1. At last, Buhari sends ministers’ list to Senate
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, sent names of the first set of ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation. The list, however, got to the Senate after the end of the day’s plenary, prompting the Red Chamber to declare that it was yet to receive the list from the President. This almost resulted in a row between senators on the platforms of All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but was quickly nipped in the bud by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, who was only 24 hours earlier given a confidence vote by his colleagues. Saraki on his Twitter handle, confirmed that he had received the ministerial list. The long-awaited list was presented to the Senate President by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari and the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Ita Enang, at 4. 59 pm, yesterday. The list was said to contain names of 21 ministerial nominees.
2. CBN raises concern over declining growth
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has raised concerns over the continued slow down of the country’s economic growth. The central bank on Wednesday also said the banking system had enough liquidity to take up what foreign investors might sell after JP Morgan removed Nigeria from its bond index. The CBN plans to retain foreign currency controls because of concerns about slowing growth, a senior bank official said on Wednesday. Growth was 2.35 percent in the second quarter year on year, compared with 6.54 in the same quarter of 2014. “We are concerned that we are having declining growth,” Moses Tule, the Central Bank’s monetary policy director, told reporters. He defended the bank’s decision to impose currency controls to preserve foreign reserves, which fell 23 per cent in the year to Sept. 23, central bank data showed.
3. Buhari ‘ll be distracted, overworked as Petroleum Minister —NACCIMA
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, yesterday, faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision not to appoint a Minister of Petroleum, saying the President would be distracted and overload himself with excess workload. Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Mr. Billy Harry, National Vice President, NACCIMA, stated that the President already had too much work to do to saddle himself with a ministerial appointment. He said if Buhari really wants to bring the change dividend that Nigeria voted for, he should focus on administering all the ministries from a vantage point as President, not as a minister and a President. He said: “It will distract him and not give him the required space and work time to be able to administer facets of the economy and policies. “We have so many more issues other oil. Agriculture alone can swallow everything that oil is doing.” Agriculture alone can give us over 500 per cent of income stream of what oil is doing. So, does it mean that if he wants to curb corruption in that sector, he has to also be minister of agriculture?
4. Sylva wins Bayelsa APC guber ticket again
Former Bayelsa State governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, yesterday, won in the rescheduled primary of All Progressives Congress, APC, to emerge as the party flag bearer for the December 5, governorship election in the state. Sylva polled 981 votes to beat his closest rival, Chief Godknows Powell, who garnered 39 votes. Fourteen governorship aspirants participated in the primary.
5. Tribunal declares APC candidate winner of Taraba Central senatorial election
The National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Jalingo, Taraba State, under the chairmanship of Justice Samson Anjor, has nullified the election of Senator Bashir Marafa Aba. Marafa was declare the winner of the Taraba Central Senatorial seat on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the April general election. The result of the election was contested by Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf of All Progressives Congress, APC. Yusuf petitioned the cancellation of election results in Gayama ward in Bali local government area of the senatorial constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,stating that the cancellation gave room for the PDP candidate to gain more votes than APC in the election.
6. Flood: Kogi to commence evacuation in 48 hours
Kogi State government has announced its intent to commence the process of evacuating people living in flood prone areas in the next 48 hours. This came at a time victims of 2012 flood disaster in the cried cried out that they had been schemed out in the allocation of the post-flood estate built by the government for their relocation. Yomi Awoniyi, the Deputy Governor and Chairman, flood Management Committee, said the evacuation protocols would be activated by the state government, if the water level continued to rise. Awoniyi disclosed that the water from close monitoring, rises every hour, adding that the state was no longer as comfortable as it was believed. He appealed to those living in flood prone areas to move upland to avoid severe loss of lives and properties.
7. Councillors sack Udu LG boss, freeze account
THE Chairman of Udu Local Government Area, in Delta State, Solomon Kpoma, was yesterday, impeached by the legislative council, while the local government account was also ordered frozen. Motion for the chairman’s impeachment was moved by Henry Igbine, Councillor representing Ward 20, Aladja, and supported by Duke Efegbere, Councillor representing Ward 8, Owhase, and signed by 16 out of the 17 Councillors that attended the sitting. According to the councillors, the Chairman was impeached for refusing to furnish the legislative house with income and expenditure of the council since his assumption in office over alleged misappropriation of public funds and misinforming the public through showcasing of non-existent projects and high-handedness. Another motion was also moved by Henry Egbine, and seconded by Benjamin Sharta, and signed by 16 councillors that all accounts of Udu Local Government Area be frozen till further notice.
8. 2019: PDP zones presidency to the North
AHEAD of 2019 presidential election, the national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has zoned the Presidency to the North, saying it has learned its lessons and would never repeat any such mistake in future. The party also said it had drawn a roadmap towards the 2019 general election and for future electoral success. This was part of the recommendations of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu-led PDP Post- Election Review Committee, which recommended that in accordance with the popular views expressed in the submissions to the committee, the Presidency should be zoned to the North as it would also assuage any ill-feelings over any perceived breach of the party’s zoning principle.
9. Wike begins defence at Rivers election petitions tribunal
Governor Nyesom Wike, Wednesday, began the defence of his mandate, before the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja. The governor, whose election is being challenged by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, opened his defence before the tribunal, by producing seven witnesses that testified on his behalf. Among those that mounted the witness box, and testified that the governorship election actually held in Rivers State on April 11, 2015, included the traditional ruler of Dagbo village in Khana Local Government Area of the state, Chief Adamgbo Sampson. The 53 years old king, who was led into evidence by Wike’s lawyer, Mr. Okey Wali, SAN, told the Justice Suleiman Ambursa-led panel that he participated at the election which he said was violence free.
10. Jonathan’s ministers, aides not victimised by Buhari’
FORMER Police Affairs Minister, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, has said neither himself nor his colleagues and their aides are being victimised by the new administration. Speaking with newsmen in Akure, the Ondo state capital, Adesiyan said probing the ministers should not be seen as victimization by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Adesiyan however kicked against the selective probe of the President Jonathan administration but said that it should be holistic “even when President Buhari was the military Head of State” The minister, who was asked to react to alleged victimization of former Ministers under the Jonathan administration said “I am not seeing them doing it.
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