Below are the headlines found on The Punch Online Newspaper for today, Friday, 15 September, 2017.
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Punch Editorial Board A rift between two top government institutions is threatening to sink President Muhammadu Buhari's crusade against corruption. Specifically, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation are at war over the procedure for the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases. While they are wrangling, corrupt elements []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
John Alechenu, Abuja The Minister of Women Affairs, Senator Aisha Alhassan, was on Thursday grilled for about two hours by the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress. Alhassan was invited by the party leadership to defend the controversial comments she made about whom she would support for the 2019 presidential election. The minister, []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party National Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has alleged that the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, adopted his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as the governorship candidate in order sell the state to the opposition. Olusola was adopted at a meeting of the PDP stakeholders []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has faulted the allegation by the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police was behind kidnappings and armed robberies in the state. The state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Chris Finebone, who spoke with newsmen in []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
John Alechenu, Abuja The All Progressives Congress Committee on True Federalism has announced plan to hold public hearing in the six geopolitical zones of the country. The committee said the hearing would commence on September 18 in Benin, the Edo State capital in the South South zone. Secretary of the committee, Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi, announced []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Simon Utebor, Yenagoa After weeks of speculations and denials, the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, has resigned his appointment. Governor Seriake Dickson, who announced the disengagement of Dokubo-Spiff on Thursday, said it was to enable him to return to his private legal practice. Dickson made this known at the end of []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Ade Adesomoju, Abuja The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, on Thursday, dismissed four appeals relating to the leadership tussle in the Peoples Democratic Party between the Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff factions. The three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, dismissed the appeals after they were withdrawn []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Rasheed Bisiriyu The contractor handling the new Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, is expected to commence the laying of the track in December, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said. He also said the Federal Government team led by himself had decided to undertake a monthly inspection of the []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Babatunde Fajimi Once employees have been hired, the entrepreneurs need to cultivate and maintain their level of energy, commitment and creativity. This keeps them inspired and productive so that small businesses become profitable in a sustainable way. Expectations Entrepreneurs and employees have different expectations when talents are engaged. They want to make money but their []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja The leadership crisis in the National Cashew Association of Nigeria is severely limiting the growth of the nation's cashew industry despite efforts by the Federal Government to revive the sector. According to the Eastern Zone of NCAN, efforts by the government to make the crop a major revenue earner through increased export []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon Prices of cassava stems have nosedived to N400 per bundle after touching a high of N1200 as demand eases in Nigeria, reports from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture have confirmed. Last year and earlier in 2017, prices of cassava roots and its derivatives such as gari climbed to an all-time high as []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja The Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, on Thursday said over N70bn of funds belonging to the Federal Government had been lost to failed banks in the country. He said this in a presentation on the 'Challenges of the implementation of the Treasury Single Account in the Nigerian public service' during []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Oyetunji Abioye The Federal Government has started the sale of a N100bn ($326m) debut sovereign sukuk on the local market to fund road infrastructure, the Debt Management Office has said. The seven-year Islamic bond, which is structured as a lease, will yield a 16.47 per cent rental rate, payable semi-annually. Subscription for the bond, which []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Akinpelu Dada The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has opposed the planned admission of Morocco into the Economic Community of West African States. The association warned the Federal Government against supporting the plan at its 45th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos on Thursday, stating that it would have a disastrous effect on the nation's manufacturers. []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon Shoprite Nigeria is giving away 22 units of new Hyundai Grand Xcent in the 2017 edition of its annual promotion tagged 'Biggest Birthday Splash' which is running until first week of October. A statement from the retailer indicated that cars would be given to buyers of 11 participating products at any of its []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Everest Amaefule, Abuja Nigeria spends $3.3bn annually on importation of steel products, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said. Fayemi stated this in Abuja on Thursday at the meeting of the National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources. He said with the signing of a Modified Concession Agreement between the []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Oyetunji Abioye If you are like many who have spent the past few quarters of recession in the country