SABINEWS MORNING NEWS UPDATE FOR DECEMBER 7, 2016
Gunmen kidnap three Lagos residents, sack community
Residents of Ever Winning Avenue, in the Isheri Osun area of Lagos State, have fled the area after two landlords and a woman were kidnapped by gunmen.
It was gathered that no fewer than 500 residents had relocated from the area. Residents seen by our correspondent on Tuesday in the area claimed that only 15 persons were left in the community. Read more
No merger talks with Tinubu, others – PDP BoT chair
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Walid Jibrin, on Tuesday in Abuja, dismissed alleged merger talks with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and others.
The BoT chair of the main opposition party insisted that the party did not contact the former governor of Lagos State or any member of the APC with the hope of luring them to the PDP. Read more
Drama as Fayose presents N93.4bn budget for 2017
the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Tuesday presented a N93.4bn Budget for 2017 tagged, “Budget of Higher Height” to the state House of Assembly in Ado Ekiti.
The governor also announced that he would go to the mountain to pray on December 14 and return on December 21 with predictions for Nigeria. He noted that almost all his predictions for 2016 had come to pass. Read more
Buratai defends pro-Biafran agitators’ killings
the Nigeria Army has revealed that it has a substantial evidence to prove that the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and those of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra that were killed during a recent fracas with their men at Onitsha, Anambra State were armed.
This, the military said, resulted in self-defence by its men. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Brutai, said this on Monday when he led his entourage to pay a courtesy visit to the Governor of Imo State, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, at the Government House, Owerri, as part of the activities of the army to commence its Army Chief of Staff annual conference in the state. Read more
Ibadan murder: Yewande stabbed her husband, says landlord
The owner of the house where a lawyer, Yewande Oyediran, was alleged to have killed her husband, Adelowo Oyediran, on Tuesday told the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan that the suspect stabbed her husband during an argument.
Three witnesses were presented by the prosecution at the resumed hearing, including Chief Akinpelu Adelodun, who was the couple’s landlord in Ibadan. Read more
Passengers shut Arik’s operations over luggage delay
Arik Air’s international passengers on Tuesday shut down the carrier’s check-in counter at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for failing to deliver their luggage days after they arrived from London. A similar incident occurred on Monday.
An eyewitness said the counter was taken over by the angry passengers, who prevented those billed to jet out with the airline on Tuesday from checking in, while two of the airline’s workers were also allegedly beaten up and hospitalised. Read more
Court stops probe of Kogi ex-govs
The judicial commission of inquiry instituted by the Kogi State Government to probe past administrations in the state has been stopped from further sitting by the court.
A Kogi State High Court, sitting in Lokoja, on Tuesday, asked the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the motion seeking to restrain the commission from probing the governments of former governors Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada. Read more
NIPOST to train 70 million youths in farming, tailoring
The Nigeria Postal Service on Tuesday said that it was set to commence the training of 70 million youths across the country in farming, woodwork, tailoring and other skills.
The training, according to NIPOST, is part of a process to revamp its fortunes, while awaiting a legislative framework for proper restructuring. Read more
Senate hearing: N’East presidential initiative can’t account for N2.5bn
The Presidential Initiative on the North-East could not account for the sum of N2.5bn when its officials appeared before the Senate on Tuesday.
PINE is saddled with the responsibility of reconstructing and rehabilitating communities destroyed by the Boko Haram in the North-East. Read more
Soldiers, policemen arrested for raping IDPs
for allegedly raping Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East, three soldiers, two policemen and a prison official have been arrested.
Arrested alongside the soldiers and policemen for the same offence were one prison official, a member of staff, Borno Ministry of Agriculture and two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, Borno State. Read more
Recruitment: Police release list of successful candidates
The Police Service Commission said it had concluded the recruitment of 10,000 personnel into the Nigeria Police Force.
This, it said, was in fulfillment of the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari at a Security Summit in Abuja, that the Federal Government would inject 10,000 men into the Force. Read more
Workers threaten strike over sack gale by airlines, operators scramble to avert action
The air travel sector may soon be partially shut down as aggrieved workers prepare to ground major airlines over the sack of their members.
