Sunday's National Newspaper Headlines/News - 10/5/2015

Good morning everyone....

PUNCH

***Gov Poll: Controversy Over Rivers, A’Ibom Results

As the May 29 handover date draws near, fresh controversy over the election results has been ignited between the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

According to two online portals, Premium Times and Sahara Reporters, the governorship elections in the two states were flawed. Both websites reported that the votes cast were more than the number of voters accredited by card readers in the states.

While the PDP insisted that the online report was not true, the APC said the report was true and factual.

The APC told Sunday Punch that the INEC in Abuja had obliged the legal team of the APC about the information that was recently published by the online platforms.

****Okonjo-Iweala: Huge Revenue Lost To Fraudulent Waivers

As the nation grapples with the dwindling revenue occasioned by the dip in oil prices, the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has disclosed that the federal government lost huge revenue to tax holidays fraudulently granted companies by officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

The minister's disclosure was contained in a recent letter to NIPC Executive Secretary, Mrs Saratu Umar.

“The purpose of this letter is to appraise you on apparent abuse in the grant of Pioneer Status (tax holiday) to companies in the country by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) leading to decline in tax revenues," wrote the minister in the letter which was copied the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, and her Industries, Trade and Investment counterpart, Olusegun Aganga.

Even though the minister didn't state how much revenue was lost to the activities, a top official of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) told THISDAY that Nigeria may have lost over $20 billion between 2010 and 2014.

***N1bn Bounty Still On Shekau — US

The United States is still

maintaining the $7 million (N1.4 billion) bounty it placed on the leader of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

The US Department of State on Wednesday issued a list of 71 most-wanted terrorists in the world with bounties totalling $375m (N74.6bn) as “rewards for information that leads to (their) arrest or conviction.”

Rewards for Justice, a State Department’s anti-terrorism programme, had first offered the amount as a reward to persons with information on the whereabouts of the Boko Haram leader in June 2013.

The President Barack Obama-led administration, in the fresh list, placed a whopping $25 million, the single largest bounty, on Ayman al-Zawahiri, suspected to be one of the doctors and advisors to Osama bin Laden, the late leader of al-Qaeda.

Al-Zawahiri is suspected to have played a role in bombing of the US embassy in 1998.

Four Islamic State terrorists appeared on the list with a total of $20 million bounty on them.

Shekau was among the three with $7 million bounty. Others were a senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iran, Muhsin al-Fadhli; and Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli.

***Going To US Is like jumping Into Fire —Kashamu

Senator-elect and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, on Saturday, denied any past trip to the United States and ruled out any possibility of ever visiting the country in the future.

In an interview with Sahara TV, which was monitored by Punch correspondent, the PDP chieftain likened such a visit to leaping into fire.

He said, “I am a Nigerian. I am not running away from my fatherland. If anyone thinks he has a case against me, he should follow due process and we will take it up from there. I am not under any obligation to go to the US to answer the same charges after the true judgment of the British court has exonerated me of the same allegations.

“Asking me to take the next available flight to the US so as to clear my name is like asking me to jump in a fire-may the Almighty rescue me from it. If the US prosecutor could hide important evidence that later exonerated me in the UK court, only God knows what they will do in their country.

*Speakership: Gbajabiamila, Dogara split state caucuses

*Pressure mounts on Mu’azu, others to resign before May 29

*Scarcity: Nigerians buy fuel for N200 per litre

*Man turns attraction at Lagos carnival

*Power sector consumer complaints highest in Nigeria — CPC

*Sanusi applauds el-Rufai’s election

Senate presidency: Aspirants lobby colleagues

*Kidnap: Ekiti doctors go on strike

*Mubarak, sons get three-year jail term for graft

*Liberia Ebola-free — WHO

*WHO releases new cancer, hepatitis drugs

*My impeachment illegal, says Niger Speaker

VANGUARD

*Privatisation of PHCN a fraud,electricity workers tell Buhari

*Reckless allocation as severance package to governors

*Aftermath of Polls: The North must win back Igbo confidence – Ezeife

*The post-election prize Jonathan deserves – Abubakar Audu

*My tortuous election journeys — Buhari

*PDP: From Ruling to Opposition Party

*Buhari congratulates PM David Cameron

*Chime dares Enugu lawmakers: Too late to impeach me

*Okowa will build on predecessors’ foundation — Ambassador Okporoko

*If Buhari does not step on toes he will fail – Nkire

*Emerging generation may rise against us – Ben Murray

*Let’s reform education, economy will develop—Kasumu

*LASG to generate N1b from 2015 Lagos State Carnival

THIS DAY

*APC Transition Panel Mulls Tough Economic Policies

*Constitution Amendment May be Gazetted Tomorrow

*Senate Presidency: Saraki Gets North-central APC Chairmen’s Nod, North-east Backs Lawan

*FG Inaugurates Committee for 2015 NEPAD Trade Fair

*Ohakim: Nigerians Rejected Jonathan, not PDP

*Let Journalism Thrive, UNIC Director Urges Stakeholders

*Mix Reactions Trail Al-Makura’s Promise to Corps Members

*Buhari Will Not Disappoint Nigerians, Says Mustapha

*CSOs Knock Jonathan, Supreme Court over Constitution Amendment

*Glamour, Colour, Culture as Lagos Carnival 2015 Holds

*Borno Establishes Camp for Nigerien Deportees

*Sanusi Visits El-Rufai, Says Kaduna Citizens’ Choice

*Group Seeks Prosecution of NDDC Directors over Alleged Fraud

*Lagos Strives to End Overseas Treatment

*Auto Crash Claims Three in Ogun

*PDP Post-election Committee Meets Jonathan

*Mark to Buhari: Nigeria Needs Genuine Reconciliation

*Military: Let’s Not Encourage Illegality in the Name of Militia

*Councils’ Chairmen Recommend Upgrade of Colleges of Education to Universities

THE NATION

*PDP governors split over Muazu

*Senate Presidency: Lawan gets backing of North-West, South-West, North-East

*Subsidy fears may prolong fuel scarcity

*Patience Jonathan’s men move to impeach Dickson before May 29 

*Benue guber race: Suswam betrayed me, says Ortom

*COUNTDOWN TO MAY 29: Inheriting an empty treasury

*Jonathan’s portrait disappears in Kano offices

*UCH doctors’ strike: Demands not included in the budget, says CMD

*Buhari will stamp out corruption, C & S leader assures

*EPL Landmark! Anichebe scores 900th premier league goal

*Benue governor-elect roots for Akume

*‘Economic roadmap for in-coming government’

*TUC partners firm over 100, 000 housing units

*Okonjo-Iweala and states’ unpaid salaries