• Buhari not leaving Nigeria the way he met it – Femi Adesina
• Lagos demolishes 13 houses for encroaching on airport land without building permits
• CBN denies rumor of phasing out redesigned naira notes
• LP criticizes Lai Mohammed, claims only the blind would accept 2023 election results
• Eaglets secure opening win against Zambia in U17 AFCON

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss

Buhari not leaving Nigeria the way he met it – Femi Adesina

President Buhari served Nigeria “meritoriously” during his administration, according to Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesperson.

In a statement made on Sunday, Adesina praised the president for his achievements in various sectors of the country including security, economy, anti-corruption, infrastructure, and many others. Adesina added that President Buhari’s administration has made a “salutary impact” on the national landscape.

“For 8 years, he has served, making a salutary impact on nearly all sectors of the national landscape: security, economy, anti-corruption, infrastructure; rail, roads, air and sea ports, power, housing, water resources, the oil and gas sector, legislative matters, foreign affairs, sports, youth development, and many others”, said Adesina.

Furthermore, Adesina presented the achievements of the Buhari administration in a report, describing it as “a collector’s item” and “an answer to the questions of those who would rather cavil, looking at a half-empty cup, rather than a half-filled one”.

“Those who are objective, taking a dispassionate look at this fact sheet, would admit that President Buhari came, and served meritoriously. As he had promised many times, he would not be leaving Nigeria the way he met it”, Adesina said.

In conclusion, Adesina urged Nigerians to take a look at the achievements of the Buhari administration, saying, “Welcome to view the indelible footprints of Muhammadu Buhari on the sands of time.”

It is worth noting that Buhari was elected president of the country in 2015 and was returned to the seat for a second term in 2019. His eight-year tenure is set to terminate on May 29.

Lagos demolishes 13 houses for encroaching on airport land without building permits

On Friday, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) demolished around 13 houses in Ajao estate and Shasha areas of Lagos.

The general manager of LSBCA, Gbolahan Oki, informed reporters that most of the property owners lacked the necessary building permits from relevant agencies, and the buildings were constructed on a pipeline which could cause fire incidents.

Oki revealed that the agency had served four different demolition notices to the occupants of the houses in the affected areas since 2016.

“We have served four notices to the occupants of these houses for them to come up with what they have. Some of them came with approval but we found out that they were fake approvals. Some came with different documents and after that, we served them the necessary permits to move on. All these property owners have been served by FAAN since 2016 and LASBCA gave the residents more than two months to relocate. Unfortunately, some of them even went ahead to cover the demolition marks on the houses with paint. Today, we will embark on the demolition of about 13 houses,” said Oki.

FAAN’s business development general manager, Hycienth Ngwu, stated that the land belonged to the authority, and the occupants had illegally encroached on it since 2015.

“I want to make it clear that the land belongs to FAAN and the land was acquired for the purpose of building an airport in Lagos, which is the MM2. Sometime in 2015, we noticed encroachments on the Ajao axis and the rule is that no building shall be made near the perimeter fence of the airport, but we see a violation of this there today,” Ngwu said.

CBN denies rumor of phasing out redesigned naira notes

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has denied rumors that it plans to withdraw the recently redesigned N1000, N500, and N200 notes. A report had claimed that the bank might phase out the new notes due to their scarcity. However, the CBN spokesperson, Isa Abdulmumim, dismissed the speculations, describing them as unfounded and a ploy to cause panic among the public.

Abdulmumim clarified that the new and old currency notes are currently circulating side by side, and the bank is taking delivery of a significant quantity of the redesigned banknotes from the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Limited. He further emphasized the CBN’s commitment to ensuring the smooth running of the economy by supplying the approved indent.

“We urge members of the public to disregard any report suggesting a phase-out of the redesigned currency,” he said. “For the avoidance of doubt, the redesigned and old notes will continue to be accepted as legal tender. They will circulate side-by-side for transactions ahead of the December 31, 2023 deadline when the old N1000, N500, and N200 banknotes will eventually be phased out.”

In October 2022, Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, announced the plan to redesign the naira to control money supply and aid security agencies in tackling illicit financial flows. The redesigned naira notes were unveiled on November 23, 2022. However, on March 3, a supreme court judgment invalidated the naira redesign policy introduced by the apex bank.

Following the ruling, the CBN complied with the directive that the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes remain legal tender until December 31, 2023. The apex bank ended the back-and-forth with the sole usage of the redesigned bank notes two weeks after the court ruling.

LP criticizes Lai Mohammed, claims only the blind would accept 2023 election results

The Labour Party (LP) has accused Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, of spreading propaganda to Nigerians. This follows a recent statement by the Minister asking opposition parties to stop “bleating” about the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. The LP dismissed the election results as massively rigged and not credible.

The party also criticized the Minister for spending tax-payers money to defend what they called an “indefensible action” during his trip to the UK and the US to try and redeem the government’s “grossly battered democratic credentials”.

In a statement released by the LP, the party said, “It is only the blind that will continue to insist that the 2023 presidential election which was massively rigged was free, fair, and credible.”

The LP attributed the opposition’s loss to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s failure to upload the result from the polling unit in real-time, as promised in the Electoral Act, which allowed room for rigging. They also claimed that the election was characterized by violence, ballot snatching, and manipulation of results from collation centers using thugs and security agencies.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, speaking during a meeting with APC governors in Abuja, said that the APC was working hard to retain the presidency while the opposition was basking in false hope. He claimed that the opposition parties lost due to “overconfidence, complacency, and bad tactical moves.”

Reacting to the President’s comment, the opposition parties accused the government of rigging the election in favor of the APC.

Eaglets secure opening win against Zambia in U17 AFCON

Nigeria secured a 1-0 win against Zambia in their opening match of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Algeria 2023.

Favour Daniel’s goal in the second half ensured that the Golden Eaglets emerged victorious, despite Light Eke missing a late penalty.

Nigeria dominated the game, but Zambia had a chance to equalize in added time, but Aaron Simpasa and Linecker Mbesuma couldn’t convert the cross.

The Nigerians created a lot of chances and had a goal disallowed after 13 minutes when Abubakar Abdullahi was flagged offside. Tochukwu Ogbabido also missed a shot from the edge of the box.

Hope Linus’ through ball sent Precious Williams through on goal, but the Zambian keeper managed to save his shot. In the second half, Zambia had more possession, but Nigeria managed to score when Favour Daniel was left unmarked in the box.

Zambia had a chance to equalize when Stainly Nyamikwe was sent through on goal, but his shot was saved. Zambia’s next match will be against South Africa, while Nigeria will face Morocco on Wednesday.