Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Wednesday, 3rd April, 2024

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 3rd April 2024 1. Tinubu Approves N1.1 Trillion For FCT 2024 Statutory Budget President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given his approval to the statutory budget of over N1.1 trillion for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the fiscal year 2024. The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, announced this news during a media chat at his office in Abuja on Tuesday. He expressed his satisfaction with the president’s assent and highlighted that the budget will have a positive impact on infrastructure development, healthcare facilities, and the rehabilitation of schools in the FCT, among other areas. Naija News reports that this development follows the successful passing of the FCT appropriation bill in the Senate last month. A detailed breakdown of the N1.1trn budget reveals that N280 billion has been allocated for overhead expenses, N726bn for capital projects, and N140bn for personnel, resulting in a total budget of N1.147tn. Earlier at the Senate, the bill’s sponsor and Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, took charge of the discussion by emphasizing that the appropriation bill carefully considered the FCT administration’s revenue and expenditure forecasts, which align with the federal government’s fiscal and developmental policies. 2. Your Easter Message Provocative, CAN Demands Apology From FIRS The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called for a public apology from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) following an Easter-themed advert that sparked controversy among the Christian community. Naija News reports that the FIRS posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) under its official handle, #FIRSNigeria, featuring a point-of-sale machine alongside the caption, “Jesus paid your debts, not your taxes.” This action led to widespread criticism, especially from Christians who found the message offensive. Although the FIRS has since removed the contentious post, CAN’s National Director of National Issues and Social Welfare, Abimbola Ayuba, issued a statement on Tuesday urging immediate action from various government bodies, including President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Department of State Services. The statement highlighted the need for the FIRS to adopt communication strategies that uphold respect, unity, and peace, emphasizing the importance of religious harmony in Nigeria. 3. Naira Records Best Rate Against Dollar Since January 2024 The Nigerian naira continued its upward gain against the American dollar, closing at an official exchange rate of N1278.58 to $1 on Tuesday, 2nd April 2024. The Tuesday NAFEX figure represents the naira’s best performance against the dollar since January 26, 2024. This closure below the N1,300 ceiling is the first occurrence since January 26 of this year on the official market when the exchange rate escalated from N891.9/$1 to N1,348.62/$1 the following day. Since then, it has maintainined a closure above N1,300/$1 ever since with the naira depreciating as low as N1,615/$1 on March 13, 2024. 4. Tinubu, Other African Leaders Present As 44-Year-Old Faye Gets Sworn In As Senegalese President The 44-year-old opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has been sworn in as the fifth Senegalese president. Naija News reports that Faye has become the youngest elected president on the African continent. The new president took over from the immediate past president, Macky Sall, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in an event witnessed by African leaders in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar. Nigeria’s President and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bola Tinubu, also witnessed the historic event. 5. Atiku Returns To Nigeria For PDP NEC Meeting Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has returned to Nigeria after a vacation abroad. Naija News learned that Atiku, who had been out of the country for weeks, returned to Abuja in the early hours of today, Tuesday. According to Leadership, Atiku returned to the country to attend the much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Atiku, who is regarded as the de-facto leader of the party, being the presidential candidate in the last elections, is expected to spearhead other meetings ahead of the NEC meeting. Recall that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had fixed the NEC meeting for April 18, having refused to hold the meeting for over one year. The NEC, the second most influential decision-making organ of the party after the NWC, is expected to meet every quarter as stipulated by the party’s constitution. The NEC meeting is anticipated to tackle several pressing issues that have hindered the party’s unity and progress since the 2023 general elections. Top of the agenda is the resolution of persistent interna

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