scrimping and saving, these are great habits to keep, even if your financial situation has improved with the recent exit from recession. According to financial experts, saving habits people have developed during a recession need to []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Nike Popoola The National Insurance Commission has sought the cooperation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to ensure sanity in the insurance industry and conclude pending corruption cases by some insurance entities. The Commissioner for Insurance, Alhaji Mohammed Kari, made the request when he led a delegation of NAICOM's management to the headquarters of []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Success Nwogu, Ilorin The Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Aboloma, has urged manufacturers and importers as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises to desist from manufacturing and importing substandard products. He stated that offenders would be dealt with according to the law, warning that they would also lose their investments. He reiterated []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon Stakeholders have expressed concerns about the number of Chinese firms operating in Nigeria not documented in China, fearing that they may be conducting illegal business. Mckinsey, a global consulting firm, had said that out of the 930 Chinese companies operating in Nigeria, only 317 were documented by the Chinese ministry of commerce. In []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon A former President of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, has outlined steps that Nigeria can take to sustain its exit from recession and stay permanently on the path of growth. Mkapa gave the advice in his capacity as the guest speaker at the 45th Annual General Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria in Lagos []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Stanley Opara The Nigerian equities market advanced by N70bn at the close of trading on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Thursday notwithstanding depreciation in 22 stocks. The market recorded 15 gainers as 128.312 million shares valued at N2.728bn exchanged hands in 3,241 deals. At the end of the day's trade, the All-Share []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja The Managing Director, The Infrastructure Bank, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, on Thursday called for more coordination of policies among different agencies of government in order to make Public-Private Partnerships bankable. He said this in Abuja at the Public-Private Dialogue on Infrastructure Financing in Nigeria. The dialogue was organised by the Ministry of Budget []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Africa and Middle East, Olam International, Venkataramani Srivathsan, has lauded the efforts of the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria towards ensuring food self-sufficiency in the country. Srivathsan, who gave this commendation at the inauguration of his firm's N20bn poultry and animal feed mill in []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon The Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali, (retd.) has sounded a note of warning to those engaged in activities going in the Export Processing Zones in the country, saying that the zones have become routes for smugglers. He said this in Lagos on Wednesday during an interactive session with manufacturers at []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Fidelity Bank Plc is set to celebrate the first anniversary of one of its key initiative called the Export Management Programme. Launched in 2016, the EMP is a sector, focused capacity building programme run by Fidelity Bank in partnership with the Pan-Atlantic University and the Nigerian Export Promotions Council. The programme is meant to deliver []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Festus Abu Nigeria midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has claimed Harry Redknapp attempted to sign him during his managerial career at Premier League giants Tottenham. Seventy-year-old Redknapp, who managed the Spurs between 2008 and 2012, is English Championship side Birmingham City's current manager. Onazi, 24, played himself into the spotlight at the Nigeria 2009 FIFA Under-17 World []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Idris Adesina D'Tigers on Thursday defeated Cameroon 106-91 in to reach the semifinals of the 2017 FIBA Africa Championship in Tunisia and Senegal. In the fifth meeting between the two sides, Nigeria dominated three quarters of the game, losing one to the Lions. D'Tigers won in the first, second and fourth quarters while Cameroon took []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Feyisayo Popoola The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said that an average of 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil was deferred in 2016 due to pipeline sabotage, saying this brought Nigeria's production down to as low as 1.3 million bpd from 2.2 million barrels targeted for the []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja The National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday released merchandise trade statistics for the second quarter with the country recording an increase of N405.1bn in trade from N5.29tn in the first quarter to N5.69tn as of June. The NBS attributed the increase in the second quarter trade to a rise in export by []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anthony Joshua must defeat the likes of Deontay Wilder in the United States if he is to become the true face of heavyweight boxing, according to former two-weight world champion Bernard Hopkins, Skysports reports. Joshua returns to the ring six months after defeating Wladimir Klitschko to defend his WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles against []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Nigeria dropped six places from the 38th position to 44th position in the latest FIFA Rankings released by the world football body on Thursday. Despite getting four points from their Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier double-header against Cameroon in August and September, the three-time African champions dropped a place from the fourth position they occupied []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Anna Okon The Nigeria Customs Service has accused some community dwellers along the nation's borders of aiding smuggling. The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr. Joseph