The Federal Government has declared Monday, May 30 as public holiday to mark this year’s Democracy Day.

In a statement issued on behalf of the minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, a retired Lieutenant General, by the permanent secretary, Bassey Akpanyung, the government said Nigeria is poised for greatness, particularly with regards to the 2016 budget.

Dambazau, who made the declaration on behalf of the government, congratulated Nigerians for coming this far under democratic governance.

He urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari in delivering the promised change, noting that the implementation of the budget, which is laden with social economic empowerment programmes, will put smiles on the faces of the people.

The Nigerian Police Force has announced the arrest of five suspected masterminds of the deadly April 25 attack on a community in Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Police spokesperson, Olabisi Kolawole, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, disclosed in a statement that men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, made the arrest after acting on “credible technical intelligence.”

The police also said a mobile phone was recovered during the arrest containing a video of the attack.

“The IGP’s IRT, based on the intelligence gathered on the attack, arrested the following suspects viz: Mohammed Zurai, Ciroma Musa, Sale Adamu, Suleiman Laute and Haruna Laute, and recovered one Gionee L88 mobile phone with memory card containing the video recording of the massacre in the community,” the statement read.

Nigerians woke up on April 25 to the news of the sack of Nimbo, a town in Uzo-Uwani in Enugu State, by suspected herdsmen, leading to the death of about 40 people, including women and children.

The public outcry that greeted the massacre forced President Muhammadu Buhari to order security agencies to arrest the culprits and put a stop to further killings by herdsmen.

The police are, however, yet to arrest any suspect in a similar massacre that took place in Agatu communities in Benue State, where about 500 were allegedly killed.

The Federal Government on Wednesday appointed six persons to head its media agencies under the Ministry of Information and Culture.

This was contained in a statement issued by Segun Adeyemi, spokesperson to information minister, Lai Mohammed.

The positions had been vacant since February 15, 2016, when the government sacked the heads of the agencies. The appointments, according to the statement, are with immediate effect.

The new Chief Executives are:

1. Ishaq Modibo Kawu – Director-General, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC)

2. Mansur Liman – Director-General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)

3. Yakubu Mohammed – Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)

4. Garba Abari, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA)

5. Bayo Onanuga – Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

6. Osita Okechukwu – Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON)

Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama says the Federal Government is in the process of repatriating stolen 300 million pounds from Jersey.

Speaking at a news conference organised as part of activities to mark the one year anniversary of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the minister stated that the money would have been recovered if not for a last minute ‘objection’ that was raised by the people who were supposed to forfeit it.

“We are just in the process of repatriating that in the UK itself. Sometimes very often what happens is that the people, who claim to have ownership of the money, might bring up a defence,” he said.

Onyeama added that the Federal Government was doing all it could to repatriate the alleged stolen funds, stressing that progress has been made with regards to the repatriation of looted funds stacked in other countries like Switzerland and US.

The minister said that the Federal Government was not relenting in its efforts to recover stolen funds stacked abroad but lamented that countries where the funds are domiciled were making it difficult for the funds to be repatriated.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ‎has rejected an application by the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, asking to be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Metuh’s trial was stalled on Tuesday, May 24 after his lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) informed the court that Metuh could not make it to court because he has been placed on bed rest at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Ikpeazu tendered a medical report signed by one Dr. O.O Oyeyele, a consultant neurosurgeon at the National Hospital Abuja, but the trial Judge Justice Okon Abang pointed out that the doctor’s report did not specify the duration of the bed rest, and adjourned the matter to Monday, May 30 for trial, while fixing Wednesday, May 25 to deliver his ruling on Metuh’s request to seek medical treatment abroad.

Delivering the ruling on Wednesday, Justice ‎Abang said that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the application because there was a subsisting order directing Metuh to deposit his international passport with the court as one of the requirements for his bail.

He pointed out that the order had not been set aside and since the defendant did not apply to vary the bail conditions, the court would not grant the defendant’s request.

“This is not a case of sympathy, but a case of law.‎ The application lacks merit. It is accordingly dismissed. The court cannot set aside its decision.”

Metuh, together with his company, Destra Investments Limited, is being charged by The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for collecting the sum of N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014 in order to prosecute the presidential campaign of the PDP.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has shelved its planned strike earlier slated to begin from Tuesday midnight, following interventions from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and his Petroleum counterpart, Ibe Kachikwu.

The union had complained of several issues affecting its members, including the threat of sack by International Oil Companies, IOCs, owing to government’s inability to pay arrears of Joint Venture Cash Call, JVCC, to partners.

Kachikwu explained to the workers that the petroleum ministry was carrying out reforms regarding the JVCC, especially with the global fall in oil price, and assured that there would be positive outcome when next they meet in June.

On his part, the labour minister said his ministry was working through the Oil Industry Stakeholders’ committee to deal with labour matters affecting Nigerians, particularly in areas like long contracting of staff, casualization and unilateral declaration of redundancy by the oil contractors and the International Oil Companies and also the frequent and needless threats of strike by labour unions.

