Today – 1st October is a day of celebration for us Nigerians. On this day, 56 years ago our people achieved the most important of all human desires – freedom and independence. We should all therefore give thanks and pray for our founding fathers without whose efforts and toil we would not reap the bounties of today.

2. I know that uppermost in your minds today is the economic crisis. The recession for many individuals and families is real. For some It means not being able to pay school fees, for others it's not being able to afford the high cost of food (rice and millet) or the high cost of local or international travel, and for many of our young people the recession means joblessness, sometimes after graduating from university or polytechnic.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/address-president-muhammadu-buhari-56th-independence-anniversary/

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday sent names of six proposed commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commissioners (INEC) to the Senate for consideration and confirmation.

The President also forwarded five names of proposed commissioners for the National Population Commission (NPC).

In a letter read by Senate President, Abubakar Bukola saraki on the floor of the Senate Thursday, President Buhari said that he was forwarding the list of names in accordance with the provision of Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

President Buhari said that the appointees were made from the six geo-political zones of the country.

Those nominated included, Prof. Okechukwu Obinna Ibeanu Anambra (member) (South East), May I. Agbamuche-Mbu (Delta) (member) South South, AVM Ahmed Tijani Mu’azu (rtd) (Gombe) member (North East), Mohammed Kudu Haruna (Niger) North Central (member), Dr.Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola (Oyo) South West, (member) and Abubakar Ahmed Nahuche (Zamfara) North West (member).


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/buhari-names-six-inec-five-npc-commissioners/

OWAN WEST
AA 04
ACD 38
ACPN 106
APC 12,862
APGA 21
CPP 03
KOWA 01
LP 02
NPP 05
NCP 06
NNPP 05
PDC 40
PDP 10132
Total Votes Cast 24292
Rejected 1002

9. 06: The Edo REC just delivered his opening speech

Read More: http://nigerianpilot.com/edo-election-results-live-update/

House of Representative votes to suspend Abdulmumin Jibrin for One hundred and Eighty legislative days


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/breaking-house-reps-votes-suspend-jibrin/

DISTURBED by the continued complaints of traffic obstructions by cows either roaming or being reared in Abuja metropolis, despite several warnings by the authorities of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the Senate Committee on FCT yesterday ordered the slaughtering of any cows found in the nation’s capital and its environment.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Dino Melaye (APC Kogi West) gave the order to the Minister of FCT, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, when he appeared before the committee at the National Assembly, Abuja, but gave an option of N50, 000 as fine to be paid per cow to avoid such stiffer punishment.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/senate-orders-slaughtering-roaming-cows-abuja/

Yahoo (YHOO, Tech30) confirmed on Thursday data "associated with at least 500 million user accounts" have been stolen in what may be one of the largest cybersecurity breaches ever.
The company said it believes a "state-sponsored actor" was behind the data breach, meaning an individual acting on behalf of a government. The breach is said to have occurred in late 2014.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/500-million-yahoo-accounts-hacked-official/

… Commissions 500 civilian JTF, vigilantes to compliment soldiers

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima on Wednesday temporarily ‎relocated his office to Bama town, an urban centre, severely destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents during their nearly two years occupation before it was liberated by the military late, 2015. Bama town, located 74 kilometers away from Maiduguri, is one of the third most populated local government areas next to Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Biu in southern part of the State.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/boko-haram-gov-shettima-relocates-office-bama-begins-major-reconstruction/

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described President Mohammadu Buhari as the major problem of Nigeria that Nigerians must
solve, saying;

“Our President, through his actions and inactions is destroying everything that makes Nigeria a country and well-meaning
Nigerians must stand-up to be counted in the crusade to save the country from going under.”

The governor said it was President Buhari that went to foreign countries to de-market Nigeria by calling all Nigerians thieves and
dishonest people, asking; “Which foreign investor will invest his money in a country of dishonest people?


Read more http://nigerianpilot.com/fayose-buhari-nigerias-major-problem/

...too much suffering and growing hunger across Nigeria

Sequel to the current recession in the country and the consequent rising cost of food stuff, many families have been forced to turn to leaves in order to survive

According to a source close to the Nigerian Pilot on Saturday, said leaves such as “tafasa”, spinach, etc had come to the rescue of most families in Kaduna and its environs, while lizards and cats might be endangered as some children were seen hunting them to provide a cheap source of protein for the impoverished families.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/hardship-land-families-now-eat-leaves-lizards/

There was tension in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital over the alleged invasion of Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church, Oke-Ila by suspected masqueraders, who smashed the head of a worshipper with a broken bottle in the process.

