BREAKING NEWS

The National Economic Council, chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday accused a former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, of spending $2.1bn from the Excess Crude Account without authorisation. “We looked at the numbers for the Excess Crude Account. The last time the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, reported to the council, and it is in the minutes, she reported by November 2014 that we had $4.1 bn. “Today, the Accountant-General Office reported we have $2.0bn. Which means the honourable minister spent $2.1bn without authority of the NEC and that money was not distributed to states, it was not paid to the three tiers of government,” Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole told State House correspondents after the NEC’s 58th meeting in Abuja.

NIGERIANS that have expressed surprise that each senator receives N506,600 per annum as wardrobe allowance may be in for a shocker as the lawmakers receive far more allowances under different other categories. In all, the allowance each senator receives is nine times more than his annual salary. A senator’s salary is pegged at N2,026,400 per annum. Each senator or a member of the House of Representatives is entitled to 19 different allowances. These allowances are for vehicle maintenance and fuelling; domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, personal assistant, constituency, wardrobe, house maintenance, newspapers, recess, accommodation, furniture, severance, tour duty, estacode, special assistant, security, legislative aide and medical. These allowances are specified in the Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders prepared by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. On an annual basis, the 107 senators receive...

Many state governors will at their meeting on Tuesday(today) with President Muhammadu Buhari demand the refund of billions of naira they spent on Federal Government projects in their respective states during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. A greater chunk of the money went into the rehabilitation of federal roads in the states. For instance, 11 out of the   36 states of the federation will be demanding the refund of N300.5bn from Buhari. Following their inability to pay their workers’ salaries, many states said a bailout from the Federal Government was the only option available to them. The Nigeria Labour Congress had in May said that 18 states had not paid salaries of their workers. The Nigerian Governors’ Forum, at its meeting on June 18, demanded from Buhari, the refund of money spent by the states on Federal Government projects. The forum argued that doing so was the only option before them since the Federal Government was also not l...

Facts have emerged showing why Senate President Bukola Saraki led a delegation of Senators to meet former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his hilltop mansion, Abeokuta, Ogun state on Friday. A source who was part of the meeting informed PREMIUM TIMES that the Senate President was in Abeokuta to beg Mr. Obasanjo to reconcile him with President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. Mr. Saraki emerged as the president of the Senate against the decision of APC leaders. He was also elected when most Senators from the APC were at the International Conference Centre waiting to hold a meeting with Mr. Buhari to discuss the election of the Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives. We also gathered that Mr. Saraki lamented that although the party leaders have stated that they have accepted his emergence, there was “complete communication breakdown between him, the president and the party”.

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate past administration of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi over the alleged sale of valued assets belonging to the state. The Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which was inaugurated at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday, has Justice George Omereji as its chairman and four other members. Inaugurating the commission, Wike specifically charged it to investigate the sale of the 150 Megawatts gas turbine in Omoku, Adam 360 MW Gas Turbine, Trans-Amadi 136 MW gas turbine and the 75 MW gas turbine in Eleme. With 23 terms of reference available to the commission, the governor explained that it (commission of inquiry) was expected to investigate the monorail project and the sale of the Olympia Hotel by the Amaechi administration. “In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Section 2 (1) of the Commissions of Inquiry Law of Rivers State (Cap 30 Laws of Rivers State...

President Muhammadu Buhari has admitted that his age would limit his performance as the President of the country. Buhari, who was   a military governor at 33 and Head of State   at the age of 40, said he would have loved being a President when he was at a younger age . He will be 73 on December 17, 2015. The President spoke with Nigerians resident in South Africa on Monday after taking part in the 25th assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union   in Johannesburg. He said, “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor, just a few years as a young man. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.”

Michelle Obama met with Prince Harry for tea this morning at Kensington Palace before going to meet UK Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street as part of her two-day visit to Britain.

The US government has pledged to release $5 billion towards the Multi Joint Task Force, a military team drawn from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, with the sole responsibility of fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the Lake Chad region. Making the pledge known at the AU Summit in South Africa today June 15th, the US Assistant Secretary of Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US govt is currently in talks with President Buhari on how best they can support the fight against insurgency in the region

Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, on Saturday hosted All Progressives Congress’ women and youths to an elaborate reception at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Hajia Buhari organised the event tagged “Appreciation Dinner” to thank APC stakeholders for working for her husband’s victory in the March 28 presidential election. The large hall inside the Banquet Hall was filled beyond capacity with flamboyantly-dressed women drawn from all states of the federation. The hall was tastefully decorated with the white and blue colours of the APC. The APC Women Leader, Hajia Ramatu Tijani, delivered the welcome address in which she advised that the party leadership must ensure that they deliver on the change they promised Nigerians. She said the dinner was organised to appreciate those who made the change possible by touring all parts of the country to campaign for the party.

