Today's National Newspaper Headlines/News - 21/4/2015

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PUNCH

*NIGERIANS PROTEST AT MTN, MULTICHOICE, SHOPRITE OFFICES, OUTLETS

Hundreds of Nigerian protesters on Monday stormed the offices of South African companies in Abuja and Benin City, Edo State, to protest the ongoing xenophobic attacks on foreigners, especially Nigerians, in South Africa.

In Abuja, the protesters, led by media personality and President of the Berekete Family, Ahmad Isah, marched to the regional headquarters of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited in Maitama, as well as Shoprite and Multichoice, owners of DSTV.

At MTN, the protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions condemning the attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in South Africa, were joined by Nigerians in the area where the office is located.

n Benin City, some youth protesters stormed the MTN office on 3rd East Circular Road, Muritala Muhammed Way.

The youths, under the aegis of The Flagship, threatened to shut down South African firms operating in Nigeria over the attack on Nigerians in South Africa.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions.

The messages in the placards include, “Xenophobia is inhuman,” “Zuma call your boys to order” and “S/Africans can’t be making money from us, killing us.

*FAYOSE'S SUPPORTERS LAY SEIGE TO EKITI ASSEMBLY

There was panic again in Ado Ekiti on Monday as members of the Peoples Democratic Party and supporters of Governor Ayodele Fayose laid siege   to the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex in order to halt the resumption of the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers.

Fayose had announced in a statewide broadcast on Sunday that the   lawmakers planned to take over the assembly to commence their impeachment proceedings against him.

He therefore urged transport unions, market women and workers to rise up and protect the mandate they gave him.

Although there were no barricades at entry points to Ado Ekiti city as done in the previous protests, many   workers who arrived in their offices at 8amreturned to their homes out of fear.

Private and public schools in the state capital failed to reopen for the third term academic session as a result of the development.

The governor’s supporters and the state PDP members who were allegedly mobilised by the caretaker chairmen of the 16 Local Government Areas in the state clustered around the assembly complex, watching out for the APC lawmakers.

*PDP CHIEFS MAY BE EXPELLED OVER JONATHAN’S DEFEAT

The Peoples Democratic Party has begun reviewing its performance in the March 28 presidential election with a view to arriving at what caused the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan.

It was gathered in Abuja on Sunday night   that top members of the party were of the opinion that some of them in the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, especially those from the North, covertly played roles that contributed to Jonathan’s loss.

A leader of the party said   that such members also connived with the All Progressives Congress to ensure that Jonathan was beaten at the polls.

The source, who asked not to be named,   hinted that any indicted members might be shown the way out of the PDP.

The party leader   said that many   of such members of the party seemed united in their determination   to ensure that Jonathan did not win the election.

The source added   that it was surprising that strongholds of the PDP in the North such as Plateau, Benue and Kogi states that have large Christian population, could fall to the APC.

He said, “The entire election was lost long before March 28 because northern elements, even those within the PDP, ganged up against President Jonathan. Even some of our leaders in the NEC and NWC   are  under watch because we believe they also worked against the President.

“There will be a meeting between our chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, and PDP state chairmen during the week, but as it is we do not even trust them.”

The source said some top party officials   were already calling for the resignation of some NEC and NWC members to pave the way for the repositioning of the PDP.

FAAC RAISES PANEL OVER NNPC’s UNREMITTED $1.48bn …

The Federation Account Allocation Committee on Monday night constituted a committee to find out the reasons for the delay in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to make $1.48bn available to the three tiers of government.

PriceWaterHouse Coopers had in the report of its forensic audit report of the corporation recommended that the NNPC should refund the amount to the Federation Account.

The firm was last year hired to carry out the audit following an allegation by the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, that $20bn was not remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC.

Sanusi, who is now the Emir of Kano, had written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan that $49bn was not remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC.

But following the controversy which the letter generated, a committee was set up to reconcile the account.

Sanusi later recanted and said the unremitted fund was $12bn. He later changed the figure to $20bn.

PwC had stated in the report that while the total gross revenue generated from crude oil lifting was $69.34bn between January 2012 and July 2013 and not $67bn as earlier stated by the Senate Reconciliation Committee, what was remitted to the Federation Account was $50.81bn and not $47bn.

The audit report revealed that $28.22bn was the value of domestic crude oil allocated to the NNPC, adding that total amount spent on subsidy for Premium Motor Spirit was $5.32bn.

But the Chairman, Forum of Finance Commissioners of FAAC, Mr. Timothy Odaah, while speaking on the matter in an interview with journalists after this month’s meeting, said the committee was worried about the delay in the release of the fund.

