• Nigeria cannot afford to make mistakes in 2023 – Sanwo-Olu
• Radiographers, physicians disagree over teaching hospital boards bill
• Nigeria signs agreement with Germany for repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes – Lai Mohammed
• Petrol shortage continues as marketers call for Energy Bank
• Niger Delta group asks State Governors to oppose water bill

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

Nigeria cannot afford to make mistakes in 2023 – Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Monday in Ikeja that Nigerians could not afford to make mistakes at the 2023 general elections.

Sanwo-Olu said this at the Lagos House, at the Year 2022 Eid-ul-Adha celebration by the First Family of Lagos State, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs.

Represented by the deputy governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, he said that Nigerians must choose rightly in 2023 because it was about the country’s future.

He pointed out that Nigerians should not make a mistake in electing a leader in 2023 as the outcome of the 2023 general election will greatly shape Nigeria’s future.

He emphasized that Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC, is the right choice for 2023 because he has built bridges across Nigeria.

He said Tinubu had worked with quality people and with people from different regions and groups of the country.

Sanwo-Olu urged the people to be loyal and obedient to the country and the country, saying that patience, obedience, and loyalty are important duties of the people to the country.

Radiographers, physicians disagree over teaching hospital boards bill

The Association of Radiographers of Nigeria has strongly opposed the positions of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria and the Association of Provosts of Colleges of Medicine in Nigeria that medical institutions in Nigeria should be run only by physicians.

The group said that the reason Nigeria’s health sector is dying is a result of the deep-rooted bad leadership practiced by physicians over the years.

The physicians had objected to the amendment of the Bill titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the university teaching hospitals (Reconstitution Of Boards) Act Cap U15 LFN 2004,’ which was sponsored by Mr. Bamidele Salam, representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency of Osun State in the House of Representatives.

According to a statement on Monday, the president of the Association of Radiographers of Nigeria, Dr. Dlama Joseph, and the secretary, Dr. Samuel Laushugno, said the bill was an “altruistic” bid to reform the country’s health sector starting from the apex hospitals, which had been long overdue.

The radiographers lamented that physicians have always usurped the leadership and management of tertiary hospitals without resorting to quality control and management. They said Nigeria’s health sector has long been operating below standards and is not aligned with global best practices, mainly due to the overbearing attitude of some health workers.

The group, however, commended the conscientious efforts of Mr. Bamidele Salam, and the National Assembly for their assiduous efforts to uphold and bring transformation to Nigerian health institutions.

Nigeria signs agreement with Germany for repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, stated that Nigeria had signed an agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes from Berlin in Germany.

At the opening of the Art Hotel in Lagos, the minister said that the bronze had been stolen from the ancient city of Benin in 1897, 125 years ago.

He convinced the Nigerian people of the federal government’s promise to restore Nigeria’s precious works of art.

“Let me restate our commitment to recovering our priceless works of art which were looted from our country.

“Our efforts in this regard have started to yield fruits. Last week, in Berlin, Germany, we signed the agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes which were looted from the ancient city of Benin kingdom in 1897.

“This number represents the single largest repatriation of looted works of art anywhere in the world.

“There is no doubt that the return of the most coveted Benin bronzes to Nigeria will help to stimulate domestic tourism in our country,” he said.

Petrol shortage continues as marketers call for Energy Bank

As the energy crisis in the nation has shown no signs of easing up, oil traders have urged the federal government, particularly the National Assembly, to pass a bill to establish an Energy bank for Nigeria.

This resulted from checks around Abuja yesterday that showed that more filling stations were shut due to a lack of petrol in stock despite the holidays to celebrate the Eid festival.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, the President of Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria, NOGASA, Mr. Benneth Korie said the Energy Bank would help the sector get out of its present cashless state and enable marketers to finance major transactions.

He said: “We urge the National Assembly to enact a bill for the establishment of an Energy Bank for easy transactions in petroleum products in the oil and gas sector.

“The bank will become the place marketers can go for assistance like we have in other sectors like agriculture and industries. There is nothing wrong if we can have that for the energy sector”.

Korie repeatedly urged the federal government to sell dollars to diesel importers at the official exchange rate.

He said the sector should set aside a five-month period to stock up on diesel in order to make it available nationwide.

Niger Delta group asks State Governors to oppose water bill

The Forum of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta has called on state governors, especially those that have river borders to reject the reintroduced Water Bill, describing it as a way of acquiring states’ land.

Mr. Dotimi Kaster, the forum’s Convener, stated this on Monday while reacting to the bill, saying if the governors keep quiet, a day will come when states will not have any land.

He said, “We are expecting governors like Okowa, Wike, Diri, Obaseki, Sanwo-Olu and others to speak with one voice because if they keep quiet, a day will come that we will not have any land. This is an indirect way of acquiring land.

“See what we are facing in our forests today, where farmers cannot farm any more for fear of the unknown, and the Federal Government is taking on Water Bill to take over our water surface.

“We, the Niger Delta region, supported the position of Governor Ortom and we call on every well-meaning Nigerians to reject the Water Bill for us to practice true federalism.

“The bill wants to take everything along water surface to be owned by the Federal Government which is against the law and we will fight against the bill within the ambit of the law.

“Ortom is coming from Benue, which means River Benue is also to be affected. So, I expect Okowa to join his voice with Ortom and save our land in Delta.”

The forum urged people in coastal areas to speak out against the bill, saying that if a bill should be passed, then it should be a bill that has been widely consulted, especially among people in coastal areas.