News In Brief..

Good morning! How was your night. Hope y'all are doing great this morning.
Here is your daily dose of the news in brief.. And ermn, did you hear the good news? Army has rescued about 293 females from the Boko boys. although the Army says they are not the chibok girls, i am hopeful that the chibok school girls will be found soon.

Enjoy the news in brief...

Jonathan, Sambo, others to get N3.24bn severance pay.
Sambo and Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-president Namadi Sambo, non-returning federal lawmakers, ministers and   presidential aides will collect N3.24bn as severance allowances, investigation by The PUNCH has shown.
The severance allowances   are contained in the Remuneration Package   put together by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
According to the package, Jonathan, who will hand over to the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 29, is entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary.
The President’s annual basic salary is put at N3, 514,705 and therefore his severance allowance will be N10, 544,115 after May 29.
The severance allowance is without prejudice to his other constitutional entitlements as a former head of government

Similarly, Vice-President Sambo, who leaves office the same day as Jonathan, is also entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary put at N3, 031,572.50. This means that his severance allowance after May 29 is N9, 094,717.50.


I never apologised to Bode George-Tinubu
The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has denied apologising to the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Chief Bode George.
George had said during an interview with the Sunday PUNCH that Tinubu was responsible for his imprisonment but had apologised to him at the burial of the Deputy President General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola-Alao, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, last year.
However, Tinubu in a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Sunday Dare, said he never apologised to George since he had nothing to do with George’s incarceration.
He said although they both met at Arisekola-Alao’s burial, their conversation had nothing to do with an apology.He said, “Mr. George claims the alleged apology was made at the burial of Chief Alao-Arisekola. On that date, personalities such as Oba Otudeko and Governor Ajimobi approached me because I did not greet Mr. George initially. They pleaded that, in the memory of the man we were all gathered to honour, I should greet Mr. George. At their request, I turned back and came to greet him by saying’Good Afternoon Egbon (senior).’ That was all.”( i think grandpa Bode took the greetings to be an apology.hehe)

Indonesia executes 4 Nigerians, others for drug traffiking.
Indonesia execution
I have been following the news, but didn't report it before now, because i was hoping they can be pardoned, or maybe not excuted, but well all hope is lost, as they have all been killed.
Indonesian authorities on Tuesday executed four Nigerians and four others for drug-related offences despite pleas by the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International and the Federal Government.
The Nigerians were identified as Martin Anderson, 50; Silvester Nwolise, 47; Okwudili Oyatanze, 41, and Jamiu Abashin, 50.
The convicts were reportedly taken to the Nusakambangan Island where they were executed by firing squad on Tuesday evening.
Just Sad! I wish Nigerians and even everyone will stop peddling these drug..

APC overrules Buhari’s team over AIT ban

The All Progressives Congress on Tuesday upturned the ban placed on the Africa Independent Television by the security team of President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari’s team had on Monday placed a ban on the media crew of the AIT, citing security concerns as well as ethical issues.
But the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja, said all accredited media organisations, “including AIT,” are free to cover the President-elect’s activities.
The APC said the incoming Buhari administration would not discriminate against any media organisation irrespective of its role during electioneering.
The party however enjoined all media organisations to observe the highest level of professional standards in carrying out their duties.

Bauchi governor Yuguda sacks over 2000 aides.
With barely one month to the end of his administration, Bauchi State governor,   Isa Yuguda, has sacked about 2,000 political aides.
The sacking, which was contained in a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs, Government House, Hashimu Yakubu, on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government, stated that   all Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Personal Assistants had been fired with immediate effect.
Although, the statement did not state the number of aides affected by the action, our correspondent learnt from government sources in Bauchi that those affected would be “well over 2,000.”


Senate passes 2015 budget without provision for subsidy
The Senate on Tuesday passed N4.493tn budget for the 2015 fiscal year, about five months after it was presented by the Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The national budget, which was earlier passed by the House of Representatives last week, was N51bn higher than the N4.425tn submitted to both chambers of the National Assembly by the Federal Government.
The Senate approval of the budget on Tuesday, however, confirmed the non-inclusion of fuel subsidy provision in the document but N21bn was budgeted for the funding of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme.

‘Govs must pay salaries before May 29’-NLC.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Tuesday, insisted that state governors must pay outstanding salaries before the May 29 handover date.
Factional Deputy President of the NLC, Mr. Peters Adeyemi, said this at the ninth National Delegates Conference of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in Abuja.
Adeyemi said workers had commenced the campaign to prevail on the outgoing governors to pay outstanding salaries before they leave on May 29.
Also at the event, MHWUN called on the Federal Government to ensure better funding of the primary health care system in the country.
The National Administrative Council of the NLC had on March 19, 2015 set up a committee saddled with the responsibility of compelling state governments to pay over eight months salary arrears owed workers.


Xenophobic attacks: FG suspends Perm Sec for recalling envoys
The Federal Government has suspended the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Danjuma Sheni, for allegedly recalling Nigeria’s Charge D’Affairs in South Africa in the wake of the xenophobic attacks in the former apartheid enclave.
A top government official told journalists in Aso Rock on Tuesday that Sheni was suspended for embarrassing President Goodluck Jonathan for inviting the envoy without receiving the President’s approval.
The official said the Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, acting on the order of Jonathan, had already queried Sheni and asked him to reply within 24 hours.
“There will still be further consequence,” the official, who asked not to be named, said.

‘Mandela’s death paved the way for xenophobic attacks’-Tinubu.
The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says the death of former South African leader, Nelson Mandela, paved the way for the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa
The former governor of Lagos State said this in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘Another Approach to the South African Attacks.’
Tinubu said after the end of apartheid, the anger of the blacks, who were mostly poor, was being suppressed by Mandela.
He said with the absence of Mandela, the poor blacks diverted their anger to foreigners whom they saw as the reason for their poor economic conditions.

He said, “The black populace is boiling because their economic plight has worsened since the end of apartheid. If prosperity had come to them, they would not have come to this. The political and economic accommodation between the traditionally white-controlled economic superstructure and the post-Mandela black political elite is under challenge.


Engineer, three others killed in Kogi radio station bombing
The Acting Inspector-General of Police,   Solomon Arase, has ordered increased security presence around media houses in the country.
Arase’s directive followed the bombing of the office of TAO FM, a community radio station, in Okene, Kogi State, on Monday night.
Three people believed to be security men and an engineer were feared killed and many others injured in the   incident.
Arase said in a statement on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer,   Emmanuel Ojukwu, that his decision was in consonance with the traditional responsibility of the police to protect lives and property.
He added that he   was appreciative of the   contributions of the media to democratic governance in the country.
The statement read, “The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, is concerned about the recent attacks on the media houses, and journalists. He has, therefore, ordered water-tight security around media houses nationwide.

“This is in line with the mandate of the Nigeria Police Force to protect lives and property of the citizenry under the law.


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