The Federal Government, yesterday, expressed its willingness to dialogue with the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, following the latest threats issued by the group to launch bomb attacks in Lagos, Abuja and the Niger Delta.

THE Senate, yesterday, passed a budget of N4, 971,881,652,689 (Four trillion, nine hundred and seventy one billion, eight hundred and eighty one million, six hundred and fifty two thousand six hundred and eighty nine naira) for the 2011 fiscal year.

GOVERNOR Adebayo ALao-Akala of Oyo State has faulted the rising political influence of the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, saying he avoided contesting the presidential election for fear of being rejected by Nigerians.

Former Vice Chairman of Island Club and Lagos socialite, Prince Ademola Dada, was, yesterday, formally arraigned before a Lagos State High Court, for allegedly making false declaration on oath.
Trial judge in the matter is Justice Christopher Ayodeji Balogun.

FORMER Governor Olusegun Osoba yesterday warned that any attempt to rig the forthcoming elections would lead to a people revolution by the people. Chief Osoba who spoke at Itoku Market during the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, campaign for its candidates in Abeokuta South Local Government said the people will resist any attempt to rig the elections, noting that few weeks to the elections; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had not started its campaign.

INDICATIONS have emerged that the new members of the National Administrative Council, NAC of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, put in place on March 3rd at the just concluded 10th National Delegates Conference, appeared to be in n a hurry to put behind the past memories of the past four years of general consensus that NLC did live up to expectations and return congress to a pro-people movement.

A GROUP, the Coalition of All Southerners Forum in Plateau State, yesterday said they lost no fewer than 1,654 people and property worth over N970 billion to the crisis in the state since 1994 and and called on the Federal Government to compensate the victims.

TODAY’S memory verse is taken from the case of that old man who was asked if he did not go to farm, and he responded, “Honestly, I did not see any rabbit”.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) will today bring together the Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, Professor Barth Nnaji, Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr Sam Amadi, and other stakeholders to discuss Power Sector Reforms.

THE presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, yesterday in Ibadan condemned the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, saying “it cannot show any remarkable achievement it made in the last 12 years.”

THE Senate in response to repeated protest from civil society groups and students has commenced deliberations on the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, vowing that the bill will be passed before May, 2011.

Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, has declared that he bears no grudges against President Goodluck Jonathan for sacking him from the Federal Executive Council.

IN one fell swoop, unprecedented in the annals of higher education in this country, the federal government established nine out of the 12 universities purportedly meant for the remaining states without federal universities. Vice Chancellors and registrars have been appointed for the take off from the next academic session in September.

The Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, yesterday, invited 62 legal practitioners to appear before it on March 30 and 31, with a view to ascertaining their suitability for the confirmation of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, on them.

CAMPAIGN for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to ensure a for full scale investigation into the over N12 billion Pension scam uncovered in the Pension Department of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and bring everybody directly or remotely connected to crime to book.