News Desk Friday, October 26, 2007

Amaechi takes over as Rivers gov: Supreme Court sacks Omehia - Amaechi returns from London today - Yar’Adua orders his immediate swearing-in - Yobe gov knows fate Nov 20

THE Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Rivers State governor, Sir Celestine Omehia, to quit office with immediate effect. A seven-man panel of the apex court unanimously ordered the immediate swearing-in of the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, as the new governor. MORE>>>

FG gets tough with airlines - Over drug trafficking by staff

The Federal Government said in Abuja on Thursday that it would close down any airline whose staff members or aircraft is used to carry hard drugs in and out of Nigeria. This came after several drug traffickers that were caught recently turned out to be airline staff members or were aided by them. MORE>>>

Soludo - FG Owes States $1.7bn

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday stated that the Federal Government was owing states almost $1.7 billion from excess crude oil account. Soludo disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after a marathon meeting of the National Economic Council, where almost all the states were represented. MORE>>>

Six kidnapped from Italian oil facility off Nigeria

LAGOS (Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped six workers from an Italian oil production facility off the coast of Nigeria on Friday, forcing Italy's ENI to halt production of 50,000 barrels per day, authorities said. It was the second kidnapping from an offshore oilfield in Nigeria in one week, undermining a five-month ceasefire by armed groups which had raised hopes for peace talks with the government. MORE>>>

Le Roy Tips Eagles, Lions for Glory

Black Stars coach Claude Le Roy has picked Nigeria as one of the favourites to lift the Nations Cup, which holds in Ghana early next year. MORE>>>

Petitions to Lift the Ban on Filipino OFWs Bound for Nigeria

Late last year, the Philippine government declared a total ban of workers going to Nigeria on the account of the successive kidnapping incidents in Nigeria’s oil areas which involve OFWs. The action may have been justifiable at that point. The ban affected not only New Hires but vacationing OFWs as well, even those OFWs who are working in Lagos and non-oil areas. MORE>>>