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Red Cross says 100 dead after roadworks trigger pipeline explosion in Nigeria
Friday, May 16, 2008 Roadworks have triggered a massive explosion and fire on a fuel pipeline running through Ijegun, a suburb on the outskirts of

U.S. Ambassador Wants Corrupt Politicians Arrested
About accusations that Americans practise democracy at home, but only pay lip service to it abroad, Ambassador Garvey argued that it is easier for them to ensure the effectiveness of the democratic pr...

Country Re-Opens Border With Cameroon
Cameroonian traders have discovered that supplying food to Equatorial Guinea is lucrative business. But they have had to endure extortions and brutality at the Equatorial Guinean border.

Nigerian Blast Death Toll Expected to Rise
Health workers are struggling to retrieve badly charred bodies from Thursday&#039;s oil pipeline fire in Lagos, for a likely mass burial this weekend. More than 100 people were killed in an oil pipeline ex...

Nigeria says 15 killed in pipeline fireball
Thousands have gathered around the charred scene of a deadly pipeline explosion, as Nigerian firefighters doused flames triggered by the blast that had burnt for more than a day. Twisted metal and me...

Emergency rice import cancelled
KANO, 16 May 2008 (IRIN) - A decision by the Nigerian government to reverse an earlier decision to import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice from Thailand to ease supply pressures on rice in Africa&#039;s most p...

Nigerian interbank rates ease on big cash release
+ ] LAGOS, May 16 (Reuters) - Nigerian interbank interest rates eased to 7.33 percent on average this week from 10.33 percent previously after 311 billion naira ($2.63 billion) of public funds were ...

WAfrica Crude-Steady in quiet end to the week
+ ] LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - West African crude oil markets ended the week on a subdued note with nothing to indicate differentials had changed, traders said. In Nigeria, the country&#039;s benchmark...

Nigerian firefighters douse oil pipeline blaze--official
LAGOS -- Nigerian firefighters Friday managed to douse the flames from a burst oil pipeline a day after a huge explosion triggered a blaze that lasted more than a day. &quot;The fire has now been completel...

Nigeria oil blast site sealed off
The site of an oil pipeline explosion near a school in Nigeria&#039;s commercial capital Lagos has been sealed off after the fire was extinguished. Nigeria&#039;s oil parastatal cut the flow of fuel to the bro...

Nigerian jailed for smuggling baby
A Nigerian woman has been jailed for 26 months for bringing a child illegally into the UK. Peace Sandberg, who was living in the UK, went to Nigeria and bought a baby to become eligible for a counc...

Families identify bodies, pick through charred ruins a day after Nigeria pipeline fire killed dozens
IJEGUN, NIGERIA -- Rescuers tried today to reunite family members sent fleeing by a pipeline fire than killed 100 people the previous day as residents picked through the charred wreckage of their rui...

Niger - Court rejects imprisoned journalist
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns a 15 May 2008 decision by Niger&#039;s highest appeal court to reject a request to rule that the records of journalist Moussa Kaka&#039;s intercepted tel...

Gaddafi accuses Europeans of killing migrants
+ ] (Adds European Commission says not commenting) TRIPOLI, May 16 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has accused European states of killing hundreds of African migrants by deliberately sin...

Nigerian pirates slash ransom demand
May 16, 2008, 14:30 Gunmen who hijacked a supply ship working for US energy giant Chevron in Nigeria have drastically reduced their ransom demand from 30 million naira to 5 million naira ($42,423), s...

New head for Nigeria graft agency
Nigeria&#039;s powerful anti-graft agency has appointed a new head, five months after moving the former chairman out on &quot;study leave&quot;. Farida Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police will t...

U.S. Fines Willbros $32m for Bribing Officials
The company, accused of bribing Nigerian and Ecuadoran officials, has violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which prohibits American citizens or companies from bribing officials in order to get b...

Waziri - On the Hot Seat
She headed the police Anti-Fraud Unit between 1996 and 1999 during which Ribadu and the EFCC Director of Operations, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, were trained by her. She is a tough and disciplined anti-graft ...

Protest As Police Kill Bus Conductor
Our source said that the police team who killed the bus conductor had attempted to take his corpse but was stopped by the protesters who blocked the road to stop movement of vehicles.

