TRENDING NATIONAL NEWS 1 - The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared the ousted Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, wanted. Investigations revealed that the leadership of the commission decided to declare Nyako wanted after he failed to honour the commission’s invitations after his removal from office. The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview in Abuja, on Tuesday that the commission took the decision to declare Nyako wanted because he had been elusive. “Since Nyako, was removed, he has been elusive. So the commission has devised a strategy to declare him wanted. In response, Nyako said he was not surprised neither was he disturbed about the decision to hound him because he would not be the first person to be so hounded by men in power. 2 - The National Automotive Council on Tuesday said 30 vehicle manufacturing plants would soon commence operation in the country.. The Director, Policy and Planning, Mr Lukman Mahmud, made the disclosure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He said the Federal Government was working toward facilitating the production of vehicle components at competitive prices through the Nigerian automotive industry and to create employment opportunities. Mahmud explained that prior to the pronouncement of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan in 2013, Nigeria had 14 existing plants across the nation. “The protection and incentives provided to the industry under the new policy persuaded 16 companies to establish assembly plants,” he said. Mahmud added that the motor assembling companies would come in with complete and semi-knock-down vehicles. He expressed confidence that posterity will judge his administration kindly. Nyako, who spoke through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Ahmad Sajoh, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja. 3 - Prof. Selina Okoh, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo, said INEC has decided that only those who have Permanent Voter Card (PVC), would be eligible to vote in 2015 general elections. Okoh made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri on Tuesday. She said although INEC headquarters had canceled the initial date for the distribution of the cards in the state, a new date would soon be communicated to the electorate. 4 - Twenty two members of the Enugu State House of Assembly on Tuesday in Enugu resolved to serve impeachment notice on the state Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, for gross misconduct. At its plenary session, the 22-member House dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, directed its Clerk to serve impeachment notice on the deputy governor. It was learnt that 20 out of the 22 lawmakers have already signed the impeachment notice. Details of the plot to remove Mr. Onyebuchi from office are still sketchy... 5 - President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to rebuild Government Girls Secondary and Chibok community President Jonathan who said this after the meeting with the parents of the girls and the Chibok community yesterday, also promised to free the abducted girls saying their education would not suffer The Chibok community comprises of parents of the girls still in captivity, parents of the escaped girls, the escaped girls and community/opinion leaders. Also present at the meeting which held at the Presidential villa Abuja, are governors of Borno and Bauchi Parents of 11 of the girls have died since their abduction by the Boko Haram group, the Associated Press news agency reports. 6 - Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola July 21st inaugurated a panel of inquiry to get to the root of the Friday July 4th face off between men of the Armed Forces and a BRT driver in which a soldier lost his life, and the subsequent arson and destruction of BRT buses by the soldiers. Governor Fashola tasked the tribunal to inquire into whether the act was committed by soldiers and also unravel how and why the military officers died and what killed him, as well as investigate what could have been done to avoid the accident. The panel which is to be chaired by a retired Judge of the Lagos High Court, Mr Justice Ebenezer Adebajo is expected to submit its findings within 60 days. 7 - The House of Representatives Committee on Health, has expressed optimism that the ongoing strike by Nigerian medical doctors will soon be called off. This followed a meeting yesterday, between members of the Nigerian Medical Association, lawmakers, the Minister of Health, as well as the Minister of Labour and Productivity. The House Committee, was led by Ndudi Elumelu, while the medical doctors was led by Titus Ibekwe, the National Vice President 1 of the NMA. For his part, the National Vice President 1 of the Nigerian Medical Association, Titus Ibekwe said the association will call off the strike if the government concedes to their needs. The main cause of discord was the N6.7billion arrears of benefits owed the doctors, in the first instance from January to June, 2014. The total amount would cost the nation 13billion naira. 8 - The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced new measures aimed at tightening the licensing and operation of Bureau de Change (BDC) in the country. It announced a new minimum capital requirement of N35 million, up from the previous N10 million. Tthe central bank said it would like to see the emergence of well-capitalised and structured entities that can effectively perform the roles of BDCs in the economy; and partnership between BDCs and renowned companies engaged in inward and outward money transfer in Nigeria such as Western Union, Moneygram and RIA Financial Services. Some analysts and stakeholders have criticised the new directives as being capable of sending many operators out of business, with a quite few of them seeing it as a ploy to favour big banks and other key players. The House of Representatives had also called for the suspension the policy and summoned the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele to appear before its committee on banking to explain the policy. On his appearance before the committee, he restated the position outlined in the CBNs circular. The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria has, however, insisted that the new capital requirement was too high and the deadline too short. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, had equally described the new measures as unjust, unfair and inequitable, since tying up such huge amounts without any guarantees with regards to the amount they could expect to be allocated regularly from the CBN would be too risky. 8 - A total of 486 magic examination centres in Anambra State have been identified for shutdown by the state government as part of measures to curb examination malpractices in the education sector. The state Commissioner for Education, Professor Kate Umenugha, who disclosed this during the 10th Anniversary of St. Joseph’s Academic Award for 2014, lamented that the examination miracle centres had been aiding and abeting examination malpractices especially during West African Examination Council, WAEC, and National Examination Council, NECO, examinations. She, however, commended the Founder of St. Joseph Academic Award, Engr. Bath Nwibe for instituting the award, saying that the gesture would certainly contribute to the promotion of educational excellence. He expressed worry that the operators of the magic exam centres use them to defraud desperate students and unsuspecting parents and guardians. For more trending news, join Chimaobi Nzoromobi (@joseobi59) and Richard Gbajimi (@RichardGbajimi) on the newspaper review at 10:40am
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 08:50:13 +0000
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