Restructuring’ll boost cohesion, good governance – Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has expressed confidence that restructuring will contribute meaningfully to national cohesion and good governance. Atiku said this in an address at the third Policy Monitoring Dialogue Series on National Unity, Integration, and Devolution of Power/Restructuring, organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, in Abuja, on Friday. He explained that the country’s founding fathers recognised this fact; hence, their choice of a federal system of government, which empowered federating units as against the unitary system foisted on the nation by successive military regimes. According…

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Nigeria’s former oil minister named in US bribery complaint

US prosecutors on Friday moved to seize $144m in assets including a 200-foot yacht and a Manhattan condominium one block from Central Park, calling them the fruits of an international bribery scheme that involved the then-president of Opec. From 2011 to 2015, two Nigerian oil men, Kolawole Aluko and Olajide Omokore, alledgedly conspired with others to bribe the country’s minister for petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in order to win oil production contracts worth $1.5bn, according to a civil forfeiture complaint. At the time, along with controlling the country’s state-owned oil…

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Saint Obi tasks movie producers on varieties

Veteran actor Obinna Nwafor popularly known as Saint Obi, has advised producers to come up with different genres of movies to enable viewers to have choices and make Nollywood more lucrative. “The problem with us is that if it is voodoo, everybody rushes into it; if it is comedy, everybody rushes into comedy,’’ Nwafor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The actor, who has starred in more than 60 movies, spoke to NAN in Lagos on Friday. According to him, there are many genres of films that will prevent…

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Why I dumped England for Nigeria – Iwobi

Alex Iwobi has revealed how England failed in a last-ditch bid to switch countries back from Nigeria. The Arsenal midfielder, 21, played in Three Lions youth teams before deciding to play international football for the country where he was born. He said, “As I was about to play my first match for Nigeria, Roy Hodgson was in contact with Arsenal saying ‘we’d like him to get involved with Under-21s’ but my mind was made up. It’s my decision. “Originally, I’m from Nigeria. I always felt comfortable there. It was a…

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Osotimehin served God, humanity-Adewole

Prof. Isaac Adewole, Minister for Health has described the late Babatunde Osotimehin, 68, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as a man who served God and humanity during his journey on earth. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that Osotimehin was one time Minister of Health between 2008 and 2010. Adewole said this on Thursday while speaking with the mediamen at the end of Service of Song organised in honour of Osotimehin in Abuja by National Action Committee against AIDS (NACA). “Osotimehin served both God and humanity throughout…

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Nigeria imported N6.7trn goods that can be produced locally in 2015 – Minister

Nigeria expended more than N6.7 trillion in 2015 on the importation of goods that the country can produce locally, the Minister of State for In­dustry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, has said. The minister made the statement on Friday in Kano during the opening of the North-West zonal sensitisation workshop on the campaign for patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products.‎ Abubakar said: “In 2015 alone, over N6.7 trillion was spent on the importation of goods and services which the nation can produce locally. “N1.9 trillion was spent on imported foods and…

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Why N-Power beneficiaries’ payment suffers delays – Osinbajo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday, explained the reason why payment of N-Power beneficiaries normally suffers delay, just as he disclosed that 2.3 million Nigerians have recently applied for 300,000 available job slots in the Federal Government’s initiative. Speaking in an interview with reporters after a visit to N-Power Call Centre located at Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) premises in Abuja, he said delays occur when, for example, the beneficiaries’ Bank Verification Number (BVN) does not match the records available to N-Power. He noted that such cases were common…

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‘Watch Your Back!’ – Nigerian man threatens to injure Davido in London

A UK based Nigerian man has taken to his social media page on Instagram to send a stern warning to Nigerian singer, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido.. The man, who goes by the handle @MrChrisOnline, took to his page to reveal how he and his friends stormed a London venue to harm Davido. According to the Instagrammer, his friends, numbering over 30, had trouped the venue where the Nigerian singer was having an event, and allegedly, Davido had to be smuggled out of the place to avoid getting hurt. He…

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Tin-Can Customs generate N130bn in 6 months

The Nigeria Customs Service, Tin-Can Island Command, Lagos, has generated N130 billion between January and June, 2017. The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Uche Ejesieme, said this in a revenue chart made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos. According to Ejesieme, the command recorded N19.83 billion in January; N21 billion in February; N20.95 billion in March and N20.31 billion in April. He said that in May and June, the command collected N23.87 billion and N23.97 billion. Ejesieme said that the feat was achieved based on the command’s…

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Ibrahimovic could stay at Man United – Mourinho

Manager Jose Mourinho has said it is “possible” Zlatan Ibrahimovic could sign a new deal at Manchester United. Striker Ibrahimovic, 35, is currently recovering from knee surgery at Manchester United’s training ground. Mourinho said: “If the decision is to stay and wait until December – he can’t be back until them – why not wait? We are speaking and changing ideas.” The Manchester United boss also said he wants to sign “one or two” more players this summer. The Old Trafford club have already spent £106m on Victor Lindhof and…

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