Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News’ roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday 1st January 2023.
All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu has reacted to trending reports of a secret meeting in London between him and aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), popularly known as the Governors. of the G5.
It should be remembered that several sources claimed that Tinubu met with the G5 Governors and gave him conditions to support his 2023 presidential candidacy.
The governors; Rivers’ Nyesom Wike, Oyo’s Seyi Makinde, Abia’s Okezie Ikpeazu, Benue’s Samuel Ortom and Enugu’s Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi reportedly demanded some political concessions in exchange for backing Tinubu’s ambition.
However, upon his return from London on Friday, Governor Wike denied endorsing Tinubu or any other presidential candidate, saying they will do nothing in secret and when the time comes for Nigerians to know their preferred candidate, they will reveal it.
Yes, Tinubu was in London
Reacting to the saga in a statement on Saturday, Tinubu’s press aide Tunde Rahman confirmed that the APC candidate was in London as speculated, but denied any meeting between him and G5 governors.
Rahman said Tinubu arrived in London on December 26, spending a few days there before heading to Saudi Arabia for a minor hajj.
The Federal Government will spend a total of N3.3bn on former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan; former military heads of state, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Yakubu Gowon.
Naija News reports that former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar and Namadi Sambo, among others, will enjoy severance payments for former heads of government and their ministries, departments and agencies in 2023.
Severance payments for retired heads of government agencies and parastatals will cost the country N1bn, while entitlements for former presidents/heads of state and vice presidents/Chief of Staff were allocated N2.3bn.
This is contained in the Appropriation Bill 2023 passed by the National Assembly, with the total estimates raised from the proposed N20,507,942,180,704 to N21,827,188,747,391, a difference of N1,319,246,566,687.
The 2023 budget is the eighth and last one presented by President Muhammadu Buhari and the last one approved by the IX National Assembly.
President Muhammadu Buhari in his new year has called on Nigerians to participate in the 2023 general election and ensure that the processes are free and fair.
He called on voters not to get involved in anti-state activities and illegal acts that could affect the elections.
President Buhari also advised Nigerians to resist any attempt to be used by politicians to riot in any way to disrupt the elections.
He noted that any plan to create riots in the country will be met with the full force of the law.
The president stated this in his New Year’s message to the Nigerians he signed.
The Vatican revealed on Saturday that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95.
Naija News gathered that Pope Benedict had recently been very ill.
The former pope’s death comes nearly a decade after he retired due to ill health.
Former Pope Benedict led the Catholic Church for less than eight years, and in 2013 he became the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.
Benedict spent his last years in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery within the Vatican walls.
The current pope, Francis, noted that he visited Benedict at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery frequently.
More details have emerged about the deal reportedly reached between All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and the G-5 Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governors led by Governor Nyesom Wike earlier of the 2023 general elections.
Naija News reports that Tinubu met Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) at their London residence along with some APC chiefs on Wednesday.
The meeting, according to various reports, was held to finalize modalities on an alliance between the APC presidential candidate and the governors ahead of next year’s elections.
Sources have now revealed details of the deal, stating that Bola Tinubu, whose pick comes first, has accepted the deal in principle.
According to Saturday Vanguard, the APC candidate’s agreement with the G-5 governors prevents him from contributing financially to the G-5 or APC candidates, whose seats will be sacrificed to accommodate them.
A major shakeup in the Nigerian Army high command is imminent following the planned mandatory retirement of more than 120 major generals, brigadiers, colonels, lieutenants, captains and others.
The affected officers, which include those who failed their Staff Course Exams, were ordered to submit their letters of voluntary retirement or face summary reduction.
According to The Punch, the mandatory retirement was made in accordance with the Nigerian Armed Forces Harmonized Public Service Rules and Terms and Conditions of Service, 2017 (Revised).
It was deduced that the number of middle and senior management personnel who would be forced to leave the service could be in excess of 120 as those concerned were receiving their forced retirement letters in batches.
It was learned that the first batch was given a deadline of December 24, 2022 to present their retirement letters and the affected personnel would proceed to the mandatory three-month early retirement leave starting in January.
According to the report, most of the officers involved had complied with the directive to avoid hostile actions by authorities.
A former Benue state governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has discredited reports of a rift between him and Governor Samuel Ortom.
Speaking on Friday, Suswam said he does not disagree with Ortom, who is a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Integrity Group who opposes Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition.
He said that while he respects the governor’s decision not to support Atiku, he would back the main opposition party’s presidential candidate.
Suswam noted that he and Governor Ortom enjoy the best cordial relationship between a former governor and a sitting governor that anyone can imagine in Nigeria today.
A documentary about President Muhammadu Buhari will air on six television stations across the country starting Sunday, January 1, 2023.
Naija News understands that the documentary titled “Essential Muhammadu Buhari” is a one-hour television documentary on the mind, life and philosophy of President Buhari.
It was learned that the documentary will be broadcast for two days on six local television stations.
The information was contained in a statement signed on Saturday by the Principal Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu.
According to the assistant to the president, the documentary would begin broadcasting on television channels and YouTube on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday approved the reappointments of the heads of various agencies.
Naija News reports that Buhari, whose term is due to end next year, has also approved new appointments.
The appointments were made known through a statement from the Federation Government Secretariat (OSGF), signed by the Director of Information in his office, Mr. Willie Bassey.
Buhari congratulates all the appointees and urges them to bring their wealth of experience to bear in carrying out their roles.
Ratified the appointment of Dauda Ali Biu as Corp Marshal/Executive Director of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) effective December 23, 2022 for an initial term of four years.
Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye was reappointed as Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), effective December 1, 2022 for a final term of five years.
Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has revealed why he visited Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike who was called by his brother in Port Harcourt on Saturday 31 December 2022.
Naija News reports that Emmanuel told reporters in a briefing after a three-hour closed-door meeting with Wike that his visit was unrelated to politics.
According to him, it is not the first time that he has paid his brother (Wike) a visit like this and it is not new.
The governor was said to be in the company of his counterpart from Benue State, Samuel Ortom, and reports indicate that he declined to disclose details of his meeting with Wike.
However, Naija News understands that speculation is that Emmanuel went to visit the leader of the five aggrieved governors of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), popularly known as the G5, as part of efforts to broker peace between the group. and the party’s standard-bearer, Atiku Abubakar. .
Briefing reporters after the meeting in Port Harcourt, Emmanuel, who did not give a direct answer on the reason for his visit, advanced that his visit to his Rivers State counterpart is based on “brotherly love.”
