• No consequences for Nigerians unable to recite the new national anthem
• Nigeria in a legal battle with Chinese firm as firm demands $70 million arbitration award
• CBN reports Nigeria’s employment level declined in July
• Mpox Outbreak: Vaccines may take months as virus spreads across Africa
• FG warns fuel marketers against hoarding, threatens to revoke their licences

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

No consequences for Nigerians unable to recite the new national anthem

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who had earlier submitted the Counter Subversion Bill (which aimed at stifling the rights of Nigerians), has withdrawn the bill after Nigerians spoke out against the incrimination of civilians and taking their rights of freedom to life.

Part of the listed crimes in the now-withdrawn bill was the consequences that awaited any Nigerian who was unable or refused to recite the new “Nigeria, we hail thee” national anthem.

The bill proposed a 10-year imprisonment and a ₦5 million fine to anyone guilty of not reciting the anthem, speaking out against any person or group of people in power (political or religious), and more.

Nigeria in a legal battle with Chinese firm as firm demands $70 million arbitration award

A Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, has taken up a legal battle with the Nigerian government barely a year after Nigeria won the legal battle against the Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) deal.

The Chinese firm claims a contract which was signed in 2007 between the company and the Ogun State Government was aborted, leading to a court in France permitting Zhongshan Fucheng to enforce the $70 million arbitration fee on Nigeria.

The exact order also permitted the Chinese company to seize three of the Presidential jets under maintenance in France, ignoring Nigeria’s sovereign immunity defence to the payment of the $70 million.

Through Zhuhai Zhongfu, Zhongshan Fucheng secured a contract deal with the Ogun State Government to establish a free trade zone in the state in 2010, but in 2016, Zhongshan accused Ogun State of trying to terminate the contract.

CBN reports Nigeria’s employment level declined in July

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reported that employment levels in Nigeria declined significantly in July 2024, as the industry sector employment level was recorded at 47.0 points.

The Central Bank, through its Purchasing Manager Index (PMI), claimed that eight employment sub-sectors reported contraction while seven sub-sectors reported growth in the previous month.

Mpox Outbreak: Vaccines may take months as virus spreads across Africa

With the spread of monkeypox worldwide, the African CDC has announced that it has secured $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union to acquire 3 million vaccine doses.

So far, the African continent has reported over 15,000 suspected cases of Monkeypox while Nigeria has only reported a case of 39 with no dead victims. Most of the victims of the disease were recorded to be Congolese children.

However, in recent news, a strange variant of the virus has broken out in eastern Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya.

FG warns fuel marketers against hoarding, threatens to revoke their licences

Amidst the ongoing fuel scarcity in Nigeria, the federal government has resolved to withdraw the operating licences of fuel marketers who are hoarding petrol as queues for fuel continue to increase in states like Abuja, Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa.

The federal government stated that it was unbearable to watch so many fuel stations across the country littered with vehicles and civilians who were desperate to buy petrol due to the fuel scarcity in the country, therefore, the FG stated that anyone found hoarding the PMS for their selfish gains risk losing their operating licences.

The Federal Government through its Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), warned the fuel stations hoarding petrol and those selling black markets in kegs would face the consequences if caught.