Buhari, Dogara to meet in Aso Rock
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to meet the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday night.
The National Assembly had been embroiled in leadership crisis following the June 9 emergence of Bukola Saraki and Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively. Read more
PDP rejects Zakari as INEC boss
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as the Acting National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Zakari was appointed as the acting boss of the commission on Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari following the conclusion of the term of office of Prof. Attahiru Jega.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, who conveyed the appointment in a letter, said the appointment was with effect from 30th June 2015 until the appointment of a substantive Chairman. Read more
Suicide bombers attack hospital as Osinbajo visits Borno
Two suicide bombers (a male and female) on Wednesday detonated a bomb at a hospital in Molai Village, Borno State, few kilometres from scenes visited by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was in the town to pay a visit to Internally Displaced Persons.
A member of the youth vigilante group, Kaka Yusuf, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, confirmed the incident. Read more
FG to extradite Nigerian to US for prosecution
A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted an extradition application filed by the Federal Government seeking to surrender one Mr. Olugbemiga Adebisi to the United States of America for criminal prosecution.
Justice Saliu Saidu granted the extradition application on Tuesday after adjudging that the affidavits tendered by the Attorney General of the Federation in support of the application were credible and valid.
Saidu said he was satisfied that “the US had formally requested for the extradition of the respondent within the requirement of the Extradition Act Cap E25 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.” Read more
JUSUN suspends strike in Ekiti
Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria in Ekiti State, on Wednesday agreed to suspend its seven months old strike after a peace-deal meeting with Governor Ayodele Fayose, with a promise to reopen courts on Monday.
The union had been on strike demanding for improved welfare packages for its members, which led to closure of all the state-controlled courts.
The suspension of the strike followed a marathon meeting among Fayose, the Nigerian Bar Association and the leadership of the union on Wednesday. Read more
Ogun crash: Amosun plans domestication of traffic laws
In order to stop the flouting of traffic laws and wanton destruction of lives on the roads in Ogun State, the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has said his administration will expedite action on domesticating traffic laws to adequately bring erring motorists to justice.
He said this on Wednesday when he visited the scene of last Friday’s accident along Sagamu-Benin highway where eight students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, died in auto crash. Read more
Buhari orders end to corruption in Hajj operations
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday directed that all corrupt activities that have been characterising hajj operations in the country must end immediately.
Buhari handed down the directive to the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, during a closed-door meeting he had with him inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Read more
Ayade proposes death penalty for kidnappers
The Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has sent an executive bill to the state House of Assembly seeking death penalty for convicted kidnappers in the state.
He said this was to curb incidence of kidnapping in any part of the state.
The spate of kidnapping in the once-quiet Calabar metropolis had been on the steady increase with the latest being the recent abduction of a senior resident pastor of Winners Chapel in Calabar, Mr. Seyi Adekunle. Read more
Six missing, three soldiers injured in Plateau ambush
Six persons have been declared missing in an ambush in Pang Village in Heipang, Barkin Local Government of Plateau State, according to Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, spokesman for the Special Task Force.
He also said three soldiers attached to the STF, maintaining peace in Plateau, were seriously injured in the ambush.
Iweha told the News Agency o Nigeria in Heipang on Wednesday that the corpse of one of the six missing persons had been found. Read more
Bayelsa to employ 30,000 workers in fertilizer-petrochemical firm
The Bayelsa State Government is set to employ no fewer than 30,000 workers, particularly indigenes, in its $3.5bn fertiliser and petrochemical company, State Development and Investment Corporation, has said.
The Deputy Managing Director, BDIC, Mr. Tam Alazigha, in an interview with journalists in Yenagoa on Wednesday said the $3.5bn Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical project to be sited at Odioma in Brass Local Government Area is expected to generate a turnover of $1.5bn. Read more
NASS crisis may lead to Buhari’s impeachment – Lawyer
An Abia State-based constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Anthony Agbazuere, has warned the leadership of the ruling All Progressive Congress to treat with caution, the leadership crisis rocking the National Assembly, saying it can consume both APC and President Muhammadu Buhari if not carefully handled.
Agbazuere, who gave the warning Wednesday at a press conference in Umuahia, advised APC hierarchy to “swallow their pride and accept Senator Olusola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogora as Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively in the interest of the party and to move Nigeria forward.” Read more
IG Disbands LG Revenue Collection Road Blocks
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, has ordered Commissioners of Police (CPs) to disband road blocks set up by local government officials on highways to collect revenue.
The order is contained in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, on Wednesday.