Govt to Release N80bn Agricultural Fund
The source said the Federal Government has concluded arrangements to release the money to the Ministry of Agriculture from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He said President Umaru Musa Yar&#039;Adua was ...

Nigeria pipeline burns for second day
Lagos - Nigerian firefighters battled on Friday to put out flames pouring from a burst oil pipeline a day after a huge explosion that Red Cross officials said killed 100 people. An excavator accide...

At least 100 feared dead in Lagos pipeline blast
Firefighters try to extinguish a blaze in Lagos following an explosion on an oil pipeline. Photograph: AFP/Getty At least 100 people are feared dead after a construction vehicle accidentally ripped ...

Senate Passes Health Bill in Iyabo
THE National Health bill seeking to enact a comprehensive health policy for the nation was passed by the Senate yesterday. The bill reportedly facilitated by part of the unspent N300 million Federal M...

Odi Killings - Court Orders IG to Quiz Obasanjo
AN Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Jabi, yesterday, directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, to investigate ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo over the extra-judicial murder, by so...

Court Grants Fresh Bail to Uwazuruike, Others
THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja yesterday granted fresh bail to the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.

Country Not Under Al-Qaeda Threat - IG
Okiro said that while it was true that the Nigeria Police Force recently formed an Anti-terrorism Squad and conducted both local and international training for its officers, the squad is yet to be dep...

Nigerian pipeline fire kills as many as 100
LAGOS, Nigeria &amp;#8212; More than 100 people were feared dead Thursday after a construction vehicle struck an oil pipeline on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria&#039;s biggest city, setting off an oil-fed infe...

Reps Vow to Summon Yar
The 26-member House of Representatives Committee investigating the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries from 1999-2007, has said it would not hesitate ...

N300m Scam - EFCC Wants Bench Warrant Against Iyabo
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has asked an Abuja high court, to issue a bench warrant against Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, to compel her attendance in court on May 19.

FG On Alert for Climatic Disasters - Kingibe
The Federal Government will take anticipatory measures towards averting climatic disasters that have recently ravaged other lands, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Baba Ga...

Obasanjo in Abuja, Rallies Support for Vision 2020
Barely 72 hours after ex-Nigeria&#039;s president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo gave reasons for not honouring House Committee on Power invitation, he made a surprise appearance yesterday in Abuja, as one of th...

Court to Rule on Banned Film in June
A high court in Kano yesterday set aside Friday, June 13, 2008 for a verdict on a case standing trial between the state government on one hand and the Lenscope Media Services Limited and two others. T...

Nigeria pipeline fireball kills 100
Children were among the 100 people killed when a bulldozer ruptured an oil pipeline in Nigeria. Scores more were injured in the fireball as fuel caught fire in the village of Ijegun, about 30 miles ...

Nigeria evicted 800,000 Abuja residents - report
+ ] LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria evicted more than 800,000 people from their homes in Abuja as part of a four-year drive to restore order to the capital&#039;s chaotic urban planning, housing rights groups ...

Nigeria pipeline blast kills 100
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA: Flames from a ruptured fuel pipeline swept through homes and a school in a Nigerian village on Thursday, killing about 100 people and injuring some 20 others, a Red Cross of...

Telecom Company Under Probe
A panel of experts has been set up to probe the crisis-ridden Nigerian Telecommunication (NITEL) Plc with a view to unveiling its real financial status, especially the billing system.

Decision in Obasanjo Daughter Corruption Case Monday
Chairperson Senate committee on health, Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello will by next Monday know her fate wither to still be on the run or to come out of hiding, as an Abuja High Court will rull on her prelimina...

Why Aviation Agencies Must Embrace One Aim [opinion]
The issue of the missing aircraft brought the disparity among the four agencies: the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authorit...

New Crime Commission Chair Appointed
LEADERSHIP had exclusively reported the move by President Yar&#039;Adua to strengthen the anti-graft commission through the appointment of Farida Waziri, a respected financial crimes detective, within the ...

Assembly Seeks Increased Admission Quota for Indigenes
According to him, the two exercises virtually excluded indigenes of the state. Moving the motion, he said &amp;quot;the University of Calabar is situated in the state.

