Nigeria News - Fighting at the Nigerian National Assembly

Nigerian Politricks

In July, presidents of the eight most industrialised countries of the world, the Group of Eight (G8), will be holding the group's annual meeting in the Russian Republic to map out their global economic strategies. As is now customary with G8 meetings, leaders are invited from around the world to represent regional and global interests.

As we write this, authoritative information at our disposal has it that Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has been invited to the G8 meeting; so also has Sassou Nguesso of the Congo who is the new chairman of the African Union (AU). Against this background, it is certainly curious that at press time, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo is yet to receive the invitation of the world's most powerful leaders.

Without doubt, this is a huge sea-change for Nigeria and our president. Last year in Gleneagles, President Obasanjo was one of the more prominent regional leaders at the G8 meeting in Scotland, leading the way in the campaign for debt relief which Nigeria got and then used to work its way out of the Paris Club of creditors. In fact, every recent G8 meeting has featured both Obasanjo and Mbeki, as conspicuously as possible, to state the case for Africa. And on every occasion, they did so with all the moral and persuasive force in the world.

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Nigerian News - Labour Says No to 3rd Term

Labour Says No to 3rd Term

I found this article today on thisday home page
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday, in Abuja restated its opposition to the third term bid of President Olusegun Obasanjo and state governors, saying that it had been steadfast on the issue.

Describing politicians as opportunists, the congress also deplored the part played by some former public office holders, including former Chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, and former Inspectors-General of Police in the abuse of workers and citizens rights.

Every public officer must surely drink from the cup with which he feeds others as soon as he steps down from office, it warned public officers in a speech by its President, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, at the May Day celebrations held at the Eagles Square, Abuja. More

Nigerian News - INEC May Drop Electronic Voting Machine

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may drop the Electronic Voting Machine from the Electronic Voting System (EVS) following its deletion from the Electoral Bill 2006 by the National Assembly. INEC’s new thinking came to the fore yesterday during a stakeholders’ interactive forum organized by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) INEC, in preparation for the electronic voters’ registration exercise starting tomorrow.

The FCT INEC National Commissioner, Hon. Setley Daze, who disclosed this at the forum said: “INEC has not identified any electronic machine or vendor for the EVM for use for the 2007 elections. INEC only included it in the proposed Electoral Act. “If it comes, fine, because it would help as a pilot scheme. Even if we don’t get it, we have capabilities to conduct free and fair general elections in 2007 using the other three methods.” The other methods include the Election Management System (EMS), which was launched just last week, the Electronic Voters’ Registration (EVR) and Electronic Transmission Result (ETR).

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Nigerian News - Jimoh Ibrahim Defies Regulator on NICON Insurance Corporation

Embattled Group Chief Executive Officer, NICON Insurance Corporation, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, yesterday faulted the directive issued by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for him to step down as head of the insurance firm, affirming that he intended to stay in control as long as he lives.

Ibrahim who stated this yesterday in Abuja at the presentation of cheques to former NICON Insurance staff by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) for pensions and gratuity, noted that no law in Nigeria prohibits an individual who owns a company from running it.

“I have come to stay for life, only God can remove me because I bought NICON Insurance. It’s my company, I have 70 per cent of it. Insurance is a member of NICON Group. NAICOM can withdraw the licence of Insurance, it doesn’t matter,” declared Ibrahim.

NAICOM, the regulatory body for the insurance sector, had given Ibrahim a 21-day ultimatum to step down as the chief executive of NICON Insurance Plc and also demanded that the firm forward the name of a new CEO within 21 days.

NAICOM threatened to impose appropriate sanction on the company if the directives were ignored. Read More