Niger Delta militants blow up NNPC Pipeline
A Nigerian militant group has blown up a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline in Oruk Anam local government area in Akwa Ibom, the group said in a tweet on Thursday. The Niger Delta Avengers, which has carried out attacks on oil facilities in Nigeria’s southern oil region, had earlier said on Monday it would only negotiate with the government if independent foreign mediators were involved. Read more
Army uncovers Boko Haram’s tactics of evading surveillance in Borno
The Nigerian Army on Thursday said Boko Haram terrorists now evade drones and aircraft surveillance by hiding in makeshift camps covered with shrubs. Col. Sani Usman, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, revealed this new tactic in a statement in Maiduguri. Usman said in the statement that the discovery was made during a clearance operation in the North Eastern area of Kumshe in Borno. Read more
Kogi Assembly Crisis: Court Orders Parties in Suit to Stay Away from Sitting
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered parties to the suit involving the Kogi State House of Assembly to stay away from the assembly pending the determination of an application challenging the judgment of the court restoring the Speaker and other principal members. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba gave the order on Thursday to enable the respondents file their response to the application. Read more
Sokoto to Construct 3 Roads for N1.5bn
Sokoto State Government has approved the construction of three major roads in Sokoto metropolis at the cost of over N1.5 billion. Alhaji Mohammadu Mannir, the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, stated this when he addressed journalists at the end of the State Executive Council meeting in Sokoto. Read more
Police Refute Rumour of Pipeline Attacks in A/Ibom
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Thursday debunked the claim by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) of bombing pipelines in the Ikot Osutek axis of Oruk-Anam local government area of the State.
The Police Commissioner, CP Murtala Mani ,made the rebuttal while fielding questions from reporters about the rumour that the NDA bombed gas pipelines in Oruk-Anam local government area of the state in the wee hours of Thursday. Read more
Nigeria may experience food shortage, UNDP consultant warns
The UN Development Programme (UNDP), on Thursday, warned that Nigeria might experience food shortage, if urgent interventions were not put in place to enhance food production. Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo, Lead Consultant, UNDP project on “Targeting Interventions to Foster Sustainable and Resilient Food Security in Nigeria,” gave the warning in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Read more
Militancy only feeds few elements in N’Delta – Netherland activist
A prominent Netherland based environmental rights activist, Mr Sunny Ofehe, on Thursday, said there was no time militancy benefited or better the lots of the oil-rich Niger Delta people, saying that only a few elements use such means to enrich themselves at the detriment of the entire region. Ofehe, in a statement mailed to our correspondent from his base, noted that the renewed militancy in the region was unnecessary as the resultant effect through environmental degradation would hurt even unborn children. Read more
Ajaokuta steel needs N80bn to operate – Administrator
The Sole Administrator of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Isah Onobere, said on Thursday that one of the 43 plants installed in the complex was capable of producing 600, 000 tonnes of steel annually and that the quantity could cover a 10, 000 kilometres of rail network across the country. Onobere, who stated this at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Privatisation, explained that the company requires N80bn to put the plant in use at full capacity. He explained that the firm would put together a business plan to the Federal Government to accommodate it in the Memorandum of Understanding recently signed with the Chinese government on the construction of two major rail tracks across the country. Read more
Plateau suspends decision on grazing reserves
Plateau State government on Thursday suspended its decision to create grazing reserves. The decision followed intense pressure on the government by the immediate past governor, Mr. Jonah Jang and youths of the state. The youths had on Monday besieged the government house, asking the governor to reverse his decision to donate some parcels of land for the proposed grazing reserves. This came after similar pressure from Jang and the lawmaker representing Barakin Ladi/Riyom federal constituency, Mr. Istifans Gyang. Read more
President returns from medical leave on Sunday, says Osinbajo
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected back in Nigeria on Sunday and would resume work on Monday. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this Thursday shortly before the commencement of the National Economic Council (NEC). Mr. Buhari travelled to London on a 10-day medical vacation, to be examined by an Ear Nose and Throat specialist for ear infection. Read more
Flood sacks churches, destroys properties in Ekiti
Residents and shop owners at Adere, along Ilawe road, are lamenting following the flood that ravaged the place on Wednesday and sacked no fewer than three churches. The rain which began about 2pm on Wednesday, lasted for four hours. One of the residents, Pastor Abioye Emmanuel, expressed sadness over the level of destruction caused by the flood. Read more
UNIPORT reopens Sunday
The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Rivers State, that was shut by the management in the evening of April 11 this year, after students’ violent protest earlier in the day, will be reopening on Sunday, with first semester examinations to start the next day. Read more
CBN targets one million jobs through youth entrepreneurship program
The Central Bank of Nigeria said it is targeting a total of one million jobs through its Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme. The Director, Development Finance Department, CBN, Mr Mudashiru Olaitan, said this on Thursday while speaking at the opening session of a three-day programme for the first set of applicants of the YEDP. He said the program was one of the initiatives of the apex bank which was inaugurated on March 15 this year by the CBN Governor,Mr Godwin Emefiele to address the challenges of youth unemployment in the country. Read more
Nigeria’s NNPC shuts pipeline valve in Delta after gas leak -official
Nigerian state oil firm NNPC managed to close a valve in a pipeline in the Niger Delta to contain a gas leak caused by an explosion, a community leader said on Thursday. The Niger Delta Avengers, whose attacks on oil facilities in the southern oil region in the last few months have pushed crude production to a 30-year low according to the International Energy Agency, said on Twitter that it blew up the pipeline. Read more
