Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday, 8th March, 2025

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Former Presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, reportedly missed the opportunity to become the monarch of his hometown, Alaperu of Iperu Remo, in Ogun State, due to ill health.

Naija News reported that Okupe passed away on Friday morning at the age of 72 after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.

The Alaperu of Iperu Remo, Oba Adeleke Idowu-Basibo, passed away on February 6, 2025, at Babcock University Teaching Hospital, causing a profound loss to the town.

A family source who spoke to SaharaReporters disclosed that after the demise of Oba Idowu-Basibo, some kingmakers, including prominent sons and daughters of the town, approached Doyin to succeed the late monarch.

The source said the consideration was notable given that the deceased’s cousin cum Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, is a prominent son of the town.

However, Okupe declined the request because of his ill health and missed the opportunity to become the king.

The former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, visited ex-President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna State on Friday.

Naija News reports that El-Rufai’s meeting comes barely three days after President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, and the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, also visited Buhari.

The meeting between El-Rufai and Buhari was disclosed in a series of reposts made by the former governor via his X handle.

The post read, “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai paid a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his home in Kaduna today. Patiently waiting for somebody to call PMB irrelevant.

“The outcome of this meeting will decide if we are playing polo or not. Mallam @elrufai was accompanied by Jimi Lawal, @HafizBayero and Musa Halilu (Dujiman Adamawa).”

Nigeria experienced widespread blackouts again on Friday following a partial collapse of the national electricity grid, plunging several cities into darkness.

Naija News reports that the outage was attributed to a partial system failure from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which has continued to struggle with maintenance issues.

Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) reported a system outage around 2:00 p.m. on Friday, informing customers of the disruption.

“Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, 07/03/2025, at 14:00 hours, affecting supply within our network. Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders,” the company announced.

Eko Electricity Distribution Company also confirmed the situation, stating, “The current power situation is as a result of reduced power allocation from our TCN partners aimed at maintaining grid stability. The situation has resulted in unavoidable load shedding across our network.”

An official of the American International School, Abuja, testified on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja that former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello paid a total of $1,606,763.68 in tuition fees for his children, including an advance payment of $845,852 for future enrollment.

Naija News understands that Nicholas Ojehomon, an auditor at the school, disclosed this while testifying as a prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He confirmed that the payments covered the children’s tuition until graduation.

According to Ojehomon, the payments were made in two tranches, with one part allocated as an advance for future school fees. The testimony came as part of Bello’s ongoing trial over an alleged ₦80.2 billion fraud case filed by the EFCC.

During the proceedings, the prosecution presented financial records, including statements from the American International School, detailing the transactions. At a previous hearing on January 29, Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, testified under subpoena and submitted documents related to the payments.

The EFCC had earlier alleged that shortly before leaving office, Bello paid $760,000 in advance for his children’s school fees, which was later refunded following an investigation.

Ojehomon testified that Bello’s brother, Ali Bello, facilitated the payments, stating: “Mr. Ali Bello contacted the American International School, Abuja, on Friday, August 13, requesting to pay the Bello children’s school fees until they graduate. The school management accepted his offer.”

He revealed that the payments covered four of Bello’s children in Grades 8, 6, 4, and 2, with additional payments made for future enrollment, subject to availability from August 2022.

The Federal Government has commenced negotiations with the leadership of the National Assembly to resolve the crisis surrounding the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), following her six months’ suspension by the Senate.

Speaking at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Women Affairs, Iman Suleiman-Ibrahim, disclosed that efforts were ongoing to appeal for leniency and restore calm.

“We’re engaging all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy,” Suleiman-Ibrahim told State House correspondents during a Meet-the-Press Programme.

Naija News reports that her remarks came barely 24 hours after the Senate handed Akpoti-Uduaghan a six-month suspension over what the upper chamber described as bringing the Senate to disrepute.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of plotting to smear the former Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Udom Emmanuel.

Naija News reports that the PDP, in a statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party is aware of Akpabio’s plan to use media to engage in circulation of falsehood, misrepresentations and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption against Udom.

The opposition party stated that Akpabio is responsible for the fictitious figures of fraud allegation being indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is aimed at misleading the public.

PDP urged Senator Akpabio to leave the former Governor alone and focus on the many challenges facing him in the National Assembly.

The lawmaker representing Bauchi Central and a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi, has formally announced his candidacy for the governorship of Bauchi State in the upcoming 2027 elections under the PDP banner.

Naija News reports that this declaration was made on Friday during a meeting with PDP stakeholders in the Ganjuwa Local Government Area.

As the Deputy Majority Leader of the Nigerian Senate, Ningi expressed his dedication to the people of Bauchi State, emphasizing his unwavering loyalty to the party.

He clarified that his motivation to pursue this position stems not from personal ambition but from a genuine desire to serve the community at a more significant level of responsibility.

“I am not joining the gubernatorial race for fame or popularity—I have already made a name for myself. I have risen to the position of Deputy Senate Leader; what more do I need in terms of recognition?” he stated.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate over her allegation of sexual harassment against the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

In a statement on Friday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated that the action of the Akpabio-led Senate leadership against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan smacks of a desperation to cover up.

According to the PDP, the hasty suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan without an open investigation into the weighty allegation of sexual harassment against the Senate President not only negates the principle of fair hearing especially in parliamentary convention but also portrays the Senate as an institution that endorses, condones and offers protection to reprobacy.

The statement read: “The excessively harsh six months suspension on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan translates to denying the people of Kogi Central Senatorial Zone their Constitutional right of being represented in the Senate.

“It is scandalous, and amounts to gross abuse of office and violation of the fundamentals of justice and fair hearing for Senator Akpabio to sit as a judge in a matter in which he is the accused; a situation which validates public apprehension of a desperation by the embattled Senate President to suppress open legislative probe into the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against him.”

The opposition party pointed out that this would not be the first time Senator Akpabio is accused of sexual harassment.

The PDP said the current episode in the Senate reminds Nigerians of the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against Senator Akpabio by the former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Joi Nunieh.

German tactician, Jurgen Klopp, has shared his intention to attend Liverpool’s final match of the 2024-2025 Premier League season, after receiving an invitation from his successor, Arne Slot.

This marks Jurgen Klopp’s first return to Anfield since he stepped down after last season. He expressed a desire to wait until the end of the campaign to avoid any potential jinx on the team’s title aspirations.

Under Slot’s leadership, Liverpool has remarkably surpassed expectations this season. Currently, they hold a 13-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table and are poised to secure the title.

During a fundraiser in Cape Town, South Africa, Jurgen Klopp said, “Yes, the plan is to be back in Liverpool, but not on the bus. I plan to be there with the fans I used to see on the bus. I think I will attend the last game. I hesitated to come back earlier because I didn’t want to disrupt the team’s momentum and thought it best to wait until it was all settled.”

Reflecting on the team’s recent success, Liverpool manager Arne Slot referenced a quote from NBA legend Michael Jordan to address perceptions of luck surrounding their performances.

Sensational Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, has given reasons for her inability to sign upcoming artistes.

Naija News reports that Tiwa Savage, in an interview with Forbes Africa, said she does not have the gift to manage the behaviour of upcoming singers.

The 45-year-old further said she would instead build a music school for upcoming singers to learn and later get signed by a record label.

She said, “Everyone always ask when are you going to sign an artiste? I don’t think I have the gift to sign artistes because they are stressful. I could just wake up from sleep and my artiste is trending for something else.

“But I have the gift to help, which is why I’m trying to have a music school, where artiste can go and later sign to a label that can actually help.’’

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.