Nigeria targets cargo imports from Niger Republic

                                   Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr. Hassan Bello

Nigeria is targeting over three million metric tonnes of imported cargoes from Niger Republic through improved seaport efficiency .

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, disclosed this at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos.

Bello said Niger Republic, a landlocked country, was annually importing the said amount of cargoes through Togo, Republic of Benin and Ghana.

He said, “We are talking with Nigerien shippers. We want them to import their cargoes through our ports. Already, we have lost a tremendous amount of money to other African ports through cargo diversion.”

However, he said this could only be achieved if Nigerian ports were made more competitive through increased efficiency and reduction in the cost and time of cargo clearance.

N’Assembly slashes own budget by 25%

                                                  Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said on Thursday that the National Assembly has reduced its overhead in the 2015 budget by 25 percent in response to the economic realities in the country.

Ekweremadu said the action would also help to boost the capital expenditure quotient in the 2015 fiscal year.

He said, “This year, because our money is on first line charge and comes as statutory transfer, the executive could not have tampered with it. They brought our overhead the way it should be in the 2015 Appropriation Bill.

“But on our own, we in the National Assembly looked at the state of the economy and decided to cut our overhead cost by 25 percent. We challenged the executive to go back and do the same.

‘Mbu never said police should kill civilians’

                                                                                              Joseph Mbu

The Police Public Relations Officer, Zone 2 Command, CSP Gbenga Adeoye, says the Assistant Inspector General of Police, , Mr. Joseph Mbu, never ordered the killing of 20 civilians for every policeman killed during his visit to the Ogun State Police Command.

Adeoye in statement on Tuesday said the purported claim was “gross misinformation,” adding that those criticising Mbu should have watched the video which he said was in the public domain before berating him.

The statement read, “For the interest of the people of Zone 2, comprising Ogun and Lagos states, and the Nigerian public , they should go to Youtube to listen to what the AIG said in Ogun State.

“When asked what to expect during s during the elections, AIG Mbu said, ‘ As far as the law is concerned we are not going to respect anybody. Whoever you are, come to the polling booth, vote and go. Anybody who comes in to campaign, even if it’s the Chief Executive officer of the State, the constable will have to stop him.’”

INEC to test smartcard readers in 12 states

                                  Resident Electoral Commissioner, Lagos State, Mr. Akin Orebiyi

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that smartcard readers would be tested in 12 states chosen from across the six geo-political zones of the country to assess their efficiency ahead of the general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Mr. Akin Orebiyi, disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday.

According to the INEC boss, Lagos and Ekiti states have been chosen for the exercise in the South-West which would feature voters presenting their Permanent Voter Cards for accreditation and verification.

Orebiyi explained that the exercise would enable the electoral body to identify challenges that may rear its head on the election days with a view to correcting them.

Falana takes over suit seeking Mbu’s removal

                                                                                        Mr. Femi Falana

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered the service of court papers on the Police Service Commission in Abuja in a suit seeking declaration that an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, is unfit to remain a police officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The ex parte application for leave of court to serve the PSC outside of jurisdiction was brought before Justice Ibrahim Buba by a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN).

Falana had on Thursday appeared in court and announced appearance as counsel representing the plaintiff, a lawyer, Mr. Tope Alabi, who filed the case.

Alabi is urging the court to compel the Inspector General of Police; the Police Service Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately declare Mbu’s office with the Force vacant over alleged abuse of power.