Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Civil Society Network for Good Governance (CSNGG), an umbrella body of civil society organisations in the country, has kicked against moves by leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose presiding officers on the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has been plagued by controversies since the democratic dispensation began. The 8th Assembly has faced threats from the leadership of the legislature, sending speakers and Senate presidents to political obscurity. Last week, Speaker Hon. Yakubu Dogara removed Abdulmumin Jibrin as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, sparking a war of words between Dogara and the former chairman. The decision was reportedly due to protests over alleged lopsidedness in the spread of constituency projects in the 2016 budget. The chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon Abdulrazak Namdas, accused Jubrin of misconduct, incompetence, immaturity, disregard for colleagues, and abuse of the budgetary process. However, Jibrin denies any wrongdoing and claims that he did his best as Chairman Appropriations. The controversy has turned into the biggest scandal in the National Assembly of the Fourth Republic.

An epidemic is looming in koko community, Ethiope west local government Area of Delta state, as bodies float in water at the scene of the sunday, october 1, fuel tanker explosion along the benin sapele road. Daily sun reports that two bodies have been pulled out of swamp while another has been identified. one of the sympathisers, who preferred anonymity, said  some bodies were recovered from the swamp the previous day while others yet to come up.The failed failed portions of this road has become a death trap for users of the road with little or no remedial efforts from any quarter.

An epidemic is looming in koko community, Ethiope west local government Area of Delta state, as bodies float in water at the scene of the sunday, october 1, fuel tanker explosion along the benin sapele road. Daily sun reports that two bodies have been pulled out of swamp while another has been identified. one of the sympathisers, who preferred anonymity, said  some bodies were recovered from the swamp the previous day while others yet to come up.The failed failed portions of this road has become a death trap for users of the road with little or no remedial efforts from any quarter.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abdullahi Gumel, yesterday, confirmed the receipt of confirmed list of 45 ministerial nominees by the Presidency. 

He made this known while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

On Monday, Senate had confirmed appointment of 45 ministerial nominees and put on hold the confirmation of three others.

Those not confirmed were former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai,  Abubakar Danladi and Delta State nominee, Stella Oketete. Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, explained that the trio were not confirmed because they were still awaiting security clearance. 

He appreciated the senators who he said sacrificed their recess and stayed back as patriotic Nigerians to conclude the screening and confirmation of the nominees.

“The interesting thing about what happened in the Senate is that there wasn’t opposition. The passion and commitment they showed to the work is commendable. I’m very grateful to the 10th Senate for making our jobs, those of us who represent the executive, very easy and very interesting. So confirming the portfolios of the ministerial nominees, that one is Presidential grace.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to conduct the Edo governorship election primaries, with 576 delegates from 192 wards in the state converged on Hardball Court, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, in Benin City, Nigeria. The primaries are crucial for the party's quest to regain the governorship seat in the state, which it lost in 2008. Three aspirants—former governorship candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Solomon Edebiri, former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and former majority leader of the state House of Assembly, Mathew Iduoriyekemwn—will participate in the primaries. The party has provided a level playing field for all aspirants, and the party has been transparent in all its dealings with all the aspirants. The battle for the governorship seat is half won if the PDP gets it right, but some argue that rancor-free primaries would have done the party a great disservice.

House of Representatives has urged the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) to desist from any further action on the controversy surrounding alleged manipulation of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result by Mmesoma Ejikeme, pending the outcome of investigation by its ad-hoc committee. The House, which resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to probe the controversy surrounding the alleged UTME result manipulation, told JAMB to rescind the three years ban slammed on Ejikeme, pending the outcome of investigation.

Responding to claim that the feedback from JAMB showed her score as 249, she agreed. “Yes,” she said. “After all was said and done, I now saw that I got 249. I sent them a text message to know what really happened — the JAMB Support System. If they go to their system, they will see it there.” She described the three years ban slammed on her by JAMB as unfair, stating that whatever error that might has been noticed was not her fault.

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has decried the migration of young persons to other climes, stating that the country must take urgent steps to stem the trend or be ready for the painful consequences.

He said many young persons have lost hope in the country and were leaving in droves to other climes in search of better lives. The speaker, while stating that government, in the past four years, has made considerable investments to improve public infrastructure, said the country is still facing significant challenges.

Our greatest successes as a nation will come when we work together across party lines, without considering differences of tribe and tongue, religion and creed towards the shared goals of our nationhood – peace and prosperity,  equity and justice for all,” he said.