Nigeria’s political climate is changing, especially at the advent of accusations thrown about by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
The week so far has been very eventful – politically, and ZENITHBLOG.com has continued to bring to you the major headlines making the rounds on a daily basis.
We the newspaper review for this Friday, April 28, with The Nation which bears the headline: “Police threaten senator over murder document”
Newspaper review: Police threaten Senator over murder documents
Did the police cart away Budget 2017 documents from the home of a senator?
That remained a knotty question yesterday.
The police denied that they took such documents during a raid on the Abuja home of Senator Danjuma Goje. The Senate said they did and that the budget could be delayed for that reason.
But, said the Senate yesterday in a statement, less than 24 hours after it demanded the immediate return of the documents, the police had complied with its directive.
Senate President Bukola Saraki’s office said the police returned all the documents, cash and laptop they took away from the house of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation.
Goje had, on Wednesday, told the Senate that policemen who raided his house on April 20 took away budget documents.
The Gombe Central lawmaker said besides 18 files, the police also took away his personal laptop where information on the budget was stored.
He said that N18 million, $19,000 and 4,000 Saudi Riyals were also taken away from his house by the police raiders.
The Vanguard bears the headline: “2015: How US worked with 12 anti-Jonathan govs”
Newspaper review: Police threaten Senator over murder documents
Former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has revealed that US government officials invited, at least, 12 northern governors to the US to ascertain their level of commitment to removing Jonathan and not just on how to curtail the Boko Haram insurgency as suggested.
Dr Aliyu said this in the book, “Against the Run of Play: How an Incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria,” written by Thisday Newspaper’s Editorial Board Chairman, Segun Adeniyi.
“I have no proof of course, but I think the idea was to ascertain what the disposition of the North would be to the idea of another term for President Jonathan,” he is quoted as saying in the book.
“That was my reading of the situation. I believe it was all about the 2015 election for which the Americans had resolved not to support Jonathan. They just wanted to size us up for the level of commitment to regime change.”
The Guardian bears the headline: “Police return cash, items taken from Goje’s home”
Newspaper review: Police threaten Senator over murder documents
The police yesterday returned the items they took away from the home of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Mohammed Danjuma Goje last Thursday.
The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, will today, visit the National Assembly to explain the legality of the search on the senator’s Asokoro, Abuja residence.
News | Nigeria
Police return cash, items taken from Goje’s home
By Adamu Abuh, Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Terhemba Daka and Karls Tsokar, Abuja | 28 April 2017 | 4:32 am
Ibrahim Idris
• Fault N’Assembly’s claim on alleged theft of budget materials
• 2017 Appropriation Bill ready next week, says Lawan
The police yesterday returned the items they took away from the home of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Mohammed Danjuma Goje last Thursday.
The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, will today, visit the National Assembly to explain the legality of the search on the senator’s Asokoro, Abuja residence.
Contrary to the claim by the federal legislator that vital documents relating to the 2017 appropriation bill currently before the National Assembly were carted away during the operation, the police high command maintained that its officers only recovered N18 million and $19,000 cash, among others and nothing near budget material.
The courtesy call by the police chief to amend the fractured relationship between the two institutions should produce a fresh impetus towards seeing the already belated budget passed.
“There was no single document relating to the 2017 budget sighted or removed by the police team that executed the search warrant. There is a video recording of the execution of the search warrant,” the police said in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Jimoh Moshood.
The Punch bears the headline: “Poverty, unemployment, getting worse, says Atiku”
Newspaper review: Police threaten Senator over murder documents
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says Nigeria is currently at a crossroads as poverty, unemployment, inflation, infant mortality and other social vices are on the increase.
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to unite in the demand for true federalism.
Atiku said this while delivering his speech at the formal public presentation of the Daily Stream newspaper in Abuja on Thursday.
He said: “A huge pall of pessimism hangs over a section of the citizenry, and the ranks of those who harbour real doubt about the future of the country swell by the day.
“The country is truly at a crossroads, and things are made worse by the cocktail of economic, social and political problems which we have had to contend with, and which add to the abysmally low estimation of our country even by its own citizens.”
This Day bears the headline: “NEC Concedes Natural Resource, Ecological Funds to States, LGs”
Newspaper review: Police threaten Senator over murder documents
The National Economic Council (NEC) rose from its monthly meeting held thursday in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with cheery news that states and local governments would henceforth keep their share of the natural resource and ecological funds.
Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, the governor of Anambra State, Mr. Willie Obiano said the states and local governments’ share of the funds would now be used by the affected states and local councils for emerging interventions.
Obiano also disclosed that the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) told the council that the natural resource fund balance as of March 31, 2017 stood at N70.9 billion while that of the ecological fund was put at N33.6 billion.
He also disclosed that the council constituted a committee comprising the Ministers of Finance and Environment and some states – Oyo, Borno, Imo, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom and Benue – to audit the ecological fund and come up with recommendations on how the its proceeds would be shared.
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