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Oyetunji Abioye and Simon Ejembi Experts in the Nigerian aviation industry have warned that security must be improved at the country’s airports to forestall terrorist attacks and security breaches. One of the experts, a former Assistant Secretary General of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammed Tukur, said there are obvious vulnerabilities in the nation’s aviation industry. Tukur, who noted that the United Nation had described Boko Haram as one of the deadliest terror groups in the world, said the lapses in the aviation security system must be fixed immediately. He said, “We have requirements by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations agency that regulates the global aviation industry, which Nigeria must meet. The current state of the nation’s airport calls for concern. It is beyond what most people are thinking; Nigeria is a major country in the world and it is time for us to take our airport security very serious.

NAN The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, on Wednesday called on senior police officers to monitor strictly the use of firearms and ammunition by officers under them. The Force Police Public Relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, disclosed the IG’s order in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos. Kolawole said the order was sequel to some alleged killings by drunken and trigger-happy policemen in different parts of the country. He said Arase expressed sadness over the unlawful killings and restated the need for Assistant Inspectors-General, Commissioners and Area Commanders of various commands and units to monitor strictly the usage of firearms. According to him, police personnel are supposed to account for arms and ammunition signed out to him or her to the supervisor. “No policeman is allowed to dispense any bullet without accounting for it to the supervising officer. “No police man is allowed to kill unlawfull

 John Ameh, Abuja The House of Representatives has called for information from the Central Bank of Nigeria on the interests accruable to the country’s foreign bank accounts in the last four years. It also asked the apex bank to provide information on the criteria for selecting managers of foreign reserve accounts of the federation “to ensure transparency and to report annually on the performance and continued compliance of the managers with any set guidelines issued by the CBN.” The House Committee on Finance was directed to conduct a full investigation into the matter and produce a report. Mr. Abdussamad Dasuki, who moved a motion to draw the attention of his colleagues to the issue, observed that there was no evidence that the apex bank “monetised into the naira”, the interests accruable from such accounts to be utilised by the federation. The House is concerned that accruals to the federation from foreign reserve accounts have not been openly declared by

Eniola Akinkuotu The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, says Nigeria lost about $1bn (N197bn) every month under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Sanusi, who is a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said this during a programme titled ‘How a cancer of corruption steals Nigerian oil, weapons and lives’, which aired on The PBS NewsHour, an American daily evening television show. The former CBN governor said many shady deals took place under the immediate past Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is being investigated in the United Kingdom. The monarch said, “In Nigeria, there is no accountability at all and that is why I think Nigeria’s corruption is worse than corruption in most parts of the world. It is the worst type of corruption. It’s stealing. “Frankly, I think a billion dollars under Jonathan a month was about what we were losing.” Sanusi alleged that during Alison-Madueke’s tenure as petroleum minister, people paid as low as

  Sunday Aborisade The Senate on Tuesday amended the 2015 Supplementary Appropriation Act to enable the Executive arm of government to implement the N557bn capital expenditure component in the budget till March next year. The amendment was perfected at plenary shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2016 budget estimates to the joint session of the National Assembly. Senate President, Bukola Saraki, explained that the essence of the amendment was to allow the executive arm of government to execute some capital projects during the dry season pending the approval of the 2016 Appropriation Bill. Saraki assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would ensure thorough screening of the 2016 budget estimates presented by Buhari. The Senate president, who stated this shortly before Buhari presented the 2016 Appropriation Bill to the joint session of the National Assembly, also urged the executive to respect the judgement of the lawmakers in the

Stanley Opara Zenith Ethical Fund, Zenith Income Fund and Zenith Equity Fund, which are collectively called Zenith Funds, have assured investors of a better business result next year. The funds, which are managed by Zenith Capital Limited, pool the resources of various unit holders together for onward investment and deliver returns to the unit holders. The Zenith Equity Fund is substantially invested in equities; the Zenith Income Fund is invested in Fixed Income securities while the Zenith Ethical Fund is invested entirely in equities. A director of the company, Mr. Jubril Enakele, who spoke on behalf of the acting Managing Director of Zenith Capital, Mr. Kenneth Brai, assured existing and potential investors of a better business performance next year given the firm’s projections. He said unit holders should expect the best from the company going forward, adding, “It has been a challenging year. But we are striving to deliver optimum returns for custom

The decision by Senate President Bukola Saraki to ignore protests by his key allies against the clearance ministerial nominees may not lead to a reprieve from his ongoing trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the Saraki camp worked for the clearance of the nominees with the hope that his decision to confirm all the nominees, especially former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, would at least endear him to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari. However, multiple party sources informed SUNDAY PUNCH that the Senate President’s travails are far from over. A leading party member privy to these happenings noted that while the party felt a sense of relief that the threat to stop Amaechi was neutralised, it would not interfere with Saraki’s ongoing trial at the CCT. He explained that even if the party was in a position to intervene, it would not, because doing so wo

