President Buhari resumes duty; Audu Maikori arraigned and released on bail and much more
President Buhari resumes duty; Netherlands, Turkey in diplomatic spat; BVN to be extended to Microfinance banks; Audu Maikori arraigned and released on bail and much more we reported on Monday.
1. President Buhari resumes duty
President Muhammadu Buhari formally resumed duty on Monday, over 50 days after he delegated his authority to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
According to the statement, Mr. Buhari wrote the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, notifying them of his resumption on Monday.
2. Nigerian govt extends BVN to Microfinance Banks as ‘ghost workers’ migrate there
The Federal Government urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to enforce the use of Bank Verification Number, BVN, in Microfinance Banks, amid suspicions that fraudulent government employees have set up “ghost workers” accounts in MFBs to avoid detection.
Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun in a correspondence to the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, said the introduction of the BVN has immensely improved the integrity of the Federal Government payroll, from which more than 50,000 ghost workers had been detected.
3. Nigerian Vice-Chancellors want tuition fees for universities
The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities says it is no longer realistic to have tuition-free university education in Nigeria and wants the policy changed.
The vice chancellors said in a communiqué that a change in policy would enable parents, guardians and government “to equitably share the financial burden of education”.
4. Malabu Scandal: Court ruling on Shell, Eni’s bid to take over OPL 245 stalled
The oil firms, through their Nigerian subsidiaries had challenged the propriety of the Nigerian government withdrawing the oil block from them, pending the determination of a criminal matter.
The order of forfeiture was sought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which said it was investigating the corruption surrounding the block. The temporary order was granted by the court.
5. Dutch govt urges travellers to be alert in Turkey following diplomatic tensions
The Dutch Foreign Ministry urged nationals travelling to Turkey to be alert and avoid gatherings and crowded places following an escalation of diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The tensions between the Netherlands and Turkey rose on Saturday after a convoy of Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Kaya Sayan was halted for hours close to the Turkish General Consulate in Rotterdam.
6. Audu Maikori released on bail
Chocolate City boss, Audu Maikori, was granted bail after he was arraigned before a Kaduna Magistrate’s Court.
Mr. Maikori faces allegations of incitement to violence initiated by the Kaduna State Government over inaccurate tweets he posted in which he alleged assassination of some college students in Southern Kaduna. He was arrested last week Friday and held at a police facility in Kaduna, although the police have denied being responsible for his incarceration.
7. Stop representing PDP, Sheriff warns Jerry Gana
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Sheriff, advised the Jerry Gana-led Strategy Review and Inter-Party Affairs Committee to stop speaking for the party.
Represented by his Deputy National Chairman, Cairo Ojougbo, at a news conference in Abuja on Monday, Mr. Sheriff described the Gana-led committee as “illegal”.
8. Bauchi govt. closes secondary school over students’ ‘sexual immorality’
The Bauchi State Government ordered the closure of a secondary school in the state capital, Bauchi, over alleged sexual immorality.
In a statement the state government said the closure became necessary following reports received that some of students of Sa’adu Zungur Model Primary and Secondary School engaged in illegal marriages among themselves.
9. How Diezani got $115 million, gave N450 million to ex-minister, senior advocate — Witness
There was a twist on Monday in the ongoing trial of Mohammed Belgore and a former Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman, for alleged N450 million money laundering as the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was joined in the suit.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC’s prosecutor had amended the five-count charge and joined Mrs. Alison-Madueke, as an accused in the case at a Federal High Court, Lagos.
10. Buhari directs Osinbajo to head delegation on Niger Delta crisis
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to head a special presidential delegation charged with the task of resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta region.
The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Paul Boroh, disclosed this to journalists on Mondayin Abuja.
Mr. Boroh said the choice of Mr. Osinbajo as leader of the government’s fact-finding delegation to the crisis-ridden region was informed by President Buhari’s strategic plan to engender peace in the region.
