The protest by the Flying Eagles in Poland over unpaid wages and the allegations of ethno-religious cleansing in Kaduna State by some Christians in northern Nigeria are some of the leading stories in Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.
The Guardian reported that the Christians in the north, under the umbrella of Voice of Northern Christian Movement in Nigeria (VNCMN) have petitioned the United States President, alleging that since the emergence of Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai as the governor of Kaduna state, peace has evaded the erstwhile peaceful Kajuru chiefdom in Adaraland in the state.
The newspaper said that the Executive Director of VNCMN, Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, said in an official protest letter to President Donald Trump through the United States Embassy in Nigeria, that under President Muhammadu Buhari, peace has continued to elude the Adaraland and other parts of the country.
The newspaper also said that almost three days after being knocked out of U-20 World Cup, the Flying Eagles team has refused to return to the country.
According to the report, the U-20 players, who lost 2-1 to Senegal, are protesting the non payment of their allowances and qualification bonus totaling US$5,000 per player.
The Leadership said that Shell Petroleum plans to invest on average, $30 billion of cash capital expenditure, (capex) per year over 2021-2025, including a minor acquisition spend of up to $1 billion, with a ceiling of $32 billion a year.
The report noted that this, however, excludes “major inorganic opportunities” over the period. The company also plans to maintain production levels from its conventional oil and gas operations at around 1.5 million barrels a day, b/d of oil equivalent over the coming five years, with a modest increase from 2025 to 2030, the company said in a strategy update.
The Nation reported that Nigeria and Ghana and other countries globally are recording abysmal performance in mining and allied areas.
The newspaper said that the report by PricewaterCoopers chided Nigeria and other countries for churning out poor performance in the mining sector in recent times.
The report also said that 40 biggest mining companies declared a dividend of $43 billion in 2018 and that forecast indicated weaker prices for coal and copper, while Iron ore and others showed less than average prices.
ThisDay newspaper reports the warning by the United Nations that nobody is safe from air pollution, with nine out of 10 people on the planet now breathing polluted air,
The newspaper said that the UN gave the warning as the world celebrated the World Environment Day (WED) on Wednesday.
According to the report, this year’s edition of the global day has ‘Beat Air Pollution’ as its theme with China as the host.
The Punch said that the German government, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has provided €2m for the implementation of the second phase of the Competitive African Rice Initiative in the country
The report said that the programme director of CARI, Mr. Jean-Bernard Lalannehe, told journalists on Wednesday in Abuja that the second phase of the project known as CARI-2, would be implemented in Kebbi, Kaduna and Jigawa states.
GIK/APA