National News Thursday, November 14, 2013 1. US Designates Boko Haram, Ansaru Terrorist Organisations •FG backs decision The United States yesterday blacklisted Boko Haram and an offshoot known as Ansaru as terror groups, bowing to months of pressure to move against the brutal insurgents, AFP reported Wednesday. With the blacklisting, the two groups have been officially designated Foreign Terrorist Organisations, which will bar any United States firm or citizen from assisting them as well as lead to the freezing of all their assets in the US. “These designations are an important and appropriate step, but only one tool in what must be a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government to counter these groups to help root out violent extremism,” the US State Department said in a statement. The Islamist insurgency has claimed thousands of lives since 2009 mainly in Nigeria’s restive northeast and caused international concern over its potential to spread across porous borders into other nearby safe havens. “In the last several years, Boko Haram and Ansaru have been responsible for thousands of deaths in northeast and central Nigeria, including dozens of attacks on churches and mosques, targeted killings of civilians, and the 2011 suicide bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja that killed 21 people and injured dozens more,” key White House homeland security advisor, Lisa Monaco, said in a statement. Thisday, front pg cont on pg8 2. ASUU suspends NEC meeting, strike continues Mourns Iyayi, family takes body home Gripped grief, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday suspended its emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting billed to hold at Bayero University, Kano. The emergency meeting has been scheduled to decide the final position of ASUU on its four-month-old strike. The meeting could have determine whether or not the industrial action would be suspended. ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, told Journalists that the meeting had been suspended due to the death of Iyayi on his way to NEC meeting. The Guardian, front pg, cont. on pg62 3. 2014 Budget: Senate disagrees with Jonathan over oil benchmark ABUJA—THERE is a brewing showdown between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Senate, as the latter has rejected the president’s oil benchmark of $74 per barrel and instead, raised it up to $76.50 per barrel. The upper legislative chamber also directed that details of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, projects expected for execution in the 2014 budget be attached as addendum to the annual budget estimates for approval by the National Assembly. But unlike the above, it approved the oil product daily oil production of 2.388mbpd, 2.5007mbpd and 2.5497mbpd for 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively as proposed by the president. These formed parts of the recommendations of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s led Senate Joint Committee on Finance and Appropriations on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper, FSP, which was passed yesterday, preparatory to next Tuesday’s 2014 budget presentation by President Goodluck Jonathan before the joint session of the National Assembly. Vanguard, pg9 4. Oduah to apeear before Senate today The Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, is scheduled to appear before the senate on Thursday (today) to brief the upper legislative chamber about the state of the aviation industry, particularly the unfortunate crash involving the Associated Airlines flight on October 3. Oduah was scheduled to appear before the senators last week Thursday but was shifted because Senate President David Mark was not available and he had requested to personally preside over the probe session. It will be recalled that Oduah could not also appear before the Senate last week Wednesday during plenary because she had sought a last minute permission from the Senators to attend the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting. Oduah had been summoned by the upper legislative chamber to explain her roles in the ill-fated plane that crashed while conveying the remains of former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Agagu, from Lagos to Akure. Our correspondent learnt on Wednesday that the senators might restrict their questions to the general state of the aviation industry and how to avoid future plane crashes. The Punch, pg7 5. Kogi gov’s convoy kills ex-ASUU president, Iyayi LAGOS — The four month-long strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday took the life of a former president of the union, Professor Festus Iyayi of the University of Benin. Iyayi, who died in a car accident on his way to the National Executive Council meeting of the union in Kano. The NEC meeting was to decide whether to call off or continue the strike after ratifying the decisions of the 61 chapters of the union. The accident which happened at about 11 am at Banda village along the Lokoja-Abuja highway involved a vehicle in the convoy of the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada. With his death, hope of the suspension of the four month strike appears dim as the news shocked his friends and allies in the labour movement. Vanguard, front pg, cont on pg5 6. Jonathan in Anambra, promises free, fair poll •IGP, Jega read riot act to politicians •3,000 policemen, soldiers deployed President Goodluck Jonathan was on Wednesday in Onitsha at the head of the campaign train of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Saturday governorship election in Anambra State to shore up further support for its candidate, Tony Nwoye. The campaign was tagged ‘PDP mega rally’. Jonathan came in company of PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, at the Basilika of the Most Holy Trinity field and urged the electorate to vote for Nwoye whom he described as “a young vibrant man with zeal to serve” to commemorate the birthday of first President of Nigeria, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. “This election is special in the sense that it is holding on November 16 when one of the greatest leaders of the country, Azikwe, was born. “It will be a very good birthday gift for great Zik and will bring Anambra State forward if you vote Comrade Tony Nwoye and PDP. Daily Independent, pg4 Business News 7. World Bank to spend $1.4bn on power transmission …earmarks $500m for erosion control The World Bank will, in the next three years, spend about $1.4bn on the nation’s power industry, especially on transmission infrastructure. The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on the sidelines of Country Programme Portfolio Review currently going on in Enugu. The Punch, pg32 8. Lagos Awards Contract for Extension of Light Rail Project The Lagos State Government Wednesday announced the award of a contract for the extension of the light rail (blue line) that would start from the National Theatre, Iganmu and terminate at Marina. Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, told journalists yesterday in Lagos, that the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), had awarded the contract to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).Thisday, pg11 World/Regional News 9. Babangida Hosts APC, Says Nigeria is Greater than PDP •Abdulsalami defends talks with opposition leaders Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were in Minna, the Niger State capital, Wednesday to discuss with former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida and a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar. The meeting with the opposition leaders raised eyebrows in the state about its agenda, prompting the two former military leaders to defend their decision to hold talks with the opposition party. Thisday, pg7 10. 26-yr-old in court for raping, strangulating 10-yr-old cousin OSOGBO — An Osogbo Chief Magistrate’s Court has remanded a 26-year-old man, Rufai Idowu, who allegedly raped and killed his 10-year-old cousin, at Ilesha Prison custody. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Abiodun Fagboyinbo, told the court that the accused allegedly committed the offence on November 4, at about 5p.m. at Oosa Compound, Ile Ogbo, in Ayedire Local Government Area of the state. Vanguard, pg7
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 11:33:47 +0000
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