News in Brief!
Good morning good people! it is another beautiful day.
I want to say to someone today that no mater how horrible the start of your day is, the end will make you smile! God will smile on you today, and drench you in his Favor. Just keep believing..
Now to today's news headlines.
Akume, Tinubu meet in Lagos over Senate presidency
One of the top contenders for the Senate presidency, Senator George Akume, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday met at the Lagos home of Tinubu.
Our correspondent learnt that at the meeting which took place around 3pm, Tinubu told Akume to shelve his ambition and support Senator Ahmed Lawan, who represents Yobe-North senatorial district in the 8th Senate.The battle for the Senate presidency was between the North-East and the North-Central. Akume, who is currently the Senate Minority Leader, represents Benue-North senatorial district in the Senate.
Senator Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara-Central senatorial district in the North-Central geopolitical zone, had also openly expressed his intention to contest the number three seat in the country.
However, it was learnt that the leadership of the APC finally decided to zone the Senate presidency to the North-East following ‘fresh developments’.
FG demands corpses of executed Nigerians
The Federal Government has condemned the execution of four Nigerians by the Indonesian authorities over drug-related offences, despite pleas for clemency by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The government, while commiserating with the families of the deceased, demanded the repatriation of the corpses of the executed Nigerians.
It explained that they would be given decent burials by their various communities.
A terse statement on Wednesday from the Public Communications Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, gave the names of the executed Nigerians as Martin Anderson, Okwudili Oyatanze, Jaminu Abashin and Sylvester Obiekwe.
The government warned Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking and other offences.
(Sad.. just sad.)
Concern over naira as dollar drops
The dollar sank to its lowest level in more than two months as the currency market adopted a markedly dovish view on the United States monetary policy after data showed the economy virtually stagnating in the first three months of the year.
But as the market awaited the outcome of a meeting of the Federal Reserve policy makers, government bonds and equities on both sides of the Atlantic also came under pressure, according to Financial Times.
This was particularly so in Europe as the euro broke above key resistance levels, further aided by more signs that the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing programme was helping to ease deflation pressures and improve credit conditions.
Jonathan sacks NPA MD
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday sacked Mallam Habib Abdullahi as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He has also named Alhaji Sanusi Bayero as his replacement.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said Bayero’s appointment would take effect from Thursday (today).
No reason was given for Abdullahi’s sack.
The statement partly read, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
“Alhaji Sanusi, a lawyer, from Kano State takes over from Mallam Habib Abdullahi who has been relieved of is appointment as Managing Director of the NPA.
“The appointment of the new NPA Managing Director takes effect from Thursday, April 30, 2015 (tomorrow).
“President Jonathan thanks the outgoing Managing Director for his services and wishes well in his future endeavours.”
Pro-Buhari Igbo want South-East to succeed Tambuwal
Despite not producing any ranking All Progressives Congress senator or member of the House of Representatives for the 8th National Assembly, the South-East geopolitical zone is seeking to succeed Mr. Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the next House.
A Coalition of South-East Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Movement, on Wednesday called on the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and the APC’s leadership not to exclude the zone from the sharing of principal offices of the National Assembly.
The group said in Abuja that the APC should endeavour to carry all the geo-political zones of the country along.
The Coordinator of the group, Mr. John Ekeanyanwu, argued that the South-East was an important stakeholder in the development of Nigeria as any other zone, adding that leaving it out in the power sharing arrangement could be counter-productive in the years ahead.
FG warns Buhari against running parallel govt.
The Federal Government has warned the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, against utterances and actions capable of portraying him as running a parallel government at a time President Goodluck Jonathan is still fully in charge.
The Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman, disclosed this at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
Sulaiman told State House correspondents that FEC considered the state of the transition programme and took exception to some utterances and terms of reference of the committee set up by Buhari.
The President-elect inaugurated a 19-member committee with a charge to members not to engage in a witch-hunt or fault finding.
One of the assignments of the Buhari transition committee is to review and make preliminary assessment of the balance sheet of the Federal Government with particular emphasis on the status of assets and liabilities; cash flow position and the quantum of domestic and external debts.
Impeachment: APC alleges Fayose, labour conspiracy
The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has alleged that Ekiti labour leaders are in conspiracy with the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, to frustrate the impeachment plot against the latter.
