FUEL SCARCITY CONTINUES AS OIL MARKETERS DENY RECEIVING ANY PAYMENT FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

Despite the claim by the Federal Government that N156 billion was released on Thursday to oil marketers to facilitate the quick resolution of the current fuel crisis, the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), has said normal lifting of fuel will not resume till their members’ accounts are duly credited by the banks.

As at 4.35 p.m. on Thursday, the Executive Secretary, Depot & Petroleum Products Marketers Association(DAPPMA), Odufemi Adewole, said that none of its members and their counterparts in the Major Oil Marketers Association(MOMAN), had confirmed receiving any payment.

“The money government said it was paying to marketers has not yet hit our accounts. So, there is little we can do about the situation,” Mr, Adewole said. “The money the Minister of Finance promised to pay us last February did not get into our hands till about four or five weeks later.

JEFFREY OKAFOR FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER AFTER SIX YEARS ON THE RUN.

KILLER - JEFFREY OKAFOR

 A teenager who knifed a CBBC star to death outside a nightclub before confessing the crime to his girlfriend and fleeing to Nigeria has been found guilty of murder.

Jeffrey Okafor was just 18 when he stabbed 19-year-old Carl Beatson-Asiedu outside a nightclub in Vauxhall, south west London, as two groups of clubbers brawled. Within an hour of the attack, Okafor, now 24, rang girlfriend Merissa Anderson to say he had been involved in a 'madness', jurors at Woolwich Crown Court heard.

A few days later he confessed to stabbing Mr Beatson-Asiedu, who was known as 'Charmz' and had appeared in CBBC's 'MI High', in the stomach.

JONATHAN'S SACKING SPREE CONTINUES AS CHAIRMAN OF NPA IS KICKED OUT OF OFFICE.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday sacked Mallam Habib Abdullahi as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.He has also named Alhaji Sanusi Bayero as his replacement.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said Bayero’s appointment would take effect from Thursday (today). As usual, no reason was given for Abdullahi’s sack.

The statement partly read, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.

THE MANY BATTLES OF PATIENCE JONATHAN.

The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, was not a contestant for any political office in the just concluded general election. However, she was more prominent at the various campaigns of her political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, was involved in – during the countdown to the polls.

She was optimistic that her intervention in the campaigns would save from defeat her husband, who was the presidential candidate of the PDP – and whose public rating had plummeted.

Popularly referred to as ‘Mama Peace’ by admirers, Patience was a delight to watch as she danced to various songs by popular musicians on magnificently decorated podiums draped in the party ’s green-white-red flag colours. And she had no patience when lambasting the opposition All Progressives Congress, which was at the receiving end of her outbursts. Indeed, Patience poked direct verbal attacks and innuendos at the presidential candidate of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari.

4-MONTH OLD BABY RESCUED FROM THE RUBBLE OF NEPAL'S DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE AFTER 4 DAYS.

The earthquake in Nepal has now killed over 5,000 people since Saturday April 25th. A 4 month old baby was however rescued by he Nepal Army after 4 days of being trapped in the rubble.

ANOTHER APPROCAH TO SOUTH AFRICA'S XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS - BOLA TINUBU.

The destructive attacks in South Africa on Nigerians and other sub-Saharan Africans are tragic and mindlessly wrong. The assaults sorely bruise the objective of inter-African harmony. They also put an eraser to the idyll of progress and domestic tranquility many people saw when gazing at South Africa.

The xenophobia is actually a lethal show of misdirected anger. The attacks point to deep, underlying ruptures within the South African political economy that actually have little to do with the presence of Nigerian or other Black Africans in that nation. Nigerians have become scapegoats in a fundamentally domestic struggle.

The Black populace is roiling because their economic plight has worsened since the end of apartheid. If prosperity had come to them, they would not have come to this. The political and economic accommodation between the traditionally White-controlled economic superstructure and the post-Mandela Black political elite is under challenge.

FG DECLARES FRIDAY, MAY 1ST PUBLIC HOLIDAY.

The federal government has declared Friday, May 1, as a public holiday to mark the 2015 Workers’ Day.

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, made the declaration yesterday on behalf of the federal government in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Abubakar Magaji

Moro congratulated all Nigerians for their resilience and commitment in the face of the challenges of daily living.

