Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Friday, 6th December, 2024

Senators representing States from the South-South geo-political zone, have declared support for the Tax Reform Bills proposed by President Bola Tinubu.

The lawmakers, under the aegis of the South-South Senators’ Forum, also called on Governors from the region to support the bills.

A statement issued in Abuja by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), quoted the lawmakers as having declared their support after a comprehensive evaluation of the bills.

They submitted that the bills not only serve national interests, but align with the interests of the South-South region.

According to them, the proposed tax reforms will boost national revenue and foster economic stability.

The Senators, representing Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers States, also passed a vote of confidence in Senate President Godswill Akpabio, praising his leadership in advancing the Senate’s constitutional mandate.

They urged stakeholders to avoid introducing regional, ethnic, or tribal sentiments into the national dialogue, advocating for robust interactions and consultations in the legislative process.

Gunmen believed to be bandits, allegedly assaulted Jumai Kefas, the mother of Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, along with her daughter, Atsi Kefas.

Naija News understands that the incident happened today, Thursday, December 5, on Kente Road within the Wukari Local Government Area of the state.

The chairman of the Wukari council, Dauda Samaila Agbu, confirmed the attack to newsmen and expressed his sorrow regarding the event.

He characterized the situation as “deeply troubling” and revealed that Atsi Kefas suffered a gunshot injury during the assault, necessitating her initial treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Wukari before being transferred to Abuja for further medical care.

The chairman of the council urged residents to stay composed and provided reassurance that measures are being taken to capture those accountable for the assault.

The Taraba State Police Command corroborated the occurrence through its Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi.

He indicated that the incident was classified as an armed robbery, but he did not verify whether the victims had any connection to the governor.

The Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) has condemned the student loan programme of the federal government disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

The President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said the government should increase budgetary provision to the education sector or run a grant for the children of the poor.

Professor Osodeke stated this on Thursday while speaking on Channels TV.

He stressed that higher institutions have resorted to increasing school fees because of student loan.

Osodeke explained that the student loan scheme had failed on two occasions because students were not able to pay back upon graduation.

He explained many graduates may not get work because of the economic situation of the country. He emphasized that the students may be morally demoralized upon graduation.

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has voiced its dissatisfaction with the repeated delays of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, as announced by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the BoT, expressed the board’s concerns during the opening of an emergency meeting at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja.

Naija News recalls that the NWC had recently declared the third consecutive postponement of the NEC meeting, with the latest delay impacting a session originally set for November 28, 2024.

Wabara criticized the leadership of the NWC, headed by Amb. Umar Damagum, for eroding party members’ trust and confidence through these persistent delays.

He stressed that the repeated postponements were weakening the unity and democratic processes that are vital to the party’s success.

The Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, has lamented the over-politicization of the proposed tax reform bills sent to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu.

According to him, the tax reform bills have been turned into a political debate between the North and South on social media.

Moro, however, called for a focus on the provisions of the bills themselves instead of resorting to politics.

Speaking on Thursday during an interview with Arise News, the Senate Minority Leader emphasized the need to address the concerns raised by critical stakeholders on the contents of the bills and the legal implications.

According to Moro, some people are concerned that the current VAT distribution system, which is based on equity, equality, and population, may not be adequate under the proposed model that shifts the focus to consumption.

Moro stressed the need to de-emphasise the political charges created around the bills which have turned them into a North versus South affair.

He added that many people who are currently against the bills would have a change of mind with better awareness of the content, arguing that the provisions of the bills are in the best interest of Nigerians.

Four Labour Party (LP) House of Representative members have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News learnt that Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced the defection of the lawmakers on the floor of the green chamber on Thursday.

The Labour Party has been marred with crisis after the 2023 election with some chieftains leaving the party.

The lawmakers that defected to APC are Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), and Bassey Akiba (Cross River).

Also, a lawmaker, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (Delta), dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.

The now-former Labour Party lawmakers cited division within their party as the main reason for their defection.

The Police have submitted that the Lakurawa terrorist group is responsible for the recent bomb explosions that rocked some communities in Zamfara State.

The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Dalijan, said they are sure the Lakurawa group is responsible for the explosions because the bandits that operate in Zamfara don’t know how to make or use explosive devices.

Naija News recalls an explosion had occurred along the Dansadau-Gusau Road in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Wednesday, killing a motorist and injuring three others.

Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television, Dalijan added that on the day the explosives went off, Police had gotten information on the movement of the terrorists in the area, and while they were preparing to pursue, the bombs got detonated.

He explained further that bandits operating in Zamfara are not familiar with the use of explosive devices, adding that the Lakurawa terrorists were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has confirmed that the Port Harcourt Refinery is back in operation.

Onanuga, in a post shared via his X account early on Thursday, said he and some others visited the refine on Wednesday to get first-hand information on its operations following reports that the facility is not back in production as its management announced to Nigerians.

Naija News recalls the refinery resumed crude oil processing on November 26 after several years of being moribund.

However, some Nigerians who were doubtful about the refinery’s operation questioned the reported revitalization based on the concerns raised by some stakeholders.

However, the presidential media aide said after the visit, he can fully confirm that the Port Harcourt Refinery is up and running, urging Nigerians to ignore the false information making rounds about the facility.

Onanuga confirmed that he and others in the delegation were given a guided tour of the Port Harcourt Refinery by Managing Director Ibrahim Onoja, and they were satisfied with what they saw.

According to him, though the refinery is not working at 100% capacity, it is functioning at 70% installed capacity, with plans to ramp up production soon.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has banned joint security tables at Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

Keyamo said the move was in line with the ministry and other agencies’ desire to eradicate corruption and bribery at the airport.

In a statement on Thursday, signed by the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, Keyamo reassured the government’s commitment to achieving world-class standards in service delivery, security and passenger satisfaction across airports.

According to the statement, the joint inspection tables would be replaced by intelligence-based searches, scanners and individual profiling.

It stated that the Department of State Service (DSS) personnel and Nigeria Immigration Service personnel would share counters to reduce checkpoints for outbound passengers at MMIA.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has condemned the provision of the Tax Reform Bills that recommended the scrapping of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)

The President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said scrapping TETFund would kill Nigeria’s public education and would keep children of the poor in slavery.

Professor Osodeke stated this in an interview with Channels TV on Thursday. He noted that the federal government submitted the bill to the National Assembly without consulting the people in the education sector.

Osodeke disclosed that the plan was to replace TETFund with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). He advised the federal government to seek another way of funding NELFUND, suggesting deducting from the Value Added Tax (VAT).

The ASUU President further slammed the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax and Fiscal Reform, Taiwo Oyedele, on his statement that no part of the bill recommended scrapping of any agency.

He added that TETFund has been the game changer in tertiary schools’ infrastructural development, which other countries are emulating.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.