Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers of Friday 20th January 2023
1. The scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, grew worse across the country on Thursday, as massive queues were witnessed in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Nasarawa, Minna, among other places. The few filling stations that dispensed the commodity, sold it at between N250/litre and N300/litre.
2. An outbreak of diphtheria infection in Kano State since last week Friday has, as of Thursday, claimed not less than 25 lives. It was learnt that the child killer disease, first recorded in the State in late 2022, is being treated as an outbreak at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in Kano.
3. The All Progressives Congress rally in Rivers State was on Thursday disrupted following the twin explosions which rocked the Rumu-Woji venue in the Mile One axis of Port Harcourt. A similar event held by the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State ended in disarray after unknown men fired gunshots at the campaign ground.
4. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday insisted that the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, deserves the votes of all patriotic Nigerians, saying only the unpatriotic ones would vote for his opponents. While calling on Nigerians to support Obi, Obasanjo said the reason was because he possesses good character, which his fellow contestants lack.
5. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has warned of consequences for commercial banks found to be stocking their Automated Teller Machines (ATM) with old notes scheduled to cease to be legal tender by 31st January. Deputy Director, Currency Operation, Dr Rekiyat Yusuf said yesterday that any ATM found to still have old notes would be shut down.
6. The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria to reconsider the January 31 deadline for the old notes to remain in circulation in the country. He spoke while receiving the CBN Comptroller in charge of Sokoto State, Dahiru Usman on Thursday.
7. A principal suspect in the Offa bank robbery, Ayoade Akinnibosun, has said the former head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police, Abba Kyari, offered him N10m and a visa to implicate former Senate President Bukola Saraki. He said this at a Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, at the resumed trial yesterday.
8. Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has promised that if elected as president, he would ensure devolution of more powers and resources to the 36 States of the federation under his restructuring programme. He made the promise, yesterday, at the Oyo State Presidential Campaign rally in Ibadan.
9. Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has stated that the release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu remains critical to the restoration of peace and security in the South East, especially in view of the forthcoming 2023 elections. Soludo stated this yesterday on a television programme monitored in Lagos.
10. A man, identified simply as Rasaq, has been arrested over alleged possession of three suspected human skulls in the Ayobo area of Lagos State. It was gathered that Rasaq was taking the skulls to a destination when some policemen on stop and search accosted him.