The Federal Government, through the Code of Conduct Bureau, on Monday arraigned a former Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, on four counts of false assets declaration and bribery.   Godsday Orubebe Orubebe, who was arraigned before the Justice Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal, pleaded not guilty to the four counts preferred against him. Justice Umar expressed disappointment at the failure of the prosecution to present its witnesses immediately after the arraignment on Monday. He adjourned till November 26 ‎with warning to the prosecution to come with all their witnesses on the next hearing date. Orubebe in counts one and two was accused of failure to declare his assets at Plot 2722 Kyamu and Plot 2059 in Asokoro District both in Abuja on assumption of office as minister on September 26, 2007. In count three, he was accused of accepting N50m bribe from one Pastor Jonathan Alota, on September 19, 2012 for award of contract in favor of his (A

A Medview Airline aircraft en route to Abuja on Thursday morning made an air return some minutes after take-off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport II, Lagos.   A Medview airline plane A source told the News Agency of Nigeria that the aircraft developed a pressurization problem which affected the cooling system while flying at about 8,000 feet. The source said there was no panic as the pilot properly briefed the passengers and landed safely. According to the source, another aircraft was made available immediately and the passengers were flown to Abuja. Acting General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, confirmed the incident and told NAN that the air return was a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward occurrence. Adurogboye said the pilot acted according to Standard and Recommended Practices, adding that such incidences should not be sensationalized. “The pilot must have observed something which necessitate

The All Progressives Congress member representing Bauchi Central in the Senate, Senator Isa Misau, said on Sunday that the Senate would continue to support ‎its President, Senator Bukola Saraki, in his current trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.   Senator Bukola Saraki in Court facing charges of corruption Sahara Reporters Media Misau, in a statement in Abuja, explained that members of the Eighth Senate were convinced that the  injustice being perpetrated against him at the CCT was because of his emergence against the wishes of some APC chiefs. Misau said  it is obvious that the case against Saraki on the Declaration of Assets was being manipulated. He also  alleged that the trial was a script, written based on mischief and ill-will,  being acted in all the courts before whom the matter had been taken. The senator said, “The impression I am getting is that some people are playing God, believing that they can determine the fate of Saraki and they are using ‎t

The first Secretary to the Alhaji Lateef Jakande-led Lagos State Government, Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun, speaks to ENIOLA AKINKUOTU about the debate over Yoruba leadership and other political issues You were a top member of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s party, the Unity Party of Nigeria. Do you agree with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s argument that there can never be a Yoruba leader? ADVERTISEMENT The Yoruba leader now, without doubt, is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and there are many reasons for this. The leadership of the Yoruba, whether political or otherwise, is based on who has advanced the interest of the Yoruba the most in recent times and Tinubu has done this. Firstly, he has fought for the interest of the Yoruba people. He helped Kayode Fayemi to get his governorship bid back in Ekiti in 2010. In the same year, he helped Rauf Aregbesola to get his governorship mandate back in Osun State. He helped Olusegun Mimiko get his governorship mandate back in Ondo State

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison, his lawyer Roberto Marrero has said. The popular dissident, a US-trained economist who has been held at a military prison since February 2014, is accused of inciting violence against the government of President Nicolas Maduro and attempting to force his ouster. A court in Caracas, the capital, found Lopez guilty late on Thursday for his role as the leader of a street protest movement which was involved in bloody clashes with security forces in February last year. The sentence was for 13 years, nine months and seven days. He will serve out his sentence in the military prison of Ramo Verde, where he has been held since he turned himself in shortly after the protests. ADVERTISEMENT “If the sentence condemns me you will be more fearful to read it than I will be to hear it, because you know that I’m innocent,” Lopez defiantly told the judge according to a witness, Davi

President Muhammadu Buhari raised on Monday at a Capacity Building Programme for Public Servants the long standing issue of our drooling and deficient work ethic. Buhari lamented that the civil service which was once one of the best in the Commonwealth, today earns a reputation “for inefficiency, low productivity, corruption and insensitivity to the needs of the public”. Whatever reasons may be adduced for the downturn in the nation’s bureaucracy: a downturn which mirrors the familiar narrative of a once great country humbled by predatory leaders, such a diagnosis must include a slumbering work ethic. Let me elaborate. If you do a quick count of public holidays of countries around the globe, you find that the United Kingdom has 8 annually, United States 10, South Korea 16, and Nigeria tops the list with 26. In our case, the figure of public holidays does not include those declared by state governments illustrated by the announcement in Borno State three weeks ago of a

