• Stop lamenting, work, you have enough time, Afenifere tells Buhari
• Unknown gunmen attack INEC officials in Enugu
• Stop the ‘senseless killings’ in Ogun, Group tells Abiodun, Ogun Assembly
• INEC moves sensitive materials to LGAs ahead Osun election
• Super Falcons qualify for WAFCON semi-final

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

Stop lamenting, work, you have enough time, Afenifere tells Buhari

Pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to do the work to solve the country’s challenges rather than lamenting on vital national issues.

Its General Secretary, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, said this in a statement in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

The statement read: “Like he has done in the last seven years on vital national issues, the President merely lamented the six months strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU) without proffering any solution or giving any assurance on how soon the youths of this country would return to school.

“It is his stock-in-trade to merely lament mass killings of the people by terrorists, who have become most emboldened and unruly in his seven years so far.

“The call, only two months back, for a Government of National Unity, or for the resignation of the President would have no doubt found justification in this admission.

“Yet the situation today is quite different from the factors that made such suggestions then plausible.

“For what it is worth, the nation is frenzied by the electoral activities, which in itself suggests that Nigerians are more eager than Muhammadu Buhari himself to see the end of his most uninspiring if not disastrous tenure.

“Besides, this government is virtually now a ghost of itself with the players so deflated of the air of legitimacy that even the most vibrant Deputy has lost steam, having been tricked into a disastrous popularity contest within the ruling party constituted only by a few Nigerians.

“In other words, there is no one better hand than the President left in this government to be invested with the destiny of Nigerians.

“Yet, in spite of the obvious darkness which heralds the twilight, the sun on the horizon is still hot enough to get the clothes dry.

“Rather than chicken out, Buhari could still, within the remaining months, rally his government, including the distraught National Assembly members, many of whom have been rejected even by their parties and of whom will certainly not eventually return, to leave last minute legacies that will temper the harsh verdict of history.

“The greatest problem confronting the nation, the dimension under Buhari of which is unprecedented, is insecurity.

“Well-meaning Nigerians and drawing from experiences, particularly in other federations have recommended federalization of its solution through multi-level security architecture typified in the instrumentality of State Police.”

Unknown gunmen attack INEC officials in Enugu

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has suspended Ward level registration of voters in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu state following an attack on its officials by unknown gunmen on Wednesday.

INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye disclosed this in a statement Thursday in Abuja.

“The gunmen fired sporadically into the air to disperse registrants and registration officials. In the ensuing stampede, one of our staff sustained injuries and is receiving treatment in a hospital”, he stated.

According to him, two voter registration machines and personal items of the staff such as mobile phones were lost.

“Consequently, Ward level registration of voters in Igboeze North is hereby suspended”, he declared.

“In spite of the attack, the Commission was able to continue with Ward level registration with the assistance of vigilantes provided by the Local Government authority. It is one of the centers that has now been attacked.

The incident has been reported to the Police for investigation”, Okoye added.

Stop the ‘senseless killings’ in Ogun, Group tells Abiodun, Ogun Assembly

Disturbed by the rate of cult clashes and attendant killings in recent times in Ogun State, a group of youths, under the aegis of ‘Gateway Progressive Youths’ has called on the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and members of the State House of Assembly to take necessary actions that will put an end to the killings.

The group, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Olamide David noted that the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun needs to perform his duty of protecting the lives of citizens wherever they might be within the state.

The statement reads, “these unfortunate incidents are just but an addition to the series of many other killings meted, particularly to young people. If the violence continues unchecked, Ogun State may slip into a killing field where the government and security agencies will become helpless”.

“The fact that these killings can occur in the open with emboldened courage is a clear indication that security is indeed falling apart in Ogun State”.

“The news of killings at one location or the other within the State has gradually become a norm”.

“We request that the government should without delay put an end to all needless
and avoidable killings and fish out all perpetrators of these evil acts to properly
bring them to book”.

“The sad losses of lives that were witnessed in different parts of the State over the last one week are heart-touching, frustrating, and to say the least, unpardonable”.

The group called on the state government to re-assess its security strategies with a view to unfolding a more holistic and all-inclusive approach.

INEC moves sensitive materials to LGAs ahead Osun election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has moved sensitive material to all the INEC offices in the 30 local government areas of Osun state ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship poll.

The officials of the commission moved the materials under heavy security to all the local governments around between 7 pm and 9:30 pm on Thursday from the headquarters of INEC situated along Gbongan/Osogbo road.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Abdulganiy Raji, while handing out the materials, said the electoral officers would take the items to their councils where they would be sent to the polling units on Saturday morning.

He added that the move is to ensure efficient dispatch of the items to the polling units on Saturday.

Super Falcons qualify for WAFCON semi-final

Rasheedat Ajibade scored the only goal of the quarter-final clash between Nigeria and Cameroon to send the Super Falcons through to the semi-finals of the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, and a record ninth consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance on Thursday.

Although the Cameroonians pushed for an equalizer, resolute defending from Nigeria denied them their bid to drag the game into extra time.

The qualification means Nigeria is among the club of seven countries that have made it to every FIFA Women’s World Cup since its inception in 1991.

Having sealed World Cup qualification, Randy Waldrum and his girls will now turn their attention to maintaining their dominance on the continent by winning a record-breaking 10th WAFCON.

But first, they must defeat WAFCON host Morocco, next Monday.