The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday reiterated its preparedness to conduct a free, fair and credible governorship election in Bayelsa State this Saturday.

The three leading candidates in this weekend’s election, Serikae Dickson, PDP, Timipere Sylva, APC and Moses Siasia, PDM are to confront one another this afternoon in a live television debate.

LAGOS—Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, yesterday said that the Federal Government is set to privatise the petroleum products pipeline network in the country to minimise the issue of perennial vandalism…

Imo workers, yesterday, shut down the state to protest non-payment of arrears of their salaries and allowances by the state government.

Lagos— Magistrate O. A Ogunbowale of an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, Lagos State has remanded a 45-year-old security man, Musa Mohammed in prison custody over alleged rape of a 15-year-old boy.

ABEOKUTA — A 37-year-old woman, Risikat Bamidele, is currently receiving treatment at the Ogun State Hospital, Ijaiye after policemen allegedly tortured her on Saturday for making phone call at a police station.

In a bid to meet up with the sales projection trajectory in a competitive environment, Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC, is set to ramp up investments and upgrade facilities in the country.

I woke up last Friday morning knowing I would be spending the better part of the day in bed, binge-watching my favorite TV shows and generally taking it easy so I could recover fast from the exhaustion of traversing the length and breadth of Bayelsa State as part of the campaign train for the PDP gubernatorial candidate and incumbent governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson.

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has said that the Calabar monorail under construction will be commissioned and operational before the Carnival Calabar, which holds on December 28.

Nigeria’s criminal justice system has often been criticised and ridiculed for its inability to secure convictions, particularly for offences perpetuated by high profile individuals. Yet, one recalls the case of a young man, Kelvin Ighodalo, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for stealing Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s N50,000 Sony Ericsson phone.

ABA, the acclaimed Enyimba City and commercial capital of Abia State was in the news recently, albeit for the wrong reasons. No fewer than 20 persons sustained varying degrees of injury in a fracas that resulted from the forcible eviction of some traders from the Highlife area of the city by the Aba Urban Renewal, AUR Committee.

LAGOS—A suspected kidnapper, Solomon Michael, who was paraded alongside four others at the Lagos State Police command, Ikeja, has confessed that he plotted the kidnap of his boss because she maltreated him.

Following dwindling resources from the federation account to Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has sought the approval of the state House of Assembly to withdraw N1.25 billion from the Omoluabi Conservation Fund to assist government in the provision of infrastructure in the state.

The Industrial Training Fund, ITF, refuted, yesterday, corruption allegation levelled against the Fund by labour unions.

The Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Action Committee on Control of AIDS (JISACA), Dr. Bashir Ahmed, has disclosed that there are about 5,000 people living with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the state with about 26, 000 yet to be registered.