Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know this Thursday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed Jose Peseiro as the new Super Eagles manager. The federation confirmed this in a statement, saying the decision was taken during its executive meeting held on Wednesday.

2. Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, has announced his recovery from COVID-19. He disclosed this in a Facebook post, on Wednesday.

3. Katsina State Government says it will lift the ban on telecommunication services in the remaining seven affected local government areas (LGAs) before January 2022. The governor, Aminu Bello Masari, who disclosed this during a media parley with journalists on Tuesday in Katsina, urged residents to do their best to protect their areas from bandit attacks.

4. The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said the agency is working with international partners to ensure Nigeria gets vaccines with long expiration dates. Adeyeye spoke against the backdrop of the one million doses of vaccines that expired in November.

5. A district head identified as Alhaji Umaru Bawan Allah has been shot dead in an attack on Gada community in Maru local government area of Zamfara State. Residents said dozens of armed men stormed the community around 1am and went house to house, picking identified targets and shooting them dead.

6. World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has expressed optimism that COVID-19 pandemic will end in 2022. Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing on Wednesday that it was two years ago, as people gathered for New Year’s Eve celebrations, that a new global threat emerged.

7. The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari has called on citizens residing in the State to acquire arms with a view to protecting themselves from incessant attacks by bandits, now bedevilling the Northwest region of Nigeria.

8. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accredited 51 observer groups for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, scheduled for Feb. 12, 2022. The commission, in its daily bulletin issued on Wednesday in Abuja, disclosed that the approved list comprised 50 domestic organisations and one international organization.

9. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, that his regime will do everything in its power to improve access to foreign exchange for importation of raw materials and machines that are not available locally. Buhari said this on Wednesday at the State House during an advocacy visit of the leadership of MAN.

10. The 2023 general elections may be in jeopardy, unless concerted efforts are made to halt the worsening insecurity, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warned yesterday. According to the electoral agency, the mounting security challenges and electoral impunity cannot guarantee a conducive atmosphere for the electoral process.