He enjoined them to sustain the support for President Goodluck Jonathan,  in his efforts to build a stable, peaceful and economic vibrant nation. The minister wishes all Nigerian workers a joyous and peaceful celebration.

SENATE PRESIDENCY SEAT - TINUBU DUMPS FOR AKUME, LOBBIES FOR AHMED LAWAN.

The battle for the principal offices of the National Assembly has taken another turn with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, withdrawing his support for the former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume, as his preferred candidate for the Senate presidency.

By jettisoning Akume, it is a clear indication that the North-central geopolitical zone may have lost out in its bid for the number one position in the National Assembly to the North-east zone.

THISDAY gathered that the former governor of Lagos and his wife, Remi Tinubu on Monday night decided to pitch their tents with Senator Ahmed Lawan from Yobe State.

NNPC ACT GIVES IT POWER TO SPEND WITHOUT LIMIT OR CONTROL - PWC

President, Goodluck Jonathan’s order that the forensic audit report of the NNPC be made public is generating furor in some quarters and curiosity in others. Here is the executive summary of the findings  of the report unedited as submitted to the federal government by PWC  

Actual revenue generated $69bn

Corporation operates an unsustainable model.

Forty six per cent of proceeds of domestic crude oil revenues spent on operations and subsidies.

International crude oil prices averaging $122.5 per barrel

$3.38 billion was spent on kerosene subsidy for the review period.

Presidential directive needed to stop kerosene subsidy

Refund $1.48billion

Over claim for subsidy $98million

Unpaid signature bonus for divested assets $1.75bn

Continue to read after the cut.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BANK VERIFICATION NUMBER.

The Bank Verification Number, BVN, is an-other important step the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is using to strengthen the security of banking transactions and to ensure that fraudulent transactions are minimised, if not totally eliminated. The campaign is on, but the public may not realise its importance until it closes in June 2015.

Yet as the public embraces the initiative with enthusiasm, it should be aware that some fraudsters are trying to undermine the exercise by providing seemingly easier registration options for bank account holders. They request these details online and threaten that the account would be closed if the owner does not provide them the details. Their target is the account holder’s money. The best way of enrolling remains direct communication with one’s bank.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN & OTHERS TO GET N3.24BN SEVERANCE PAY

The Nigerian general elections have come and gone. Many politicians will not be performing their former duties due to one reason or the other.

According to Punch, President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-president Namadi Sambo, non-returning federal lawmakers, ministers and   presidential aides will collect N3.24bn as severance allowances,

The severance allowances   are contained in the Remuneration Package   put together by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

INDONESIA EXECUTES EIGHT CONVICTED DRUG SMUGGLERS INCLUDING FOUR NIGERIANS.

Indonesia has executed eight convicted drug smugglers -- including two of the so-called "Bali Nine" -- the Reuters news agency has reported, citing local media.

The prisoners faced a 12-man firing squad on Nusa Kambangan island in Central Java.

The government had announced that nine prisoners would be executed, but according to local reports, Filipina Mary Jane Veloso was spared, at least for now.

Lawyers fighting to delay the death of Veloso, a domestic helper and mother of two, have said they've given up their bid after her second legal review was rejected on Monday. This came despite a last-minute personal appeal from Philippines President Benigno Aquino to Indonesian counterpart President Joko Widodo.

CHIBOK GIRLS MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND AS NIGERIAN ARMY CONFIRMS 200 GIRLS & 93 WERE RESCUED FROM SAMBISA FOREST.

The Nigerian army says it has rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa forest.

It has not been confirmed if the Chibok girls, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram almost exactly a year ago, are among them.

"Troops this afternoon rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa Forest. We cannot confirm if the Chibok girls are in this group," it said in a statement, adding that Nigerian troops had also destroyed three camps run by the militants.

ABACHA'S $370M LOOT TRACED TO LUXEMBOURG.

Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Hans Rodulf Hodel, Monday, revealed that a new loot of $370 million traced to the former Military Head of State, late Sani Abacha has been discovered in Luxembourg, saying that his country would be eager to help Nigeria reclaim the money if the authorities make a formal request for it.

Hodel also said that Swiss government has strengthened the country’s monetary policies to discourage deposits of ill-gotten money from foreign countries in its banks.

