WHAT’S NEWS? October 27, 2023
By Ezinwanne Onwuka
● Oppositions express shock over Tinubu’s triumph in court
For President Bola Tinubu, his party the All Progressives Congress [APC] and supporters, Oct 26 was the thrill of victory after the Supreme Court in Nigeria affirmed Tinubu as the duly elected president of Nigeria. But for the opposition, it was the agony of defeat.
Nigerians waited for eight months to know the rightful winner of the presidential contest on February 25. The long-standing legal tussle ended on Thursday [Oct. 26] with President Tinubu having the last laugh, a judgment that was the end of the road to the oppositions’ quest to unseat Tinubu.
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] said it is “appalled” by the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Tinubu’s election and presidency. The Labour Party [LP] said it is “very shocked and surprised” by the court’s verdict.
President Tinubu on his part lauded the judiciary for “upholding the rule of law” notwithstanding the “fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors.” Tinubu won the presidential election with 37 percent of the votes, according to official results, extending the rule of the APC.
● Gunmen kill and decapitate police officer in Abia
A team of police officers dispatched by authorities to make an arrest was intercepted by a gang of armed bandits on Thursday, Oct 26. A gun battle ensued, but the handguns of the cops were no match for the assault rifles of the bandits.
The policemen were forced to flee the scene with two men gunned down. One of the victims of the arrest mission was decapitated, intensifying concerns about the safety of security agents in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, in Southeast Nigeria.
There have been clashes between security agencies and hoodlums in the city lately. An Assistant Superintendent of Police, simply identified as Linus was in May decapitated after a group of unknown gunmen attacked a police formation. Authorities haven’t had a press conference on Thursday’s incident.
● 2,168 ex-Boko Haram militants graduate from government’s rehab program
No fewer than 2,168 repentant Boko Haram jihadists have graduated from a government-sponsored rehabilitation program in Gombe State, Nigeria. During the six-month De-radicalization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration [DRR] program, the ex-fighters were trained in various vocational skills, including carpentry, cap knitting, shoe making, and tailoring.
The training was meant to prepare the repentant Boko Haram militants with skills that would make them self-reliant upon reintegration into society. Commandant of the DRR camp in Gombe, Colonel Abiodun Johnson, said Thursday they also underwent a series of medical screenings, psychological and psycho-spiritual counselling, sports therapy, and drug abuse counselling.
Before they were released to contribute their own quota to nation-building, the former insurgents swore an oath of allegiance to the Nigerian government, according to Col. Abiodun Johnson.
● 20 injured in petrol tanker conflagration
Twenty persons escaped burning to death by the skin of their teeth when a tanker truck carrying petrol went up in flames. Among those injured were five federal firefighters, some local vigilantes, and several passers-by.
The tanker exploded while offloading petrol at a petrol retail station in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State on Wednesday (Oct 25) afternoon.
Mr Paul Aboi, director of the Kaduna State Fire Service, blamed the incident on negligence of the management of the petrol station. The petrol, he told the News Agency of Nigeria [NAN], should not have been offloaded during the day.
Read more: https://gazettengr.com/20-injured-as-petrol-tanker-explodes-in-kaduna/
● President Tinubu to present 2024 budget of N26 Trillion to Senate in 2 weeks
Bola Tinubu to forward the 2024 budget to the House in two weeks for consideration and possible approval. President Bola Tinubu’s government is considering a jumbo-size budget totalling N26.01 trillion [$33 billion] for next year, as earlier reported by TruthNigeria.
The budget assumes an oil price of $73.96 per barrel, with an exchange rate of N700 naira per dollar, according to Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu. The plan also allocates N8.25 trillion for debt service and N7.78 trillion for salaries and pensions for civil servants.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola said the committee, which was inaugurated on Wednesday, would work assiduously to see that the Senate passes the 2024 budget and President Tinubu assents to it before December 31. “We will do a thorough job on the budget. Our job is to verify the budget to meet the expectations of the people. We will look into it thoroughly,” Sen. Adeola said.
Read more: https://punchng.com/tinubu-presents-2024-budget-to-nassembly-in-november-senate/
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Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
