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Explosions rock Kaduna, Damaturu
Jonathan: Nigerians suspicious of IMF
NEWS – Page 6
NEWS – Page 2
•One dead, six injured, buildings destroyed
•MD Lagarde pledges support
www.thenationonlineng.net
TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH
VOL. 7, NO. 1980 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2011
Woman gives birth to five babies at LUTH
E
VEN the doctors thought they were dealing with four. But the woman was delivered of a set of five ba-
N150.00
•The quintuplets ... yesterday By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha, Health Correspondent
bies at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos Mainland.
The woman, who is said to be a mother of one, is married to a lawyer. Born last Friday, three of the quintuplets – two boys
and three girls – weighed 1.5kg, 1.55kg and 1.7kg. The others weighed 1.8kg. All five are said to be very stable in the neo- natal unit of the
hospital. Their mother has been transferred to the ward. The “lucky” father was yet to be identified yesterday. During the pregnancy, the
scan had picked four of the babies. The doctors were shocked to find the fifth during the caesarean operation.
NNPC boss: subsidy gone Doctors, lawyers warn of protests
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON
From John Ofikhenua, Abuja
A
NTI-FUEL subsidy campaigners got a piece of bad news yesterday. The subsidy will be removed when the Federal Government begins the implementation of next year’s budget, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director Austen Oniwon told reporters after the 2008/2009 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) in Abuja. He said: “I think what people should really look at is that in 2012 budget proposal there is no provision for subsidy. And if there is no provision for subsidy, then it will become illegal for government to pay subsidy. I believe when the implementation of that budget takes off, deregulation would have taken off.” Asked if the government will remove fuel subsidy, Oniwon replied: “It is not if, but when? It means you are still thinking that will not take And if there is itplace.” President no provision for oodluck subsidy, then it G Jonathan has will become ille- presented a N4.2trillion gal for governbudget to the ment to pay sub- National Assembly. The sidy. I believe package exwhen the imple- cludes the fuel mentation of that subsidy in officials budget takes off, which claim about N1.3trillion deregulation has been spent
‘
would have taken off.
’
Continued on page 2
S N EA R M KO KI IL THURN G- E R N G NO MO JO PA 59 •Members of the Apostolic Faith Orchestra during their Christmas Concert at Anthony Village, Lagos ... yesterday.
PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE
•CATHOLICS MOURN AS 18 DIE IN EDO STATE ROAD ACCIDENT P10