The core of the governor, labour leaders conspiracy, according to the Ekiti APC, is a plan for workers in the state to go on a prolonged strike and keep all government offices locked till the expiration of the tenure of the 19 APC lawmakers in the state.
In a statement on Wednesday, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said, “It is wicked and selfish for labour leaders to go behind the workers to negotiate a multi-million naira deal for their private pockets while herding other workers on partisan protest that is clearly against the service rule.”
The APC said the labour leaders should not drag the Ekiti workers into partisan politics, alleging that the labour leaders had abandoned the interests of their members to hobnob with the state government for personal benefits.
Olatubosun said the party was aware that some labour leaders had so far collected N30m from the state government for various solidarity rallies in the last six months.
4month old baby found alive in Nepal earthquake ruins after 4 days!
A four-month-old baby has been rescued from the rubble of the earth quake that rocked Nepal on Saturday.
The baby, whose name had yet to be identified, was said to have been rescued by soldiers 22 hours after the incident.
The Independent reports that the child had let out a faint cry which was traced to the site of the rubble. Incredible images of the moment the baby was rescued have emerged. The Nepalese newspaper Kathmandu Today published images of the dust-covered baby boy as he was pulled to safety by members of the army assisting the ongoing search-and-rescue effort.
Buhari seeks N’Assembly support to tackle corruption
The President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday pledged to work with the incoming 8th National Assembly as development partners to tackle corruption and reduce the cost of running government.
Buhari stated this while addressing a joint session of the re-elected and fresh members of the two chambers of the National Assembly, who were currently undergoing a one-week induction programme organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja.
The President-elect specifically urged the elected federal lawmakers to collaborate with him on the budget process and in the restructuring of the public sector in order to guarantee transparency in the polity.
Buhari noted that the cooperation between him and the legislators would enable both arms of government to collectively tackle the menace of high recurrent expenditure at the expense of capital and human development.
Fuel scarcity: FG to pay marketers N156bn today
The Federal Government on Wednesday expressed concern about the scarcity of petrol being witnessed in most parts of the country, stating that oil marketers would today (Thursday) receive the sum of N156bn as arrears of their subsidy claims.
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, stated this in Abuja in an interview with journalists shortly after declaring open the 20th conference of Directors General of Customs of the World Customs Organisation.
The minister, while expressing sympathy with Nigerians, whose lives were being disrupted by long queues at filling stations, gave an assurance that the government was working to end the scarcity within the shortest time possible.
She said despite the revenue challenges facing the government, the issue of fuel subsidy payment to marketers had always been prioritised by the Federal Government.
FEC approves Edwin Clark’s varsity
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the establishment of two new private universities in the country.
The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
One of the new universities is Edwin Clark University located in Kiagbodo, Delta State.
The university belongs to Chief Edwin Clark, an Ijaw leader and major supporter of the President. Clark was also a former Federal Commissioner of Information in the First Republic.
The Minister of Information, Patricia Akwashiki, announced the approval for the new universities during the post-FEC press conference in Abuja.
Workers oppose N3.24bn severance pay for Jonathan, others
Following the report exclusively published by The Punch over the N3.24bn severance benefits approved by the Presidency for political office holders, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to set example by rejecting the offer so that other beneficiaries could do same.
“If the President and all those that have been awarded the jumbo pay refuse to do the needful by rejecting the pay, we will be forced to conclude that we Nigerians are just working and living for our political leaders and this will be too bad. If the Presidency was not privy to this scandalous severance benefits, it must publicly distance itself from the ill-advised benefits and reject the offer immediately,” the workers said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ASCSN in the statement issued in Abuja by its President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Secretary-General, Alade Lawal, described the allowance as “financial recklessness.”
Rivers PDP, APC disagree over election materials
THE Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has dismissed the claim by the All Progressives Congress that the PDP conspired with the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop the APC from accessing election materials.
The chairman of the APC in the state, Dr. Davies Ikanya; and the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, had accused the PDP and INEC of being on the APC’s path to getting justice.
Peterside accused INEC of deliberately withholding materials for the April 11, 2015 polls to be tendered before the election petition tribunal, complaining that the situation had been making it difficult for him to approach the tribunal.
Ikanya also said that the state APC applied for 17 documents and that only few of the documents requested were made available.