The Vicar of the Church, Reverend Zacchaeus Ibitoye, who described the invasion as sacrilegious and barbaric, warned that Ado Ekiti should not be turned into a den for criminals and where people would be living in palpable fear, saying the town is for all Ekiti and Nigerian citizens alike.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/outrage-ekiti-attack-church-worshippers-masquerade/

Millions of Muslims performing this year’s pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia successfully completed the stoning of the devil on Monday, one of the rites of the exercise hitch-free.

Nigerian Pilot correspondent covering the pilgrimage, reports that the exercise went on without any incident although there was anxiety among the Saudi authorities and pilgrims.


Read more:



Nigerian News

The Emir of Kano, Muhammed Sanusi II, has condemn some Nigerians who showcase wealth , saying some of them lives on loans from banks.
Sanusi, who took to his twitter handle, said, “There are supposedly rich Nigerians who have everything about them financed by bank debts.”
The tweet reads, “Look at sovereign debt fueling growth. If you take the example of an individual.


You happen to know bank MDs and you can make a few phone calls and get loans. You borrow N1 billion here today and build a very
nice mansion in Abuja. You borrow another N1


Read more http://nigerianpilot.com/rich-nigerians-lives-bank-loans-emir/

A BILL to restrict president, governors who have acted for two years to contest only one term is being proposed by chairman of the Special Ad-hoc Committee on the 1999 Constitution and deputy speaker of the House, Hon Yussuff Lasun.

The bill provides that “no person who had held office of president or governor of a state or acting as president or governor of a state for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president or governor shall be elected to the office of president or governor of a state more than once.”


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/reps-restrict-president-govs-one-term/

If Nigeria fails to start producing rice, by December 2016, the price of a bag of rice could be N40,000, says the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

Lokpobiri, who made this known at a town hall meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Saturday, said that Nigeria spends about $22bn a year on importation of food into the country.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/bag-rice-may-sell-n40000-december-says-minister/

Osibanjo not competent to lead economic team
… Nigeria needs a sound economist not a sound lawyer


The Economic team set up by the Federal government headed by Vice President YemiOsinbajo is in disarray, leading some citizens to call for his resignation to what they described as his incompetence.

According to experts, the group lacks the impetus to turn around current woes faced by the country. They are also not knowledgeable about the state of the economy and have not been able to get a full grasp of how to handle the nation’s economy .....


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/economic-recession-economic-team-disarray/

Indications have emerged that the display of crass disrespect for Edo political leaders, elder statesmen from the state as well as the presidential protocol by Governor Adams Oshiomole during the party’s recent mega rally honored by top party chieftains has shamed President MuhammaduBuhari.

The President as leader of the party had graced the occasion in Benin City, capital of Edo State to drum support for the APC candidates and as well as see to projects executed by the governor, which could also help him campaign to the mammoth gathering to vote for the APC candidate.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/apc-mega-rally-oshiomhole-shamed-buhari/

A woman, who got married two weeks ago in Adamawa, Faisa Mohammed, was killed on Tuesday in Lagos when mudslide occurred in the Agidingbi Area of Lagos State.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said that three persons, a male and two females, including Faisa, aged 24, were trapped under the mud but the other two were rescued alive.

The General Manager of LASEMA, Michael Akindele, said in his report that the agency received a distress call through the emergency toll free line 112/767 at about 10.54 a.m.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/newly-wed-woman-dies-lagos-mudslide-2-weeks-marriage/

The Damboa Local Government Area of Borno on Tuesday re-opened the Damboa township market closed down in 2014 due to Boko Haram attack.
Nigerian Pilot reports that Damboa is located few kilometres from the Sambisa forest, the hideout of the Boko Haram terrorists.

Alhaji Abu Hong, the Caretaker Chairman of the council performed the re-opening of the market at a ceremony in Damboa, headquarters of the council.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/damboa-lg-re-opens-damboa-market-peace-returns-borno/

...promises completion of legacy projects

Ekiti State Government will within‎ the next few days refunded money
over-deducted from the salaries of workers for car, housing and
computer loans.

This followed the submission of the report by a committee set up by
the State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, that looked into the matter.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/ekiti-govt-refund-deduction-workers-salaries/

NAIRA opened strong on Monday, recovering from last week’s record low of N425 per dollar at the parallel market.

The interbank market also experienced a strengthening of the local currency from 315.25 on Friday to 310 to the dollar at about 11am in Lagos. As at 2pm, the naira was trading at 314.75 to the dollar at the interbank market.

At the parallel market, the naira was trading at 422, 535 and 462 to the dollar, pound and Euro at the parallel market on Monday morning. Following the official confirmation of Nigeria’s recession by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, the naira dipped to 425 to the dollar at the parallel market.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/naira-bounces-back-days-recession/

Many Nigerian pilgrims currently in Saudi Arabia for this year's pilgrimage say they have cut down on their spending following the fall in the value of the Naira.

