News In Brief Today - 2/4/2016

Good Morning!

1- Another Market In Kano Razed By Fire

Another mid-night fire outbreak on Thursday gutted Gwarzo market in Gwarzo Local Government Area of Kano State, destroying property worth millions of Naira.

An eye witness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Friday that the incident occurred around 1:00 a.m.

The witness said the fire destroyed the entire furniture section of the market before it was put out by men of the fire service in the area.

2-Fuel Scarcity: Kachikwu Sets Up  14-Man Committee

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has raised a 14-man committee within the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to help in finding lasting solution to the fuel crisis in the country.

This information was contained in a statement signed by Mr Garba Deen Muhammad, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC on Thursday in Abuja.

The statement quoted Muhammad as saying that the setting up of the committee followed the meeting between the Minister and IPMAN toward ending the crisis in the Association.

3-We Have Not Cancelled Monthly  Sanitation – Lagos Govt

The Lagos State Government has clarified reports making the rounds on social media that the monthly environmental sanitation in the State has been outlawed, saying that the policy on the monthly exercise has not been reviewed for now.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the government said the erroneous story which was attributed to the State’s Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare was inaccurate and that he was quoted out of context.

4-Mourinho Gives Man Utd Ultimatum, As Ibrahimovic Demands £600k A Week Wage

- Manchester United are stepping up their interest in Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino as they consider replacing Louis van Gaal. (Sun)

-Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has given United a May deadline to make a formal move as he wants to secure his next job by then. (Guardian)

-Paris St-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34, is asking Premier League clubs for a weekly wage of £600,000. (Mail)

-Mourinho has told Valencia he is not interested in succeeding the sacked Gary Neville as he is waiting for the United manager’s job. (Star)

5- 2 Dead, Houses Torched In Edo  Communal Clash

Two person have been reportedly killed and thousands of residents of Bekuma-Okpameri community in Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo state, have abandoned the community and are now camped at a makeshift camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Lampese, a neighbouring community, following a clash between Uneme-Ekpedo and Bekuma-Okpameri communities.

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Trouble was said to have started following an alleged killing of one of four people from Uneme-Ekpedo community who were said to have gone to the bush to pluck mangoes, by persons suspected to be members of Bekuma-Okpameri community.

Irked by the incident, youths from Uneme-Ekpedo community allegedly mobilised and attacked Bekuma-Okpameri, setting houses on fire and attacking residents.

It was gathered that over 40 houses including the palace of the Oba of Bekuma-Okpameri, HRH Oba Moses Alabi, were set on fire by the rampaging youths.

It was further gathered that scores of people, who were wounded are now receiving medical treatment at hospitals and the IDP camp.

6-HRW Urges Buhari To Urgently Rescue Abducted 300 Damasak Schoolchildren

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Nigerian government to take urgent steps in rescuing the release of at least 300 schoolchildren kidnapped by Islamist sect, Boko Haram.

In a very emotional investigative story, HRW reveals how people of Damasak were killed, how others had to flee by water and how the military was less than helpful.

The Nigerian government should take urgent steps to secure the release of about 400 women and children, including at least 300 elementary school students, abducted by Boko Haram from the town of Damasak in Borno State a year ago, It urged.

7-Buhari Congratulates Issoufou On His

Reelection

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated President Mahamadou

Issoufou of Niger Republic on his recent re- election.

Buhari extended his best wishes to President Issoufou and the people of Niger Republic after the peaceful elections, saying that, it bodes well for the progress of the country.

He acknowledged an invitation to attend Issoufou’s swearing-in for a new term in office, but regretted that he will be unable to attend due to his ongoing participation at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC.

8-No Rift Between Executive And

Legislature On 2016 Budget – Minister

The Minister of Information and Culture,

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said there is no disagreement whatsoever between the Executive and the Legislature on the 2016 Budget, which has been passed by the National Assembly.

”There is absolutely no rift, no issue of budget being sent back. Things are just

taking their due course,” the Minister said in Abuja on Thursday when he visited the corporate headquarters of the Leadership newspaper, as part of his continuous engagement with stakeholders in the media industry.

He said it was not true that the President has refused to sign the Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly, adding: ”It takes a few days (after the passage) for the National Assembly to clean up the document in readiness for the President’s assent.”

Speaking further on the budget, Alhaji Mohammed said when it is eventually

passed into law, it will lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, thanks to the six focal areas of social intervention contained therein.

9-Why We Have Not Fixed Date For Rivers Rerun – INEC

The Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC) said it would consult

political stakeholders in Rivers on logistics for repeat of legislative re-run elections in areas the exercise was cancelled on March 19.

The electoral body noted that it is only after consultations have been done that a date will be fixed for the rerun polls. Deputy Director of Voter Education and

Publicity in the commission, Mr Nick Dazang, disclosed this in an interview with NAN on Thursday in Abuja.

Dazing said that the consultation would commence soon, because INEC was eager to ensure that the elections were

concluded.

“We stated it clearly in our previous statement on Friday that we will not

announce new date for the election until we have engaged with stakeholders and that engagement has not taken place.

“It is after the engagement that INEC will fix a date for the conclusion of the election. We cannot just go back to Rivers state like that, given what happened during the election.

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