Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

The Federal Government is to hire independent forensic auditors to examine the books of the  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,  with a view to ascertaining whether or not it has failed to remit  oil revenues to the Federation Account, as alleged by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, after appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance which is investigating the alleged unremitted fund. At a public hearing in the Senate last week, the CBN Governor revealed that records available to the bank showed that the total amount generated from crude oil sales was $67.8 billion while records of remittance to the Federation Account by the NNPC was $47.8 billion with a shortfall of $20 billion not accounted for. Mallam Sanusi, who also appeared before the committee was, however, not convinced by the explanations put forw...

AS Nigerians today join the rest of the world to mark Valentine’s Day season of love activities, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, has called for caution against activities that could heighten the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, STIs. Making the call in Abuja, Director General of the Agency, Professor John Idoko, recognised Valentine Day as a period where gratitude of love is demonstrated between individuals through gestures of affection such as flowers, perfumes, cloths among other gift items. His words: “Valentine Day as good as it may be, has however, brought up a worrisome aspect festering this celebration of love season. This is the high rate of indiscriminate sexual and other negative activities which are perpetrated on this day leading to uninformed decision making among adolescents. “In our quest to actualise a generation free from HIV/AIDS, NACA is advising that at this season of love, Nigerians should make informed de...

TWO-time governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, arguably, belongs to the echelon of vastly experienced politicians. At the dawn of the Fourth Republic, he joined the All People’s Party  (APP), which later became All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and now APC. He was elected governor in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 on the banner of the APP. He ran for the presidency in 2007 on the plank of the Democratic People’s Party  (DPP) he helped to found. In this interview with select journalists in his Sokoto residence, shortly after being welcomed into the PDP by President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders of the party, he shares his thoughts on his mission, vision and ability to deliver in the PDP. Excerpts: BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR What prompted your defection to the PDP? Joining PDP was not my decision it was the decision of my people. In joining PDP, we are looking for a change for the better. I was in the opposition to protest against injustices...

A powerful car bomb attack on a police bus in Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi has killed at least 11 policemen and injured dozens more, officials said. The blast went off early on Thursday morning as more than 50 officers were boarding the bus near the national highway in Karachi. “Apparently an explosive-laden car hit the police bus transporting officials for security duty,” Muhammad Iqbal, a senior police official, told the Agence France-Press news agency. Doctor Semi Jamali at Karachi’s Jinnah hospital told the AFP that in addition to the killed officers, about three dozen more policemen had been hospitalized, 10 of whom were in a critical condition. The attack happened outside a police training centre, Iqbal said. Police officer Rao Anwaar told the Associated Press news agency that it appeared to be a suicide attack, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Pakistan’s business hub, the port city of Karachi has been plagued for years by sectarian, ethnic an...

At least two people have been shot dead during a student demonstration in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. A pro-government activist and at least one student were killed in a shootout, officials said. At least 23 people are said to have been injured in demonstrations across the country. President Nicolas Maduro is facing rising criticism for the country’s economic woes and high levels of violence. He later spoke on national TV, condemning the violence and appealing for calm. “Let nobody go mad and accept provocations,” Maduro said. The students were demonstrating against the detention of fellow students earlier in the week on the day Venezuela celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Victory, also known as the Venezuelan Day of Youth, an historical episode in which students defended a city against Spanish-led troops. Opposition leaders also took part in the march. But as in other protests called by the opposition, many also took to the streets to support the government....

China’s first lunar rover had stopped functioning, state media reported Wednesday, but signs are emerging that Yutu, as it is known in Mandarin, may be up and running again. Following technical malfunctions Xinhua said that the lunar rover had lost communication with mission control but on Thursday the state news agency said that the rover was “fully awake” and had returned to its normal signal-receiving status. “Jade Rabbit has fully resurrected and is able to receive signals, but still suffers a mechanical control abnormality,” China’s lunar program spokesman Pei Zhaoyu told Xinhua. “The rover entered hibernation while in an abnormal state. We were worried it wouldn’t be able to make it through the extreme cold of the lunar night. But it came back alive. The rover stands a chance of being saved as it is still alive.” Xinhua also posted a screenshot of the Chang’e-3 Moon Probe’s Sina Weibo account, which, at 8.49am Thursday morning local time, asked: “Is anyone ou...

The students of The Polytechnic Ibadan on Tuesday gave the Oyo State government and the institution’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, a 24-hour ultimatum to resolve their differences and reopen the school or face major student unrest. The students gave the warning during a peaceful protest staged to condemn the ongoing strike embarked upon by their teachers since October 2013. Displaying placards with inscriptions criticizing the face-off between their lecturers and government, the students marched from the main gate of the campus, through the Sango-UI road and on other major roads within the axis to air their grievances. Though no major breakdown of law and order was recorded during the protest, the students were accompanied by the Nigerian Police. The protest, however, disrupted vehicular movement for about three hours. The president of the Students’ Union of the polytechnic, Iyiola Oladimeji, said, “We can’t continue to tolerate this continuous neglec...