Some unknown gunmen have abducted the six-year-old son of the former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Godknows Powell in the early hours of yesterday.

The Standing Committee inaugurated by the Lagos State Government on the harmonization of Schools’ Calendar, examinations and curriculum has submitted its recommendations.

Loyalists of the recuperating Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, are unhappy with the Acting governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, for allegedly plotting to unseat his boss through the constitution of a medical board to declare him incapacitated.

Lagos — Lagos state government said it was yet to complete the buy-back of the concessionaire agreement it entered into with Lekki Concession Company, LCC, the concessionaire handling the 49.63-kilometre Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, yesterday said his loyalty to his ailing boss, Danbaba Suntai, was consistent and unshakable.

Financial Derivative Company has called for tight fiscal and monetary policy regime in 2014.

On the occasion of the country’s centenary, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, called on Nigerians not to take the continued unity of the country for granted even as he cautioned against distractions that could impede the future prosperity of the nation

The Federal Government is said to have settled outstanding subsidy claims up to the second quarter of last year. However, only the major marketers are the main beneficiaries of this settlement, leaving most of the independent claims still outstanding.

BENIN— Defender of Democracy Group, DDG, a group in the Niger Delta, has said rather than attempting to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from running for a second term, Northern leaders should seek for a level-playing ground for all those interested in the 2015 Presidency.

Even the brightest minds in the country would never have guessed that 50% of the academic calendar of Nigerian universities would be lost in 2013. Research and investigations would not have been able to reveal beforehand the loss of lives in Northern schools, the results of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations, the abysmal performance of students in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations or the limited admission spaces akin to the passage of a donkey through the eye of a needle.

Despite failing in their interest in Golden Eaglets star, Kelechi Iheanacho, former English champions Manchester City are said to be closing in on a deal for another member of the victorious Nigeria team to the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Chidi Nwakali.

Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola has pleaded with the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, to shelve its proposed nationwide indefinite strike scheduled to begin on Monday, January 6, 2014, and embrace more purposeful means of resolving outstanding grievances.

Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG; Pastor William Kumuyi of Deeper Christian Life Church, and Pastor Daniel Olukoya of Mountain of Fire and Miracles, MFM, yesterday, released their predictions for the nation in the new year.

The naira has crashed to N173 per dollar in the parallel market in response to scarcity of foreign exchange in the market.

This represents depreciation of 1000 kobo or 6.1 per cent when compared N163 per dollar which was the exchange rate as at end of November.