AFRICAN NEWS FLASH

The naira dropped against the United States dollar from 498 to 500 at the parallel market during the early trading hours on Monday, crossing the critical threshold currency analysts had predicted. Foreign exchange traders linked the development to relative scarcity of the greenback in the forex market. The local unit, however, reversed the loss during the intra-day trading and closed at 498/dollar. The naira has been under persistent pressure as scarcity of the greenback continues to hit the market. At the official market, the local unit closed at 305/dollar, the level it has traded at since August last year. Meanwhile, the naira is expected to remain at 498/dollar at the parallel market as the Central Bank of Nigeria continues sales of the greenback to Bureau De Change operators. The CBN had two weeks ago commenced sales of dollars to the BDC operators through Travelex, following a three-week break during the Yuletide season. On Friday, the naira closed at 498/dollar at the bla

•Tight security at DSS as Suleiman arrives with 30 lawyers •Interrogated, released by 10.30pm last night •We are with him, his harassment premeditated —CAN •FG cautions clergymen on hate speeches THERE was drama, yesterday, as the Department of State Services, DSS, rescheduled its appointment with the embattled  Senior Pastor of the Omega Fire Ministry, OFM, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, twice. In readiness for Suleiman, the DSS, yesterday morning, deployed a massive security wall around the premises of its national headquarters. Suleiman had told his supporters at a religious crusade in Ekiti State, last week, to defend themselves if they were attacked by herdsmen. The DSS officially invited Suleiman to appear before it, yesterday, for interrogation after their operatives’ initial plan to arrest him in Ekiti was foiled by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. Dressed in black suit, Apostle Suleiman, who said his invitation was in order, arrived the DSS headquarters accompanied b

Our insider sources have  just confirmed to us that the new list of CBN management team will be sent to the president of the senate and chairman of the National Assembly Dr. Bukola Saraki on Friday. The list will be made public on Tuesday next week. The Senate will clear members of the new management as soon as it arrives the National Assembly. More details soon.

The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, yesterday, asked the Federal Government to compel Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to produce Fulani herdsmen to whom money was paid so as to disabuse the minds of Nigerians that Christians are not the target of President Muhammadu’s administration. The cleric in a statement by his Communications Adviser in Abuja, said failure to compel El-Rufai to produce the herdsmen who purportedly collected money from the Kaduna State Government is an indication of the insincerity of the Buhari administration. “The Governor of Kaduna State confessed that he paid money to some Fulani herdsmen as compensation to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna. That means he knows those who have committed atrocities against Christians. He must be made to produce them to answer to charges of murder and other crimes”, he declared. “El-Rufai can be safely regarded as an apologist of the herdsmen, and with a fact. On July 12, 2012, h

To douse speculation over the health condition of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government on Sunday released photographs of the president with his wife in United Kingdom while on vacation. The photographs showing Buhari and his wife came after an earlier one released on Friday showing Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and some persons with the President. The two photographs were released by the Special Assistant to the President’s Wife on Media, Adebisi Olumide-Ajayi. The President and his wife were standing in one while they were sitting down in the second photograph. Buhari wore a brown pair of trousers, a sweater and a white skull cap in the pictures.

IMMEDIATE past governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has described the rumoured death of President Muhammadu Buhari as mischievous, saying the rumour is an indication of a longer life for the President. Oshiomhole, who spoke during the bye-election conducted in Etsako Federal constituency, yesterday, said he had  been holidaying in his village at Iyamho, which, according to him, will afford him the opportunity to contribute his quota  to the upliftment of his community. The former governor  cautioned those spreading the rumour about the alleged death of  Buhari to remember what happened to those who  initiated the rumour about the death of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, a former ceremonial president of Nigeria. He recalled that all those in the burial committee for Azikiwe later died while  the former politician  was alive. “If Nigeria medical doctors find cause  for you to go and do routine medical check, why would anybody make it an issue that any Nigeria including our President shoul

