National News RoundUp-17/2/2016

Some Senators have called for the suspension of Senator Kabiru Marafa over the interview he granted to the Punch Newspapers on 7th February, 2016 which many of them have considered as an affront on the integrity of the Senate. Majority of the lawmakers, yesterday said his various comments during the interview were aimed at humiliating the Senate under Saraki. The matter has now been referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition.

-The Senate on Tuesday, directed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to immediately suspend the 40 per cent increment in electricity tariff, stating any increase in cost, without the necessary improvement in service delivery by the power companies cannot be accepted.

- Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, on Tuesday accused lawyers and journalists in Nigeria of staying on the wrong side in the ongoing war against corruption, asserting that lawyers and journalists are paid by criminals to subvert the course of justice and frustrate the war against corruption.

- A one-time Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff has been named the new chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Sheriff was announced the party Chairman following a NEC meeting of the party which on Tuesday in Abuja.

- The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa. The Ooni, after the meeting told journalists that he ascended the throne by divine intervention and not by his powers and that by such calling, he will ensure that through him, the needs of his people are met through developmental projects.

- Report has it that a popular Nollywood actor, Mike Odachi is dead. The actor who is renowned for his role in ‘Igodo’ died on Monday at the age of 51 at the Ikorodu General Hospital in Lagos just after a brief illness.

- The Kogi State House of Assembly on Tuesday and for the second time impeached its Speaker, Momoh Jimoh Lawal. He has since been replaced by Imam Umar has been sworn in as the new speaker.

- Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested one Roberts Obuoha, a Director in Project Management Department of the Niger Delta Development Commission, for alleged bribery. The Commission in a statement disclosed that the suspect was under investigation and was invited to write a statement in a case of contract splitting and inflation.

- Communication Minister for Cameroon , Issa Bakary, has disclose that Cameroonian and Nigerian troops have done yet another heavy blow on the Boko Haram insurgents, killing 162 of them in Goshe, near the Cameroonian border, between last Thursday and Sunday.

- The Nigerian Army has further disclosed that its troops in various sectors of the Operation LAFIYA DOLE have been carrying out raids, patrols, cordon and search operations just to clear the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in their respective areas of operations. The Army in a statement gave a detailed account of the ongoing raids.