Attah, said this in an interview with our correspondent. He said, 'We have received intelligence report that smugglers make use of motor bike riders to carry bags of []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Western Lotto Nigeria Limited has given cheques of N50, 000 each to reward participants in its Mega Upgrade Promo, which has also been extended to accommodate more players. The Managing Director, Western Lotto Nigeria, Mr. Yomi Ogunfowora, said the company would pay N20.9m to 418 customers who attained eligibility for the promo. It restated a []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Nigeria Wrestling Federation president Daniel Igali has identified inadequate structures and poor funding as the major factors impeding sports development in the country, the News Agency of Nigeria reports. Igali, who applauded the performance of Nigerian wrestlers at the just-concluded World Wrestling Championships in Paris, also stressed the need for adequate preparations of athletes ahead []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Alexis Sanchez scored a stunning goal as Arsenal came from behind to beat Cologne 3-1 in a Europa League clash on Thursday that was delayed for an hour due to crowd trouble. Kick-off in the Group H opener at the Emirates Stadium was put back until 9:05pm local time (2005 GMT) in the interests of []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Results in the first round of group games in the 2017/18 Europa League on Thursday: Group A Slavia Prague (CZE) 1 (Necid 12) Maccabi Tel Aviv (ISR) 0 Villarreal (ESP) 3 (Sansone 16, Bakambu 75, Cheryshev 77) Astana (KAZ) 1 (Logvinenko 68) Group B Young Boys (SUI) 1 (Fassnacht 14) Partizan Belgrade (SRB) 1 (Jankovic []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Evertons Europa League group-stage campaign got off to a disastrous start on Thursday as Ronald Koemans side were taken apart in Italy, losing 3-0 to Atalanta. The Serie A club back in Europe after a 26-year absence were forced to entertain their English visitors in Reggio Emilia, a two-hour drive south of their []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Peter Dada, Akure Former Director-General of the National Sports Commission Gbenga Elegbeleye has quit the Ondo State Football Agency. Elegbeleye was appointed chairman of the Interim Management Committee of the ODSFA in March by the state government. Apart from managing the football agency, the committee was tasked with the responsibility of saving the state-owned Premier []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Ayo Olukotun 'Nigeria at this moment does not need such deliberate and proactive escalation of tensions and crisis' 'John Nnia Nwodo, President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, September 13, 2017. Our politics follows much of our journalism; occasionally brilliant, it is often turgid, drab, serious, lacking the relaxation of nerves that comedy or satire provokes. To bring []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Tunji Ajibade Several guests were here when President Muhammadu Buhari was in London. It's been my intention to inform the President about them. But some may accuse me of 'too-know' if I presented a complete roll-call here. I don't even need to be told. I ought to know that Vice President Yemi Osibajo had eminently []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction describes environmental degradation as 'the lessening of the limit of the earth to meet environmental and social needs and destinations.' This basically means the act and process of disrespecting the environment. In Lagos State, the activities that render the environment unhealthy and unsuitable over time include littering, []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Kenneth Amaeshi The Nigerian constitution reposes a lot of powers on the office of the President. For the most part, the incumbent rightly exercises these powers powerfully and seamlessly. At other times, the office encounters challenges, confrontations, and contestations in exercising these rights. The latter scenario usually attracts divergent views as to the propriety or []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Fola Ojo In the eyes of the apparatchiks of Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress, and tub-thumpers of President Muhammadu Buhari, there is no vacuum in the presidential leadership today. Buhari, a man who seems to have triumphed after wrestling with the beast of an undisclosed ailment, remains the President. From all indications, those of us []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
In what seemed like a green frenzy sweeping through the globe, major industrialised nations began to declare their intent to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. When the trend came alive, no one really took note in this part of the world until Britain joined the queue a few weeks ago. And, []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Samson Folarin A guardian, Mr. ThankGod Madubuchi, and his wife, Juliet, have been arrested by policemen from the Ilupeju division, for allegedly torturing a 10-year-old girl, Chinansa, with a hot iron. PUNCH Metro learnt that Chinansa was ThankGod's niece and she had been living with his family at their house on Anjorin Street, Mushin, Lagos []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Samson Folarin Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Police Command, have arrested an Alsatian dog named Bullet, for alleged robbery in the Ladipo, Oshodi area of the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, during a parade of the dog at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Thursday, said two other robbery []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Samson Folarin The committee set up by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, to investigate allegations of misconduct and sexual molestation by some policemen attached to the Anti-Kidnap and Anti-Cultism Squad of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, has ended its sittings. A report of deliberations and recommendations of the panel is []
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
Sesan Olufowobi The police in Ogun State on Thursday said they had arrested two members of an armed robbery gang who shot and injured the Divisional Police Officer of Ogbere Police Division. The command added that a leader of the gang was killed during a shootout with the police. The DPO, CSP Adeyinka Akingbade, was []
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