Mr Johson Oghuma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged the winner of the Etsako Federal Constituency by-election in Edo. Oghuma emerged winner with 39,876 votes to defeat the People’s Democratic Party candidate Mr Jude Imagwe who polled 18,193 votes. The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Shola Omotola, who announced the result at about 12:45 am on Sunday said the APC candidate won having scored the highest number of votes cast. Omotola said that total a total of 59,301 votes were cast with 58,427 being valid votes and 874 rejected. Speaking to newsmen, Oghuma assured the people of the constituency of effective representation. “I want to assure Etsako people that I will not fail them. “I will represent them well and their voices will be heared and I will not dissapoint them,” he said. The bye-election came following the election of the former holder of the seat, Mr Philip Shuaib, as Deputy Governor of the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari has replied the Senate on its rejection of the nomination of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu,  our source  reliably learnt on Monday. In a letter, which reliable sources said was sent to the Office of the President of the Senate on Sunday night, Buhari pleaded with the lawmakers to confirm Magu. It was gathered that the President’s stance stemmed from the fact that the acting EFCC chairman had been cleared of allegations against him in the security report by the Department of State Services. Buhari’s letter was in response to the communication from the Senate on the rejection of Magu’s nomination for the EFCC chairmanship. It was further learnt that the President addressed the issue of Senate’s allegation of misconduct against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal. A source, who is close to the leadership of the Senate, told  our source,  on Monday, that

The Federal Government on Monday warned Nigerians to avoid Libya as penalty for illegal migration to the country is death sentence when caught.   The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the call in a statement made available to journalists.   She made the call following video and pictures being circulated on the alleged killings of black immigrants in Libya.   The presidential aide said although the authenticity of the pictures and videos were yet to be confirmed, Libya has been executing illegal immigrants for years.   The statement read, “The attention    of the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has been drawn to a video and pictures being circulated on the purported killing of black immigrants in Libya. “While the authenticity of the pictures and tapes in question cannot be verified, it is a known fact that Libya has been executing alleged b

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed charges against five officials, who allegedly padded the Federal Government payroll with about 50,000 ‘ghost’ workers. The Federal Government had said the nation lost N143bn to the salary fraud. A reliable source in the EFCC told our correspondent on Sunday that the suspects had been charged to court but the case had not yet been assigned to any judge. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, had revealed in December that the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, created by the present administration, was able to uncover the 50,000 ‘ghost’ workers and saved the nation N13bn monthly during the year. About 11 members of the syndicate that perpetuated the fraud were transferred to the EFCC. A detective at the commission said, “You will recall that the Ministry of Finance sent the names of some suspects perpetrating the ‘ghost’ workers’ fraud. We have b

More pictures soon. 

The former Senate President, Ken Nnamani has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress Party, APC. Ken Nnnamani was the President of the Senate from 2005 to 2007.  A member of the People’s Democratic Party, he was elected to the Senate from Enugu State in 2003 and served in the Senate until 2007. Nnamani however joined APC on Sunday at his Amaechi ward in Enugu South Council Area of Enugu State. Recall that Nnamani had nearly a year ago denounced his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Nnamani reportedly said he is defecting because impunity and undemocratic practices has killed PDP.He also said that PDP was now dead, unproductive and unprofitable. He said this after receiving his ‎membership card from the APC’s national registration committee. Details soon…

Embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has denied allegations levelled against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, daring the anti-graft agency to provide incontrovertible any evidence against her. She also faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight, saying it was aimed at demonising and destroying a few Nigerians. A Federal High Court in Lagos had recently ordered that the $153m which was illegally lodged by the ex-minister through cronies in three banks be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government. However, Diezani denied ownership of the money, insisting that she had no access to funds from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. She said, “I wish to state that I cannot forfeit what was never mine. I do not know the basis on which the EFCC has chosen to say that I am the owner of these funds as no evidence was provided against me before the order was obtained and they have not in fact ser

There was consternation in several quarters in Abuja and beyond over the weekend as rumours circulated that President Muhammadu Buhari had passed on at a London hospital where he was said to be receiving treatment. As the day wore on, the rumours gained ground after a news website published a story that the President was dead. The rumour soon spread like wild fire in different parts of the country with many Nigerians making frantic phone calls to ascertain the story’s accuracy. The presidency however said on Saturday that there was no truth in the news. Buhari had on Thursday travelled to London, United Kingdom, after writing to the National Assembly that he would be proceeding on a vacation and that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo would be performing the duties of the President while he was away. “The report is hogwash,” the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, simply said when our correspondent contacted him. Adesina also denied t