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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it has imported 9.8 million metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) worth $5.8 billion to combat the fuel crisis that resurfaced since late last year. Fuel crisis This was disclosed by the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, during a public hearing by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts today at the National Assembly Complex during the week in Abuja. In a presentation by the GMD who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Finance and Accounts, Mr. AbdulrazaqIsiaka, NNPC stated that it carried out the massive importation in fulfilment of its statutory role of supplier of last resort to ensure that Nigerians do not suffer as a result of product unavailability. According to the GMD, the corporation’s provision of 9.8 million metric tons of petrol so far has helped a great deal in ameliorating the suffering of Nigerians. He said the corporation’s intervention became necessary following the inab...

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State was yesterday pronounced Governor of the year 2017 by the Editors of Verbatim Magazine, a bi-weekly Abuja-based publication. Governor Ikpeazu, according to a press release jointly signed by Tobs Agbaegbu and Ibrahim Modibbo, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief and Chairman, Board of Editors of Editors respectively, would be officially decorated on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at a glamorous award ceremony at Nicon Luxury hotel in Abuja. Adducing reasons for the choice of Ikpeazu as Governor of the year, the management of Verbatim magazine explained that Governor Ikpeazu’s choice was in recognition and appreciation of his developmental vision and life transforming achievements in Abia State, adding that ‘’ his three years in office has been remarkably eventful and largely successful’’.

The National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Yunusa Tanko has asked Nigeria’s security services to stop creating fear in Nigerians but wake up to their responsibilities of protecting them. Tanko said this in reaction to alarm raised by the nation’s security chiefs over threats by unnamed groups to scuttle the 2019 general elections. Tanko told Punch, “That is very unfortunate. I wouldn’t want to say unprofessional; I only hope they are not raising a false alarm as part of a gimmick to short-change Nigerians. “Security people do a lot of things; I don’t think it is fair for them to send panic or create fear among Nigerians. They are in the government; they are trained and paid to protect us. “They have the capacity to deal with threats if they know these individuals or groups and they have evidence. What is stopping them from apprehending them? “It is completely unnecessary for our security officials to try to create a situation of panic. As ordinary citizens, we...

An APC leader in Edo state has been murdered in the Jattu area of Edo state on Wednesday. PoliticsNGR gathered that Samson Sedi, an APC leader in Etsako West local government area of the state was shot dead by unknown gunmen. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Johnson Kokumo, confirmed the incident to Punch yesterday. He revealed that it was being investigated as a murder case as none of his belongings were taken from him. He said; “We are investigating a murder case. We are not investigating an armed robbery. Nobody was dispossessed in this particular case. So, what we are investigating is murder and not armed robbery. We have set things in motion. Our men are out there and I assure you that, with intelligence-led policing, we will soon bring the culprits to book.” Governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki has described the murder as ‘Shocking’.

First Bank of Nigeria has apologised to its Twitter followers after the bank posted series of tweets that appeared to be mocking Thursday’s visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Lagos. The president’s two-day official visit to the state disrupted traffic and caused residents to embark on long walk to their destinations. “Lagosians how far…. How was the trek this morning? The people still trekking, how’s the #WalkOfChange going,” the bank tweeted around 11:18 am on Thursday from its Twitter handle @FirstBankngr. When a Twitter user (@Jenn_nikolas) tweeted at the bank that its tweet was “terrible to look at”, the bank offered a sarcastic response, “Don’t look. Keep trekking”. Another Twitter user (@omookwah) told FirstBank, “This is an epic fail in attempt to ‘hijack’ an issue. You lost the ‘emotional’ drift to this and got caught on the wrong side of story. Always remember…. Market share and mind share.” “Story,” the bank responded. “Dear Twitter Family. A tweet from us earlier ...

The Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello has expressed “deep shock” over the demise of a member of the House of Representatives from the state, Hon. Buba Umar Jibril. He described the late Jibril is a man who “lived in the hearts of his people”, saying the vacuum he left in the state and the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be difficult to fill. Bello said: “The late former Kogi State House of Assembly Speaker and a Principal Officer of the House of Representatives was a man of the people. “His life is a book for anyone aspiring for greatness to read. The late Buba identified with his people and lived a life of serving the poor in his constituency. “A successful politician, the late Rt Hon. Buba Jibril was a lesson in positivism; a man who chose to take his destiny in his hand on several occasions. “He will be remembered for his astuteness and purposeful leadership as well as his philanthropic life and service to humanity. “New generation of Kogites and Nigerians at large will...

