Nigerian subsidiary of Samsung Heavy Industries, Bradama International, has offered to train and employ 1,000 Niger Delta ex-militants, as part of the company’s way of keying into the Federal Government’s amnesty programme.

Last week, the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA) in collaboration with the sponsors of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) organised a Book Party in honour of the 11 shortlisted poets for the prestigious Nigeria prize for literature. It was an evening that many book enthusiasts eagerly waited for and the day afforded them another opportunity to partake in the literary intellectual and stimulating feast.

THE recent commissioning of Abia Specialist and Diagnostic Hospital, Umuahia, which was the first of its kind in the South East zone is already achieving its purpose with patients trooping down there to receive one renal treatment or the other.

THE Federal Government has raised alarm that the economic opportunities in African maritime industry are being threatened by the rising insecurity in the continent’s waters, calling on littoral states to defend their maritime sector against criminals for exploitation of the resources.

OWERRI—Angry reactions have started trailing the legalisation of abortion by Imo State Government, as many people were seen Wednesday, discussing what they described as an obnoxious law.

Former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, has warned controversial businessman and self-appointed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leader in Ogun State and the South-West zone, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, not to drag his name into his (Kashamu’s) “messy political battle,” with former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George and other credible PDP leaders in the South-West.

Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State yesterday called for immediate review of the Nigerian Army regulations and the civil service rules dealing on retirement age.

THE alleged dismissal of over 30 oil workers of Lamnalco Nigeria Limited in the last six months has pitched the company against a militant group in Niger Delta, Coastal Revolutionary Forces, CRF.

Dr. Abduljhalil Tafawa-Balewa is a son of First Republic Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Abduljhalil, a medical doctor, who holds a PhD in Nuclear chemistry and spent 49 of his 56 years outside the country, in this interview asserted that President Goodluck Jonathan has renewed confidence in the country through repair of infrastructure and empathy to northern interests and the dignity of women. He especially commended Dr. Jonathan’s affirmative action on women, which he said has promoted women to the highest level of governance as never before. Excerpts:

…urges Orubebe to expedite action on repair work
PORT HARCOURT—Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Leyii Kwanee, has blamed last Sunday’s gunmen attack on the state’s Sport Commissioner, Fred Igwe, on the deplorable state of the East West road.

THE Federal Government has concluded plans to designate Ocean Marine Tankers as a national shipping line following the application it received from the company.

Lagos State Government, yesterday, said it terminated its concession agreement with Lekki Concession Company, LCC, the concessionaire handling the 49.63 kilometer Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway, “to save motorists from paying exorbitant toll tariff on the ever busy road.”

In the eyes of an undergraduate who has lost 60 days of his academic calendar due to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), N130bn is a lot of money. To the parents of such a student, N130bn should be enough to settle whatever grievances ASUU has. So why then has ASUU refused to put an end to the strike despite Federal Government’s disbursement of N130bn? In this report, Vanguard Learning seeks answers to these questions, and delves into the root causes of the ASUU strike.

ONITSHA—The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, has threatened to resume its suspended strike should the National Assembly fail to approve local government autonomy at a conference of the two legislative chambers yet to be fixed.

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, gave reasons for the sack of Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir as Minister of Youths Development, saying that he mismanaged elections into the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN.