- FG tightens border surveillance as Mpox cases hit 39
- Tinubu seeks home-grown solutions to African problems
- FG has turned Nigerians into beggars through palliatives, says Afe Babalola
We have highlighted the five most important developments in the news today, Friday, August 16, and present them below.
5 issues in the news that should matter to you today
1. FG tightens border surveillance as Mpox cases hit 39: The Federal Government has intensified monitoring and screening procedures at all entry points into the country in response to the monkeypox outbreak.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, August 15, signed by his Special Adviser on Media and External Relations, Tashikalmah Hallah.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, on Thursday, August 15, also reported 39 confirmed cases of mpox but no deaths across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory from the beginning of 2024.
2. Court orders forfeiture of Emefiele’s $2.4m, Lagos, Delta assets: The Federal High Court in Lagos, on August 15, ordered the interim forfeiture of $2.04 million and seven properties connected to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Akintayo Aluko made the order following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate alleged fraudulent activities linked to Emefiele. He stated that the interim forfeiture was necessary to prevent the dissipation of the assets suspected to be the proceeds of unlawful activities.
The properties in question include prime real estate in Lekki and Ikoyi, Lagos, and a large industrial complex under construction in Agbor, Delta State.
3. Tinubu seeks home-grown solutions to African problems: Africa should seek home-grown solutions to its myriads of socio-economic and political challenges, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on August 15 during a dinner on his three-day visit to Equatorial Guinea.
He called for closer collaboration and solidarity on the continent, saying that partnership among the countries is critical to problem-solving and development.
4. Ganduje lambasts Yusuf over court papers theft claim: The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, described as ridiculous and unreasonable the insinuation by the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, that he (Ganduje) hired miscreants masquerading as protesters to break into the state high court and steal some 'sensitive documents’ relating to his (Ganduje’s) corruption trial.
In a statement on August 15 by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Ganduje said Yusuf’s claim about stolen court documents called into question his capacity to handle Kano State’s security and judicial system.
5. FG has turned Nigerians into beggars through palliatives, says Afe Babalola: The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, on August 15, took a swipe at the Federal Government over the distribution of palliatives, describing it as an attempt to turn Nigerians into beggars and lead them to poverty.
Babalola made this known when the Prestige Sisters League came on a thank-you visit to him at the ABUAD campus.