Sabinews Daily Morning News Update for March 30, 2015
National News
PDP, APC clash over Lagos poll results delay
The agent of the Peoples Democratic Party for the presidential election collation in Lagos State, Mr. Wahab Owokoniran, and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, on Monday morning hotly disagreed during the collation exercise at the Independent National Electoral Commission Lagos office.
The quarrel began immediately the Collation Officer for Lagos State, Prof. Isaac Adewole, announced the suspension of the collation of the presidential poll till 8am. Read more
Nigeria’s presidential elections acceptable —ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observer Mission (EOM) has declared that Saturday’s presidential election is acceptable and meet the criteria of being free and transparent.
The declaration was made by the mission’s head and former president of Ghana, John Kuffour, in Abuja, on Sunday.
Kuffour expressed satisfaction with the commitment made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, security agencies and various entities on the electoral process. Read more
FRSC, NAICOM partner on settlement of claims for accident victims
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) are to partner on issues of road safety in order to bring succour to victims of road traffic crashes who suffer injuries and deaths without compensation from their insurance companies.
This was part of the resolutions reached by the Corps Marshal of FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, who paid an advocacy visit to the Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel,at the weekend in Abuja. Read more
Nigeria opens land borders
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has been directed by the Federal Government to re-open the land borders by noon on Sunday, Mr David Parradang, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, has said.
Parradang made the disclosure in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday. Read more
Elections Stall ASUP, SSANU Negotiations with Government
Preparations for the 2015 general elections have delayed negotiations between government officials, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities despite threats of indefinite strike by the unions.
ASUP earlier issued notice to embark on strike on February 26, 2015 but had withdrawn the notice after the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Education and the House Committee of Education to allow for negotiations. There has, however, been no more attempts to hold talks with the union. Read more
NCC moves to end unfair pricing, monopoly in telecoms sector
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in its bid to end unfair transmission cable pricing in the nation’s telecommunication sector last weekend in Lagos, held a stakeholders forum in respect of ‘the Consultancy Study On Cost Based Transmission Cable Pricing’.
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said the commission heeded stakeholders cry to address the lingering arbitrary and discriminatory pricing in the transmission line market segment of the telecoms market. Read more
Oshiomhole threatens to drag Army before ICC
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has petitioned the Commander of the 4 Brigade Headquarters of the Nigerian Army in Benin City, Brig-Gen. Olajide Laleye, complaining of what he described as illegal deployment of soldiers in Owan federal constituency and other parts of Edo North senatorial district by one Lt-Colonel Abiodun Uwadia (rtd), Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, during Saturday’s National Assembly and Presidential elections in Edo State. Read more
Only Jega can explain failure of Card Readers – Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan says only the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, can explain the failure that attended the voter card readers in several parts of the country during Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
The President, who was responding to questions from newsmen after casting his vote in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, however, noted that he would not blame Jega for noticeable lapses in the electoral process as government is a whole institution of which INEC is only a component. Read more
Economy
Stock Market Defies Odds, Inches Up 4.19%
Despite concerns about the outcome of last Saturday’s election, sentiments remained positive at the Nigerian equities market last week as the market sustained its bullish run.
The market recorded five straight days of strong gains as investors pushed to take position for possible gains during the much expected post -election rally. Read more
Investors trade N24b shares
A turnover of 2.509 billion shares worth N24.115 billion in 19,971 deals were traded last week by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 1.382 billion shares valued at N12.053 billion that changed hands the previous week in 16,877 deals.
The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 2.198 billion shares valued at N14.144 billion traded in 12,589 deals; thus contributing 87.60% and 58.65% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates Industry followed with a turnover of 161.705 million shares worth N1.095 billion in 1,223 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with 67.492 million shares worth N7.157 billion in 2,516 deals. Read more
Barclays Africa Applies for Equities Trading Licence in Nigeria
Barclays Africa Group Limited, which is expanding on the continent after buying most of its parent’s operations in Africa, has applied for an equities trading license in Nigeria in addition to a commercial licence.
“We really want to follow our corporate clients into Nigeria,” Bloomberg quoted the chief executive officer of the Johannesburg-based lender, Maria Ramos to have said in a recent presentation. Read more
ICA seeks improved credit opportunities for Nigerians
The Institute of Credit Administration (ICA) has called for improved access to credit in monetary and trade terms, to boost export of made in Nigeria goods and grow the economy.
