KOGI Governor Abroad; hopefully not dead

In an October 25 letter, exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, we gathered that Mr. Bello said notified the Kogi State Assembly of his intention to travel abroad and that he will be gone for 14 days effective October 26.c He instructed that, “While abroad, all state matters should be forwarded to my deputy, Rt. Hon. Simon Achuba,” The letter puts to rest reports on social and traditional media claiming that Mr. Bello had gone abroad without notifying the state House of Assembly — thereby contravening.

The Letter, however, fell did not state where the governor intended to spend his holiday and reasons for his trip, But the Speaker of the House, Umar Imam, said Mr. Bello did no wrong since it was a private visit. “The governor went on a private leave for two weeks out of the six weeks he’s entitled to in a year,” the speaker’s spokesman, Umar Ali, told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday. “The House does not have any issues with it because he satisfied the requirements of the law.” Petra Onyegbule, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor. The Governor is Abroad and his trip followed due process but the status of the Governor not yet ascertained as no video of him has surfaced, we at Peoples Digest wish him a safe return

Niger Delta Militants Bomb PPMC Pipeline under repair

Niger Delta militants on Tuesday bombed a state-run oil pipeline near the southern port city of Warri, the second attack within a week, as gathered from our sources. “The line which was undergoing repair after the previous attack was billed for commissioning either today or tomorrow,” before the latest attack, chairman of Batan community, Dickson Ogugu said. According to him, four surveillance guards deployed to protect the Trans Forcados export line narrowly escaped death after the militants opened fire on them. “The hoodlums after chasing them from the spot came down from their speedboat, planted dynamite on swamp boogie, barge, crane and on the line,” he said. “Unfortunately, only the dynamite on the barge exploded and immediately sank into the water. As I speak to you, the military are at the scene of the incident trying to dismantle the other dynamites.” An army officer, who did not want to be named, confirmed the incident. “We heard the shots in the middle of the night, but as you know, we do not patrol the area at night, so there was nothing we could do,” he said. The line has been previously targeted by rebels. Last week, the line was bombed just hours after President Muhammadu Buhari met with representatives of militant groups in the Niger delta to discuss how to end the unrest wracking the region. The state-owned Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) operates the pipeline which receives crude from the Batan flow station and feeds the Forcados export terminal. Since the start of the year, several militant groups have attacked oil facilities, slashing the nation’s output and hammering revenues. The militants claim to be seeking a fair share of the nation’s oil wealth for local residents as well as political autonomy for the region.

BREAKING: Bomb explode along Banki – Usmanari – Kumshe road in Borno State Kills TWO

At least two soldiers are feared dead after a bomb exploded along Banki – Usmanari – Kumshe road in Borno State. About eight soldiers of the 152 TF Battalion of the Nigerian Army were also injured in the explosion which occurred at about 8:10 a.m. One canter truck was destroyed in the explosion while the Injured persons are currently receiving first aid treatment before they are evacuated by air to the hospital. Today’s explosion occurs a day after one soldier was killed when Boko Haram attacked Nigerian troops in Kangarwa Village. The Army said 13 insurgents were also killed in the attack while three other soldiers were injured.

Will Fuel Price Go Up or Is Subsidy Back?

we have been abreast with News making the rounds that Fuel Subsidy is over but in the last few days News reaching us at Peoples Digest shows that we are far from the truth keeping up with that school of thought. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had been selling petrol at N145 a liter, but on Thursday, November 3, the price rose to N150 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the surrounding areas as private marketers based on the rumors making the rounds plan to hike petrol prices. Earlier this week, Nigeria's petroleum minister Ibe Kachikwu Responding to news that the petrol pump price had increased, announced over the weekend that he was not aware of such an increase and would review the pricing template. culled from SaharaReporters; Sources revealed that the federal government would likely not increase the petrol price due to its fear that doing such would trigger mass protests, as it did in 2012. On Monday, the Nigeria Labour Congress had also advised the Nigerian government to not increase the petrol price, hinting that such an increase could result in civil unrest. We also gathered from the above source that the federal government has been quietly subsidizing crude oil at N28 per liter to keep the fuel price low. The subsidy, however, means that Nigeria has less crude oil to sell, and Nigeria relies on exporting crude oil abroad in order for it to be refined into petroleum products that are then sent back into the local market.This spells the return of the subsidy on Petroleum products President Muhhammed Buhari said had been revoked and become a thing of the past. This is not the first time that the Government of President Muhhammed Buhari has done one thing while saying another, yet we cannot conclude until we hear directly from him or those responsible for the importation and sales of these products which remains the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNP) who is solely in charge of importing petroleum products in Nigeria at the moment

Prince goes home at 57

The singer - real name Prince Rogers Nelson - was confirmed dead at Paisley Park in Minnesota, days after being rushed to hospital after falling ill on tour. His body was found unresponsive at the estate where he lived and worked in a recording studio. Prince, who defined the sound of the '80s with songs such as "Kiss" and "Purple Rain" and defied the music industry in a fight for creative freedom, died Thursday. The 57-year-old singer was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said. Paramedics tried to perform CPR but were unable to revive him, the sheriff said. He was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m., less than 30 minutes after sheriff's deputies responded to a medical call at the scene. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, Olson said. An autopsy is scheduled to take place Friday. we at Peoples Digest join the whole world to mourn the POP Icon who will remain dear in our memories for his style that affected the world through his Music.

