Good morning! Here is today’s summary of Latest Nigerian News from Nigerian Newspapers of Saturday 4th February 2023
1. Amidst the current crisis trailing the naira redesign and distribution, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said he would need one week to take a major decision. A statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu on Friday, said Buhari’s request is sequel to a meeting he held with members of the Progressive Governors Forum.
2. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday expressed concern over the difficulty experienced by Nigerians across the country in getting the new naira notes. The VP who spoke on Friday in Abuja when he met with some players in the FinTech space to explore possible ways of mitigating the hardship, said Nigerians need cash now.
3. The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organization has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the one behind the naira scarcity. PDP alleged that Tinubu’s camp diverted cash meant for distribution.
4. The Enugu State Police Command has arrested two male suspects possessing, transacting, and selling counterfeited redesigned N1,000 notes within a council area in the state. The suspects were in possession of counterfeited 180 pieces of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s redesigned N1,000 notes.
5. Facts emerged on Friday that terrorists killed 41 guards and injured two others in an ambush on Thursday in the Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State. A statement on the incident by the spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, on Friday confirmed the incident.
6. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said it is not considering a deadline extension for the phasing out of the old Naira notes. Emefiele, who disclosed this at a briefing in Lagos, appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience noting that the gains of the policy outweigh the initial challenges.
7. Residents of Uvwie and Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, on Friday took to the street to protest the lack of access to the naira. The protest, which broke out a few hours after an angry demonstration in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, forced some banks to suspend activities.
8. The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said he would be done with at least 80 percent of his restructuring agenda for Nigeria within the first six months of taking office. Atiku said this at the grand finale of the Atiku-Okowa and Nigerians in Diaspora Working together to Fix Nigeria meeting, held in Abuja on Friday.
9. The Imo State Police Command on Friday said the gunmen who killed the president of the customary court, Nnemeka Ugboma, at Ejemakwuru, Oguta local government area in the state, last Thursday were five in number. The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Henry Okoye, disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri.
10. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said its Lagos Zonal Command had taken over the probe of an actress and cosmetologist, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin for alleged new naira notes policy violation. The anti-graft agency said items recovered from Omoseyin at the point of arrest include a Range Rover and iPhone mobile devices.
