SABINEWS MORNING NEWS UPDATE FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2017
NATIONAL
Osinbajo Sends Onnoghen’s Name to Senate for Confirmation as CJN
With just two days left to the expiration of the tenure of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, acting President Yemi Osinbajo tuesday transmitted his name to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive CJN.
Confirming this tuesday, a source close to the Office of the Senate President, said Senate President Bukola Saraki received the letter yesterday, requesting the upper chamber to screen and confirm Justice Onnoghen, a Cross River State indigene, as the substantive CJN. Read more
Buratai: Army to Recruit Eligible IDPs
The Nigerian Army has said plans are underway to recruit eligible Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency into the army.
The move to recruit IDPs is sequel upon several pleas by the IDPs to top military brass to be enlisted into the military Read more
Suicide Bombers Intercepted at NNPC Mega Station in Maiduguri
Two female suicide bombers were prevented from wreaking havoc on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital Tuesday morning.
The suicide bombers believed to be in their teens, had planned to detonate the explosive devices strapped on them at a long queue on vehicles waiting to buy fuel from an NNPC Mega station. Read more
Nothing will Stop PDP’s March to 2019, Says Makarfi
The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said both the leadership and stakeholders of the party are prepared to surmount all obstacles to ensure that it regain power in 2019.
He said the party is looking forward to the February 17 Court of Appeal judgment in Port Harcourt to reposition itself for the 2019 general election. Read more
Court Jails 11 in Niger for Prostitution
Operatives of the Niger State liquor Licensing Board charged with the enforcement of the 2002 Sharia law have arrested 11 suspects for engaging in prostitution.
They were apprehended at the Mandela area of the state capital and at the Nagari hotel also in Minna. Read more
Runway Rehabilitation: FG Insists Abuja Airport Will Not Exceed Six Weeks
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Tuesday said government would ensure that the total rehabilitation of the Abuja Airport runway will not take more than the stipulated six weeks.
A statement signed by Mr. David Iyofor, the minister’s Media Aide, said Amaechi acknowledged the pains the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja would cost Nigerians, foreigners and the economy. Read more
Ambode Receives Certificate Admitting Lagos Into World’s 100 Resilient Cities
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, tuesday received the Certificate of Admission of the state as one of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) in the world pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, saying that it was a starting point and a positive partnership that would help the state address the challenges of urban planning, transport gridlock, environment and modern infrastructure. Read more
Power Sector Investors Demand Settlement of N50bn Debt, Call for Tariff Hike
Investors in the nation’s power sector have called for the settlement of N50 billion owed them, while also calling for the introduction of a realistic tariff structure, reflective of the current rate of inflation and foreign exchange rate.
The Chairman of Heirs Holding/Transcorp Power Ltd, Mr. Tony Elumelu, speaking tuesday at a two-day interactive dialogue/workshop on the Nigerian power sector, organised by the National Assembly, said investors in the sector could not be expected to perform miracles, with the N50 billion owed them. Read more
Nigeria is Repeating the Same Old Mistake by Shrouding the President’s Health Issues in Secrecy
On the day he was due to return from what was seemingly a simple 10-day vacation in the United Kingdom, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has rocked the country by extending his stay for medical reasons.
A statement by the presidency said Buhari, 74, needed to remain in the UK “in order to complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his doctors”. Read more
Scientists Prove New Approach to Polio Vaccine Works
Scientists have identified new ways to provide vaccines against polio, which do not require the growth of live virus for their manufacture.
Despite the success of vaccines produced from ‘virus-like particles’ (VLPs) for hepatitis B and human papilloma viruses, poliovirus VLPs have proved to be too unstable to make practical vaccines. Read more
Oyegun, Makarfi Square off, Blame Each Other’s Parties for Nigeria’s Woes
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi tuesday faced off in a debate, during which the leaders of the two main political parties in the country blamed each other’s parties for Nigeria’s economic woes. Read more
Government tasked on health screening centres, services
The Executive Director, Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), Sabina Idowu-Osehobo, has called on government at all levels to address the problem of inadequate screening centres for optimal services in its healthcare programmes, as well as cater for patients at the rural communities in dire need of healthcare services.
