• Controversy as ‘Fake Bishops’ attend Shettima’s unveiling as Tinubu’s running mate
• National grid collapses for 6th time in 2022
• NCAA suspends Dana Airlines operations
• 11 Zamfara, Katsina emirs, district heads sacked, suspended for allegedly abetting terrorists
• Reps cry out over terrorist killings in Taraba state

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

Controversy as ‘Fake Bishops’ attend Shettima’s unveiling as Tinubu’s running mate

Several men dressed in cassocks were present on Wednesday when Kashima Shetima was announced as the Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election.

The affiliation of men in the different priest attires representing different Christian denominations remains unclear.

The presence of the cassocked participants was meant to indicate the support of some Christian leaders for the Muslim-Muslim APC presidential ticket despite opposition from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

However, CAN quickly denied these people, claiming they were scammers hired by APC to deceive Christians and garner their support for the APC candidates.

A spokesperson for the association, Bayo Oladeji, in a statement said the priests at the venue were ‘fake’. He did not say how he determined that the men were not genuine.

He accused the Tinibu Campaign Organisation of consistently peddling lies to justify the choice of the Vice Presidential candidate.

“They are fake,” Mr. Oladeji said. “They are not our members. CAN was not represented there. Anybody can wear a cassock, anybody can buy it in the market and claim to be anything.

“Were you not in this country, when they exhumed a four-year-old interview, published it in Trust (Daily Trust), claiming that was the Chairman of CAN in Borno endorsing Shettima? Were you not in this country when they presented a photograph from 2017 saying ‘CAN officials’ visited Shettima?

“Were you not in this country when they said Baba Adeboye has endorsed Muslim/Muslim ticket. The Redeemed Christian Church of God had to come out to say no? CAN was not there. Is that how to introduce CAN? The media should have asked them questions, not me,” Mr. Oladeji said.

National grid collapses for 6th time in 2022

Major Nigerian cities, including the Federal Capital Territory, fell into darkness after power outages on Wednesday, when the country’s electricity grid collapsed.

Electricity distribution companies announced on Wednesday that the collapse occurred at about 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday’s incident is the sixth reported collapse in 2022.

The government blames poor management and low gas supply as the major causes of the repeated grid breakdown, which is managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

The electricity distribution companies across Nigeria get their electricity supply from the national grid.

The Eko Electricity Distribution Plc informed its customers of the grid collapse via Facebook.

“Dear Customers, we regret to inform you of a system collapse on the National grid at precisely 11:27 am today, Wednesday, July 20th. We are in talks with the Transmission Company of Nigeria to ascertain the cause of the collapse and a possible restoration timeline. We will keep you updated on the situation,” it wrote.

Since the government privatised the distribution companies in 2013, they have not been efficient causing both citizens and businesses to groan.

NCAA suspends Dana Airlines operations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday suspended the Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Dana Airlines indefinitely.

The NCAA Director-General, Musa Nuhu, announced this in a statement Wednesday night.

This was shortly after an aircraft belonging to the airline made an emergency landing in Abuja after allegedly developing an engine problem mid-air on Tuesday.

Mr. Nuhu stated that the suspension of the operations of the airline would take effect from Wednesday.

He added that the decision was the outcome of a financial and economic health audit carried out on the airline by the regulatory authority.

According to him, the findings of an investigation conducted on the airline’s flight operations revealed that Dana Airlines was no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and conduct safe flight operations.

“The NCAA acknowledges the negative effect this pre-emptive decision will have on the airline’s passengers and the traveling public and seeks their understanding, as the safety of flight operations takes priority over all other considerations,” the statement said.

Dana Airlines in a statement Wednesday confirmed the suspension.

“Our operations have been suspended as advised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) in order to undergo a full operational audit with effect from midnight 20th July 2022,” the statement said.

11 Zamfara, Katsina emirs, district heads sacked, suspended for allegedly abetting terrorists

The Emir of Yandoton Daji, Aliyu Marafa, in Zamfara State, was on Sunday suspended after
he conferred a traditional title on the wanted terrorist, Mr. Aleru.

He is not the first traditional ruler in the state to be heavily scrutinized for helping a terrorist gang.

Since 2019, the Governor has accused the state’s traditional rulers of working with terrorist gangs and working with them to target the state’s communities, schools, and government agencies. These gunmen also specialize in kidnapping travelers for ransom.

Subsequently, the governor fired some of the Emirs on charges of aiding a terrorist gang. However, none of those who were removed from office were charged with misconduct.

Some of the traditional rulers suspended or deposed for allegedly supporting the terrorists in the state include Emir of Maru, Abubakar Cika; Emir of Zurmi, Atiku Abubakar; Emir of Dansadau, Hussaini Umar; District Head of Kanoma in Maru emirate, Lawali Ahmad; District head of Nasarawa Mailaya, in Zurmi council area, Bello Wakkala, among others.

Reps cry out over terrorist killings in Taraba state

The House of Representatives has called for the intervention of the Nigerian Armed Forces as terrorists overrun two local government areas of Taraba State, killing “over 30” within one week.

At the plenary on Wednesday, the House urged the military to deploy more troops to the LGAs to dislodge the terrorists and restore normalcy.

The lawmakers also urged the intelligence and operational security agencies to identify the routes and camps of the terrorists and their local collaborators to bring them to book.

A member of the House, Rimamnde Kwewum, who is representing Takum/Donga/Ussa/Yangtu SDA Federal Constituency in Taraba State, had moved a motion of urgent public importance titled, “Urgent Need to Prevent Terrorists Overrunning Ussa Local Government Area of Taraba State.”

According to Kwewum, the terrorists who murdered six soldiers of the 93rd Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Takum LGA of Taraba State have continued the “unabated destruction of settlements in Takum and Ussa Local Government Areas of Taraba State.”

The lawmaker said in the last week – July 5 to 12, 2022 – “well over 30 people have been killed.”

Kwewum lamented that the attacks kept occurring “without any strong, coordinated and consistent intervention from the security agencies,” especially since the soldiers were killed by the bandits and the Commanding Officer of the 93rd Battalion was abducted.

The lawmaker stressed the urgent need to deploy more security agents to the LGAs to dislodge the terrorists and bring normalcy to the areas, “as the citizens are becoming despondent and losing confidence in the government.”