However, the institute decried poor attitude to credit, especially to public loans provided by government’s Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and lack of robust regulatory regime for the DFI sector to operate as fundamental threats to the health of the credit economy. Read more
CBN, IFC to establish NCR to stabilize MSME financing
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation, IFC will in June 2015 establish a national collateral Registry, NCR to stabilize Micro Small and Medium Enterprise, MSME financing in Nigeria.
The establishment of NCR is to boost the confidence of Nigerian banks in playing active role in financing the MSME sector in Nigeria. Read more
FG projects N14 trillion for Nigeria aviation sector
The Federal Government has projected about N14 trillion investment plan to develop the country’s aviation industry in the short, medium and long term as part of measures to develop the sector to compete with other countries in passenger growth and also contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The investment portfolio of USD 62 billion, (about N15 trillion), the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka said is attainable because Nigeria was strategically located from where airlines can easily connect with other African countries, Europe and the Middle East as its population size and demography is a huge asset. Read more
Zenith Bank Shareholders Approve N54.9bn Dividend
Shareholders of Zenith Bank Plc last week approved the N54.943 billion dividend declared for the 2014 financial year and hailed the board and management of the bank for the impressive performance.
The dividend translated into N1.75 per share. Some of the shareholders, who spoke at the 24th annual general meeting (AGM) in Lagos, said in spite of the challenging environment, the bank recorded improved performance. Read more
Nigeria-Belgian Chamber of Commerce Highlights Maritime Opportunities
The Nigeria-Belgium Chamber of Commerce has restated its commitment to strengthening trade ties between both counties. The Chamber has also accentuated the vast opportunities in Nigerian maritime sector.
The President, Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Tunde Okoya during a breakfast meeting in Lagos recently said the opportunities in the maritime industry are holistic. Read more
World News
Women nabbed at Kenya-Somalia border en route to join Al-Shabaab
Military officers have arrested three young women believed to be Al-Shabaab sympathisers in Wajir as they attempted to cross into Somalia from where they were to be transported to Iraq and Syria to become ‘Jihadist brides’. Read more
Cape Town accident claims four lives
Four people have been killed in a collision between two vehicles on the R43 near Tulbagh in the Boland.
This brings to 18 the number of fatalities for the weekend in the Western Cape after another head-on collision claimed several lives. Read more
Yemen crisis: Arab League to form joint defence force to tackle rebels
Plans to form a joint Arab defence force to tackle Iranian-backed Shi’ite rebels in Yemen were unveiled at the end of a two-day summit, with Arab leaders vowing to crush the rebels.
The joint force would be deployed at the request of any Arab nation facing a national security threat and to combat terrorist groups, said the summit resolution. Read more
Australia orders new cockpit rules
Australia has ordered that two people remain in the cockpit at all times during commercial flights, after last week’s Germanwings crash.
Transport Minister Warren Truss said the rules would apply to all domestic and international passenger planes carrying 50 people or more. Read more
Leading suspect in Tunisia museum attack killed
Tunisian security forces decimated the leadership of a Tunisian extremist group linked to al-Qaeda’s North African branch, including the man identified as the “operational chief” of the attack this month on the National Bardo Museum that killed 22 people, mostly foreign tourists, the interior minister said Sunday.
Najem Gharsalli said Khaled Ben Hamadi Chaieb, also known as Lokman Abu Sakhr, an Algerian, handled the operational end of the March 18 massacre. Two gunmen were killed in the attack. Dozens of arrests have been made, five security officials fired and an officer charged with surveying the museum jailed. Read more
Sports
Super Eagles draw with Bafana Bafana
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana escaped defeat by the whiskers, thanks to Bongani Zungu’s late equaliser against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 90th minute of an international friendly between the two countries played at Mbombela Stadium Nelspruit, yesterday afternoon.
CSKA Moscow striker Ahmed Musa seemed to have taken the game beyond the host when he scored a classy goal in the 85th minute of the encounter, very much like his first goal against Argentina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil. Read more
NBBF hails D’Tigers’ feat
President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Alhaji Tijani Umar, has commended the strong-willed spirit of the D’ Tigers in the past weeks which gave Nigeria the 2015 Afrobasket and All Africa Games tickets.
“The team has done well and it shows that we as a people can achieve whatever we want to achieve,” Umar told National Mirror yesterday. Read more
Ibe desperate to help Liverpool
Anglo-Nigerian winger, Jordon Ibe, is desperate to play an important role for Liverpool in the remaining matches of the English Premier League (EPL) season.
The youngster has been missing in action since he sustained a knee injury during the Reds’ UEFA Europa League defeat against Turkish side Besiktas on 26th February. Read more
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