THERE is tension in Idheze community, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State, following an oil spill from a major Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC pipeline, which wreaked havoc in the area.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has said the capital market remained key to providing solutions to the nation’s current financial problems. She spoke at a meeting with the Capital Market Master Plan Committee of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in Abuja, yesterday.

ABUJA—The Presidency was yesterday in a happy mood when it discovered that the newly launched jobs portal of the Federal Government “N-Power. gov.ng,” has recorded over 400,000 successful registrations within 36 hours. This was announced by the Job Creation Unit in the Presidency.

Abuja—The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, yesterday, offered explanations on why it has been freezing accounts of suspects being investigated by the anti-graft in relations to economic crimes. The commission’s explanation followed mounting criticisms against the anti-graft agency by aggrieved individuals and corporate organisations for clamping down on their accounts while being investigated for sundry crimes.

ABUJA—Senator Ali Modu Sheriff yesterday took over the secretariat of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, vowing that he remained the authentic chairman of the party till 2018. This has further plunged the party into deeper crisis after the caretaker committee last week assumed office with much fanfare.

LAGOS—EXPORTERS have threatened to boycott the nation’s ports unless terminal operators withdrew the newly-introduced container handling charges.

The Army high command and 38 senior officers retired last week were, yesterday, locked in a war of words over the latter’s mode of disengagement.

THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has warned that the rising Non-Performing Loans, NPLs, in the oil and gas sector poses serious threat to stability in the Nigerian banking system. The CBN, in its Financial Stability Report for December 2015, released recently, disclosed that the collapse of crude oil prices and the impact on government revenues and foreign reserves portend risks to banking system stability through increase in default rates, reduction in solvency levels and volatility in exchange rates.

BOMADI — TRADERS in Bomadi Overside, Bomadi in Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State, chased away from their stalls in the community’s motor park to pave way for the construction of an ultra-modern motor park with lock up stalls, some months ago, are dangerously buying and selling on the Bomadi Bridge and highway.

lagos—A 28 year old electrician, Muyil Ahmed was yesterday sentenced to death by hanging after he was found guilty of robbery by an Ikeja High Court at gun point four years ago. Justice Kudirat Jose found Ahmed guilty for robbing his victim, a shop owner to the tune of N180,000 at gun point in Ikorodu area of the state in July 2012.