Chelsea attacker Kenedy has described the possibility of joining Newcastle United on a permanent basis as a ‘pleasure’. Speaking UOL, Kenedy talked up the chances of joining the club permanently after a fruitful loan spell with Rafa Benitez’s side. "This new stage with Newcastle’s shirt makes me very happy, it’s very difficult for a player to stay a long time without playing, even more to get back in the rhythm of the Premier League. If it’s good for everyone, it would be a pleasure to continue wearing the shirt of this great team." The Brazilian, who had fallen out of favour at Chelsea under Antonio Conte, joined the Magpies on loan in the January window. Since arriving at St James’ Park, Kenedy has impressed the Newcastle faithful with his trickery and speed. Previous reports have suggested that a deal could be agreed if Newcastle meet a £15 million asking price. The Brazilian’s future at Stamford Bridge may well depend on what happens with Italian head coach Antonio...

Current report as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will sanction any political party, individual or corporate organisation that commits electoral offence during the 2019 general elections. Prof. Francis Ezeonu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo, said this at a sensitisation meeting of stakeholders with Imo INEC management on Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) held in Mbaitoli and Owerri North local government areas. Ezeonu said Section 94 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) stipulated guidelines for the conduct of primaries, electoral campaigns by political parties and behaviours of party faithful and stakeholders during elections. He added that the same Electoral Act frowned at the imposition of candidates, use of masquerades and any form of weapon, hate speeches, as well as campaigning in Churches, Mosques and public offices. “We will monitor political parties to avoid anarchy. If after primaries anyone is denied his/her position, INE...

The member, representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Umar Baba Jibril is dead. Aged 58 years, Jibril, a three time member of the house, died in the early hours of Saturday in Abuja, one of his political associates, Mr Amuda Dan Sulaiman confirmed to Journalists. He was until his death, the Deputy Majority Leader of the house. He was also a former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly

On a day mixed reactions continued to trail the advice of former Defence Minister, Lt. General T.Y. Danjuma (retd), to Nigerians to defend themselves against herdsmen to avoid what he described as ethnic cleansing, some Taraba residents, yesterday, alleged that operatives of Ayem A’Kpatuma (Cat Race) military operation were aiding killer herdsmen in the state and harassing people. Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai However, the military quickly dismissed the allegations as false, insisting that it was carrying out its constitutional role diligently in the state. Commanding Officer, 93 Army Battalion Takum, Lt. Col. Ibrahim Gambari, said he had no authority to speak on the issue, but summarily dismissed the allegations as false. Takum, Ussa council bosses, Taraba residents speak Chairman Takum Local Council of Taraba State, Shiban Tikari, said General Danjuma’s call has vindicated the people of Takum, who had earlier cried out that the Exercise Ayem A’Kpatena was out...

ABUJA —A coalition of 18 Northern groups and associations, led by former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Professor Ango Abdullahi, yesterday passed a vote of no confidence on northern leaders. Ango Abdullahi According to the group, most of the leaders that had been saddled with the responsibility of administering the people have failed the test to lead. The groups, which noted that political officer holders had been given quit notice by the northern leaders to quit the stage, stressed that ahead of 2019 presidential and general elections, the north would scrutinize all politicians seeking their mandate. In a communique signed by Professor Ango Abdullahi, who is the Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Political Committee and Convener, Northern Elders Forum and 17 others, the group cautioned the Presidency and members of the National Assembly and governors to resist the temptation of abusing the political process in pursuit of their personal ambitions. While welco...

Manchester United are reportedly ready to meet Samuel Umtiti's release clause at Barcelona. And Jose Mourinho has contacted the French defender personally over a move to Old Trafford. That is according to SPORT , who report Umtiti is considering leaving Barca over a disagreement about his wages. Umtiti is willing to stay at the Nou Camp if the club match his wage demands - but that appears unlikely. And Mourinho is now hoping to lure him to Manchester. Tierney on the radar Manchester United are stepping up their efforts to sign Celtic's £25million rated defender Kieran Tierney this summer. As revealed by Mirror Sport back in January, United boss Jose Mourinho sees Tierney as more versatile and better value for money than his other left-back target, Tottenham's Danny Rose. Although Tierney signed a new six-year deal with Celtic last October, United are confident they could land the 20-year-old, who is likely to cost around half as much as Rose

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Elders, leaders of socio-political organisations and key stakeholders from the northern part of Nigeria have scored the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari low and, consequently, rejected him as their candidate for the 2019 general elections. The leaders who met on Saturday in Kaduna insisted that the present leadership representing the region has failed in its mandate and, therefore, must be replaced by competent persons. Leaders of the Northern Elders Forum, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Borno Elders Forum, and Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria were among those present at the meeting. In a communique read by a member of the Northern Elders Forum and Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the northern leaders lamented that almost three years after President Buhari was sworn in, the economy, security and political fortunes of the region have continued to deteriorate. To make matters worse, they said the Buhari admin...

