Gunmen Kill Vigilante In Anambra

ONITSHA—Tension mounted, yesterday, at Okpoko Layout, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, near Onitsha, when an operative of Okpoko vigilance group, simply identified as Stubborn, was gunned down by a gang of armed men, suspected to be robbers, who operated in motorbikes at Mugambo Market.

Anambra 2013: INEC Unveils 23 Guber Candidates

ABUJA—FIFTY-TWO days to the November 16 governorship elections in Anambra State, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, unveiled the names of 23 candidates that will do battle for the Anambra top job. In the list, there are only four female deputy governorship candidates. The rest are men.

I ‘ll Not Devalue The Naira – SANUSI

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has vowed to defend the Naira. He said he was prepared to use the nation’s foreign reserve to ensure the currency’s stability.

Briefing the newsmen at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja, yesterday, he said that the argument of those pushing for the devaluation of the Naira did not make any valid economic sense in an import-dependent country like Nigeria.

Sacked 670 Mainstreet Bank Workers: Reps Threaten To Order MD’s Arrest

ABUJA — THe House of Representatives, yesterday, threatened  to issue a bench warrant on the Managing Director of Mainstreet Bank Plc, Mrs Faith Turduo Martins, for allegedly sacking 670 staff of the bank without due process.

Chairman of the House committee on Banking and Currency, Jones Chukwudi Onyereri, said  a bench warrant awaited Turduo Martins if she failed to appear before the committee on October 2 to explain why 670 staff of  the bank were sacked under anonymous circumstances.

Reps At War Over Okonjo - Iweala

ABUJA — CHAIRMEN of the joint committees of House of Representatives on Petroleum Upstream and Gas Resources, yesterday, warned House Committee Chairman on Finance, Rep Abdulmumin Jibrin to stop defending the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Renewed Hostilities In PDP: You Can’t Intimidate Us, G-7 Govs Tell Jonathan

The October 7 peace meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears threatened following the eruption of renewed hostilities.

Nigeria Deserves UN Security Council’s Seat – President

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that Nigeria deserved to have a non-permanent seat on the United Nations  Security Council.

President Jonathan made this comment while addressing the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.  Election for who occupies  the seat will take place in October, this year

CBN Decries Politicians’ Use Of Dollars

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday linked the heavy demand for the United States dollars (USD) in the domestic economy to the activities of politicians who are rapidly dollarizing the economy.

The apex bank is also fast-tracking plans to adopt new regulations to fight money laundering in the bureaux des change (BDC) segment of the financial services sector of the economy.

No Plan To Change Senate Leadership – Abaribe

Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, has said that there is no truth in the speculations that the Presidency has initiated moves to change the leadership of the upper legislative assembly because it granted audience to the leaders of the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Our Struggle Will Improve Education Sector –ASUU President

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said on Tuesday that the current strike by lecturers of public universities in the country was a sacrifice for better things to come.

Fagge told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that there would be no development unless the deficits in the education sector, especially the university system, were addressed once and for all.

Niger PDP Lauds OBJ, Others Over Peace Moves

THE Niger State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday lauded the peace moves made by elders of the party, particularly ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and former dictator Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, describing them as “true elders of the country who want peace.”

2015: Don’t Overheat The Polity, INEC Warns Politicians

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday in Abuja cautioned politicians against acts that were capable of overheating the polity ahead of the 2015 elections.

Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, gave the warning during the third quarterly consultative meeting held between the commission and political parties.

Calls For National Sovereign Conference Unconstitutional – NLC

The Vice-President, Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr. Issa Aremu, has said that the NLC is opposed to the agitation for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference because the call is diversionary and unconstitutional.

Speaking to journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, he said SNG was no longer a global trend. He argued that since Nigeria had elected representatives, it would be unlawful to convoke the SNC.

N6.4bn Fraud: EFCC Appeals Discharge Of UBEC Officials

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has asked the Court of Appeal, Abuja, to set aside the September 19 ruling of the Abuja Federal High Court in which it discharged former Deputy Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Prof. Bridget Sokan, and six others standing trial in a N6.4bn fraud charge.

Why Some States Can’t Pay Salaries — Uduaghan

Delta State Governor  Emmanuel  Uduaghan in this interview with journalists, speaks on the need to diversify Nigeria’s economy from its current dependence on oil. JOHN ALECHENU was there. Excerpts:

Why is it that states find it difficult to pay salaries each time the Federation Account Allocation Committee fails to meet to share money?

Senate Investigates Abuja Killings

The Senate on Tuesday asked its committees on National Security, Intelligence and Judiciary to immediately start investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of eight people in the Apo area of Abuja following an encouter they had with security operatives last week Friday.

Jonathan Ineligible To Run In 2015 – New PDP

The leadership of the New Peoples Democratic Party has  said that  President Goodluck Jonathan is not qualified to seek reelection in 2015.

The reasons why he cannot contest, according to the group, are: The 1999 Constitution, an agreement the President  entered into and his open statement in Turkey in 2011.

Military Deploys More Fighter Jets In Borno, Others

Strong indications have emerged that Islamic militants from some North African countries are coordinating attacks against the Nigerian military in the North Eastern part of the country.

A military source told one of our correspondents in Abuja that security operatives came to this  conclusion when they   discovered  that many Arabs of Shuwa descent  and fair-skinned  people from Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Algeria and Niger, were among those whose bodies were found  after some of the recent encounters with the militants.

Floods Wreak Havoc In Ibadan, Kill Two

The rain that fell for almost two days in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has claimed  lives of two people and destroyed property.

The rain began on Sunday and continued till Monday night, sending panic through the flood-prone city. The Oluyole Local Government Area of the state was mostly affected by the downpour.

Confusion As Kaduna Assembly Impeaches Speaker

The crisis in the Kaduna State House of Assembly deepened on Tuesday with the impeachment of the Speaker, Mua’azu Gangara.

A new speaker, Shehu Usman Tahir, was elected.

But Gangara led 15 other members of the House, including the principal officers, to announce that he remained the Speaker. He insisted that those who impeached him did not meet the constitutional provision for their action.