Nigerian Pilot reports that a number of the pilgrims interviewed in Medinah said they have restricted their spending to only the basics.

They said they now spend only on feeding and commuting within the city.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/naira-forces-nigerian-pilgrims-cut-spending/

Blames over the alleged 16 year of misrule of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by the All Progressives Congress, APC, resonated again as the ruling party admits that the current administration of President MuhammaduBuhari cannot fix the Nigerian economy soon.

“We are clearing the debris, it is not possible to fix in one year what PDP undermined in 16 years, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said in Benin City during a political rally at the Evbhareke spare parts market.

Governor Oshiomhole explained that it will be impossible for the federal government to fix the country,

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/hope-dims-fg-cant-fix-economy-soon-oshiomhole/

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has taken a swipe at the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stating that they are the current misfortune bedeviling the Nigerian nation.

For the ruling APC, Obasanjo said it cannot claim to be a strong political party in power at the federal level, just as he faulted the PDP’s inability to provide credible opposition to check excesses of the ruling APC .


Read more http://nigerianpilot.com/apc-pdp-misfortune-obj/

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has called on President
Mohammadu Buhari to listen to the cries of Nigerians and stop seeing
those with opinions different from his own as threats to his hold on
power, saying;

“The reality our President must face now is that there
is too much hunger in the land, Nigerians are hungry, they are
suffering and the President should rather listen to those who are
more knowledgeable than him in terms of management of the country’s
economy instead of seeing them as threats.”

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/listen-nigerians-theres-much-hunger-country-fayose-tells-buhari/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued licence to more International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to operate in Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Isaac Okoroafor, the Acting Director, Corporate Communications of the apex bank, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Okoroafor said that the licensing was in furtherance of efforts to liberalise the Foreign Exchange Market, ensure liquidity and make foreign exchange more readily available to low-end users.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/cbn-issues-licence-new-international-money-transfer-operators/

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the High Court of Abuja yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with a suit filed by the Ahmed Markarfi-led faction of the
Peoples Democratic Party against the Chief Judge of
the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, and
another judge in the Abuja Division of the court,
Justice Okon Abang.
The Makarfi-led faction of the PDP had filed the suit
with respect to the ongoing leadership crisis in the
party.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/judge-faults-pdps-suit-cj-abang/

FIRS website crashes just 24 hours of opening job portal.
The organization has announce the recruitment of graduates, Monday which is suppose to last till October.

The website crashed due to the high number of unemployed graduates seeking employment in the country.

Read More: http://nigerianpilot.com/unemployment-firs-website-crashes-just-24hrs-opening-job-portal/

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, says the Nigeria Police Force deny members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group access to the Presidential Villa for security reasons.

The BBOG group had made several attempts to enter the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to press the Federal Government for the release of the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted in April 2014.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/missing-persons-day-ig-explains-bbog-denied-access-villa/

In a bid to avert incidences of Lassa Fever and other vector-borne diseases in Lagos State, an NGO, Phosguard Fumigant Ltd, in partnership with the government, has introduced a bounty, ``Kill rats, make money.’’

Under the project, rodents multiplying ubiquitously across the mega-city state are to be exterminated from residential places and markets using hi-tech chemicals and equipment that will make their decomposing bodies non-infectious.


Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/lassa-fever-kill-rats-make-money-lagos-ngo/

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that Nigerians must be prepared to protect and develop Nigeria at all times, and that the current challenges Nigerians were facing were transient as the country would definitely overcome them.

He stated this while speaking at the public presentation of a book titled ‘The History of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Otuoke,’ in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The former president urged Christians to continue to pray for the country, noting that the essence of history was to know how societies or clans evolved and emerged, and that there was need to capture the spread of Christianity in communities in the Niger Delta.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/well-overcome-present-challenges-jonathan/

A would-be suicide bomber's explosives failed to detonate in a packed church in western Indonesia during Sunday Mass, and he injured a priest with an axe before being restrained, police said.

The 18-year-old assailant left a bench and ran toward the priest at the altar, but a bomb in his backpack only burned without exploding, said national police spokesman Maj. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar.

Read more: http://nigerianpilot.com/bombers-explosives-fail-detonate-church/

Kano State Government on weekend said it would introduce stiffer penalty for violators of its monthly environmental sanitation regulation, especially parents who allow their wards to play football while the exercise is going on.


The Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Ali Makoda, stated this shortly after monitoring the exercise in Kano metropolis. The proposed stiffer sanctions will add to existing ones, including a range of fines for sanitations rules defaulters.

Read more : http://nigerianpilot.com/football-players-sanitation-prosecute-kano-state-government/