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

FG hopeful of $557.2m windfall from 5G licenses

If Mafab Communications meets the February 24 deadline for the payment of the $273.6 million (₦113.5 billion) 5G-auction fee, the Federal Government could get temporary relief from its revenue challenges, as an additional $557.2 million (₦231.2 billion) would have been remitted to government’s coffers from the licensing regime.

It has been confirmed that MTN made payment for the license since January.

On December 8, 2021, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said that the Commission proposed to generate ₦632.39 billion in 2022 from the sale of 5G spectrum to telecommunications firms, among other revenue sources, including fines.

Court dismisses suit challenging Atiku’s citizenship

A Federal High Court in Abuja, led by Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo Monday, dismissed a suit instituted by Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa, challenging former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim to Nigerian citizenship.

The court held that the non-governmental organisation (NGO) has no legal right to query the citizenship of the former Vice President. Ekwo said the NGO, having been registered under Company and Allied Matters Act with special functions, could not jump into public interest litigation.

He cautioned NGOs to refrain from filing frivolous applications targeted at harassing politically exposed Nigerians.

Court grants NDLEA’s request to detain Kyari, others for 14 days

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice Zainab Dimka Abubakar has granted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) request to detain Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and six others being investigated for their involvement in cocaine deal for 14 days.

The court gave the order following NDLEA’s application by its Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Sunday Joseph, yesterday, February 22, 2022.

The suspects are DCP Abba Kyari; ACP Sunday J. Ubia; ASP James Bawa; Inspector Simon Agirigba; Inspector John Nuhu; Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alfonsus Ezenwanne.

In case you missed it: ‘Abba Kyari sues NDLEA, demands ₦500m in damages’

‘Convicted Maina reportedly battling hearing loss, hypertension, to undergo brain scan’

A former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, is currently undergoing treatment for infections and hearing complications as well as hypertension, the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital has stated, according to Premium Times.

The hospital stated that Maina, who is serving an eight-year jail term for embezzling ₦2 billion in pension fund, was scheduled for a brain scan and hearing loss test.

The letter was sent by the hospital to the High Court in Jabi, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where Maina is undergoing trial for stealing another ₦738 million pension fund.

ASUU says FG yet to completely meet any demand

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the strike will continue as the government has failed to fully meet any of his demands.

ASUU president, Emmanuel Osodeke, said several meetings with different agencies of government have not yielded any positive result.

ASUU said it had met with President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and that despite the promise by them that the issues would be resolved, “yet nothing has come out of it.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has promised Nigerians that the ongoing one-week-old industrial action by the ASUU will end before the one month declared by the union.

The minister said, “I assure you, this meeting will be a fruitful one. We brought everybody to the discussion table. We have ‘apprehended’ the situation. All the disputes. And we expect that from the discussion that we will have today, ASUU will understand that the government does not mean any harm. And even if there were lapses, they are lapses that can be handled without resorting to industrial action.”