Good morning! Here are 10 things you need to know this morning:
1. President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday pleaded with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to shelve its planned strike action and give the Federal Government more time to look into their grievances. The president made the appeal at a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). He assured the doctors that all agreements duly entered into by the Federal Government will be honoured by his administration.
2. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Thursday, arraigned five staff of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) before Justice Kuewumi Babs of the Federal High Court Lagos on 21- count charge of conspiracy, forgery and money laundering. Those facing trial are Ibrahim Abdulsalam, managing director of the agency; Nnamdi Udoh, former managing director (still at large), Adegorite Olumuyiwa, general manager, procurement; Agbolade Segun, general manager, finance; Clara Aliche, director finance; Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Investment Limited and Multeng Travels and Tours Limited.
3. Report has it that President Muhammadu Buhari will visit China on Sunday to seal a deal worth about 2 billion dollars loan for the financing of the nation’s 2016 budget. The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina told Reuters but did not give the exact figure of the loan.
4. An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to release a cousin of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Azibaola Robert, on bail. Justice Olasunbo Goodluck, ruling on Robert’s ex parte application ordered that the bail should be guaranteed by two sureties. Each of the sureties must be a serving or retired Director in any of the Federal Government’s ministries or parastatal and must reside in Abuja.
5. One Samuel Madojemu, a staff of the Code of Conduct Bureau and a prosecution witness in the case of false asset declaration by a former Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, Thursday testified that the former Minister did not declare his property at plot 2057, Asokoro District, Abuja when he was a Minister from 2007- 2011.
6. Petition by the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh that his trial be transferred from Justice Abang Okon to another judge has been dismissed by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Ibrahim Auta. Auta in a letter said it was already late to transfer the case when prosecution had already called all its witnesses.
7. The ECOWAS Court has disclosed that it will on April 11 rule on whether it has the jurisdiction to entertain a case brought before it by the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki or not. This is contained in a statement issued by the court in Abuja on Thursday. According to the statement, the court’s decision to rule on the case followed a preliminary objection by the counsel to the defendant, Mr T. A. Gadzali.
8. The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has explained that it suspended its six lawmakers because they plotted to take over the leadership of the assembly. The deputy speaker, Hon Godiya Akwashiki disclosed this in Lafia. The suspended lawmakers include, Kassim Mohammed-Kassim (APC-Akwanga South); Murtala Sodangi (APC-Nasarawa Central); Mohammed Okpoku (APC-Udege/ Loko Musa Ali(APC-Keffi East); Makpa Malla (APC-Wamba) and Abubakar Kana (APC-Kokona West).
9. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has said that frequent industrial actions by workers in the electricity supply industry has caused the nation a heavy loss of about N7.734bn between 2014 and 2016. Fashola said this at the third triennial delegates conference of the senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies in Abuja on Thursday.
10. Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Thursday met behind closed door with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa, Abuja. Although, details of the meeting were not made public, Obasanjo said the 1 hour meeting was used to share the experiences of some of his recent international engagement with the president.
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