Sabinews Evening News Update for June 20, 2015

We’ve recovered from election defeat – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has said it has recovered from the unprecedented electoral defeat it suffered during the 2015 general elections.

It, therefore, said it has begun moves to recapture power from the All Progressives Congress in 2019. It said one of the moves aimed at winning the elections in the future was the election of the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, as the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. Read more

FG picks two sites for Nigeria’s nuclear plants

The Federal Government has selected two sites for the construction of the planned nuclear power plants, as Nigeria tries to end decades of electricity blackouts that have blighted its growth, Reuters reports.

Russia’s state-owned Rosatom, which has been in talks with the government over the nuclear plants, on Friday confirmed two sites had been selected in the country and said they would have a total of four reactors. Read more

Abducted Winners’ Chapel pastor freed

SEYI Adekunle, the Living Faith Church pastor who was seized by hoodlums, Saturday night, in his church along IBB Way CaLabar, this morning released by his captors.

A source in the church told Vanguard that the pastor was taken to the outskirt of Calabar at midnight and asked to go home. Pastor Seyi found his way to the church where other pastors were holding a vigil for his release. Read more

Insurgency: Gaidam pledges enhanced welfare for soldiers

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State on Saturday assured security personnel involved in the war against Boko Haram insurgents in the state of prompt payment of allowances.

Gaidam made the pledge on Saturday during a special parade by troops of 27 Task Force Brigade, Operation Zaman Lafiya, in Damaturu. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the parade was to decorate deserving personnel who had spent a minimum of six months in the ongoing operation against the insurgents in the North-East. Read more

Tambuwal urges tankers drivers to obey traffic rules

Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, has advised members of Petroleum Tankers Drivers to adhere strictly to roads traffic regulation while transporting petroleum products across the country.

Tambuwal, who gave the advice at the opening of the national executive council meeting of the union in Sokoto on Saturday, said obeying traffic rules and regulations would prevent road crashes. He commiserated with the members of the association for the recent accident in Onitsha, Anambra State, where several people died. Read more

Lagos to consider ‘rent and own’ housing scheme

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, on Friday said the state would consider adopting a ‘rent and own’ policy in resolving the housing deficit in the state.

In an interactive session at his office in Alausa, Ikeja, Ambode acknowledged that it was not easy for a winner of a three-bedroom flat, under the state government’s housing scheme, to make an initial payment of about N5m, which is half the cost, before spreading the balance through monthly payments. Read more

FRSC dismisses officer over fake driving licences

The Federal Road Safety Commission has dismissed a Road Marshal Assistant, Sunny Kpogha, for alleged misconduct relating to issuing fake driving licences.

The FRSC Sector Commander in Edo, Mr. Familoni Oluwasusi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin on Saturday. He said the dismissal of Kpogha, who was in the Benin office, was to serve as a deterrent to other marshals in the commission. He added that the dismissed staff had been handed over to the police for prosecution. Read more

Ganduje slashes salaries, allowances of political office holders by 50 %

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Saturday announced a 50 per cent cut in the salaries and allowances of all political officer holders in the state.

Ganduje made the announcement in Kano during the swearing in ceremony of 13 new commissioners for the state.

“I hereby announce that the salaries and allowances of all political office holders are reduced by 50 per cent. Read more

Housing: Lagos to consider ‘rent and own’ policy

Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode on Friday said the state would consider adopting a ‘rent and own’ policy in resolving its housing deficiency.

In a chat with media executives at his office in Alausa, Ikeja, Ambode acknowledged that it was not easy for a winner of a three-bedroom flat, under the state government’s housing scheme, to make an initial payment of about N5 million– half the cost– before spreading out the balance through monthly payments. Read more

Gov Ortom decries attacks in Logo community

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue has decried the attack on Tse-Ikpur community in Logo Local Government Area which resulted to killings and destruction of property.

This is contained in a statement signed by Ortom’s Special Adviser on Media, Information Communication and Technology (ICT), Mr Tahav Agerzua, in Makurdi on Saturday. Read more

NSCDC commences training to counter nuclear disaster

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has restated its preparedness to prevent and manage nuclear disaster that may arise in the country.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Emmanuel Okeh, NSCDC spokesperson, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday. Read more

Cleric advocates death penalty for corrupt public officers

The Anglican Bishop of Wusasa Diocese in Zaria, Kaduna State, Rt. Rev. Ali Buba-Lamido, on Saturday advocated death penalty for corrupt public office holders.

He made the call at the Sixth Synod of the Wusasa Diocese of the Anglican Communion, held in Zaria, Kaduna State.
According to him, the death penalty option is the only way to put public officers in Nigeria in check. Read more

NSCDC commences training to counter nuclear disaster

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has restated its preparedness to prevent and manage nuclear disaster that may arise in the country.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Emmanuel Okeh, NSCDC spokesperson, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday. Read more

Al Shabaab gunmen kill eight policemen in Somalia

Gunmen from the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab killed at least eight officers in a raid on a police station near the capital, police and the militants said on Saturday.

Al Shabaab fighters at about 1am local time stormed a police station on the edge of Afgoi town, 30km southwest of Mogadishu, killing eight officers and stealing three pick up trucks, including one that had a machine gun mounted on it. “Al Shabaab killed eight of my colleagues and took three of our cars last night,” Major Abdikadir Hussein, a police officer told Reuters from Afgoi. Read more

Polish opposition leader taps deputy for future prime minister

The leader of Poland’s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, created surprise on Saturday by nominating his deputy to become prime minister in the event of a conservative victory in autumn elections.

Addressing a PiS congress, Kaczynski said deputy president Beata Szydlo, 52, represented the party’s best chance for “a big victory.” Read more

Key meetings ahead over Greece crisis

A series of crucial meetings have been planned over the next days to try to reach an eleventh-hour agreement between Greece and its international creditors to avert a Greek default and the risk of crashing out of the eurozone.

Athens has a huge IMF debt payment due at the end of the month and failing to meet it would plunge Greece — and the eurozone — into unknown territory. Read more

Europe, IMF await new Greek concessions

Negotiations are expected to resume this weekend between Greece and its EU-IMF creditors seeking a deal on bailout funding for Athens, ahead of a crucial summit of eurozone leaders to avert a Greek default and likely euro exit.

European Union heads have called on Greece’s leftist government to present new reform and budget proposals, with Greek minister of state Alekos Flambouraris saying Saturday Athens could propose re-worked measures. Read more