Boxer Manny Pacquaio, who reportedly made about $100m from his fight with Floyd Mayweather on May 2nd wore this diamond encrusted watch as he spoke at a press conference in Manila following his return home. I can imagine how much that watch costs. Dayum! The boxer was received to a hero's welcome as he and his family returned to Philippine yesterday.

Last Saturday in Beverly Hills, California, Senator-elect and  Silverbird   Group Chairman,   Ben Murray-Bruce   was honored by the Nollywood Producers Guild of America with an Honorary Lifetime Membership of the Guild as a recognition of his support and contribution to the growth of the Nollywood film Industry and African Cinema as a whole. Mr. Murray-Bruce was in the United States to attend his son, Jared’s graduation, who just bagged a B.A. in Communications from Loyola Marymount University. The proud father threw a pool party for his son at his Beverly Hills mansion with close friends and family members. It was there that the Publicity Secretary of Nollywood Producers Guild of America, filmmaker  Pascal Atuma  and another member and popular filmmaker,  Jeta Amata  presented him with the award on behalf of the Guild’s President,  Mr. Oliver Mbamara Esq.  and the entire members of the guild.  The President of t...

In a unique coincidence and perhaps for the first time ever, five grieving families agreed to donate the organs of their beloved brain dead relatives resulting in a remarkable act of humanity in the toughest situation setting a record for the maximum no. of organs harvested in a day Dubai, UAE, May 06, 2015: Apollo Hospitals, Asia’s foremost healthcare service provider, harvested 23 different organs from these five donors and conducted ten transplants in a day at their flagship Hospital on Greams Road, Chennai, India  on Monday the 4 th of May 2015. A case of extreme gesture of kindness displayed by five strong families who came forward to donate the organs of their loved ones, incidentally on the same evening, enabled this feat to give a fresh lease of life to 23 people. A function organised at the Hospital to express gratitude towards the five bereaving families was attended by the Founder & Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Dr Reddy, Vice chairperson, Ms Preetha Reddy ...

A new football tournament is set to take centre stage in Bayelsa State, South-South, Nigeria. Christened “The Governor Henry Seriake Dickson Cup 2015”, the competition is expected to feature over One hundred teams, representing the 105 electoral wards as well as State and Federal owned higher institutions of learning in the State. Announcing the formal launch of the competition, the Director-General of the Governor’s Cup 2015 project and Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Investment, Mr. Cyril Akika, explained that, the event is aimed at integrating and empowering youths as well as fostering peace and unity across the State. Lamenting the dearth of Bayelsa-born footballers at national and international levels, despite the State being blessed with abundant talents, he stated that, the competition, which is the first of its kind is also intended to discover talents at the grassroot level that can be groomed to represent both the State and Country in the future.

S enator-elect and Chairman of Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, at the Silverbird Man of the Year Awards at Eko Hotel last night showed off his latest automobile acquisition, an electric Kia car. He said to drive  the car, you don't need fuel, just sunlight. The car can also travel for 8 hours once fully charged and can be charged with solar power. See more exclusive photos after the cut...

Chinese entrepreneur Zhou Qunfei already had a lot to be proud of going into 2015. The touch-screen manufacturer she leads, Lens Technology, had built up a blue-chip customer list in the growing smartphone industry that included Apple and Samsung. And the company was awaiting permission to list at China’s Shenzhen Stock Exchange this year. Zhou quickly notched up an accolade after the stock’s trade debut on March 18 by becoming the richest woman in the global tech industry.  With the passing of a month and a more than 300% rise in the company’s share price, the one-time factory worker has achieved another milestone: Zhou is also the world’s wealthiest self-made woman. Forbes estimates of China’s 400 billionaires and billionaire families unveiled today put Zhou’s fortune at $10.2 billion. That topped Chinese real estate developer Chan Laiwa, who ranked No. 2 among self-made women with $8.1 billion. Greater China is home to fully half of the world’s richest...

