SABINEWS MORNING NEWS UPDATE FOR AUGUST 7, 2016
I’ve not returned to PDP — Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday denied the news making the rounds that he had returned to the Peoples Democratic Party.
Obasanjo in a press statement issued on his behalf at Abeokuta, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, said the misconception that he had returned to the PDP, was fuelled by his photograph taken at the Shehu Yar’adua Centre, Abuja on Friday. Read more
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Julius Berger to work at night
Following extensive gridlock usually experienced by motorists and travellers on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway due to ongoing repair of the road by Julius Berger, the Ogun State government has directed the contractor not to work during rush hour.
The directive signed and issued on Saturday by the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, indicated that from Monday, “the contractor will not work on Lagos- Ibadan Expressway during rush hour, namely from 6 am to 10 am and between 4 pm and 10 pm.” Read more
N108bn fraud: EFCC to seize Akpabio’s properties
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is intensifying investigation on ex-Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.
The EFCC is investigating allegations that the former governor embezzled N108bn during his tenure between 2007 and 2015. Read more
EFCC can still probe Obasanjo’s third term bribery allegation — Ribadu
Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, speaks with about his recent return to the All Progressives Congress, the anti-graft war, and how Peoples Democratic Party leaders approached him recently to be the party’s national chairman
You recently returned to the All Progressives Congress, a political party you participated in founding. Why did you leave in the first place? I joined politics during the 2010/ 2011 elections. By 2014, we were actively engaged; we almost succeeded in setting up the All Progressives Congress. Read more
Budget padding: APC peace moves fail
There are strong indications that moves by the All Progressives Congress to resolve the crisis in the House of Representatives over budget padding have failed.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that a former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, was insisting on investigations of the petitions he submitted to security agencies. Read more
Flood looms as NEMA directs residents along River Niger to vacate homes
The National Emergency Management Agency has warned residents of communities along the River Niger to vacate their homes immediately as flood alerts from the Republic of Niger had indicated that the water level may rise any moment from now.
The agency said Nigeria may suffer severe flood disaster comparable to what was experienced in many states in July, 2012. Read more
New Vista As Polytechnics Award Degree Certificates
In the next few years, with the federal government’s tertiary education reform, there will be no more dichotomy between polytechnics and universities in the country. Also, all the programmes currently being run by the polytechnics, which are not technology-based, and which indeed constitute about 70 per cent of its curriculum, will be scrapped.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s tertiary education system, scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation’s polytechnics. Read more
Abducted Lagos monarch freed — PPRO
Abducted Lagos monarch, Oniba of Iba community, Oba Goriola Oseni, has been released by his captors.
The 74-year-old was released on Saturday after about three weeks in captivity.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State command, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed this in a text message sent to our correspondent on Saturday night. Read more
Budget padding: APC peace moves fail
There are strong indications that moves by the All Progressives Congress to resolve the crisis in the House of Representatives over budget padding have failed.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that a former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, was insisting on investigations of the petitions he submitted to security agencies. Read more
Don’t cover up budget padding crisis, Falana tells APC
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Femi Falana, said any attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress to cover up the budget crisis in the House of Representatives can be dangerous to the nation’s democracy.
Last week the APC leadership held a meeting with former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin and urged him to desist from making any public statement on the issue. Read more
I’ve paid my dues, am ready to serve — Dokpesi
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Raymond Dokpesi, why he should be elected as the party’s national chairman at its forthcoming convention
WhAT do you think are the problems the Peoples Democratic Party is facing? The major challenge being faced by the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) today is having to operate within the context of a party which had ruled the nation for many years, and playing the role of an opposition. Having lost power at the last general elections, the vacuum created by the absence of a national leader traditionally played by the president, was obvious. Read more
Appointments: Don’t marginalise any region, Mbaka tells Buhari
Enugu Catholic priest and Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry, Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, on Saturday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to marginalise any part of the country in the appointments made by his government.
