SABINEWS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE FOR JUNE 27, 2016

Forgery trial: Court grants Saraki, Ekweremadu bail

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has granted Senate President, Bukola Saraki; his deputy, Ekweremadu, and two others bail in their trial over an alleged forgery. All four accused persons pleaded not guilty after which their lawyers argued that they be granted bail. The case has been adjourned to July 11. Read more

Acting Police IG Allegedly Writes To Presidency, Recommends Immediate Retirement of 30 Senior Officers

In an exclusive gotten by THISDAY Newspaper monday, the new acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, was said to have on Friday last week, allegedly written to the presidency to retire 30 senior officers. The officers who are of the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police, were said to have been penned down for immediate retirement. Read more

Sheathe your swords in national interest, VON DG urges Avengers, others

Director General, Voice of Nigeria, VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has called on separatist groups in southern Nigeria to sheathe their swords and support President Muhammadu Buhari. He said what Nigeria needs at this point is total support for Buhari in his efforts to rid the country of corruption, which had been the bane of its development. Read more

Dickson advocates dialogue to resolve Niger Delta crisis

Bayelsa State governor, Dr. Seriake Dickson, has advocated dialogue as a way out of the present standoff between the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, and the Federal Government over the issue of resource control in the region. Read more

Image-battering: Peace corps slams NSCDC, DSS, others

Peace Corps of Nigeria, PCN, has said the idea of casting aspersions and battering its image by sister organisations like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Department of State Security Service, DSS and a host of others, will not preclude its passage into law and presidential assent. The PCN alleged that the paramilitary organisations were hell-bent in ensuring it was not institutionalised by the federal government on the pretext that it would amount to duplication of duties and withdrawal of service from sister organisations. Read more

TUC backs conversion of Rivers’ college into polytechnic

Trade Union Congress, TUC, has backed plans by the Rivers State government to convert the state College of Arts and Science into a polytechnic. Already, a bill for the college to be converted into ‘Port Harcourt Polytechnic’ is being debated by the state House of Assembly, even as a public hearing on the matter has been scheduled.    Read more

Tapping into potential benefits of new forex regime for insurance industry

Last Monday, the long-awaited flexible forex regime commenced in the country. The motive of the new system is to ensure that there is enough foreign exchange in the system for individuals and companies to do their businesses. Insurers are the most excited of all, as it means, they can now accrue premiums from aviation, oil and gas and marine sectors as against the pre-flexible policy regime when sourcing for forex was difficult for many operators. Read more

Averting the dangers ahead

What chance does Nigeria have in the face of unceasing ethnic nationalism pressures? This line was the parting shot in my piece last week. This well loaded poser is a reflection of the heightened general public concerns over the current rash of nationalistic pressures in the country, most of which have turned violent. Unarguably, Nigeria is at the moment at a crossroads.  Read more

Sex scandal, NASS and the tragedy of Nigeria (1)

The current sex scandal rocking the House of Representatives is another tragic testament of the crop of legislators that we have in the National Assembly. Our lawmakers are perennially in the news for the wrong reasons. Our unproductive and expensive National Assembly members have acquired an enviable notoriety for a myriad of unpatriotic and unpleasant things, including stealing constituency funds; collecting kickbacks from the executive before discharging their constitutional functions; introducing obnoxious bills, receiving bogus and outrageous allowances and other vices. Read more

IMAN to establish hospital, school in Bauchi

Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria, IMAN, Bauchi State chapter, will establish a hospital and a school to render services to people. Speaking at the second state congress meeting of the association in Bauchi, its state chairman, Dr. Muhammad Alkali, disclosed that the hospital, when established, would provide medical care for people in line with the provisions of Islam. Read more

New bailout fund: Bauchi to embark on staff verification

Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State said his government would embark on yet another round of staff verification to enable it access Federal government’s budget support programme “So, verification is the policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria and it is also the policy of the Bauchi State government, but we in Bauchi are going to do it differently,” he said. Read more

Nigerians are suffering, says Catholic archbishop

Archbishop of Catholic archdiocese of Kaduna, Most Rev. Mathew Man-Oso Ndagoso, said Nigeria is almost like a begging nation presently, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently assuage the sufferings of the people. Read more

Niger, Dangote conclude plans on N148bn sugar factory

Niger State government and the Dangote Group have concluded plans for the takeoff of a N148 billion ($450m) sugar factory in the state, just as the state government has assured investors of a conducive environment for their investments Read more

Curtailing the danger of drug abuse

Few years back, I visited a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Lagos, where young women and men are being helped to liberate themselves from the shackles and pains of drug addiction so they could live and enjoy a more dignified and fruitful lives. What I saw on that particular occasion was quite distressing. Read more

I’m still in Ondo guber race – Alasoadura

Senator representing Ondo Central in the National Assembly, Tayo Alasoadura, said at the weekend that he had not dumped his governorship ambition. Alasoadura is one of the aspirants seeking the All Progressives Congress, APC, nomination to contest the November 26 governorship election in the state. Read more

Why I pitched tent with Sherriff faction – Edo Lawmaker

Member representing Egor/ Ikpoba Okha Federal Constituency in Edo State, Hon. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, at the weekend said the desire to rescue the people from poverty and suffering compelled him to pick the Governorship nomination and expression of interest from the Ali Modu Sherriff- led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Read more

