Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers
1. Following their protest to the National Assembly and the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Ministry of Finance, Kemi Adeosun to pay the Super Falcons their entitlements. The Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, disclosed this yesterday. The money would be paid in 48 hours.
2. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday re-arraigned a former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja. He was arraigned alongside one Waheed Akanbi. They are being held for diversion of N4.7bn. According to the EFCC, the duo committed the offence in 2007.
3. The factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Ali Modu-Sheriff has declared his readiness to return to negotiating table with Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led faction. He, however, stressed that the Makarfi-faction must be willing to make peace for that to happen. Sheriff was speaking when he received some members of the PDP Federal Capital Territory, who paid him solidarity visit on Wednesday in Abuja.
4. President Muhammudu Buhari, yesterday, presented a budget proposal of N7.298 trillion for the 2017 fiscal year, envisaging a funding revenue of about N4.94 trillion. The budget tagged ‘’budget of recovery and growth,’’ was based on a crude oil benchmark price of $42.50 per barrel, with an output of 2.2 million barrels per day.
5. Following the the interim report presented to Senate o Wednesday on the humanitarian crisis in the North East, the Senate has called for the resignation, probe and prosecution of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, over alleged mismanagement of funds meant for the North-East rehabilitation under his watch. The Senate further threatened that it would shut down the nation in protest, if for any reason, the executive fails to effect its resolution of removing Babachir.
6. The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Wednesday, told President Muhammadu Buhari that there was much suffering across Nigeria, urging him to make as his top priority the solving of the current economic hardship. Saraki said this at the 2017 Appropriation Bill presentation by the president at a Joint Session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
7. 17 Boko Haram fighters have been killed while engaging troops fighting in various locations within the forest, leading to the rescue of 605 hostages. The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday while briefing them on the activities of the Operation Rescue Finale launch by the command to clear the Sambisa forest. He said very soon, the forest would be completely cleared.
8. The trial of a former Aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode at a Federal High Court in Abuja was on Wednesday stalled due to the inability of the defendant to appear in court due to ill health. Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Wale Balogun, apologized to the court as he informed it that the defendant was ill and could not attend the trial.
9. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, will give a breakdown of the N7.30tn 2017 budget estimates on Monday. This is contained in a statement issued by the minister’s Media Adviser, James Akpandem on Wednesday in Abuja. It noted that Udoma would give breakdown of the budget proposal presented on Wednesday to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.
10. The wife of the General Secretary of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Venerable Ayodeji Fagbemi, Ebunoluwa was on Monday night kidnapped from their residence at Oba-Ile estate in Akure north local government area of Ondo State. According to her husband, the kidnappers are demanding N20m ransom for her release. Fagbemi, however, said that the family had no such huge money to pay as ransom.
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