7 Headline News Tonight

 1) Northeast governors meet over insurgency, kidnapping

Governors of the Northeast on Thursday met in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, with insurgency and kidnapping topping the list in their agenda.

This was evident in speeches delivered by host Governor Ahmadu Fintiri who called on his colleagues to rally against issues that set the subregion back, including kidnapping.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, Fintiri also appealed to his colleagues to save the region from low rating indicators.

He spoke on the need to work for emptying of camps currently occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs) through an intensified fight against insurgency.

He called for collaborative effort against kidnapping in the region to allow people farmers work without fear of being kidnapped.

“There is so much we can achieve if we work together,” Fintiri concluded.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State who attended the meeting as Chairman of the North East Governor’s Forum identified insecurity as the most alarming common concern in the region.

“The most worrisome challenge confronting us remains the daunting issue of insecurity which has been causing excruciating loss of lives and property in the subregion.

“And the most devastating security challenge is the seemingly unending Boko Haram phenomenon which has a destructive effect on the socio-economic life of our people and which has inevitably displaced hundreds of thousands of people from across the North East,” Governor Zulum said.

He, like host Governor Fintiri, expressed the belief that together, the region’s common problems could be tackled if approached collectively.

2) Buhari Says Nigeria Will Strengthen Economic Cooperation With Algeria

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said Nigeria will continue to strengthen its economic cooperation with the Republic of Algeria in various areas.

According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari stated this while receiving the Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister, and Special Envoy of the Algerian President, Sabri Boukadoum, in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said the Trans-Sahara road, international gas pipelines, and other areas of economic cooperation would be given adequate attention for the good of the people of the two countries.

Buhari also emphasized the need for peace, tranquility and security in African countries, saying development and growth would depend a lot on how peaceful and secure the continent is.

He said: “Unless you secure your environment, you can’t manage it well. We should all secure our countries, because if we don’t, what do we then bequeath to the next generation? We can’t grow or develop in an insecure environment.

3) Wike warns Buhari against setting Nigeria on fire

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari to address the demands of Nigerians, or he will put the country “on fire”.

Wike’s comment comes two days after the federal government met with leaders in the South-South region.

At the meeting, the South-South leaders demanded the restructuring of Nigeria, in line with the principle of true federalism.

Wike, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, said: “We must understand in this country that political leadership is very key.

“Having the political will to implement what the people want is very serious.

“I don’t want to talk about the issue of distrust or no trust in government. People have raised such issues, that they don’t think that anything will come out of all this dialogue. I don’t agree with that. I believe that if the president does not do, given the opportunities he has now, then, he will be putting Nigeria on fire.”

4) Gowon breaks silence on UK Parliament’s claims he ‘stole half of Central Bank’

Former Nigeria head of state, Yakubu Gowon, has denied allegations that he took to the United Kingdom “half of the Central Bank of Nigeria”.

A member of the UK Parliament, Tom Tugendhat, made the claims during a debate on the Lekki tollgate shootings of protesters.

Tugendhat remarked that “we know that today, even now, in this great city of ours, there are, sadly, some people who have taken from the Nigerian people and hidden their ill-gotten gains here.” He said Gowon was one of them. According to him, Gowon took half of the CBN to the UK.

However, in an interview with the BBC, Gowon described the allegations as “rubbish”.

He said: “What the MP said is rubbish. I don’t know where he got that rubbish from. I served Nigeria diligently and my records are there for all to see.

“I did not want to speak on this issue because people that know me know that what the MP said is not true.”

Gowon was Nigeria’s Head of State from 1966 to 1975.

5) Railway: Nigeria uses loans to buy refurbished locomotives – Shehu Sani

Shehu Sani, on Thursday expressed concerns over the frequent breakdown of locomotives along the Abuja-Kaduna train network.

He stated in a tweet that the breakdown of the locomotives is exposing commuters to danger.

Sani who was the Chairman of, Senate Committee on Loans and grants while in office accused the government of buying refurbished locomotives.

He added that the Chinese contractors must replace the locomotives at no cost to the federal government.

“Faulty Train Locomotive; It’s painful and tragic for Our country to pay for substandard or refurbished locomotives with huge loans. The broken down locomotives along Kaduna Abuja is putting the lives of many in danger. The Chinese contractor must replace them at zero cost to the Govt.”

The frequent breakdown of locomotives had caused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi to apologize to Nigerians.

7) Boko Haram: Report Ranks Nigeria As 3rd Most Terrorized Country In The World

Nigeria has been ranked as the third most terrorized country in the world according to a fresh (2020) report by the Global Terrorism Index (GTI).

The report which was released on Wednesday, ranked Nigeria third only behind war-torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to the GTI report, Nigeria witnessed an increase in Boko Haram attacks in the period under review, witnessing her worst terrorist attack in 2019 in northeastern Borno State, where at least 70 people were killed and 10 others wounded when insurgents attacked at a funeral.

“Over the past year, Boko Haram increased attacks on military targets, with deaths rising from 26 in 2018 to 148 in 2019,” the report said.

However, the report recognized that terror-related incidents in the West African nation fell by 27% in the same period due to a significant reduction in violence attributed to killer herdsmen.

“Despite an overall decline in terrorism, Boko Haram, Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist group, recorded an increase in terrorist activity mainly targeted at civilians. Terror-related deaths and incidents attributed to Boko Haram in Nigeria increased by 25 and 30% respectively from the prior year.