Good Day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. The Supreme Court has dismissed a suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the alleged double Nomination of Kassim Shettima, the Vice President-elect. The Apex court on Friday agreed with the lower courts that the PDP lacks the locus Standi to institute such a case. Justice Adamu Jauro who read the Judgement, noted that the PDP acted as meddlesome Interloper and a busy body as it is an internal affair of the APC. A sum of two million naira (N2,000,000) was awarded against the PDP, even as the suit was dismissed for lacking in merit. The Justices further held that the attitude of the appellant (PDP), amounts to misleading the court, describing the move as “sad”. CHANNELS
2. The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has said it would soon completely liquidate the 179 microfinance banks whose licenses were recently revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Recall that the apex bank had early this week revoked the licences of 179 microfinance banks in the country, as well as four primary mortgage banks and three finance companies. The Coordinator of NDIC Kano zonal office, Shehu Usman, made the disclosure at a lecture organised by the corporation to commemorate the 2023 Financial Literacy Day held at Rumfa College in Kano on Thursday. He said the apex bank had since forwarded the list of the affected banks and those of the four primary mortgage banks and three finance companies to the corporation for final liquidation. PUNCH
3. A non-for-profit organisation operating in Nigeria under the aegis of Women Aid Collective (WACOL), has called for the prosecution of community and religious leaders that sexually exploit, harass or take advantage of underage girls under their custody irrespective of thier social status. The organisation, which cardinal objective is to fight against gender based violence (GBV) and several harmful traditional practices, advocated arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of the criminal acts, to serve as deterrence to others with intention to toe the same line. Founding director of WACOL, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, SAN, made the call during a one-day interactive meeting with opinion leaders, to secure support for women and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), prevention of violence against woman and girls, sexual and gender based violence, harmful practice (VAWG/SGBV/HP) organised by WACOL in collaboration with UNDP under EU-UN Spotlight Initiative project in Calabar, Cross River State on Thursday. LEADERSHIP
4. Matheus Cunha says Brazil’s main target is to beat Nigeria and secure the top spot in Group D at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina. Ramon Menezes’ side thrashed the Dominican Republic 6-0 on Wednesday night to get their campaign back on track after losing 3-2 to Italy in their first game. The South Americans occupy second position in the group with three points behind the Flying Eagles but can topple the Nigerians if they come out victorious on Saturday at the Estadio Unico Diego Maradona in La Plata. DAILY POST
5. The African Union force says members of the insurgent group, Al-Shabaab, attacked its military base in Somalia on Friday. For more than 15 years, the terrorist group has been waging a jihadist insurgency against the central government in the fragile Horn of Africa nation. The army base in Bulo Marer, 120 kilometres (75 miles) South-West of the capital Mogadishu “came under Al-Shabab attack,” the AU force known as ATMIS said in a statement on Facebook and Twitter. Recall, the army and militias known as “macawisley” have retaken swathes of territory in the centre of the troubled country in an operation backed by ATMIS and US airstrikes. Despite the gains by the pro-government forces, the militants have continued to strike with lethal force against civilian and military targets. PUNCH
6. A member of the United Kingdom parliament, Carol Monaghan, has condemned the UK’s new immigration policy, which banned international students from bring family members with them from 2024. Recall that UK Home Office, on Tuesday, also announced that foreign students would be stopped from switching from the student visa route to a work visa until their studies have been completed. But, reacting to the immigration policy at parliament on Wednesday, Monaghan said the students and their families made valuable contributions to the UK, contributing £40 billion to the economy in 2022. According to the UK lawmaker, the international students enrich the UK society as they have skills, which have proved useful across key sectors. VANGUARD
7. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to lead a team of “distinguished experts” in observing the general elections in Sierra Leone on June 24, the Commonwealth Group has said. According to a statement published on its website Thursday, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, confirmed that Osinbajo had accepted her request to chair the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG). The Secretary-General is said to have constituted the observer group upon invitation from the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone. CHANNELS
8. Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has revealed that she has a ‘bad heart.’ Tonto Dikeh made this known in a post on her Instagram page on Thursday. She cried out that she wants to live long, and her primary purpose in life is to ensure that she can be there for her son and witness his growth and milestones. She added that she will always be a surgery girl. DAILY POST
9. Controversial Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has bemoaned his exclusion from the Renewed Hope Concert held at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Thursday. The concert saw a display of performances from top artistes including Buju, Brymo, Fireboy, Asake, Naira Marley, Tony Tetuila, Seyi Vibes among a host of others. The event was held in honour of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shetimma as they prepare for their inauguration on May 29. In a now-viral video, the Zazzoo crooner expressed his disappointment over being snubbed despite supporting Tinubu vigorously prior to his election. He claimed that those artistes who got invited for the concert never campaigned for the President-elect as much as he did. VANGUARD
10. The Federal Government has commenced the removal of the remaining floodlights inside the National Stadium, Lagos. This comes after one of the four floodlights’ pillar caved in from the middle, bringing down the ramshackle floodlights, following a windstorm last month. The latest move, our correspondent gathered, is meant to avert another tragedy at the 51-year-old stadium, with the remaining giant floodlights also dilapidated. While on an inspection of the facility after the floodlights collapsed — his third inspection in one month — outgoing minister Sunday Dare sounded a note of warning that the remaining three floodlights had also been affected by “age and weather elements., adding that the decaying sporting edifice would be temporarily closed to the public.” PUNCH
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