Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers
1. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday re-arraigned Jide Omokore, an ally of a former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and others on nine count charges of diversion of about $1.6bn alleged to be part of proceeds of the sales of petroleum products belonging to the Federal Government. Those re-arraigned before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba are Victor Briggs, Abiye Membere, and David Mbanefo. Justice December 8, 2016, has now been fixed for trial.
2. Justice John Tsoho of an Abuja Federal High Court, on Monday granted a Supreme Court judge, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta bail in the sum of N100m. Tsoho said the bail sum would be guaranteed by self-recognisance of Ngwuta as a serving Justice of the Supreme Court. He gave the ruling after listening to the bail arguments by both lawyers of the accused and the Federal Government.
3. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, unveiled the poster bearing photographs of 55 wanted Boko Haram terrorists, including their leader, Abubakar Shekau. The poster also contained phone numbers which members of the public could call or send text messages on which of the suspects in the photographs they know or have information about.
4. A former pastor with the synagogue Church of All Nation has alleged how the founder of the ministry, Prophet T B Joshua almost killed him while serving under him. In a 20-minute video, he said TB Joshua is so heartless that he subjects pastors under him to untold hardship by flogging them with horse whip over very little mistake. He recounted how he was forced to accuse a lady of committing fornication; and the man of God allegedly grinded pepper and inserted into the lady’s private part. He also recounted how he bought four wheelchairs for the church, which were used in performing fake miracle.
5. The Federal Government has finally released the names of beneficiaries for the first batch of the N-power programme. Candidates who applied for the programme can check their status using the state they registered with or the phone number they submitted on the N-Power website (https://portal.npower.gov.ng/apply/selected.php)
6. The sale of foreign rice has been banned in Ebonyi market and other outlets. The state Governor, David Umahi, made the announcement of the enforcement of the ban when participants of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Senior Course 39, Jaji, visited him in Abakaliki on Monday. According to the governor, the order was to ensure that residents patronised home-grown Ebonyi Rice.
7. At least 10 persons kidnapped by a gang of hoodlums in Darka village in Kuje Area Council of the FCT have been rescued by the FCT Police Command. The rescued victims are Fanus Emmanuel, Babangida Emmanuel, Akimmi Dauda, Japheth Kwasu, Dorcas Shuaibu, Kemuche IK, Hamza Yunusa, Umar Godiri, Ismaila Yusuf and Abubakar Gomo.
8. With less than one week to the Ondo State governorship election, 20 political parties converged in Abuja on Monday, and demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission should postpone the exercise over security concerns. The parties put up the demand after an emergency meeting held at the national secretariat of Labour Party (LP). The National Chairman of LP, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam read the the concerns of the parties in a world joint press conference attended by all the chairmen and key national officers of the 20 parties.
9. The Leadership of Islamic Movement of Nigeria on Monday in Kano accused the Federal Government of plotting to wipe out the movement in the country. It raised this alarm at an emergency press briefing held in Kano. The Head of Martyr Foundation of IMN, Sheikh Abdulhamid Bello, maintained, the Ashura procession in Kan had ended peacefully before security agents, who he claimed masqueraded as members of a youth vanguard group, attacked Shiite members.
10. Nigeria’s recession has continued to ‘swallow’ it with the latest statistics made available by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS. The statistics showed that GDP in the third quarter of 2016 contracted by 2.2 per cent after shrinking 2.1 percent in the second quarter. Government revenue has also shrunk even as foreign currency has become very scarce. Crude production fell for the fourth consecutive quarter to 1.63 million barrels per day, from 1.69 million barrels in three months.
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