Mbaka was quoted in a statement made available to journalists by his media aide, Maximus Ugwuoke. Read more
11 soldiers, eight bandits die in Niger shoot-out — Army
The Nigerian Army has said that 11 military personnel including an officer and eight bandits died in a gun battle at Kopa, Dagma and Gagaw villages of Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Saturday that the dead military personnel comprised nine soldiers and two Airmen. Read more
Eight policemen, NSCDC officers arrested over Nasarawa workers’ killing
No fewer than six police officers and two officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Nasarawa State have been apprehended in connection with the shooting of two civil servants who had been protesting a 50 per cent salary cut by the state government.
The civil servants were among thousands of workers who were waiting at the Government House gate for the outcome of negotiations by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress led by its President, Ayuba Wabba, and the state government. Read more
Fertiliser firm denies sabotaging economy, national security
The Management of Indorama Eleme Fertiliser & Chemicals has refuted allegations in some newspapers that the company and another fertiliser firm were sabotaging national economy and security through their export of fertilisers to the detriment of farmers in Nigeria.
The company stated that all its domestic supplies to customers so far were in accordance with the approval of the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Farm Input and Supply Services Department in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read more
$200bn fraud: Real estate firm tackles EFCC
A Dubai-based property developer, The First Group, has refuted its alleged involvement in a $200bn scam under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC had reportedly said the company was implicated in a real estate deal in which innocent Nigerians were defrauded of $200bn. Read more
Ondo poll: Groups advise APC, PDP on zoning
Two groups, Ondo South Youth Forum and Ondo South Youths Assembly, have urged the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, to be cautious in choosing their deputy governorship candidates ahead of the Ondo State governorship poll.
The OSYF said in a statement it issued on Saturday by its spokesman, Wole Ebiwon that the APC should pick the party’s running mate from the state’s southern senatorial district. Read more
Gunmen kidnap octogenarian father of Bayelsa lawmaker
Some suspected gunmen on Saturday abducted an octogenarian, Mr. Watson Iti, in Bayelsa State. The victim is the father of the lawmaker representing Brass Constituency II in the State House of Assembly, Mr. Watson-Alfred Belemote.
It was learnt that the lawmaker’s father was kidnapped at 9:25am by four gunmen operating along the Okpoama-Egweama waterways in the state. Read more
Unsolicited SMSs/Calls: Subscribers demand faster solution to menace
Though the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has read a riot act to telecommunications operators in the country to curb the incessant menace of unsolicited Short Message Service (SMS), there appears to be no end yet.
Specifically, the operators, including MTN, Globacom, Airtel, Etisalat and other Value Added Service (VAS) providers were actually given up till June 30, 2016 to stop sending unsolicited SMS or calls to subscribers or face sanctions from the NCC. Read more
No breast milk for five million Nigerian newborns
Breast milk everywhere, yet Nigerian newborns and infants are hungry, underfed, and malnourished. In spite of the fact that many Nigerian women are well endowed up there, majority of them have different opinions about breastfeeding which have not in any way benefited the children. Read more
Four Foursquare members die in road crash
The Foursquare Gospel Church, Alaka, Lagos, was thrown into mourning on Friday when four of its members reportedly died in a car accident in the Ojota area of the state.
The victims were Temidayo Oyebade, Anuoluwapo Bisade-Philips, Shalom Etiubon and one simply identified as Nike. Read more
Non-oil exporters decry poor implementation of EEG
The continued decline in the non-oil export is due to the poor implementation of the Export Expansion Grant scheme by the Federal Government, non-oil sector exporters have said.
According to them, Nigeria’s non-oil exports decreased from $3bn in 2013 to $1.6bn in 2015 as a result of the poor implementation of the EEG since 2010. Read more
Egbin, 14 other power firms suffer gas shortage
More than half of the nation’s power plants, including Egbin Thermal Power Station in Lagos, are currently facing gas shortage.
