Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Video - Jobless in Nigeria to benefit from government stipend
Nigeria's presidency has announced that will provide a stipend to 1 M of the most vulnerable Nigerians. In a statement, the authorities said the 5000 Naira stipend, which is worth worth about $ 25 at the official rate, and $ 15 at black market rates, will be implemented by World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
Kidnapped former Minister rescued
A former minister and senator, Iyabo Anisulowo, who has kidnapped Wednesday in Ogun State has regained her freedom.
Police said on Tuesday evening that Mrs. Anisulowo was rescued at Gbegbelawo village, a suburb of Olorunda town, located in Yewa North local government of the state.
The Ogun State Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, told PREMIUM TIMES that the 65-year-old was rescued at about 7.00pm.
He said two suspected kidnappers were arrested during the rescue operation.
Mrs. Anisulowo was abducted six days ago while returning from her farm in Sawonjo in Yewa South local government area of the state.
Her kidnappers demanded N200million as ransom, while the Nigeria Police offered a N5 million reward for information leading to the former minister's rescue.
Details of how the former minister regained her freedom are yet unclear.
Police said on Tuesday evening that Mrs. Anisulowo was rescued at Gbegbelawo village, a suburb of Olorunda town, located in Yewa North local government of the state.
The Ogun State Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, told PREMIUM TIMES that the 65-year-old was rescued at about 7.00pm.
He said two suspected kidnappers were arrested during the rescue operation.
Mrs. Anisulowo was abducted six days ago while returning from her farm in Sawonjo in Yewa South local government area of the state.
Her kidnappers demanded N200million as ransom, while the Nigeria Police offered a N5 million reward for information leading to the former minister's rescue.
Details of how the former minister regained her freedom are yet unclear.
Related stories: Nigerian police deploy 2 helicopters to search for kidnapped former Education Minister
Nigeria begins oil production in Lagos
A Nigerian firm has said it has started oil production from an offshore field in the commercial city of Lagos, the first output outside the country’s oil hub in the Niger delta.
“Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Co. Ltd (YFP) is pleased to announce that it has commenced production of crude oil from its Aje field located in block OML 113 offshore Lagos,” it said late Tuesday.
YFP did not disclose the volume of current output from the field but said the company has capacity to produce 40,000 barrels per day.
“Oil produced from the Aje field will be stored on the Front Puffin which has production capacity of 40,000 barrels of oil per day and storage capacity of 750,000 barrels,” it added in a statement.
Production began after more than 25 years of exploratory, appraisal and developmental activities in the field, making Lagos — Nigeria’s commercial capital — an oil-producing state.
Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is concentrated in the southern delta states but the region has been dogged by unrest and disruption from militants demanding a fairer share of revenue. Pipeline attacks and illegal refining or “bunkering” as it is called locally have hit output, which is currently estimated at about 1.8 million barrels a day, according to OPEC.
Nigeria is reliant on oil revenue for its economy but crude earnings have been depleted drastically since the slump in global prices that started in mid-2014.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Video - Workers in Nigeria demand increase in minimum wage
As the International Labour Day was being marked around the world, in Nigeria, workers rallied around a demand to raise the country's minimum wage by nearly 300%. In Abuja, the seat of the country's central government, thousands of workers and government officials added their voices to the call for a drastic shift in Nigeria's minimum wage policy.
Nigeria loses $15bn in arms procurement fraud
Nigeria's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has accused the previous administration of stealing some $15 billion (13 billion euros) of public money through fraudulent arms deals.
Osinbajo said the huge sum was “lost... to fraudulent and corrupt practices in... security equipment spending during the last administration”, according to a statement released by his office on Tuesday.
The figure is more than half of Nigeria's current foreign exchange reserves of $27 billion, he said on Monday in a speech in the southwestern city of Ibadan.
President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May last year vowing to crack down on endemic corruption and impunity in government and has set about bringing offenders to book.
The most high-profile figure arrested and charged so far is Sambo Dasuki, who was national security advisor under Buhari's predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Dasuki is accused of diverting money earmarked for military procurement to fund Jonathan's presidential election campaign, in bogus arms deals totalling billions of dollars.
Former chief of defence staff Alex Badeh is also on trial, accused of fraudulently diverting $19.8 million from salaries meant for service personnel for his own use.
Buhari has previously complained that Jonathan's administration left government coffers “virtually empty”, worsening economic difficulties caused by a slump in global oil prices.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed said in January that just 55 people stole some $6.7 billion in public funds between 2006 and 2013.
Buhari, a former army general and military ruler, has vowed to recover “mind-boggling” sums of cash stolen by the corrupt elite over decades.
Osinbajo said there would be consequences for the corrupt and that “no public officer can steal the resources of this country and expect to escape”.
Instead of shamelessly stealing public funds with impunity, Nigeria's elite needed to set an example.
“Society fails when the elite abdicates its role,” the vice-president added.
Osinbajo said the huge sum was “lost... to fraudulent and corrupt practices in... security equipment spending during the last administration”, according to a statement released by his office on Tuesday.
The figure is more than half of Nigeria's current foreign exchange reserves of $27 billion, he said on Monday in a speech in the southwestern city of Ibadan.
President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May last year vowing to crack down on endemic corruption and impunity in government and has set about bringing offenders to book.
The most high-profile figure arrested and charged so far is Sambo Dasuki, who was national security advisor under Buhari's predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Dasuki is accused of diverting money earmarked for military procurement to fund Jonathan's presidential election campaign, in bogus arms deals totalling billions of dollars.
Former chief of defence staff Alex Badeh is also on trial, accused of fraudulently diverting $19.8 million from salaries meant for service personnel for his own use.
Buhari has previously complained that Jonathan's administration left government coffers “virtually empty”, worsening economic difficulties caused by a slump in global oil prices.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed said in January that just 55 people stole some $6.7 billion in public funds between 2006 and 2013.
Buhari, a former army general and military ruler, has vowed to recover “mind-boggling” sums of cash stolen by the corrupt elite over decades.
Osinbajo said there would be consequences for the corrupt and that “no public officer can steal the resources of this country and expect to escape”.
Instead of shamelessly stealing public funds with impunity, Nigeria's elite needed to set an example.
“Society fails when the elite abdicates its role,” the vice-president added.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)