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Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:39

NNPC still diverting oil proceeds - Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday said the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is still diverting proceeds from sale of crude oil. Speaking on the alleged diversion of $5billion by the NNPC and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Saraki said “We must put an end to this type of level of misappropriation and recklessness. This must stop. “They did it up to the last administration and now they are carrying out the same practice again. We must put an end to this and we cannot continue this issue where some people are sabotaging the efforts to fight corruption.” The Senate…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:38

Reps open inquiry into long-disputed Shell, Eni oil field

House of Representatives opened an investigation on Tuesday into an offshore oil field owned by Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, the latest inquiry into their acquisition of the OPL 245 licence block which could hold up to 9.23 billion barrels of oil, according to industry figures. Earlier this year the Dutch and Italian authorities launched their own investigations. The acquisition in 2011 was a "breach of due process that resulted in monumental revenue loss to the country," said Yakubu Dogara, speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives. A spokesman for Shell said: "As this matter is the subject of current investigations,…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:37

Court orders EFCC to unblock Fayose’s account

A Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes commission, EFCC, to unfreeze all blocked accounts belonging to Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. The judge, Taiwo Taiwo, gave the ruling on Tuesday after considering the arguments of respective counsels on the matter. The judge also said the decision of the commission to freeze the account, without considering first the arguments or opinion of Mr. Fayose on the matter, amounted to abuse of the defendant’s fundamental rights to fair hearing. Mr. Taiwo said the act, as perpetrated by the EFCC, was illegal, wrongful and unconstitutional. He noted…

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 02:35

Oyo govt yet to receive Paris Club funds, flags off dualization of Saki township road

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has flagged off the dualization of the 9.7km Saki Township Road along Oke Ogun Poly-Ilesha Ibaruba road, just as he confirmed that the state had not collected its share of the Paris Club over deduction funds given back to some states by the federal government recently. The Governor said that the state was excluded in the initial disbursement of the funds to some states, saying that the state is currently reconciling accounts with the federal government in order to get its own share of the Paris Club debts over deduction fund. The governor, who…

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 17:25

MMM finally crashing? Anxiety as scheme suspends payments to subscribers

Nigerians have been thrown into a sudden anxiety following a decision by promoters of deposit money scheme, MMM, to suspend new payouts to subscribers. The members woke up on Tuesday morning to a disclaimer on the scheme’s website informing them of the move. But the promoters of the scheme it won’t go burst just yet, adding that the setback will only last for a month. The MMM is a deposit money scheme that market analysts said remained highly suspicious. The scheme draws from investments of later investors to pay off earlier ones. Despite repeated warnings by the government for Nigerians…

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 17:21

Biafra: I will expose secrets that will sink Nigeria – Nnamdi Kanu

Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu has threatened that he would expose secrets that are capable of sinking Nigeria. Kanu gave the threat at his resumed trial on Tuesday. In the Tuesday’s ruling, trial Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the Federal Government the nod to shield identities of witnesses billed to testify against Nnamdi Kanu. Justice Nyako who held that names of all the prosecution witnesses who are mostly security operatives, would not be disclosed in any record of the court proceedings also said that the witnesses…

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 17:19

Akwa Ibom govt trying to cover up collapsed church deaths

Akwa Ibom state government says only 23 people died in a collapsed church tragedy, an apparent attempt to cover up a death toll of more than 150 when metal girders and the corrugated iron roof crashed onto a crowded service last weekend. Cranes and bulldozers are still at the scene, clearing debris on Tuesday, three days after Saturday's disaster. The Associated Press has reported at least 160 people died, using the count at one mortuary by the director of the state's biggest hospital, the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Hospital director Etete Peters said Saturday that mortuaries in Uyo city…

