₦airaland Forum

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, on Wednesday, reaffirmed that the military would intensify its offensive in the Sambisa Forest until the area was completely rid of terrorists.
Speaking at the inauguration of some projects at Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, he said that the “Operation Crack Down” recently launched into Sambisa was yielding positive results.“The operation is
progressing and part of the benefits was the rescue of the two Chibok girls.“The operation is ongoing and we will continue until we rid that place of all terrorists,” he said.

See More Here>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/06/no-retreat-for-military-in-sambisa.html

The House of Representatives has resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate the remote causes of the recent attack by alleged herdsmen on Oke-Ako Community in Ekiti State.
The House during plenary on Wednesday directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr SolomonAraseto deploy police personnel to the affected areas to avert likely reprisal attacks.

See More Here>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/06/reps-to-investigate-alleged-herdsmen.html

the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged party members who are pursuing court cases against the party to withdraw such cases and embrace reconciliation.
The litigants were advised against involving external forces in the affairs of the party but to find amicable means of settling their differences.


Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/pdp-board-of-trustee-backs-makarfis.html

Yesterday the Senate passed the Repeal and Re-enactment of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act Bill (2016) for the third and final time in the Upper Chamber.
Many of you will remember that after the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) in March, stakeholders from the business community and Senators agreed that this should be one of the priority bills that the 8th Senate should embark on to strengthen our economy.

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/senate-pass-bankruptcy-for-third-and.html

Embattled former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Acting Chairman Ali Modu Sheriff yesterday lost more support as eight members of his National Working Committee (NWC) jumped ship. They supported the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.


more here>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/pdp-kpalava-ex-nwc-chiefs-dump-sheriff.html

The Federal Government has explained why former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) was still being held by the Department of State Services (DSS).
It said Dasuki was being held on the ground of national security, owing to his involvement in the over $2 billion arms deal and for his safety.
The government added that with the quantum of arms and ammunition recovered from Dasuki’s Abuja home, which he allegedly kept illegally, there was the general apprehension that he possesses more, which the state was yet to discover.

More Here>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/dasuki-cannot-be-released-or-grant-bail.html

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Olisa Metuh has urged a Federal High Court in Abuja for permission to travel to the United Kingdom for five weeks on medical ground.
The request is contained in an application filed by Metuh’s lawyer, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), seeking the release of his client’s travel passport for that purpose.

More Here>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/metuh-begs-court-for-permission-to.html

The Nigeria senate on Wednesday morning, May 18, 2016, rose from an early hour meeting, calling on the senate committee on labour to dialogue with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the ongoing strike

A senate meeting, presided over by the senate deputy president, Ike Ekweremadu, gave the committee two weeks to dialogue with the labour unions and report its findings back to the house.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has two factions. While the Joe Ajaero’s faction opted out of the strike, ostensibly in support of the federal government decision to increase the pump price of petrol by 70%, the faction led by Wabba described the Industrial Court’s ruling barring the NLC strike as a “blackmarket injunction”, hence the strike action which has paralysed economic activities across the country.

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/senate-commitee-has-two-weeks-to.html

The Lagos State government has started online registration of jobless people to enable it develop appropriate intervention programmes.
The exercise, under the auspices of the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, will also provide data and profiles of jobless youths, with a view to training them.

Unemployed youths are advised to register online at http://wealthcreation.lagosstate.gov.ng/employment-registrationlagos.
During registration, residents will be expected to provide pertinent information, including education level and skills.

SOURCE:>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/lagos-begins-online-registration-of.html

The Senate on Wednesday eulogized the late Oba of Benin, Omo N’oba N’edo Uku Akpolokpolo.
This followed a motion by Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo south) and two other Senators from Edo State.

Senator Urhoghide urged the Senate to note with grief, the death of His Royal Majesty, Omo N’oba N’edo Uku Akpolokpolo, the Oba of Benin, as announced by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, on April 29.
He said that Oba Erediauwa reigned for 37 years.

More Here>>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/see-why-senate-eulogizes-late-oba-of.html

The Senate Wednesday resolved to interface with the Federal Government and the organised labour on an early resolution of the industrial action by a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/fuel-price-strike-senate-to-interface.html

The Senate Wednesday resolved to interface with the Federal Government and the organised labour on an early resolution of the industrial action by a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the fuel price hike.
The upper chamber mandated its Committee on Labour to interface with both the Federal Government and the organised labour to ensure that issues that led to the strike are quickly resolved

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/fuel-price-strike-senate-to-interface.html

Govt, NLC faction raise panel to review petrol price, minimum wage

http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/govt-nlc-faction-raise-panel-to-review.html

Saraki’s Trial: Only Lead Counsel Can Cross-examine Witness, Court Says

SOurce:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/sarakis-trial-only-lead-counsel-can.html

Sequel to the renewed attacks on oil installation by militants in the Niger Delta region, there has been insinuation that President Muhammadu Buhari may approach his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the situation which is threatening to plunge the Nigerian economy further into crisis.

