Good day, good citizens of Nigeria, here are headlines from Nigerian Newspapers that may interest you today, Wednesday, December, 2021.
1. White Paper: No arbitrary killings at Lekki Toll Gate [The Nation Newspaper]
Lagos State Government yesterday rejected the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry that there was a massacre in Lekki Toll Gate during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
To the government, the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led Lagos State ‘Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution of Victims of SARS-Related Abuses and Other Related Matters’ failed to establish arbitrary and indiscriminate killing of protesters at the toll gate.
2. Buhari, IPOB shocked by brutal execution of policemen [The Nation Newspaper]
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday condemned the execution of two policemen allegedly in the Southeast.
The policemen were said to have been killed by persons believed to be separatist elements in the region.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which described the killings as barbaric, denied that its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), was responsible. Read more.
3. ICPC: 257 duplicated projects found in 2021 budget [The Nation Newspaper]
Two hundred and fifty-seven thousand duplicated projects listed in the 2021 Federal Budget have been uncovered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The total value of the projects was put at N20.138 billion by the ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye.
4. AfDB cautions Fed Govt against arbitrary tax increase [The Nation Newpaper]
African Development Bank (AfDB) President Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina has cautioned the Federal Government to pull the brake on tax increment.
He said the fact that Nigeria taxes are relatively lower cannot be justification for incessant tax raise.
According to him, it will be double jeopardy to over tax citizens who provide basic amenities the government has failed to offer.
The AfDB boss gave the advice yesterday in Abuja while delivering a lecture at the annual conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
5. NNPC: Global attack on fossil fuel investment will continue to worsen energy crisis [ThisDay Newspaper]
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited yesterday attributed the current global gas crisis to shortage of investments in the oil sector as activists, investors, and climate change advocates continue to mount pressure on banks and oil companies to withdraw funding for fossil fuel related projects.
NNPC said there might be no end in sight to the overheating of the oil market, which could even worsen if the required financing of major oil and gas projects continued to lag.
6. SGF: 60 % of FG’s overhead in three years wasted on travels, honoraria, consumables [ThisDay Newspaper]
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha has echoed federal government’s concern that about 60 per cent of its overhead expenditure from 2012 to 2014, was spent on travels, honoraria, maintenance, local and international training, welfare, office stationery and consumables, among others.
He expressed the worry yesterday at the Third National Anti-Corruption Summit held at the State House, Banquet Hall, Abuja.
7. Compulsory vaccination: Workers demand March deadline, throng centres, FG insists on Dec 1 [The Punch Newspaper]
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has asked the Federal Government to extend till March next year, today’s (Wednesday) deadline for the compulsory vaccination of civil servants.
8. Retirees increase by 27%, collect N890bn from govts, private sector [The Punch Newspaper]
The total number of retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme has risen by 27 per cent in two years, data obtained by our correspondent have shown.
Specifically, the total number of retirees rose from 291,569 in June 2019 to 370,839 in June 2021. This also means that the CPS has produced 370,839 retirees since its inception.
Within the two-year period, the total lump sum payment to retirees grew by 32 per cent from N671.33bn to N890.73bn.
9. Nnamdi Kanu: Orji Kalu’s visit to DSS bizarre, against court order, lawyer fumes [Vanguard Newspaper]
Lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenious People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, yesterday, berated the Department of State Services, DSS, for granting a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, private access to his client in detention.
