SURE-P N500bn: NNPC absolves self of alleged missing money

 

The management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has absolved itself from the alleged missing N500 billion Sure-P funds.

The Corporation which described media reports linking it to the Sure-P budget as a comprehensive falsehood, noted that it has no connection whatsoever with the disbursement and appropriation of funds to the Sure-P Committee.

Buhari: APC ready to govern Nigeria

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) said on Wednesday night in Abuja that it was ready to provide alternative governance to uplift the country.

General Muhammadu Buhari, a leader of the APC, said this during a special dinner organised by APC governors.

Buhari, a former military Head of State, said that the party had planned to provide leadership and direction for the country. He said that the African continent and international community were waiting to see if Nigeria could offer leadership role in the continent.

The politician said the party would ensure that there would be no rigging in 2015 election.

Civil society groups sue ASUU on strike

Some civil society groups have sued the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the National Industrial Court over alleged illegal and arbitrary strike.

 

In the first suit, Mr. Elaigwu Apeh, President, Northern Nigeria Democratic Forum (NNDF), joined the president of ASUU, Mr Nasir Fagge and nine others as defendants.

 

The NNDF is praying the court to determine whether or not ASUU can declare a strike over purported breach of the memorandum of agreement by the Federal Government.

PDP: We are still studying Oyinlola's reinstatement judgment

 

The National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Victor Kwom, has said that the party was still studying the Appeal Court judgment on Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

He was reacting to the Appeal Court judgment that reinstated Mr. Oyinlola as the party’s National Secretary.

Mr. Oyinlola is currently the National Secretary of the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the party, tagged New PDP.

Mr. Kwom, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, added that the party would react at the appropriate time.

Also reacting to the judgment, the party`s current National Secretary, Wale Oladipo, stressed that he would remain in office pending when the Supreme Court takes final decision on the issue.

He said that the appellants from Ogun State were already heading to the Supreme Court, adding that he would only quit on the orders of the apex court.

Senate, Okonjo-Iweala disagree over excess crude fund

Senate, Okonjo-Iweala disagree over Excess Crude fund
Posted by: Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja in News Update 4 hours ago

The Federal Government and the Senate on Monday disagreed over the whereabouts of $1.03 billion Excess Crude Funs.
The disagreement followed the disclosure by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that the balance in the Excess Crude Account amounted to $4.3 billion.
The minister did not however say the total accrual to the account at a Joint Senate Committee of Finance and Appropriation meeting on the 2013 budget and Federal Government revenue-generating agencies.
A member of the committee, Senator Ita Enang, who was apparently unimpressed by the minister’s disclosure noted that records available to the committee showed the total inflow into the Escrow account was $14.06 billion while the total outflow from the account was $9 billion.
Enang said that left a balance of $5.06 billion.
The minister did not counter the figures released by Enang but insisted that the balance in the Escrow account is $4.03 billion.
Enang had demanded from the minister how much the country has in the Escrow account, how much is paid into the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and what the Escrow account is used for.
Okonjo-Iweala said that the balance in the Escrow account stood at $4.3 billion.
She also told the committee that Escrow account is primarily used for payment of oil subsidy for the country.
The funds, she added, “goes in and comes out almost immediately.”
The minister said, “Excess Crude Account is a federation account matter. It belongs to all tiers of government. When we pay subsidy, it belongs to all tiers of government. So, the Federal Government, states and local governments are all partakers.”
On the status of the SWF, she noted that “the SWF has $1 billion.
She added that “there have not been further payments into the SWF as far as I know.”
The minister noted that though there are leakages in the economy, government had launched actions to block the leakages.
 
 

ASUU cautions on forceful opening of universities as Jonathan meets lecturers

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Sunday cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan against an alleged plan by the president to direct that all universities be forcefully opened and lectures commence despite the ongoing strike by the lecturers.

FRSC ‘ember months’ campaign: to sanction hospitals that reject accident victims

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has threatened to sanction any hospital that refuses to attend to accident victims, especially during the ‘Ember Months’ (September to December) patrol.

The FRSC Benin Zonal Commanding Officer, ZCO, Nseobong Akpabio, said this in an interview on Monday, in Benin.

Obasanjo in closed-door meeting with G7 PDP governors in Abeokuta

The aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are currently in a closed-door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The meeting is being held at Obasanjo’s residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and is attended by five of the governors.

The aggrieved governors were led to Monday’s meeting by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State who also drove the vehicle that conveyed his colleagues.

Rare solar eclipse viewed in Nigerian cities

A rare solar eclipse swept through parts of Africa, the Middle East and America yesterday. It was viewed in many Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja, Jos, the Plateau State capital and Calabar, Cross River State, among others.

In the eclipse, the sun is totally or partially blocked by the moon.

New PDP: We’re comfortable with APC

The ground for a super coalition ahead of the 2015 general elections may have been established, with yesterday’s declaration of the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it feels “more comfortable” in the company of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The faction said it shares with the APC a common goal of rescuing Nigeria from the precipice and putting it firmly on the path of sustainable development.

