Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 11th February, 2021

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today Thursday, 11th February 2021

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said there is a difference between the bandits and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) proscribed by the Federal Government.

He revealed the difference while defending the Federal Government’s refusal to proscribe bandits ravaging states in the country.

Speaking on AIT on Wednesday, Mohammed said IPOB does not believe in the unity of Nigeria, while bandits are just criminals.

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Wednesday, debunked the report that he has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.

This is coming after the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, noted that the former minister has dumped PDP for the APC.

Naija News had earlier reported that Fani-Kayode met with Bello and the National Chairman of the APC, Mai Buni of Yobe State.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila on Wednesday declared that urgent steps need to be taken in cutting down government expenses.

The Speaker expressed worries that the situation where the government is unable to meet its financial demands but has to constantly rely on borrowings is not healthy.

He made the submissions during his welcome address to members of the house upon resumption from their recess, noting that there is the need to cut down on the cost of governance.

Specifically, he noted that bills seeking to establish more government agencies might have to be treated cautiosly given the rising level of government’s recurrent expenses.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to listen to the complaints on the indigenes of Abuja and appoint a non-career ambassador from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Lawan made the call in response to a protest by the Senator representing FCT, Philip Aduda who lamented that Buhari has so far failed to appoint an indigene of the area as an ambassador despite various appeals in the past.

Aduda made his view known on Wednesday during plenary when he cited Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rules, and said, “Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, I did yesterday raise some issues with you, Your Excellency, about the issue of the appointment of ambassadors.

The order to freeze the bank accounts linked with some promoters of the #EndSARS protest has been set aside by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

In a ruling on Wednesday, Justice Ahmed Mohammed ordered all concerned banks to immediately unfreeze the affected accounts.

The presiding judge said the ruling follows the withdrawal of all processes filed in relation to the suit by lawyers to all parties.

Troops of the Nigerian Military on Tuesday inflicted heavy casualties on Boko Haram terrorists in Rann local government area of Borno State.

It was gathered that the terrorists had attempted to attack the military base through an ambush attack but met superior tactics and firepower which resulted in the killing of several of them and the destruction of their gun trucks.

Naija News understands not fewer than 19 terrorists were killed during the fierce gun battle with the soldiers while gun trucks and other items belonging to the insurgents were also destroyed.

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has said that granting amnesty to bandits, kidnappers or any notorious group is not a new thing in the country.

Naija News understands that the minister stated this while defending critics of Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, for granting amnesty to bandits terrorizing the state.

Mohammed who appeared on AIT’s ‘Kakaaki’ show on Wednesday said, the Federal Government would not restrict governors from addressing the security challenges in ways peculiar to their respective states.

According to him, the governors as chief security officers of their various states were in the best position to address security challenges in the way that best suit them.

The Northern Governors’ Forum says open grazing is no longer fashionable in modern society and has backed the establishment of ranches in the region.

The forum made this known in a communiqué issued on Tuesday after their virtual meeting on Monday, signed by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong.

Lalong noted that the way forward for the herders is either by ranching or other acceptable modern methods, adding that it will sensitize the herders on the need to adopt ranching.

He asked the Federal Government to provide funding for the establishment of ranches in order to reduce the farmers-herders clashes in the country.

The Nigerian Senate has referred the request of President Muhammadu Buhari on the screening of new service chiefs to its joint committees on Army, Navy, and Air force for necessary action.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan during plenary on Wednesday, gave the committee two weeks to conclude the assignment and present a report to the lawmakers during plenary.

Similarly, the Senate President also directed the committee on Foreign Affairs to screen the immediate past service chiefs who had been nominated for appointment by Buhari as career ambassadors. They also have two weeks to conclude the assignment and report to the house.

Elder Statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to order the arrest of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi over his claims that Coronavirus is not real.
Clark, who just recovered from COVID-19, made this known to reporters on Wednesday in Kiagbodo, Delta State.

He said: “The governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, should be ashamed of himself. He should be sanctioned.

“This is a man parading self that he wants to be President of Nigeria. It’s all nonsense. Some of them feel because they are very close to Mr. President, they can do anything.”

Recounting his ordeal with COVID-19, Clark said he recovered from COVID-19 two weeks after testing positive for the virus..

The Ijaw leader said he was treated for 14 days before subsequent tests by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) returned negative.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.

Source: Naija News