Missing $20 Bn: Sanusi Faults Alison-Madueke, Says Audit Report Proves At Least $18.5bn Lost

A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has reacted to the recent audit report by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the alleged missing $20 billion oil money, saying the report has confirmed in the first instance that at least $18.5 billion was indeed missing.

The Emir of Kano faulted the petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who said the report had exonerated the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, earlier accused of diverting the money.

In an opinion article published by the Financial Times of London, Mr. Sanusi, said the argument that the outstanding amount was used by the NNPC for apparently unlawful purposes such as kerosene subsidy, does not dismiss the notion that the NNPC illegally withheld billions of oil dollars from the government.

Bloody clash looms in Anambra communities

There is a looming communal crisis over a piece of land between the people of Umuoji and Nkpor in Idemili local government area of Anambra State.
Addressing reporters shortly after its emergency meeting, the President-General of Dimboko, Umuoji, Chief Tony Onwuachu, claimed that Okofia land which was in dispute between the two communities belonged to them.
According to him, his community has been farming on the land in ages past without molestation or any form of attack until recently when some miscreants from Nkpor started attacking them over the land even when a court of competent jurisdiction in a consent judgement had ruled that the land belonged to his community.
He added that the piece of land was registered with the Ministry of Lands with the title of Dim Onyia Estate.

SENATE PRESIDENCY BID: EX-GOVERNORS QUEUE BEHIND SARAKI AS ONE OF THEIR OWN FOR SENATE PRESIDENT SLOT

Some Peoples Democratic Party Governors-elect on Tuesday night attended a meeting held by some of their All Progressives Congress counterparts rooting for the emergence of former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki as the Senate President.
The PUNCH learnt that the meeting which held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja had 65 senators-elect in attendance.
A source who attended the meeting listed Godswill Akpabio, Theodore Orji and Sam Egwu among the PDP senators-elect that were in attendance.
Our source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said some of the PDP senators-elect were backing Saraki because it appeared that the APC leaders were in support of Ahmad Lawan.
The source said, “For now, the PDP has not endorsed any candidate but some of us are in support of Saraki because the APC leaders appear to be supporting Lawan.”

South African Airways enabler for tourism and driver of economic growth

South African Airways enabler for tourism and driver of economic growth
Movement of people and goods by air more important than ever before.
South African Airways (SAA), the South African National Flag Carrier, has a specific and important role to play as an enabler for tourism and a driver of economic growth through trade. The movement of people and goods by air is more important than ever before.
Nico Bezuidenhout, SAA’s Acting Chief Executive, emphasised at the Durban Tourism Indaba SAA’s continued support of the economy and tourism through the effort the airline has made in bringing stability by implementing its 90-Day Action Plan.

Obiano’s wife acquires land to build elderly people’s home

Wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano, receiving the Ambulance keys from Dr. Obi and Barrister (Mrs.) Rosaline Ifezulike, with wife of Anambra East LGA Chairman, Mrs. Jennifer Udeanoh (extreme right) during the presentation of Ford Ambulance to CAFÉ

The dream of the wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano to touch the lives of the young and old people through her pet project, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ) appears realizable as she has acquired sizeable hectares of land for the establishment of Old People’s Homes in the three Senatorial Districts of the State.
Speaking in an interactive session with pressmen in Awka,
Chief (Mrs.) Obiano said that her passion for taking care of the aged over the years exposed her to the realization that what the old people in our society need most is attention and care.  According to the governor’s wife, “you would agree with me that the social safety-net imbued by our practice of the extended family system is not as strong as it used to be. Today you find the older folks not getting the necessary attention they deserve because the younger ones are busy struggling to build their own life. Even where it exists, you find out that what the elderly desire most is the company of others. That is one cushion they will get in the proposed Old peoples’ home.”

Obiano Commiserates with Azikiwe Family

Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano has condoled the Azikiwe Family and Obi of Onitsha on the death of Chief Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe, Owelle of Onitsha, eldest son of Nigeria’s first president, the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe on Sunday May 11, 2015, aged 75.

Obiano in the condolence message stated that he was shocked when he got the news of the demise of Chief Chukwuma Azikiwe, a 1964 Harvard Business graduate whom he described as a political leader in his own right.

PHOTO; FORMER BRITISH PM TONY BLAIR MEETS WITH MUHAMMADU BUHARI AT THE DEFENSE HOUSE ABUJA

President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari meets with Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the Defense House in Abuja on May 13th 2015 ...The former PM also met with the vice-president elect, Prof Yemi Osinbajo -as he congratulated both on their victory at the presidential polls

NURSING MOTHER TREKS FROM MINNA TO ABUJA WITH HER 40 DAY-OLD BABY

Since the victory of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28 presidential election in Nigeria, many Nigerians have been trekking in solidarity and celebration of his victory from different directions of the country to Abuja, the nation’s federal capital city. The latest in the league of the trekkers is a 35 year old nursing mother, Mrs. Alice Daniel, who is now on her way from Minna to Abuja to fulfil a promise she made also, just before the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections. Narrating her story in an exclusive interview with Newsline, Mrs. Alice, a mother of five, said it all started when her husband, Abdulwasiu informed her that he had a dream that President Goodluck Jonathan was going to lose the presidential election to Gen.Buhari. She said she told her husband that it would not be possible for an incumbent president to lose the election to an opposition candidate, adding that even if he won, he would not be declared winner as was the case in the 2007 and 2011. At the time, she said, she was heavily pregnant and due for the labour ward. Mrs. Alice said prior to the election, the issue came up again in one of their discussions with her husband and three other people present, where she promised that if Gen. Buhari won the election and was declared winner she would trek from Minna to Abuja to personally congratulate him for the victory

PRESIDENT PIERRE NKURUNZIZA OF BURUNDI OVERTHROWN

A top Burundian general on Wednesday announced the overthrow of President Pierre Nkurunziza, following weeks of violent protests against the president’s bid to stand for a third term. General Godefroid Niyombare, a powerful former intelligence chief, announced the coup attempt hours after the president left for neighbouring Tanzania for talks with regional leaders on ending the crisis.
“President Pierre Nkurunziza is removed from office, the government is dissolved,” General Niyombare said in the radio broadcast. “All people are asked to respect the lives and property of others,” he added. Niyombare is a highly respected figure who was sacked from his position as the central African nation’s powerful chief of intelligence in February. The general said on private radio that he was committed to the democratic process and would work with others towards holding elections.
He said he would form a “committee for the restoration of national harmony,” a temporary body whose “mission, among others, is the restoration of national unity… and the resumption of the electoral process in a peaceful and fair environment.” There was no immediate reaction from Nkurunziza, who was in neighbouring Tanzania to meet with leaders of the five-nation East African Community (EAC) — made up of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Burundi — who are trying to mediate an end to the crisis.

PHOTOS; ATIKU ABUBAKAR AND BOLA TINUBU WELCOME MAN WHO TREKKED FROM YOLA TO ABUJA IN HONOUR OF APC

Abubakar Wali, the man who trekked from Yola-Abuja in honour of APC's victory has been welcomed by the former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar and APC national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was welcomed in Abuja on Tuesday (yesterday) at the residence of the ex vice president after a meeting with APC executives from Bauchi state.