Today's News Headlines [3rd November, 2015]

DAILYPOST

....Report has it that about five million bank accounts were between Sunday and Monday deactivated by Commercial Banks operating in the country. The development resulted from the October 31, 2015 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria for bank customers to register and obtain their Bank Verification Numbers, BVN. Those affected were not allowed to withdraw cash, transfer funds or use Automated Teller Machines, ATM, as well as Internet banking.

President Muhammadu Buhari and former President, Goodluck Jonathan on Monday had a closed-door meeting inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Details of the meeting which was held inside the new Banquet Hall of the Villa and lasted close to 10 minutes were not disclosed to journalists.

....Report has it that there is tension in the National Assembly as Senate President, Bukola Saraki and other leadership of the Senate are set to unveil names of chairmen and vice-chairmen of standing committees. Senators, especially those in the opposition have vowed to resist any attempt to put them in charge of committees considered not to be juicy.

.....Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has sacked Young Arabamen as the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA). Arabamen was immediately replaced by ex-Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Christian Akioja Olakpe.

....The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) has appointed six new acting Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs in the on-going re-organisation in the Service. The new appointees include Idris Suleiman (Finance Administration and Technical Service); Iya Umar (Tariff and Trade); and Dan Ugo (Enforcement Investigation and Inspection). Others are Grace Adeyemo (Excise, FTZ & Industrial Incentive) ;Austin Warikoru (Human Resource Development) ; and Paul Ukaigwe (Strategic Research and Policy)

.....The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, declared Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, wanted. The commission, said Maina was wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which he allegedly stole over N2 billion of pension funds alongside former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, and two others.

.....Organized labour in the nation’s power sector has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike action in protest of the benefits being owed over 50,000 former employees of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. Labour, speaking through the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, also claimed that over N50billion meant for the payment of entitlements to ex-PHCN employees, has been lodged into fixed deposit accounts to yield interest to individuals while the beneficiaries are remain unpaid.

.....In sports, Nigeria will now face Mexico in the semi-final of the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile on Thursday after Mexico,qualified for the last four with a 2-0 victory over Ecuador. Comparatively, the Golden Eaglets have an outstanding record over the Mexican.

.......Going by the lists of contestants cleared for the Kogi State election, about 22 persons are to contest for the governorship seat. The lists showed that Prince Audu Abubakar and Abiodun Faleke are the candidates of the All Progressives Congress while the incumbent Governor, Idris Wada, and his deputy, Abayomi Awoniyi, will be contesting under the Peoples Democratic Party. Similarly, 20 candidates will contest in the coming Bayelsa election. Those in the race also include Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, who is running with his deputy, John Jonah, on the platform of the PDP, while the APC has Chief Timipre Sylva, and Titus Igiri as his deputy.

.....Senator Magnus Abe , who represented Rivers South-East senatorial district in the last dispensation, has denied attacking the judiciary after the tribunal dismissed his petition challenging the result of the last senatorial election in his area. Abe said he at no time described the judiciary as a 419 institution.

VANGUARD

 -Nigerians must know their rights by December – NHRC

 -Focus on Mourinho as Arsenal look to do double over Bayern

 -Shell, Nigeria accused over oil spill clean up

 -NECA decries state of federal roads

 -Soldiers assault journalist over right of way

 -Govt lawyer opposes request for treatment of Dasuki abroad

 -Nigeria loses 50% of power capacity – Envoy

 F-rom MDGs to SDGs: meeting the new target

 -Yakasai cautions Buhari on selective probe

 -Tension in Warri as Itsekiri shut down DESOPADEC

 -Boko Haram rocket making factory: Allegation a make-belief —Army

- Labour threatens action over unresolved power issues

 -Buhari to open National Political Summit January 24

 -I never attacked judiciary over Tribunal judgment —ABE

 -Non-oil export earnings drop by N52.2bn in Q2

 -Dharmattan wants Chevron to facilitate local, foreign partnerships

 -3 shot dead, 5 injured as rival cults clash in Abakaliki

ThisDay

*BVN Update:Banks place restriction on accounts

*MTN: CEO in Nigeria to negotiate one trillion naira fine

*Customs: six new DCGs and eight new ACGs appointed

The Guardian

*Assembly orders probe of 'Fulani Republic' in Abia State

*Senate resumes probe of Lamorde for one trillion naira fraud

*EU commits four billion naira for polio immunisation in Nigeria

Al Jazeera

*Obama says US forces deployed to Syria are to train rebels and not to fight ISIL

*Turkish president urges respect for AK party's poll win

*Metrojet rules out technical fault in Sinai plane crash

*Syrian rebels use caged captives as 'human shields'

*S Africa police filmed 'shooting unarmed suspect dead

SPORTS

*Lewandowski issues stern warning to Arsenal

*Federer beats Nadal in Basel Open

*Remy Garde appointed new Aston Villa coach

*Mourinho hit by stadium ban and $60000 fine