I want to say to someone today that no mater how horrible the start of your day is, the end will make you smile! God will smile on you today, and drench you in his Favor. Just keep believing..
Now to today's news headlines.
Akume, Tinubu meet in Lagos over Senate presidency
One of the top contenders for the Senate presidency, Senator George Akume, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday met at the Lagos home of Tinubu.
Our correspondent learnt that at the meeting which took place around 3pm, Tinubu told Akume to shelve his ambition and support Senator Ahmed Lawan, who represents Yobe-North senatorial district in the 8th Senate.The battle for the Senate presidency was between the North-East and the North-Central. Akume, who is currently the Senate Minority Leader, represents Benue-North senatorial district in the Senate.
Senator Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara-Central senatorial district in the North-Central geopolitical zone, had also openly expressed his intention to contest the number three seat in the country.
However, it was learnt that the leadership of the APC finally decided to zone the Senate presidency to the North-East following ‘fresh developments’.
FG demands corpses of executed Nigerians
The Federal Government has condemned the execution of four Nigerians by the Indonesian authorities over drug-related offences, despite pleas for clemency by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The government, while commiserating with the families of the deceased, demanded the repatriation of the corpses of the executed Nigerians.
It explained that they would be given decent burials by their various communities.
A terse statement on Wednesday from the Public Communications Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, gave the names of the executed Nigerians as Martin Anderson, Okwudili Oyatanze, Jaminu Abashin and Sylvester Obiekwe.
The government warned Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking and other offences.
(Sad.. just sad.)
Concern over naira as dollar drops
The dollar sank to its lowest level in more than two months as the currency market adopted a markedly dovish view on the United States monetary policy after data showed the economy virtually stagnating in the first three months of the year.
But as the market awaited the outcome of a meeting of the Federal Reserve policy makers, government bonds and equities on both sides of the Atlantic also came under pressure, according to Financial Times.
This was particularly so in Europe as the euro broke above key resistance levels, further aided by more signs that the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing programme was helping to ease deflation pressures and improve credit conditions.
Jonathan sacks NPA MD
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday sacked Mallam Habib Abdullahi as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He has also named Alhaji Sanusi Bayero as his replacement.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said Bayero’s appointment would take effect from Thursday (today).
No reason was given for Abdullahi’s sack.
The statement partly read, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
“Alhaji Sanusi, a lawyer, from Kano State takes over from Mallam Habib Abdullahi who has been relieved of is appointment as Managing Director of the NPA.
“The appointment of the new NPA Managing Director takes effect from Thursday, April 30, 2015 (tomorrow).
“President Jonathan thanks the outgoing Managing Director for his services and wishes well in his future endeavours.”
Pro-Buhari Igbo want South-East to succeed Tambuwal
Despite not producing any ranking All Progressives Congress senator or member of the House of Representatives for the 8th National Assembly, the South-East geopolitical zone is seeking to succeed Mr. Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the next House.
A Coalition of South-East Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Movement, on Wednesday called on the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and the APC’s leadership not to exclude the zone from the sharing of principal offices of the National Assembly.
The group said in Abuja that the APC should endeavour to carry all the geo-political zones of the country along.
The Coordinator of the group, Mr. John Ekeanyanwu, argued that the South-East was an important stakeholder in the development of Nigeria as any other zone, adding that leaving it out in the power sharing arrangement could be counter-productive in the years ahead.
FG warns Buhari against running parallel govt.
The Federal Government has warned the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, against utterances and actions capable of portraying him as running a parallel government at a time President Goodluck Jonathan is still fully in charge.
The Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman, disclosed this at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
Sulaiman told State House correspondents that FEC considered the state of the transition programme and took exception to some utterances and terms of reference of the committee set up by Buhari.
The President-elect inaugurated a 19-member committee with a charge to members not to engage in a witch-hunt or fault finding.
One of the assignments of the Buhari transition committee is to review and make preliminary assessment of the balance sheet of the Federal Government with particular emphasis on the status of assets and liabilities; cash flow position and the quantum of domestic and external debts.
Impeachment: APC alleges Fayose, labour conspiracy
The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has alleged that Ekiti labour leaders are in conspiracy with the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, to frustrate the impeachment plot against the latter.
