CSU Records Finally Released & more – 5th Oct 2023

Sannu from BA! This is the Rorshok Nigeria Update from the 5th of October twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Nigeria.

On Monday, the 2nd, the Chicago State University (or CSU) released the academic records of President Tinubu to opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar Recall that Nancy Maldonado, the judge of a US District Court had ordered a suspension of the release of Tinubu's results on Tuesday, the 19th of September. However, on Saturday, the 30th, she adopted the earlier ruling of Jeffrey Gilbert, a judge of a U.S. magistrate court. So, the objections of Tinubu's lawyers were dismissed, as Maldonado said that releasing the academic records was in the interest of the Nigerian public.

Some of the documents released to Atiku's lawyers were Tinubu's admission records, copies of certificates similar to the one issued to Mr. Tinubu, and a letter confirming that he attended the university. However, another controversy arose as the Institution's logo in the records the CSU released was different from the one in the documents the president had submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Another issue that has divided the public was the gender inconsistency in some of the documents. According to the CSU, this could have been just a clerical error.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the 1st, President Tinubu announced a provisional wage increase of forty-three dollars for all federal workers. This means that the new wage stands at eighty dollars. However, this will only last for six months, when an official minimum wage will be announced. The labor unions welcomed the increase and subsequently suspended the planned indefinite strike marked for Tuesday, the 3rd. Still, labor unions will only suspend the strike for thirty days to give the federal government time to implement the new wage and satisfy several other demands submitted to the executive.

In other news, The Nigerian Air Force (or NAF) has killed many terrorists living around the Lake Chad side of Borno State. Reportedly, the NAF's air strikes also wiped out hideouts and logistics bases of the gunmen. Edward Gabkwet, a spokesperson of the NAF, said that the military attacked the terrorists between the 27th and 30th of September after receiving intel that the terrorists had gathered to assail citizens and military formations within the area. He also vowed that the military forces will continue to share information in a bid to neutralize all terrorists within the Northeast region, where most terrorist attacks take place within the country.

Speaking of the military, The Nigerian Army will look into allegations against some of its personnel who have been singled out for diverting funds meant for soldiers providing security to the Chinese workers at the Hydroelectric Power Dam in Niger State. On Tuesday, the 3rd, General Onyema Nwachukwu, an Army Brigadier General and Director of Army Public Relations, said that the army will also look at the quality of food provided to soldiers, how the food is transported and other factors that have left loopholes for the stealing of funds.

What is happening at Obafemi Awolowo University (or OAU)?

On Tuesday, the 3rd, students of the university halted academic activities in the school by shutting down OAU’s main campus gate. Reportedly, the students are demanding a 50% reduction in tuition fees. This comes after many federally-owned schools, including OAU, increased tuition fees by over 200%. Many students have also taken to social media to express their grievances. Both students who self-fund their education and the ones who rely on their parents or sponsors said that they won’t be able to cope with the new tuition fees.

In more news on education, sadly, Nigeria has lost another icon, the first Emeritus Professor in the country. Umaru passed away on Monday, the 2nd at ninety-seven years old. He was a professor of medicine who possessed a visiting professorship to the University of North Carolina. Shehu was also crucial to the establishment of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Physicians.

Back to politics. The Senate has blocked first-term senators from holding major positions in the Senate. On Tuesday, the 3rd, the Senate amended part of its standing orders to prevent new senators from vying for Senate President and Deputy Senate President. A few months ago, Yari Abdulaziz, a first-time senator contested against Godswill Akpabio, the current Senate President. Reportedly, the new amendment will prevent an event of this kind from happening again. Moving forward, a senator vying for the office of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President must have spent at least a single term of four years in the Senate.

Still on issues in the Senate. On Tuesday, the 4th, Abass Lawal, a nominee for the ministerial post, suddenly fell while being screened during the plenary in the Senate. Traditionally, members of the Senate interview all ministerial nominees. Lawal, who is sixty-five years old, slumped shortly after giving his introductory speech at the Senate podium. Subsequently, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, asked doctors to help Lawal, and also directed the television cameras to stop recording. When the news broke, social media platforms were awash with comments on the incident. Many Nigerians faulted the government for having too many old individuals in its cabinet. However, this didn't stop the Senate from ratifying the appointment of Lawal forty-five minutes after his fall.

On Entertainment news, the twenty-two-year-old Ilebaye Precious, who was one of the underdogs of the Big Brother Naija TV reality show, won this year's All Stars edition, which featured top stars from previous editions. There was a poll and she got the highest amount of votes. Ilebaye walked away with one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Still on entertainment, we've got more news on Mohbad's death. Naira Marley was arrested on Tuesday, the 3rd. Recall that Marley and Mohbad had had an altercation in October twenty twenty-two. Naira Marley is arguably the most mentioned name in connection to Mohbad's death. He was nabbed shortly after announcing on his social media platforms that he would be helping the authorities in their investigations into Mohbad’s death. After his arrest, the police informed the public that Naira Marley would be questioned on allegations concerning physical assaults and intimidation of Mohbad, who was his former signee under the Marlian records.

Meanwhile, the police were also on the hunt for Primeboy, a childhood friend of Mohbad. Reportedly, Primeboy had a physical tussle with Mohbad on the weekend before the singer’s death. After some back and forths with the police, Primeboy turned himself in and will be interrogated.

On that note about artists… Burna Boy and Fireboy DML are the latest musicians to make Nigeria proud. Both singers won big at the Broadcast Music Inc (or BMI) twenty twenty-three awards in London. Both singers appeared on the list of the top 20 global musicians given the award of the Most Performed Work of the Year. Burna Boy's popular Last Last song and Fireboy's Peru, which featured Ed Sheeran, were among the songs that made the cut. P2J, who is one of the most famous music producers in Nigeria, also won the Impact Award.

Let’s close this edition with some sports news. As it stands, it's all love between Nigeria's star striker, Victor Osimhen, and his club, Napoli. On Sunday, the 1st, Osimhen said on his social media platforms that he would continue to work hard for the club, as he considers fans of Napoli his family. Recall that a viral TikTok video from Napoli's official account had mocked Osimhen, and fans of the striker insulted the club. The controversy also forced the club to fire some of its social media managers.

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