PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Harvest of deaths, legislators' “war” with CBN over jumbo pay reported in Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The tragic deaths of more than 30 persons in auto accidents involving petrol tankers, the face-off between the National Assembly and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and moves by the anti-graft agency to "try" former US vice president Dick Cheney over the Halliburton bribery scandal made headline news in Nigeria this past week.
Reporting the story on the accidents, the VANGUARD on Friday headlined its story "Harvest of deaths in Lagos, Ogun, Akwa Ibom", saying "It was a harvest of deaths Thursday in South West Lagos and Ogun States and South-South Akwa Ibom as no fewer than 30 persons were burnt to death in auto accidents involving petrol tankers.
In Lagos, more than 20 people were burnt in their vehicles along the Lagos-Badagry expressway when an oil tanker fell and spilled its contents.
Four vehicles, including two commuter buses carrying more than 24 passengers and two private cars, were burnt. One of the private vehicles had a pregnant woman and her husband burnt to death.
The paper said many other persons suffered serious injuries while those who attempted to escape fell into a canal and died.
According to the paper, no fewer than five persons perished in another auto crash involving a car and an articulated vehicle, said to be conveying rice from Lagos, on the Lagos-Ore Expressway.
The headline of the SUN read, "Pregnant woman, hubby, child, others die in petrol tanker fire." According to the paper, the Lagos Police Command Spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, had confirmed five persons dead and eight others injured in the petrol tanker explosion in Lagos.
Other papers also reported the story shortly after petrol tanker drivers called off their warning strike over run-ins with security operatives.
The TRUST captioned its story "10 burnt to death in Lagos tanker fire"; TRIBUNE - "Another 10 feared dead in Lagos accident, 5 in Ijebu-Ode"; THE GUARDIAN - "Tears again on Lagos roads"; the INDEPENDENT - "Pregnant woman, 20 others die in Lagos tanker explosion" and "Five killed in Ogun auto crash"; and the NATION - "10 die in another Lagos-Badagry Express road accident".
The face off between members of the National Assembly and the CBN Governor followed Sanusi's remarks that the National Assembly accounts for 25 per cent of the total federal government overheads of 536.27 billion naira (about US$ 4 billion).
Angered by this "revelation", Sanusi along with the Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, were summoned to appear before the legislators. Even when they did, Sanusi stood by his words and refused to apologize.
According to THISDAY, "N’Assembly Budget: Official Documents Prove Sanusi Right".
The paper said documents from the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper forwarded to the National Assembly and accompanied by a letter signed by President Goodluck Jonathan last September, revealed that the total federal government overhead budget for 2010 was 536.27 billion naira, of which the overhead budget of the National Assembly was 136,159,768,112.
"I confirm that 25 per cent of total overheads of the nation goes to the National Assembly," Sanusi said.
The VANGUARD headlined its story "N/Assembly expenditure: Sanusi insists, says he's ready to quit if…"; the SUN - "NASS budget: Sanusi refuses to apologize, insists on figure"; the DAILY TRUST - "Fat cat budget: Sanusi: I stand by my figures"; TRIBUNE - "Sanusi dares NASS on 25% expenditure, Says, I stand by my statement"; the GUARDIAN - "Sanusi adamant on N'Assembly spending, threatens to quit"; the PUNCH - "Jumbo pay: Sanusi at Senate, refuses to apologize"; DAILY INDEPENDENT - "Sanusi insists NASS takes 25% of Govt overheads"; and the NATION headline was "Sanusi: I can resign".
On the Halliburton bribery scandal, the papers went to town with moves by Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to charge former US Vice President Dick Cheney over the bribery scandal involving an engineering firm, KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton -- an allegation Cheney has denied.
The NATION on Saturday headlined its story "Halliburton scandal: EFCC corruption charges baseless, says Cheney's lawyer".
The paper said Cheney's lawyer, Terrence O'Donnell, had described the alleged corruption charges against him by the EFCC as "entirely baseless".
O'Donnell, the paper reported, was emphatic in his dismissal of any suggestion that the former US vice president was involved in a bribery scandal in Nigeria, saying that US authorities had investigated the joint venture at the core of the charges and never found him wanting at any time.
Also during the week, the papers reported that the Nigerian Army had pardoned the 27 soldiers convicted of mutiny by a military court martial last year.
The soldiers who served in the United Nations Mission in Liberia, and who were initially sentenced to life imprisonment in a general court martial for protesting the non-payment of their allowances on 4-5 July, had their sentences commuted to seven years imprisonment.
By this reprieve, the soldiers will not be reinstated to their former positions as the Army Council, the highest decision-making body, only "commuted the sentences from imprisonment to discharge from military service".
