As the general elections commence on Saturday, citizens of Bayelsa State have been advised to vote for Chief Timi Alaibe as the next governor because of his track record as chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Vice-Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Area in Delta State, Mr. Tony Monyei, has kicked against his suspension by members of the State House of Assembly. He said that the House has no powers to do so, in view of a subsisting court injunction to that effect.

POLITICIANS in Edo State are worried over the postponement of the National Assembly election scheduled for this weekend.

Tension has heigthened in Patani Local Government Area, Delta State, following the suspected assassination of 31-year- old Mr. Sixtus Ganagana, younger brother of the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Basil Ganagana.

The Federal Government, yesterday, said it would build new towns in the 36 states of the federation.
The move, the Federal Government, said, was aimed at depopulating over populated cities and create room for the construction of new houses in a well planned and serviced environment.

In its determined efforts to bring its regulatory activities to the grassroots, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has established desk offices in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the federation.

PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said that the postponement of the National Assembly election had exposed the rigging strategies of the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP.

The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, yesterday expressed shock over the reported massacre of civilians in Duékoué, western region of Côte d’Ivoire.

Former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank, Dr. Erastus Akingbola, has denied report that a court in the United Kingdom, UK, has ordered his forfeiture of asset worth £68 million.

Army au-thorities, yesterday, reminded its personnel and officers that severe disciplinary measures will be taken against any of them who violates the code of conduct in the provision of security for the general elections rescheduled to start on Saturday.

KIDNAPPED member of the House of Representatives, representing Khana/Gokhana constituency, Mr Emmanuel Deeyah, has regained his freedom.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said it had arrested over 82 suspected drug traffickers and recovered 843.002kg of illicit drugs in Lagos State, within the first quarter of 2011.

The President Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture NACCIMA, Dr Herbert Ajayi has urged the Federal Government to give more attention to sectors that could grow the economy. Dr Ajayi, who made the call in a press statement issued in Lagos, advised that more attention should be paid to agriculture, power supply, health and education. Ajayi said that lack of adequate attention to these sectors was responsibility for the slow growth of the nation’s economy.

In 1999, the insurance industry lost health insurance, in 2004, the sector lost pension, recently it lost the control of workmen’s compensation. Thus the industry lost three critical classes of insurance business within ten years. Stakeholders however attribute these loses to divided interest among operators, Rosemary Onuoha writes.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has said that employees in Nigeria are not embracing the contributory pension scheme as expected given the number of workers in the country.