The Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has promised leaders from his home state, “I will so perform that Nigerians will ask that another Bayelsa son should be the President of Nigeria”.

He said these words while playing host to royal fathers from Bayelsa State who came to pay him a Christmas and solidarity visit in the Presidential Villa.

The delegation was led by the Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Seriaki Dickson.

Dickson said that Bayelsans were proud of President Jonathan and have come to show that even at Christmas they were with him.

Wishing him victory in the 2015 presidential election, the Bayelsa royal fathers did not mince words in expressing their support for the President.

Gladdened by their choice of words, President Jonathan also recognised that the 2015 election was not just about Bayelsa people alone but for all Nigerians to decide.

He, however, reassured them of giving his best as President, promising not to disappoint them for the trust they have put in him.

The President, who has worked with many of them in the past, expressed joy as he is always pleased to see them around.

The guests also presented the President with a bold greeting card from the government and people of Bayelsa State.

Governor Seriake Dickson had, on Monday, predicted victory for President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.

This was at the last edition of the state’s monthly praise night at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa.

Asking for prayers on behalf of the President, the Governor also urged voters in the state to obtain their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in readiness for the general election.

“With constant prayers from Bayelsans and leaders at all levels, he would emerge victorious, because God answers prayers,” he said.

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The Ogun State Government has paid workers’ salaries for December 2014 with 10 percent bonus.

Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, made this known on Monday while addressing newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital.

He disclosed that in spite of the huge reduction in Federal Allocation, as a result of which many states have not been able to pay their workers for about three months, the Ibikunle Amosun administration has painstakingly ensured the full payment of workers’ salaries.

“Since July 2013, all the states in the country have been undergoing definite degree of financial uncertainties. As at last month, 23 states were not able to pay salaries while in Ogun State, salary has never been an issue,” he said.

Adeoluwa also applauded the governor’s investment initiatives, which he said has brought many foreign investors to the state and also enforced all dwellers in the state to remit their taxes to the state of their residence.

He stated that this has increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from which the government would be able to pay the workers without borrowing.

He pointed out that the state has never borrowed to pay workers’ salaries due to the investment initiatives of the present administration.

“I imagine what would have been the lot of the state if His Excellency had not brought investors, which has increased the IGR from N730million to over N6billion in the state.

“The government has been working round the clock to ensure that workers celebrate the New Year with smiles on their faces,” he said.

While fielding questions from journalists, the State Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, also stressed that the State Government has been able to achieve this fit through its IGR from employees of labour and tax remittance from residence who work in nearby states.

She added that the 10% bonus has been paid alongside the …read more      

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has approved the release of 2015 Q1 allocation to marketers for the importation of petroleum products.

A statement issued by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), said the early release is in furtherance of the Minister’s resolve at ensuring continuous and robust products supply in the system.

According to the statement, the Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, while calling on motorists not to engage in panic buying, assured that, “there is ample supply of petroleum products in the country”, adding that “discharges and truck-out had continued in spite of the holidays and the festive periods”.

The PPPRA further explained that apart from facilitating an improved national Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) supply and stock build-up, the effort is also to enable marketers make adequate preparations towards products sourcing and importation early in the New Year.

“The Petroleum Minister had commenced a regime of early release of quarterly PMS allocations in addition to supplementary allocations to complement the national demand”, the statement added.

According to the PPPRA, the early approvals, “apart from providing additional imports to supplement the prevailing stock level in the system, is now responsible for the sustained availability of petroleum products across the country at regulated prices”.

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Friday, January 2, 2015 as public holiday to mark Eid el Maloud.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, on behalf of the government.

In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Makaji Abdulahi, Moro urged Muslim faithful and all Nigerians to pray for the peace and unity of the country.

Moro further urged all Nigerians to engage in violent free activities in the run off to the 2015 general elections and to support President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda to move Nigeria to the next level of development.

Moro also wished all Muslim faithful and Nigerians a very peaceful celebration.

The Federal Government had earlier declared January 1, 2015 as public holiday to mark the New Year.

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Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has appealed to residents to vote for candidates with people-oriented programmes like the All Progressives Congress, APC candidates.

Governor Fashola gave this advice during a town-hall meeting with artisans and tradesmen in the state, where representatives of various associations expressed their support for continuity in the state.

It was one of several gatherings being attended by Governor Fashola and the APC governorship candidate, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, few weeks after his emergence as the party’s flag bearer for the 2015 general elections.

The presence of the APC vice presidential candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and the Lagos deputy governorship candidate, Dr. Idiat Adebule, showed that the visit was more of a campaign strategy.

Considering their importance to the state economy, the team met with the artisans, tradesmen and farmers to seek their votes in the 2015 elections, explaining why the people should vote for continuity.

