THE NIGERIAN
1
The Nigerian
PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 RELATIONSHIP
cmyk
Page 13 Make decisions with your wife
JUDICIARY Pages 16 - 17 Towards decongesting the prisons
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
• Vol. 38 NO. 294• THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2 013 • N 100.00
Nigerian business group tasks NASS on PIB By JOSES SEDE
ABUJA - The Lagos chapter of the Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA)
has urged the National Assembly to urgently pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in order to kick-start the
reforms in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce which is an
umbrella group for Nigerian businesses, said the legislation holds the key to solving corruption and other forms of fiscal problems Continues on page 2
New Naira notes out in Sept - CBN ABUJA - The Central Bank of Nigeria will take delivery of new naira notes before the end of September for circulation, the Deputy Director, Operations, Dr. Tunde Lemo, has said. Lemo stated this in an the first instance, then interview with newsman later the lower in Abuja. denominations,” he said. The Apex Bank had On the scarcity of the earlier said that new lower denomination naira notes would be in notes, Lemo blamed circulation by June, and commercial banks for that the smaller what he called “poor denomination notes (N5, circulation.” N10, N20, and N50) “For the lower would be reprinted on denomination; well, I paper. think the banks are really “We are going to take the ones that are really delivery of the new notes not allowing the lower from this month of denomination in August. We will take circulation, largely, delivery of the new notes because of the carrying before the end of value. September. “Most people don’t “The public will get a require small large quantity of the new denomination. But for notes to replace the old buying things in the and mutilated notes, market, if you look at the particularly the higher veracity, you find out that denomination notes in the N50 circulate more
than the smaller ones,” he said. Meanwhile, Lemo has urged law enforcement agencies to arrest all illegal hawkers of new naira notes.
He also called on commercial banks to keep watchful eyes on their staff to avoid being used as conduit for illegal transfer of new notes to unauthorised hands.
Lemo said this should be done to ensure effective protection of the currency from abuse. “We have done all we can do in the sense that we have criminalised this in the 2007 Act “It is clear that if you hawk notes, if you abuse the currency, it is a criminal offence and it is punishable. “We expect law enforcement agencies to do the arrest. We don’t have power to arrest. We
know it is going on,” he said. Lemo said commercial banks should “dispense and pay their customers with new notes”. He said the apex bank had carried out sensitisation campaigns to inform the public and warn them about the dangers of patronising hawkers. “I think that is the limit Continues on page 2
Evacuation Of implementation Flood Victims ASUU insists on of agreement NEMA seeks EU’s support
ABUJA - The National E m e r g e n c y Management Agency (NEMA) has called for the support of the EU in the evacuation of vulnerable people from flood-prone areas. The Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-sidi, made the call yesterday in Abuja when he received a 10-man delegation from the EU on a 10-day visit to Nigeria. He sought the expertise of the EU in convincing vulnerable people to vacate disaster areas to safer grounds. Sani-Sidi said the contingency plan for the prevention of a reoccurrence of the 2012 disaster was being bedevilled by the nonexistence of functional state emergency management agencies in most states of the
federation. He, however, said measures were being put in place by the agency through sensitisation and awareness creation in affected states on the need to prevent the reoccurrence. Sani-Sidi said that NEMA, in an effort to effect disaster risk reduction in affected areas, had high consultative meetings and advised governors of affected states on the need to prevent disasters. He said the contingency plan for the prevention of disaster was also being affected
Mandela Cup Nigeria South Africa
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by the lack of functional fire service, absence of ambulance services and poorly-equipped hospitals across the country. He said NEMA, in an effort to overcome some of the challenges, embarked upon the training of youths and executive volunteers to assist in emergencies. Continues on page 2
MEETING: L-R: Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of State for Niger Delta, Mr. Darius Ishiaku, Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Okon Bassey-Ewa, Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Tamino Turaki and Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja yesterday.
Doctors strike paralyses UBTH
By FRIDAY OBANOR
BENIN CITY – The indefinite strike embarked upon by Resident Doctors of the
University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Benin City, is beginning to take its toll on patients as relatives of some of the patients had started
relocating their relations A visit by The NIGERIAN from the hospital. OBSERVER to some
FG develops new teacher educ curriculum ABUJA - The Federal Government yesterday said it has developed a new Teacher Education Curriculum in line with the current needs of the
education system in the country. The Minister of
Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, told newsmen in Abuja that,
the new curriculum for teachers was part of the four-year strategic plan for the development of the education sector. Continues on page 2
wards at the Teaching Hospital yesterday revealed that patients who were still in their sick bed in anticipation that the strike would soon be called off were disappointed when they were left unattended to by the striking doctors. An inside source told our correspondent that the Doctors are on strike Continues on page 2