1st NEWS EVENING NEWS UPDATE – APRIL 15, 2019
‘Kachikwu’s visit to Exxon Mobil FPSO was to increase production’
The Ministry of Petroleum Resources Monday said that visit by Minister of State Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu to the ERHA FPSO operated by ExxonMobil was to increase crude oil production and also unlock the gas. The ministry’s Deputy Director, Press, Olujimi Oyetomi, who made this known in a statement Monday said that the “This visit by Dr. Kachikwu not only marks a defining one for the Nation but also highlights a personal achievement for the Minister considering that he took on his current portfolio from his then position as the Executive Vice Chairman of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and General Counsel for ExxonMobil Nigeria affiliate Upstream and Downstream Companies in Nigeria.
Zamfara to conduct LG elections on April 27
Zamfara State Independent Electoral Commission has fixed April 27, 2019 for the conduct of local government election in the state. The Executive Chairman of the Commission, Garba Muhammad, disclosed this in Gusau on Monday at a stakeholders’ meeting. The state is currently facing serious security challenges, which led to the deployment of soldiers and other security agents to confront bandits and kidnappers who had killed more than 3,000 people.
You don’t need WAEC certificate to become president or governor —Keyamo
Director, Strategic Communications of President Buhari 2019 Presidential Campaign, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has said that, based on the provisions of the Constitution, an aspirant does not need a WAEC certificate to become a president or governor in the country. Taking to his verified Twitter handle @fkeyamo on Monday, Keyamo had stated, “There are other levels of qualifications to run for the office of president. In fact, if you have occupied the public office for a reasonable length of time, by the provisions of the Constitution, you do not even need a WAEC certificate to become president of Nigeria.” Keyamo had tweeted his responses at a television interview earlier held on Sunday.
Nkwonta asks Tribunal to sack Abaribe as Senator
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senatorial candidate for Abia South senatorial district in the just concluded elections, Mr. Chris Nkwonta, has asked the National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Umuahia to nullify the election of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Abaribe winner of the senatorial election, saying that he scored 53,086 votes to defeat Nkwonta with 27,998. But in a petition which has INEC, Abaribe and PDP as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively, Nkwonta stated that the electoral umpire declared the senator elected in spite of the fact that the scores contained in the results declared did not represent a correct account of the actual votes polled by the candidates as shown by the polling units results for the election.
Unlawful detention: 2 suspects sue FG, STF, demand N1bn in damages
Two suspects being detained at the Military Special Task Force (STF) Headquarters in Jos, Plateau have sued the Federal Government and the task force in High Court, demanding N1 billion as general damages for breach of their fundamental human. Zakka Dung and Joel Sunday also prayed for an order restricting the FG and the STF, their privies and representatives from further arresting and detaining them for no just cause. The Dung and Sunday, were allegedly arrested by members of the task force on Jan. 26, while playing football at Sabon-Barki, in Jos South Local Government without been told of their offence.
Nearly 2 years after, suspects in Ozubulu church killing regain freedom
An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has discharge and acquitted the suspects in the killing of 13 worshipers at St. Philips Catholic Church, Ozubulu, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state. The mass killing happened on August 6, 2017. In a three-hour judgement, Justice Fidelis Aniukwu said the prosecution counsel was unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt the culpability of the defendants, Chinedu Akpunonu and Onyebuchi Mbanefo, concerning the crime. The court had, in December 2018, discharged two out of the four suspects arraigned before it on the matter. Justice Aniukwu said the prosecution witnesses could not “provide any evidence linking the defendants to the murder as alleged.”
Cultists on the rampage in Lagos, behead two, kill 3 others
Residents of Alasiya in Abraham Adesanya Estate area, in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, were thrown into panic on Sunday as a suspected clash by rival cults left five corpses on the streets. Eyewitnesses, who said the clash started around midnight, adding that two of the five corpses were beheaded. It was gathered that one victim was shot dead, another was slaughtered and the last one was butchered to death. It was learnt that the police were able to recover four corpses because the family of one of the victims refused to release his remains.
FG fixes Abuja carnival for November
The Federal Government has shifted the Abuja carnival scheduled to take place in December 2018 to November 2019. Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information Deaconess Grace Gekpe said the carnival among other gains will provide a platform to recreate and continue the onerous task of nation building after the peaceful general elections. She added that the carnival is conceived to showcase the country’s strength even in our diversity and to forge a nation of one destiny, one people. Gekpe stated these on Monday in Abuja at the 2019 Abuja carnival stakeholders meeting.
FIFA bans disgraced ex-football chief for life
FIFA on Monday slapped a lifetime ban on the disgraced former boss of Brazilian football, Jose Maria Marin after a US court convicted him of massive corruption. The 86-year-old Marin was one of the key figures swept up in the graft scandal that began with a series of stunning arrests in 2015 and subsequently upended world football. He had already been sentenced to four years in a US prison after a court in New York found him guilty in connection with nearly $6.6 million in bribes from sports marketing companies in exchange for contracts to broadcast major tournaments.
