• Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour wins Labour party Gubernatorial substitution primaries for Lagos State
• JAMB releases results of 2022 mop-up UTME
• Train attackers release seven more hostages
• Nigeria develops sustainable energy transition plan
• Sultan, CAN sign peace pact against 2023 elections

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

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour wins Labour party Gubernatorial substitution primaries for Lagos State

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who switched parties to the Labour Party last month after finishing last in the PDP primary elections, has emerged as the party’s front-runner for governor.

At the Labour Party governorship substitution primaries conducted in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, Mr. Rhodes-Vivour, 39, defeated Moshood Salvador.

He received 111 delegates as opposed to Mr. Salvador’s 102.

Last month, Mr. Salvador, a former PDP leader in the state, also switched to the Labour Party.

Lamidi Apapa, the deputy national chairperson, reported that 215 registered voters cast ballots in the primary election.

Two invalid votes were registered in the election.

Babatunde Gbadamosi, a third potential gubernatorial contender, stayed out of the primaries.

Mr. Gbadamosi joined the Labour Party and announced his ambition to run for governor in 2023.

Although Ifagbemi Awamaridi, the party’s INEC-recognized governor, protested that he had not withdrawn his candidacy, the substitute primaries went on.

The 2022 Electoral Act states that a candidate can only be replaced before an election if they voluntarily withdraw or if they pass away.

JAMB releases results of 2022 mop-up UTME

The results of the recently completed mop-up 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations have been made public by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

This was confirmed by an announcement made by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, in Abuja on Wednesday.

In keeping with its objective to follow the government’s guidelines for ease of doing business, Benjamin stated that the board had implemented a user-friendly and straightforward procedure for verifying UTME results.

“Candidates only need to text RESULT to 55019 to obtain the results of the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) Mop-Up Examination, which was held on August 6.

“This will be done by using the same phone number that he/she had used for registration, and the result would be returned as a text message.

“Candidates can also print their result from the board’s website- www.jamb.gov.ng after linking their email address to their profile,” he said.

He stated that the expedited procedure would help prevent the frequent abuse of unsuspecting candidates by shady business centers and cybercafés.

Train attackers release seven more hostages

The terrorists who attacked the train traveling between Abuja and Kaduna on March 28, 2022, killed nine people and abducted 63 more, have freed seven additional captives, including a family of six.

Tukur Mamu, the publisher of the Desert Herald newspaper, revealed the victims’ names and photos after confirming the news to the media in Kaduna.

Aisha Hassan, a 60-year-old woman, Abubakar Idris Garba, and his wife Maryama are among the hostages who have been freed. Others include Ibrahim, Fatima, Imran, and 1-year-old Zainab, their children.

Mamu, however, claimed that the sexagenarian was freed because of recent deterioration in a life-threatening medical condition.

He claimed that Sheikh Ahmad Gumi intervened and begged the kidnappers to release the family of six after witnessing a video of the victims being flogged because two of their children were critically ill.

Nigeria develops sustainable energy transition plan

According to the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) and the net zero goal of 2060, Nigeria has created an energy transition plan with a thorough roadmap, according to Environment Minister Mohammed Abdulahi.

The minister recently addressed the 16th National Council of Environment meeting in Abuja, which has as its theme “Pursuit of Zero-Emission-A Trajectory towards Global Environment Renaissance.”

He claimed that the Nigerian Sovereign Green Bond was issued in accordance with the Economic Recovery Growth Plan in order to meet the nation’s target for its Nationally Determined Contribution and expedite the implementation of its commitments to low-carbon development under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

According to Abdulahi, green projects are financed by debts linked to sustainability goals using green bonds.

The government established the French Development Agency in December 2021. The project is a national effort to build capacity and conduct research in preparation for Nigeria to adopt the Deep Decarburization Route Program.

The minister pointed out that Nigeria has lately continued to collaborate with and support the United Kingdom (UK) Forest, Agricultural, and Commodities Trade (FACT) Dialogue, which aims to hasten Nigeria’s transition to a low-carbon economy and maximize emissions reductions. It is anticipated that the discussion will increase commerce and ensure the sustainability of commodity supply chains.

Sultan, CAN sign peace pact against 2023 elections

Prior to the 2023 elections, the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), struck a peace agreement to defuse religious tensions and provide a safe and secure environment throughout the country.

The peace agreement was signed in Washington, D.C. during the International Religious Freedom Summit 2022, which was organized by the Global Peace Foundation and 70 international organizations for human rights and religious freedom.

Prof. Yusuf Usman represented the Sultan, who also serves as President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), while Rev. Samson Ayokunle represented the supreme Christian organization.

Ayokunle said in a statement released yesterday in Abuja that the leaders of the Muslim and Christian organizations under the umbrella organization vowed to keep collaborating, abstain from violence, encourage communication, and remain dedicated to establishing secure communities free from fear.

He continued by saying that the two religious organizations also pledged to uphold a vision of shared humanity and openly express optimism for a peaceful and prosperous future for Nigeria.