However, the Army Council decided that the discharged soldiers will be paid all their due entitlements and pensions.
-0- PANA VAO/MA 4Dec2010
Reporting the story on the accidents, the VANGUARD on Friday headlined its story "Harvest of deaths in Lagos, Ogun, Akwa Ibom", saying "It was a harvest of deaths Thursday in South West Lagos and Ogun States and South-South Akwa Ibom as no fewer than 30 persons were burnt to death in auto accidents involving petrol tankers.
In Lagos, more than 20 people were burnt in their vehicles along the Lagos-Badagry expressway when an oil tanker fell and spilled its contents.
Four vehicles, including two commuter buses carrying more than 24 passengers and two private cars, were burnt. One of the private vehicles had a pregnant woman and her husband burnt to death.
The paper said many other persons suffered serious injuries while those who attempted to escape fell into a canal and died.
According to the paper, no fewer than five persons perished in another auto crash involving a car and an articulated vehicle, said to be conveying rice from Lagos, on the Lagos-Ore Expressway.
The headline of the SUN read, "Pregnant woman, hubby, child, others die in petrol tanker fire." According to the paper, the Lagos Police Command Spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, had confirmed five persons dead and eight others injured in the petrol tanker explosion in Lagos.
Other papers also reported the story shortly after petrol tanker drivers called off their warning strike over run-ins with security operatives.
The TRUST captioned its story "10 burnt to death in Lagos tanker fire"; TRIBUNE - "Another 10 feared dead in Lagos accident, 5 in Ijebu-Ode"; THE GUARDIAN - "Tears again on Lagos roads"; the INDEPENDENT - "Pregnant woman, 20 others die in Lagos tanker explosion" and "Five killed in Ogun auto crash"; and the NATION - "10 die in another Lagos-Badagry Express road accident".
The face off between members of the National Assembly and the CBN Governor followed Sanusi's remarks that the National Assembly accounts for 25 per cent of the total federal government overheads of 536.27 billion naira (about US$ 4 billion).
Angered by this "revelation", Sanusi along with the Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, were summoned to appear before the legislators. Even when they did, Sanusi stood by his words and refused to apologize.
According to THISDAY, "N’Assembly Budget: Official Documents Prove Sanusi Right".
The paper said documents from the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper forwarded to the National Assembly and accompanied by a letter signed by President Goodluck Jonathan last September, revealed that the total federal government overhead budget for 2010 was 536.27 billion naira, of which the overhead budget of the National Assembly was 136,159,768,112.
"I confirm that 25 per cent of total overheads of the nation goes to the National Assembly," Sanusi said.
The VANGUARD headlined its story "N/Assembly expenditure: Sanusi insists, says he's ready to quit if…"; the SUN - "NASS budget: Sanusi refuses to apologize, insists on figure"; the DAILY TRUST - "Fat cat budget: Sanusi: I stand by my figures"; TRIBUNE - "Sanusi dares NASS on 25% expenditure, Says, I stand by my statement"; the GUARDIAN - "Sanusi adamant on N'Assembly spending, threatens to quit"; the PUNCH - "Jumbo pay: Sanusi at Senate, refuses to apologize"; DAILY INDEPENDENT - "Sanusi insists NASS takes 25% of Govt overheads"; and the NATION headline was "Sanusi: I can resign".
On the Halliburton bribery scandal, the papers went to town with moves by Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to charge former US Vice President Dick Cheney over the bribery scandal involving an engineering firm, KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton -- an allegation Cheney has denied.
The NATION on Saturday headlined its story "Halliburton scandal: EFCC corruption charges baseless, says Cheney's lawyer".
The paper said Cheney's lawyer, Terrence O'Donnell, had described the alleged corruption charges against him by the EFCC as "entirely baseless".
O'Donnell, the paper reported, was emphatic in his dismissal of any suggestion that the former US vice president was involved in a bribery scandal in Nigeria, saying that US authorities had investigated the joint venture at the core of the charges and never found him wanting at any time.
Also during the week, the papers reported that the Nigerian Army had pardoned the 27 soldiers convicted of mutiny by a military court martial last year.
The soldiers who served in the United Nations Mission in Liberia, and who were initially sentenced to life imprisonment in a general court martial for protesting the non-payment of their allowances on 4-5 July, had their sentences commuted to seven years imprisonment.
By this reprieve, the soldiers will not be reinstated to their former positions as the Army Council, the highest decision-making body, only "commuted the sentences from imprisonment to discharge from military service".
However, the Army Council decided that the discharged soldiers will be paid all their due entitlements and pensions.
-0- PANA VAO/MA 4Dec2010