The nation’s unutilised electricity generation capacity due to gas constraints rose to 4,284.5 megawatts on Friday, August 5, 2016 from 3,100.5MW on April 5, according to industry data obtained by our correspondent. Read more
Non-oil sector growth drops to -0.36%
Amidst efforts by the Federal Government to diversify the economy from oil, the prospects of earning revenue from the non-oil sector are fast fading, owing to the dismal performance of the sector.
Data from Bloomberg showed that all activities in the non-oil sector recorded varying degrees of declining growth relative to real Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter of 2016. Read more
Pension funds rise to N5.7tn
The total assets under the Contributory Pension Scheme rose from N5.3tn in December last year to N5.729tn at the end of June.
The funds, which stood at N4.6tn in December 2014, include the total amount contributed by the subscribers, the investments and profits generated. Read more
Getting the best from tyre as economy declines
Motorists can keep their tyres rolling and manage the country’s current harsh economy situation if they adopt preventive maintenance, avoid unauthorised dealers and inexperienced vulcanisers.
According to experts, considering the high cost of tyres in the market, Nigerians must pay more attention to their vehicles’ tyres, not only to cope with the situation but also to avoid road crashes. Read more
Underdeclaration: NCS loses N200m duty
The Nigeria Customs Service on Friday said it had lost about N200m to underdeclaration of goods at the seaports.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, said this in Lagos while announcing the seizure of 16 containers, laden with tyres, valued at N120m. Read more
Much ado about Nigeria’s rising inflation rate
The media has been abuzz with talks about the parlous state of the economy with most Nigerians blaming the government for the grinding poverty in the land. However, to the discerning mind, what is besetting the economy is as a result of inflation.
The National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria, in its monthly outlook on the economy in July said consumer prices in Nigeria surged by 16.5 percent year-on-year in June of 2016, following a 15.6 percent jump in May. Figures came above market expectations of 16.3 percent increase, mostly driven by sharper rise in cost of food, housing and utilities. On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up 1.7 percent compared to a 2.75 percent rise in the preceding month. Read more
Traded shares drop by 37% in two months
The quantity of shares traded on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange dropped by 37.4 per cent from the end of May to July ending this year.
The quantity of shares traded in the month of May was 6.264 billion, while that of July stood at 3.925 billion for July, according to data made available by the NSE. Read more
‘Microfinance institutions can improve access to finance’
The role of microfinance bank in economic development cannot be underestimated because what is important in any economic development is, one, how to improve economic activities. And the economic activity is down at the grassroots level.
There was a study that was conducted in this country which revealed that this country has over 19 million micro small and medium enterprises that need about N9trillion for us to jumpstart the economy. And we are talking about 968 microfinance banks, having only about six million customers. We are not even there. The study also shows that those people who are under-banked are about 40-something percent. Read more
Two killed near Olympics site
Police shot a mugger near the stadium where the Rio Olympics opening ceremony took place and a woman was killed close to another Olympic site, police yesterday.
The violence on Friday highlighted the task facing an unprecedented force of 85,000 soldiers and police deployed to secure the Olympics. Read more
U.S. teenager wins first gold in Rio
The United States yesterday won the first gold medal of the 2016 Rio Games.
Olympics competition has officially begun, and 19-year-old Virginia “Ginny” Thrasher took home the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle competition. Read more
Dalung promises to pay athletes on time
Minister of Youth and Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung has visited Team Nigeria at the Olympic Games Village in Rio.
Dalung charged the athletes to be of good behavior and shun acts capable of disgracing the country. Read more
Mikel attributes victory to Nigerians’ goodwill
Team Nigeria Captain, John Obi Mikel has attributed the team’s victory over Japan in their first group match to the goodwill of Nigerians who were solidly behind the team and the grace of God. He spoke yesterday in Rio.
