SABINEWS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE FOR AUGUST 2, 2016

FG owes retirees N293bn, says it won’t sack workers

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced interrogation of some civil servants over allegations that they may be ghost workers, the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, said on Monday in Abuja. According to her, the measure was aimed at sanitising the civil service in line with global best practices. Read more

Militants murdered eight landlords in one night — Ikorodu residents

The first sign of disquiet, which a first-time visitor may encounter in the Ikorodu area as he approaches the Igbo-Olomu and Isawo communities, is the ubiquitous presence of a dark green Lagos Task Force vehicle stationed at a major turning. During a visit to the area on Monday morning, our correspondent observed that heavily armed military personnel had taken different positions on the road, screening and frisking commuters. There was an uneasy calm around the junction. The silence contrasted sharply with the usual cacophony arising from buying and selling in the area, as well as the sound of speeding commercial motorcycles, popularly called okada. Read more

Oil price slides to $42.04

The inability of Nigeria and other Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, to agree on oil output cut has left oil price at a low of $42.04 per barrel. Oil prices fell more than 3 per cent on Monday, with US crude hitting April lows, weighed by a survey showing output in OPEC reached record highs last month amid the biggest addition of US oil rigs in two years.
Brent crude was down $1.38 or 3.2 per cent, at $42.15 a barrel, after a session low at $42.04. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.35 or 3.3 per cent, to $40.25 a barrel by 11:33 am EDT (15:33 GMT). It earlier plumbed $40.18, the lowest since April 20.   Read more

NNPC dissociates self from kerosene price hike
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it is unaware of any increase in the official ex-depot price of kerosene.  The Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC, was reportedly said to have increased the ex-depot price from N75 to N135 per litre with effect from yesterday. Read more

Attacks: More oil, gas firms lose billions
The destruction of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta region has continued to impact negatively on Nigerian oil and gas companies’ financial performance in the last six months. Italian oil giant Eni, operating through its Nigerian subsidiary, the Nigerian Agip Oil Co Ltd and the Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd, disclosed‎ that it lost 13,000 boepd in the first half of 2016 as a result of disruption in its production in the country.  Read more

Hazards of the environment on reproductive functions

The major focus at the recently concluded 30th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Endocrinology in Helsinki, Finland, was the hazards of the environment and diet on our reproductive capacity and infertility. I have decided to bring forward some of the issues raised, which I have earlier commented about for emphasis. Read more

Nigeria: ‘Army killed 347 Shia followers of Zakzaky’

A public inquiry on Monday accused the Nigerian army of killing 347 Shia Muslims and dumping them in a mass grave in the northern city of Kaduna late last year. Two days of violence began on December 12 when Shia worshippers attending a religious ceremony obstructed the convoy of Nigeria’s chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai. Read more

Tension in House of Reps over plot to remove Dogara

There was a palpable tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, over the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin. It was gathered that many members were ruffled, forcing a large number of them to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed.Findings showed that the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, however, doused the tension among factions by urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara. Read more

Troops arrest 2 wanted armed bandits, destroyed camps and recovered some items

Troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army involved in anti-cattle rustling and anti-banditry operations  in Zamfara State on Monday 1st August 2016 despite poor weather and rugged terrain, carried out clearance operations on suspected armed bandits hideouts in some forests within Zamfara State. The troops carried out raids at Batara and Ajah forests in Birnin Magaji and Gusau Local Government Areas, Zamfara State. Read more

FG Extends N-Power Jobs & Training Programmes Till The End Of August

In order to pull in more potentially qualified candidates and expand the opportunity base around and across the country, the deadline for N-Power online jobs and training applications has been extended till the end of August.

The application process commenced on June 12th 2016 and was to close on Monday, July 25, 2016.  Read more

Hajj Stampede: Reps Summon 36 States’ Secretaries

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the 2015 Hajj stampede at Mina in Saudi Arabia yesterday summoned Secretaries of 36  States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory,FCT, to appear before it with their official reports on the incident within 72 hours. Chairman of the Committee Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi Dutse gave the order yesterday at the investigative hearing on the role of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria ( NAHCON ) in the Operation of Hajj and Umrah especially 2015 operation vis-a-vis the stampede at Mina in Saudi Arabia. Read more

Confidence Inching Back to Nigerian Market, Forex Liquidity Improves

The decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to move towards a full free float of the naira, coupled with its roadshow in the United Kingdom and United States of America last month, is gradually yielding results as there was a perceptible improvement in liquidity on the interbank spot FX market last week, recording a turnover of $196.14 million, with an average daily volume of $39.23 million between July 25 and 29. Read more

Double Jeopardy for Nigeria, Militants Bomb More Pipelines, Oil Prices Tumble

Nigeria was confronted with the prospect of double jeopardy monday, when Anglo-Dutch oil multinational, Shell, confirmed that suspected militants believed to be from the Niger Delta attacked its Trans Ramos Pipeline (TRP) in Delta State on Saturday night. This came as concerns mounted over oil prices, as United States crude tumbled monday below $40 per barrel for the first time since April, with both Brent and US crude prices falling by nearly four per cent. Read more

Bank, Microsoft promise to empower SMEs

With over 35 million registered Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country, the duo of Diamond Bank and Microsoft are set to empower the SMEs growth in Nigeria,  through the Diamond Mobile Point of Sales (MPoS).
Speaking during a one-day workshop receently on improving business productivity among SMEs, both organisations gave assurance  that they would accelerate SME business via providing  the right technology tools that would empower their businesses in today’s digital world. According to the. Head, Emerging Business, Diamond Bank, Njideka Esomeju, Diamond MPoS solution would enhance business productivity among SMEs in the country. Read more

Lafarge Africa optimistic of good performance

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lafarge Africa Plc, Michel Puchercos, has said that in spite of the macro-economic challenges and market uncertainties, his company will continue to deliver good performance. Puchercos said that the organisation is much stronger and better positioned to deliver operational excellence and improve value to our shareholders. He said this while commenting on the company’s half-year result, which showed that Lafarge Africa Plc, a cement and building solutions provider, recorded sales of N107 billion in the first half of 2016. Read more

Kaduna Judicial Panel Recommends Prosecution of Soldiers, El-Zakzaky

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government to investigate the December 12-14, 2015 clash between the Nigerian Army and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiite or Shia sect, has indicted the leader of the group, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, for alleged acts of lawlessness by his members. Read more

Presidency Refutes Claim of Diversion of UK Aid for War Against Terror

The presidency has denied a report that it used aid from the United Kingdom for the war against terrorism in the North-east to prosecute the opposition. The president’s media aide, Mr Garba Shehu, in a statement monday reacting to the London Telegraph’s article “Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria”, said the allegation was baseless. Read more

Smile Thrills Customers With Unlimited Premium

In continuation of the series of innovative products designed to offer its subscribers unbeatable value, Smile Nigeria has unveiled the UnlimitedPremium Plan. This latest innovation is coming on the heels of the company’s recent introduction of the lowest 4G LTE Call Rate in the Nigerian market. The UnlimitedPremium Plan gives customers InternetFreedom where they can download unlimited movies, watch unlimited videos, play unlimited games online, enjoy unlimited social media at the same price of N19, 800. The plan is about the only truly Unlimited Internet available to everyone in the country. Read more