Govt Approves Establishment of Dry Ports
To ease the difficulties often experienced by importers and exporters based in the hinterland and arrest ugly trends at sea ports such as congestion, expensive and hazardous nature of the haulage of g...

100 Die in Lagos Explosion
Nigeria is one of the world&#039;s major oil producers and pipelines cut through many residential areas, both in cities such as Lagos and oil-producing areas.

Kawu Pledges Kano Govt
Special Adviser to Kano state governor on Sports Development, Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad Muazu Kawu has promised the state government&#039;s assistance to the 3 Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Nigerian Army, ...

Investors Seek to Explore Zuma Rock Potentials
Last Wednesday, one of the investors, Coastline Energy Services Limited led others to the Zuma Rock, Suleija to sign a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] with the Niger State government to make the hig...

Fuel explosion in Nigeria after pipeline accident
At least 100 people have been killed and dozens injured in a massive fuel explosion in Nigeria. The ensuing blaze engulfed homes and schools in a northern suburb of Lagos. Many of the dead, including ...

Govt Provides N10 Billion for Acquisition of Equipment for Rice Proce
The Federal Government has initiated plans to boost rice production as a short-term measure by providing N10 billion credit facility for the purchase of equipment for rice farmers which will attract a...

The Looming Anarchy in South West [opinion]
I do not think anybody needs a prophet to know that a complete breakdown of law and order is imminent in the South West region of the country where recent events indicate a reversion to the stone-age ...

Grassroots Coaches Applaud Zonal Coordinator
The grassroots coaches that participated at the maiden edition of Kaduna Metropolis Football competition have commended the good initiative of the zonal coordinator of the West Zone of National Sports...

Unity Bank Restates Commitment to Excellent Banking Services
The management of Unity Bank Plc has restated its commitment to the ideals of excellent and time-tested banking services in order to maximally protect the resources of depositors.

Dangote Sugar PBT Grows to N8.9 Billion in Three Months
Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) has recorded an improved financial performancefor the first quarter ended March 31st, 2008 as the profit before tax of the company rose to N8.9 billion for the three month...

Lack of Vaccine Stalls Polio Vaccination Exercise
The much expected polio vaccination exercise due to commence in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been suspended indefinitely due to lack of vaccines, LEADERSIHIP can authoritatively reveal.

Nigeria pipeline blast kills at least 100-Red Cross
+ ] By George Esiri IJEGUN, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured by a bulldozer caught fire and exploded on Thursday in a villa...

Basketball Academy Plans Youth Capacity Devt
The Premier Basketball Academy, today in Abuja expressed its determination to develop youth capacity through the promotion of the game at the grassroots.

Militant Group Disclaims Hijack of Chevron Supply Ship
One of the major militant groups in the Niger Delta, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta {MEND} which has claimed responsibility for the series of attacks on Royal Dutch Shell facilit...

Blue Gets Go-Ahead to Set Up in Country
Blue launched in Botswana in August 2002 and operates 22 branches in the country. The company also operates in Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria and its home base, SA.

S&P sees good Africa growth despite global slowdown
+ ] By Peter Apps LONDON (Reuters) - High commodity prices and greater economic stability will sustain sub-Saharan Africa growth and render it relatively immune to a global slowdown, ratings agenc...

Nigeria could see 11 pct growth in
+ ] MAPUTO (Reuters) - Nigeria&#039;s economic growth could accelerate to as much as 11 percent by the end of the year from the current 6 percent rate, the country&#039;s finance minister said on Thursday. ...

School Kids Burnt to Death in Pipeline Fire
&amp;quot;The fire is gradually spreading towards that AP filling station and if that should happen, it would be disastrous to us all. Initially we counted 11 houses burnt in the inferno but right now, we...

100 feared dead in Nigerian pipeline fire
LAGOS, Nigeria : More than 100 people were feared dead on Thursday after a construction vehicle struck an oil pipeline on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria&amp;#039;s biggest city, setting off an oil-fed in...

Nigeria pipe fire kills 100
IJEGUN, Nigeria &amp;#8212; A road-grader accidentally tore open a fuel pipeline Thursday and sent an inferno raging over houses and a school, setting off a stampede of terrified children and killing abou...