Osehobo spoke in Benin City during the LAPO Annual Medial Forum, where she reviewed the 2016 LAPO performance report, which called for improvement in health screening services in rural communities and urged the federal and state government to provide more healthcare intervention programmes across the various communities at the grassroots. Read more
Edo assembly passes N153b budget
The Edo state House of Assembly yesterday passed the state’s 2017 budget proposal of N153.18bn indicati9ng an increment of N3 billion from the approximate N150 billion proposal submitted by Governor Godwin Obaseki in December 2016.
The Chairman, Assembly Committee on Appropriation and Project Monitoring, Damian Lawani (APC Etsako Central), said the budget reflected the needs of the people and was designed to consolidate and complete all ongoing projects. Read more
Activist asks Osinbajo to probe killings of IPOB members
A rights activist, Ms. Patricia Ozonu has asked Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo to investigate the alleged killing of 11 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) during a demonstration in Port Harcourt.
The IPOB demonstration was in solidarity with President Donald Trump of the United States of America (USA) last month. She said the unprovoked attack that led to the midday murder of unarmed citizens by security agents should not be swept under the carpet, stressing that the alleged silence over the issue could mean a conspiracy against Ndigbo. Read more
Senate Confirms Being in Receipt of Buhari’s Vacation Letter
The Senate yesterday said it had received President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter announcing the extension of his vacation beyond February 7.
Answering questions from journalists in the National Assembly tuesday, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, said he didn’t know the date indicated in the letter neither did he know the day that the letter was received. Read more
FG to Provide Incentives to Investors in Critical Sectors
The federal government will provide incentives and the necessary logistics support to investors whose areas of interest are in the development of agriculture, energy as well as industrialisation. These are also the major execution priority areas of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) being developed by government to get the country’s economy out of recession and put it on a path of growth and sustainable development. Read more
Nigeria urged to tap from Kenya’s successful digital migration
Although the country is doing everything possible to meet the June 17, digital switch over (DSO) target, but to avoid a repeat of 2015, when the country failed to migrate like other countries, Nigeria has been urged to tap from the experience of Kenya.
This call is coming from the Global System for Mobile communications Association (GSMA), which said Kenyan government had a powerful vision that the migration would be a vehicle to deliver improved audio-visual content to consumers. It would also more efficiently and effectively utilise spectrum, freeing up the Digital Dividend band for mobile. Read more
Recession Forces Imo to Stop Free Education for Non-indigenes
Even though Imo State Government has finally dropped non-indigenes in its state owned tertiary institutions from its free education programme for the non-reciprocal attitude of their states governments to Imo indigenes in their respective states, the current recession experienced in the country is also part of the reason to stop the programme. Read more
Shema Sheds Tears after EFCC Re-arrest
The former Governor of Katsina State, Mr. Ibrahim Shema, broke down in tears Tuesday after he was rearrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
His re-arrest took place after the adjournment on a ruling on his motion challenging the jurisdiction of the state High Court to hear his case on alleged corruption which was preferred against him by the EFCC. Read more
Tanker deliveries hit record high in January
Crude oil tanker deliveries reached a record high in January as 5.5 million dead weight tonnage (dwt) of the capacity entered the fleet this year, representing an increase of 220 per cent from January 2016.