Representatives of the artisans applauded the state government’s effort on the associations, but while the candidates asked for votes, the artisans asked for more support for their businesses.

85 percent of residents of Lagos are from the informal sector, an indication that they make the bulk of the state economy.

Their votes would, therefore, go a long way to determine the outcome of the 2015 elections.

The election would provide them the opportunity to make decisions about their future.

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Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kayode Idowu.

The Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kayode Idowu, on Tuesday defended the decision by the Commission to redeploy Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), maintaining that “it is just a routine operational procedure”.

While noting that “the decision is for the good running of the commission”, he said the “commission is yet to publish the list of nominated candidates and cannot reject any candidate nominated by a political party”, adding that what INEC has published is the “personal particulars of candidates”.

INEC had redeployed its RECs in 36 states and the FCT as part of preparations for the 2015 general elections.

INEC Secretary, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, has also directed the commissioners to conclude all handing and taking over formalities by Dec. 31, 2014.
According to her, Prof. O.E. Onukaogu has been deployed from Abia to Enugu State; Prof. Tukur Sa’ad from Adamawa to Bauchi State and Ahmed Makama from Bauchi State to Taraba.

Accordingly, Mike Igini has been deployed from Edo to Delta; Selina Oko from Ebonyi to Abia; Edwin Nwatarali from Enugu State to Anambra and Sadiq Abubakar from Kaduna State to Sokoto State.

Similarly, Jibrin Zarewa from Kano State to Kebbi; Hussaini Mahuta from Kastina to Kaduna; Abubakar Wara from Kebbi to Zamfara; Emmanuel Onucheyo from Kogi to Kwara and Rufus Akeju from Lagos to Oyo State.

Abdullahi Danyaya from Niger to Nasarawa; Timothy Ibitoye from Osun to Ogun; A.L. Ogunmola from Oyo to Osun; Barito Kphagih from Rivers to Bayelsa and Haliru Tambuwal from Sokoto to Jigawa.

Kassim Geidam from Yobe to Gombe; Ibrahim Marafa from Zamfara to Kastina State; Aniedi Ikoiwak from Akwa Ibom to Delta; Habu Zarma from Gombe to Yobe and Akin Orebiyi from Ogun to Lagos.

Hussaini Halilu Pai from …read more      

Somali officials say an intelligence chief from the al-Shabab Islamist group was among those killed by a US air strike on Monday. …read more      

AirAsia CEO takes responsibility for flight that crashed into the sea off Borneo, says the company will work to ensure a speedy investigation. Gavino Garay reports.

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The Inspector General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, on Tuesday, donated over seven million naira to widows of police officers killed in Alakio in 2013 and 14 others declared missing in Gwoza, Borno State.

The cash donation, which Mr Abba said was part of his celebration of the Yuletide with families of the deceased policemen, also included bags of rice, tubers of yam and vegetable oil.

Making the presentation to widows at the 38 Mobile Police Squadron in Akwanga, the Inspector-General pledged the commitment of the Nigerian Police to protect and care for its own.

Mr Abba assured the widows of the police’s commitment never to abandon them as they grapple with the challenge of losing their bread winners.

Widows of the missing policemen got 500,000 naira each and the Alakio widows got 10,000 naira each in addition to 20 tubers of yam, a bag of rice and vegetable oil.

Just as the presentation of the cash and food items was underway, the IG also shared a meal with the widows of the deceased policemen as there was also a barbecue spot.

The Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa State, Yakubu Usman, thanked the Inspector-General of Police for seeing to the needs of the widows during the festive season.

However, some of the recipients, who were full of praise for the Inspector-General of Police, appealed for employment opportunities to enable them support their families on their own.

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Russia’s opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who has been accused of defrauding two firms has now been found guilty and sentenced to a suspended prison term of three-and-a-half years.

His brother, Oleg, has been given a three-and-a-half year custodial sentence in the same trial.

The brothers were convicted of stealing 30m roubles (£334,600; $518,100) from the firms, one of which is an affiliate of French cosmetics giant, Yves Rocher.

They have also been fined 500,000 roubles (£5,460; $9,030) each and have been ordered to pay some 4m roubles in damages.

Navalny, accuses the government of President Vladimir Putin of widespread corruption, saying the charges are politically motivated.

The verdict was to be announced next month, but the court session was abruptly moved forward to Tuesday after his supporters announced plans for a big protest rally on January 15.

Tuesday’s verdict is the latest in a series of criminal cases against Navalny, which he says are fabricated to neutralise his influence.

In 2013 he came second in Moscow’s mayoral election, supported by 27% of voters.

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