PROTESTING farmers in Auchi, Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday, locked out the management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, including the Corporation Flow Station Manager, Mr Duke Ijirigho, over alleged failure of the company to pay compensation to farmers for the alleged spillage which they had suffered.

An Abuja High Court in Maitama, yesterday, okayed a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, for trial over an amended criminal charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

THE Edo North senatorial candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and former President of the
National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Mr Peter Akpatason, weekend, raised fresh alarm
over alleged plans by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to file frivolous charges against ACN candidates in the state so as to distract them ahead of weekend’s National Assembly elections.

The Japanese government yesterday donated N90 million ($600,000) to the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, towards combating drug war, particularly in Guinea, where drug trafficking had assumed an alarming rate in recent years.

Soldiers would be drafted to Ekiti State to complement the police and other security agencies in supervising the April elections, just as the people of the state have been assured of maximum security before during and after the election.

GOVERNORSHIP candidates of different political parties in Enugu State were weekend locked in a debate, even as Governor Sullivan Chime outlined his future plans for the state if re-elected on April 16, 2011.

Ahead of Saturday’s elections, the Greater Ebonyi Movement, GEM, has alerted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the public to the purported plan by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to compromise electoral officials and the Police during the polls in Ebonyi State.

THE Senior Special Assistant to Governor Peter Obi on Media and Publicity, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, has urged the police to thoroughly investigate an aide to Dr. Chris Ngige, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwenyi, who was caught with sensitive electoral materials in Awka

SIX rural communities in Enugu State have benefitted from the first phase of European Union and WaterAid Nigeria water projects valued at N686 million.

The federal government has assured Niger Deltans that the amnesty programme was on course. This came as the search for a long lasting solution to the socio-economic, political and cultural problems in the area lingers

DEPUTY President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has urged gubernatorial candidates from Enugu North senatorial zone of the state to respect the zoning formula for the office of governor and wait for their turn in 2015

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, yesterday, launched its e-clearance system in line with the Federal Government’s resolve to attain 48 hours clearance of goods at the ports.

Foreign airlines have been fingered as the major culprits of accidents in Africa as most of them do not comply with stipulated criteria laid down by International aviation bodies and organisations