Top 5 Stories Of The Day | Petrol Price Rises to ₦2,500/litre in Akwa Ibom

• Petrol price rises to ₦2,500/litre in Akwa Ibom
• FG suspends four senior prison officers connected to the Bobrisky incident
• FG receives $600,000 relief fund from the Gates Foundation
• Goodluck Jonathan denies claims about missing $49.8 billion from gov’t
• SSANIP requests that Tinubu implement the new minimum wage

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

Petrol price rises to ₦2,500/litre in Akwa Ibom

The governor of Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno, has intervened as petrol price rises to ₦2,500/litre in the country, spreading panic among residents in the state.

The Governor created a 13-member Petroleum Products Monitoring Committee to solve the problem of fuel scarcity and sale price in the state as the new petrol price (₦2,500/litre) terrifies the people in Akwa Ibom and has tripled the cost of transportation.

According to reports, the price hike began when the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) members shut down filling stations over the seizure of trucks by the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta State.

FG suspends four senior prison officers connected to the Bobrisky incident

After being called for questioning by the EFCC and Minister of Interior, four senior prison officers in the National Correctional Service (NCoS) have been suspended for their illicit activities carried out in their position of power.

The suspension came due to the viral video by Vincent Otse (VeryDarkMan) against the Nigerian government, Bobrisky and Nigerian singer, Falz.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo called for a thorough investigation into the case to rid the NCoS of corruption.

FG receives $600,000 relief fund from the Gates Foundation 

The Gates Foundation has given the Nigerian government a $600,000 relief fund to hasten relief efforts for those affected by the Borno flood earlier this month and the health and agriculture industry.

News of the donation was shared by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who met the Global Development Programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Christopher Elias, while on a trip to the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

The announcement of the donation comes days after the federal government announced its establishment of a Disaster Relief Fund in light of recent tragic events in Nigeria.

Goodluck Jonathan denies claims about missing $49.8 billion from gov’t 

Nigerian ex-president Goodluck Jonathan rejected the allegations against him by the previous governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido, who claimed that $49.8 billion had gone missing from government coffers in 2013.

The former president refuted the allegations, saying he did not fire Sanusi Lamido over the missing money.

Goodluck Jonathan spoke at a book launch, clearing his name of any allegation made towards him by Sanusi. Jonathan recalled that the current Emir of Kano was suspended and not fired.

“He was not sacked but suspended because the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) queried the expenditure of CBN; the FRC has the power to audit the CBN, not the Auditor General. There were also serious infractions that needed to be looked at. That was the reason. Somehow, the time was short, but his tenure had elapsed before we finished. Probably he would have been called back,” he said.

SSANIP requests that Tinubu implement the new minimum wage

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic (SSANIP) asked President Tinubu to remember the workers he promised to aid by implementing the long-approved new minimum wage.

The SSANIP stated that its workers are starving and will soon be reduced to beggars if the government continues to operate with the old national minimum wage.

In a letter signed by SSANIP’s President, Comrade Philip A. Ogunsipe, and Secretary, Comrade Nura Shehu Gaya, urged Tinubu to hurry to implement his policies as workers are nearly at the edge of poverty.