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal by the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for lack of merit. Akeredolu had, by the appeal, challenged a July 20017 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which upheld an order by a Federal High Court in Abuja, granting permission to Olusegun Abraham to serve Akeredolu through substituted means, court documents in relation to the suit he (Abraham) filed. Abraham’s suit is challenging the outcome of the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which produced Akeredolu as the party’s candidate for the last governorship election in Ondo State. In a unanimous judgment, a five-man panel of the Supreme Court held that Akeredolu’s appeal was without merit. Justice John Okoro, in the lead judgment, but read by Justice Ejembi Eko, upheld the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal and awarded N500,000 cost against Akeredolu, in favour of Abraham.

Making a National case for my regional development bill at the Senate The truth is — that every part of Nigeria suffers one form of neglect or the other but some are more unequally yoked than the others. A case in point are the Igbo people of Nigeria. I am a proud Nigerian but an unhappy one. As a Senator representing Anambra North, my first obligation is to the people of Anambra North, and then Anambra State and then the South East of Nigeria. My people are unenthusiastic about this Nation state, the mood in the region is at its worst since the civil war. I am not going to sit pretty in Abuja trying to be politically correct. The elite scoff at the demagogues but are unaware that their rise is only a proof of their own extinction. The Igbos have been unfairly treated and victimised in our country but this piece does not seek to reopen those horrific wounds. (Let me stop sounding like an angry bigot: a term freely used on Igbos and even worse when also you happen to be a woman). I wou...

Some Nigerian federal lawmakers are demanding bribes as conditions for passing the 2018 budgets of federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), some heads of these agencies have told PREMIUM TIMES. The officials say the unceasing demand for gratification is responsible for the reluctance of a number of heads of MDAs to honour invitations by Senate and House of Representatives committees to defend their budgets. Four officials of notable MDAs, who spoke to this newspaper in separate interviews alleged that the senators and members of the House are desperate and bent on shaking them down because ”the 2018 budget is the last they would consider before the next general elections”. “Many of them need money for re-election and they see this budget approval process as a way of finding the resources to prosecute their forthcoming elections,” the director-general of one agency said. The Senate had in February issued a one-week ultimatum to MDAs, who were yet to submit details...

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) provides temporary employment to university, polytechnic and high school students required to participate in mandatory learning programs to gain work experience in their chosen career and also provides opportunity for interns to learn about the company's business, culture and core values. Chevron is accepting online applications from qualified Nigerian students whose internship program commences from July to December 2018. Placement is available in the Lagos and Warri office. Qualifications: Candidate must be a Nigerian Internship must be  mandatory  to complete the school's program leading to Bachelors, Masters' Degree or Diploma as applicable Demonstrated high level of academic performance Good communication, leadership, teamwork and problem-solving skills Strong work ethic with internal drive to succeed Chevron provides: An innovative workplace where we apply the latest technologies to exploration, production, reservoir managment and ...

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 149 Nigerians who voluntarily returned from Libya. Newsmen report that the returnees arrived Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard a chartered flight operated by Buraq Airline with registration number 5A-DMG. The aircraft landed at about 10:45 p.m. at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The returnees comprised of 107 male adults, 37 female adults including a medical case, four female children and one female infant. Mr Abrham Tamrat, the Programme Manager of International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Lagos, handed the returnees over to Alhaji Yakubu Suleiman, the South West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA. Suleiman thanked the IOM and the European Union (EU) for facilitating the repatriation of the Nigerians who had been stranded en route from Libya to Europe. Yakubu admonished the returnees to shun the urge of seeking greener pastures outside the country. He said that all nation...

