Today's National Newspaper Headlines/News - 17/4/2015

Good Morning!

Than goodness,it is FRIDAY!

Seen the News headlines?

PUNCH

*GROUP DEFENDS IGBO SUPPORT FOR JONATHAN

A socio-cultural group, Igbo Youth Movement, has defended the bloc votes given to President Goodluck Jonathan by the Igbo in the presidential election.

Majority of Igbo votes went to Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party although he eventually lost to Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress.

Several analysts have faulted the manner in which the Igbo voted in the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections, with many arguing that the South-East had lost relevance in national politics as a result of the outcome of the polls.

It is also being speculated that the South-East would be sidelined in the coming dispensation by the loss of a chance to produce the Senate President, following the ruling party’s impending relegation into a minority in the National Assembly.

But the Igbo Youth Movement, in a statement in Enugu, stressed that the Igbo voted according to their conviction and have no cause for regrets.

The IYM insisted that the voting pattern exhibited by the Igbo in the presidential and National Assembly polls was in line with their belief that the country should be restructured.

The President of the IYM, Elliot Uko, who issued the statement, condemned what he described as the “spate of abuses on the Igbo nation from some quarters regarding the election.”

Uko described the abuses as annoying and eye-opening.

REVEALED: PLOT TO ABDUCT JEGA DURING PRESIDENTIAL POLL

Fresh facts have emerged on the March 31 attempt by a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, to scuttle the announcement of the March 28 presidential election results.

The main part of Orubebe’s action, according to Reuters on Thursday, was a plot to use hired thugs to kidnap the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and consequently stall the electoral process.

The news agency quoted unnamed pro-democracy advocates and a Nigeria-based diplomat as saying that one of Jega’s aides unearthed the plot.

It said that the aide had sent a text message to an independent voting monitor, “warning of an imminent threat to the electoral process.”

Reuters said it pieced the information together from the text message, events on the ground during the announcement of the results and interviews with pro-democracy advocates and diplomats in Abuja.

It added that when the independent voting monitor sent the SMS, he hoped the outside world would hear of the plot and the text of the message .

“Fellow countrymen, Nigeria on Trial,” read the SMS sent on the morning of March 31 to the head of the Situation Room, an Abuja-based coalition of human rights groups and pro-democracy advocates monitoring the elections.

“Plans are on storm [sic] the podium at the ICC Collation Centre and disrupt the process. Nobody is sure [sic] what will happen. Please share this as widely as possible,” the text read further.

At that moment,Jega was about to preside over the announcement of the results.

As tallies from around the country showed that the All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, was leading, “unidentified PDP(Peoples Democratic Party) hard-liners started to panic, seeking ways of manipulating the count,” the boss of the Situation Room and the diplomat said, citing political contacts in the Niger Delta and Abuja.

Realising they could not engineer an outright win,the PDP agents set about doctoring the tally at collation centres in pro- (Goodluck) Jonathan areas to ensure Buhari failed to meet a requirement for 25 per cent support in two-thirds of the states, the head of the Situation Room said, citing reports from election monitors on the ground.

This report and the headline do not tally at all..kidnap him how?hisss!

S’AFRICAN ATTACKS: FG DIRECTS NIGERIANS TO REMAIN INDOORS

Nigerians resident in South Africa have been directed by the Federal Government to remain indoors up until the ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country are put under control.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of a meeting he attended at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the directive was communicated to them by Nigeria’s mission in Pretoria.

The minister said,   “With the discussions I have been having with Nigeria’s Head of Mission in Pretoria, no Nigerian has so far been affected.

“They informed me that they have called members of the Nigerian community and addressed them and told them to close their shops, stay at home and keep out of trouble and obey the laws of South Africa.

“They have also confirmed that the South African authorities have moved in to take actions that would forestall any further disturbance in that country.”

Wali however said the government would not hesitate to evacuate Nigerians from the country if the situation worsened.

