There’d be adequate fuel supply in Easter, NNPC reassures (Nation)
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, on Friday said that the corporation is now accountable for 75 per cent of gas supply to power in the country. The volume is about 300 million standard cubic feet per day. He reaffirmed the readiness of the NNPC to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products in all the nook and cranny of the country during the Easter holidays and beyond. Read more
Charly Boy leads group of ‘frustrated Nigerians’ in home state, urge good gov (Punch)
Scores of leaders of various civil society organisations on Thursday stormed Owerri, the Imo State capital, demanding good governance, probity and due process from the state government. The protesters, who said they were on a “peace walk” in the state capital, said that good governance was a right in a democracy. Led by self-proclaimed President of All Frustrated Nigerians Mr. Charles Oputa, a.k.a. Charly Boy, the ‘peace walkers’ argued that Nigerians deserve better deals from governments at all levels. Read more
Police to retrain officers, men on arms handling (Nation)
In a bid to stem the tide of police brutalities against the civil population, the police authorities have concluded plan to return all officers and men to the range from retraining on arms handling and proficiency. The Assistant-Inspector General of Police for Zone 11, Adeleye Oyebade, who made the disclosure at the inauguration of the “Operation Puff Adder” at the Zonal Headquarters along Gbongan-Ibadan road in Osogbo, Osun State capital, said the police could not allow the little mistakes and errors continue to affect the achievements of the Force. Read more
Stop fleeing Zamfara bandits from entering Osun, Oyetola tells police (Punch)
Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Thursday urged security agencies and traditional rulers to be at alert to prevent all forms of criminality and possible infiltration of the state by fleeing illegal miners and bandits displaced from Zamfara State. This was contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Adeniyi Adesina, after the governor spoke during a security sensitisation programme attended by traditional rulers, security operatives, civil society organisations, politicians, market women, community leaders and top government functionaries in Osogbo. Read more
Buhari, Osinbajo not against my Senate presidency bid, says Ndume (Guardian)
One of Nigerian lawmakers jostling for the seat of the Senate president in the 9th National Assembly Ali Ndume has refuted claims that Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari and vice president Yemi Osinbajo were against his ambition. “Personally, I’m a committed Buharist. Whether I become the senate president or not, I will continue to stand by him, defend his policies because I see him as a mentor,” Ndume said in a statement. “And I believe that Mr. President has nothing against my aspiration for the office of the senate president because I sought his permission long before the general elections and he gave me go-ahead. Read more
To save varsity system, professors should reject INEC job —Shehu Sani (Punch)
The senator representing Kaduna Central at the Senate, Shehu Sani, has warned that the outcomes of the 2019 general elections are enough reasons why university lecturers should no longer agree to be election umpires in the country. Shehu Sani, via his verified Twitter handle @ShehuSani on Saturday, had tweeted: In the light of the new revelations, University lecturers should pull out from participating in the conduct of national elections to save the reputation & protect the moral sanctity of the academia. The Ivory tower shouldn’t be smeared with political feaces. Read more
Niger promises to pay new minimum wage (Nation)
Niger State governor Abubakar Sani Bello has promised to pay the N30,000 new minimum wage. His Media and Publicity Coordinator, Jide Orintunsin, confirmed this to The Nation on Friday. He said that even before the new minimum wage was signed into law, the Governor had already offered to pay whatever amount will be agreed upon. Orintunsin stated Bello had reiterated his determination to implement the new minimum wage whenever it is signed into law. Read more
Elites’ blind thirst for power cause of tribal, religious clashes —Emir of Kano (Punch)
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, says political elites have manipulated restructuring for their selfish interest. Sanusi II, represented by Dr. Bashir Umar of the Ado Bayero University, Kano, said this on Friday at the 9th Triennial National Conference of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria in Abuja. The theme of the conference is: “Justice, Equity and Peaceful Coexistence: Ideas and Reality in a Multi-Religious Nation.“ Read more
Man bathes wife with acid over divorce threat (Nation)
A woman has been bathed with a substance suspected to be acid by her husband, Mr. Onyeachonam Chinwuba, over alleged divorce threat in Awka, Anambra State. The victim, Añurika Chinwuba, an Onitsha- based hairdresser, was splashed with the flesh-burning substance at the premises of the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Center at Agu-Awka in the state capital. The Nation gathered that Anwulika, mother of two, had dragged her husband, a civil servant, to the Anambra state Children and Women Affairs, to seek divorce. Read more
Terrorism has made our doctors to either quit or relocate –UNIMAIDTH boss (Punch)
The Chief Medical Director of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, says the activities of insurgents in the North East is severely affecting the operations of the facility. Ahidjo told the News Agency of Nigeria in Maiduguri on Friday that the insecurity created by insurgency has disrupted normal service deliveries in the hospital. According to him, the threats posed by insurgents has forced some medical and healthcare personnel to either quit or relocate. Read more
NUC approves Nigeria’s 171st varsity established by Okorocha (Punch)
