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Friday, 13 October 2017 03:43

Osinbajo’s denial: So who signed NNPC’s contracts in Buhari’s absence?

Earlier on Thursday, Vice President Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande in a series of tweets said that the Vice President approved financing joint ventures for Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Akande said the financing were approved after due diligence by the Vice President when he acted as President when President Muhammadu Buhari was away in the United Kingdom. The VP’s aide said his principal approved the recommendations for the financing as part of necessary actions to deal with the backlog of unpaid cash calls and incentivise investments. According to Akande, Osinbajo made the clarification…

Thursday, 12 October 2017 04:11

NNPC scandal: Baru accuses Kachikwu of getting contracts for nine firms

The war of integrity between Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Ibe Kachikwu and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director (GMD), Mr Maikanti Baru got more intense yesterday. The oil giant faulted the Minister’s claim that he was not consulted on $10billion Crude Term Contracts. NNPC said Kachikwu made an input into the shortlisting of 40 off-takers for the Crude Term Contracts by recommending seven companies, which were engaged. Also, the minister was said to have nominated two companies for the alleged Direct Sales, Direct Purchase (DSDP) transactions, which Kachikwu claimed were worth $5billion. The corporation said…

Thursday, 12 October 2017 04:07

FG may stop private practice by govt doctors

The federal government is considering stopping medical doctors in government hospitals from running private practice simultaneously. Minister of Health, Mr Isaac Adewole, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also announced the outbreak of yellow fever in five states. The yellow fever outbreak, the minister said, started in Kwara State. Adewole said so far, 10 cases had been recorded in the country – four in Kwara; two in Kogi; two in Plateau; one in Abia; and one in…

Thursday, 12 October 2017 03:59

Many Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram fighting not ready to return home - Report

The vast majority of almost 2 million Nigerians driven from their homes by the conflict with Boko Haram cannot return because of a lack of security, an aid agency said on Wednesday. About 1.8 million people have been displaced in Nigeria by the conflict with the Islamist insurgency, which has left at least 20,000 dead and shows little sign of ending as it drags into its ninth year. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a report that 86 percent of internally displaced people were not ready to return home in the immediate future. Insecurity is cited by 84 percent of…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:36

Buhari seeks N’Assembly approval for $5.5bn external loans

President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the approval of the National Assembly for a $3 billion external loan for re-financing domestic maturing debts and the issuance of a $2.5 billion Eurobond for the funding of the 2017 capital budget. The letter from the president making the request was read out Tuesday in both chambers of the National Assembly by President of the Senate, Mr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara. Buhari in the letter explained that the $3 billion being sought from the international capital market (ICM) will be deployed to refinance maturing domestic debt…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:35

Buhari meets military, security chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with service chiefs, Minister of Defence, Mr Mansur Dan-Ali; and National Security Adviser, Mr Babagana Monguno. The meeting, presided by Mr Buhari, was also attended by Director General of State Security Services, SSS, Mr Lawal Daura, acting Director of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, Mr Arab Yadam, and representative of the Inspector-General of Police. The service chiefs at the meeting include Chief of Defence Staff, Mr Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Mr Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Mr Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and Chief of Air Staff, Mr Sadique Abubakar. NAN

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:32

NNPC scandal: Kachikwu’s camp raises six posers against Baru

‘GMD’s response full of distortions’ Loyalists find gaps in NNPC’s position POSERS FOR BARU, BY KACHIKWU’S LOYALISTS •What becomes of Sections 130(2), 148(1) of the Constitution and Section 1(1) of NNPC Act? •How can the NNPC Tenders Board appointed by Baru be responsible for approving contracts in the light of Section 20(1) of the Public Procurement Act? •What is the proof that Kachikwu as NNPC GMD did what Baru is doing? •How can NNPC Board oversee budget without information? •Why was Baru silent on the controversial appointments he made without briefing the board? •Are there standards of transparency and due…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:30

Drug Abuse: 3m bottles of codeine consumed daily in just two northern states - Senate

The Senate, yesterday, raised the alarm that the 19 Northern states of the federation were under serious threat due to drug abuse, stating that over three million bottles of codeine syrup were consumed daily in Kano and Jigawa states. It disclosed that across the 19 states, women, young girls in tertiary institutions, working class ladies, married, unemployed women displaced by Boko Haram insurgency, among others, were involved in drug abuse, and that in 2015 alone, over 2,205 people were arrested in North-West geo-political zone by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, over drug-related abuses. Consequently, the Senate mandated its Joint…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:28

History back in schools from 2018/2019 academic session

Nigeria Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) is set to reintroduce History as a subject, beginning from the 2018/2019 academic session. NERDC Executive Secretary, Mr Ismail Junaidu, said on Tuesday that the curriculum was ready. He said that the subject would now be a stand alone curriculum and would be taught from primary one to JSS III. National Council on Education approved the reintroduction of the subject in July. The executive secretary said that NERDC had forwarded a sample of the new curriculum for History to the states to give them ample time to plan ahead of its implementation. “All…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:22

Trump, top defence officials, discuss North Korea options - White House

U.S. President Donald Trump met on Tuesday with his top defence officials for a briefing and discussion on options to respond to any North Korean aggression or if necessary to prevent Pyongyang from threatening the United States and its allies with nuclear weapons, the White House said in a statement. Trump was briefed by Secretary of Defence James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford at a meeting of members of his national security team, the statement said. Reuters

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Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:18

Ekiti commercial drivers on rampage over arrest of colleague by Fayose

There was a breach of the peace on Tuesday as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) went on a violent protest over the detention of a member of the union at the instance of the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose. The drivers were angry that Mr Ahmed Kolo, a driver, was arrested and arraigned for allegedly being rude to the governor. Kolo was said to have driven recklessly against Fayose on September 24 when the governor drove himself to Ajilosun area in Ado Ekiti. He was immediately arraigned at Ado Ekiti Magistrate’s court for traffic offence. The…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:15

Oyo condemns fraudulent tax collection, clarifies presumptive taxes

Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan Oyo State government on Tuesday warned the general public not to accept Local Government Poll Tax Receipts (LGPTR) in place of Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) and Oyo State Government e-Receipt certified by the Station manager of the nearest Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Adeniyi Olowofela, who gave the warning, described the LGPTR receipt as illegal for TTC, vowing to deal with any state or local government official caught defrauding the unsuspecting public in the name of collecting Tax payment as a prerequisite for registration of new students and…

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 04:14

Two NYSC members drown

National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nasarawa State, has said that two members of the service drowned in a river in Assakio community, Lafia Local Government Area of the state. Mrs Zainab Isah, NYSC Coordinator in the state, made this disclosure to journalists in Lafia on Tuesday. Isah said that Oguntola Babatunde and Danjuma Salihu went to the river in the evening of October 8 to swim but drowned, following which an Assistant Commissioner of Police informed the service about the incident. “It is very sad but I know God will grant them eternal rest and grant all of us,…

Tuesday, 10 October 2017 04:51

Analysis: Baru side-steps two key issues in response to Kachikwu

At the tail end of the first week of tension over alleged N9 trillion contract scandal at NNPC, Group Managing Director of the state-run oil firm finally broke his silence, dismissing all allegations of corruption as unfounded. But Maikanti Baru, in a Monday morning statement, dodged key questions bordering on alleged insubordination as raised by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu. The statement was issued on behalf of Mr. Baru as a response to Mr. Kachikwu’s August 30 memo to President Muhammadu Buhari over alleged corrupt practices, abuse of contracting process and insubordination by Mr. Baru. Insubordination in…

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