The claim by President Muhammadu Buhari that he is under pressure over the appointment of ministers and the mounting national debt are some of the leading stories in Nigerian press on Friday.
The Punch reported that President Muhammadu Buhari admitted that he had been under unprecedented pressure to release the names of his ministerial-nominees.
The President made the remarks during a dinner he had with the leadership of the National Assembly. He said he would not be stampeded into releasing the list.
The Guardian said that the move by Senate President Ahmed Lawan to pacify anxious colleagues over President Buhari’s delayed submission of the ministerial list fell on its face.
The Nation reported that the debt portfolio rose by 2.3 percent to $81.274 billion in the first quarter of the year, quoting the Debt Management Office (DMO).
ChannelsTV said that the police have arrested another 65 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), following a fresh protest in Abuja.
The members loyal to Ibrahim El-Zakzaky returned to the street of Abuja to protest the continued detention of their leader and injuring some police officers at the National Assembly.
The Daily Trust said President Buhari has granted the Nigerian Security Printing & Minting Company (NSPMC) the monopoly of the production and personalization of all Nigerian E-passports.
ThisDay quoted former President Goodluck Jonathan as calling for the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Constitutional Conference.
He convened the conference because he believed that the call for a national dialogue could no longer be ignored, in view of the yearnings of Nigerians for reforms.
MM/GIK/APA