Reps clash over CBN Gov’s suspension

The House of Representatives on Thursday had a rowdy session over the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido  Sanusi, by President Goodluck Jonathan, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Debate on the suspension of the CBN governor started when the Minority Whip of the House, Samson Osagie (APC-Edo), raised a point of order on the suspension of Sanusi.

According to Osagie, the CBN Act of 2007 as amended does not empower the President or anybody else to suspend the CBN governor.

He said section 11 (7) of the Act only empowered the President to remove the governor, subject to the approval of two-third majority of the Senate.

The legislator stressed that the allegation of financial recklessness reported by the Accounting Standards Board upon which  Sanusi was suspended did not indicate if he was given fair hearing.

FG targets 460,000 jobs through employment project

The Federal Government has said it is targeting 460,000 jobs at the minimum in the next four years through the Growth and Employment Project.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of an eight-member steering committee for the GEM project.

Aganga said the project was aimed at enhancing job creation and increasing non-oil growth in specific high-potential value chain sectors, and would help to create 110,000 direct and 350,000 indirect jobs

The committee is chaired by Aganga, with members drawn from the ministries of Finance, Information, Communications Technology, Culture and Tourism, and Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as the National Orientation Agency.

Aganga said the committee was critical to enhancing inclusive economic growth through job creation and wealth generation.

Court remands man who padlocked son’s mouth

An Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court, Lagos State, has ordered that 30-year-old Chris Elvis be remanded in prison for allegedly killing his four-year-old son, Godrich Elvis, while padlocking his mouth.

The magistrate, Ms S.O Solebo, said Chris should be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.

It was learnt that Chris had killed his son on the allegation that he was evil and responsible for his ill-fortune.

The security guard, who works with Merchant Navy, a security outfit, was said to have locked Godrich in a room, padlocked his mouth and beat him to death, including using a hot pressing iron on him at their home on Adetola Adelaja Street, Meiran, Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro had reported on February 14 that upon the arrest of Chris, he suddenly began feigning insanity.

Worshippers battle over signatories to church’s bank account

Anglican Church leaders in the Diocese of Niger Delta North and foundation members of the Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Nkpogwu Deanery, Rivers State, have locked horns over who should be signatories to the church’s bank account.

The leaders of the church had frowned on a situation where only foundation members were signatories to St. Matterw’s bank account. Their argument was that the vicar of the church must be a signatory.

The issue escalated after a new vicar, Ven. Chiemela Samuel, assumed duty at the church and was not allowed to  be a signatory to the church’s bank account.

The leaders subsequently took on the foundation members, which led to a crisis in the church.

The crisis, however, took a fresh turn when the foundation members openly challenged the leaders at a peace meeting and embarked on a spontaneous protest outside the church premises.

Sanusi to Jonathan: You can’t suspend the truth

 I have no  regrets;  I   have no ill-feelings  and with no sadness.  I’m happy; I’m proud of what I have done.”

These were the words of  Lamido Sanusi  as he reacted to his suspension  as the Central Bank of Nigeria governor by President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday.

Although it was learnt that  he might  challenge his suspension in court, Sanusi  reminded the Jonathan administration: “You can suspend an individual but you can’t suspend the truth.”

Sanusi, who added that   his suspension did not bother him, said his  “biggest concern is for the system .”

He was  attending a meeting of the West African Central Bank Governors in  Niamey, Niger Republic when the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, announced his suspension.

Abati,  in a statement in Abuja,  said Jonathan  took the decision because  Sanusi’s tenure  had been  characterised by acts of financial recklessness and misconduct.

NFF shopping for tech assistant since 2013

Amidst the controversy generated recently by the alleged attempt to impose a technical assistant on Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, by the Nigeria Football Federation, The PUNCH has gathered exclusively that the football body actually first came up with the idea at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

Some members of the federation had said the idea of a technical assistant was suggested to Keshi on the eve of the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa, insisting that they never imposed it on him.

But it was learnt that the NFF brought up the idea of an assistant to Keshi after the Eagles drew 1-1 in their first group game against eventual finalists, Burkina Faso, in Nelspruit.

A member of the Eagles’ technical crew, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that NFF officials were not confident in the ability of Keshi after the national side conceded a 94th minute equaliser to the Burkinabe.

He alleged that Director, Technical, NFF, Emmanuel Ikpeme, raised the idea.

