News In Brief Today 17/05/16

”Good morning! 

Here are News titbits you need to know this morning:

1. Following the increment in prices of goods and services across the country due to the new pump price of petrol, report says inflation rate has now climbed to a near six-year high of 13.7 percent in April, 0.9 percentage point higher than the previous month’s level of 12.8 percent. National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in a report yesterday, said the April inflation reading is the highest level since August 2010, as it reflected increases across all sectors, unlike the previous months which had one or two sectoral exceptions.

2. Report has claimed that the Board of Trustees, BoT, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday agreed that the tenure of the chairman of the Party, Senator Ali Modu, be extended by two years. He is to now expected to quit office in 2018 to allow for the emergence of a chairman from the southern part of the country, while the north will produce the party’s presidential candidate for 2019 election.

3. Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC, and its affiliate body, Trade Union Congress,TUC, yesterday, said it will go ahead with its industrial action on Wednesday if the Federal Government failed to reverse its decision on the deregulation of the petroleum sector. This decision followed the Monday meeting between the representative of Labour and government. The meeting, however, dissolved into an executive session for further negotiation but still ended in a deadlock but is expected to resume by 3pm today.

4. There was a rowdy session in the House of representatives on Monday following the refusal of some the lawmakers to allow the Minister of State for Petrol, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu to enter the chambers in order to defend the new price regime in the petroleum sector. Kachikwu was, however, allowed in after the House resumed from an executive session where he put up a strong argument in favour of deregulation.

5. Former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, yesterday, said that the current siege of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State and the manhunt for him by the military were unnecessary as he was not behind the Niger Delta Avengers destroying pipelines in the region. He said the search for him will not guarantee the desired peaceful atmosphere for uninterrupted oil exploration activities by the Federal Government.

6. A 27-year-old man, Mfom John, on Monday reportedly stabbed his twin brother, Israel John, to death on Olorunkemi Street in the Somolu area of Lagos State. Report claims Mfom stabbed the victim more than 70 times in different parts of his body while the victim was sleeping.

7. The Director General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Sulyman Kazaure, has stated in Abuja on Monday that there is currently no funds for the mobilization of the batch A, stream 2 prospective corps members to camp this Friday. Kazaure, was addressing the Senate Committee on Youth and Sports on the development.

8. The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on Monday fixed May 31 for the hearing of an appeal by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Saraki is challenging the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to try him on charges, including false and anticipatory asset declaration.

9. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, filed an amended 34-count criminal charge against the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/56/07, was entered before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja when the trial Justice Anwuli Chikere was to commence hearing on an initially amended 112-count charge the anti-graft agency preferred against Kalu and two others on February 11, 2008.

10. An 18-year-old nanny, Covenant Bassey, who allegedly abducted her employer’s one-year-old son, David Robinson, in Calabar, Cross River State, has been arrested. Report says Bassey was arrested at about 7am on Monday in a motor park in the Onne area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by policemen attached to the Eleme division while she was allegedly attempting to sell the baby.

dailypost news cullage.