Splash Instablog

  A rally on February 25, 2015 in remembrance of 59 secondary school students of Federal Government College massacred by Boko Haram Islamists a year ago in Buni Yadi, Yobe State Yobe state has incurred losses worth over 30 billion naira ($149 million, 131 million euros) from the Boko Haram insurgency," Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for governor Ibrahim Gaidam, told AFP. The estimation includes reconstruction costs, he added. Neighbouring Borno state -- the epicentre of the Islamist violence that has left at least 20,000 dead -- in March estimated its losses at $5.9 billion. More than 2.6 million people have been made homeless by the conflict, with 2.0 million internally displaced to camps and host communities within Nigeria. Bego said there were currently nearly 310,000 registered internally displaced persons in the state, representing some 14 percent of the total number of IDPs. "This number excludes those who moved in with relatives and friends inside and outside...

The withdrawal of the bill, sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, followed the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, that worked on it. Chairman of the Committee, Senator David Umaru who presented the report, told the Senate that his committee recommended that the bill be withdrawn. Senator Umaru said that the committee observed that the intendment of the bill is to check the upsurge in multiple, anonymous frivolous petitions and publication in the social media, especially, since the emergence of democratic experiment in the country. He informed the Senate that majority of stakeholders at the public hearing on the bill vehemently opposed the passage into law of the bill, as it is perceived as a step that will take the country back, especially now that the world has become a global village. Senator Umaru also said that his committee observed that the u...

The Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has pointed out that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is not as advantaged as the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan which had money to fund fuel subsidy. Speaking before the House of Representatives on Monday, Kachikwu clarified that the current hike in the pump price of petrol was different from that which the Jonathan administration executed in 2012, stressing that the present administration is suffering from “non-availability of foreign exchange to import petroleum products.” According to him, “the average price of crude oil then was valued at $110 per barrel and there was availability of funds to cater for the subsidy regime due to booming oil prices. “Importation was based on 50 per cent financing from NNPC and 50% from oil marketers, while sourcing of foreign exchange for importation of petroleum products for both the NNPC and oil marketers was solely from the Centra...

he Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Danladi Umar on Monday warned lawyers of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to be orderly while defending their client. Umar gave the warning upon commencement of the ongoing trial. He said, “The records of this tribunal shows that 100 counsels have represented the defendant. “The head counsel, Kanu Agabi should be the one to conduct the cross examination and when he is unable, he is entitled to nominate other counsels. “A situation where different lawyers take on the cross examination at different time will not help this proceedings. “Anything short of this, the tribunal will not allow.” DAILY POST recalls that several Senior Advocates, like Paul Erokoro, Paul Usoro and the lead counsel, Kanu Agabi have so far cross examined the first witness. Reacting, Federal Government’s counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, said all counsels should speak through one voice.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu has said that his ministry and relevant agencies cannot guarantee rational behaviour of managers at all NNPC Mega stations nationwide. Kachikwu made the statement in Abuja on Monday while addressing members of the House of Representatives during a special interactive on the “New Framework for PMS Supply and Distribution, organised by the assembly. He said that monitoring was necessary with regard to product sale at a price that was below those of independent marketers. The minister spoke in response to a question on why NNPC l stations which got locally refined products at little or no cost were selling almost at the same price as independent marketers, which sold l at N145 per litre. That is being looked at. The NNPC mega stations are supposed to sell at a much lower price than the other marketers but right now some of them are selling between N143 and N145. “But that is something we are looking at correct...