Nigeria : News

[ThinkAfricaPress]After heavily disputed elections at the Nigeria Governors' Forum in May, divisions are growing within President Jonathan's party. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is a completely disorganised body with an "unclear mission" and "insecure future;" where "predatory sexual misconducts" are rife and the morale of its abused and exploited staff is next to zero, a report submitted by the association's"committee on professionalization of the NBA secretariat has said. (AllAfrica)

[allAfrica]Abuja -When Mathius Karoni shops for bread at his local Park 'n' Shop supermarket, he's not thinking about the contribution he's making to Nigeria's national budget or to the farmers struggling to scratch a living from small plots around the country. Nor is he connecting his purchases to reducing Nigeria's death rate for children under five – one of the highest in the world. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]Unless there is a last minute rush for tickets, the group game on Monday between Africa champions, Nigeria, and their Oceania counterparts, Tahiti, is set to get the unenviable tag as the least watched match by soccer fans at the FIFA Confederations Cup which starts this weekend in Brazil. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]On Monday, June 10, at the third round of the 2013 ministerial platform in Abuja, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, spoke glowingly about the Nigerian economy, saying the fundamentals were strong and that the economy was buoyant beyond danger. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, one of the leading multi-national exploration and production operators in the Nigerian oil and gas industry said on Thursday that its decision to dispose of part of its interest in two oil mining leases is to prioritize its portfolio and allow smaller operators opportunity to grow. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]Maiduguri -The Joint Task (JTF) has released Hassana Yakubu, wife of the wanted leader of the Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau, sources close to the federal government's Dialogue and Amnesty Committee told Daily Trust yesterday. (AllAfrica)

[Global Witness]Italy's Parliament yesterday debated the Government's response to questions put to it about Italian oil company ENI's conduct in acquiring Nigerian oil block OPL245. On 10th May Simon Taylor, director of Global Witness, attended the ENI shareholders meeting to put a series of specific questions to ENI's board regarding OPL245. ENI failed utterly to respond to these questions save essentially repeating that it had paid the Nigerian government. Because these issues are of highest public interest, Global Witn (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]In a desperate attempt to muddle-up facts, convicted felon, Dan Etete, has told a British High Court that he is not the owner of Malabu Oil and Gas and thus not the recipient of the $1.1 billion (N173 billion) fraudulently transferred to Malabu by the Goodluck Jonathan administration. The money was paid by oil giants, Shell and Eni, through the federal government, to Malabu. (AllAfrica)

[Pambazuka]Abuja -June 12, the day 20 years ago when a national election was dramatically annulled, reminds Nigerians of the extra mile some of their opportunistic compatriots could go for self and group-serving purposes (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]Nigeria's population is expected to surpass that of the U.S. before the middle of the century, according to a new United Nations, UN, World Population Prospects report. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]Despite proscribing them and officially declaring them terrorists, the Federal Government on Thursday began dialogue with the 104 Boko Haram suspects being detained in Lagos prisons. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]The Managing Editor of Media Trust, publishers of Daily Trust Newspapers, Suleiman Mohammed, is dead. Mr. Mohammed died on Thursday morning after collapsing at work. (AllAfrica)

[Vanguard]Lagos -The Federal Government on Thursday began dialogue with the 104 Boko Haram suspects being detained in Lagos prisons. (AllAfrica)

[Vanguard]Commuters and motorists plying the Oshodi Wharf/Apapa route are presently struggling to come to terms with the jolting, albeit shocking, reality that the suffering and pains now associated with the worsening traffic jam along the Mile Two/Berger axis of the expressway may continue for a long time to come. Since the traffic ordeal began over three weeks ago, there has not been any respite in sight as road users are greeted with a worse version of the problem each new day. (AllAfrica)

[Vanguard]Lagos -About 104 suspected members of the Boko Haram sect, currently being held at the Kirikiri Minimum and Maximum prisons, Lagos, might soon be released. (AllAfrica)

[Vanguard]Kaduna -Gunmen have attacked Kwasakwasa village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State killing several people including security personnel. The attack, which came four days after a similar one on three villages in the area, was said to have occurred at about 6 am on Thursday. (AllAfrica)

[Vanguard]Projections that Nigeria will begin to export refined petroleum products by 2016 may not materialise after all, as the International Energy Agency, IEA, said it expected a significant increase in oil processing with the coming on stream of new refineries in Asia and Middle East. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]The bonus row between the Super Eagles players and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been amicably resolved. Media officer of the team, Ben Alaiya said the issue was resolved after both parties agreed to leave it till after the Confederations Cup hostilities. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity Reuben Abati said his boss did not order the sacking of top police officers. (AllAfrica)

[Premium Times]The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Thursday listed Nigeria among 38 countries that have met internationally-established targets in the fight against hunger, ahead of the 2015 MDGs deadline. (AllAfrica)

[Vanguard]Abuja -The Presidency on Thursday refuted reports that President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered the sacking of top police officers. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]President of the Senate David Mark yesterday said that there is no going back on the issue of banning same sex marriage in the country, saying the National Assembly would not reverse itself on the issue. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]A bill to liberalise the process of impeachment of the president made its second reading in the House of Representatives over a week ago. The legislation seeks to amend Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution and 'simplify' the procedure. The promoters of the bill said that their intention was to put an end to consistent budget under-performance which they attributed to increasing occurrences of the executive branch's alleged impunity and misapplication of funds, among others. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]Nigeria is set to roll out firmer laws against smoking to guard against diseases related to tobacco consumption, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu announced, saying the current anti-smoking legislation in the country is weak. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]Three Lebanese who were arrested in Abuja in connection with the cache of weapons discovered in Kano have links to the military wing of the Hezbollah, the State Security Service (SSS) has said. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]Lagos -MTN Nigeria says it will discontinue SIM swaps by proxy effective from June 7, 2013, stating that after this date, customers who wish to 'swap' or replace their SIM cards as a result of their phones being stolen, destroyed or misplaced must do so in person. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]The Kano State Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Drugs on Wednesday uncovered three fake drugs manufacturing factories in the state. (AllAfrica)

[Daily Trust]The federal government adopted the process of guided liquidation for the moribund Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) transaction because the company's liabilities far outweigh its current value, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki has said. (AllAfrica)

[Leadership]The plight of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) highlights a major reason for the high unemployment rate in the country. Established in 1964 ostensibly to produce arms and ammunition for use by the Nigerian armed forces and other security agencies, DICON was also expected to utilise its anticipated excess capacity to produce machinery spare parts for industries and other products for civilian use. Forty-nine years after, the company is known more for the quality of its furniture and sal (AllAfrica)

DAKAR/NIAMEY 14 June 2013 (IRIN) - West African and Sahel countries are setting up measures to minimize flood damage as the annual rainy season approaches. The African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) in a seasonal weather outlook says near-average or above-average rainfall is likely over the western Sahel, which stretches across Mauritania, Senegal and western and central Niger. (irinnews.org)