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed that the country’s “humanitarian” flights to Syria carry military equipment as well as humanitarian aid – after the US and NATO warned Moscow over its involvement in the Syrian conflict. “Russian planes are sending to Syria both military equipment in accordance with current contracts and humanitarian aid,” Lavrov told reporters on Thursday. Russia’s Kommersant daily newspaper said earlier on Thursday that Moscow’s advanced BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers were among arms supplied to Damascus. Moscow has previously insisted in public that its flights to Syria were only for humanitarian purposes. Al Jazeera’s Peter Sharp, reporting from Moscow, said that nothing has changed and the Russians have been supplying the Syrian government for years now. “Going back 60 years, Russia has been supplying Syria with arms, advisors, military equipment. Nothing much has really changed. “Between 2009 and 2011 Russia was supp

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has called on various labour unions in the country to support the anti-corruption crusade of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. Ambode said the support would help the government to redeem the image of the country as well as boost the economy. The governor spoke at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, on Thursday during a rally by members of the Trade Union Congress, Nigerian Labour Congress, National Youth Council, and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. ADVERTISEMENT Ambode, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, said Nigeria was at a defining moment of its democratic history, which required all hands to be on deck. He said, “We thank you immensely for the support that you are giving President Buhari. This is what Nigerians need. You are the leaders and opinion moulders; without you setting the agenda, there is no way this country can progress. “The

The head of Burundi’s armed forces has survived an assassination attempt in the capital Bujumbura, police said, adding that at least seven other people were killed in the attack. “There was an attack against the armed forces chief, General Prime Niyongabo, but happily he was unharmed,” Burundi’s deputy police chief, General Godefroid Bizimana, told AFP news agency. He said two attackers were killed in the clash, and a third arrested. Another senior police source said four bodyguards were also killed, as well as a female police officer. “Reinforcements have arrived. We are pursuing the remainder of the commandos,” Bizimana. Another senior police source, who asked not to be named, said the attack appeared to have been “meticulously prepared”. ADVERTISEMENT “It was sudden and violent. Four bodyguards were killed instantly. He managed to survive only because the driver managed to overtake a bus transporting police officers to work, and the attackers could not keep

The Nigeria Police have concluded their probe into the forgery of the Senate Standing Order and given a copy of the report to President Muhammadu Buhari, SUNDAY PUNCH can authoritatively report. The President received a copy of the report last week, a highly reliable source in the presidency told one of our correspondents on Saturday. The Police report confirmed that the Standing Rules used to inaugurate the 8th Assembly were forged, our source said. ADVERTISEMENT In the report, the Police recommended the prosecution of those found culpable of forging the orders, which had been used in the controversial election of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on June 9, 2015.

1. Many big clubs such as the clubs in Spanish Liga BBVA or English Premier League are well known to trade players with huge amount of money as the players also gets a decent amount of shares in the transfer. Forbes inducts the highest earning soccer players into their list of highest paid soccer players each year. Besides Forbes, Goal.com the quite a renowned soccer website for announcing its own rich list each year. 2. Thierry Henry plays as a striker in the French national football team and also in the Major League Soccer franchise New York Red Bulls. His net worth till now is €57 million which is equivalent to £47 million. He signed a contract with New York Red Bulls in the MLS in 2010 which pays him €3.2 million equivalent to £2.6 million yearly salary. Thierry Henry also signed an endorsement contract worth €1.2 million ($1 million) per year with the Puma for their evoPOWER boot series. His other endorsements include Red Bull, EA Sports, Gillette, Renault and

Nigerian Superstar boxer- Gifted Cole, knocked out Mexican champion Yair Agular in round 3 of a 10- round battle that put his World Boxing Federation Title on the line. The referee stopped the fight after Cole sent Agular to the ground with a blow to the body. See the photos after the cut.. Cole, the undefeated Nigerian boxer, currently ranked #13 in the world, is quickly moving to the top ranks and is carving out a name for himself in the boxing world. Outside of the ring, Cole is also a newly appointed, U.N. Peace Ambassador; consistently giving back to the community through initiatives all over Africa. Please continue to follow #TeamGifted, as he trains to take on his next opponent. Instagram @giftedcole Facebook : Gifted Cole. Posted by Quality loaded at 07:09

KiD dynamite, OzzyBosco Wonderkid has filmed the video for his chartbuster and humanitarian single “Smile Again”, a song he dedicated to his friends and mates “the internally displaced children” in the North Eastern part of Nigeria. See the photos after the cut... On 27th May 2015, the whole world gathered to remember and celebrate Children's day across the globe. However, this kid ambassador "OzzyBosco Wonderkid" who has been serving as a change agent chose to celebrate the day uniquely by dropping a soul-lifting single, “SMILE AGAIN” which he dedicated to the Internally Displaced Children in the North Eastern Nigeria.   OzzyBosco did not only dedicate this amazing song to his great friends but also flagged off a Smile Again charity project to raise the sum of 25 Million Naira to support their education as well as putting smiles on their weary faces. OzzyBosco Smile Foundation will be partnering with the Red Cross Society of Ni