Top 5 Stories Of The Day | NCC Announces Completion of NIN-SIM Linkage for all Phone Numbers

• NCC announces completion of NIN-SIM Linkage for all phone numbers
• TUC demands for reversal of petrol price to June 2023’s price
• Journalists en route to Uyo to cover Libya and Nigeria’s match kidnapped in Anambra
• New bill considers mandatory tax ID for opening bank accounts
• FG names Dana Air MD person of interest over ₦1.3 billion fraud

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

NCC announces completion of NIN-SIM Linkage for all phone numbers

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) announced that it has successfully fulfilled the NIN-SIM linkage policy the federal government imposed on all Nigerians’ phone numbers.

This information was shared by the Executive Vice-chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida. The NIN-SIM linkage policy was first announced in 2020 to quickly identify and improve national security.

“Today, there is no phone number we cannot associate with a verified NIN. Not just a number, but a number that has been verified,” Maida said.

TUC demands for reversal of petrol price to June 2023’s price

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has demanded that the federal government revert the price of petroleum in Nigeria back to the price in June 2023.

Recently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company announced that fuel would now be sold at ₦998/litre in Lagos and ₦1,030/litre in Abuja, whereas back in June 2023, petrol was sold between ₦195 and ₦238/litre.

Since the recent hike in the price of petrol, independent marketers have also joined in the price increment and are selling fuel at ₦1,200/litre.

The TUC President Festus Osifo suggested that the federal government provide Dangote Refinery with enough foreign exchange backing to reduce Nigerians’ suffering.

Journalists en route to Uyo to cover Libya and Nigeria’s match kidnapped in Anambra

Journalists travelling from Lagos State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom for coverage of the football match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Libya’s football club have been kidnapped by secessionists in Anambra.

According to reports, 11 sports journalists were travelling on a bus through Isseke around the Ihiala area, and they had not been seen since they passed that route.

However, since their kidnap, seven of the eleven have been rescued and returned to their families, the remaining four hostages under the captivity of the kidnappers.

New bill considers mandatory tax ID for opening bank accounts

A bill submitted to the National Assembly requests that commercial banks now demand a tax ID before any individual can be allowed to open a bank account or operate an existing one.

According to the bill, it would be a way towards tax compliance and bolster Nigeria’s revenue collection process

Failure to comply with these new requirements in the bill once approved will result in administrative penalties such as paying a sum of ₦50,000 in the first month of refusal then followed by ₦25,000 consecutively.

FG names Dana Air MD person of interest over ₦1.3 billion fraud

The federal government has announced its search of Dana Air Managing Director, Hathiramani Ranesh for arrest after committing fraudulent activities worth ₦1.3 billion.

The federal government opened up on Ranesh’s arrest after he refused to show up in court for his arraignment.

Counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation, Mojisola Okeya, made an application against Ranesh but in the first count, Ranesh and two other businesses and unidentified people were accused of committing a crime on the property of Dana Steel Rolling Factory in 2018.