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said on Tuesday that a presidential run-off would have led to a crisis in the country. Jega, in his first public comment on the March 28 and April elections, predicated his assertion on what he called many lacunas in the amended Electoral Act. He suggested during a   dialogue session with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja, an amendment to the electoral law since it provides for only seven days after the first election to hold a run-off. He   said the   incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari should not wait till 2019 general elections before reviewing the Electoral Act. Jega disclosed that he was happy when the March 28 presidential poll produced a clear winner. He said there was no way that INEC could have successfully conducted a run-off election within seven days as provided for in both the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act. ...

The Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has been sacked by president Jonathan. Here is the press statement....   P resident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba of his appointment and duties with immediate effect. President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect. Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department. Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as  Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies.   He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.   Reuben Abati Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) April 21, 2015

South African Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said the soldiers will be deployed to Alexandra township, north of the main city Johannesburg. She said the Troops will not take over the responsibilities of the police but would assist in maintaining order.

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation on Tuesday insisted that Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State is culpable in the April 2014 abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, by Boko Haram insurgents. The Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, alleged that the governor, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s spokesperson, Lai Mohammed knew the whereabouts of the missing girls. Mr. Shettima, however, denied the allegation, saying no one should take Mr. Fani-Kayode serious as he “is one Nigerian that is physically an adult but mentally an infant. We all know that going into exchange with an infant is like having a dialogue with the blind, deaf and dumb.” But the PDPPCO in a statement on Tuesday, said it was time for Nigerians to know the truth about the APC leaders and the way in which some of them emerged to become governors. “Th...

The Senate approved Mr. Obanikoro’s nomination as a minister, Wednesday, after repeated deferments, despite protests from senators from Lagos State, Mr. Obanikoro’s home state, and other opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, who had vowed to stop the clearance over the Ekiti scandal. As a former senator himself, the Senate allowed Mr. Obanikoro to “take a bow and go”, without answering questions, a privilege reserved for former federal lawmakers. APC lawmakers responded by walking out of the session in protest.

Manchester United footballer Angel Di Maria has put his mega Cheshire mansion up for sale after his wife refused to return to the place following a burglary. The family was eating dinner at their home a few weeks ago when burglars used scaffolding poles to smash their way into his home through patio doors and robbed them.  After the incident, the family moved to a hotel while a security company upped the security at their home. But Mrs Di Maria still refused to return to the house forcing Di Maria to put the $6.5million home up for sale while they look for another one. by linda ikeji 

Facebook told a few members of the press this week that its Internet.org initiative, which aims get more of the world's population online, is on track for an aggressive expansion. Chris Daniels, VP of Internet.org at Facebook, said the company plans to expand into 100 countries by the end of the year. The program is currently set up in six countries — Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Colombia and India — and has helped more than 7 million people access health, employment and local information services without data charges. Internet.org, which launched in 2013, is a Facebook-led program that works with data providers in local markets to offer free web access to people who otherwise couldn't get online. The goal is to introduce people to basic services — like Wikipedia, job and health sites and of course, Facebook — and have them see the value of the Internet and ultimately, purchase a more premium data package. "The ambitious goal this year is to roll it out to 100 [co...

Apple has acquired Chinedu Echeruo’s HopStop.com, The Wall Street Journal’s publication, AllThingsDigital reports. Founded in 2005, HopStop.com makes mobile applications for both iOS and Android that covers over 300 cities and that helps people get directions or find nearby subway stations and bus stops. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed as at the time of this publication. HopStop has oft been compared to Israel’s Waze which was recently acquired by Google for $1 billion. The move is seen as Apple’s plan to bolster its map offering especially given Google’s recent acquisition of Waze. A serial entrepreneur, Chinedu Echeruo grew up in Eastern Nigeria and attended Kings College, Lagos. He attended Syracuse University and the Harvard Business School in the United States and founded HopStop.com after working for several years in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Leveraged Finance groups of J.P Morgan Chase where he was involved in a broad range of M&A, Financing and Private...

The recent appearance at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chattam House, London by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rtd General Muhammadu Buhari, in all intents and purposes was a political miscalculation enough to convince the average Nigerian voter that Buhari holds him in low esteem. Otherwise, how woul d he explain the idea of ignoring the invitation by his own fellow country men to offer himself for proper scrutiny (through open media-anchored debate) along with other parties’ candidates for the forth coming presidential election and chose to travel all the way to London to advertise himself and his manifesto? It certainly runs against the tenets of nationalism because his acceptance and participation would have afforded the electorate opportunity of listening to his argument with other candidates on how he would run the economy if he wins the election. He should have shown more deference and commitment to the expectations of the peop...

Gen. Buhari, Bola Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and other party leaders have arrived Chattam House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) where Buhari met with former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown