Boko Haram claims responsibility for UN bombing

Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the UN bombing in Abuja.

A caller told the BBC on phone that it carried out the attack.

Also, another Boko Haram 'spokesman' claiming responsibility for the deadly attack said, they were guided by the wisdom of Allah.

"Through the wisdom of Allah, we have launched the attack with absolute precision," the man who identified himself as Abu Darda said in a telephone call to an AFP journalist.

"The attack was carefully scripted and executed. We have said it several times that the UN is one of our prime targets."

The veracity of his claim could not be verified."We will provide details of the martyr who carried out the suicide attack," the man said.

"More attacks are on the way, and by the will of Allah we will have unfettered access to wherever we want to attack. We have more than 100 men who are willing to lay down their lives for the cause of Allah."

The blast at about 11 a.m. left a gaping hole in the compound, which houses about 400 people working for 26 U.N. humanitarian and development agencies. It's not clear how many were present, but dozens were injured

.This marks the first attack on the U.N. by militants in Nigeria. Past attacks by Boko Haram, a group that models itself on the Afghan Taliban, have been launched on national government targets, mainly in the north. The largest previous bombing, of the police headquarters in Abuja in June, killed six.

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A suicide bomb blast has rocked the UN compound in the Nigerian capital Abuja killing at least 18 people.

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Bomb explosion at UN office in Abuja leaves several dead

There was a huge blast which was followed by thick black smoke at the United Nations office in Abuja at about 10.20am.

Residents around the National Hospital were still confused about what it was but minutes later, it was clear that the UN office close to the National Hospital had been attacked.

The Boko Haram group are key suspects although this is yet to be confirmed.

Immediately, the National hospital doctors were put on emergency and rescue vehicles from both the hospiatl and UN poured into the National hospital with dead as well as injured persons.

People screamed at the top of their voices on beholding the bloodied victims.

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Okonjo-Iweala Unveils Governments Economic Priorities

The Federal Government plans to cut recurrent expenditure, especially overheads, and keep the budget deficit at 3 per cent, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said.

She also said the government was planning to boost economic productivity and infrastructure investment in power, road and rail to create jobs, adding: "We need to maintain macroeconomic stability. We need to manage our fiscal situation in a more prudent manner. Monetary and fiscal policies must work hand-in-hand."

Recurrent spending currently accounts for 74 per cent of the budget, but Okonjo-Iweala, who doubles as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, said the government would trim spending to "a more reasonable figure" of 70 per cent in the next four years.

She was speaking at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday.

Okonjo-Iweala said she supported Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN's) policy of pegging the naira to the dollar to provide stability for businesses, promising to work with Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to have an exchange rate that reflects the economy.

To control inflation, the CBN targets naira stabilisation by keeping the rate within 3 per cent above or below N150 per dollar. She also said local contractors are owed $34 billion by the Federal Government.

The country's external debts, she said, currently stand at about $5.7billion, bringing the total indebtedness to $39.7 billion.

She also said that turning the Nigerian economy around was attainable but could not be done overnight considering the distortions suffered by the economy in the past several years. Although she noted that the nation was in a comfort zone vis-a-vis the ratio of its total debt stock put at 20 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), she however expressed concern on the rising domestic debt profile, which is about 17.5 per cent of the GDP.

"We need to try and reduce domestic borrowing. We can't stop overnight because of the shocks, but we have to be cautious on domestic debt," the minister said, noting that contrary to expectations from certain quarters, there would be no new economic blueprint.

According to her, the Vision 20:2020 blueprint and the Transforming Nigeria Document would remain the bedrock of the economic agenda, noting that the major thrust of the administration's economic agenda is jobs and pro-jobs growth.

She stated that all the credible opinion surveys showed that jobs and infrastructure, especially power, are the two top priorities Nigerians want government to focus on.

Okonjo-Iweala listed security, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, housing and construction, the entertainment industry, education and health as the key sectoral areas that needed to be given priority attention.

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Nigeria is the highest exporter of crude oil in Africa

The Presidency yesterday began a count down to President Goodluck Jonathan's 100 days in office, with a declaration that one of the president's achievements was Nigeria's recovery of her place as the highest exporter of crude oil in Africa.

The government announced that Nigeria had again overtaken the Republic of Angola in oil production, following the return of peace to the troubled Niger Delta.

Nigeria currently produces about 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) up from about 1.8 million bpd at the behest of the crisis in the Niger Delta.

Dr Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said the sharp rise in oil production had again put the country as the second largest oil exporter in the world, next to Saudi Arabia.

He said: "Boosted by the overwhelming success of the amnesty programme of the current administration, Nigeria's oil production expanded by 20 per cent and she reclaimed her foremost position as Africa's largest oil exporter, which she had hitherto lost to Angola.

"Nigeria sets a new record by being recognized by OPEC in July as the second largest oil exporter in the cartel, second only to Saudi Arabia. It is the first time Nigeria has recorded such a feat, he added.

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