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Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:49

Nigeria backs ‘One China’, cuts ties with Taiwan

The Federal Government has expressed full support to “One China” principle, saying this is at the core of its strategic partnership with China. Beijing sees Taiwan as a province and aims to deny it any of the trappings of an independent state. It has threatened to use force if Taiwan formally declares independence. A joint statement signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and China, Geoffrey Onyeama and Wang Yi respectively, said Nigeria ceases to have any official relationship or engagement in any official capacity with Taiwan. It said that the Nigerian government recognizes that there is only…

Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:47

Buhari appoints new head of primary healthcare agency

President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, approved the appointment of Dr Faisal Shuaib as the Executive Secretary of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). Shuaib, a medical doctor and public health specialist, is currently a Senior Program Officer, Africa, for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BMGF, at Seattle, USA. At the BMGF, Shuaib is responsible for developing and implementing strategies on polio outbreak response activities in Africa. Prior to joining the foundation, Shuaib coordinated Nigeria’s successful response to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as the Incident Manager of the Ebola Emergency Operations Centre in 2014. He was also…

Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:46

Supreme Court judge withdraws from case

Hearing of appeals against the nomination of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2015 election was on Wednesday stalled at the Supreme Court. The withdrawal of Justice Amina Augie from the seven-member panel was responsible for the suit being stalled. The apex court was billed to entertain the appeals filed by Uche Oga and Friday Nwosu, challenging the nomination of Gov. Ikpeazu as the party’s governorship candidate. At the resumption of proceedings, Justice Augie had informed the court that she wished to be isolated from sitting on the appeals. She hinged it on the fact…

Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:44

Police arrest, release Sahara Reporters publisher without charges

Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, has been freed without charges, hours after he was detained by the police in Lagos. “He has been released without charges and without parting with anything,” Olanrewaju Suraj, a friend of Mr. Sowore, said while confirming the development to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday night. Mr. Sowore was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after he was attacked by Lekan Fatodu, a Nigerian journalist based in the U.K., and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, Yaba, Lagos. Mr. Fatodu said he engineered the arrest of the Sahara Reporters publisher through a petition he sent to the…

Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:41

NUPENG calls off 3-day warning strike

National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Wednesday in Abuja called off its three-day nationwide warning strike. NUPENG’s President, Mr Igwe Achese, announced the suspension at a meeting called at the instance of Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige. Other groups at the meeting were the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Nigeria National Petroleum Co-operation (NNPC), National Salaries and Wages Commission, oil and Servicing companies, among others. NUPENG gave a notice of three-day warning strike on Tuesday, over disputes with International Oil Companies, over indiscriminate sack of workers without benefits…

Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:40

335 foreigners granted Nigerian citizenship

Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved Nigerian citizenship for 335 foreigners and rejected the applications of 165 others. Minister of Interior, Lt.Gen (retd) Abudulrahman Dambazau, made this known at a joint State House Media briefing with the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi Adesina. The briefing was held after the FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. Dambazau explained that the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Nigerian citizenship received 500 applications and recommended 335 of the applicants for approval. “The Ministry of Interior…

Thursday, 12 January 2017 02:39

Police Commission set to recall 95 disengaged staff, following court ruling

Police Service Commission (PSC) says the commission is set to recall the 95 staff wrongly disengaged from its service in 2016, following judgements from the National Industrial Court. Head of Media of the commission, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, said the commission has since approved the recall of the staff and had also put in place processes for their immediate resumption of duty, adding that their recall letters is being processed. He admitted that the commission would continue to operate within the confines of the rule of law and would not detract from its position to obey judgments of Courts of competent…

Wednesday, 11 January 2017 18:05

Buhari to Ohaneze: Let's work together

President Muhammadu Buhari says he looks forward to working with the new leadership of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo. He assured the organisation that his administration would continue to be a partner-in-progress in implementing suggestions, measures and programmes to advance the unity, development and prosperity of Nigeria. The president, in a statement today by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu, was congratulating Chief John Nwodo on his election as the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Buhari expressed belief that Nwodo "is eminently qualified for the job given his long years of distinguished service to the…

Wednesday, 11 January 2017 18:04

Senate rejects ban on importation of cars through land borders

The Senate has called for the reversal of the Federal Government’s policy banning the importation of cars through land borders. The ban took effect from January 1, 2017. According to the Senate, the ban will lead to a loss of 500,000 jobs. The lawmakers, who heavily criticised the policy during the plenary on Wednesday, described the ban as anti-poor. The issue was brought through a a motion titled, ‘The Ban on the Importation of Vehicles Through the Land Borders into the Country’, jointly moved by Senators Barau Jibrin (Kano North), Kabiru Gaya (Kano South), Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North), Shehu Sani…

Wednesday, 11 January 2017 18:02

Boko Haram: Nigerian Army recovers corpses of 16 missing soldiers

Nigerian Army on Wednesday said one officer and fifteen soldiers have been found dead in a major river northeast of the country. The sixteen personnel were part of the 46 officially declared missing more than six weeks ago. Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole who made the announcement, said the soldiers were found dead in River Yobe, “The corpses were recovered along Kamadogou River line area in Maiduguri,” Mr. Irabor, a major general, said. Mr. Irabor said the departed soldiers included K. Yusuf, a lieutenant colonel. Prior to his kidnapping and ultimate death, Mr. Yusuf was the…

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Wednesday, 11 January 2017 04:51

N510bn bailout: FG appoints auditors to monitor states

The Federal Government has appointed eight accounting firms to evaluate the rate of compliance by state governments with the implementation of the Fiscal Sustainability Plan, which they signed to in June last year. A total of 35 states endorsed the plan with Lagos the only state backing out of the agreement. The appointment of the firms was confirmed by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, in a statement issued by the Director, Information, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Salisu Dambatta. The eight accounting firms are PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG Professional Services, Ernst & Young, PKF Professional Services, Muhtari Dangana & Co., S.S.…

Wednesday, 11 January 2017 04:49

Senate opposes Abuja airport shutdown; summons Amaechi, Fashola

The Senate on Tuesday summoned Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Mr Amaechi, to appear before it within two days over the planned closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja for six weeks. This followed a motion sponsored by Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, Senator Hope Uzodinma, and co-sponsored by five other senators. The Senate also summoned the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Sadique Abubakar, and Minister of State, Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, on the issue. Others also invited are, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Mohammed Bello, Managing…

Tuesday, 10 January 2017 17:12

Malabu oil deal: Jonathan breaks silence, says 'I didn’t send anybody to receive bribe'

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday said he did not send the Chairman of AA Oil, Abubakar Aliyu, or any other person to collect bribe in the $1.3bn Malabu oil deal. Jonathan, who stated this in a statement in Abuja by his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, said that the negotiations and transactions for the $1.3bn oil deal involving oil giants ENI and Royal Dutch Shell, predated his Presidency, which began on May 6, 2010. He stated, “We make bold to point out that the former President never sent any Abubakar Aliyu, as the innuendoes in the false report suggest, to…

Tuesday, 10 January 2017 17:05

Lawyer accuses SSS of killing Nnamdi Kanu’s guests

Counsel of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Namdi Kanu, said nine persons have been missing since last year after they visited his client in detention. The counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, alleged the State Security Service, SSS, arrested and killed the persons. He made the allegation at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where Mr. Kanu is facing a charge of treasonable felony. Three others, David Nwawuisi, Benjamin Madubugwu and Chidiebere Onwudiwe, are being tried alongside Mr. Kanu. Mr. Ejiofor told the court that the SSS arrested the nine supporters of IPOB after they visited his client sometime last year…

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