Tinubu vs Atiku

The federal Government in statement signed by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has faulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is advocating for gradual reforms rather than President Bola Tinubu’s direct approach.

According to Onanuga, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Atiku Abubakar and his boss Olusegun Obasanjo when they had the opportunity, adding that Atiku’s economic ideas would have plunged the country into a worse situation.

As you may know, Atiku in a statement made on his twitter handle described Tinubu’s reforms as “trial-and-error economic policies,” blaming the President for the excruciating pain Nigerians are suffering,

he added that while he is not the president, his suggestions are in the interest of Nigerians.

PETROL

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has alerted Nigerians to the operations of a new depot hired by an unnamed international trading company to blend substandard petroleum products in Nigeria.

The Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, made the allegation in a press statement, noting that the depot was leased for the objective of blending substandard products that would be dumped into the market and bought by unsuspecting Nigerians.

This is coming after statements made by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, and other associations that the price of imported fuel is cheaper than what is being sold by the Dangote refinery.

Based on this, oil marketers have vowed to import petrol and sell below the Dangote refinery price as well as the price being sold by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

CBN

A Nigerian-British information security expert, Dr. Kingsley Aguoru, has raised an alarm over the continued use of card PINs for online payments, urging the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to address what he describes as a pressing security risk to Nigerians’ finances.

In a petition obtained by news men, Aguoru noted that the current practice exposes Nigerian consumers to high risks of cyber threats, adding that PINs are designed for ATM and POS use, where secure encryption is employed, but using them online leaves consumers vulnerable to cyber threats.

He further stated that Nigerian consumers should rely solely on OTPs or multi-factor authentication for online payments which would align Nigeria’s payment systems with global best practices and significantly reduce the risk to Nigerian consumers.

LIBYA

Following the verdict delivered by the Confederation of African Football, CAF, in response to the complaint lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation over the recent inhumane treatment meted out to the Super Eagles in Libya, members of the Nigerian community have reported mass arrests and fines in the country.

Speaking with news men, a Nigerian named Adenaike Emmanuel, living in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, said the arrests began on Sunday after the confederation of African Football statement was released in the country.

In the statement signed by the Chairman, Ousmane Kane, the disciplinary committee of the African football body awarded the Super Eagles three points and three goals for the abandoned match.

Recall that the Nigerian football team was held at the Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya for over 20 hours upon arrival for the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles and Libya’s national team.

STRIKE

In other news, the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, have suspended its strike for a month.

The unions in a statement jointly signed by the National President, SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and General Secretary, NASU, Peters Adeyemi, on Sunday, urged members to resume work on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 after receiving a month payment out of the four-months salaries.

As you may know, on Monday, October 28, 2024, the JAC of SSANU and NASU embarked on an indefinite strike over the withheld salary of its members.