Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 13th July, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 13th July 2023

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday wrote to the National Assembly seeking an amendment to the 2022 supplementary appropriation Act.

Naija News reports that this is to allow the Federal Government to source N500 billion for palliative to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.

This was disclosed in a letter read on the floor of the House during Wednesday’s plenary by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

The President said the money will be sourced from the 2022 supplementary Appropriation Act of N819. 5 billion.

The Speaker said the House will consider Tinubu’s request at plenary on Thursday and asked members willing to contribute to be prepared to ‘do so’.

The National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has accused the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, of denying President Bola Tinubu and all candidates of the party financial support to execute the 2023 elections.

Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Lukman disclosed that the party made over N30 billion from the sale of forms, yet it never supported President Tinubu and any of its candidates.

Lukman, who is a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party, asked Adamu to render a financial account of the party since he took over the helms of affairs.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) has said Nigeria has redeemed a $500 million Eurobond on its due date on July 12, 2023.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DMO said the Eurobond was issued on July 2018 as part of a dual tranche of $1 billion for a tenure of 10 years at a coupon of 6.375% per annum.

The DMO said the successful redemption of the Eurobond shows the country’s commitment to meeting its debt service obligations.

Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Wednesday declared that former Vice President of Nigeria and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar is angry with him because he and other members of the G5 refused to make themselves ‘Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs)’ to work against the resolve of Nigerians to produce a President from the southern region.

He added that Atiku is also angry with him for the enactment of the grazing law in Benue state, and the boldness to speak the truth regarding the killing of Benue people by Fulani herdsmen among others.

Ortom in the statement issued by his media aide, Terver Akase further told the PDP candidate to stop blaming others for his loss at the polls.

The former Governor’s statement comes as a direct reaction to an earlier statement by Atiku’s aide, Phrank Shaibu who accused members of the G5 of working against him because they are seeking appointments and protection from prosecution for financial crimes.

However, according to Ortom’s aide, nothing could be further from the truth.

He added that Atiku has no moral right to accuse anyone of corruption and cautioned him to avoid cheap blackmail.

The National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has described the party’s National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, as a “phenomenal failure.”

Lukman, who has been critical of the Abdullahi Adamu-led APC National Working Committee (NWC), made this known while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

The APC NWC member was reacting to comments made by Senator Omisore during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday night.

During the interview, Omisore had accused Lukman of being a nonentity, loose canon, and black sheep in the party, adding that he was acting alone in the 25-member NWC.

Reacting, Lukman said the ruling party does not have a winning team as claimed by the National Secretary, and should accept his shortcomings as a leader in Osun State.

The APC stalwart advised Omisore to be humble in accepting the defeat of the party in his home state, adding that he was in denial of the reality of times in his state.

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government is set to release the new gas pricing template.

Naija News reports that this was made known on Wednesday by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The decision to announce new gas prices was taken after a review with the Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen.

The Authority Chief Executive Officer Engr. Farouk Ahmed broke the news at the launch of the headquarters of “Decade of Gas,” in Abuja.

According to Ahmed, the authority has already engaged the relevant stakeholders like the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

He added that NMDPRA has also consulted the commercial sector that have all aligned with the new pricing template.

The former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, has dragged the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, and Governor Seyi Makinde over the chieftaincy review.

Ladoja, who is the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan, also dragged the ten newly elevated beaded crown-wearing Kings before the Oyo State High Court.

Recall that Makinde, on June 22, approved the elevation following the recommendation of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who is the prescribed and consenting authority.

Following the approval, the governor last Friday presented the Staff of Office to the new Obas, while Ladoja, who had earlier rejected the elevation was conspicuously absent at the ceremony.

The National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has accused the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, of mobilizing resentment against the choice of the leadership of the National Assembly.

Lukman said the party chairman refused to abide by the decision to the choices of Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas as the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.

The APC chieftain added that Adamu never campaigned for the party’s adopted candidates for the Senate Presidency and Speakership positions and kept distancing himself from the position of the party.

He said rather than developing guidelines as directed by the party’s constitution that would guide the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly, the Adamu-led NWC approached it with a blank cheque.

The Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja has asked state governors to allow the army to wipe out the terrorists and other criminal elements operating in the northwest and other regions of the country.

The military chief requested on Wednesday during his meeting with the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal.

Lagbaja also ruled out the possibility of giving any further amnesty to the criminals.

He added that as they are being chased out of the northwest, the criminals won’t be allowed to enter any other part of the country.

He added that the criminals should flee the country with immediate effect, saying they would be given close marking and blocked from entering other parts of the country.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu has declared that he shouldn’t be condemned for supporting now-former Senate President Ahmad Lawan as his preferred candidate for the party’s 2023 presidential ticket.

According to Adamu, he has every right to support any candidate of his choice for elective positions which is the beauty of democracy.

The APC National Chairman however added after President Bola Tinubu emerged victorious at the party’s presidential primary election, he worked totally to ensure his victory at the polls.

Adamu added that rather than commend him for leading the party to victory in the elections, some people are busy calling him out for his stand in the run-up to the party’s presidential primaries.

Making further clarifications, the APC Chairman disclosed that the relationship between himself and President Tinubu is smooth and cordial as any report of a fight is mere speculation.

On his reported position on the emergence of principal officers for the majority party in the National Assembly, Adamu said he was quoted out of context as he had no issues with the persons who emerged but with the manner the communication was handled by the lawmakers.

Also, he denied suppressing anyone from airing his/her views at APC national meetings, explaining that Saliu Lukman, for instance, who has always accused him of running a one-man show, has always attended those meetings.

According to him, the media is always trying to explore the sensational side of issues.

Those are the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.