Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines For Today, Thursday, 18th November, 2021

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Ezenwoko’s Blog roundup of top newspapers headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 18th November 2021

The United States has removed Nigeria from its list of countries that engaged in or tolerate ‘systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that the US Govt have now blacklisted Russia, China and eight other countries as religious freedom violators.

This was made known in a statement on Wednesday titled, ‘Religious Freedom Designations’, by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Recall that Blinken, who is set to visit Nigeria soon, had in 2020 placed Nigeria and six other countries on its special watch list of states that had engaged in or tolerated the severe violation of religious freedom.

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, says the agency does not have a diamond bra allegedly belonging to former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that Bawa made this known during an appearance on a programme on Television Continental on Wednesday.

Several reports have it that the antigraft agency recovered a diamond bra called ‘Heavenly Stars’ made by Victoria Secrets and other luxury possessions from Madueke’s residence.

The reports had claimed that the underwear is one of the most expensive bras in the world with 1,200 pink Sapphires and diamonds at the centre of it.

But the EFCC chairman denied reports the agency’s operatives recovered the diamond bra worth $12.5m from the apartment of the former minister.

A storey building in Flour Mills Estate, Magbon in Badagry area of Lagos State, has collapsed, leaving many people trapped under the rubbles.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that this was made known in a statement on Facebook signed by the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye.

According to LSFRS, five people have been rescued from the collapsed building which was under construction.

The agency stated that four individuals have also been rescued unconscious as residents and police officers are helping emergency workers.

The statement disclosed that those who have been rescued were taken to the hospital.

Suspected Ambazonia separatist militants from Cameroon have reportedly attacked in Takum LGA of Taraba State killing the village head and some residents of Manga community.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that this was made known by the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha, during Senate plenary on Wednesday.

While stressing that the attack threatens Nigeria’s territorial integrity, Senator Bwacha (PDP-Taraba South) revealed that the separatists burnt down the village.

He called on security agents to, as a matter of urgency, swing into action to prevent Manga community falling into the hands of Ambazonia fighters.

The Senator stated that the motive of the group is unknown as no one knows whether they want to “expand territory or lay claim for Southwest Cameroon.”

The secretariat of the All Progressives Congress located in Blantyre Street in Abuja was on Wednesday taken over by armed policemen spotted in four patrol vehicles.

The policemen spotted at the secretariat of the ruling party were complimented by operatives of the Department of State Service, to stop the breakdown of law and order.

The security operatives were mobilised to the secretariat following a planned protest by members of the APC against the party’s leadership over the conduct of the recently conducted ward, local government and state congresses.

The National Youths Service Corps has lamented the increasing rate of drug abuse and addiction among corps members in Nigeria.

Speaking on Wednesday (today) at the 2021 corps employers workshop in Akure, Ondo State capital, the state Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs Victoria Ani, said most corps members are now into serious drug intake.

She feared that the ugly development will continue to ruin the life of the corps involved if NYSC management fails to urgently address the situation.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that the coordinator appealed to the employers of the corps members to assist in rehabilitating the youths rather than rejecting them.

The stakeholders who attended the workshop had earlier complained that many corps members deployed in their establishments for places of primary assignment engaged in various acts of drug abuse and smoking of weeds (Indian hemp).

Following the gas explosion that rocked the Ladipo area of Mushin, Lagos State, on Tuesday, the Senate has ordered an investigation into the incident.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that the fatal incident resulted in the death of five persons, with 10 others injured and 12 properties totally destroyed.

During Wednesday’s plenary, Senator Olamilekan Adeola (APC – Lagos West) raised a motion on the floor of the Senate calling for an urgent need to investigate the explosion.

After much deliberation, the red chamber immediately ordered the probe of the remote and immediate causes of the explosion.

It directed its Committees on Petroleum Downstream and Gas to carry out the investigation and report back with a view to avoiding future occurrences.

Former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Senator Victor Umeh, says the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has every reason to agitate for Biafra Republic.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports Umeh made this known during an appearance on Channels Television on Wednesday.

He stated that agitations by the proscribed group should be immediately addressed in order for peace to return to the South-East zone.

Umeh added that issues of marginalisation of the Igbos in the Nigerian polity should be properly attended to by dialogue and persuasion.

The former Senator said the sit-at-home order by IPOB and the palpable insecurity in Anambra almost threatened the November 6 governorship election in the state.

Umeh, however, revealed that critical stakeholders in the region such as traditional rulers and religious leaders reached out to IPOB to ensure that the election was held.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed the reason he convened the 2014 National Conference.

Jonathan said he convened the Nationa confab in 2014 to address the issues causing division and discord in the country at that time.

He made this known at an event in Abuja in memory of the first Nigerian President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, organised by a socio-political group, Igbo Nsukka United Front.

The former President, who was honoured with the Zik merit award, noted that the government needs to immediately address Nigeria’s diversity in order to improve the nation’s socio-economic development.

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani has raised a fresh alarm over the effrontery with which bandits now operate and carry out activities in some parts of Nigeria.

The former lawmaker in a submission via his Twitter account on Wednesday said it’s a thing of concern that bandits are no longer just executing raids and attacks on innocent citizens but have now grown to installing traditional rulers and collecting levies in some communities.

He lamented that bandits now dabble into state functions which should be the exclusive reserve of the government such as collecting taxes, imposing fines, and installing religious and traditional rulers while those constitutionally empowered to take such actions seem helpless.

In an earlier post also in which he referenced the general insecurity in Nigeria, the former Kaduna lawmaker had also sarcastically stated that while some institutions such as ASUU, NUPENG, and others are threatening strike actions, bandits are already ‘striking’ every day.”

Those are the top Nigerian newspapers headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Ezenwoko’s Blog. See you again tomorrow.

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