel advisory published on its website on Wednesday, the UK government advised British citizens to avoid places where crowds gather. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office specifically advised against travel to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states. Others include Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano State, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina and Kogi States.
5. Attempt by members of the National Association of Nigeria Students, NANS, to shutdown the office of the mobile telecommunication giant, MTN in Awka on Wednesday, was stalled by the State Commissioner of Police, CP John Abang. The students had planned to revenge the killing of Nigerians in South African by shutting down both the MTN and Shoprite in Onitsha. Members of the association had started assembling at the Amaenyi office of the telecommunications giant in the heart of Awka, the Anambra State capital as early as 8am before its leadership received a summon from the commissioner.
6. Former Presidential Candidate, Dr. Thomas-Wilson Ikubese, on Wednesday accused President Muhammadu Buhari of betraying Nigerians in the released list of his 43 ministerial nominees. He said the President failed to keep his earlier promise of implementing the 2005 National Gender Policy which stipulated 35 per cent appointive positions for women. Ikubese said going by the few number of women among the President’s ministerial list, President Buhari has shown that his government is “gender unfriendly.”
7. President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday swore-in Justice Mohammad Tanko as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN. Mohammad, was sworn-in at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and became the 18th CJN. He took over from Justice Walter Onnoghen. Tanko had been on acting capacity since January, 2019.
8. The Presidency yesterday, ordered the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to be vigilant over the purported importation of poisonous tomato paste from Iran. Abubakar Jimoh, the Director of Public Affairs, NAFDAC, made this information public. Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had raised similar alarm over expired and low-quality tomato paste in circulation across the country, warning that its consumption is harmful to human health.
9. Dr. Idris Omede, one of the aspirants in the Nov. 16 governorship poll in Kogi State and member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday announced that he has dumped the party. Omede, a former President, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), said that consultation was ongoing on the alternative political party for him to pursue the ambition. He said that he was dumping the party because the process toward its primary election to pick the candidate had been compromised.
10. The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu yesterday, expressed sadness over the slow pace of action from the government of United Kingdom, (UK) on the corruption case, involving former Petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Diezani, who is in UK is being prosecuted by the UK government on issues of corruption, but Magu regrets that the matter has dragged on in the UK for more than four years with no visible result and no end in sight.
