News on the Go: 5 things that should matter to you today

• Tinubu promises ECOWAS protection for Mali, Niger, B’Faso’s citizens
• Akpabio declares Okpebholo’s Senate seat vacant
• Saudi Arabia gave ‘assurances’ over LGBTQ fans at World Cup – English FA

We have highlighted the five most important developments in the news today, Thursday, December 12, and present them below.

5 issues in the news that should matter to you today

1. Tinubu promises ECOWAS protection for Mali, Niger, B’Faso’s citizens: President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to pursuing diplomatic solutions to the political impasse in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, ensuring that innocent citizens are not made to bear the brunt of the actions of military regimes.

According to a statement on December 12 by the President's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, titled ‘We’ll handle return of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso with wisdom, diplomacy, President Tinubu tells German President.’, Tinubu spoke on December 11 when he received the President of Germany, Frank–Walter Steinmeier, in a state visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

2. Fed govt assures of stable power grid with completion of Siemens Project Phase 1: The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has assured Nigerians that the nation’s power grid will achieve significant stability following the completion of phase one of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), also known as the Siemens project.

The assurance came on Wednesday, December 11, coinciding with another national grid collapse, the 12th incident in 2024.

3. Akpabio declares Okpebholo’s Senate seat vacant: On December 11, The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, declared the Edo Central Senatorial Seat vacant and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a by-election to fill the vacancy.

The seat was occupied by Senator Monday Okpebholo, who exited the Senate following his election as the Governor of Edo State.

The Senate President declared the seat vacant in accordance with Section 68(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which states that a federal lawmaker’s seat becomes vacant upon their assumption of another public office.

4. COVID-19 variant: Inbound passengers to present health declarations: The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has alerted the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors to the new COVID-19 XEC  variant, which has been reported in Australia and 22 other countries.

On December 11, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) declared that health declaration forms must be filled out for Nigeria-bound passengers.

5. Saudi Arabia gave ‘assurances’ over LGBTQ fans at World Cup – English FA: England’s Football Association said it had received assurances from Saudi Arabia that LGBTQ fans would be “safe and welcome” at the 2034 World Cup, explaining its support for the successful bid from the Gulf state.

FIFA confirmed on December 11 that the Middle East nation would host the tournament, underlining the kingdom’s growing influence in world sport despite criticism of its human rights record.