Good morning! Here’s a recap of today’s highlights from Nigerian newspapers:

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

1. The Federal Government criticized organized labor on Tuesday for the ongoing nationwide strike declared by union leaders in response to the assault on the Nigeria Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero. Kamarudeen Ogundele, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation, stated in an interview on Arise Television that the strike was not in the country’s best interest.
2. The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced its intention to extend the validity of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes indefinitely. The apex bank expressed its desire to extend the validity of old naira notes beyond any expiration date and is working with relevant authorities to vacate the subsisting court ruling on the matter.
3. Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, affirmed that despite imperfections due to human error, the recently held governorship election in the state was free, fair, and transparent. Governor Diri, who won the Saturday election, made this disclosure during an appearance on Channels Television’s political program, ‘Politics Today’ on Tuesday.
4. The acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb Umar Damagum, raised concerns that Nigeria might slide into anarchy if justice continues to elude the people at the polls and in the courts. Damagum, addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Tuesday, pointed out that the off-season elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states were characterized by violence, intimidation, and highhandedness.
5. Activities were paralyzed at the National Assembly and the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Abuja on Tuesday due to the ongoing strike action by organized labor. Despite a restraining order from the National Industrial Court, the labor movement insisted that the government at all levels must fulfill its responsibilities.
6. Senator Adams Oshiomhole declared that the ongoing nationwide strike declared by organized labor is a misplaced priority. He urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to focus on workers’ welfare rather than engaging in activities that could portray them as partisan.
7. Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar warned that Nigeria may become a one-party state. Atiku raised the alarm during a meeting with the National Executive Committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council Nigeria (IPAC) in Abuja, urging opposition parties to rise to the challenges of democratic survival.
8. The victory of Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11 election in Bayelsa State was opposed by the candidate of the Labour Party, Udengs Eradiri. Eradiri, in a press conference on Tuesday, stated that he and his team were studying the results and considering the next course of action, claiming that the election was not free and fair.
9. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked Nigerians to disregard allegations of manipulation of voters’ data on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used in last Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State. Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, made this statement on Tuesday.
10. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that it would cost N35m to repatriate the corpse of the Nigerian medical student, Chibuikem Emmanuel, who was murdered in the Philippines. Emmanuel’s murder, allegedly by some Chinese nationals, occurred on October 23, 2023, according to a post on the social networking platform X by Michael Ojuola, who described Emmanuel as his friend.