An international maritime consultancy firm, BIMCO in its preliminary data from VesselsValue said the month already accounts for 22 per cent of the previous year’s total crude oil tanker deliveries. Read more
FG withdraws N2.2b fraud charges against Saleh, others
The Federal Government yesterday withdrew the N2.2 billion fraud charges filed against the Chief Registrar of Supreme Court, Mr. Ahmed Gambo Saleh and two others before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Saleh was to be arraigned alongside Mr. Muhammed Abdulrahman Sharif and Rilwanu Lawal before Justice Abba Bello Mohammed on a 9-count charge bordering on diversion of N2.2 billion public fund, criminal breach of trust and acceptance of gratification from Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN) contractors to the tune of N74.4 million. Read more
Outage disrupts Senate screening of ambassadorial nominees
There was mild drama in the Senate yesterday as outage disrupted the screening of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The committee was on the 7th nominee, Baba Ahmed Jidda from Borno State when the light went off at exactly 12:13 pm. The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which was conducting the exercise for the 46 nominees, had to continue with light from different gadgets like phones and rechargeable lamps, to illuminate the room before power was restored at exactly 1:06pm. Read more
Police deny ordering closure of Ondo Assembly
The Police High Command has denied that it ordered the closure of the Ondo House of Assembly following the crisis that has hit the legislative arm of government in the state in recent weeks.
It was widely reported that the Acting Speaker of the assembly, Malachy Coker, said it would close indefinitely following the orders of the Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Ibrahim Idris. Read more
FG Withdraws Corruption Charges against Supreme Court Chief Registrar, Two Others
The federal government tuesday withdrew the corruption charges brought against the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Ahmed Saleh, and two others. He was charged alongside Muhammed Sheriff, the Director of Finance and Rilwanu Lawal, the Chief Accountant of the court.
Previous attempts to arraign the three defendants in the past were stalled. Read more
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
CBN: Nigeria Planning $50bn Funding for Domestic Biofuel Industry
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) tuesday disclosed that the federal government would invest about $50 billion to the development of a domestic biofuel industry which would serve as an alternative energy source for Nigeria. It said the $50 billion biofuel fund would be contributed by different government agencies and development banks including the Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), that are relevant to the development of a vibrant domestic biofuel industry for Nigeria. Read more
CBN mulls $50b biofuel equity fund
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Governor Godwin Emefiele yesterday said the bank planned to raise a Biofuel Industry Equity Fund (BIEF) of $50 billion.
Government parastatals, development banks including Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) will also finance biofuel production in the country. Read more
Nigeria to auction N142b Treasury bills
Nigeria plans to raise about N142.43 billion ($453.60 million) in short-dated Treasury bills at an auction on Feb. 15, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said in a statement yesterday.
The bank said it would raise N32.43 billion in three-month debt, N30 billion in six-month bills and N80 billion in one-year notes, using a Dutch auction system. Payment will be due the day after the auction. Read more
OIL/GAS
Etete: Government Did Not Invest a Dime in Malabu Oil
A former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Chief Dan Etete, has disclosed that the federal government did not invest a dime in Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, and is therefore not entitled to share from the proceeds which accrued to the company from settlement of the company’s disputes.
Etete, in a response he issued to correct many of the misconceptions surrounding the out-of-court settlement of the dispute in which the company is enmeshed, said those claiming that proceeds from the settlement should go to government were merely being gullible. Read more
‘Why oil marketers ‘re not getting forex’
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has explained the difficulty in getting foreign exchange by petroleum products dealers.
According to the apex bank, the progressive decline in the amount of forex available to the CBN made it difficult to meet the demands of fuel marketers. Its Deputy Governor, Sarah Alade, who represented the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele told the House of Representatives Ad hoc committee on the Reduction of Petrol Prices headed by Hon. Nnanna Igbokwe, that things “ are not the way it used to be.” Read more
Chevron partners Zinox computers in new deal
ZINOX Technologies has confirmed a new deal with Chevron Nigeria to commence a massive roll-out of thousands of high-end personal computers (PCs), desktop units, monitors and other accessories with which the oil company will equip its offices and other establishments in the country. Chevron is the third-largest oil producer and one of the biggest investors in Nigeria where it operates under a joint-venture arrangement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the onshore and offshore assets in the Niger Delta region. Read more
Kachikwu: Petrol Pricing Template Not Inflated, Explains Sales of Forex by IOCs
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, has said the petroleum pricing template being used by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to fix the price of the product at a maximum of N145 per liter, is not inflated.
