• INEC announces winners of the Kogi and Imo State 2023 off-cycle election
• Nine companies lost nearly ₦1 trillion due to currency devaluation
• Vice Chancellors pen their opinions to FG, refuse plans of 40% deduction on IGR
• Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan calls for end to off-cycle elections
• Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport runway forced to close after airline crash-landed

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

INEC announces winners of the Kogi and Imo State 2023 off-cycle election

The 2023 off-cycle election kicked off on Saturday, November 11, in the three Nigerian states, Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa.

In fierce competition with 17 candidates desiring the same position as governors of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma of All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election with 540,308 votes.

In Kogi State, APC’s Ahmed Usman Ododo won the off-cycle election and position of governor of Kogi state with 439,246 votes.

INEC has adjourned the collection of the Bayelsa state off-cycle election results till Monday.

Nine companies lost nearly ₦1 trillion due to currency devaluation

Nine companies in Nigeria announced that by the end of September, they had already lost almost a trillion naira (₦918.1 billion) due to the decline in value of the Nigerian currency (₦).

In June, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stated that the market would be the determining factor for the value of the naira. Since the currency has constantly fallen against the US Dollars ($), these companies have lost a huge amount of money.

These nine companies are Airtel Africa Plc, Dangote Cement Plc, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, MTN Nigeria Communications, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, and Seplat Energy Plc.

Vice Chancellors pen their opinions to FG, refuse plans of 40% deduction on IGR

The Committee of Vice Chancellors in Nigerian Universities has written a letter to the federal government, requesting that it repeal its decision to reduce 40% of its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, made his point clear by revealing that the federal government’s demand was ludicrous when it refused to grant them autonomy.

“These are universities that are not properly funded. Parents complain that they can’t pay the current fees, yet you want to collect 40% of the little universities earn.”

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan calls for end to off-cycle elections

The former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has requested that the National Assembly amend the 1999 Constitution and cancel the off-cycle elections.

“Let me congratulate the three states that had elections today: Bayelsa State, Imo State, and Kogi State. But because this is an off-season election, I get worried about the issue of off-season elections,” he said to a group of journalists in Bayelsa State after casting his vote at his voting unit.

He claimed that such practice was an odd thing and not the best practice in the global scene.

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport runway forced to close after airline crash-landed

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at Abuja was forced to close its runway after the terrifying incident, which involved an airline (Boeing 737 with Nationality and Registration Marks 5N-BYQ) crash landing on the said runway.

The aircraft was allegedly from Lagos State and, in a bid to exit the runway through the A4, got its nose wheel stuck in the grass verge with its fuselage on the runway.

The spokesman for the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, James Odaudu, said there were no recorded casualties, and the runway was shut down to tow the aircraft from the runway.