100 killed in Nigeria pipeline fire
Construction equipment ruptures petroleum pipeline on outskirts of Lagos Fire spreads to nearby homes and school At least 20 injuries reported, Red Cross says

Ican Amendment Bill Seeks Control of Accounting, Taxation Bodies
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) is seeking through legislation to subsume other accounting and taxation bodies in the country.

Nigerian pipeline fire kills about 100 people, Red Cross says
Flames from a ruptured fuel pipeline swept through homes and a school in southern Nigeria on Thursday, causing a deadly stampede of fleeing schoolchildren and leaving about 100 people dead and some 20...

Senate Divided On Financial Crimes Court
A bill seeking to establish a specialised court to handle cases being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday received mixed reception in the Senate.

GSM Compensation - Senate Says N175 Airtime is Too Little Too Late
Proposals by the GSM companies to credit their subscribers with N175 airtime as compensation for poor services from July is coming too late and too small, the Senate Committee on Communications has ob...

Yobe, Osun Get FG Nod On ADB Facility
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Finance Mrs Ama Pepple who signed on behalf of Nigeria at the ongoing ADB meeting in Maputo, Mozambique on Thursday May 15 said the facility met the Federal...

Another 10 Million Jobs
Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, said the Federal Government would create 10 million jobs by 2011. As always, there are no details. Governments are not employing.

AfDB forms fertiliser fund to help fight food crisis
+ ] By Gordon Bell MAPUTO, May 15 (Reuters) - The African Development Bank agreed on Thursday to set up a facility to subsidise farmers battling high fertiliser costs and help them boost productio...

Red Cross Says About 100 Dead in Nigerian Oil Fire
Red Cross officials say about 100 people in the Nigerian city of Lagos have been killed in a fire triggered by a ruptured oil pipeline. Witnesses say fuel from the pipeline ignited a blaze that engul...

Pipeline blast in Nigeria kills 100
At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured by an earthmover caught fire and exploded in a Nigerian village near the biggest city of Lagos, the Red Cross says...

Pipeline blast kills at least 100 in Nigeria
At least 100 people have been killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured near the Nigerian capital. The fireball engulfed homes and schools at Ijegun village in the Lagos district o...

Nigeria pipeline fire kills 100
Construction equipment ruptures petroleum pipeline on outskirts of Lagos Fire spreads to nearby homes and school At least 20 injuries reported, Red Cross says

Nigeria pipeline blast kills at least 100
May 15, 2008, 22:00 At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured by an earthmover caught fire and exploded in a Nigerian village near the biggest city of Lago...

Cost of Broadband Bane of Continent - Osaikwan
The prohibitive cost of broadband in Africa, despite investments currently hitting 6.4 billion US dollars in the continent was the thrust of a paper presented by Eric Osaikwan, the Executive Secretary...

WAfrica Crude-Angola set to ship Saxi in July
+ ] LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil &amp;lt;XOM.N&amp;gt; is scheduled to load its first shipment of Angola&#039;s Saxi crude blend in July, traders said on Thursday, as production in the West African cou...

COLUMN-Athletics-Olympic champion Wariner ready to run again
+ ] By Gene Cherry RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 15 (Reuters) - Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner is back in form and ready for a fast 400 metres at Sunday&#039;s Los Angeles Track Classic, his ...

Toxic Grain Threatens Food Security
Some traders are also responsible, Abdullahi Koya, head of the grain wholesalers union in Dawanau market in Kano told IRIN. &amp;quot;They add pesticides after buying beans to transport,&amp;quot; Koya said.

AfDB Grants $200 Million Loans to Nigerian Banks
The African Development Bank (AfDB) said yesterday that it has granted about $200 million credit facilities to some Nigerian banks for on-lending to the different sectors of the economy.

At least 100 killed in Nigeria oil pipeline fire
+ ] LAGOS, May 15 (Reuters) - At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when fuel from a pipeline ruptured by an earthmover building a road on the outskirts of Lagos caught fire, the Red Cr...

Nigeria naira stable vs dlr despite cbank fx sales
+ ] LAGOS, May 15 (Reuters) - The Nigerian naira (NGN=&amp;gt; held stable at 117.86 to the greenback on the interbank market on Thursday despite the restart of the central bank&#039;s twice-weekly auctions,...