The Niger Delta Avengers, a newly formed militant group, have threatened to cripple the nation’s economy by launching attacks on oil and gas installation in the Niger Delta region. The group has claimed responsibility for attacks that reportedly resulted in a sharp drop in the nation’s oil output from 2.2m to 1.65m barrels per day and has vowed to continue its attack of pipeline in spite of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent threat to deal with

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/militancy-is-buhari-under-fire-for.html

The federal government has reached an agreement with the Joe Ajaero led faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to set up a committee to resolve agitations over the new pump price of petrol.

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/fuel-price-hike-fg-reaches-agreement.html

The Nigerian Senate is backing the Federal Government in its decision to remove subsidy on petrol and peg the pump price of the product at 145 per litre, upping it by over 67.6 per cent.
The Senate took the decision on Tuesday after holding a closed-door meeting which lasted for about an hour.

Rising from the meeting, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekwerenmadu, said the Senate had resolved to engage with the Federal Government to find out sustainable ways of improving the welfare of Nigerians.

He told reporters that the Senate sympathised with Nigerians for the hardship which the new price of petrol would cause and therefore called on the government to implement the palliatives in the 2016 budget.

The Senate’s position on the issue is coming a day after the House of Representatives invited the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to brief the house on why the Federal Government took the decision.

Some lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party refused to allow the Minister address the special session of the House, in protest of the petrol price increase.

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/nigerian-senate-back-federal.html

Sequel to the renewed attacks on oil installation by militants in the Niger Delta region, there has been insinuation that President Muhammadu Buhari may approach his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the situation which is threatening to plunge the Nigerian economy further into crisis

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/militancy-is-buhari-under-fire-for.html

National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, sign an undertaking not to contest the 2019 presidential ticket in 2018 threw a meeting of the party’s National Assembly members into an uproar yesterday. The lawmakers, at the end of the meeting, remained divided over the
candidature of Sheriff for the office of National Chairman and constituted a committee to resolve differences within 24 hours. Instead of having Sheriff as the single candidate for the position of National Chairman, a sizeable propor-tion of the PDP lawmakers sought for the contest to be made open to all.............

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/how-sheriff-divided-pdp-lawmakers-over.html

The African aviation insurance pool’s premium dropped by 40 per cent from $2,670,621 million in 2014 to N1,021,77 million last year, the 2016 Annual Review of African Insurance Organisation (AIO) released at the ongoing 43rd AIO conference and General Assembly in Marrakech, Morocco has shown.
The review showed that in the oil and gas sector of the regional market, the oil and energy pool with 50 underwriting members from 14 African countries in 2010 recorded gross premium income of N21,103,565 million against N16,350,761 million in 2011.

“The African Aviation Pool, a consortium of countries underwriting aviation insurance also recorded a drop in its gross premium from $3,249,244 million in 2012 to $2,670,622 million in 2013.
“The pool profit also reduced between 2013 and 2014 from N1,517,317 million in 2014 to N371,904 in 2013.
“In the oil and gas sector, the regional market, as the African Oil and Energy pool with 50 underwriting members from 14 African countries in 2010 recorded gross premium income of N21,103,565 million against N16,350,761 million in 2011,” the report read in part.
The review further showed that the formation of a local oil and energy pool by Nigeria affected the performance of the sub-regional pool.
In February last year, the Nigerian insurance underwriters, in their bid to ensure active participation in underwriting of businesses of oil multinationals in the country, formed their own energy pool.
Immediate past president of AIO, Mrs Lamia Ben Mahmoud, urged members of the pool to cooperate with each other in order to improve on their performance

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/african-aviation-oil-gas-insurance.html

Telecommunication giant MTN Nigeria has introduced a special tariff plan for new subscribers which it calls MTN StartPack.
The MTN StartPack is designed to welcome new customers with great and exciting voice and data offers. The offers are automatically activated as soon as a customer successfully registers a new MTN number.