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 07:27

Senate cuts down President’s control of Nigeria Police Force

The Senate is stepping up efforts at saving democracy from executive abuse. It plans to amend the Constitution to decentralise the police force, whittle down the powers of the President over commissioners of police by giving state governors the power of the ‘last command.’ Through a gazetted Senate Bill 346 sponsored by Solomon Olamilekan of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) from Lagos East Senatorial District, the Upper Legislative Chamber has given full powers to governors to issue unconditional directives to the Police in their states. The Bill specifically deleted the proviso in section 215 (4) of the 1999 Constitution as…

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 07:26

Buhari off to Gambia to resolve presidential dispute – Reports

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is set to travel to Gambia to help resolve the political impasse in the West African country, several media have reported. Sahara Reporters stated that the Nigerian leader will join his Liberian counterpart, Ellen Sirleaf, to persuade Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to concede defeat. Presidential aide Mr Garba Shehu on Monday evening confirmed that “there is diplomacy going on.” Shehu said there would be an official briefing to reporters on the matter. Mr. Jammeh, who initially conceded defeat to opposition candidate Adama Barrow, later reneged; saying he would order a fresh election. Observers and international organisations…

Tuesday, 13 December 2016 07:21

Board for Arabic and Islamic studies: A bull entering our China shop of federalism - NIG

The New Independence Group ( NIG) a socio-economc think tank condemns the attempt by the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu’s move to resuscitate the defunct Northern Nigeria Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Education. The group, in a statement issued in Lagos on Monday, and signed by its Convener, Professor Akinyemi Onigbinde, considers the proposal as ultra-irredentist and flagrantly insensitive to plural sensibilities in a putatively secular state. According to NIG, a nation already grappling with the perpetual condition of atomism, occasioned by mutual distrust and mismanagement of cultural and…

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Monday, 12 December 2016 17:44

Buhari to Nigerians: Don’t lose faith in me

President Muhammadu Buhari has again appealed to Nigerians not lose faith in him and the government he heads. In his goodwill message to Nigerians on this year's Eid-El-Maulud, the President promised to alleviate the suffering of the people with the 2017 Budget. Here is the full text of the President's message: "Again the calendar of life has brought us into another period of celebration, and deep reflection. Celebration, because we are marking the birth of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), and deep reflection, because it is another opportunity of pausing, taking a deep breath and reflecting on the current…

Monday, 12 December 2016 17:41

Nigeria not working, her existence must be renegotiated – Atiku

Nigeria as currently constituted is an entity that is rooted in corruption, impunity and injustice and thus must be reconstituted, a former vice-president said on Monday. Atiku Abubakar, who served under former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999-2007, said at a forum in Abuja that the current system is the bane of Nigeria and not the individuals running it. “Political and civic leaders from across the country must come together, discuss, negotiate and make the necessary compromises and sacrifices needed to restructure our federation to make us a stronger, more united, productive, and competitive country,” Mr. Atiku said while expanding on…

Monday, 12 December 2016 17:38

Sunny Ade’s guitar auctioned for N52 million

A vintage fender guitar owned by legendary Nigerian musician, King Sunny Ade, was on Sunday sold for N52.1 million in Lagos. The guitar, which was auctioned by Jogun Onabanjo, Certified Auctioneer and Chief Executive of Onabanjo and Onabanjo & Co, was designed by Nigerian artist, Victor Ehikamenor. The glittering artistic piece was revealed at the King Sunny Ade‘s 70th birthday concert tagged Sunny on Sunday, which had an audience comprising of Nigeria’s richest and top celebrities. The starting bid of N9 million was followed by a very competitive bid by the well-heeled audience consisting of influential businessmen such as Aliko…

Monday, 12 December 2016 02:57

Environment minister, Amina Mohammed, set to leave Buhari’s govt

President Muhammadu Buhari may soon carry out a minor cabinet shake-up with the imminent exit of the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, from his administration. Our correspondent however learnt on Sunday that the exercise might not be carried out until early next year when Mohammed is expected to leave. Secretary-General-elect of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, was said to have appointed the minister as his Deputy. A government source told our correspondent that Mohammed had already made the development known to Buhari and some of her colleagues. “For her, she would have loved to stay back and continue to serve…

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