Recovered assets: Information Ministry to provide details next week - Presidency

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu has said that Buhari has kept his promise of making public, the details of stolen/recovered public assets.

Shehu disclosed in a series of tweets on Sunday that the Information Ministry has been updating the information with records from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and other sources and will be ready with the details by Thursday.

@GarShehu
6. The minister should be ready with this when work resumes, possibly Wednesday or Thursday. #HappyDemocracyDay

Garba Shehu
@GarShehu
5. Going forward, he has asked them to update the information periodically.

Garba Shehu
@GarShehu
4. ...and actual status with regard to frozen sums in banks and assets held wherever they are.

Garba Shehu
@GarShehu
3. Records will be obtained from the CBN and the investigation agencies regarding recovery and seizures,...

Garba Shehu
@GarShehu
2. He has given directive that the information be put out by the Ministry of Information.

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Ask Information Ministry for details of recovered loot - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari during his Democracy Day broadcast on Sunday reneged on his promise to disclose details of assets recovered from corrupt public officials.

He however said that the Ministry of Information and Culture would provide those details in due course.

Buhari disclosed that several past government officials are currently standing trial for corruption and other economic crimes committed during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.

“We are engaged in making recoveries of stolen assets some of which are in different jurisdictions. The process of recovery can be tedious and time consuming, but today I can confirm that thus far, significant amount of assets have been recovered.

“A considerable portion of these are at different stages of recovery. Full details of the status and categories of the assets will now be published by the Ministry of Information and updated periodically.

“When forfeiture formalities are completed these monies will be credited to the treasury and be openly and transparently used in funding developmental projects and the public will be informed," he said.

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IED rips through Keke Napep killing 5 in Borno

A tricycle known as Keke Napep in local parlance was on Sunday ripped apart when one of its tyres stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device buried near a military checkpoint in Borno.

According to Army spokesman, Col Sani Kukasheka Usman, the incident claimed the lives of the four occupants of the Keke Napep and a soldier on duty.

"Unfortunately, the IED exploded instantly killing 4 persons comprising of a woman with her baby and 2 other male adults.

"Three other persons were injured including a soldier and they were immediately evacuated to Biu General Hospital. We regret to state that the injured soldier also died at the hospital.

"The general area has been cordoned off and Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) team from Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Buratai have been mobilized to carryout further search of the area.

"Preliminary investigations shows that the IED was buried long time ago undetected. It exploded when the tricycle erroneously stepped on it."

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VP Osinbajo to represent Nigeria at ACP Summit in Papua New Guinea

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the 8th Summit of Heads of State of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States begins in Papua New Guinea on Monday,

According to the spokesman of the Vice president, Mr Laolu Akande, Osinbajo left Abuja for the two day event on Sunday morning and is expected back on Thursday.

President Buhari also confirmed the development on Twitter.

@NGRPresident
VP Prof Osinbajo will join leaders from 78 other countries to address the summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

@NGRPresident
Vice President Prof Osinbajo will represent Nigeria at the 8th ACP Summit holding in Papua New Guinea from May 30-June 1.

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British Airways not pulling out of Nigeria

British Airways has denied reports that it is planning to quit Nigeria because of a huge debt it is being owed.

Mr Kola Olayinka, Country Manager British Airways had earlier been quoted as saying that the “U.K. carrier is struggling to repatriate its share of the $575 million that Nigeria currently owes the airline from tickets sold in Nigeria.”

However, the airline in a statement issued on Sunday denied the report.

According to the statement,
“ Our attention has been called to reports in several newspapers Sunday that British Airways is considering an exit from Nigeria.

“British Airways has a long history in Nigeria, having begun operations in the country 80 years ago as Imperial Airways.

"Nigeria remains a strategic market for BA and our operations locally are very strong. We have not issued any statements at any time indicating that we are on the verge of terminating operations in the country. We will continue to operate to Nigeria.”

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Ganduje to support 100,000 Kano youths in rice farming

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State told a town hall meeting in Kano on Sunday that he would support no less than 100,000 youths in rice production this farming season.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was held to mark the 2016 Democracy Day. .

Ganduje said that registration of interested youths is already in progress with a view to giving them the necessary support before farming activities begin in full.

He assured that the state government would support the youths with fertilizer, improved seeds and other necessary agricultural inputs in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to diversifying the economy.

The governor disclosed that government has purchased 240 trucks of fertilizer from Kano State Agricultural Supply Company, KASCO for distribution to the farmers.

NAN

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Foreign sponsorship: Borno govt to withdraw non-performing medical students

The Borno State Government has warned 10 of the 60 medical students on State sponsorship in Sudan that they risk being withdrawn if they fail to improve on their academic performance.

According to the officials of the two private universities where the girls are studying, 50 of them are about to move to 300 level while the remaining 10 have put in average performance.

Governor Kashim Shettima who is on a four day working tour of Sudan visited the girls to personally assess their performance.

He told the 10 girls with poor academic records that government would discontinue their sponsorship if they failed to perform impressively.

The governor's spokesman, Isa Gusau said in a statement that the 10 have been given a last chance to improve or return home to study less tasking courses in local universities.

“The 10 girls on last chance have been performing low in academics according to their reports personally assessed by Governor Shettima who looked at academic transcripts of each of the sixty girls now approaching part three at National University which has 29 girls and Elrazi University which has 31 girls.

“The governor’s visit to the schools where 60 girls from Borno state study medicine was the first since the programme began in 2014 during his first term in office.

“Shettima was highly impressed with the performance of 50 of the girls particularly three of them, Rebecca Akila Ndahi from Hawul Local Government Area, Aisha Hala from Jere and Fatima Kabiru Kashiku from Shani Local Government Area of Borno, who have the three best academic records out of 29 girls studying medicine at the National University, Khartoum,” the statement said.

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