The ambassador spoke to Journalists yesterday when he paid a congratulatory visit to Nigeria’s president-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari in Abuja.

TEENAGER ABDUCTS AND RAPES TWO YR OLD GIRL IN LAGOS

A two-year-old toddler, Precious (pseudonym) has been raped by one Azeez Ganiyu, after she was abducted from her residence on Giwa Street, Ijora Badia, Lagos State.

The incident happened on April 16 at about 10am after the victim’s mother left her in a room with a neighbour to buy food at a nearby shop.

Our correspondent gathered that 16-year-old Ganiyu abducted the girl when she walked outside to play with other children.

PASTOR SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR STEALING 56 TRANSFORMERS WORTH N220M

An AkwaIbom State High Court has sentenced Pastor Godwin Moffat, a former NDDC Commissioner representing Akwa Ibom State, to three years imprisonment for stealing 56 transformers worth N220, 176, 320 which was  meant for oil producing communities in the state.

In a 56 count charge filed in court by the EFCC, Pastor Moffat was said to have applied for 90 electricity transformers and 4 generators from NDDC for Akwa Ibom State sometime in February, 2006. Approval was given for 70 transformers but he diverted same to his house in Eket on the pretext that there was no space to accommodate the newly issued 70 units of transformers at the NDDC office in Uyo. He thereafter sent only 14 Units to NDDC office in Uyo while he withheld 56 units which he could not account for till date.

THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL SACKING OF POLICE IG - ANOTHER IMPUNITY IN JONATHAN;S ADMINISTRATION.

Displaying utter contempt for the 1999 Constitution he swore to uphold, President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked Suleiman Abba as the Inspector-General of Police. He replaced him immediately with Solomon Arase, a Deputy Inspector-General, in an acting capacity. Both the dismissal and the acting appointment are gross violations of the 1999 Federal Constitution, Nigeria’s supreme law.

Without citing any cogent reason, the President unceremoniously fired Abba, who assumed office nine months ago. Sadly, however, these actions are in keeping with the trend of impunity in the Jonathan administration, which has consistently conducted itself in an imperial manner, to the detriment of the rule of law, the common good and growth of our democratic norms. They have all the trappings of using power for selfish end.

NNPC SPENT N3.65TN WITHOUT APPROVAL. - FORENSIC AUDIT REPORT.

The report of the forensic audit of the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) released yesterday showed that the Corporation spent no less than N$18.53billion (or N3.65 trillion) as operational costs without a duly approved budgetary allocation.

The forensic audit report conducted by , showed that the total gross revenues generated from the federal government crude oil liftings between January 1, 2012 and July 31, 2013 was $69.34 billion and not $67 billion as earlier stated by the federal government’s Reconciliation Committee.

Out of this, total cash remitted into the Federation Accounts in relation to crude oil liftings was $50.81 billion and not $47billion as earlier stated by the Reconciliation Committee for the period from January 2012 to July 2013.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN APPOINTS PETER OBI AS CHAIRMAN OF SECURITIES & EXCHANGE COMMISSION.

President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, as the new Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

He also confirmed the appointment of the Acting Director General, Mounir Gwazo, as the Director General of the Commission.

This is the latest appointment by the out-going president who just last week sacked Sulieman Abba as Inspector General of police and announced Solomon Arase as his replacement.

Also in mid-march Jonathan appointed Samuel Ogungbesan as Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) after relieving Alhaji Kabiru Mashi of his duties.

TOP TEN CORRUPTION SCANDALS UNRESOLVED BY NIGERIA'S OUTGOING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

The seventh National Assembly led by Senator David Mark will most likely end its tenure in early June without resolving majority of the huge misgovernance and corruption issues that characterised the outgoing administration.

Under the present dispensation, the oversight power of the legislature was not judiciously exercised to guarantee Nigerians the dividends for electing their representatives. There were clear cover-ups and lack of political will to bring a lot of the cases to closure.

Even when it issues reports on certain important national issues, such as the fuel subsidy scam, the National Assembly lacked the firepower to compel the execuitve execute its recommendations. 

As nothing almost always get done after individuals, agencies and corporations are indicted by either the House of Representatives or the Senate, the billions spent yearly on either public hearings and oversight functions have turned out to be mere drains on national resources.