Sabinews Daily Morning News Update for September 18, 2014
National News
SA rescue team sent to Lagos
The South African government has dispatched a search and rescue team to Lagos to assist in the recovery of the remains of South Africans that were killed during a tragic building collapse in Nigeria, says International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
The ten-member team comprises of a variety of people with expertise of dealing with search and rescue in rubbles and doctors, amongst others. Read more
Rivers PDP flays Amaechi for appointing LG chairmen
The Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has been criticised for appointing new caretaker chairmen of the state’s council areas without regards to conducting proper council elections.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the only reason why the governor has continued to postpone the conduct of council elections in the state, preferring caretaker committees, is fear of defeat at the polls. Read more
EU Earmarks €600m for Nigeria’s Power Sector, Food Security
The European Union (EU) said yesterday it had concluded plans to spend about €600 million in Nigeria over the next five years.
Most of the spending, it noted, is targeted at helping Nigeria to attract private sector foreign investments into the country’s power sector as well as to boost food security. Read more
I didn’t call for elections postponement – Mark
Senate President David Mark yesterday denied calling for the postponement of the 2015 elections.
Reacting to a Daily Trust story of Wednesday in which he was quoted to have said “election is not on the table now”, Mark, through his spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, said he never called for the elections to be suspended. Read more
I’ll kick against elections postponement, Atiku warns FG, INEC
Former Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku yesterday said that he would vehemently oppose any attempt by either the Federal Government or the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to defer the conduct of elections in his home Adamawa State in 2015.
He spoke against the backdrop of the growing insecurity in the north where insurgents from Boko Haram Islamic sect have killed thousands of Nigerians. Read more
CSOs Reject Calls to Postpone Elections Because of Insecurity
Members of civil society organisations (CSO) in the country yesterday in Abuja rejected the call to postpone the 2015 general election on security or any other grounds.
On Tuesday, Senate President, Senator David Mark, while speaking on a motion titled: ‘Threat to National Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Nigeria by Insurgents,’ said thus: “There is no question of elections, it is not even on the table now. We are in a state of war.” Read more
EFCC searches for $38m bank e-fraudster
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it has started a manhunt for a 38-year-old bank worker over alleged stealing of $38 million from his employers by hacking into computer systems.
It said Godswill Oyegwa Uyoyou allegedly conspired with others to steal N6.28 billion ($38m) from the Abuja office of a commercial bank. Read more
Alegeh inaugurates constitution review committee
The president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Augustine Alegeh, SAN on Tuesday September 16, 2014 inaugurated a committee to review the NBA Constitution.
The 10-member committee chaired by Garba Tetengi, mni, SAN is saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the NBA constitution in line with current realities, to bring the NBA Constitution up to date. It will review provisions of the constitution on elections – with a view to introducing e-voting at all NBA National Elections; propose such amendments as may be required to make the provisions more definitive and NBA National Elections more rancour free; review the NBA Branches Unified Bye Laws to bring it in conformity with the Amended NBA Constitution; and as well, review the Bye Laws of NBA Sections, Fora and Institutes and harmonise same. Read more
PDP Fixes Dec 6 For Primaries, Govs Endorse Jonathan
Ahead of today’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed its presidential primaries for December 6, 2014.
This was disclosed by the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, who also said the party has fixed the primaries for governorship positions for November 29 and National Assembly primaries for November 22. Read more
Mutiny: ‘It’s Too Early For Jonathan To Intervene’
President Goodluck Jonathan cannot intervene in the death sentence passed on the 12 convicted soldiers who were found guilty of mutiny by the Nigerian Army General Court Martial until the verdict is either confirmed by the Army Council in the military or by the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, if the matter is brought before them.
This was disclosed by a Presidency source who does not want his name in print, while reacting to the verdict passed by the tribunal presided by Brig-Gen Chukwuemeka Okonkwo. Read more
Ebola: Jonathan approves N200m for Rivers
President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the release of N200 million to the Rivers State government to assist the state in it’s fight against Ebola virus disease.
Similar gesture was extended to Lagos State when it was hit by the virus which was imported by a Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer. Read more
FG must implement 27.5% allowance to unity school teachers —NUT
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has vowed to ensure that Federal Government implement the 27.5 per cent teachers’ professional allowance for teachers in the Federal Government Colleges.
NUT President, Comrade Michael Olukoya, speaking with newsmen in Abuja, lamented that the Federal Government has refused to pay their teachers the enhanced allowance since it was approved on August 6, 2008. Read more
FG vows to complete all water projects
The Federal Government has on Wednesday in Abuja vowed to ensure completion of all abandoned projects in the water sector.
This became imperative as the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, disclosed that most abandoned project embarked upon since 2011 were water projects. Read more
Sabinews News Update on Economy
Naira Hits 3-month Low Despite CBN’s Intervention
The naira fell by 0.34 per cent to a three-month low of N163.45 to a dollar yesterday, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) intervening for a second day to halt its slide.
Data from Reuters showed that the nation’s currency fell as low as N163.70 to a dollar as a result of strong demand for the greenback during intra-day trade before the central bank’s action helped it to recover to N163.45, a level last seen on June 16. The naira closed at N162.90 on Tuesday. Read more
Glad Tidings for Pineapple Farmers
Better days are ahead for the teeming population of unemployed youths in the South-West. The good news came from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and six states in the South-West geo-political zone.