Nigeria; WHO WILL HELP ME? By Misan Pinnick

I Realized today how much of a Nigerian I am today, all these years I wondered where I got that trait from, it just dawned on me*Revelation* Found out I do always looking for AID, unless want support. All my dreams lay in d hope one day I will get a loan. I'm needy, wanting if I contact a friend, neighbor, acquaintance, relative, mummy, Daddy, I need their help, they have to aid me or loan me a little something Why I'm I like this? With all I've got I can't see where the resources go, searching for more, needing, requesting, loaning, collecting Even when I get d support I can't tell where it went, I did something with it, I'm sure I did, like a grain of sand in d desert, hard to find I pray and fast! God I need your help, to you alone I look. I praise him for a lively hope, a man of faith I am with my many doubts Then it dawned on me; I see you in me. Nigeria, the blood that runs in my veins, it all came from all I saw in you in all that you have been. With many resources, my Nation always goes looking, searching begging for aids, for grants, loans. Up and Down Nigeria goes, help me! Help me. Blessed with Crude oil but I need help to refine it so I blame someone for my many problems, only having solutions that requires anther's help We steal our own but need d help of the world to get it back, I've Gold and Brimstone but who will help me find and tap it? Someone help My people are hungry, we are poverty stricken, who will help, I will spend that which I have in search of Help, overseas & around. Help!!! I burnt my towns and killed my people, men women and children. I can't tell why but I know who to blame. Help me rebuild my cities, help me... Like my country, we all looking for help to do that we can on our own, all cos we believe the solution lies abroad and not within I get the help, loans, grants, Aids, funds, investment, supports, programs, donors. You can't imagine how much I get but it changes nothing It doesn't take away queues from filling stations, nor feed my hungry my youths are unemployed with poor education, poverty everywhere. The solutions out there, maybe in China, US, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia. I search, I'll keep searching till I find I find it, Fly the world Who will tell me to look within, is possible I have all I seek abroad? That option I must not think, How will I survive with all that help!? Maybe if I did I'll find within that actually got what I was looking for overseas but no one told me, All d Aids have made me lazy I do not see How did China get there? Germany? They looked within, learn from there to overcome and structure their resources, got their youths busy, and changed Note to Self! LOOK WITHIN!! I hope my Nation will hear as well? Is it even possible to live without their help? Does it all even make sense?

No LG Chairman Threatens to Resign in Niger STATE - ALGCON

The attention of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGCON) in the state has been drawn to a malicious and untrue report in the National Mirror and Peoples Daily of Wednesday 9th March, 2016 titled "Niger Councils' Chairmen decry poor funding, threaten to quit" and "Niger LG Chairmen warns Gov. Bello over non funds release". The report is not only untrue but lacked the basic journalistic component of attribution. Out of the 25 local government chairmen, the reporters failed to get any one thereby reducing the report to a mere armchair or pepper soap joint story concocted by the sponsors and the authors of the story. The forum viewed the report as a deliberate attempt by the sponsors and the authors of the report to set the forum at a war path with our highly esteemed and respected leader and Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello. We make bold to say that at no time since our inauguration as the chieftains of our councils have we met to discuss, resolved and threatening to resign due to non-release of local government funds. It will be necessary at this juncture to point out that the forum since inception had met only once at the instance of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello in Government House. Our deliberations with the governor were so rewarding as he (the governor) advised us on how best to run the affairs of the councils; how to improve on our internally generated revenue and how to ensure development of our councils. The meeting ended cordially and there was no descending view or complain by any of our members. It is on this note that the forum wish to categorically dissociate itself from the report as no such decision was taken. It should be noted that the life time of the forum members is too young to be engaging in any media war. We are all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and will not have resorted to press if at all, there is any problem. We have no problem with the state government and our confidence in the leadership of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello is unshaking. We therefore demand for immediate retraction of the story by the two papers that published papers that published the malicious and alarming story within the next 72 hours or the forum may be forced to take action deemed necessary in the interest of the integrity of our members. Let me also cease this opportunity to advice our gentlemen of the Press to ensure strict adherence to ethics of journalism practice. The Press no doubt contributed immensely to the change we all clamored for. As a principal stakeholder, you should not be party to truncating this so much cherished change.