News recap: Buhari, Obazee and tales of many sacks

Tales of many sacks. And they all, I’m sure, left bad tastes in the mouth. And the sacks coming very early in the year would hurt more than a hard kick to the groin. But what choices did the traders at a part of Oshodi market in Lagos and the ex-boss of Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria have when government’s hammer fell them? And what choice did Senator Ali Ndume have against the APC Senate caucus who wanted an end to his leadership?

These and more make the News Recap this week. Read on.

The demolished market

Traders at the popular Olorunsogo curtain market at Oshodi in Lagos began 2017 with gloom and doom, just like last year when traders at Mosafejo Market in the same Oshodi began 2016 with tears. The Lagos State Government in its ‘wisdom’ felt the market had to go. And 14-building plazas housing 368 units of shops, 144 open stores and 129 small units were reduced to rubbles.

Former Chief Executive Officer of FRC, Mr Jim Obazee

If Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to sack Paul Obazee as the boss of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Obazee himself made the job easier for Mr President. Less than 48 hours after an enforcement of a controversial FRC code forced Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to relinquish his position as the Nigerian leader of the church, Buhari showed Obazee a red card.

Meanwhile, the President Buhari has a headache of his own: word on the street was that politicians from his corner of Nigeria were plotting to ditch him in 2019. Will he get the sack too? Time will tell.

Mohammed Ali Ndume

But Senator Ali Ndume got his own sack treatment before 2019. His tenure as the majority leader of the Nigerian senate came to a sudden end on Tuesday when the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the upper chamber withdrew his name as their leader and announced Ahmed Lawan as his replacement.

Chinese PresidentXi Jinping(L) holds a welcoming ceremony for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari before their talks in Beijing, capital of China.

Remember the $20 billion concession loan China promised to give Nigeria? Well, Mr Xi Jinping’s country is still keeping the fund safe its chest. And for a good a reason, too. China will not play ball because of the persistent negative growth recorded in the economy in 2016. And we know the negative growth has forced firms to sack some of the workers. Some even closed shops totally.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu (second right) arriving at the Federal High Court for his trial in Abuja on Thursday, January 12, 2016. PHOTO: LUCY LADIDI ELUKPO

Nnamdi Kanu is not giving up on his dream of sacking Nigeria from his beloved South-East. But the Nigerian government is standing in the way of that dream. With his secret trial already started on Tuesday, Kanu will need to fight off charges of treasonable felony and terrorism to regain his freedom.

For some electricity distribution companies in Nigeria, it is now a matter of shape up or get sacked. Some of the firms may lose their licences three years after privatisation for failing to comply with the rules and regulations in the power sector.

Real Madrid and Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo holds his trophy after winning the The Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2016 Award during The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, on January 9, 2017 in Zurich.<br />Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

In sport: Cristiano Ronaldo’s status as arguably the best footballer alive was confirmed on Tuesday, once again, when he was crowned the 2016 best male footballer in the world by FIFA at a ceremony his perennial rival Lionel Messi failed to attend.

A bit of tech, please! Nokia used to be a global MVP in mobile telephony. But the Finnish company lost so much ground that its name was hardly mentioned among the top global mobile phone manufacturers in the last ten years. But Nokia is back with a new range of phones after years of misadventure.

A next-generation vaccine that uses a weakened form of a malaria parasite has shown efficacy and safety in a small number of humans, according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine.

Another new thing to expect in the future: malaria vaccine. A next-generation vaccine that uses a weakened form of a malaria parasite has shown efficacy and safety in a small number of humans, according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine. Sounds cheerful? But rein in your expectations for this vaccine, at least for now.

That’s all for News Recap this week. You can read up the last edition here. Adios!