Exxon to begin shipping Angola
+ ] (Adds details) LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil &amp;lt;XOM.N&amp;gt; is scheduled to load its first shipment of Angola&#039;s Saxi crude blend in July, traders said on Thursday, as production in the...

Ecobank to raise up to $3 bln in debt, equity offer
+ ] ACCRA (Reuters) - West Africa&#039;s Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) plans to raise up to $3 billion through a debt and equity offer in regional and international markets in June or July, th...

Pipeline fire kills at least 100 in Nigeria
Abuja - A petroleum products pipeline explosion and fire left at least 100 persons in a residential area of Nigeria&#039;s business capital in the south-west Lagos on Thursday. The fire began when an excav...

800,000 residents evicted to make way for development in Nigerian capital, rights group says
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria &amp;#8211; Some 800,000 residents were forcibly evicted from their homes in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, over a four-year period to make way for development in the fast-growing cit...

Oil pipeline explodes in Nigeria
At least 10 people have been killed in an pipeline explosion in Nigeria&#039;s commercial capital Lagos. The explosion tore through a suburb, engulfing schools and homes in the suburb of Ijegun after a bu...

Nipco to Build Refinery
&amp;quot;With the reforms, stakeholders will go into refining to make more petroleum products available,&amp;quot; he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.

Ist Northern Writers Summit - a Re-Definition of Status
Indeed, it was like a renaissance of sort last week when writers from across the nineteen states of the northern region converged on Minna, Niger State capital, to redefine what they described as the ...

Reject Delta LG Poll-Okocha
THE Action Congress gubernatorial candidate in Delta State, Mr Peter Okocha has called on the citizens of the state to reject results of the just concluded local government elections in the state just...

Amokachi Out of Austrian Match
Super Eagles Assistant coach Daniel Amokachi will not be part of the party to Graz when Nigeria take on Austria in an international friendly on May 27.

N-Deltans List Conditions for Effective Summit
FOR the proposed summit on Niger Delta to be organised by the Federal Government to be effective the government has been given conditions which include withdrawal of soldiers from the region.

Agency On Human Trafficking Needs N3bn to Run, Says Scribe
Executive Secretary of National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Mrs. Carol Ndaguba, says it requires about N3 billion to function effectively.

Population Explosion - Lagos to Set Up 7 Satellite Towns
Lagos state government is to establish seven new satellite towns in different parts of the state as part of moves to decongest the highly populated density areas within the metropolis.

Three Die in Edo Over Woman
Three others sustained gun shot injuries. This followed the refusal of the family of a woman who died recently in Abuja, to allow her widower to bury her without explaining to the family the cause of ...

Senate to Slash Npc Budget to N50m From N4.5bn
FOR alleged acts of arrogance and budget padding by Senator Sanusi Daggash, the Minister of the National Planning Commission (NPC), the Senate yesterday vowed to cut the 2008 budget of the commission ...

Film Maker Bags German Film Award
NIGERIA gained another international recognition recently when Ehiz Ojesebholo, a student of the International Film and Broadcast Academy, IFBA, Lagos, last month, in Potsdam, Germany, emerged the win...

Ogun State and Its Strides in Education [column]
The campaign for the education of the young seems to be gaining momentum as various Non-Governmental Organisations have urged both the Federal and State governments to provide the necessary things nee...

Witness Gives Graphic Details of Attempt On Adesanya
Mohammed Abdul, a.k.a Katako,Former driver to Mohammed Abacha, son of late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, before a Lagos High Court, yesterday made more revealations on how the regime of the late...

Lagos Lists Progress On Ict Devt
The Lagos State Government said the various ICT programmes embarked upon in the last one year by the present government have made meaningful impacts in the lives of the citizens.

Just Go, Ali [editorial]
Ahmadu Ali, a doctor and former PDP national chairman, has not refuted stories purporting that he is seeking a ministerial appointment after he has rejected his posting to South Africa as Nigeria&#039;s am...

Alpha Tech Help Smart Number Users
Alpha Technologies Limited, Nigeria&#039;s largest cross network personalized number service company has embarked on a massive awareness campaign to teach subscribers how they could dial these numbers with...