This is as the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of Pump Price of Petrol insisted that there were several unnecessary charges in the template particularly those related to transportation, which when removed, can reduce the pump price of the product. Read more
Low oil prices squeeze IOCs’ earnings, profit drops by 40 per cent
As members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are struggling to prevent crude oil prices from falling further, oil majors have continued to record low profits in their quarterly earnings.
The oil and gas industry has weathered its most severe crisis since the collapse of crude oil, leading to the retrenchment of over 20,000 workers in the industry. Read more
SPORTS
NFF to support Pinnick’s CAF bid, plan Congo DR friendly for Eagles
The executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday agreed to unanimously support its president, Amaju Pinnick, who is seeking a seat on the CAF executive committee.
There were discordant tunes among the membership of the NFF board when the news filtered that Pinnick had the ambition to challenge Benin Republic’s Anjorin Moucharafou for a slot on the CAF board. Read more
FIFA confirms worldwide ban on Giwa, four others
World football governing body, FIFA, yesterday confirmed the worldwide extension of five-year sanctions imposed by the Nigerian Football Federation’s (NFF) Disciplinary Committee on May 12, 2016 on Christopher Giwa, Muazu Suleyman, Yahaya Adama, Sani Fema and Johnson Effiong for breaches of the NFF Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics.
FIFA in a statement based its decision on article 136ff of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, saying, “the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the five-year ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity imposed on the five officials to have worldwide effect. Read more
Why NFF is broke – Dikko
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Second Vice president, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, has blamed the financial situation affecting the football federation on the slavery sponsorship contract its past administration signed before now.
Speaking to Daily SunSports in an exclusive interview in Abuja, the Chairman, League Management Company (LMC) maintained that the situation had become so bad that the sponsorship fund was no longer enough to prosecute even two Super Eagles matches. Read more
Giwa protests as FIFA places world ban on him
Factional President of the Nigeria Football Federation Chris Giwa has protested against the five-year worldwide ban placed on him by FIFA on Tuesday due to the leadership tussle in the NFF.
The world football body extended the national ban imposed by the NFF Disciplinary Committee on Giwa on May 12, 2016 to have “worldwide effect” on him. The Amaju Pinnick-led NFF board banned Giwa and four others for five years for impersonation and taking football matters to a civil court. Read more
Rohr plots to unleash NPFL stars on Cameroon
In preparation for the double-header showdown with the newly crowned African champions, Cameroon in the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier, Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has returned to Nigeria to scout for players in the domestic league to unleash on the Indomitable Lions.
Rohr, who worked as a pundit for a French television channel at Gabon 2017 had shut the door on players from the Nigeria Professional Football League(NPFL) for the Super Eagles’ last World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Uyo, arguing that he could not pick any of them because the league had ended and he could not guarantee their match fitness. Read more
ZINEDINE ZIDANE’S 14-YEAR-OLD SON THEO ZIDANE PULLS OFF BRILLIANT SKILL AND ASSIST FOR REAL MADRID YOUTH TEAM [VIDEO]
The Zidane family are clearly a talented bunch of footballers. His oldest son Enzo has already made his debut for the Real Madrid first team, scoring in his first appearance as substitute in a 6-0 thrashing of Cultural Leonesa in the Copa Del Rey.
Now his younger son, Theo, has also shown glimpses of his father’s genius in a Real Madrid youth fixture. The 14-year old pulls off a brilliant piece of skill to leave an opposition player sliding past helplessly before slotting a teammate through. Read more
Marcel Desailly says captain John Terry’s time at Chelsea is up
Former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly reckons the time has come for captain John Terry to leave the club.
Terry, 36, has played just six minutes in the Premier League since mid-September last year with Antonio Conte preferring the likes of David Luiz,Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill in his starting XI. Read more
Martial’s misery continues with humiliating statistic
Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has been having a torrid few months, and it has been made even worse by his brother.
The Frenchman has struggled for first-team action since November, and has made just nine Premier League starts this season and four appearances off the bench. Read more
Twitter explodes as Lionel Messi guides 9-man Barcelona to Copa del Rey final in controversial win over Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid were the better of the two teams for more than two hours of the stipulated 180 minutes that were played across the two legs but Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez won the game for Barcelona in the other 60 minutes.
