• Tinubu attended Chicago State University – Reno Omokri
• Attacks on INEC offices won’t stop 2023 election – Yakubu
• Black marketers sell fuel for N350 per litre as scarcity intensifies in Lagos
• CJN swears in 62 new SANs
• FG begins 14-day paternity leave for civil servants

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

Tinubu attended Chicago State University – Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri, a former presidential media adviser, has stated that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, did, in fact, attend Chicago State University, despite previous allegations to the contrary.

To counter reports from certain sectors and individuals, he claimed he recently visited the school and received confirmation that Tinubu was enrolled there.

Reno claims that university records show Tinubu had a high-grade point average while studying accounting and went on to receive an honors degree.

This came after a recent TV appearance in which it was claimed that the University had denied having any records of Tinubu ever being a student there. In the program, Omokri claims to have visited the school to verify Tinubu’s attendance at the University of Chicago between August 1977 and June 1979.

Omokri released the documents and said voters should evaluate candidates based on their actual achievements, not on their promises. Omokri’s documents show that Tinubu attended Chicago State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with honors on June 22, 1979. Tinubu’s declared major was Accounting.

Also, Omokri further noted saying: “On September 19, 2022, I went to verify if Bola Tinubu attended the Chicago State University. I went there and there is video evidence that I went there. And, Chicago state university actually verified that Tinubu attended Chicago State University.

“I don’t like Tinubu. However, if I am going to criticize him, I am not going to criticize him based on lies.

“I was interviewed by Arise TV and one of the journalists told a lie that a subpoena was sent to the Chicago State University by a lawyer and that the Chicago state university responded to it to say that Tinubu did not attend the university. That is a lie.”

Omokri who shared the email address and phone number of the Chicago State University in a video urged everyone to go verify for themselves that Tinubu did attend the university and was a good student.

According to Omokri, journalists too should verify their claims properly before rushing to the press.

Attacks on INEC offices won’t stop 2023 election – Yakubu

On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reassured the public that attempts to disrupt the 2023 election by attacking its infrastructure will fail.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of INEC, made the promise during a meeting with Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, head of the Africa Union Special Pre-Electoral Political Mission.

Yakubu assured the public that the electoral materials lost in the attacks will be replaced by the commission.

Ebonyi was the most recent of three local government area offices throughout the country to be attacked on Sunday.

He said, “So far, we can recover from all the losses but it’s a source of concern. This shouldn’t be allowed to continue.”

Yakubu added that security agencies would be engaged to protect INEC facilities ahead of the general polls.

Black marketers sell fuel  for N350 per litre as scarcity intensifies in Lagos

Many gas stations in Lagos experienced long lines as black market prices for petrol hovered around N350 per liter.

On Monday, some retailers reported they sold the product for N320 to N350 per liter.

Prior to this price change, retailers were selling petrol for N250 per litre. A shopkeeper in Satellite Town explained that their price hike to N350 per liter was necessary because of the product’s rising cost at gas stations.

Read also: NNPC petrol price without subsidy is N400/litre – Marketers explain the reason for fuel scarcity

Motorists have had to put up with the scenario for roughly a week, as reports of lines at petrol stations and the closure of others surfaced on Monday.

People waited in long lines at the NNPC Limited gas stations on Ishefun road, Ayobo and Oregun road, and Opebi, Ikeja.

Across the state, transport fares have also increased due to petrol scarcity.

“The price of the fare increased from N150 to N200,” a commuter said

“I had to queue under the sun for 12 minutes to board a minibus. Just imagine. Yesterday, I also had to queue to get petrol. It is tiring.”

In a phone interview with TheCable, Mike Osatuyi, national operations controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), said limited petroleum products at depots caused the scarcity.

“We don’t have fuel. If there is fuel, then we have something to sell. The little that’s available, we are buying at N205. When you add transport, that’s about N213 before you can add your profit. That’s the truth,” Osatuyi said.

CJN swears in 62 new SANs

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Monday, swore in 62 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) in Abuja.

Some of the lawyers conferred with the SAN rank were, Mr. Mustapha Ibrahim, Mr. Ikani Kanu-Agabi, and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lawyers Mr. Sylvanus Tahir and Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo.

The CJN urged the new SANs to take on their new status with all sense of responsibility as it required high standards of merit.

“I would like to say that the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria comes with immense prestige, dignity, and greater responsibilities as well.

“Traditionally, those conferred with the rank automatically become members of the Inner Bar and revered apostles of the temple of justice. It is an honour no conferee can afford to toy with.

“The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee took time to screen and assess all the relevant documents submitted by the applicants before arriving at its decision. I can confidently affirm that the committee has done an excellent job.

“The number of applicants for the 2022 Senior Advocate of Nigeria award is 174. Out of this number, 111 are advocates and 63 are academics.

“The total number of qualified applicants after the preliminary screening is 129; comprising 73 legal practitioners and 56 academics respectively.

“After conducting the specified screening and filtration exercises, the LPPC came up with 62 successful candidates who, by all standards, can be regarded as eminently deserving of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria,” he said.

FG begins 14-day paternity leave for civil servants

The Federal Government has approved the commencement of a 14-working-day paternity leave for federal civil servants.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, said this on Monday in a circular with ref no: HCSF/SPSO/ODD/NCE/RR/650309/3, dated 25th November 2022.

The circular titled, ‘Computation of Leave Based on Working Days and Approval of Paternity Leave in the Public Service’, said that this was in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules, 2021 Edition.

“Government has also approved Paternity Leave for serving male officers whose spouse delivers a baby. The period of the leave shall be fourteen working days. The leave shall not be more than once in two years, and a for maximum of four children.

“Where the family of a male officer adopts a child under four months old, the officer will similarly enjoy Paternity Leave for a period of fourteen working days,” Yemi-Esan said.

She said that the request for such leave shall be accompanied by the Expected Date of Delivery’s report of the officer’s wife or evidence of approval of the adoption of the child by the relevant government bodies.

She said the bonding was important to help the newly-born or adopted baby properly bond with the father in the early period.

“We’ve also gotten approval to include paternity leave. This is something that is new. And this is something that the unions in the service asked that we include, and luckily, we’ve been able to include it.

“We’ve also been able to ensure that leave now is calculated based on working days, not on calendar days, that also has been approved. We also have introduced the transition from paper service to a digital service. So these are some of the new things that are in the new PSR that has just been approved by the federal executive council,” she said.