Good day, good citizens of Nigeria, here are headlines from Nigerian Newspapers that may interest you today, Friday, December 3, 2021.
1. Despite emergency oil releases, Omicron fears, OPEC sticks to 400,000bpd supply hike [ThisDay Newspaper]
Despite concerns over the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, and recent emergency oil reserves releases by a United States-led coalition, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies known as OPEC+ yesterday resolved to stick with its current production policy of 400,000 bpd monthly increases in January.
The decision came as a surprise to market watchers who were expecting the producers’ group to temporarily halt the July 2021 agreement to tame the expected oversupply from the first quarter of 2022, owing to the added threat of renewed lockdown by some nations.
A number of analysts had expected the group to pause its monthly increase next month in light of the upcoming strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) release by key crude buyers and the recent emergence of Omicron, a potentially more transmissible Covid-19 strain.
2. LASU students, activist to join Sanwo-Olu in ‘Lagos Peace Walk’ [ThisDay Newspaper]
Students of the Lagos State University (LASU) yesterday expressed their readiness to participate in the ‘Lagos Peace Walk,’ proposed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to herald the healing of Lagos in the aftermath of last year’s EndSARS protests in the state.
This is just as a rights activist and member of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry over alleged police brutality, especially, the October 20, 2020 incident at the Lekki toll plaza, Mr Segun Awosanya yesterday said he would join Sanwo-Olu in the proposed peace walk.
LASU students who came out in large numbers to welcome the governor said they have all resolved to participate in the ‘Walk for Peace’ with the governor for peace and prosperity of the state.
3. Pressure on Buhari to reject Electoral Amendment Bill [The Nation Newspaper]
President Muhammadu Buhari is under pressure to withhold assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, it was learnt yesterday.
Governors are urging the President to decline assent until the conflict over the direct primary is resolved.
However, leaders of civil society groups, who organised a protest in Abuja, advised the president not to pander to the wishes of governors who opposed the primary mode from the onset.
4. Stop writing me directly, Judge warns Kanu’s lawyer [The Nation Newspaper]
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has cautioned Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a lawyer to the detained pro-Biafra agitator, Nnamdi Kanu, to desist from writing her directly.
Justice Nyako noted that Ejiofor had written two lengthy letters to her directly in relation to Kanu’s trial as against the procedure of channelling such letters through the Registrar of the court.
5. Omicron: States resume testing, demand funds, variant spreads to 23 countries [Punch Newspaper]
State governments have said they will resume and increase mass testing for COVID-19 following the detection of the Omicron variant of the virus in the country.
Top government officials in states including Cross River, Benue, Delta and Akwa Ibom who disclosed this in separate interviews with The PUNCH, however, described funding as a major obstacle to community testing. They sought the assistance of the Federal Government on funding of community testing, particularly running of molecular laboratories.
The states made the demand as the World Health Organisation said the new variant had spread to 23 countries.