Senate confirms Obanikoro, Gusau, eight others as ministers

Obanikoro

The Senate on Tuesday approved the nomination of 11 out of the 12 ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Goodluck Jonathan two weeks ago.

Those whose nominations   were confirmed by the Senate as ministers are a former Nigeria’s ambassador to Ghana, Musilu Obanikoro, (Lagos State); an ex-National Security Adviser to both former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen. Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara State); a former governor of Adamawa State,  Boni Haruna (Adamawa);  Ambassador Aminu Wali (Kano);  Mohammed Wakil (Borno State), Dr Khaliru Alhassan (Sokoto State), and Alhaji Abdujelili Adesiyan (Osun State).

Others are Mrs Akon Etim Eyakenyi ( Akwa Ibom State), Asabe Asmau Ahmed (Niger State), Mrs. Lawrencia Labaran Mallam (Kaduna State); and Dr. Tamuno Danagogo (Rivers State).

The Senate however deferred the screening of the 12th nominee, Hajia Jamila Salik, from Kano State, because she did not appear before the Senate on Tuesday.

Three members of the upper chamber from Osun State, Senators Olusola Adeyeye, Babajide Omoworare, and Mudashiru Hussein, had made futile efforts to stop the confirmation of Adesiyan, the ministerial nominee from their state.

Cultists kill Bowen student for rejecting sexual advances

The life of a 17-year-old student of Bowen University, Opeyemi Odusanya, has been cut short by some cult members in Lagos.

It was gathered that the undergraduate was murdered for allegedly rejecting sexual advances from some youths in the area and also for “being too proud.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim was a 300 level student of Biochemistry at the university.

Police authorities told our correspondent that Opeyemi was stabbed to death by the cultists at her parents’ house in the Alakuko area of Lagos on February 3, 2014.

Police sources told PUNCH Metro that investigations had revealed that the culprits were residents of the area.

A police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “In the afternoon of February 3, 2014, the deceased went to buy airtime for her telephone. As she was returning, a group of cult members trailed and entered the house with her.

N1tn spent illegally on kerosene subsidy –Tambuwal

The  Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, said on Tuesday that available records indicated that the Federal Government spent over N1tn  on kerosene subsidy between 2010 and 2013.

Tambuwal said in spite of the expenditure not having the approval of the National Assembly, the product was not available   for “suffering Nigerians” to buy.

He also noted that the product was not sold in any part of the country at the subsidised price of N50 per litre.

Tambuwal spoke in Abuja as the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) opened an investigation into subsidy payments on kerosene between 2010 and 2013.

The committee, which is headed by Mr. Dakuku Peterside, has the mandate to establish the actual amount spent on subsidy by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the sole supplier of the product, and how it got the authority to subsidise it.

Boko Haram: Our hands are tied — Presidency

THE Presidency explained, yesterday, why the nation’s security forces have found it difficult to completely flush out from their hideouts, members of the Boko Haram sect, who have massacred innocent people and massively destroyed property in the North Eastern part of the country. It admitted that the situation was a complex one.
It said the security forces were constrained by international conventions which prevent them from pursuing terrorists to foreign countries, while the civilian settlements are also co-located within the vicinity of the insurgents’ hideouts, making selective engagement tenuous and difficult.
The Senate on its part, argued that the war on Boko Haram must be won by the security operatives.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who was apparently reacting to the claim made by Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, that it was impossible for the military to defeat the terrorists, said that what is in place today is a guerrilla warfare and not a conventional one.

Stella Oduah hands over, list achievements as Aviation Minister

Princess Stella Oduah has formally handed over to the Minister of State for Trade and Commerce, Dr Samuel Ortom following her sack by the President last Wednesday, February 12th. (Pictured above)
In her speech, she thanked President Jonathan for finding her worthy out of the 160million Nigerians and also listed her achievements while she was Minister.
Excerpts from her speech below…
“It was a great privilege to be chosen from amongst the 160million Nigerians to serve in the Federal cabinet. My profound gratitude goes to Mr President who gave me this rare privilege. I also want to thank for him all the support he accorded me to pursue his transformation agenda in the Aviation sector. I equally wish to thank my aides, aviation sector workers and stake holders who partnered with me to realize our vision & mission in the sector. During my tenure, we gave our best to institute reforms in line with Mr President’s Transformation Agenda. We produced the Aviation sector Master-plan and implementation Road map. Using the Masterplan and Roadmap, we were ably to…