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

1. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has rejected the N40 billion earmarked for it in the 2025 budget. Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, rejected the estimate during budget defence before a joint committee session on INEC and Electoral Matters, at the National Assembly on Friday.

2. Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun on Friday said the economic reforms of the President Bola Tinubu administration, including the market-based pricing of premium motor spirit, PMS, and adjustments to foreign exchange policies, have saved the country approximately N930 billion in previously lost revenue. He said the N930 billion represents about five per cent of revenue losses addressed through these measures.

3. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that his inability to keep his mouth shut on national and international issues led him to jail under the military junta of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha in 1995. In an interview on Friday, Obasanjo said going to prison was a challenge to him because he refused to keep quiet on issues that happened in the country at the time.

4. The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria and the National Union of Local Government Employees have called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that state governors comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy. In an interview on Friday, ALGON Secretary-General, Mohammed Abubakar, expressed concern over the delay in the implementation of the LG autonomy, lamenting that issues about the LG autonomy had been complicated, while the governors continued to interfere with the process.

5. The government of the United States of America has repatriated no less than $52.88m linked to a former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. The funds were said to be from the forfeiture of the Galactica assets linked to Alison-Madueke and her associates.

6. The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Friday, overruled the verdict of the Federal High Court, Kano Division, over the appointment of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. In the Kano State Government’s appeal on the chieftaincy issue, the appellate court overturned the lower court’s decision, which had questioned Sanusi’s appointment as the 16th Emir of Kano.

7. Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested four Chinese nationals and 101 Nigerians in a business apartment in the Gudu area of Abuja over suspected internet fraud. The commission announced the arrests on Thursday, 9 January 2025, via a tweet on its X handle on Friday.

8. The Nigeria Police Force on Friday confirmed the arrest of an unnamed individual in Enugu State who was involved in a procurement fraud worth N1.09 billion. While details surrounding the arrest weren’t explained, the police noted that the matter was investigated by the NPF-National Cyber Crime Centre, adding that the funds had been recovered.

9. The Department of State Services has arrested a 32-year-old blogger, identified as Augustus, for cloning its official website and posting a fake recruitment notice. The suspect, from Akwa Ibom State, was apprehended on Thursday at his residence on Akpan Eno Lane in Abak.

10. Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has approved the appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo. The development comes two years after the death of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, former occupier of the throne and the crisis that trailed appointment of his successor.