Newspapers Today: 10 things to know this Monday morning

Good morning, here are 10 things to know this morning in today’s newspapers

1. President Muhammadu Buhari says he is fully in support of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s move to redesign the naira notes. Apex bank’s decision to redesign the N1,000, N500, and N200 notes, caused a stir last week after the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said she wasn’t aware of the decision. However, Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu, said he is aware of the redesigning and that he is “convinced that the nation will gain a lot by doing so”.

2. Twitter plans to start charging nearly $20 a month for users to stay verified. This is part of a premium service that will be rolled out under Elon Musk’s leadership, according to a report. “The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk, who took over as the CEO of the social media platform Friday, October 28, tweeted Sunday, October 30. The company also plans to raise its optional $4.99-a-month premium subscription called Twitter Blue to $19.99 a month. However, that price is subject to change, The Verge reported, citing internal correspondence and people familiar with the matter.

3. All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will on Tuesday, Nov. 1, in Lagos present his Action Plan to the leaders of the organised private sector. Mr Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council (APC), disclosed this in a statement on Sunday night in Abuja.

According to him, Tinubu will meet with business leaders and captains of industry at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, where he will present his action plan, adding that meeting would afford the economic players and thought leaders in the private sector an opportunity to interact with Tinubu and interrogate his action plan for Nigeria.

4. The Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN), yesterday, declared that there is no going back on its proposed seven-day strike, starting today, Monday, October 31, as its meeting with the Lagos State Government yielded no positive result.

5. President, Muhammadu Buhari, will today hold an emergency meeting with security chiefs in Abuja. Buhari, who was earlier scheduled to inaugurate the NASENI Complex, summoned the meeting which is expected to review and strengthen the security network in the country.

6. Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has rejected the redesigning of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), In a statement, the cleric described it as economic suicide for Nigerians, especially rural dwellers. According to him, 80 percent of Nigerians especially rural people, depend on cash transactions.

In a statement titled: “Changing the Naira: This is no time for economic kamikaze!”, Gumi said any policy that will cause more cash crunch will be a disaster for the nation. He further explained that the policy will not starve kidnappers of cash because they may decide to demand for dollars and other currencies to make life more harder to the people.

7. President Muhammadu Buhari will today hold an emergency meeting with security chiefs in Abuja. Buhari, who was earlier scheduled to inaugurate the NASENI Complex, summoned the meeting which is expected to review and strengthen the security network in the country. This is happening against the backdrop of the Saturday bomb blast in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, which claimed 100 lives and injured about 300 persons. On Sunday, the death toll rose to 104. Amid the travel advisories issued by the United States and the United Kingdom, Buhari had on Friday urged Nigerians to remain calm and vigilant.

8. As part of efforts to advocate for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, the Southeast Governors on Sunday suggested to the Federal Government that a political solution is still applicable to the situation. Naija News learnt that the Governors noted that despite the federal government’s stay of execution, they still believe a political solution can still be used to free Kanu.

The Governors’ reaction follows the federal government’s refusal to obey the Appeal Court’s judgement that discharged the IPOB leader and dismissed the six-count charge preferred against him by the federal government.

Kanu’s freedom had been described by the federal government as a threat to national security.

9. Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has hinted on the presidential candidate he would support amidst the fallout with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

He made a promise on Sunday to agree with the decision of the Yoruba social-cultural organization, Afenifere.

This is amidst reports that Afenifere is backing the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023.

10. The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has told Nigerians to vote for the next president of the country at the 2023 polls based on competence and integrity, and not based on religion.

Naija News reports that the governor, who was reported to have said this at the 16th Jesus Festival Dinner of the Ibadan Anglican Diocese held at the Ibadan Civic Centre, Agodi, Ibadan, noted that past records of candidates in the forthcoming presidential election should be the basis for Nigerians to judge who has the capability to lead Nigeria next year.