Nigeria’s truly national newspaper
Boko Haram bombs kill eight
States shun N34b education fund
NEWS
Page 3
NEWS – Page 3
•UBE worried as President intervenes
•Three soldiers injured in Borno
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VOL. 6, NO. 1832 MONDAY, JULY 25, 2011
TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH
N150.00
Lions scare rocks Ibadan
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ANY residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, were scared at the weekend by the rumour that two lions had escaped from the zoological garden of the University of Ibadan. A text message, which was also relayed on BlackBerry messengers to residents at the institution, stated that the two lions escaped ... News Page 7
West Brom offer Osaze N7b
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•Grieving members of the public embrace after a “mass for sorrow and hope” at Oslo’s Cathedral ... yesterday
Norway gun suspect ‘acted alone’, say police
T •The face of a killer: Breivik
HE suspect charged with carrying out a massacre at a youth camp in Norway and a bombing in the capital, Oslo, says he acted alone, police say. Anders Behring Breivik, 32, admitted to carrying out both attacks, which he described as “gruesome
but necessary”. At least 93 people were killed in Friday’s attacks - 96 have been injured and some are still missing. Memorial services have been held across the country, including at the main Lutheran cathedral in Oslo.
Norway’s King Harald V and his wife Queen Sonja attended the cathedral, along with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, laying single white flowers outside as they entered. Continued on page 2
Strike: NLC insists on one week deadline
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TATES got yesterday a wakeup call on the N18,000 minimum wage. Speed up the talks, Labour told state governments, warning that the suspended strike could resume, should the government renege on the bilateral agreement. It expressed readiness to do battle with the government and called on its affiliates “not to demobilise”. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) directed its state chapters to immediately begin negotiations with
N18,000 minimum wage talks ‘must end on Sunday’ From John Ofikhenua, Abuja and Jide Orintunsin, Minna
state governments so as to agree on the payment schedule. Negotiations, it said, must be concluded by Sunday - in line with the agreement signed by the leadership of Labour and representatives of gov-
ernment last week. A last-minute meeting between the leaders of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Federal Government delegation, led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim,
on Tuesday night staved off the strike planned for Wednesday. But there have been discordant tunes from governors and some Federal Government officials about the landmines on the way of implementation of the agreements reached. In a statement yesterday, Head, Information and Public Relations of the NLC, Chris Uyot, said the negotiation was aimed at ensuring that workers’ rights, are not trampled Continued on page 2
UPER Eagles forward Peter Osaze Odemwingie is on the verge of an improved West Brom three-year deal worth around £45,000-aweek (about N11.1m). According to reports from London Sunday, the former Lille of France striker is expected to earn about N44.6m-amonth and N2.3b-a-year contract ... Sports – Page 24
Floods alert in Southsouth
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HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged Southsouth governors to take proactive measures against floods and thunderstorm. The Director-General, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, gave the warning at a special regional workshop ... News – Page 54
ACN to Jonathan: lead by example
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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday threw a challenge at President Goodluck Jonathan. It urged the President to lead by example in cutting the high cost of governance, which it noted has eaten deep into the country’s resources ... News – Page 3
•POLITICS P17 •SPORTS P24 •CITYBEATS P25 •CEO P43 •MOTORING P45