According to Dominic Fifield of the Guardian, Arsenal has extended a contract offer to Jack Wilshere worth around £80,000 a week plus “significant incentives.” Although Wilshere prefers to stay with Arsenal amid interest from Everton, West Ham, and Juventus, Fifield reports, “he will not do so on those terms, leaving discussions at an impasse.” The fact that there is an offer on the table represents a shift in strategy for the club relative to the beginning of the season, as Wilshere revealed that Arsene Wenger told him he was free to find a new club back in August: “It was an honest conversation,” Wilshere recalls. “It had been boiling up for a while. Everybody knew I had a year left on my deal and had been out on loan, got injured and wasn’t really in his plans. He just said: ‘At the moment we are not going to be offering you a contract so, if you can get one somewhere else, you can go.” As we all know, Wilshere did look, but couldn’t find an acceptable solution so late in the trans...

A group of well-armed bandits have stormed a military post at Doka community in Kaduna state, killing 11 soldiers on the spot in what was believed to be a reprisal attack for the recent assassination of Buharin Daji, a dreaded leader of gang of cattle rustlers in Zamfara State. Before the massacre of soldiers in Doka, an area between Funtua and Birnin Gwari in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, it was gathered that the gunmen had attacked the Maganda District in the afternoon also on a revenge mission over the killing of Buhari Tsoho during which some members of the security volunteer groups were seriously injured. It was after the attack at Maganda that the armed bandits moved towards Doka at the junction road, leading to Gwaska and Dansadau and launched another attack which led to the death of the soldiers. The remains of the slain soldiers have been deposited at a mortuary.

Liverpool star Emre Can was forced to pull out of Germany’s training session ahead of the side’s clash with Spain. Can started Liverpool’s match against Watford last weekend but the 24-year-old was substituted in the 27th minute and replaced with James Milner before the Reds went on to win 5-0. Despite Can struggling with back problems at Anfield, Joachim Low named the midfielder in his Germany squad for their friendlies against Spain and Brazil. Asked about Can’s injury after the defeat of Watford, Jurgen Klopp said: ‘He doesn’t think, and I don’t think, it is too serious – but it was too serious to continue, ‘He had that problem a little bit during the week; we gave him one day of extra recovery but he thought it would work and he trained normally yesterday.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has told David de Gea that a deal is in place to sign a Real Madrid star, a report claims. According to Spanish outlet Don Balon, Mourinho has told his star goalkeeper that the Red Devils have a deal in place for Gareth Bale. The report claims that De Gea has now let that slip to Real captain Sergio Ramos while the pair are on international duty with Spain. Don Balon recently stated that United are willing to part with up to £70million to sign Bale as Mourinho looks to bolster his attacking options. The Welshman has struggled to settle at the Bernabeu since his £85m move back in 2013, having struggled with injuries. Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez has not adapted to life at Old Trafford as hoped, meaning United chiefs could already be looking for an alternative.

A Catholic cardinal and archbishop in Nigeria has hit out at government corruption in the country in a letter to the nation's president. He described 'negligence, incompetence, greed and insecurity' amongst political elites whilst Nigerians die of hunger and suffer terrorist violence. Catholic archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, released the impassioned, highly critical letter on Tuesday, according to the Daily Post. The letter challenged president Muhammadu Buhari over revelations that the leader had been oblivious to the rebellion of his Inspector-General of Police, who had ignored orders earlier this year. Buhari, the letter said, 'has just made a candid admission that he is not in control of his service chiefs...Boko Haram, said by the President's spokesmen to be degraded and technically defeated, abducted 110 schoolgirls in Yobe State. Are the service chiefs still taking orders? Is the President still in control of security?' ...

The National Assembly has announced that the 2018 budget will be laid before both chambers on April 19 and subsequently passed on April 24. This was contained in an announcement made by speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Wednesday. Mr. Dogara said the harmonised date was decided by the both chambers of the National Assembly. Details soon…..

Abuja — The Federal Government is negotiating a $15 billion loan to complete the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail project. Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed this yesterday after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to him, the Itakpe/Warri railway project will be completed and commissioned by August this year. The minister told State House Correspondents that the rail projects in the South-East had been approved but were being delayed by paucity of funds to commence work. Amaechi said he was set to travel to India where the loan would be negotiated. The minister, who stated that President Buhari had approved that negotiation should be carried out for the loan, said the President had also given the approval for negotiation of funds for the execution of Lagos-Calabar rail project to ensure its speedy completion, stressing that lack of funds had been the reason for the delay. He said: "Don't forget...