MTN Executive AminaOyagbola, said: “The introduction of MTN StartPack is in line with MTN’s commitment to giving more value to our customers from the very beginning. This is why new subscribers will immediately enjoy six times the value of any recharge, 10MB on every recharge of N200 and above as well as free data on the MTN Deal Zone. The new value proposition also aligns with MTN’s quest of deepening internet penetration in Nigeria. ”

more here>>http://payetech..com.ng/2016/05/mtn-excites-new-subscribers-with.html

The Court of Appeal, Abuja has fixed May 31 for the hearing of a fresh appeal by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to try him on charges of false asset declaration.
A five-man panel of the court, led by Justice Abdul Aboki, chose the date Monday to accommodate a request by Saraki’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) for a 14-day adjournment to enable him study the response filed on behalf of the respondents, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).


Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/appeal-court-set-may-31-for-sarakis.html

A KEY member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has seen danger in Senate President Bukola Saraki’s alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It is dangerous for President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso said yesterday.
In his view, the political romance will create inhibitions for the Buhari administration .

Dr. Saraki was elected Senate President on June 9 after he rejected the APC’s choice, Ahmed Lawan and struck a deal with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The pact produced Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.
To Kwankwaso, this happened because the APC leadership missed some vital steps and gave ample opportunity to Saraki’s group, which used it effectively.

his prove here>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/kwankwaso-saraki-pdp-alliance-is-threat.html

Saraki Seeks More Powers For ECOWAS Parliament
Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Monday called for more powers for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, if the aim of the subregion to achieve full integration is to be realized.

Saraki made the call in his speech at the opening of the First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate ........

full speech here>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/photosaraki-seeks-more-powers-for.html

The trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal resumes today May 10th after a 10-day adjournment. Saraki is being tried for alleged false declaration of assets while he.

Source:http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/cct-trail-resumedphoto-bukola-saraki-in.html

Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc has announced a Profit Before Tax increase of 11.8 per cent from N5.1 billion in 2014 financial to N5.7 in the 2015 financial year. The company would however pay a total dividend of 20 kobo per share in respect of the results of the year under review.

In the same vein, the strength of the group was demonstrated in the structure of its assets which stood at N57 billion with cash, cash equivalents and financial assets component making up more than N38 billion, or approximately 66 per cent of the total assets.


Detail here>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/custodian-and-allied-insurance-plc.html

Rough times are on the way for looters, with President Muhammadu Buhari stepping up the anti-corruption battle.
The President will soon send a list of corruption convicts and suspects on trial to the United Kingdom and many other countries.

http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/rough-time-for-looters-as-buhari-head.html

Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc has announced a Profit Before Tax increase of 11.8 per cent from N5.1 billion in 2014 financial to N5.7 in the 2015 financial year. The company would however pay a total dividend of 20 kobo per share in respect of the results of the year under review.

In the same vein, the strength of the group was demonstrated in the structure of its assets which stood at N57 billion with cash, cash equivalents and financial assets component making up more than N38 billion, or approximately 66 per cent of the total assets.
The underwriting firm’s gross revenue also increased by 19 per cent to N29.8 billion. Chairman, Custodian and Allied Plc, Chief Michael Ade Oio who made this known at the company’s 21st Annual General Meeting said despite the tumultuous business environment of 2015, it did not only survive but thrived respectably.

READ MORE>>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/custodian-and-allied-insurance-plc.html

Leadway Assurance Company has posted a 37 per cent growth in assets to the tune of N137.3 billion in its 2015 financial year results from N100.5 billion in 2014.
A review of its results presented at its 44th Annual General Meeting showed that the company recorded 125 per cent growth in the company’s profit after tax to N6.3 billon from N2.8 billion in 2014.
The company also paid claims in excess of N14.3 billion, a 13 per cent increase from the N 12.7 billion record of 2015.
It, however, wrote a 20 per cent increase in gross premium from N39 billion in the prior year to N46.6 billion.
With good performance on its investments, Leadway reported a record 125% growth in the company’s profit after tax to N6.3bn from N2.8bn in 2014.


READ MORE HERE>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/leadway-records-n1373b-assets-reports.html

Given the multipronged and comprehensive development of bilateral relations, the theme for today’s Summit, China-Africa Cooperation: Who Really benefits? in my opinion catches the key point. Economic and trade cooperation always play the role of ballast in the development of China-Nigeria relations. It is very symbolic that we gather here today with so many friends in politics and business from both China and Nigeria, to renew our friendship and advance cooperation, which I believe will instill more positive energy into long-term development of bilateral relations and pragmatic cooperation.

The past year of 2015 witnessed bilateral relationship between China and Nigeria going through an important historical period and mounting a new step, with care and efforts from leaders of both countries. Bilateral political relationship advanced steadily. High-level leaders exchanged visits frequently. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Nigerian President Buhari twice last year. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, reached wide-ranging consensus, charted the direction of future.....


READ MORE HERE>>http://www.sarakinews.com/2016/05/our-economic-pact-with-nigeria-by.html