We are back and happy to have you here. News from Nigeria is our forte as usual and this time you need to brace up.  Send us eye witness accounts and tip offs via talknewsnaija@gmail,com TNN

PUNCH SECURITY MEN, LAWMAKERS CONSPIRED TO STEAL MACE —POLICE The Divisional Police Officer in the National Assembly, CSP Sulu-Gambari Abdul, yesterday blamed the April 18 invasion of the Senate and removal of the Mace by hoodlums on internal conspiracy. Abdul stated this during an investigative hearing into the incident by joint ad hoc committee investigating the incident. He said what happened at the National Assembly was an act of internal conspiracy among some security agencies and some lawmakers. “There should be cooperation between security agencies and the lawmakers but in this case, the attack came from the roof as the senators are not helping security matters. On April 16, there was an earlier hint that a group planned to invade the National Assembly and disrupt activities, which called for a build-up of security with two units of mobile police mobilised to the complex. “However, on April 18, at about 11 a.m., my attention was drawn to a group protesting a...

  PAPER REVIEW PUNCH 20 SENATE SUB-COMMITTEES DELAYING 2018 BUDGET – SARAKI The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, at the plenary on Thursday, insisted on today’s (Friday) deadline issued to standing committees to represent their reports on the 2018 budgets proposed by the Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies. He said the deadline would not be extended, noting that the Senate would not be held to ransom by the 20 sub-committees that had yet to present their reports to the Committee on Appropriations. “My meeting with the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations as of Wednesday showed that a number of committees have not

NEWS REVIEW FOR APRIL 12, 2018 NEWS PAPERS THISDAY FG APPROVES N47BN FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF ABA-PORT HARCOURT, LAGOS-OTA ROADS, OTHERS The federal government yesterday approved contracts for three road projects at the total rate of N47 billion including the redesign and reconstruction of Aba-Port Harcourt road. Speaking at the end of seven-hour Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the contract for Aba-Port Harcourt road portion of the Enugu – Port Harcourt road would cost N6.3 billion. He also said FEC approved N22 billion for the reconstruction of 81-kilometre Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway and another N19.392 billion for the repair of 44.625-kilometre Baban-Lamba-Sharam road in Plateau State. That road was first awarded in 2000 and it has since been left uncompleted because there were no budgetary provisions for it. The thi...

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP has described the the anti-corruption Champion conferred on President Muhammadu Buhari at the African Union Summit as laughable, derisory and African joke of the year. This condemnation was contained in a statement by the National publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan. The PDP said it was embarrassing that the Presidency, in its desperation to launder its irredeemably dented image, would resort to exporting its deceptive proclivities to the international arena. Ologbondiyan said African Union were not well briefed of the happenings in Nigeria, hence, the honour.