The airlines targeted by their workers’ unions are Arik Air, Bristow and Caverton Helicopters, which had all recently laid off employees. Read more
Amosun charges South West governor on job creation, insurgency
Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday charged governors in the South West to urgently create jobs for unemployed youths in the region to avoid insurgency.
The governor who spoke in Abeokuta, the state capital said the major cause of insurgency in the north eastern part of the country was unemployment, adding that the youths should be gainfully employed to keep them away from negative vices. Read more
Osinbajo restates government’s pledge to diversify economy through agriculture
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to diversify the nation’s economy through agriculture.
Osinbajo spoke yesterday during a town hall meeting at Kano Government House. Read more
NACA faults government on HIV, AIDS control
The Delta chapter of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has condemned the existing efforts to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The NACA’s Director, Partnership Co-ordination, Dr. Emmanuel Hassan, blamed the state and the Federal Government for the slow pace. Read more
Nigeria, four others ban Europe’s dirty fuel imports
Nigeria and four other West African countries have agreed to ban the importation of Europe’s dirty fuels, the United Nations Environment Programme has said.
The UNEP said the move would dramatically reduce vehicle emissions and help more than 250 million people to breathe safer and cleaner air. Read more
Indigenous, Chinese firm sign gas plant contract
Southfield Petroleum Limited, an indigenous oil and gas company has signed a $198 million Equipment, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) to construct a 250 million standard cubic feet per day (MMScfd) gas processing facility in Nigeria.
The project, which has been scheduled for completion by 2018, is expected to be funded by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the bankers of CMEC. Read more
Nigerian power problems hold back economy
Nigeria’s biggest power station shows the huge problems that President Muhammadu Buhari must overcome if he is to fulfil his promise to tackle chronic electricity shortages and reform an economy in recession.
On the outskirts of Lagos, three out of six turbines lie idle at the Egbin plant, starved both of gas due to militant attacks on pipelines that supply the station – and of funds that would allow its owners to buy alternative fuels and even implement an expansion plan. Read more
FCMB disburses N3.6bn CBN support fund to MSMEs
first City Monument Bank Limited has given out over N3.6bn to small businesses and women entrepreneurs from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s N220bn support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
The bank, which is the flagship of FCMB Group Plc, in a statement on Tuesday, said it had been on the lead among other banks as far as the MSME financing was concerned. Read more
There’s bribery in Nigerian football – Ex-NFF chief
Former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Federation, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, has lamented the state of the country’s football, alleging that club administrators and coaches bribe referees to win domestic league matches.
Ojo-Oba stated this in Lagos at a seminar to herald the 2016 South-West States Pre-season Tournament. Read more
IHEANACHO, IWOBI ON SONG IN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Nigeria youngsters Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi were both on target in the UEFA Champions League for their respective Premier League clubs Manchester City and Arsenal Tuesday night.
Iheanacho, 20, netted his second goal in this season’s Champions League for Manchester City to tie Celtic 1-1. Read more
I regret playing for Nigeria – Ordega
United States-based forward Francisca Ordega has regretted playing for the Super Falcons, saying she would have opted for another country because of a lack of support for women’s football in Nigeria, AfricanFootball.com reports.
Ordega won her third African Women’s Cup of Nations title in Cameroon on Saturday, but she said the neglect of women’s football by the country was regrettable. Read more
Trump vows to DESTROY ISIS and devote ALL the nation’s military power to pummel jihadis
PRESIDENT-elect Donald Trump has promised to avoid US military interventions in foreign conflicts and focus on destroying the Islamic State.
He said the US will aim to topple the brutal regime that has wreaked havoc across the world, causing countless deaths and forcing huge numbers to flee their homes. Read more
Freedom of Speech Tested in Israel
Tel Aviv residents woke up Tuesday to an unusual site — a golden statue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed prominently in front of City Hall in an act of protest.
Itay Zalait, the artist behind the protest, said he worked on the life-size statue for two months before placing it in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square overnight. He said his goal was to test freedom of expression with a reference to the biblical golden calf, and a dig at what he calls some Israelis’ idolatry of Netanyahu. Read more
Georgia executes ninth death row inmate this year
Georgia has executed its ninth inmate this year, putting to death a man convicted of killing his father-in-law more than a quarter of a century ago.
William Sallie, 50, was pronounced dead after a lethal injection at the state prison in Jackson. Read more