Free at last
BARE shelves in supermarkets and soaring inflation would worry any central-bank governor. For Godwin Emefiele in Nigeria, the added twist is that both problems are partly his fault. The central bank’s policy of trying to maintain the value of the naira, Nigeria’s currency, in the face of a slump in the price of oil, which used to account for about 90% of the country’s export earnings, has failed miserably. Now it is being scrapped. Read more
PDP rival groups clash at headquarters
Supporters of the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee and their counterparts from the Ali Modu Sheriff group on Thursday clashed at the party headquarters. The incident occurred at about 1:04pm. Trouble began when Sheriff’s supporters tried to dislodge Makarfi’s supporters from the main entrance of Wadata Plaza, the complex housing the party secretariat. Read more
No connection between MASSOB and Niger Delta Avengers – MASSOB leader
The Leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, Chief Solomon Chukwu, has said there is no affiliation between members of MASSOB and the Niger Delta Avengers. Chukwu, who spoke to our correspondent on Thursday through his National Director of Information, Mr. Sunday Okereafor, said that while the Avengers were armed, MASSOB members were not and non-violent. Chukwu said MASSOB was not supportive of the activities of the Avengers, describing their actions as ill, obnoxious and nefarious. Read more
Niger Delta rebellion: Children beg Avengers to stop attacks
Children in Delta State yesterday appealed to members of the emergent militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to stop attacks on oil facilities and consider the plight of the vulnerable group in the event of a full blown war in the Niger Delta region. Avengers which have been claiming responsibilities for series of attacks in the region, had in their previous statements vowed not to spill human blood in the sabotage of oil installations. Read more
Avengers: Ijaw youths accuse military of violating ceasefire
The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, yesterday, accused the military of violating a ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and the militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). The IYC in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, said it was wrong for the military to invade some communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, at a time the government was planning to hold discussions with the Niger Delta region. Read more
Nigeria’s Buhari is well but will extend UK break until Sunday -vice president
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who travelled to Britain for a holiday and treatment for an ear infection, is well but will extend his break until Sunday to rest, the vice president said on Thursday.
The 73-year-old former military ruler flew to London on Monday last week to see an ear, nose and throat specialist after being examined by two doctors in Nigeria who, according to Buhari’s spokesman, “recommended further evaluation, purely as a precaution”. Read more
Nigerian central bank “optimistic” naira will settle at 250 per dollar: document
Nigeria’s central bank is “reasonably optimistic” the naira will settle at around 250 to the U.S. dollar after an initial period of weakness following a flotation on Monday, the bank’s governor has said in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari. Nigeria’s central bank said on Wednesday it would begin market-driven foreign currency trading next week, abandoning the peg of 197 naira per dollar that it has supported for 16 months. Read more
Nigerian naira to fall after open-market switch
The Nigerian naira is expected to fall next week as the country switches to a flexible, market driven exchange rate policy. The Nigerian naira could slide to a record low when the new open-market foreign currency trading announced by the central bank starts on Monday, traders said. The central bank said on Wednesday it would abandon its 16-month fixed exchange rate policy. Read more
Edo 2016: PDP clears three gubernatorial aspirants
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP under the Senator Ahmed Makarfi led national executive yesterday in Benin city cleared three governorship aspirants taking part in the governorship primary election of the party in Edo State slated for Monday. The aspirants namely, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Hon. Matthew Uduoriyekemwen and Solomon Edebiri, were given a clean bill of health after they were screened on Wednesday by the screening committee sent to Edo State by the national caretaker committee of the party. Read more
Police can’t arrest before investigations –Court
A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, has told the police that it had no right to arrest before investigating suspects.
This was coming in pursuant of a human rights matter brought before the court by a lawyer, Mr Ndubuisi Onyeakpa, who has approached the court for his fundamental human right abuse by the Nigerian Police from the Anambra State Command and Zone 9, Umuahia. Read more
Rampaging PDP Youths Sack Sheriff from Party’s Secretariat
Less than two days after he stormed the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with his loyalists to imposed himself as National Chairman, of the party aggrieved youths have sacked Senator Ali Modu Sheriff from the national secretariat. The group of youths under the aegis of PDP National Rebirth Group and PDP Concerned Rescue Group invaded the party premises yesterday morning and sealed off the party’s national headquarters and handed the keys over to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin. Read more
FG not ready for dialogue with N’Delta people – IYC
The umbrella body for Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, has expressed doubt about the sincerity of the Federal Government to have dialogue with the Niger Delta people. The group, in a statement on Thursday by its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, spoke against the backdrop of reported invasion of some Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State. The IYC rationalised that the Federal Government could not in one breath declare a ceasefire and at the same time forcefully invade Niger Delta communities allegedly looking for militants. Read more
Independence Day Bombing: Court admits suspect’s confessional statement
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday admitted in evidence the alleged confessional statement made by one of those standing trial for the 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja. Charles Okah and Obi Nwabueze are being tried over the incident which killed several people at the Eagle Square venue of the Independence Day celebration. Read more
