Day: December 4, 2019

Bandits set Niger village ablaze, kill 4, kidnap district head

Emporium Reporters

Unknown bandits who attacked one of the villages in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have forced residents to flee the area after setting it ablaze leaving no fewer than four people killed. The lawmaker representing All Progressives Congress in Niger-East, Senator Sani Musa, made this known during plenary on Wednesday. Sani also said the district head of the village had been kidnapped by bandits. He lamented the increased rate of banditry in the senatorial district, seeking a change in the security architecture of the area. On its verified…

Senate Passes Public Procurement Amendment Bills …to pass 2020 Budget Thursday

Emporium Reporters

Nigeria Senate on Wednesday passed the Public Procurement Act 2007 amendment bills before the National Assembly. This was as the President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, announced that the 2020 Appropriation bill before the National Assembly will be passed on Thursday, December 5, 2019. The passage of the Public Procurement bills by the upper chamber was sequel to presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Public Procurement. The three amendment bills are sponsored by Senators Shuaibu Isah (PDP, Taraba North); Uche Ekwunife (PDP, Anambra Central);…

EFCC Arraigns Mama Boko Haram for N66m fraud

Emporium Reporters

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday dragged Barr. Aisha Alkali Wakil popularly called Mama Boko Haram to court over allegations of fraud amounting to N66 million. Mama Boko Haram along with Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura, the Programme Manager of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, an NGO owned by Barr. Aisha Wakil was also joined in the suite. The case which was read before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on a-3 count charge borders on “cheating and conspiracy to the tune of N…

German Chancellor Visits Auschwitz-Birkenau camp

Emporium Reporters

The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will pay a historic visit to the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It will be Angela Merkel’s first visit to the Memorial Site after her 14 years in office and the third visit of an incumbent head of government. German chancellor will be accompanied by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The visit will mark the 10th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, established in 2009 to take care of the Memorial Site that is the area and the remains of the former German…

US Support for Nigeria’s “Hate Speech” Bill? By Farooq Kperogi

Emporium Reporters

Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi reported a US Embassy Political Officer by the name of Jerry Howard to have said that the hateful, ignorant, needlessly duplicative “hate speech” bill he is sponsoring in the Senate is “impressive.” I doubt that Mr. Howard ever said that. But if he did, he would be guilty of what former President George W Bush once called “the soft bigotry of low expectations”: a form of benign prejudice that sets a low bar for people thought to be inferior. I teach media law here in America…

PDP to APC: Your ‘Coup’ Against Democracy Cannot Stand

Emporium Reporters

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told the All Progressives Congress (APC) that its “coup” against democracy in Nigeria cannot stand, in spite of its orchestration of violence, killings and forceful seizure of electoral processes. The PDP insisted that no amount of blackmail, innuendos, threats and direct attacks by the APC will make it to drop its people-based demands for electoral reforms that will return our country to the democratic practice that engenders respect to the rights of our citizens for a free, fair, clean, clear and credible elections. The…

No Time for Frivolities, Rather it’s Time to do more.

Emporium Reporters

The 2019 Kogi State Gubernatorial Elections have come and gone.We thank the Almighty God and our good people for the reelection of Governor Yahaya Bello for a second term in office, with me as his Deputy. Throughout the campaigns His Excellency premised his request for a second term on the promise to do more and as his loyal follower I echo that resolve. However, the 2nd term starts after Inauguration on the 27th of January, 2020. Till then, our determination and duty is to finish this 1st term as strongly…

Court Orders Senators,Ex Govs To Refund Pensions Collected as Ex-govs

Emporium Reporters

A federal high court in Ikoyi has asked the federal government to recover pensions and allowances received by former and serving senators as ex-governors. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) disclosed the ”landmark judgement” in a tweet on Wednesday. The group sued the federal government in 2017 over its “failure to stop former governors from receiving double pay and life pensions”. It also sued the government for failing to seek the recovery of over “N40bn unduly received by the former governors” who are now serving senators and ministers. Other…

2019 Nigeria Supply Chain Management Conference Holds In Abuja

Emporium Reporters

The 3rd edition of Nigeria supply chain management conference is scheduled to hold on 5th December 2019, at the Reiz continental hotel Abuja. The theme for this year conference is “Supply Chain Management In Nigeria: The Role of Procurement, Logistics and Inventory Management”. The Guest Speakers expected at conference are : Director General Bureau of Public Procurement, Mamman Ahmad, who will be discussing on the impact of 2007 procurement act on the Nigeria economy,Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) will be discussing on the move from asycuda to…