NIGERIA HAS NO OFFICIAL RELIGION - PRESIDENT BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that Nigeria is a secular state, and its citizens are free to hold on any religious belief.

The president made the declaration Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.

Buhari, represented by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, acknowledged the fact that the Catholic Bishops Conferences were crucial, and commended the Catholic Church for its humanitarian works in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the North Eastern part of the country.

”The business of the state is to protect the lives, livelihood and properties of all Nigerians regardless of religion, ethnicity or political affiliation. There shall be no state religion,

ICPC RETURNS N924M STOLEN FUNDS TO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

ABUJA – The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Monday returned the sum of N924m stolen fund diverted from the desertification project to the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Also, over N56m recovered from the N103m meant for feeding of students in three federal colleges were returned to the school principals.

Speaking at a brief ceremony for the Release of Recovered Fund, in Abuja, the Chairman of ICPC, Bar. Ekpo Nta promised to recover all government money diverted, calling for the peoples’ cooperation.

He said that “investigations continue and recoveries are on going with the cooperation of the suspect.”

Detail later

LACASERA SHUTS DOWN OPERATIONS; SACKS ALL STAFF

Scores of angry workers of La Casera Company Plc staged a protest, on Monday, in Lagos after about 700 workers received their sack letters, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported.

The workers said they are protesting because the company’s management responded to their

CBN EXPECTS 100% COMPLIANCE ON TSA AS DEADLINE ENDS TODAY

The Central Bank of Nigeria said on Monday it expects that all federal Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would have complied with the Treasury Single Account Policy of government at the expiration deadline ends today.

The CBN is also insisting that it would severely sanction banks which fail to move all government monies in their vaults to its custody in line with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) before the end of today.

This is observed as Deposit Money Bank commence massive downsizing of staff

ECHOCHO CONCEDES AS WADA WINS PRIMARY ELECTION

One of the leading governorship aspirants on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, Alhaji Jibrin Isa Echocho, monday conceded victory to Governor Idris Wada.

Isa, who was previously tipped to get the PDP ticket from the incumbent Governor Wada, moved to the governor and embraced him when votes from 16 out of the 21 local government areas of the state were already counted, to congratulate him before leaving the Lokoja Township Stadium venue of the Kogi State PDP primaries.

The renowned banker turned politician, who

FRUSTRATION, ANGER IN APC OVER BUHARI’S MINISTERIAL LIST - DAILY INDEPENDENT

The mood at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday was that of disappointment, frustration and anger, following the news that President Muhammadu Buhari had sent the names of certain persons to be appointed ministers to the Department of State Services (DSS) and were already being screened.

The supposed nominations had generated heated discussions among top party chieftains and staff at the national secretariat yesterday, even as some National Working Committee (NWC) members were locked in a meeting with governorship aspirants from Bayelsa

EL-RUFAI ADMITS SPIRITUAL ATTACK - THE SUN

...As Jimi Lawal opens up

From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna

GOVERNOR Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai of Ka- duna State yesterday disclosed what looked like an admittance that he was indeed attacked spiritually.

He was speaking on the incident for the first time while addressing a workers’ rally in Kaduna.

El-Rufai, had shortly after superintending over the Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship primary election, “disappeared” for about 10 days.

But his deputy, Barnabas Bala Bantex, told a gathering last Sunday in Southern Kaduna, where he had gone to

KADUNA REFINERY RESUMES PRODUCTION IN DECEMBER - NNPC

Abuja—The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, disclosed yesterday that Kaduna Refinery will resume the production of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS (petrol), within the next three months.
This was even as NNPC stated that it had lifted the embargo earlier placed on 113 vessels, banning them from engaging in crude oil and gas loading activities in any of the terminals within Nigerian territorial waters.

In a statement by NNPC in Abuja, Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated that the Fluid Catalytic

GOVERNORS REJECT DEATH PENALTY FOR LOOTERS

MANY governors, who spoke with The PUNCH, on Thursday, out rightly rejected the suggestion that looters of the nation’s resources be sentenced to death.

Organised labour- the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress-at the beginning of the week said looters should be given the death sentence in order to serve as deterrence to others.

Labour said it was only by killing looters that the anti-corruption

NEW SMARTWATCH CAN BE WORN UNDERWATER

Gear S2. Picture: Samsung Source: Supplied

DECK the halls with all smartwatches: it’s shaping up as the Christmas of wearable technology.

Three of the world’s biggest technology makers unveiled new smartwatches in Berlin overnight. Samsung showed off three round smartwatches compatible with Google Android phones, Motorola released four versions of its iconic Moto 360 watch, and TomTom delivered three fitness-focused smartwatches.

THE BEST CHEAP iPHONE ALTERNATIVE

The design leaves a little to be desired, but not much else does. Source: NewsComAu

APPLE’S next big iPhone release is this Thursday. But as great as each new iPhone is, Apple’s smartphone is always one of the most expensive on the market. So what if you want an excellent phone for much less?

Enter the 2015 Motorola Moto G.
It’s the third iteration of Motorola’s budget friendly Moto G series,

BUHARI’S APPOINTMENTS ARE NOT LOPSIDED SAYS JONATHAN’S FORMER-AIDE, OMOKIRI - VANGUARD

Former Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri on Tuesday made a case for Buhari over the president’s alleged lopsided appointments saying appointments should be made on merit and not sectional interests.

Omokiri made the statement in his article titled As Buhari blazes the trail for merit.


Read his full article

Recently there was a big uproar about the appointments made by President Buhari.

CASH SQUEEZE HITS BANKS AS NIBOR VOLATILITY SURGES

Nigeria’s inter-bank offer rate (NIBOR) volatility is surging as a combination of an all-time high cash reserve ratio (CRR) at 31 percent and multiple other Central Bank (CBN) regulations tighten money in circulation and place a strain on banking sector liquidity.

Interbank rates have averaged 19.2 percent in 2015 compared with their 12-13 percent average over the past two years.

They have also been quite volatile this year, sometimes exceeding

HOW KATSINA GOVERNOR, SCAMMED BUHARI TO GET 11BN BAILOUT - PREMIUM TIMES

The governor of President Muhammadu Buhari’s home State, Katsina, Aminu Masari, lied to the president to get more than N11 billion bailout supposedly to pay workers’ salary arrears, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today.

Feigning insolvency, Katsina State applied as one of the 27 states in need of bailout from the Federal Government to pay workers owed salaries for months.

In a letter to the speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, titled: “Bailout

10 NIGERIAN FEMALE FEMALE DJ'S GIVING MEN A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY

Gone are the days when Disc Jockeying is for men only. Today, increasing number of Nigerian women are spinning the deck and locking the beat down tight! Beyond simply being in the business, they are ruling and giving the men a run for their money.

ROGER FEDERER DONE WHAT NO ONE ELSE HAS

John Isner was helpless in the face of Federer’s class. Source: AFP

AS ROGER Federer so correctly noted, the exact score of a tiebreaker is not all that important. All that matters is who wins it.
Still, it was noteworthy that Federer became the first player to shut out John Isner in a tiebreaker — and later added a rare service break of the big-serving 208cm American — while winning