Curator

http://ift.tt/2rvZWhl Artistic impression of the proposed 4th Mainland Bridge The Lagos State House of Assembly has raised a six-man committee to probe the termination of contract for the fourth mainland bridge. Led by the Deputy Speaker, Wasiu Eshinlokun, it has the Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade, Yinka Ogundimu, Moshood Oshun, Wahab Jimoh and Bisi Yusuf as members. The assembly mandated the committee to invite some government officials to clarify the circumstances that led to the termination of the contract. Among those slated for invitation are the state Attorney General, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, the Commissioner for Waterfront, Mr. Adebowale Akinsanya, his counterpart in finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade and the state Chairman of Lagos Global. The committee is expected to submit its report on Monday, June 5, 2017. The lawmakers said it was wrong for the state government to have by-passed the assembly in the award of the contract with a consortium of firms. According to Agunb...

http://ift.tt/2s0hgZf The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kogi State yesterday wielded the big hammer as it sealed 12 filling stations for under-dispensing fuel to unsuspecting members of the public in the state capital, Lokoja. The NNPC filling station at phase 1 and in Gadumo were among the stations found wanting, hence they were sealed along with Dokkailiru at the Ganaja junction which was found to be duping customers almost 2 litters for every 10 liters. Others are Yisab oil and gas, DIATTO filling Station at Ganaja junction, Heroes oil limited at zone 8 round about and Abiodun and Associate at phase1. Others are Royal Confluence Oil and gas and NMPC station. The DPR, which was on routine surveillance, uncovered shady dealings by most of the petroleum marketers whose filling stations were visited in the state capital as their meters were found to have been adjusted, thereby ripping off customers. DPR State Controller, Engr. Amos Jokodola, who led the surveill...

http://ift.tt/2rrazCv Desmond Elliot, Felix King and Mercy Aigbe at the unveilling in Lagos Worried by rising cases of widow maltreatment in the country, Nollywood actor and member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot has teamed up with colleague, Mercy Aigbe to headline a national campaign aimed at drawing attention to the plight of widows in Nigeria, with a view to ameliorating their suffering. At a press unveiling for the project in Lagos organised by the Felix King Foundation, both stars spoke strongly against many cultural and behavioural practices in many communities in Nigeria that tend to limit the rights of widows, disinherit them and treat them following the demise of their husbands. They vowed to continue speaking out, through the platform, until there is a social movement towards the direction of not just protecting widows, but creating an environment of economic and social inclusion that would enable them deal with the pains of their losses much more e...

http://ift.tt/2s05dee A trader, Mallam Nasir Maiyaki Kurfi, explaining the cost of grains to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo during his visit to Garki Market in Abuja, yesterday, as the Muslim Ramadan fasting begins today.PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, accompanied by the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, and other senior presidential aides yesterday paid an unscheduled visit to Garki Model Market located in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The visit to the market, which was one of the activities to mark the two years anniversary of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, was meant to enable Osinbajo interact with traders and get first-hand information on the current cost of goods and other food items in the market. He arrived the market at about 3:10 p.m., amidst cheers from the traders, who hailed him, shouting, “Osibaba, APC.”The Acting President departed the market after about 40 minutes. However, while...

http://ift.tt/2qV4uwo Worried parents at the school yesterday For the umpteenth time, gunmen suspected to be militants yesterday morning invaded the Lagos State Model College, Igbo Nla, Epe, abducting two principals and six students. The gunmen abducted the principal of the junior secondary school, simply identified as Mr. Oyesola and Mr. Akirinmade who is the principal of the senior secondary school. Earlier in the week, the kidnappers had written to the school, informing the authorities of their plan to strike. The school management promptly notified the police, which sent its men to take strategic positions around the school. However, eyewitnesses say the police were overwhelmed by the number of militants and the sophisticated weapons they carried. Last October, kidnappers attacked the same school seizing four students, two members of staff, including a Vice Principal. According to sources, the militant have maintained visible presence in Epe for over two weeks. Res...

http://ift.tt/2pujhup Justice Mohammed Idris, while ruling on the application for Ubah’s release held that his detention without charge violated his rights, adding that the Agency lied on oath to justify the applicant’s illegal detention. A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to either charge the Managing Director of Capital Oil & Gas Ltd. Ifeanyi Ubah to court or release him unconditionally within 48 hours. Justice Mohammed Idris, while ruling on the application for Ubah’s release held that his detention without charge violated his rights, adding that the Agency lied on oath to justify the applicant’s illegal detention. The judge also dismissed DSS and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC’s) preliminary objections against Ubah’s application. DSS had arrested Ubah over alleged economic sabotage and illegal sale of petroleum products stored in his tank farm by the NNPC. But Ubah filed the application, pray...

