News Analysis
News Analysis
[Posted on January 7, 2013 --- By ISAIAH ABRAHAM, Abuja] ---
AS the Senate resumes sitting from the Christmas and New Year break Tuesday, January 15th, 2013, the question waiting for an answer is whether the Petroleum Industry Bill would be dead on arrival. The bill was ambushed by some hostile senators who frustrated Senate leader Victor Ndoma –Egba from presenting the lead debate when it came up for a second reading on Tuesday, December 18th, 2012. Consequently, the bill was stood down till another legislative day, indicating that its passage may not be simplistic no matter how desirable.
This is because certain elements in the Petroleum Industry Bill suggest that the bill lacks a futuristic plan to develop the nation’s vast natural resources outside Oil and intends to deify the Minister of Petroleum Resources, whose powers are mentioned in no fewer than 173 provisions, some of them, above existing laws and attempts to pr...
News Analysis
Sheila, wife of renowned Education Icon in Nigeria, late Tai Solarin has passed on at the age of 83 years.
Sheila, an English woman who was the Proprietress of Mayflower College, Ikenne in Ogun State died yesterday at 4:30pm at Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State.
Uncondirmed sources claimed that, the octogenarian allegedly had a broken hip when she fell on her way to bed some months ago and was rushed to the hospital.
Her sickness was said to have been worsened as a result of weak bones due to old age.
It was gathered that, she underwent a surgery before she died at the hospital in the presence of her two children who reportedly sat by her at the hospital bedside .
Her remains was said to have been taken to LASUTH morgue.
News Analysis
From TONY IGBOKWE, Port-Harcourt --
Commuters that ply Enugu- Port-Harcourt Expressway will now heave a sigh of releave as the Nigerian Army has embarked on the repair of the death trap highway.
The Army has mobilized its engineers to repair the most critical portions of the collapsed highway in order to eliminate stress and hardship experienced by travelers.
By the army engineers numbering over 20 have commenced repairing the Lokpanta cattle market section of the road, which has been a source of worry for road users as vehicles stuck on both lanes while drivers jostle for right of way.
Leader of the team of army engineers working on the road, Col. Mark Mamman told journalists at the site that the army engineers and their equipment were mobilized on the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Azubuike Ihejirika. He said that the Nigerian Army was always ready to assist the civil authorities to solve natural problem, incl...
News Analysis
Defence Headquarters yesterday debunked claims by CNN and Aljazeera alleging that the Nigerian Military carried out an early morning attack on Muslim worshippers in a mosque at Dogo Dawa, a village near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, where twenty-four people were killed by unknown gunmen.
This it said is contrary to reports by local and international media organizations, who reported that the attack was carried out by unknown gunmen.
A statement signed by Director, Defence Information, Colonel Yerima said, investigation has revealed that the killing was a reprisal attack by a gang of armed robbers who lost some of their members after a recent raid of their hide outs through the combined effort of the villagers and the vigilante group in that community.
The Defence Headquarters therefore stated, categorically that in the interest of the larger society, no member of the Nigerian Armed Forces was involved in the said attack ...
News Analysis
THE Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, has said Nigeria will not apply for the review of the judgment of the International Court of Justice, ceding the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun.
Adoke, in a statement, explained that the argument canvassed by the proponents of the review "is virtually bound to fail" as "a failed application will be diplomatically damaging to Nigeria".
The AGF said the committee, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan had weighed the implications of a failed review, having noted the stringent condition attached to such review, and had advised Nigeria against appealing the judgment.
He said, "The committee proceeded to examine the case for revision against the requirements of Article 61 of the ICJ Statute and was constrained to observe from the oral presentations made to it by the proponents of the revision that the strict requirements of Article 61 could not be satisf...
News Analysis
From Adama John, Lokoja --
AT least 400 communities were sub-merged in kogi state by the flood that devasted nine local government areas of the state in the last two weeks.
The North Central Coordinator and head of operations, National Headquarters of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr.Ishaya Isah Chonoko disclosed this yesterday in Lokoja while briefing newsmen on the activities of the rescue organisation in the state.
Chonoko said the agency, as a rescue and emergency organisation, has so far established 36 relief camps across the affected areas of the state.
The NEMA boss who could not rule out the likelihood of an oubreak of Epidemics in the state due to the flood disaster said the agency has taken a delivery of 17million naira worth of drugs to be distributed to the camps.
While lamenting on the travails of the residents of Ibaji Local government area, he disclosed that 3,647 people have been rescued by t...
News Analysis
TWO officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Douglas William and Abba Ishaku, who were arraigned on October 17, 2010, before an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Abubakar Umar in a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence were on October 4, 2012, sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.
William and Ishaku were sentenced to two years each on counts one and two; and six months each on counts three and four. The sentences are however to run concurrently.
The two officers were arrested in 2010 in a ‘sting operation’. Until their arrest, the duo were stationed at the reception of the EFCC headquarters in Wuse, Abuja.
Trouble started for the officers when they allegedly demanded for 100,000 Naira from Kullima Kachalla, a former Chairman of Bama Local Government in Borno state in 2010, by posing as investigators of the EFCC.
They were a...
News Analysis
From SANI ALIYU, Zaria --
THE landlord of a house that was being used by members of Boko Haram in Tukur Tukur community, a suburb of Zaria metropolis has been arrested by security forces.
New Nigerian gathered that Malam Aminu Mahmood, a staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was arrested yesterday in his house at Unguwar Tanki, Kwarbai in Zaria City.
It was also learnt that a six month old child was allegedly killed during the operation while the mother of the child was apprehended by the security operatives.
Our source said that Aminu’s arrest may not be unconnected with the arrest of some Boko Haram members who used his house as operational base.
When contacted, the Army Public Relations Officer, Captain Ibrahim Abdullahi said the arrest of Aminu was as a result of information reaching them.
Captain Ibrahim Abdullahi however, debunked the claim that a six month old child was killed, just as he confirmed th...
News Analysis
The Federal High Court yesterday in Abuja fixed Nov. 12 for the adoption of addresses in the trial of Edmund Ebuware over the Oct 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave the date after both parties had closed their evidence.
The court had on May 3 removed Ebuware from the list of suspects charged with the Independence Day bombing.
The accused person had asked the court for an independent trial.
Others charged in connection with the bombing are Charles Okah and Obi Nwabueze.
The fourth accused person, Tiemkemfa Osuvwo, died in Kuje Prison on March 2 this year.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, the prosecution counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), summoned Mr Timi Alaibe, an ex-Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta, to the witness box.
Alaibe said that he got acquainted with Ebuware while performing his task as the SA to the President on Niger Delta.
He testified that Ebuware was a link between...
News Analysis
From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna
Federal Road Safety Corps, Kaduna State sector Commmander, Olu Mike Olagunju yesterday said between January to July 2012 about 2,239 people were involved in road accidents in Kaduna State.
According to him, among the figure involved in the accidents about 297 persons were killed.
Speaking at the 2012 Special Marshal Workshop with the theme " Advocacy as Tool for Improved. Road Safety Activities," held in Kaduna, Commander Olagunju said the rates of accidents in Kaduna state is totally unacceptable.
"It may interest you to know that between January and July 2, 2012 2,200 traffic offenders were apprehended while 597 road Traffic crashes were recorded and 125 fatal cases.
"389 serious cases and 58 minor cases. In this road crashes 297 persons were killed while 2,239 persons were injured. The rate of road traffic crashes in Kaduna is not acceptable although, it is gradually reducing from pr...
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