A youth empowerment programme, entitled: Agribusiness Opportunities in Pineapple Production for Unemployed Youths in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States, has been initiated to sustainably bridge the gap between pineapple supply and demand in Nigeria. Read more
Insurance Brokers Petition Presidency Over Delisting
Insurance brokers in the country have put up an appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to prevail on the country’s insurance regulator, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to rescind its decision to delist over 120 brokerage firms.
The insurance brokers who spoke under the umbrella of the Association of Practising Professional Insurance Brokers of Nigeria (APPIBON) lamented the unhealthy environment which they operate noting that delisting the operators would only worsen situations for them. Read more
World Bank excludes Nigeria from $105m W’African fund
The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a $105m grant to finance Ebola-containment efforts in West African countries infected with the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease.
A statement issued by the bank in Washington on Wednesday to announce the development, however, excluded Nigeria as a beneficiary of the fund. Read more
Sabinews News Update on Oil and Gas
NNPC Workers’ Strike May Affect Oil Exports
The strike embarked upon Tuesday by workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over unresolved pension issues and problems with the refineries may affect crude oil exports.
Spokesman for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Babatunde Oke, said all junior and senior workers of NNPC are on strike over a disagreement with the government on pensions and problems with the refineries. Read more
World News
Iran nuclear talks to resume
Talks between Iran and the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme are due to resume in New York.
But officials say that a breakthrough in the negotiations is unlikely.
US and Iranian diplomats have met ahead of the talks and Iran’s foreign minister and the EU foreign policy chief will meet on Thursday. Read more
International Monitors Endorse Fiji Election
A group of international observers who were scrutinizing this week’s landmark Fiji election say the process was credible and the result should broadly reflect the will of voters.
The endorsement by the 100-strong Multinational Observer Group paves the way for the international community to drop remaining sanctions against Fiji. That includes a likely return of Fiji this month to full status among the Commonwealth group of nations. Read more
Polls Open as Scotland Votes in Historic Independence Referendum
Voting began in Scotland early Thursday in a referendum that will decide whether the country leaves its 307-year-old union with England and becomes an independent state. More than 2,600 polling places opened at 7 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) and won’t close until 10 p.m. (5 p.m. ET).
Turnout is expected to be high, with more than 4.2 million people registered to vote — 97 percent of those eligible. Polls suggest the result is too close to call, with the pro-independence Yes side gaining momentum in the final weeks of campaigning. First Minister Alex Salmond will cast his vote near his home in northeast Scotland. If the Yes side prevails he will realize a long-held dream of leading his country to independence after an alliance with England formed in 1707. Read more
Russia tightens control over Kyrgyzstan
While Russia’s relationship with Ukraine has been grabbing the headlines, Moscow has been steadily strengthening its foothold in another of the post-Soviet states – Kyrgyzstan.
In the past few years Russia has written off half a billion dollars of the impoverished Central Asian country’s debt, pledged to supply the government with weapons and military equipment and taken over its gas network. Read more
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: $30m reward offered by mysterious benefactor
A reward of $30m (more than £18m) has been offered for information leading to the identification of those responsible for the shooting down of Flight MH17 over Ukraine.
The bounty – believed to be the largest ever offered, ahead of the £25m put up by the US for the capture of Osama bin Laden – was revealed by a firm of German investigators on Wednesday. Read more
Bank of Ghana urged to lend to MFIs
George Nkansah Afful, the Chief Executive Officer of Unicorn Happy Investment (UHI) — a micro-finance institution, has urged the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to lend to registered micro-finance companies at lower rates to enable them on-lend at competitive rates to the micro, small and medium enterprises.
The special dispensation, he argues, would go a long way to further boost the micro, small and medium scale businesses in the country and create much-needed employment. Read more
Sabinews News Update on Energy
WAPCo unsure when gas supply from Nigeria will be restored
The West African Gas Company ( WAPCo) has expressed uncertainty over the restoration of gas supply from Nigeria to Ghana.
Nigeria stopped the supply of gas to Ghana on Tuesday as a result of labour unrests among workers of major oil firms located in the Ogun State of Itoki. Read more
Sabinews News Update on Sports
Two S’African Rugby Legends in Lagos to Assist Nigeria
Two of the greatest names in South African rugby, Danie Gerber and Breyton Paulse, have arrived Lagos as guests of the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) to help train Nigerian players and coaches in the modern techniques of the sport.
The legends who began the training of coaches yesterday are expected to continue the programme with players this morning at the Kings’ College sports ground in Lagos. Read more
Eaglets Resume Training Ahead Of Gabon Clash
The Golden Eaglets breezed into Lagos through neighboring Cotonou but finally arrived Calabar midday on Tuesday aboard Arik Airlines to begin preparations in earnest for the finale qualifier against Gabon next week.
The team resume training at their base in Calabar on Tuesday barely hours after they returned to the country from Libreville where they lost 2-1 to their Gabonese counterparts in the first leg, final qualifying round of Africa Youth Championship, Niger 2015. Read more
