1. ‘They allowed the refineries collapse so that their friends can bring in refined petrol’–Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed past administrations for the current situation in which Nigeria is forced to spend billions of Naira annually on alleged subsidies for petroleum products. The President made his latest reservations about the petroleum subsidy regime known during a meeting with the Chairman and members of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). President Buhari said the escalation of petroleum subsidy payments in the recent past was due to deliberate neglect of the nation’s refineries, oil pipelines and other related infrastructure which allowed the importation of petroleum products and corruption to thrive.
2. Jonathan recruited 1600 into Immigration, not Parradang – NIS Senior Officers
Senior officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has reacted to the suspension of Comptroller-General of Immigration, David Shikfu Parradang, by stating that he did not approve the recruitment of 1,600 officers to the Service. In a statement signed by Comrade S Audu and titled: “A STATEMENT FROM CONCERNED SENIOR IMMIGRATION OFFICERS” they stated that the immediate past president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, constituted a Board that oversaw the recruitment of the officers, noting that, Parradang did not have the powers to approve such recruitment. They noted that President Muhammadu Buhari was not properly briefed of the process that led to the failed recruitment, adding that, Parradang was only used as a bait, same as previous Comptroller-Generals.
3. I Want To Unite South East Leaders With Buhari
The governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has disclosed that his ultimate desire is to unite the governors and leaders of the South East to work with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government. Okorocha stated this on Monday while addressing newsmen at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, SMICA, Owerri, on his arrival from Abuja. “As the only APC governor in the South East, I cannot do it alone and I cannot also play the attendant politics of establishing a very strong relationship between the South East governors and the APC-led Federal Government alone. Hence, every governor and leader in the South East must be carried along in the whole thing,” Okorocha said.
4. 66,000 Nigerians To Perform This Year's Hajj
Sixty-six thousand Nigerians will this year perform the 2015 Hajj exercise, using six airlines with 13 aircrafts. Speaking the inaugural airlift of the intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia at the Kaduna International Airport, President Mohammadu Buhari represented by Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna State, said government had set up a coordinating committee to supervise 2015 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He said the committee, which would be funded by the service charge, which pilgrims paid to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), would be led by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi.
5. CBN grants Fortis Microfinance bank National licence
The Chairman, Fortis Micro Finance Bank Plc., Mr Felix Achibiri, has said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted the bank a national microfinance licence. Achibiri made the disclosure at the 2nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the bank in Abuja on Tuesday. “With a national licence, Fortis will be driving the CBN’s financial inclusion programme across the country by providing financial services to all the states of the federation. “Our success story over the years will be replicated nationwide and we will also through the use of technology, bring banking to the doorstep of all Nigerians. “Especially those at the base of the economic pyramid who are either underserved, under-banked or out rightly disenfranchised by the conventional financial service providers,’’ he said.
6. Restructured loans to reduce debt burden of states by 55 – 97 per cent – DMO
Director-General of the Debt Management Office, DMO, Mr. Abraham Nwankwo, yesterday expressed optimism that the recent restructuring of the short-term bank loans owed by 11 state governments into long-term Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN Bonds would cut their monthly debt service burden by a minimum of 55 per cent and maximum of 97 per cent. This was as he assured that the renegotiated facilities would equally result in interest rate savings of between three and nine per cent per annum for the affected states and help regain fiscal balance. Nwankwo stated this in Abuja while speaking to journalists in shortly after a meeting with a Kenyan delegation, comprising officials from the Central Bank of Kenya and the Treasury/Debt Management Department, which was on a study tour to unravel the success story of the Nigerian domestic bond market.
7. Lagos pulls down list of Fashola’s contract awards from website
A new twist has been added to the controversy surrounding the contract spending by the administration of the former governor of Lagos State, Babtunde Raji Fashola, as the Lagos State Government has removed the list of contracts awarded under the administration from its websites. The list, published on the website of the state’s Public Procurement Agency,www.lagosppa.gov.ng, stated that Fashola’s administration spent N78.3m on his personal website,www.tundefashola.com, in 2014 and N139m on the drilling of two boreholes at the Lagos House, Ikeja. The list of awarded contracts on the website of Lagos State Tenders Board, http://www.stb.lagosstate.gov.ng/, has also been pulled down.
8. Lawyers protest against Amaechi at NBA Conference in Abuja
Some members of the Nigerian Bar Association yesterday protested at the NBA 2015 Annual Conference ongoing in Abuja. The protesting members of the Association who were members from the Rivers state Chapter staged the protest to show their grievances against the inclusion the former Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi as guest in one of the sessions. Amaechi and Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo state were to preside over a session in the conference and present speeches on the theme -Public Perception of Lawyers: Is the Esteem Justified?
9. Group lambasts CJN, NJC, Falana for backing Aregbesola against Osun judge
The Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) has chided the National Judicial Commission (NJC) for meddling in Justice Folahanmi Oloyede’s marital squabbles. The group expressed shock that the chairman of the commission, Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN), Mahmud Mohammed, gave attention to a petition sent to the NJC by one Mrs. Emily Richard-Obire claiming that Oloyede snatched her husband. CSCEO in a statement in Osogbo, Osun State, signed by its chairman and its director of mobilisation, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman and Rev. Theophilus Ayodeji respectively, accused the CJN and the NJC of dancing to the tune of politicians.
10. I didn’t hire anyone to attack EFCC – Saraki
Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has dismissed media reports alleging that he hired one Uboh to smear the integrity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In a press statement signed by Bamikole Omisore, his Special Assistant on Online Media, he said “it is pertinent and with all sense of responsibility and commitment to state unequivocally that the story is far from the truth. A fabricated story that can not sell to dent the image of Senator Saraki. “The general public is fully aware that the said online platform which published the false story has been an agent of media attack on the person of the Senate President and that all allegations made by the online platform against the have fallen flat on their face as bare lies, concocted with malicious intention.
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