Wednesday Briefing: Planned Attacks, ASUU's Moment and a Profitable Obsession with the Past
What you need to know.
Good morning.
I am writing about security threats during the festive season, a seeming end to the ASUU strike and how one young Nigerian’s obsession with the past is yielding dividends.
The planned attacks on Nigeria
The Department of State Services has warned Nigerians of possible attacks on selected public places by criminal elements during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. “The planned dastardly acts are to be executed through the use of explosives, suicide bombing and other dangerous weapons,” the DSS said.
The secret service urged Nigerians to be extra-vigilant and collaborate with security officials to report suspicious behaviour.
The DSS warning comes as the country continues to battle various security challenges from banditry to terrorism to ethnic clashes and cult violence. On Tuesday, gunmen reportedly abducted all the passengers in an Abuja-bound commercial bus along the Benin-Auchi road in Edo State.
Kaduna: Bandits have killed seven people and injured another four during an attack in Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
Rivers: At least one person has been arrested after suspected cultist clashed at the Mile One market axis of Diobu in Port Harcourt.
Related: Niger State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governor’s Forum, Abubakar Bello, says he is worried that banditry is affecting food production in the region.
Buhari criticised for abdicating to God
President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fire for saying only God can effectively supervise Nigeria’s border with the Niger Republic. The opposition, PDP, said the comment was “shocking” while a top Northern cleric said the President was using God as a cover-up for his failure.
Covid: Meanwhile, the President has extended the mandate of the Presidential Task Force until March, as the virus continues to spread in-country. Nigeria reported 999 new cases and four deaths on Tuesday.
ASUU Strike Nears End
The strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since March may be called off today after the academics and federal government representatives met again on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to one report, ASUU stakeholders met on Monday and resolved to call off the strike if the government pays at least two months out of their salary arrears between by Tuesday and agrees to offset the remaining by the end of January.
As both sides met on Tuesday, head of the government delegation, Chris Ngige, was optimistic that the strike was almost over.
Quote: “Tuesday, we will meet in the afternoon and we will compare notes,” Ngige said. “We will put everything on the table and compare. I believe that we might have come to the end of the strike when we meet tomorrow. Well, it is a journey of a thousand miles which you will have to take one step first. Tomorrow, all things being equal, we will agree now to agree because we were disagreeing before.”
What else is happening?
Third Mainland: The federal government will shut down the bridge from Saturday midnight to Tuesday midnight, as renovation work peaks. There will also be a partial closure of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from Monday to Tuesday.
Olu of Warri: The Royal Palace has denied reports that the Monarch is dead.
Crash: At least 17 persons died on Tuesday in a fatal road accident at Irepeni on Okene-Lokoja–Abuja highway in Kogi State.
CAR: Russia has sent an additional 300 military instructors to the Central African Republic after, the Russian foreign ministry said, the African government asked for help.
Trump: The US President isn’t happy with the $900 billion Covid relief package approved by lawmakers. He wants more money to go to Americans.
Putin: The Russian President on Tuesday signed legislation that will grant former presidents lifetime immunity once they leave office.
Messi: The diminutive Argentine scored his 644th goal for Barcelona during his side's victory over Real Valladolid to break Pele's record of the most goals for one club.
And that’s it for today. Christmas is almost here. Send gifts.
P.S. If you have some time, this fascinating profile of a young Nigerian obsessed with the past is worth it.