• Lagos orders closure of Chrisland School following death of student
• CBN should announce use of old, new naira – Tinubu
• Kano LP guber candidate joins APC
• CAN denies receiving N2bn from Obi
• More states join suit against FG over naira redesign

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

Lagos orders closure of Chrisland School following death of student

A student’s death has resulted in the closure of  Chrisland School by the Lagos government.

On February 9, Whitney Adeniran, a student of Chrisland’s Opebi Ikeja branch, tragically lost her life while participating in a sporting event.

Blessing, the deceased’s mother, accused Chrisland of neglect as her family continued to probe the institution.

According to her, the event went without first aid since the school had not prepared for emergencies.

Even though the doctor mentioned a cardiac arrest, the girl’s mother insisted her daughter had no preexisting heart issue.

Lagos’ education commissioner, Folasade Adefisayo, has announced that the school has been closed until an investigation is conducted.

“We also note the impact of this unfortunate event on family, friends, and acquaintance of Whitney and call for calm as we assure that no effort will be spared in investigating the incident”, the commissioner stated.

Earlier while reacting to public criticism following the 12-year-old student’s death, the management at Chrisland School said Whitney had reported “not-too-buoyant” health on January 20, contrary to claims by her parents.

The school said it opted to take Whitney to a health centre, and not a hospital, based on proximity considerations.

Chrisland dismissed insinuations that there was foul play in the death case while citing that she slumped in public.

“Our immediate response was to take advantage of proximity by identifying the nearest medical facility to take her to, where the doctor on duty administered oxygen and every aid possible to her,” the institution had added.

This is not the first time Chrisland School Lagos would be at the centre of a crisis involving one of its students.

In mid-2022, four teachers were arraigned after a sex tape by Chrisland pupils surfaced online during an outing.

In 2019, an ex-staffer of the Chrisland in VGC bagged a 60-year jail term for defiling a two-year-old girl in 2016.

CBN should announce use of old, new naira – Tinubu

It has been requested by Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate for the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, in the next election, that the old naira notes be allowed to continue in circulation alongside the freshly redesigned notes for the next 12 months.

On Sunday, the candidate’s spokesman, Festus Keyamo, released a message from the ex-governor of Lagos.

In response to criticism of the CBN policy, Tinubu said he and the APC vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, have no problem with it and are simply concerned about the condition of Nigerians who are having trouble obtaining the new notes.

“Following the advice of the Council of States, the CBN should announce that the old and new naira notes (especially the non-withdrawn notes and coins) will co-exist as legal tender for the next 12 months to follow examples of countries that have successfully implemented similar monetary policy.”

The scarcity of the new naira notes has caused riots in many parts of the country.

Kano LP guber candidate joins APC

Labour Party (LP) Kano state governorship candidate Bashir Bashir has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Under anonymity, a Bashir ally reported on Sunday night that “the absence of important northern players in the decision-making process of the party’s campaign” was the main reason for the defection.

The “lack of clear guidance on the interest of northern Nigeria,” according to the colleague, was another factor in the defection.

As reported, Bashir met with both Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, and Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running partner.

According to reports, details of the defection were discussed and agreed upon at meetings conducted in both Lagos and Abuja.

According to reports, Bashir pledged to rally his followers behind the APC presidential candidate.

Bashir, meanwhile, had not attended the January gathering for the LP presidential campaign in Kano.

This news follows the defection to the APC of Yusuf Tsoho, the LP’s candidate for governor in Jigawa, which occurred only days before.

CAN denies receiving N2bn from Obi

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) claims it is unaware of any N2 billion handed to churches by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.

Early reports said that Obi offered N2 billion to churches through CAN to assist in mobilizing their flock to vote for him.

In a statement released on Sunday, CAN President Daniel Okoh refuted the allegation and emphasized the organization’s neutrality, saying that it will not back any one candidate.

“The attention of the National leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has been drawn to a purported letter currently in circulation on social media, alleging that a certain sum of N2bn was given by the presidential candidate of Labour party, Mr. Peter Obi to Churches under the umbrella of CAN,” the statement reads.

“I use this medium to categorically state that the so-called letter of petition reportedly signed by one Pastor Frank Onwumere and addressed to my office is illogical and can best be described as a failed attempt to drag the apex Christian body into the politics of 2023.

“However, we will investigate the source of the letter in the interest of the public.

“To set the records straight, I am not aware of any N2bn given to Churches in Nigeria to mobilise votes for any 2023 presidential candidate and never received the said petition dated December 22, 2022.

“Nigerians should note that CAN, as a faith-based entity, maintains its non-partisan stance and will not endorse or mobilise support for any candidate in the upcoming elections as against the social media post being circulated by some elements bent on soiling its name and image

“CAN, therefore, urges members of the public to disregard the purported letter of petition as its content are not only untrue but malicious.

“We warn those peddling the falsehood to desist from such acts because they are capable of defaming innocent people and revered religious institutions as well as breaching public peace.”

Meanwhile, the Obi-Datti campaign team has also dismissed the alleged petition, describing it as “blackmail stuff”.

More states join suit against FG over naira redesign

More states have joined the legal battle against the Federal Government over the currency redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Attorneys-General of Ekiti, Bayelsa, Sokoto, and Rivers stated on Sunday that their states were set to join as co-plaintiffs in the suit filed by the governments of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara states.

The states are opposing the February 10 deadline for the currency swap policy on the grounds that it was inflicting suffering on their citizens.

Kano and Ondo had earlier joined the three states, which filed the suit number SC/CV/162/2023 at the Supreme Court.

This is as the Nigerian Governors Forum warned on Sunday that the crisis occasioned by the CBN policy might cause another economic recession in the country.

Following the application of the three northern states of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara, the Supreme Court last Wednesday issued an ex parte order restraining the Federal Government and CBN from enforcing the February 10 deadline for the swap of the old N1000, N500, and N200 notes.

But the Federal Government approached the apex court to vacate the order.

However, in the application filed on Friday, Ekiti through its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata, SAN, asked for three reliefs.

The state government is seeking “leave of this honourable court (Supreme Court) to join the applicant as a co-plaintiff in this suit; an order of this court joining Attorney-General of Ekiti State as a co-plaintiff in this suit; and for such order or further orders that this honourable court may deem fit to make in this circumstance of this suit.”

Apata premised the application on various grounds including “the acute shortage in the supply of naira notes in Ekiti State since the announcement of the policy by the Federal Government through the CBN.”

The state government also averred that “the directive of the Federal Government of Nigeria had affected the livelihood and had inflicted excruciating pain and hardship on all Nigerians, including citizens of Ekiti State.”

It also argued that the directive of the Federal Government has also adversely affected the revenue, levies, and taxes accruable to the coffers of Ekiti State Government as economic activities in the state were now completely paralyzed.

The state government said, “The directive of the Federal Government of Nigeria on the naira redesign has also created palpable anxiety among the citizens of Ekiti State.

“Ekiti is a federating state of Nigeria and therefore has an interest in the determination of the originating summons in the suit earlier filed by the three states in the federation, having a common interest as other plaintiffs and also in the outcome of the suit, sought the leave of the court to be joined as a co-plaintiff in order to be bound by the outcome of the suit.”

It also stated that no injustice or embarrassment ‘’will be occasioned to any of the parties on record if it is joined as a co-plaintiff to ventilate the grievances of Ekiti State.’’

The state government supported its application with the argument that the apex court had always been of the stance that anyone whose presence is crucial and fundamental to a suit must be made a party to the proceedings.