Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know this Tuesday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. The Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the application for a $3.45bn loan to finance five items. They include projects in the power sector, renewable energy, states’ resource mobilisation programme, adolescent girls’ initiative for learning and empowerment and a women’s empowerment project.

2. President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians and investors that there is an ongoing plan to boost the country’s foreign exchange liquidity. This was as the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said that the country was expecting about $10bn inflows in the nearest term, which would help to clear foreign exchange backlog and stabilise the naira.

3. The Chairman of the Supreme Court panel hearing the appeals against the election of President Bola Tinubu, Justice John Okoro, said on Monday that the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, must prove the allegation of certificate forgery levelled against the president beyond reasonable doubt. He stated this following the submission of Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, urging the court to admit the fresh evidence brought by the petitioners.

4. The Federal Government has said it will demand damages from Process & Industrial Developments Limited, which lost its $11bn arbitration award against Nigeria on Monday in the United Kingdom. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi said that there will be further hearing by the United Kingdom court on the heels of the judgment to determine costs payable by P&ID and others in the matter.

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5. Tragedy struck on Monday in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, when a tree fell and killed two people, including a woman, and injured 10 others in the Sango area of the town. The incident, according to sources, occurred around 8am by the roadside near a filling station opposite Oke Adini Junction of the town.

6. The Ondo State House of Assembly has written to the State Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to constitute a panel to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa. In a letter signed by the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Olamide Oladiji, and made available to our correspondent on Monday, the House said the impeachment process resumed after the expiration of the ex parte order of the Federal High Court.

7. Workers across the 36 States and the national assemblies say they have concluded all arrangements to lock up their respective workplaces pending when their demands for financial autonomy of the legislative arm of government would be granted.

8. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the era of industrial actions in the nation’s academic environment has come to an end as the administration’s Students Loans Scheme begins January 2024. He stated this on Monday while speaking at the 29th edition of the annual Nigerian Economic Summit, anchored by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), at the Transcorps Hilton, Abuja.

9. The Lagos State Government has sealed off the popular Alaba International Market in continuation of the clampdown on markets across the state over poor environmental sanitation. Alaba Market’s shutdown followed the closure of several other markets in the State in recent times by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

10. Some irregularities, including duplications in the award of contracts, have been uncovered by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Fact-finding on the East-West Road project. According to the committee, the duplications were discovered in the award of some projects by the Federal Ministry of Works, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the governments of the states in the region and the local governments.