Carrying a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, Diego Simeone’s side came out with intent. They tested Jasper Cillessen several times in the opening exchanges but failed to break the deadlock. It was goalless, until Messi decided to take matter into his own hands. Read more
Aguero could be tempted as Arsenal enter the mix
Arsenal have become the latest club to join the race to sign Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, according to Calciomercato.
What’s the story?
Plenty of elite clubs have been linked with the Argentine forward in recent weeks after he dropped out of Pep Guardiola’s lineup. The 28-year-old has had to settle for a spot on the bench in City’s last two games, with 19-year-old Gabriel Jesus taking his place. Read more
Donald Trump says ‘we’ll destroy his career’ after being told of senator’s policy he dislikes
Donald Trump has threatened to “destroy” the career of a state senator who he disagrees with.
After being told by a sheriff about a policy that would require people to have been convicted of a crime before police take their assets, Mr Trump encouraged law enforcement to make the name of the politician public. Read more
Turkey sacks some 4,500 government employees in latest purge
The Turkish government has sacked nearly 4,500 more state employees as it continues its purge against people with suspected links to a US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup.
With a decree issued Tuesday, some 2,600 people were fired from the Education Ministry, close to 900 were dismissed from the paramilitary police and 400 others from the police over “national security” concerns. Read more
Al-Qaeda’s Yemen chief mocks Trump for botched military raid
The leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen has described US President Donald Trump as the “White House’s new fool” in a newly released audio recording in which he mocks the US for a recent military operation against his group.
The operation resulted in the deaths of one US Navy SEAL, 14 al-Qaeda fighters and several civilians, including an eight-year-old girl. Read more
Judges deciding whether to reinstate Trump travel ban examine arguments
Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban has faced a fierce examination by the judges who will decide if it should be reinstated.
The hearing in San Francisco is the greatest legal challenge yet to the move to temporarily suspend the nation’s refugee programme and immigration from seven mostly-Muslim countries. Read more
2nd Colombian Rebel Group Steps Up to the Table for Peace Talks
The National Liberation Army, Colombia’s second-largest rebel group, joined the government for peace talks in Ecuador on Tuesday, moving Colombia closer to ending a 52-year guerrilla rebellion.
The group, known as the E.L.N. for the initials of its name in Spanish, is much smaller than the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the rebel group that settled into disarmament camps this month, as part of a peace accord that it signed last year. Read more
Facebook gives employees six weeks paid leave a year to take care of sick family members
acebook employees will surely be giving this a thumbs up: The company has announced a new perk of six weeks of paid leave time a year if employees need to care for a sick family member.
‘This is personal for me,’ Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told a packed audience at the Maker’s conference on Tuesday. ‘I lost my husband very suddenly. Facebook provided leave and flexibility, and now we’re doing more.’ Read more
Gisele Bundchen urged husband Tom Brady to retire after Super Bowl comeback
Record-breaking quarterback Tom Brady has revealed that if his wife Gisele Bundchen had her way, he would have called it a career after winning his record fifth Super Bowl championship on Sunday.
The Patriots quarterback told SiriusXM NFL Radio that Bundchen, the Brazilian supermodel and his wife of eight years, pleaded with him to retire “three times” after leading New England to a come-from-behind 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Read more
Comedian Irwin Corey known as The World’s Foremost Authority dies in New York aged 102
Veteran comedian Corey Irwin has died in New York at the age of 102.
The Brooklyn native dubbed the ‘Professor’ was billed as ‘The World’s Foremost Authority’ and enjoyed a comedic career spanning more than six decades. He passed away at his home in Manhattan on Monday, his family told NPR. Read more
Millennial Australians pessimistic about house prices and terrorism threat
Millennial Australians are among the most pessimistic in the world about their future prospects, with anxieties exacerbated by housing affordability and the threat of terrorism.
A survey of members of Generation Y by the accounting firm Deloitte has found 8% of those in Australia believed they would be better off financially than their parents, and only 4% thought they would be happier. Read more