The core of the governor, labour leaders conspiracy, according to the Ekiti APC, is a plan for workers in the state to go on a prolonged strike and keep all government offices locked till the expiration of the tenure of the 19 APC lawmakers in the state.
In a statement on Wednesday, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said, “It is wicked and selfish for labour leaders to go behind the workers to negotiate a multi-million naira deal for their private pockets while herding other workers on partisan protest that is clearly against the service rule.”
The APC said the labour leaders should not drag the Ekiti workers into partisan politics, alleging that the labour leaders had abandoned the interests of their members to hobnob with the state government for personal benefits.
Olatubosun said the party was aware that some labour leaders had so far collected N30m from the state government for various solidarity rallies in the last six months.
4month old baby found alive in Nepal earthquake ruins after 4 days!
A four-month-old baby has been rescued from the rubble of the earth quake that rocked Nepal on Saturday.
The baby, whose name had yet to be identified, was said to have been rescued by soldiers 22 hours after the incident.
The Independent reports that the child had let out a faint cry which was traced to the site of the rubble. Incredible images of the moment the baby was rescued have emerged. The Nepalese newspaper Kathmandu Today published images of the dust-covered baby boy as he was pulled to safety by members of the army assisting the ongoing search-and-rescue effort.
Buhari seeks N’Assembly support to tackle corruption
The President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday pledged to work with the incoming 8th National Assembly as development partners to tackle corruption and reduce the cost of running government.
Buhari stated this while addressing a joint session of the re-elected and fresh members of the two chambers of the National Assembly, who were currently undergoing a one-week induction programme organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja.
The President-elect specifically urged the elected federal lawmakers to collaborate with him on the budget process and in the restructuring of the public sector in order to guarantee transparency in the polity.
Buhari noted that the cooperation between him and the legislators would enable both arms of government to collectively tackle the menace of high recurrent expenditure at the expense of capital and human development.
Fuel scarcity: FG to pay marketers N156bn today
The Federal Government on Wednesday expressed concern about the scarcity of petrol being witnessed in most parts of the country, stating that oil marketers would today (Thursday) receive the sum of N156bn as arrears of their subsidy claims.
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, stated this in Abuja in an interview with journalists shortly after declaring open the 20th conference of Directors General of Customs of the World Customs Organisation.
The minister, while expressing sympathy with Nigerians, whose lives were being disrupted by long queues at filling stations, gave an assurance that the government was working to end the scarcity within the shortest time possible.
She said despite the revenue challenges facing the government, the issue of fuel subsidy payment to marketers had always been prioritised by the Federal Government.
FEC approves Edwin Clark’s varsity
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the establishment of two new private universities in the country.
The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
One of the new universities is Edwin Clark University located in Kiagbodo, Delta State.
The university belongs to Chief Edwin Clark, an Ijaw leader and major supporter of the President. Clark was also a former Federal Commissioner of Information in the First Republic.
The Minister of Information, Patricia Akwashiki, announced the approval for the new universities during the post-FEC press conference in Abuja.
Workers oppose N3.24bn severance pay for Jonathan, others
Following the report exclusively published by The Punch over the N3.24bn severance benefits approved by the Presidency for political office holders, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to set example by rejecting the offer so that other beneficiaries could do same.
“If the President and all those that have been awarded the jumbo pay refuse to do the needful by rejecting the pay, we will be forced to conclude that we Nigerians are just working and living for our political leaders and this will be too bad. If the Presidency was not privy to this scandalous severance benefits, it must publicly distance itself from the ill-advised benefits and reject the offer immediately,” the workers said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ASCSN in the statement issued in Abuja by its President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Secretary-General, Alade Lawal, described the allowance as “financial recklessness.”
Rivers PDP, APC disagree over election materials
THE Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has dismissed the claim by the All Progressives Congress that the PDP conspired with the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop the APC from accessing election materials.
The chairman of the APC in the state, Dr. Davies Ikanya; and the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, had accused the PDP and INEC of being on the APC’s path to getting justice.
Peterside accused INEC of deliberately withholding materials for the April 11, 2015 polls to be tendered before the election petition tribunal, complaining that the situation had been making it difficult for him to approach the tribunal.
Ikanya also said that the state APC applied for 17 documents and that only few of the documents requested were made available.
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