Nigerian Economy Remains under Great Threat, US Warns Udoma: Steps taken to reflate economy got the nation out of recession Ndubuisi Francis, Paul Obi and Udora Orizu in Abuja The United States military yesterday warned that the Nigerian economy remains under great threat following the surge in criminal activities in the
Niger Delta and the threats by militants to resume bombing of oil facilities in the region. The rise in lawless activities around the Gulf of Guinea was also identified as another threat to Nigeria’s economy. The warning from the
Commander of the United States Naval Forces in charge of Europe and Africa, Admiral Michelle Howard, is coming amid a ray of hope by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that Nigeria was now out of economic recession with a growth rate of
0.55 per cent. Howard, who was speaking while presenting the US Presidential Medal of Honour to Nigeria’s Deputy Military Attachee to the US, Navy Captain Kolawole Oguntuda, at the Naval Headquarters in
Abuja said: “Oil extraction and production accounts for 75% of Nigeria's revenue with the vast majority of oil infrastructure existing off shore or really close inshore. So terrorism, criminal networks, illegal bunkering with damages of oil pipeline directly
threatens Nigeria economy. "That is where navies come in. I, as the commander, regards the Nigerian Navy as a key regional partner in securing the Gulf of Guinea and I seek to strengthen our relationship by assisting in Continued on page 8
Dangote Mulls Offer for South Africa’s Largest Cement Factory ...Page 8 Saturday 9 September, 2017 Vol 22. No 8178 Price: N250
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Reprisal Attack on Jos Community Claims 20 Police re-arrest runaway ritual killer in Plateau
Seriki Adinoyi in Jos and Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt No fewer than 20 persons were
hacked to death in the early hours of yesterday when suspected Fulani gunmen invaded Ancha village, in Miango district, a community in the neighbourhood
of Jos, Plateau State, leaving at least nine others severely injured in the wake of it. This is even as the state’s Police Command has re-arrested and
paraded, Ifeanyichukwu Maxwell Dike, the alleged ritual killer that escaped from police custody in Port Harcourt, River State, after raping and killing an eight year
old girl for rituals. he was arrested for killing a girl Parading Dike, the outgoing for ritual purpose, leading to the state Police Commissioner, Peter dismissal of the Policeman that Ogunyanwo said: “He had escaped from Port Harcourt after Continued on page 8
Stop Dividing Our Party with False Statements, APC Tells Atiku Asks Aisha Alhassan to resign
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Onyebuchi Ezigbo The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned leaders of the party, especially former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, to desist from making “misleading statements aimed at causing division within the party.” The National Vice Chairman of the APC (North West), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, who gave the warning in Abuja yesterday, also came down hard on the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Aisha Alhassan, by demanding that she should quit the federal cabinet, for pledging allegiance to Atiku. On the same day, the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, said the public disclosure of loyalty to Atiku by Alhassan should not come as a surprise because she had never shared President Muhammadu Buhari's beliefs or ideology. In the warning, seen as APC’s first major reaction to the scathing criticisms leveled against the ruling party and President Buhari by both Atiku and the serving minister, the National Vice Chairman of the party described the action of the two top party members as
not only misleading but also unbecoming of their status. He said that Atiku's claim of being sidelined by the ruling party and its administration, despite his contributions to electoral victory in 2015, was misleading and not factual. Abdulkadir, who addressed journalists yesterday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, said the statement credited to the former Vice President was capable of causing division in the ranks of the party and government. Abdulkadir said: "By virtue of his office and his age, Atiku is qualified to be a statesman but when you reach that stature and age, there are certain things you have to come to terms with, which is to exhibit a high sense of decorum in your conduct. You have to guard what you say, how you say it and when you
el-Rufai: She never believed in Buhari's Ideology
Continued on page 8
Army Commences Military Operation in S'East to Curtail SECURING THE WATERWAYS… The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas presenting a souvenir to the Commander, US Naval Forces Threats … Pg 10 L-R: Europe/Africa, Admiral Michelle Howard during her courtesy call on the CNS at the Naval headquarters in Abuja ..... ...yesterday
Country Music Legend, Don Williams Dies at 78 ... Page 10