Newspaper Headlines: 10 things you need to know this Saturday morning

Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. Phillip Shaibu, Edo State Deputy Governor, has spoken on his alleged arrest by security agencies. Shaibu said it is untrue that he was caught with illegal arms. His spokesman, Benjamin Atu, said this in a statement on Friday. He accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) former national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole of plotting to use federal might to intimidate him and Governor Godwin Obaseki.

2. The Federal Government has included Emirates Airlines in the list of airlines not allowed to operate in Nigeria. This is part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, confirmed this via his Twitter handle on Friday. According to Sirika, the decision was taken following a meeting between the Presidential Task Force (PTF) and European Unions (EU).

3. The Defence Headquarters on Friday said the Air Component of Operation Thunder Strike destroyed bandits’ meeting venue in Kwaimbana Forest area of Kaduna State. Several bandits were killed in the incident, which occurred on Thursday. The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, who made this in a statement on Friday in Abuja said that the air raid was conducted after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions that revealed the hideouts.

4. A former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar on Friday distanced himself from reports that he is making moves for the 2023 presidency. Atiku said he was working with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to ensure victory in all upcoming elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra States respectively. Atiku who spoke through his Media Aide, Paul Ibe said the former Vice President would make everything public if he decides to run for the Presidency in 2023.

5. Governors elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have vowed not to leave Edo State amid alleged police intimidation. During an emergency press conference in Abuja on Saturday, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, accused security agencies of harassing and threatening the lives of its Governors who had gathered in Benin City, the state capital, ahead of Saturday’s poll. Secondus expressed shock that “security agents were detailed to surround the lodging of our governors to harass and intimidate them.”

6. Workers in Ogun State have called off their one-week warning strike. The decision to call of the strike was sequel to a memorandum of understanding signed between them and representatives of the Ogun State Government. The organized labour in the state commenced a warning strike at 12am on Wednesday requesting the payment of their entitlements.

7. Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has raised the alarm that children are being recruited into the Boko Haram terrorist group. Speaking while receiving a committee of members of the House of Representatives at his office in Maiduguri, Zulum said the recruitment of kids into the terrorist group was due to the high rate of unemployment in the state. He also revealed that there are more than 700,000 Internally Displaced Persons in Monguno and another 400,000 in Gamboru Ngala without access to their farmlands.

8. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that the hotel where the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, is lodging in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, has been surrounded by over 300 policemen. This allegation was made by the party’s chairman in Rivers State, Akawor Desmond.

9. Senator Isa Hamma Misau, a close ally of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has left the Peoples Democratic Party to reunite with Dogara at the All Progressives Congress. Misau, who represented Bauchi Central Senatorial District in the 8th Assembly, announced his defection to the APC during a meeting with the APC Caretaker Chairman/Yobe State Governor, Mai-Mala Buni, at the Yobe Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Friday.

10. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has named Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, as one of the five finalists for the Director-General’s position. WTO made the announcement in a statement on Friday. The decision was taken by General Council Chair, David Walker of New Zealand and his two co-facilitators in the selection process – Amb. Dacio Castillo of Honduras and Amb. Harald Aspelund of Iceland. The five candidates to advance are Okonjo-Iweala, Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea, Amina C. Mohamed of Kenya, Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Liam Fox of the United Kingdom.