New PDP, G-7 govs claim police storm Abuja meeting

 

Leaders of the New Peoples Democratic Party (NPDP) claimed last night that the police attempted to stop their meeting in Abuja.

The New PDP leaders were meeting with the G-7 governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives belonging to the group.

But the police denied storming the meeting.

Oduah's armoured cars: FAAN lied about purchase -Bank

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, was economical with the truth when it told the National Assembly that the four armoured vehicles it purchased for its Managing Director and the Aviation Minister were in the custody of First Bank.

Top officials of the bank told PREMIUM TIMES, on Friday, that none of the four cars was in their care.

“It is not true that First Bank is in custody of those four cars. We don’t know where the cars are,” one of the officials, who did not want to be named because of the controversy the deal has generated, said.

The four vehicles – two Lexus limousines and two Prado jeeps – are not part of the N255 million armoured BMW cars bought for Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, which shocked the nation and has led to presidential and legislative investigations.

FAAN admitted to the purchase of the limousines at the cost of N60 million each, but said that it did not have details of the Prado jeeps.
While responding to an October 29 query by the Senate Committee on Aviation, George Uriesi, FAAN’s Managing Director, stated, under oath, that the four cars were in the custody of the bankers which funded the purchase.
Our checks have now indicated Mr. Uriesi was did not tell the committee the whole truth.
“They bought a total number of 202 vehicles for different operations so until they come back on Monday we cannot rush into conclusion,” Hope Uzodinma, Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, had told journalists on Wednesday.
“Uriesi did confirm that among the operational vehicles they purchased, four of them are armoured vehicles, two for the managing director and two for the minister.
“We told them to go back and put everything in writing and make comprehensive statements on all vehicles purchased,” Mr. Uzodinma had added.
Mr. Uriesi will appear before the committee on November 4.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives’ Committee on Aviation concluded its hearing on the purchase of the two N255 million armoured cars.
Nkiruka Onyejeocha, the Committee’s Chairperson, said that they have received sufficient documents from Mrs. Oduah, who appeared before it on Thursday, and others who were invited.
“We have given everyone fair hearing. We assure everyone and all Nigerians we will do justice,” Mrs. Onyejeocha said.

APC leaders in Jigawa, Kano to woo Lamido, Kwankwaso

The leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, stormed Kano and Jigawa States, on Thursday, where they formally invited the governors of the two states, Musa Kwankwaso and Sule Lamido, to join the opposition party.

The opposition leaders met with the two governors behind closed doors for several hours during which they assured them a good deal if they decided to join their rank.

ATIKU: What Obasanjo told me about 3rd term

Atiku Abubakar can conveniently be regarded as the proverbial cat with nine lives because the story of his life offers a lot of lessons; starting from a humble background to becoming the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Akhigbe’s body arrives Saturday

 

The body of late former Chief of General Staff, Vice-Admiral Mike Akhigbe, is expected to arrive in Nigeria on Saturday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Nigeria’s Consul-General in New York, Amb. Habib Habu, told NAN on Thursday that the body would depart New York on Friday night.

Eaglets set to break Uruguay hoodoo

 

Golden Eaglets will on Saturday aim to halt Nigeria’s losing run against Uruguay this year.

In June, Uruguay full international team beat the Super Eagles 2-1 at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil and the South Americans recorded the same win at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey in a round of 16 clash.

‘500 Nigerian youths in Japanese prisons’

NO fewer than 500 Nigerian youths are languishing in Japanese prisons over alleged drugs and other related offences, a Nigerian-born cleric, Bishop Enoch Adebayo, has said.

Aviation Ministry justifies N225 million vehicles for Minister Oduah

 

After initial efforts by aviation officials to dismiss as mere rumours the purchase of multi million naira vehicles for Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, the ministry, Wednesday, confirmed the purchase.

Joe Obi, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, said that the two armoured BMW cars were to protect his boss from “imminent threats.”

Nigeria moves up to 33rd in FIFA rankings

Nigeria has moved up three places to 33 in the latest world rankings released by FIFA on Thursday.

However, Nigeria is still number four in the Africa, behind Algeria (3rd) who dropped three places, Ghana (2nd), who moved up one place and Cote d’Ivoire (1st), who has moved to 17th in the world, MTNFootball.com reports.

The October ranking saw the Eagles garner 724 points which is an improvement from the 707 points recorded in September.

The Nigerians are expected to improve their rankings by next month when they host Ethiopia in a World Cup playoff return leg in Calabar.

Solomon Lar’s body leaves U.S Friday

Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Ade Adefuye, said the body of the late Chief Solomon Lar, will leave the U.S. on Friday and arrive in Nigeria on Saturday.  

Adefuye told the North America correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in New York that a senior Embassy staff would also accompany the body.

Lar, a former governor of Plateau and a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, died on October 9 at the Inova Fairfax Hospital in Northern Virginia.