“We all recall that this committee was headed by the late Hon. Min. of State for Labour and Employment, Bar. James Ocholi but in view of the importance and the urgency of the committee, I will assume its full leadership in June to accelerate and bring its assignment to a fruitful completion, part of which is to generate some oil- labour regulations into laws for the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB),” the minister was quoted in a statement issued by spokesperson for the labour ministry, Samuel Olowookere.

The head of PENGASSAN, Francis Johnson, while thanking the two ministers for their interventions, said his group was satisfied with government’s explanation, hence, the decision to abort the strike action.

At the next meeting, scheduled for June 23, 2016, inputs are expected from the Ministries of Finance, Budget and Planning and Works, Power and Housing regarding issues raised by the union.

In a related development, the Federal Government is today expected to resume its dialogue with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, headed by Ayuba Wabba, over issues that led to last week’s nationwide protest.

The former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, is expected to open his defence against false assets declaration on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.

This follows the decision of the Federal Government to close it case against the former minister, having decided against calling a second prosecution witness.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by CCT spokesperson, Ibrahim Al-hassan, the prosecution team, represented by Ejike Augustine Orji chose to close its case because it felt “there is no further cause to call for any other witness,” a decision that surprised the defence team.

“The defence Counsel led by Selekowei Larry (SAN), told the Tribunal that they were taken by surprise with the development, he said they did not envisaged this development before now, he prayed that in such circumstance he needed an adjournment to prepare for their defence, subject to the convenience of the tribunal,” the statement read.

As a result, CCT chairman, Danladi Umar, acceded to the defence request and adjourned the case to May 31, 2016, to enable the accused begin his defence.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointments of Mohammed Babandede as new Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Ahmed Ja’afaru as new Controller-General of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS)

This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Bassey Akpanyung.

The new Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede replaces Martin Abeshi, who retired from the Service on May 15.

Before his new appointment, Babandede was a Deputy Comptroller-General serving at the Immigration Headquarters in Abuja.

On the other hand, Ahmed Ja’afaru takes over from Peter Ekpendu who retired from office on May 17 this year having attained the mandatory 35 years of service.

The new Prisons boss was, until his appointment, an Assistant Controller General of Prisons and was serving at the Prisons Headquarters in Abuja.

However, some analysts have expressed concern at the seeming lopsidedness in the appointments to key positions in the ministry of interior, saying it is against the federal character principle as contained in the constitution.

The five key agencies that make up the Ministry of Interior include: the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Federal Fire Service, the Nigeria Prisons Service, and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Presently, Mohammed Babandede, the Comptroller-General the Nigeria Immigration Service, Ahmed Ja’afaru, the Controller-General of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Joseph Garba Anebi, the Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service and Abdullahi Muhammadu the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, as well as their overall boss, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau are all from the Northern part of Nigeria.

Eni, parent company of Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, says that its production has been reduced by another 4,200 barrels per day following Sunday’s attack on one of its pipelines in Bayelsa.

An earlier attack in the area on May 18, had led to a shutdown of some 1,000 barrels amounting to a total production loss of 5,200 barrels of its share of oil output.

A short email by a staff of the oil company’s media relations unit on Tuesday confirmed the development.

The email confirmed attacks on the Ogbaimbiri – Tebidaba pipeline that affected production of 4,200 bop/d.

Residents at Ikeinghenbiri community in Southern Ijaw council of Bayelsa State on Sunday fled the area, following a clash between rival armed groups at an oil field operated by NAOC.

A resident, Ebidimo Joseph told journalists that the groups were struggling for control of the Ogboinbiri-Tebidaba crude trunk line which passed through the area with one of them claiming to be safeguarding the facility.

Meanwhile, Bayelsa State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Mr Desmond Agu, said that men of the command got reports of the incident on Sunday and responded promptly.

Agu said the vandals took to their heels on sighting the gunboat of NSCDC but his men were able to arrest one suspect with the help of community people.

The Federal Government on Monday, 23 May, 2016 disclosed plans to concession the nation’s four major airports – Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and the Port Harcourt International airport.

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known during an event to mark the International Air Transport Association’s Aviation Day 2016 in Abuja.

Represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari, the Minister told participants that there was huge investment opportunity in Nigeria’s aviation sector, adding that foreign investors were free to take part in the process.

He stated that “The Nigerian … aviation sector is full of opportunities, some of which include the concession of airports (Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt); partnerships to establish a national carrier; maintenance, repair and overhaul centre; aviation leasing centre; and development of agro-cargo terminals and associated infrastructure,

“Others are partnerships to upgrade the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology; leisure and hospitality, including hotels and resorts; logistics facilitation, including taxi and car hire; cargo, courier, warehousing, clearing and forwarding; catering and packaging; currency exchange, duty free and tourism guide; and facility management.”

Sirika however pointed out that there were a number of challenges to be addressed despite the opportunities that abound in the country.

Such of the challenges, according to Sirika, include cost and availability of aviation fuel, high cost of aircraft maintenance, foreign exchange remittance difficulties, dilapidated infrastructure and shortage of manpower.

But the minister assured that Government is doing its best to put measures in place in order to cushion the effect of these challenges.