News

Saturday, 18 March 2017 02:57

N'Delta amnesty programme faces cash crunch, says Buhari's Adviser

The amnesty programme which provides vocational training and stipends to former militants who attacked oil facilities in its Niger Delta energy hub is struggling with a shortfall of funds, a special adviser to the president said. The government has been in talks with militants to end the attacks which cut Nigeria's output by 700,000 barrels a day (bpd) for several months last year, reducing total production at that time to about 1.2 million bpd. It has since climbed. Under the amnesty programme, each former militant is entitled to 65,000 naira ($213.68) a month plus job training "The main challenges the…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:44

Buhari, Magu, DSS boss pray inside Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday joined Muslims for the Jumat prayer inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Top government officials who joined Buhari for the prayer inside a mosque near his office included Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura; and acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu. Buhari’s nomination of Magu as substantive chairman was on Wednesday rejected by the Senate based on a security report by the DSS. Others who participated in the prayer are Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau; and National…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:41

Boko Haram leader, Shekau surfaces in new video, denies 5,000 hostages freed

A man purporting to be leader of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, appeared in a video posted on social media on Friday in which he said it was not true that 5,000 people held by the group had been freed earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Cameroon said West African forces freed the people, who were held in villages by the jihadist group, in an operation along the Nigeria-Cameroon border. "You are telling lies that you killed 60 of our men and rescued 20 children, and that you rescued 5,000 of your people, Paul Biya," said the man…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:34

Court reverses seizure of oil block from Shell, Eni

An Abuja Federal High Court has set aside its order for the temporary seizure of one of Africa's richest oil blocks from multinationals Royal Dutch Shell and Eni. Justice John Tsoho upheld the application filed by Shell and Eni challenging a January court order ceding control of Oil Prospecting License 245 to the government while Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigates a $1.2 billion corruption scandal. The judge ruled that the forfeiture order was irregularly filed. Nigeria has filed criminal charges of corruption against Shell and Eni over the sale of the oil block. The charges allege the companies paid…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:30

Trump says North Korea 'behaving very badly,' China has done little to help

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday North Korea is "behaving very badly" and China has done little to help, hours after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said a U.S. policy of strategic patience with North Korea had ended. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years. China has done little to help!" Trump said in a message on Twitter. Tillerson, who is currently in Seoul, is due to visit China on Saturday and Sunday to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reuters

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:28

Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, Caribbean poet, dies at 87

Derek Walcott, a Nobel-prize winning poet known for capturing the essence of his native Caribbean and became the region's most internationally famous writer, has died on the island of St. Lucia. He was 87. Walcott died early Friday at his home in St. Lucia, according to his son, Peter. The family planned to issue a statement later. Walcott received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1992 after being shortlisted for the honor for many years. In selecting Walcott, the academy cited the great luminosity" of his writings including the 1990 "Omeros," a 64-chapter Caribbean epic. AP

Friday, 17 March 2017 03:04

Buhari orders fresh Paris Club loan refund to states

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to immediately release second tranche of London-Paris Club loan refund to states. He said the presidential order should be carried out “appropriately and with dispatch.” The President, who returned to the country on Friday from his 49-day medical vacation, also turned down advice by state governors to take more rest. Buhari said he would not take any further rest until he had addressed all issues affecting Nigerians. According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and…

Friday, 17 March 2017 03:01

Massive tax evasion as only 214 wealthy Nigerians pay tax in excess of N20m - FG

Only 214 Super rich Nigerians pay income tax in excess of N20 million yearly. Others are tax dodgers. Minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, tabled this sobering information before National Economic Council and blamed the situation on why Nigeria posts one of the lowest tax per GDP ratio in the world. Adeosun estimated the tax ratio to GDP for Nigeria at six percent. Federal government however plans to change the narrative with a programme christened NIGERIA VOLUNTARY ASSET & INCOME DECLARATION SCHEME (VAIDS). Government plans a roll out from May this year and will at the same time announce some incentives…

Friday, 17 March 2017 02:50

Several soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack, Borno Deputy Gov says

Deputy governor of Borno state says many soldiers may have been killed after Boko Haram extremists attacked and burned down a military base. Usman Mamman Durkwa spoke to journalists Thursday after visiting the scene of Wednesday night's attack in Magumeri town. Durkwa says at first officials heard two soldiers had died. But he said "when we got there today, we discovered the number of lives lost was far beyond that." He says he can't give a specific death toll. His account contradicts Nigerian army spokesman Sani Kukasheka Usman, who had said soldiers in Magumeri succeeded in repelling an attack on…

Friday, 17 March 2017 02:48

7.8m PVCs remain uncollected - INEC

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday said it had 7.8 million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from the 2015 general elections. Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, told a meeting of Civil Society Organisations Situation Room in Abuja that out of the uncollected PVCs, Lagos had the highest with 1.4 million, followed by Oyo with 700,000 and Edo, 540,000. Yakubu said: “In terms of the least collection by percentage, Ogun has the least while Bauchi and Zamfara have the highest rate in collection by percentage and number.” “There are some we have not printed from the last general…

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Friday, 17 March 2017 02:47

UTME: JAMB reverses self, says awaiting-result candidates can apply

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reversed its earlier position on awaiting results, saying affected candidates are also eligible to register and sit for the Universities Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). A statement by Head of Media and Public Relations, JAMB, Mr. Fabian Benjamin, who announced this in a statement yesterday, also clarified that any candidate who fails to upload their result between May and August, would not be confirmed to gain admission into any tertiary institution. Benjamin explained that the timeframe would enable the body to grant admission to only qualified candidates who are ready to advance their educational…

Thursday, 16 March 2017 16:49

Buhari marks return with rare economic council meeting

President Muhammadu Buhari marked his return last week from medical leave in London with a rare appearance at a meeting on Thursday of members of the economic body that advises the government. Buhari attended a meeting of the National Economic Council, which is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and whose members include state governors, central bank governor and finance minister. He does not usually attend NEC meetings. During Buhari's seven-week absence, when Osinbajo was acting president, central bank devalued the naira for retail customers after the NEC called for an urgent review of the bank's foreign exchange policy. Buhari…

Thursday, 16 March 2017 16:47

Senate drives away Hameed Ali, asks him to come back in Customs uniform

The Senate has driven away Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, after he appeared before the lawmakers in mufti. Mr. Ali’s appearance without uniform, on Thursday after his failure to appear on Wednesday, was contrary to the resolution of the Senate which asked that he must wear “appropriate” uniform to brief them over the now suspended policy on duty payment. The Senate unanimously resolved to drive away Mr. Ali, following George Sekibo’s motion. The Senate further resolved that he should appear again next Wednesday in uniform, after the lawmakers took turns to chide the Customs boss. “Coming was just…

Thursday, 16 March 2017 16:40

Letter bomb at IMF's Paris office injures employee

A female employee of the International Monetary Fund was injured in the face and arms on Thursday when a letter bomb posted to the world lender's Paris office blew up as she opened it, police said. The explosion was caused by a homemade device, said the head of the French capital's police force. "It was something that was fairly homemade," police chief Michel Cadot told reporters. Cadot said there had been some recent telephone threats but it was not clear if these were linked to the incident at the IMF's offices. A police source said the woman who opened the…

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