Given their arrival to the venue a few hours before the game, many gave an outside chance of winning the match. The best they hoped on was a draw, but Mikel inspired his mates to post a dramatic 5-4 win over the Japanese. Read more
U-17 AFCON: Golden Eaglets walk on slippery ground
Nigeria’s chances of gracing the 2017 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations became narrowed yesterday, when the Golden Eaglets managed a slim 1-0 win over visiting Niger Republic at the Abuja National Stadium.
The team, which had to rebuild after 26 selected players failed the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test conducted by CAF, wasted numerous scoring opportunities. They must either win or draw in Niamey in a fortnight to guarantee their qualification for the tournament billed for Madagascar. Read more
Basketball: D’Tigers take on Argentina
The rivalry between Nigeria and Argentina in sports is growing by the day. Nigerians are familiar with the football world but this Olympics has expanded the fight for supremacy as the Nigerian men take on the Argentineans in the basketball event of the Rio Olympics. The game will be played at 2.30am Nigeria time (Sunday/Monday) as part of the Group B fixtures of the Olympics.
In Rio and indeed in basketball the South Americans are favourites to win but they are also mindful of the fact that Nigeria defeated them less than a fortnight ago as both teams prepared for the Games. But just three days after, Argentina bounced back to win the second friendly. Both matches were played in the US and two matches in the last two weeks means that both teams now know each other very well. Read more
Oshonaike, Edem scale table tennis preliminaries
Nigeria’s pair of Offiong Edem and Funke Oshonaike made it to Round 1 of the women’s Singles at the on-going Rio Olympic Games in Brazil, handing their opponents defeats in the Table Tennis event yesterday
Edem was too strong for her counterpart from the Fiji Islands, Sally Yee, winning 4-0. Read more
Thailand referendum gets under way as military seeks to cement power
Thailand votes on Sunday in a referendum on a new junta-backed constitution that would pave the way for a general election in 2017 but require future governments to rule on the military’s terms.
The referendum is the first major popularity test for the junta led by Prayuth Chan-ocha, who as prime minister has suppressed political activity during the two years since he seized power in a coup in 2014. Read more
More than 500 dead in fierce Aleppo clashes
More than 500 fighters have died in one week of fierce clashes in Aleppo, a monitor group said on Saturday.
The figure included both rebels and government forces that died while attempting to seize control of the northern Syrian city. Read more
Two dozen people treated for overdose after eating cannabis-laced sweets
Two dozen concertgoers in northeast Ohio suffered overdoses ON Saturday after they ate marijuana-laced sweets.
No fatalities were reported at the Ohio Dreams sports camp complex in Butler, about 60 miles northeast of Columbus, where the weekend-long EST 2016 rap music festival was being held. The concert was dubbed “The Last Weekend on Earth. Read more
Girl, 3, hit and killed by a car during her birthday party as she ran into the street to hug her grandfather
A three-year-old toddler has died after she was hit by a car when she ran onto the road during her own birthday party.
Jayda Handy ran onto the road near North 84th and West Marion streets in Milwaukee to meet her grandfather, when she was struck by a car about 2pm on Sunday. Read more
Amish man, 20, arrested for ‘beating overburdened’ horse pulling a cart of watermelons until it collapsed and died
A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly beat an ‘overburdened’ horse that collapsed and died Tuesday.
Police arrested Marvin Sensenig, 20, who faces two counts of cruelty to animals charges, the Ephrata Police Department said in a statement. Read more
Dramatic moment ISIS jihadis laid down their arms after British special forces helped Libyan fighters flush them out
This is the dramatic moment when Libyan brigades backed by British special forces flushed out Islamic State terrorists in the strategic port city of Sirte last week.
The Libyan fighters have spent three months trying to flush out the terrorists from their hideouts in residential suburbs where residents are trapped. Read more
Donald Trump mocks Hillary Clinton over her email controversy
Donald Trump mocked Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for saying that she had “short-circuited” when discussing her email controversy.
The Republican presidential candidate told a rally in New Hampshire that Mrs Clinton’s “got problems” and Americans “don’t want someone who’s going to short-circuit”. Read more