We recognise Edo PDP Exco – PDP Caretaker Committee

The Caretaker Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP has said that it recognises the Edo State Executive Committee of the party urging the general public and in particular the leadership and members of the PDP in Edo State to ignore the statement from Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Professor Wale Oladipo that the executive has been suspended. Read more

Ekiti PDP, APC tango over plot to stop fresh bailout

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ekiti State and the opposition All Progressives Congress,APC in the state yesterday differed over an alleged plot to prevent access of the state government to fresh bailout to enable it pay arrears of workers’ salaries. Read more

Group seeks end to Kogi varsity strike

Some prominent indigenes of Kogi State rallied together in Lagos at the weekend to seek ways of ending the lingering strike by the lecturers which paralysed academic activities at the Kogi State University for some time now. Read more

Troops kill four cattle rustlers in Zamfara

Nigerian Army has said its troops yesterday killed four cattle rustlers and armed bandits in Zamfara State, leaving several others with gunshot injuries. A statement through the Army Public Relations, DAPR, Colonel Sani Usman, said several weapons were also recovered from the bandits.  Read more

My mandate’s to deliver effective primary health care services – Edu

At what point did you begin your political career and subsequently rise to become a Director-General and Special Assistant to the Governor? Well, I would state here honestly that it’s been the hand of God. It’s been the favour and help of God. I really do not like to be referred to as a politician but then everybody tends to say ‘come on, you are into politics. Read more

Gunmen release expatriate contractors kidnapped in Niger Delta: police

Seven contractors, including three Australians and a South African, have been released four days after they were kidnapped by gunmen in southern Nigeria, officials said. Police had given conflicting accounts of how many had been seized and what their nationalities were but they all worked for cement company Lafarge and were taken on the outskirts of Calabar, capital of Cross River State, in the Niger Delta. Read more

15 states may go bankrupt – Economic Confidential

…36 states generates N682bn IGR

Fifteen out of the 36 states in the country may declare bankruptcy due to poor revenue generation and dwindling allocation from the federation account. According to a report by Economic Confidential Internally Generated Revenues, IGR, of the 15 states in 2015 were far below 10 per cent of their Federation Account Allocations, FAA, in one year from June 2015 to May 2016. Read more

Shelter Afrique’s equity in Nigeria’s mortgage sector hits N256bn

A pan-African finance company, Shelter Afrique has invested over $16 million; about N315.2 billion in the nation’s equity market in the last three years. Out of these equity investments, $13 million, about 256.1 billion was invested in credit lines for on-lending for mortgage while $3 million, about N591 million was invested in the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company, NMRC within the same period under review. Read more

How to become a successful property owner

Hello all.
I have received several emails asking various questions (Thank you, and keep them coming), but by far the most frequent question I am asked is “How do I get into Real Estate?” This is one of the reasons I have committed to writing and speaking on this topic. There is a whole segment of the Nigerian society, no matter which city, town or village you go to, that is extremely interested in home ownership and this should not be surprising since homes have been owned in this society well before the idea of mortgages came into existence. Read more

We will ensure strict enforcement of Ports Operating Procedures – NSC

The Nigerian Shippers Council NSC, the country’s economic regulator for the port industry has said that it will do everything within its powers and within the ambits of the relevant laws of the land to ensure that every operator complied with the newly launched Standards Operating Procedures SOP. Read more

NDLEA seizes N22bn worth of drugs in 2015 – Abdallah

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd.) has disclosed that the anti-narcotic agency seized drugs worth N22 billion last year. Read more

New forex regime will impact positively on insurance business – Babington-Ashaye

The Deputy President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Mrs. Funmi Babington-Ashaye, has said that the new forex regime will impact positively on the operations of insurance companies, particularly in the payment of reinsurance premium to foreign reinsurers.Speaking at a press briefing of the Institute in Laos said if you take for instance aviation, oil and gas, it has been very difficult to get forex to pay for reinsurance fees until the new forex regime, I thinkit will be better for the economy and the insurance industry. Read more

Counting costs of spiking Jet 1 price on Nigerian airlines, passengers

The price of Jet A1 has dropped remarkably at the international market for more than two years. Rather than the nation’s carriers and passengers enjoying the fiscal benefits of the crash in price, consistent increment in the price of the product has been the order of the day.  Read more

Forgery: Senate President, deputy docked

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were docked before an Abuja High Court on Monday over alleged complicity in forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, 2015. They were arraigned alongside former Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa and his deputy, Mr. Benedict Efeturi. Read more

Singapore Airlines catches fire after emergency landing

A Singapore Airlines plane that was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine problems caught fire on a runway in Singapore early on Monday, the airline said in a statement. The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft had departed Singapore’s Changi Airport around 2:05 am on Monday for Milan, but was forced to turn around after the pilot detected an engine problem during the flight. Read more

Hillary Clinton boasts double-digit lead over Trump

presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is holding a 12-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump as support for the latter tumbled in the past month, found a poll released Sunday. Clinton enjoys 51 per cent of support among Americans, up by seven points from May, compared to Trump’s support at 39 per cent, which is down by seven points, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Read more

Drug traffickers deserve to die-  Indonesian president

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said he will personally ask the police to shoot drug traffickers summarily if the law allowed it. His remarks came as the country is preparing to execute convicts on death row for drug offences. “Hit them, clobber them, if the law allowed, shoot them. Read more