He said, “If it (the situation) gets worse, it is the duty of our country to make sure our people are brought back and we are taking that duty seriously. We are not prepared to allow any of our nationals to be subjected to such inhuman treatment. - 

Stay indoors keh?thats not good advice!...They should be brought home!

*Customs release Obasanjo’s My Watch

*Buhari, Ezekwesili, Shekau among TIME’s 100 most influential persons

*Kidnapping is our family business, says arrested nanny

*Contempt: Lawyers ask court to jail MultiChoice MD

*We’ll work with Buhari, says US

*Ogboru rejects gov poll result, heads for tribunal

*Expect tough opposition, Orji tells APC

*Court decides lawmakers’ suit against Fayose May 7

*Half of Oyo workers voted for me —Ajimobi

*Buhari should punish prominent electoral offenders —Olurode

*Again, court refuses to stop impeachment suit against Fayose

*Taraba gov: APC carpets INEC, seeks fresh collation

*Sand Eagles beat Ivory Coast

*We’ll name a coach today – NFF

*Nigeria is not broke – Okonjo-Iweala

*Nigeria’s oil production falls most among OPEC members

*Nigeria remains in credit risks – Fitch

*Inflation rises for fourth consecutive month to 8.5%

THIS DAY

*Constitution: Senate Demands Return of Amendment Bill

*Presidential Poll: How Orubebe Plotted to Abduct Jega

*FG Asks S'Africa to Act Against Xenophobic Attacks

*Buhari, Chimamanda, Ezekwesili on Time's 100 Most Influential List

*Finally, Lagos Police Arrest Orekoya's Nanny

*Abubakar: People Are Mischievous About My Meeting With Diezani

*Ogboru Heads for Election Tribunal Again

*Doomsday Seers Wrong, Says TAN

*IMF Tasks Nigeria on Fiscal Reforms, Subsidy

*North-central, North-east in Epic Battle for Senate President

*Do Not Stop Amnesty Programme, Ex-War Lord Advises Buhari

*Thousands of Ndoma-Egba's Supporters Dump PDP, Join APC

*Jonathan Urges World Leaders to Support Buhari's Administration

*SA Attacks: House Wants Diplomat Recalled

*Speakership: Kano Legislators Reject Their Son, Jubrin

*Osunbor Resigns Appointment

*Air Traffic Controllers Embark on Six Hours Strike to Paralyse Flight Movement

*Strange Disease Kills 12 Persons in Ondo.

VANGUARD

*APC, DPP candidates demand cancellation of Assembly polls in Delta

*Beware of Obasanjo, Owie tells Buhari

*Rivers APC candidate inducing pastors, chiefs to petition state Election Tribunal —PDP

*NLC to Benue govt: Pay workers outstanding salaries or face our wrath

*It’s been six months in hell, says Osaze

*OBAX to establish $200m fertiliser plant

*Xenophobia: Reps vow to invoke laws to frustrate S/African interests

*Taraba gov: Ishaku, Alhassan go for final push

*We won’t be in opposition for more than 4 years – Lagos PDP

*Cassava: Sustainable Weed Management Technologies gets SON support

THE NATION

*Fed Govt hands over NITEL/Mtel to NATCOM

*APC to scrutinise Jonathan’s notes with experts, says Odigie-Oyegun

*Senate urges Jonathan to return rejected Bill

*Liquidation of PDP in Northcentral

*Killings in Rivers, Akwa Ibom: Perpetrators won’t go unpunished, says INEC

*Ortom to Benue electorate: I won’t let you down

*Lawyers differ on legality of March 28 handover

*How juju forced me out of Govt House, by Ajimobi

*Amaechi inaugurates panel on Rivers political killings

*Abdulsalami: I’m not trying to stop Alison-Madueke, others’ probe

*Passengers stranded as air traffic controllers embark on warning strike

*Jonathan, service chiefs meet

*Mark seeks review of 2015 polls

*Court adjourns Tinubu’s N150b libel suit against AIT till May 27

*Fashola to host NGE biennial convention

*Senate passes independent budget, research office bill