http://ift.tt/2rODnBQ The intercepted 440 pump action rifles displayed by the Nigeria Customs Service at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. Investigation on 440 rifles continues, says Customs The Federal Government has been urged to place an outright ban on all imports from Turkey since a total of 1101 pump action rifles and other ammunitions were shipped from the country in the last five months. The Customs had seized 661 riffles in January and another 441 guns on Tuesday from the same country. This is coming as more emphasis is now laid on installation of scanners at the ports to ease cargo examination and forestall smuggling of firearms. Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer, TinCan Command of Nigerian Customs Service, Uche Ejesieme has said that the suspect and the arms are still in custody of Customs while the investigation continues. An industry expert and Chief Executive Officer, Ships and Ports, Bolaji Akinola also told The Guardian that the Federal Government must ur...

http://ift.tt/2qV0g83 The Senate had explained that the other segment that would address the contentious host community issues would soon be presented for fresh legislative work. • Splits oil corporation into NPRC, NPAMC, NPC • Host community issues yet to be addressed • Oil workers, APC laud lawmakers The Senate yesterday passed the Petroleum Industry (Governance) Bill (PIGB) that deals only with the administrative aspect of the proposed law. The bill that was passed yesterday has nothing to do with the protection of the interest of the oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta. It is a segment of the original Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that was sent to the National Assembly some 12 years ago by the presidency. Oil from the Niger Delta is a major source of revenue for the government. Reforming the industry to stem hostility by host communities and ensure smooth exploration, boost investment and tackle perceived corruption is crucial to generating revenue to fund governm...

http://ift.tt/2qpNPxu Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said the decision followed a breach of one of the nation’s regulations by the foreign carrier. Moves to sanction Kenyan airline for breach The Federal Government has banned the repatriation of human remains into the country in a bid to prevent the importation of infectious ailments following the recent outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The embargo was placed yesterday on the heels of the transportation into the country by an airline, Kenya Airways, of a dead Nigerian from Kinshasha. The decision of the government is crucial in the light of the fact that in 2014, Patrick Sawyer introduced Ebola to Nigeria when he arrived from Liberia. Addressing a press briefing in Lagos, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said the decision followed a breac...

http://ift.tt/2r7tsKk Med-View Restriction of its aircraft into European Union (EU) member countries notwithstanding, Med-View Airlines Plc yesterday confirmed the running of its Lagos-London-Lagos operations where it operated schedule flights to London Gatwick Airport. The airline, using a wet-leased Boeing 747 aircraft, left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos with about 240 passengers at 1:30p.m. The airline said this development dismissed the claim that they had been banned in Europe. EU last week temporarily restricted Med-View flight operations to the region over alleged safety concerns and certification audit that has not been updated. The Guardian learnt that the restriction was due to the delay by the airline to have its Boeing767 aircraft audited for international operations in accordance with the EU airspace rules. The prohibition is, however, restricted to Med-View designated plane and not the airline’s entire operations. Chief Operating...

http://ift.tt/2qKMxPl Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, wife of Edo State Governor, with Mrs. Edeke Maria Omozele, state chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) during a courtesy call on the governor’s wife in Benin City…yesterday The wife of the governor of Edo State, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has called on women in the state to stand by the truth and exhibit sincerity of purpose while also charging the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) not to relent in helping women and children fight for their rights.   Receiving the executives of the state branch of FIDA at Government House in Benin City, Mrs. Obaseki said the government would give priority attention to improving the welfare of children in the state.   She also commended FIDA for its passion and identifying with the present administration in its determination to move the state forward.She, however, appealed to members to work with the government as commences advocacy programmes across the var...

http://ift.tt/2pfjpxy Warren Buffett Warren Buffett is acknowledging what many investors have already realized: IBM’s long-promised reinvention is slow, painful and nowhere near close to the end. In an interview with CNBC, the billionaire chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. disclosed that he sold about a third of the firm’s investment in the computer-services giant during the first half of this year. Before the sales, Berkshire held about 81 million shares. The news led IBM to tumble as much as 3.8 percent to $153.00 Friday in New York, its lowest intraday price since November. IBM has been frustrating investors for years, reporting in April its 20th straight quarterly revenue decline. The company once synonymous with mainframe innovations has been slow to adopt cloud-related technologies and has had to play catch-up to the likes of Amazon.com Inc. in offering computing and other software and services over the Internet. “I don’t value IBM the sam...