NewsReports

By Jim Garamone – DoD News WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2017 defense budget request highlights defending against challenges posed by Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and terrorist groups, a senior defense official said on background. Each challenge requires different budgeting, resources, capabilities and capacities, all inside of the two-year budget agreement. The fiscal 2017 request is pegged …

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, in conjunction with the Nigerian private sector, is planning to build an antiretroviral manufacturing plant in the Northeastern Nigeria. According to a public statement, the UNAIDS plans to collaborate with local and international pharmaceutical companies, the National Medicines Regulatory Authorities and multilateral organisations toward achieving this goal. The statement also said that the …

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has detained the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.), in connection with his alleged role in the $2.1bn arms purchase scam. Badeh, who was clad in a brown kaftan and a black cap, arrived at the EFCC office around 10am on Monday. The former defence chief had visited …

The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu on Monday, disclosed that the agency had commenced investigation of the former Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke and a close associate of the former Petroleum Minister, Kola Aluko. The EFCC boss dropped the hint while …

Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on Monday declined to discharge the embattled former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Mohammed Dasuki from the criminal charges preferred against him by the Federal Government. In an application brought before the court, Dasuki’s counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), had urged Justice Baba-Yusuf to prohibit the Federal Government …

The Department of State Service has apprehended some serving and retired civil servants who it said were planning to steal N4.5bn from the Treasury Single Account. It said that the plan of the gang was was to hack the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System domiciled in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and steal the money. …

Discriminatory electricity charges approved for the 11 distribution companies, DISCOs, by the regulator, National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, effective from February 1, have continued to draw protests from concerned consumers. Power Under the new tariff regime, electricity consumers under the R2 Class (residential) will pay N24.30 per kilowatt in Abuja; BeninN24.08; Enugu-N27.13; Ibadan N23.09; Jos N26.93; Kaduna N29.27; Kano N20.26 …

THE Presidency, said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that provisions of the 2016 budget be uploaded on the web, for well-meaning critique. This was as it denied reports that it was misleading Nigerians on the provisions of the budget which is now before the National Assembly. According to a statement issued by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the …

Activities were grounded in Benin, the Edo State capital, (Today) Monday, following a mass protest by workers and residents, under the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and civil society organisations, against the increase in electricity tariff by distribution companies. The protesters, who carried placards bearing several inscriptions to express their ‎grievances, marched from the National Museum to the head …

ABUJA — The Presidency has unfurled tentative details on the implementation of its N500 billion social welfare programme, revealing that one million extremely poor Nigerians would be direct beneficiaries of the N5,000 monthly cash transfer. The payment which is to commence once the budget is approved by the National Assembly, is besides another five social interventions that include the provision …