Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. Saturday’s Rivers State rerun election may not be peaceful after all, if a statement by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is anything to go by. According to the former governor, APC supporters must wake up to the challenge and confront whoever confronts them during the election. He described the Saturday’s election as “the election of our lives.”
2. Report says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has again quizzed a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, for allegedly receiving N450m from the Coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in Lagos State, Adewale Onilere, during 2015 presidential election. The former Minister was questioned by the commission on Wednesday.
3. The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has assured Nigerians that the Saturday’s Rivers election will be the last rerun in the state as the police will ensure a peaceful atmosphere that allow for a conclusive exercise. He called on the Nigerian Army, the Navy, Air Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps and others to synergize with the police to ensure a violent free rerun parliamentary election in the State.
4. A human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has petitioned the UN Working Group over discrimination against women in law and in practice, asking the body to use their mandate to urgently order the Nigerian government and Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, to clear the allowances of Super Falcons. A petition signed by SERAP’s Executive Director, Adetokumbo Mumuni, said it is unlawful to discriminate in payment arrangements in relation to sex and gender.
5. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, yesterday, began its case against a former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Jide Omokore, and others who are facing nine counts of criminal diversion of about $1.6bn alleged to be proceeds of sales of petroleum products belonging to the Federal Government. A witness, Mr Andrew Yakubu, a former GMD of the NNPC, when the controversial transactions took place, narrated in his testimony the roles of Omokore, his companies and other accused persons in the transaction.
6. The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, John Oyegun, on Thursday called on members of the party to retaliate to whatever action directed at them from opposing political parties. Addressing supporters at the party’s political rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Ogun said ‘’if they slap you, slap them back, If they push you, push them back.’’
7. The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board has closed the 2016 admissions to all federal and state universities. This was disclosed by board’s Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, on Thursday. The Registrar, however, extended the admissions to polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and private universities. 8. An Abuja Federal High Court has granted leave to a group, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation, to commence its suit seeking an order for the arrest of the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and that of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, over recent allegations levelled against them by two Justices of the Supreme Court of attempting to influence court decisions in some election cases between 2015 and 2016.
9. The Lagos State Government has said it would sell rice to residents at N13,000 per 50kg, beginning from December 15. This was revealed by Mr. Sanni Okanlawon, the Special Adviser on Food Security to Governor Akinwumi Ambode, during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry National Agriculture Stakeholders Summit. He said the rice would be sold in all the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of the State.
10. Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia and Godwin Obla, who have being in court over alleged bribery and enrichment of selves appeared before Justice Oshodi on Thursday, with separate applications seeking the variation of the bail terms. Their lawyers told Justice Oshodi that their clients had found it impossible to raise N20m each as ordered by the court and urged the court to vary the terms. The case was, however, adjourned till January 9, 2017.
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