The statement said the order followed reports that the act disrupt free flow of traffic, and was being used to extort and harass motorists on the highways. Read more
Gov. Bello Orders Inquiry Into Illegal Deduction Of Workers’ Salaries
Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has directed the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Shehu Danyaya, to constitute a panel of inquiry to investigate illegal deductions of workers’ June salaries.
Bello gave the directive when he inaugurated the 13th Niger national trade fair tagged; `Niger State is an Investment Haven’’, in Minna on Wednesday. Read more
NSCDC Promotes 322 Officers In Jigawa Command
The Jigawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Wednesday said it had promoted 322 of its officers and men.
The Commandant, Malam Muhammad Gidado, told newsmen in Dutse that the officers were promoted in the recently-conducted nationwide promotion exercise conducted by the governing board of the NSCDC Read more
50 Killed In Attack On Egyptian Military By Islamic State
Islamic State (IS) militants launched a wide-scale coordinated assault on several military checkpoints in Egypt’s North Sinai on Wednesday in which 50 people were killed, security sources said.
Egyptian army F-16 jets and Apache helicopters strafed the region that lies within the Sinai Peninsula, a strategic area located between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. Read more
Liberia Confirms Second Ebola Case
Liberia confirmed a second case of Ebola on Tuesday just a day after authorities said they had detected a new case of the deadly virus previously thought to have been eliminated from the country.
“We have two confirmed cases today in Liberia,” said Dr Moses Massaquoi, Case Management team leader for Liberia’s Ebola task force. He did not provide details of the new case.
The body of a 17 year-old boy from Margibi County, a rural area outside of Monrovia, was confirmed to be positive for the virus on Sunday and was buried the same day. Read more
Chinese Investors To Invest $54m In Kwara
A group of Chinese investors have expressed their commitment towards investing about $54m in the industrial sector of Kwara state in the next couple of years.
The leader of the team, Mr Shi Zengchao during a courtesy call on the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed said about $15m would be invested in the next one year in order to ensure commencement of operations as early as possible. Read more
Kuwait makes DNA tests mandatory after IS bombing
Kuwait’s parliament, reacting to a suicide bombing last week that killed 26 people, adopted a law Wednesday requiring mandatory DNA testing on all the country’s citizens and foreign residents.
The legislation, requested by the government to help security agencies make quicker arrests in criminal cases, calls on the interior ministry to establish a database on all 1.3 million citizens and 2.9 million foreign residents. Read more
Anglican cleric commends Buhari for appointing first female INEC chairman
Most Rev. Adebayo Akinde, the Archbishop of Lagos Mainland, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the appointment of Mrs Amina Zakari as the acting Chairman of INEC.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday appointed Zakari, as INEC chair in an acting capacity following the expiration of Prof. Attahiru Jega’s tenure. Read more
Pro-Erdogan candidate voted Turkey’s new parliament speaker
The defence minister from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, which lost its majority in recent elections, was elected parliament speaker Wednesday, in a vote seen as a key barometer of the country’s politics.
Ismet Yilmaz was elected speaker in the fourth and final round of voting with support from 258 deputies — all from his Justice and Development Party (AKP) — in the 550-seat parliament. Read more
Flood destroys 30 houses, displaces 70 households in Katsina community
No fewer than 30 houses were destroyed while 70 households were displaced in Mangwarori community of Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State due to flooding.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited the community on Wednesday, reports that the incident occurred on Sunday night due to blockage of water passage because of ongoing construction work. Read more
Fayose congratulates Fani-Kayode over court victory
The governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has congratulated former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode over his acquittal of fraud charges by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The presiding judge Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia said the case against him was not strong enough and that prosecutor did not provide “copious evidence” that could link Fani-Kayode to money laundering. Read more
Gmail introduces undo option
Ever hit the send button before realising you made a great mistake you wish you could correct in that mail? Better times are here as Google’s electronic mail account, Gmail, now has the option for recalling such mails.
Google added the option to its Gmail settings in order to enable users undo messages they sent out of errors.
Interestingly, users have the choice of choosing the undo time between 5 seconds to 30 seconds within which any mail sent out of error could be recalled. Read more
Group partners UN to increase access to budget
Civic technology and transparency advocacy group, BudgIT Nigeria has partnered with the United Nations (UN) to increase access and ensure transparency in government budgets.
The partnership will also assist the group to track projects in 24 communities in Nigeria located in six states across the Federation.
BudgIT is already working with both Kaduna and Edo state governments to ensure transparency. Read more
Follow us @sabinewsnaija