He said while President Goodluck Jonathan had given a directive for the fund to be made available, the corporation had yet to release it with about a month to the end of the current administration.

Considering the persistent drop in allocations to the three tiers of government, he said the money was needed by the states so that they could meet up with their obligations since majority of them had yet to pay salaries of workers and contractors for projects executed.

Odaah said, “We are making a clarion call that the $1.48bn coming from the audit of the NNPC should be made available so that we can clear what we owe with that.

*Federation Account drops by N86.42bn

**Court decides Oyedepo, stockbroker’s N1.86bn suit May 27

*Chukwumerije: Senate to adjourn plenary today

*Chukwumerije: Jonathan, Patience, Orji, others mourn

*Poll fallout: Female Reps shrink to 14 from 27

*15 killed in fresh Taraba crisis

*Quattara visits Buhari, hails Jonathan

*Actors protest against piracy in Lagos

*Court jails probate registrar three years for fraud

*Military ties with Chad, others’ll be sustained –Buhari

Champions League: PSG can spring a surprise —Suarez

*Three-year-old lured with Gala from Lagos, rescued in Ogun

*Father in court for raping daughter

*Residents fault police on arrest of suspected robbers

*Vehicle runs into bus terminal, injures one

*Cult groups clash, kill Assembly

deputy clerk

VANGUARD

*Awaiting N40 Per Litre Fuel

What Buhari must do in oil industry — Experts

*Jonathan urged to sign Disability

Bill before May 29

*Buhari shouldn’t ignore confab recommendations — Uranta

*Oil consumption to rise to 400 000 bpd by 2023 — BMI

*Electoral Violence: U.S. may sanction indicted Nigerians

*Buhari, new govs must respect the

constitution — CJN

*Lagos, others receive N75.2 bn World Bank fund in 8 yrs

*N1.2bn Election Fund: UPU threatens court action

*Four dead in Rivers, as APC alleges killers target members

*Buhari shouldn’t ignore confab recommendations — Uranta

*Fayose has degraded our values in Ekiti — Sen Ojudu

*Senate Presidency: Leadership progression, ranking and national Interest

*How Jonathan, govs destroyed our party — Fadahunsi

*Two million register to vote in Britain

*Oil consumption to rise to 400 000 bpd by 2023 — BMI

*Indebtedness: Oil marketers warn Okonjo-Iweala of fuel scarcity

*Access Bank grosses N76.7bn in Q1

*Power: Nigeria’s power drops as

Kenya gets Sh42b power boost from World bank

*NLNG remits $21bn to JV feed gas suppliers

THIS DAY

*Nigerians Protest Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa

*Monthly Oil Revenue Drops Further by N86.42bn in March

*APC North-east Insists on House Speakership

*Toddler Kidnapped in Lagos Church

*Jonathan Conceding Defeat, a Legacy for African Continent, Says Ouattara

*Ondo Deaths Linked to Poisonous Gin

*President’s Men Move against Mu’azu, NWC Members

*Boko Haram: My Govt will Continue Collaboration with Niger, Chad, Cameroun, Says Buhari

*Fayose’s Impeachment Fever Stalls Resumption of Schools in Ekiti

*Okonjo-Iweala Underpins Nigeria’s Progress on Economic, Political Consensus

*Wamakko: Buhari will Not Disappoint Nigerians

*Jonathan, Buhari, Atiku Others Mourn Chukwumerije

*Race for Senate Presidency: Akume’s Residence Turns New Mecca

*Ndoma-Egba: I am Being Pressurised to Decamp

*Bakare Urges Buhari to Shun ‘Our Turn’ Politics, Appoint Technocrats

*Ebonyi Assembly Freezes State, Local Govt Joint Account

*Oil Spill: Delta Community Gives NPDC 14-day Ultimatum

*Deputy Clerk of Bayelsa Assembly Shot Dead in Yenagoa

*Stop Persecuting Kashamu, Ogun Youths Warn Obasanjo

THE NATION

*CBN faults payment for services in dollars

*Movie stars march against piracy in Lagos

*APC demands new INEC team to conduct Imo rerun

*Why outcome of Rivers polls defies logic, by observers

*U.S. to deny violence-promoting politicians visas

*Okonjo-Iweala warns against multiple taxation

*World Bank spends N75b on agric in Lagos, others

*‘Jega should supervise rerun personally’

*APC disturbing our peace, says PDP Secretary

*Why oil operators cannot access funds

*World Cup training tour: Falcons off to Canada May 19