• Nigerians celebrate Davido and Chioma’s comeback to social media
• APC must not be allowed to return in 2023 – Atiku
• My administration has created over 13m jobs in agric sector – Buhari
• Hope for truce between Atiku and G-5 crumbles
• The National Assembly’s budget is too low – Reps

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

Nigerians celebrate Davido and Chioma’s comeback to social media

David Adeleke, better known by his stage name, Davido, of Nigeria, and his girlfriend, Chioma Rowland, have returned to social media, and the internet went absolutely crazy.

The musician tweeted, “ETA 1hr #WorldcupQatar2022,” along with a series of photos, before his performance at the tournament’s final ceremony.

Davido, who was scheduled to play the closing ceremony on Sunday, shared his first photos in weeks.

After avoiding public appearances and social media since the death of his son Ifeanyi Adeleke in October, the musician made his first public appearance at the swearing-in ceremony for his uncle Ademola Adeleke as governor of Osun State.

Fans of the music star worldwide, including many in Nigeria, were overjoyed to hear that the singer had returned to social media and couldn’t contain their excitement.

APC must not be allowed to return in 2023 – Atiku

Ahead of the 2023 election, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said Nigerians must not allow the All Progressives Congress (APC) to come back next year because of its poor performance.

The former Vice President, in a message to its supporters through its campaign organization on Sunday, charged Nigerians to continue to support PDP to win, rescue, and rebuild the country.

Atiku said, “from Uyo on 10 October, to Katsina on Tuesday, 20 December, our campaign would have covered 15 states in campaign rallies across the country.”

Continuing, the statement read “It’s a significant milestone. One, because no other party comes close, and, two, because our commitment to Recover Nigeria is receiving significant attention from the people.

“Of course, we could not have gone this far without your impeccable support. All the successes that we achieved during our state campaigns is on account of the tremendous job that folks like you had done in mobilizing the people ahead of our visit.

“But let me tell you that after our rally on Tuesday in Katsina, The Home of Hospitality, our campaign is going on a break for the Yuletide.

“However, we must not cut a break on the fact that the APC must not be allowed to come back in 2023 because of their woeful failure.

“As your candidate in the next year’s presidential election, I shall continue to keep up with you even in spite of the break.

“I will expect that you too, in kind, shall hold firmly to your support base and even expand the base by the time we resume our rallies in January.”

My administration has created over 13m jobs in agric sector – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari claims that in the last seven and a half years, Nigeria’s agricultural revolution has produced more than 13 million direct and indirect employment.

This was said by the president during an interactive session co-hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

Garba Shehu, the president’s spokeswoman, cited Buhari as stating in a statement on Saturday that focused interventions in the agricultural sector, led by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had changed the country from a net importer of rice to a self-sufficient rice producer.

‘‘This same scheme has financed the establishment and operations of our fifty (50) integrated rice mills,” he said. 

‘‘It has also financed over 4.5 million smallholder farmers, ensured the cultivation of almost 6 million hectares of farmland and almost 700 large-scale agricultural projects have been funded.

‘‘This Agricultural revolution has led to the creation of over 13m direct and indirect jobs.” 

Buhari also said the focus on the agricultural sector placed Nigeria in a better position to handle the systemic shock caused by both COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on global food supply. 

He said the revolution in the sector has improved the country’s capacity and efficiency in increasing and maximising production and post-harvest losses.

‘‘The non-oil sector remains the future of our economy and I hope successive governments will consolidate on the gains we have recorded under my leadership,” he said. 

‘‘You will agree with me that the Russia-Ukraine war has compelled many economies to carry out reforms and re-adjust policies to cope with the challenges posed by the conflict.

‘‘In this regard, we are paying more attention now to energy transmission and distribution through targeted collaboration with global companies like Siemens to improve our efficiency in the Power Value Chain.”

Hope for truce between Atiku and G-5 crumbles

The hopes of a truce between Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and the aggrieved five governors before next year’s poll have collapsed.

A crucial meeting in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, between the two sides, which their representatives described as final, broke down following irreconcilable differences.

After the talks broke down, the presidential standard bearer decided to look beyond the aggrieved governors and their allies.

Atiku has replaced Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde with Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as the Coordinator of his Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in the Southwest.

A proposal by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who represented Atiku, that the yearnings of the G-5, otherwise known as the Integrity Group, will be taken care of after the election, was rejected by the governors, led by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.

At the meeting were Samuel Ortom (Benue), Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

The Adamawa governor had pleaded with his colleagues to make a further sacrifice by focusing more on the election instead of insisting on their conditions for a truce.

The G5 governors and other allies, who had insisted that the national chairman, Senator Iyiocha Ayu, should resign, stood their ground, saying that their core demand was non-negotiable.

Ahead of the presidential primary in Abuja, Ayu had promised to step down if a northerner was picked as flagbearer.

However, the chairman, who reneged on his promise, was backed by Atiku who explained that the provisions of the party constitution on the choice and removal of the chairman should be followed.

A party source said that Wike, who spoke on behalf of G-5, said they would neither participate in the PDP presidential campaigns nor lend any support for Atiku in their respective states ahead of the poll.

According to the source, pleas by Fintiri and other party leaders to the aggrieved governors to sheath their swords and retrace their steps fell on deaf ears.

Also, both sides are bracing up for the reality that PDP will go into the election as a divided house.

The source added: “Both sides, those representing Atiku and the G-5, tended to believe that that may be the last reconciliation meeting aimed at resolving the conflict.

“The only concession that Fintiri could guarantee on behalf of Atiku was that the five governors should wait till when the candidate wins before the national chairman can resign.

“As usual, G-5 rejected the proposal and maintained their ground that Ayu should go.”

Following the breakdown of what looked like a final peace move, the former vice president has decided to continue with his campaigns across the country without the involvement of the Integrity Group.

He has reached out to his old allies in the five states, particularly those who are not on the same page with the aggrieved governors and drafted them to his zonal and state campaign structures.

The change of mobilisation tactics by Atiku has further pitted him against Makinde, Ortom, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi and Wike, who have turned the heat on chieftains being recruited by Atiku into his campaign from the respective states

In the Southwest, Atiku has dumped Makinde and opted for  Adeleke as regional coordinator.

The source said: “Alhaji Atiku is bypassing Governor Makinde. He has appointed Adeleke as Southwest Campaign Coordinator. Adeleke will coordinate activities in Southwest from Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

“He is also wooing his old friends and other chieftains who are fanatical supporters of the PDP across the six states.”

On what is likely to be Makinde’s next step, the source said: “Governor Makinde is campaigning for a second term.

“He is consolidating his PDP base.”

The National Assembly’s budget is too low – Reps

The House of Representatives has expressed concern over the National Assembly budget’s insufficiency.

According to Benjamin Kalu, spokesman for the House of Representatives, the National Assembly cannot function successfully with a small budget.

Kalu made the announcement during the House of Representatives Press Corps’ end-of-year award event in Abuja over the weekend, when he was named the Most Outstanding Spokesman of the House.

Kalu praised the Press Corps for their efforts to improve democracy.

He stated that the corps has given the National Assembly’s image solidity.

He also stated that journalists were not receiving what they deserved and that more should be done to protect them.

According to Kalu, “The budget of the National Assembly is low. We cannot function as expected by the mandate of the Constitution relying on that budget. People can criticize it the way they want.

“I have said it from the day I came [in]to the National Assembly, you cannot get the efficiency that we want to drive the legislature by depending on the current budget as it is. I am hoping that we would push it forward to accommodate other responsibilities of ours.”