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Thursday, 27 April 2017 03:00

Buhari writes N’Assembly, seeks $6.9bn loan

President Muhammadu Buhari wrote to the National Assembly on Wednesday, seeking approval to borrow $6.9bn. The loan, captured under the Federal Government’s 2016-2018 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan, is for execution of key rail projects, rehabilitation of the North-East and projects in education, agriculture and health sectors. The Chinese, through the China Eximbank, will provide over $5.8bn of the loan, while the World Bank will make provisions for the balance. Senate President Bukola Saraki read the letter to senators at the resumed plenary on Wednesday. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, also read Buhari’s letter to members at…

Thursday, 27 April 2017 02:58

My case against Punch reporter - Buhari’s CSO

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar has defended his decision to expel a reporter for The Punch from the State House, saying journalists have a responsibility to be patriotic in reporting matters of national importance. In an internal memo he distributed Tuesday to several presidency officials, including Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Abubakar detailed alleged transgressions and ethical concerns observed in Lekan Adetayo’s reporting of activities of the State House, and pronounced him unfit to continue on the beat. “You may wish to advise the Punch Newspaper that it reserves the…

Thursday, 27 April 2017 02:54

Govs storm Aso Rock for crucial meeting

Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) last night met at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. The closed-door meeting, held at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, was presided over by chairman of the forum, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State. The governors met ahead of today’s meeting of National Economic Council (NEC), to be presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Among the governors in attendance were those of Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Kogi, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Ondo, Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, Niger, Edo, Kebbi. Governors of Rivers, Ogun and Lagos States were among those…

Thursday, 27 April 2017 02:43

Ex-minister Borishade is dead

Professor Babalola Borishade, 71, former minister of education is dead. He died in London on Wednesday after a brief illness. He was initially rushed to Reddington Hospital in Lagos, last week from where he was taken to London. The cause of death was lung and heart –related. Borishade was born in Usi- Ekiti on March 7, 1946 into the Ebi Ilotin family. He served as a minister four times, between 1999-2011. The electrical engineer was also a teacher and a political strategist. Between February 2001 and May 2003, he served as the Minister of Education. In recognition of his contributions…

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 03:10

Buhari’s health: Fayose, SANs, PDP, groups condemn PUNCH reporter’s expulsion

Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of Peoples Democratic Party and Committee for the Defence of Human Rights have condemned the expulsion of the PUNCH correspondent, Olalekan Adetayo, from the Presidential Villa for his stories. Other groups, which equally condemned Adetayo’s expulsion by Bashir Abubakar, Chief Security Officer to President Muhammadu Buhari, are the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project; Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders and International Press Centre. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana; Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), and Publicity Secretary for the Yoruba umbrella body, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, also condemned the expulsion in interviews…

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 03:09

Buhari distances self from expulsion of Punch Newspapers journalist

The presidency has dismissed as sheer mischief, the attribution of the expulsion of the Punch reporter, Lekan Adetayo from the Villa, to the person of President Muhammadu Buhari. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, stated this in Abuja on Tuesday. Shehu, who was reacting to the Guardian Newspaper’s headline report entitled; “Memories of Decree 4”, said it was wrong and improper to use the isolated incident to judge the character of the president as if he was responsible for what happened. According to him, the president has not and would never approve the…

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 03:07

FG, states, LGs share N467.8 billion in March

Gross statutory revenue rose by about 14.28 per cent as the three tiers of government shared a total of N467.81 billion for March. At the end of Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting in Abuja, Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, said gross revenue for the month was about N331.6 billion, against N290.16 billion realised the previous month. Mr. Idris said the figure was about N41.42 billion, or 14.28 per cent more than what was realised in February. Despite the increase in average unit crude oil price from $44.74 per barrel to $52.86, the AGF said the federation…

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 03:05

Stop using Chloroquine for malaria treatment, FG advises Nigerians

Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has urged Nigerians to stop using chloroquine, or Artemisinin as a monotherapy in treatment of malaria, as he listed steps that Nigerians need to take to combat the killer disease in the country. Adewole, who was speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at an event to mark the 2017 World Malaria Day, also advised pregnant women during antenatal visits to always ask for Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) doses for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTP), to save mother and child. The minister said every Nigerians has a role to play in the elimination of malaria…

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 03:02

253 Nigerians repatriated from Libya

Another batch of 253 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya on Tuesday. The aircraft that flew them back home landed about 6.45pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The returnees were made up of of 102 males, 140 females, six children and five infants. They were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian embassy in Libya. The returnees were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police. Also on ground to receive them were…

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 15:35

Court grants Patience Jonathan unfettered access to $5.9m

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday withdrew its application seeking to stay the execution of a court order which unfroze the Skye Bank account of the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience with a balance of $5.9m. A counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, appeared before the Federal High Court in Lagos which on April 6 unfroze Patience’s account, stating that the commission had changed its mind about appealing the unfreezing order. He equally told the presiding judge, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, that the commission was withdrawing its application seeking to stay the execution of the order. Responding, Patience’s lawyer,…

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Tuesday, 25 April 2017 15:32

Aso Villa expulsion: Punch demands apologies from presidency, Buhari's CSO

PRESS RELEASE On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar, conducted a bizarre, one-sided summary trial in his office. Abubakar was the complainant, prosecutor and the judge. The defendants were PUNCH and its State House Correspondent, Olalekan Adetayo, whom Abubakar accused of writing a 'sponsored story' and penning an ill-motivated opinion article on the President’s health. It was in vain that Adetayo tried to explain to the CSO that the said story, Fresh anxiety in Aso Rock over Buhari’s poor health, and his column, Seat of power's event centres going into extinction, were done in the ordinary course…

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 15:27

GCE registration starts on Friday – WAEC

West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has announced that it will commence registration for the General Certificate Examination (GCE) 2017 for private candidates on Friday. The examination body disclosed this on its official tweeter handle, @waecnigeria. A screen shot of the registration information was also shared in the tweet. It read: “This is to inform intending candidates for the WASSCE for private candidates 2017 that registration begins on Friday this week. “Candidates are expected to pay a registration fee of thirteen thousand, nine hundred fifty naira N13,950 at any of the approved bank or any accredited agents to obtain the registration…

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 03:42

Reporter’s Diary: My encounter with Buhari’s Chief Security Officer - Lekan Adetayo

Shortly after I arrived at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday morning, I received a message that the Chief Security Officer to the President, Bashir Abubakar, would like to see me in his office. What came to my mind immediately was that it was the Presidency’s Media Office that interfaces with journalists and not the CSO. I felt I should inform the presidential spokesmen before honouring the strange invitation. I proceeded to the office of Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, and informed him of the invitation. Adesina advised that I honoured it and…

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 03:40

Buhari’s CSO did not consult us before expelling Punch journalist – Femi Adesina

President Muhammadu Buhari’s media team said on Monday that they were not consulted before a journalist was expellled from the presidential villa. Bashir Abubakar, Chief Security Officer, CSO, to President Muhammadu Buhari expelled the correspondent of Punch Newspapers, Lekan Adetayo, from the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. Mr. Adetayo said it was because of a story about Mr. Buhari’s ill health published by his newspaper on Sunday. The Punch reported that the reporter was summoned by Abubakar to explain two of his recent stories from the State House. “He referred to the lead story of SUNDAY PUNCH of April 23, 2017,…

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