Good day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. The Central Bank of Nigeria has authorised commercial banks to freely trade foreign exchange at any rate. The authorisation means that banks now have the power to sell forex at a market-determined rate. According to report some banks have pegged the USD to Naira rate at N699 to N750, suggesting that Nigeria is now operating a freely floating exchange rate in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pledge to unify the rate. Reacting to the development in an Arise Television interview on Wednesday, Dr. Andrew Nevin, the Advisory Partner & Chief Economist of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), said the unification of foreign exchange rates will impact the country dramatically by boosting investment opportunities in Nigeria. DAILY POST
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2. The immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, has congratulated Tajudeen Abbas on his emergence as Speaker of the House. He also thanked members who voted for him, those who did not and others who wanted him but voted for someone else. At the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday, anointed candidates of the All Progressives Congress had emerged as presiding officers of the Senate and the House, defeating their opponents who opposed their endorsements by the ruling party. Godswill Akpabio defeated Abdulaziz Yari to become President of the Senate, while Jibrin Barau emerged as the Deputy President of the Senate. Abbas had also contested against two opponents – Wase and Sani Jaji – and won his election as Speaker in a landslide, leaving them with three votes each. Benjamin Kalu emerging as Deputy Speaker. PUNCH
3. Following the resignation of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, his seat has been declared vacant by the incumbent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Tajudeen Abbas. The declaration followed Gbajabiamila’s letter of resignation in Abuja on Wednesday at the plenary under personal explanation.
Abbas, after receiving the letter and read to members said, “We have today declared the seat of Surulere Lagos Constituency vacant following the resignation of Gbajabiamila. “ Gbajabiamila said in his letter of resignation addressed to the Speaker that he would be taking up a new role as the Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu. The immediate past Speaker further said he would cease to be a member of the 10th House of Reps. VANGUARD
4. 96-year-old elder statesman and former federal commissioner for information, Chief Edwin Clark, has accused the immediate-past Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, of betraying Southern Nigeria and that the latter was being seen as traitor. Chief Clark also accused Okowa of embezzling public funds belonging to Delta State, where he (Clark) hails from. Speaking on the state of the nation on Arise News Channel’s The Morning Show on Wednesday, the elder statesman said he cannot keep quiet on the matter. LEADERSHIP
5. Nigerian music sensation, Davido, has confirmed the existence of his son, Dawson, with his alleged fourth baby mama, Larissa London. The artist spoke about his newly acknowledged child during an interview on the popular Talks show. While discussing the significance of naming his daughters after his late mother, Davido proudly acknowledged his fourth child and second son, Dawson. PULSE
6. Former Chelsea player and manager John Hollins has died aged 76, the club announced on Wednesday. Hollins made his debut in 1963 and went on to make 592 appearances for the London side over two spells at Stamford Bridge, scoring 64 goals. He won the FA Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup and League Cup during his first period at the club, which ended in 1975. Hollins, fifth on the all-time Chelsea appearances list, also played for QPR and Arsenal before returning to Stamford Bridge in 1983 for a final stint as a player. He played once for England, in 1967. He was Chelsea boss from 1985 to 1988 and later had coaching stints at Swansea, Rochdale and Stockport. CHANNELS
7. Ekiti State chef, Damilola Adeparusi, famously called Chef Dammy has finally reached the 120-hour landmark in the ongoing cook-a-thon. This is coming barely a few hours after record holder for the longest hours in cooking (individual category), Chef Hilda Baci, who cooked on a stretch for 100 hours, was certified by the Guinness World Records. It was earlier reported that 26-year-old Dammy, who is passionate about her ambition had cooked up to 111 hours on Tuesday, in Oye Local Government Area in Ekiti. Meanwhile, she had been visited by the Vice Chancellor and management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti. PUNCH
8. The Southern Kaduna in the Diaspora (SOKADUSA), has appealed to the new Governor, Uba Sani to transcend religion and ethnicity and govern with fairness and justice. SOKAD-USA also appealed to the new governor to re-instate two Monarchs and three District Heads deposed in the last days of El-Rufai. A statement issued by the group’s President, Kamuru Freeman, said its appeals for peaceful coexistence, fairness and justice fell on deaf ears during Gov El-Rufai’s reign, as agents of destruction and terrorism ranged freely. DAILY POST
9. At least nine people were shot dead in the remote northeast Indian state of Manipur, officials said Wednesday — the latest incident in weeks of violence sparked by long-standing ethnic tensions. Manipur saw days of deadly clashes in May, prompted by a dispute over access to government jobs and other perks. More than 100 have died in the resulting unrest, during which mobs raided police stations and stole weapons, while tens of thousands of others fled their homes to seek safety. CHANNELS
10. A US federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Microsoft from completing its $69 billion buyout of gaming giant Activision Blizzard. Judge Edward Davila said in a ruling that it “is necessary to maintain the status quo” while the court considers a longer term injunction on the purchase as requested by regulators at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A hearing was set for June 22 and June 23 in San Francisco federal court to hear evidence in the matter, according to the ruling. The ruling came a day after the FTC asked a federal court to prevent Microsoft from completing its blockbuster buy of Activision Blizzard as it considers regulatory action. CHANNELS
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