Things you need to know today wednesday 28/09/2022

1. Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Uche Secondus, yesterday, accepted his appointment as an adviser to presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar. Amid anger in the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike’s camp, the former national chairman of the opposition party expressed readiness to work with the ex-vice president.

2. The Federal Government (FG) on Monday withdrew its earlier directive asking the management of Vice-Chancellors of universities “to ensure that the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) resume and commence lectures immediately.”

3. There was a heavy presence of security operatives at the Osun State High Court yesterday morning as the governorship election tribunal commenced sitting. Governor Gboyega Oyetola is challenging the result of the July 16 guber election as announced by the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC).

4. The bandits, who kidnapped three sisters in Kaduna, including a pregnant housewife that gave birth in captivity, have threatened to kill the hostages, including the newborn baby if the family failed to pay N50m ransom within two days. The three sisters were kidnapped on July 17, 2022, at their family house in the Mando area of the State where they were taking care of their sick mother.

5. The national grid crashed to zero megawatts (MW) at 10:51am on Monday, causing a nationwide outage. The development occurred days after electricity consumers said they had enjoyed improved supply.

6. Some retired military officers, on Monday, defied early morning downpour to stage the third phase of their protest at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, Abuja. The protesters lamented the non-payment of their Security Debarment Allowance, among others.

7. The Nigerian Army has produced pamphlets to guide the conduct of its personnel during the forthcoming 2023 general elections. The Commandant, Nigeria Army Institute of Science Education and Technology (NAISET), Major General Bello Alhaji Tsoho, made this known during the graduation of the 3rd quarter courses of the institute in Ilorin.

8. The Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Monday justified its decision to back the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for the 2023 elections. The group’s leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, made its position known at a press conference in Lagos.

9. Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has ordered the closure of a new generation church, The New Jerusalem Deliverance Ministry, Okene for allegedly defrauding members by selling “bulletproof water” and running an unapproved medical facility. The Pastor of the church, Peter Adeiza, is said to have been operating the facility since 2008.

10. The Bayelsa State Police Command on Monday paraded the suspected kidnap kingpin, John Ikechuwkwu Ewa, alias ‘John Lyon’. Ewa, who was arrested earlier in Abuja, was paraded alongside three other members of his kidnapping gang at the Police Officers’ Mess in Yenagoa.