Straight From the Headlines! What Everyone was Talking About This Week

Good evening Bellanaijarians and welcome to another weekly round up of trending news stories that made headlines across the country this week.

How has your week been? We hope it has been splendid!

As usual, it’s been an eventful week and the headlines have been buzzing with a range of news stories. One topic that really created a buzz was the debate over the health condition of the First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan. After a news report revealed that she was hospitalized in Germany for an ailment, the Presidency released a report to counter that saying she was just resting. However, that was followed by more reports and claims that she was actually ill and undergoing treatment in a German hospital.

Similarly, the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke was reported to be receiving treatment in a London hospital for a serious medical condition. She also later denied this.

The actual state of their health is still uncertain but we wish both women well.

Here’s a recap of major stories that made headlines this week:

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The Federal Government has approved N106 billion for the construction of 11 new international airport terminal buildings. Aviation Minister Stella Oduah announced this on Thursday. She told a news conference in Abuja that the new international terminal projects were different from the ongoing remodeling and reconstruction of 11 airports in the country. She said the 11 new projects would include five international terminals for commercial flights and six for perishable cargoes. Oduah also said that the FEC had given approval for the award of contracts for the immediate take off of construction work on the five terminals for international flights. They are Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Enugu. The six perishable cargo terminals will be in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Asaba.

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday condemned the introduction of a new N5,000 note into the economy, saying it would kill production and affect small businesses negatively. Obasanjo, who spoke at a roundtable advocacy forum organised by the Institute of Directors, Nigeria, in Lagos, condemned the approach of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi. Obasanjo insisted that the manner in which Sanusi is fighting inflation by removing money from circulation was improper. While speaking on the cost of doing business in the country, Obasanjo called on stakeholders and government agencies to rise up to the challenge.

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Four lecturers of the Igbinedion University were confirmed dead in Wednesday’s Ovia River auto crash near Ekiadolor in Edo State. The lecturers, all from the Department of Business Administration, were on their way to Benin to attend the 78th birthday anniversary celebration of business magnate and father of Lucky Igbinedion,  former governor of Edo State, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion  when the accident occurred. An eyewitness told NAN that a trailer coming from Benin, in an attempt to avoid a failed portion on the road, drove on the lane of the oncoming Audi car with the lecturers, forcing it to crash into the river. The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Okika, confirmed the death of the lecturers.

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The Lagos State Government has said 87 per cent of the residents in the state are literate. Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Abdul-Fatai Olukoga, explained that the figure meant that over 17.5 million out of the 20 million people living in the state could read and write. He said this at a press conference in Lagos on Thurday as part of activities to celebrate the 2012 International Literacy Day in the state. He added that the government was designing more programmes to make sure that the less than three million illiterate people become literate. He also added that the Government has established different programmes spread across local government areas to improve literacy level in the state, especially in rural communities.

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Titilayo Ojo, a 17 year-old lady of Kado village of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was arraigned at an Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for committing adultery with her neighbour’s husband. The prosecutor, Sgt. Sim Emmanuel, told the court that on August 30, 2012, one Mrs. Idongesit Sunday of Kado village, Abuja, reported the accused at the Life Camp Police station. Emmanuel said Sunday reported that the complainant caught the accused having sexual intercourse with her husband on her matrimonial bed on August 29. He added that when Sunday picked up a quarrel with her husband over the incident, he poured a pot of boiling water, which contained pepper, on her. Emmanuel told the court that Sunday had since been admitted at the Asokoro General Hospital, following injuries she sustained in the attack. The accused, however, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charge.

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The umbrella body of the telecoms operators, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, on Thursday threatened to withdraw their services from the  North. It said its members were losing too much to the spate of attacks on base stations which has made them to lose a whopping N1.03bn.  With the recent development, they said they may have to close shop if it became too dangerous to operate in the region. The major GSM providers – MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat – are all members of ALTON. Gunmen, also on Thursday reportedly bombed a base station belonging to an indigenous telecoms infrastructure company, IHS Nigeria, in Kano, barely 24 hours after the attack on several base stations in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe states.

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Former United States President Bill Clinton on Wednesday night endorsed US President Barack Obama for re-election as the Democratic National Convention’s candidate. Clinton delivered a thumping endorsement of Obama, saying his policies were slowly healing the country and would lead to dramatic improvement in a second term, the Los Angeles Times reports. In his remark, he said “No president, not me or any of my predecessors, could have repaired all the damage in just four years. But conditions are improving, and if you’ll renew the president’s contract you will feel it.”

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How do you feel about the news that made headlines in the country this week? What other stuff happened that you would like to share?

Have a great weekend!