The Late 5: Kogi reveals why it can’t pay salaries, Man beaten to death for killing cow in India and other stories

Yahaya Bello

Here are the stories that drove the conversation today:

The Kogi state government says it is unable to pay salaries regularly because of the N500 million loan servicing bill it has to settle monthly.

In an interview with NAN on Sunday, Kingsley Fanwo, the State Director General, Media and Publicity, said the loans between N400 million and N500 million monthly were taken by the two previous administration for projects that did not add value to the state.

He added that the previous administration misused the N20 million it received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the development of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).


The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has warned state governments against intervention on federal roads without due approval by the Federal Government.

He gave the warning following the huge debts inherited by the Federal Government and the need to forestall such, while inspecting ongoing federal projects in the Southeast on Saturday in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State, adding that no state government should intervene on federal roads until due approval is given and the federal government have finished payment of the debts inherited.

 


Dozens of muslim worshippers partaking in early morning prayers were saved from death when a female suicide bomber penetrated the prayer session but was prevented from detonating the suicide vests strapped to her body, according to authorities of Operation Lafiya Dole.

According to Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, the female suicide bomber was said to have infiltrated the mosque before the commencement of a prayer session but was detected when she was struggling to detonate a suicide vest strapped to her body and was quickly restrained by the locals and handed over to the troops.

“The suicide bomber is currently receiving medical attention due to injuries sustained during her arrest,” he added


The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) revealed on Sunday that the Federal Government has invested about N2 billion on the introduction of Jolly Phonics teaching method in schools across the country.

According to Public Relations Officer of UBEC, Mr Ossom Ossom, who confirmed this in a statement in Abuja, the fund was provided to the state governments for the implementation of the Jolly Phonic project in schools by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) under its teachers professional development fund.

He also disclosed that results of study from the beneficiary states have highlighted how children taught by Jolly Phonics trained teachers to read and write significantly above those taught by teachers who have not been exposed to the jolly phonics method.


Oil workers have urged the National Assembly to scrap the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and channel its current statutory allocation directly to oil producing communities, to stem unrest in the volatile Niger Delta region.

The chairman of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) joint committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Chika Onuegbu, canvassed this position at the public hearing on the Petroleum Host and Impacted Communities Development Bill, and said it had become imperative, if the bill is to make any impact.


And stories from the around the world:

Police said Sunday that a Muslim man accused of killing a cow was beaten to death by a mob in central India in the latest vigilante murder over the animal considered sacred by Hindus.

,According to Arvind Tiwari,  a local police official, Siraj Khan, a 45-year-old tailor, was attacked in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh state early Friday and died at the scene.

Kahn’s friend, Shakeel Maqbool, who was also attacked, was admitted to hospital with critical injuries. (AFP)


Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas has been hospitalized in the West Bank, Palestinian officials said on Sunday, giving conflicting accounts on the leader’s condition.

A source at the al-Istishari hospital in Ramallah said “the President will stay in hospital until tomorrow. He is being given antibiotics to treat an inflammation in the chest.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he or she was not authorized to speak with the media. (Reuters)


Cuban officials say they have found one of the two black boxes from a plane that crashed near Havana airport, in “good condition”.

Transport Minister, Adel Yzquierdo says he hopes the second device will be recovered soon.

He also revised the official death toll up to 110 people, including 11 foreigners, adding that three women survived the crash, but are said to be in a critical condition with serious burns. (BBC)


The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a church in Russia’s Chechnya republic that killed three people, the group’s Amaq news agency said on Sunday.

Islamic State fighters executed an attack on ‘Michael’ Church yesterday in Chechnya’s capital, Grozny,” Amaq said

Russia’s investigative committee also said in a statement. “Four people attacked the Orthodox church on Saturday, killing two policemen and a churchgoer.” The attackers were killed.  (Reuters)


South Korean President, Moon Jae-in and United States President, Donald Trump held discussions on Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s meeting to ensure that the North Korea-U.S. summit remains on track after North Korea threatened to pull out of the high-level talks.

“Moon and Trump spoke over the phone for about 20 minutes, and exchanged their views on North Korea’s recent reactions,” South Korea’s presidential office said without elaborating.

“The two leaders will work closely and unwaveringly for the successful hosting of the North Korea- U.S. summit set on June 12, including the upcoming South Korea-U.S. summit,” the presidential official said.

The White House said Trump and Moon discussed recent developments in North Korea and continued “their close coordination ahead of President Trump’s June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.” (Reuters)

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