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Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 183
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Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business
Discos, Gencos to reject N25bn legacy debts on gas lFG extends payment deadline for Afam Power, Kaduna Disco Simeon Ogoegbulem and Adeola Yusuf
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s the new assets’ owners in electricity generation and distribu-
tion sub sectors meet today in Abuja, they have collectively decided to reject the N25 billion legacy debts on gas, New Telegraph gathered yesterday.
Their decision to reject the legacy debts came hours after the Federal Government granted the request by Televeras Group and Northwest
Power Plc, the preferred bidders for Afam Power Plc and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) respectively, for the extension of payment
date of the balance of 75 per cent of the purchase price. The legacy debts are the leftover debts, which CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Pope Francis: I’ll bow out within three years
lSays death or resignation likely by then lLoses three relatives in car crash Oluwatosin Omoniyi
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L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan (left) and Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, at the eight annual Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Finance Conference in Abuja...yesterday.
ope Francis has predicted an end to his papacy, either by death within three years or by resignation. The pope, while fielding questions from journalists aboard the papal plane on his return trip from South Korea to Rome, said if he did not die, then he might resign like his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. According to the transcript of the interview, which New Telegraph obtained yesterday from the website of Catholic News Agency (CNA), the pope, who lost three relatives in a car crash yesterday, also spoke on the situation in the Middle East and his relationship with the emeritus pope. The pope said he might retire from the papacy if he felt he could no longer perform his duties. Pope Benedict XVI
INEC creates additional 30,000 polling units lReleases timetable for Adamawa gov by-election lSecurity agents on election duty to vote in 2015 Onwuka Nzeshi, Philip Nyam and Onyekachi Eze
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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced the creation
of 30,000 additional polling units to bring the total number of voting centres in the country to 150,000. The commission, which has released the timetable for the governorship by-
election in Adamawa State, also put the total number of registered voters at 70,383427. The decision to create additional polling units, according to a statement by
INEC Director in charge of its secretariat, Ishiaku A. Gali, was reached at a meeting on August 12. The creation of more polling units, it added, was necessitated by the need to
comply with the provision of the 2010 Electoral Act, which states that each polling unit shall not have more than 500 voters. INEC source confided in New Telegraph that some polling units overshot this figure, hence the need for additional polling CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
who was hobbled by old age had in a rare gesture, stepped down on February 28, 2013 to pave the way for the ascension of Argentina-born Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, to the papacy after which he took the name Pope Francis. The 77-year-old pontiff, who seemed in good spirits, was asked about his global popularity, which
Full interview on pages 14 - 16 was evident again during his five-day visit. “I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because I know it will last only a short time. Two or three years and then I’ll be off to the Father’s house,” he said. The pope said he could handle the popularity CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Doctor, who treated Sawyer, dies of Ebola }6 Lagos
Rain Storms
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