News Summary : All You Need to Know Today 15/7/2016

President Approves Investigation of Procurement Scandals

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recommendation of the committee charged with investigating the defence equipment procurement from 2007 to 2015 after the committee found a number of irregularities in the contract awards.

The approval followed the third interim report of the presidential committee on the audit of defence equipment which was released on Thursday.

a statement from the president of the presidential committee on the audit of defence equipment procurement in the armed forces, Air Vice Marshal Jon Ode retired , says among those to be investigated are 18 serving and retired military personnel, 12 serving  and retired public officials and 24 chief executive officers of companies in the procurement.

The affected military personnel include among others two former Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Ihejirika and Lt. General Mnimah.

The public officials include former minister of state for foreign affairs 11, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and three former permanent secretaries in the ministry of defence, Bukar Goni Aji, Haruna Sanusi and E.O Oyemomi.

The committee says the total amount spent for procurement and operations within the period were over 185 billion naira and 68.3 million us dollars.

President Buhari Receives Moroccan Envoy

President Muhammadu Buhari says the nation’s agriculture revolution drive is no longer a matter of speculation but one of urgent necessity

The president stated this at an audience with ambassador Nasser Bourita a special envoy of King Mohammed the sixth of Morocco.

He said Nigeria is in a hurry to see the planned ambitious projects take off in the agricultural sector.

The move, President Buhari said, is not only for food security and job creation but also to enhance the nation’s economic growth and development. The president describes as regrettable that Nigeria took things for granted when it had so much revenue from the petroleum sector. He welcomed the plan by morocco to establish a fertilizer plant in Nigeria to service not only the country but the entire West African sub region. Ambassador Nasser Bourita who is the minister for foreign affairs and co-operation said his country had developed strategies to deal with religious extremism and therefore largely succeed in fighting terrorism

President Buhari Meets Soldiers on Location

The Federal Government has warned those perpetrating acts of lawlessness and fanning the embers of disunity and destabilization to stop forthwith as appropriate steps have been taken to decisively deal with such threats to national security from any quarter.

President Muhammadu Buhari gave the warning while addressing officers and soldiers of the Nigerian army on location at the live field training exercise in Dansadau Village in Zamfara state to round off the 2016 army day celebration.

Vice President at Nigerian Medical Association

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has commended the Nigerian Medical Association for the orderly conduct of its election and transition from one leadership to another.

He made the commendation at an event organised by the Nigerian Medical Association in Abuja.

The Vice-President said President Muhammadu Buhari holds medical practitioners in high esteem and has demonstrated this by appointing four of their members as ministers.

The Minister of Health Professor Isaac Adewole decried the incessant strikes in the health sector and called on all stakeholders to come together to iron out all grey areas.

Senate to Screen EFCC Chairman

A report from the National Assembly says the Senate has acknowledged receipt of President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the confirmation of the acting chairman of the EFCC Ibrahim Magu.

House of Representative on Bailout Fund

The House of Representatives has approved the sum of two hundred and forty one point four billion as the FCT’s statutory budget.

The house is to also investigate the disbursement and utilization of bailout funds to states.

NNPC Reassures on Fuel Availability

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation says that the industrial action embarked upon by members of the petroleum and Natural gas senior staff association of Nigeria PANGASSAN has been called off since Tuesday this week.

According to a statement by the group general manager, group public affairs division of the NNPC, Garba Deen Muhammad, perceived shortage of petrol in the market is a ripple effect of the period when the strike was in progress and not a shortage in supply. Members of the public are therefore advised not to engage in panic buying as there is sufficient petrol to last for over 30 days

Federal Ministry of Health Launches Saving One Million Lives Initiative.

The Ministry of Health has launched the first disbursement of funds to states and FCT to commence saving one million lives initiative program-for-results.

The initiative is aimed at ending maternal and child mortality in Nigeria

At the launching in Abuja, minister of health professor Isaac Adewole said the Buhari administration is focused on improving health care delivery for national development.

Good Morning Nigeria on Diabetes Incidence and Management

The International Federation of Diabetes reports that by the year 2035 there will be an increase in diabetic cases with eighty percent of the increase in developing countries.

Experts on NTA’s current affairs programme good morning Nigeria emphasised that prevention is key while calling for a legislative framework to help in the management of the disease.

Information Minister Lai Muhammad Meets Japanese Ambassador

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed says the present administration has put in place policies that will help drive the nation’s economy and eliminate poverty.

The Minister stated this when the Japanese ambassador to Nigeria Sadanobu Kusaoke visited him in Abuja.

    PDP Caucus Meeting

The people’s Democratic Party has fixed August 17 2016 for its National Convention to hold in Port Harcourt Rivesr State. This formed part of the decisions reached at the party’s expanded caucus meeting convened by the Ahmed Makarfi led caretaker committee. Political correspondent Abdullahi Garba Birnin Kudu

     2016 Call to Bar Ceremony 

Two thousand, two hundred and fifty nine new lawyers have been absorbed into the legal professional in Nigeria.

This was done at a call to bar ceremony held at the international conference centre, Abuja, which was attended by wife of the president, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari.