Sources close to the negotiations had said in April that the two sides were nearing a $75 million agreement, including the payment by Pfizer of $10 million legal fees, $30 million to Kano State and $35 million to victims and families.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Dr. Joy Emodi, who made the plea during a courtesy call on Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State at Government House, Minna yesterday said even though the agitation of the union was justifiable, the way they were going about it was not justifiable.

Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF), who is also the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday reviewed socio-cultural developments in the North and lamented that the area “had opportunities to have done better for our people for the better part of Nigeria’s independence but we appeared to have squandered those opportunities.”

President Umaru Yar’Adua has assured that the religious crisis in Bauchi State would be contained in such a way that it would not spread to all parts of the country.

OGUN State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has impounded a luxury bus loaded with imported textile materials, a lorry loaded with wood being taken out of the country and several other vehicles, even has it collected over N9billion in three months as revenue.

Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Commu-nication, Gregory Yenlong, had assured that the state government was alive to its responsibility of maintaining law and order and would take steps to ensure that the crisis does not spread to the state.

ccording to a statement by the leader of the group, Mr. Rommy Mom, the government must wake up to its responsibilities of ensuring the safety of lives and property of the people of the state describing his death as one too many in the state in recent time.

WIFE of the Senate President, Dr. Rosemarie Mark yesterday lamented the loss of her luggage, some money and a lap-top in Amsterdam, Netherlands, describing her experience in the hands of a gang within the international airport as painful.

The untold hardship, according to the bulletin includes outright retrench-ment or retirement of civil servants, tearing of their documents as well as outright denial of screening of eligible civil servants by the consulting firm.

According to him, “in the interest of fairness and peace, such an important university should be sited in one of the states in the oil producing area if govern-ment does not have the intention to upgrade the existing PTI institute in Delta State.

THE remaining five members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the Oyo State House of Assembly have vowed never to defect to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr. Oronsaye while challenging the civil servants to rededicate themselves to their schedules and assignment said “though there are challenges, this should not be an excuse to be swayed by corruption or be indolent and unpatriotic but rather, we should be resolute in addressing the challenges and remain undaunted”.

The forum observed that the use of military force in the region has remained counter-productive, as was evident in the response by militants in the recent Cordon and Search operation by the Joint Task Force on the Niger-Delta and urged the Federal Government to order a demilitarization of the area. It, nevertheless, welcomed the declaration of ceasefire by both the militants and the JTF and joined those calling for a return to true federalism in the country.

GOVERNOR Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State yesterday assured the people of the state of even provision and distribution of infrastructure across communities in the state that would make life worth living.

As part of the ongoing restructuring of justice system in Lagos State, the state government has introduced Saturday as a day of business of the court in every Magisterial district in the state.