The Big 5: Buhari reinstates suspended NHIS boss, Fayose demands an apology from the police, and other top stories

These are the top five stories from Nigeria that you should monitor today.

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has called on the people of the state to defend themselves if attacked by herdsmen.

The governor, who spoke on a radio programme titled, ‘Issue of the moment’ on Tuesday, said it was necessary for the people to defend themselves in order not to become easy preys.

Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose has responded to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, describing the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, as a “drowning man.”

The governor said the police authorities must retract the comment and tender an unreserved apology to Ortom, the people of Benue State and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

President Muhammadu Buhari has recalled the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, who was suspended by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole.

His recall was made known in a letter by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.

Yusuf, who is being probed by the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, was accused of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919m.

The Senate has called for redeployment of policemen between the ranks of Constable and Inspectorate cadres to their states of origin to address rising insecurity in the country.

The resolution followed a motion by Senator Ademola Adeleke (PDP, Osun) on the need to post junior cadre of the Nigeria Police Force to their states and local government areas to enhance community policing.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) retaining power in the 2019 general elections have vanished.

The party also said it believed that the alleged moves to arrest the media adviser to former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, over Babangida’s declaration that PresidentMuhammadu Buhari should not seek re-election in 2019, was a ploy to set the table for a “vicious muzzling” of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech.

And now, stories from around the world…

At least four people are dead and 225 injured, including tourists after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck just off the east coast of Taiwan late Tuesday, local police said.

As of Wednesday morning 145 people were unaccounted for, according to CNA, Taiwan’s official news agency.

President Donald Trump has asked for a military parade and the Pentagon is reviewing potential dates, Pentagon spokesman Charlie Summers said Tuesday.

The spokesman described the planning process as being in its “infancy.”

In response to the news, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump had asked the Defense Department to “explore” the idea.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he supports a government shutdown if Democrats won’t agree to tighten immigration laws, undercutting ongoing bipartisan negotiations on Capitol Hill.

The comment, which came during a White House meeting on the violent MS-13 gang, was not well received in the room. Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Virginia Republican who represents a district with thousands of federal workers, confronted Trump about the remark and urged him to avoid another government shutdown.

Japan’s Princess Mako and her commoner fiance Kei Komuro have postponed their highly anticipated engagement and wedding until at least 2020, saying they were not yet ready for marriage.

The wedding, which had been set for November, was to be a momentous occasion for the country and the Japanese royal family, led by Emperor Akihito, who plans to abdicate in April 2019.

But the couple said they were now having second thoughts about marrying so soon. “It is because of our immaturity and we just regret it,” the couple said in a statement Tuesday.

US entrepreneur Elon Musk has launched his new rocket, the Falcon Heavy, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mammoth vehicle – the most powerful since the shuttle system – lifted clear of its pad without incident to soar high over the Atlantic Ocean.

It was billed as a risky test flight in advance of the lift-off.

Azeez

Tags: apology, Ayodele Fayose, nhis, President Muhammadu Buhari, reinstate