The National Universities Commission has approved the take-off of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Science in Umuagwo, Imo State, which is now the 171st university in the country. The approval was given on Thursday to the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, at the NUC Headquarters, Abuja, after the governor led other state executives to seek licence for the university, just a month to the end of his tenure. The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, said the new university became the second university owned by the state government, having satisfied the requirements of the commission. Read more
Osun Govt uncovers 769 civil servants working with forged certificates (Punch)
The Osun Government on Friday said it has discovered 769 workers in the state’s civil service who were working with fake and forged school certificates. Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, who is supervising the Information and Strategy Ministry, said in a statement that the discovery was made after five years of screening carried out by a consultancy firm employed by the state government. “A consultancy firm, The Captain Consultants, engaged five years ago by the state government to verify the results and other necessary documents of the workers in the state, has completed its assignment and submitted its report. Read more
Man bathes wife with acid over divorce threat (Nation)
A woman has been bathed with a substance suspected to be acid by her husband, Mr. Onyeachonam Chinwuba, over alleged divorce threat in Awka, Anambra State. The victim, Añurika Chinwuba, an Onitsha- based hairdresser, was splashed with the flesh-burning substance at the premises of the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Center at Agu-Awka in the state capital. The Nation gathered that Anwulika, mother of two, had dragged her husband, a civil servant, to the Anambra state Children and Women Affairs, to seek divorce. Read more
Ebola worker killed at hospital in eastern DR Congo (Punch)
A health worker fighting an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo was killed Friday in an attack on a hospital in the eastern city of Butembo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The attack is the latest in a string of assaults on teams grappling with a near nine-month-old Ebola outbreak that has claimed almost 850 lives. “The @WHO family lost a dear colleague in the hospital attack in Butembo, #DRC, today,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet. Read more
Mueller report: Subpoena issued for unredacted version (BBC)
A subpoena demanding the release of the full report into Russian meddling during the 2016 election has been issued, amid claims the current version “leaves most of Congress in the dark”. Democrat Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee, argued they are entitled to an unredacted version. Democrats have promised to continue pursuing Donald Trump following the release of the report on Thursday. But Mr Trump’s legal team argues it completely exonerates the president. Read more
Pompeo says US will take ‘tough action’ on Russian meddling (Guardian)
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Friday the United States would keep taking “tough action” on Russia after Special Counsel Robert Mueller revealed widespread attempts by Moscow to help elect President Donald Trump. A day after Mueller’s 400-page report was released publicly, Pompeo said that the Trump administration had raised interference in the 2016 election during each meeting with Russia. “We will make very clear to them that this is unacceptable behaviour,” Pompeo told a news conference after talks with the Japanese foreign and defense ministers. Read more
Turkey arrests suspected UAE spies in Istanbul (BBC)
Turkey has arrested what it says are two intelligence operatives who confessed to spying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. Turkey is investigating whether there may be links to the murder last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, a senior Turkish official told Reuters. The CIA believes the Saudi crown prince ordered the killing. Saudi Arabia claims the murder was as a result of “rogue” operatives. Read more
Ed Sheeran apologises after leaving fans in lightning storm following Disneyland concert cancellation (Metro)
Ed Sheeran has cancelled his Hong Kong concert because of a lightning storm on Thursday after 20,000 fans queued for hours in the rain to see the show. The 28-year-old singer was ready to hit the stage when the decision was made to pull the plug on the gig at the Fantasy Road Outdoor Venue, in Hong Kong Disneyland due to the bad weather. The Shape Of You singer apologised to fans on his Instagram and explained that they would have access to a refund following the disappointment. Read more
Milner counts on Liverpool’s style of play to beat Barcelona (Punch)
Liverpool’s James Milner is confident his side can beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, saying the Premier League club’s style of play can cause the Spanish champions problems. Liverpool, who comfortably eased past Porto to reach the semi-finals, will travel to the Nou Camp for the first leg on May 1 with the return leg at Anfield a week later on May 7. “We can beat Barca but we know it will be very tough,” Milner told reporters. Read more
AC Milan fined 86,000 euros for Kessie, Bakayoko shirt prank (Guardian)
AC Milan and the Serie A club’s players Tiemoue Bakayoko and Franck Kessie have been fined a total of 86,000 euros ($97,000) for holding up Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi’s shirt like a trophy after Saturday’s 1-0 win over their Champions League rivals, according to Italian media. Milan agreed with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on payment of 86,000 euros — 33,000 euros per player and 20,000 euros for the club, Gazzetta Dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia reported. The fine was cut by a third as AC Milan agreed to pay it immediately. Read more
Novak Djokovic reacts to shock Monte Carlo defeat amid recent dip in form (Metro)
Novak Djokovic insists he’s not concerned by his recent dip in form and hopes to peak for the French Open, despite an early defeat on the clay courts of Monte Carlo. The world No. 1 was taken out by Russia’s Daniil Medvedev on Friday afternoon, failing to find his best form and looking tight in big moments. It was a familiar tale for Djokovic since a rampant Australian Open win at the start of the year. He has failed to string three match wins in a row since destroying Rafael Nadal in the final at Melbourne Park. Read more