Senate Vows to Reduce Lawmakers’ Salaries

The Senate has disclosed that the salaries and allowances of lawmakers will be reduced in line with the existing economic realities facing the country. The chairman, Senate adhoc committee on information, Senator Dino Melaye, who made this disclosure yesterday when addressing newsmen, ‎said the committee saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the salaries of lawmakers had submitted its report.

According him, there was the need to reduce the allowances of lawmakers in response to the directives of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, who had set up a finance committee to review the allowance of Senators. He said the senators had made a progressive reduction in their salaries as the Senate president had insisted they must all make sacrifices for the nation.

PSG Cpmpletes The Signing of Angel Di Maria

Just 12 months after joining the Premier League side from Real Madrid, the Argentina international has penned a four-year contract with the French champions. Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Angel Di Maria from Manchester United. The Argentina international has penned a four-year contract with the Ligue 1 champions, just 12 months after arriving at Old Trafford from Real Madrid.United paid Los Blancos a British-record £59.7 million for Di Maria but, despite making a flying start to his Old Trafford career, the winger fell out of favour with manager Louis van Gaal over the course of the 2014-15 campaign.

After being given an extended summer break following his exertions at this summer's Copa America in Chile, Di Maria ultimately failed to join up with United on their pre-season tour of the United States. The 27-year-old subsequently travelled to Qatar to undergo a medical with PSG on Tuesday and has now sealed his €63m (£44.3m) switch to the Parc des Princes.

Busta Rhymes Arrested and Charged With Assault after Throwing Protein Drink Container at Gym Worker

Busta Rhymes has been charged with assault after an alleged fight at a New York City gym, according to reports. CBS claims that the 43-year-old was arrested at the Steel Gym in the posh Chelsea area of the Big Apple at around 8.30pm on Wednesday. The rapper, real name Trevor Tahiem Smith Jr. allegedly threw a container of Lean Body Protein drink at a gym worker, New York Daily News reports. Police were called to the scene and Busta Rhymes was arrested, but the victim apparently refused medical attention. According to New York Daily News, the gym's employee was hit in the back of the head but did not sustain serious injuries.

Court Transfers Suit Against Saraki, Ekweremadu’s Election

Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court has transferred the suit filed by five senators of the All Progressives Congress [APC], seeking the removal of Senate President, Bukola Saraki from office. The senators, Abu Ibrahim, Kabiru Marafa, Ajayi Boroffice, Gbenga Ashafa, and Suleiman Othman Hunyuki, in the suit are seeking the nullification of the elections of Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, over allegation of forgery. The judge took the decision based on the fact that he will not have sufficient time to hear the matter as his tenure as a vacation judge expires Friday this week.

Accordingly, he directed counsel to the plaintiffs to serve fresh hearing notices on all respondents and adjourned case to August 13, 2015 to be heard by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of court six. Meanwhile, the Senate President, Abubakar Saraki [1st defendant] is contesting that he was not properly served with the originating summons and other processes relating to the case.

Boko Haram - Saraki Seeks Foreign Assistance To Rebuild North-East

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, yesterday solicited the assistance of the international community for the on-going efforts by the Federal Government to end insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country and, thereafter, rebuild the region and rehabilitate its people. Saraki made the call at separate sessions he had with the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Zenner and his Spanish counterpart, Alfonso Barnudo Sabastian De Erice, who paid courtesy visits to him in Abuja. In a press statement issued by his media office, Saraki pointed out that alleviating the humanitarian situation and level of destruction in the region would require urgent and global support across the world.

Saraki said, having led a delegation of the Senate to visit the IDPs camps in Maiduguri on Monday for an on-the-spot assessment, it had become clear that the Federal Government alone can hardly foot the bills for total rehabilitation of the people and rebuilding of infrastructure damaged as a result of the activities of the insurgents. “As you talked about insecurity, particularly the insurgency in the North-east, it is a problem that we alone cannot tackle. 

Prepare For Drought, NEMA Warns Nigerians

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday advised Nigerians to prepare for possible drought in the country. NEMA’s warning followed the prediction of heavy rainfall by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET). The North West coordinator of NEMA, Musa Illalah, gave the advice in Kaduna during a workshop on liquid and solid waste management in the context of flood mitigation. Represented by the director, Administration of the agency, Amina Ahman, Illalah said the implication of the NIMET alert was that the rain may exceed the normal rate and states in the North ought to anticipate drought.

Boko Haram - Danjuma Committee Releases N140m To 7 North-East Hospitals

 

Seven major hospitals in NorthEast Nigeria were yesterday issued cheques worth N140 million by the Gen Theophilus Danjuma-led Victims Support Fund (VSF) Committee to enable them carry on with the medical treatment of all injured victims of Boko Haram terrorism. Each of the issued cheques worth N20 million were handed to heads of various hospitals after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the officials of the VSF and the benefitting health facilities.

In Borno State, two hospitals, the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and the State Specialists Hospital were selected for the grant, while other hospitals in Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states were also said to have benefitted. Presenting the cheques to the benefitting health facilities at different grant award ceremonies, a top official of the VSF, Prof Sunday Ochoche, who represented the chairman of the committee, General Danjuma, said the idea behind the support and the signed memoranda of understanding was to assist the hospitals to continue caring for the victims.

38 Babies Born At Redemption Camp In 2 Days in The Ongoing RCCG Convention

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) commenced its 63rd convention on Monday, August 3, 2015, with 17 boys and 21 girls said to have been delivered during the programme as at 8p.m. on Tuesday. This was disclosed by the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye shortly before he gave a sermon, titled, “As Pure As Light”.

The convention with the theme, “The All Sufficient God” drew people from all over the world to the Redemption Camp situated at Km. 46, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. At the opening of the programme, children from various parishes were given opportunity to sing and stage drama that depicted the theme of the programme.