Kano Controller, Department of Petroleum Product (DPR), Alhaji Sayyadi Suleiman Abubakar has revealed that Nigerian Marketers now import AGO and Liquefied Petroleum Gas(LPG) from neighboring OPEC member country, Niger Republic.

Briefing reporters in his office on the activities of his department, Alhaji Sayyadi Suleiman Abubakar explained that the two products are in the exclusive list of deregulated items, adding that “it could be acquired from anywhere and sold in the Nigerian market.

Alhaji Abubakar said that such importation does not attract any financial commitment from the federal Government, maintaining that the DPR does not regulate their market prices unlike the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The Controller who responded to a question on whether the Department has the power to regulate prices said, “yes, Nigeria now imports AGO, that is Diesel, and LPG, otherwise known as Gas from Niger Republic, and I want to state clearly that this venture does not attract any financial commitment from the federal Government”.

Alhaji Abubakar further revealed that the Department has sealed no fewer than 10 service stations and destroyed two illegal fuel dumps within and around Kano, in the last couple of weeks, for selling products above the official pump price stated that the “affected companies were appropriately sanctioned.”

Source: Vanguard

A man is fighting for his life at Deborah Retief Memorial hospital after his abusive wife set the house they were sleeping in ablaze last weekend.

As the international community observed the ’16 Days of Activism on violence against women and children’, Shianyana Modise’s estranged wife went on rampage and attempted to burn her husband and three children including a two-month old baby, inside the house.

When describing details of the horrific incident, 39-year old Shianyana Modise told of how his habitually abusive wife, Violet, had phoned informing him that she suspected that the food in the house had been poisoned.

“I had gone to the cattle post on Friday when I received the call. She told me that she had not cooked any food as she suspected that the food had been poisoned. When I got back home she had put all food-stuffs into a large bowl and mixed with water. When I asked why she did that she started throwing her usual tantrums, insulting me and throwing stuff all over the place. She broke the furniture and other household property and I went to the police station and reported the incident. The police told us that this time the dispute was getting out of hand and they told us that the matter would be taken to court on Monday.”

Modise said he was awoken by a cloud of smoke engulfing his bedroom at 3am on Saturday and that when he opened the bedroom door the living room was on fire and he suffered burns as he tried to escape.

“When I tried to open the door to get out of the house I found that it had been locked. I then went through the inferno and tried to rescue Violet and the kids but their room was also locked. I managed to break the burglar bars to my room and escaped through the window. It was only then that I managed to break the other window and rescue the kids. I was screaming for help at the same time and my brother and other neighbours came and doused the flames and we managed to get Violet out of the house.”

Superintendent Simon Sitale of Mochudi Police confirmed the incident but said Violet was undergoing psychiatric examination before any charge could be considered against her.

“After the incident the affected family members who included children aged 11 years, 8 years and two months were taken to the hospital. The husband was badly burnt and he was admitted in hospital while the rest were treated for shock and were released. The woman has been admitted at Sbrana Psychiatric hospital in Lobatse for mental examination. Should the results prove that she is sane she will face a charge of attempted murder but if not she’ll walk free,” he said.

According to family members, Violet has always been hostile to her husband’s relatives and after the marriage to Modise in 2007 she stopped all the relatives from visiting.

“We share a fence but ever since she got married to my younger brother she does not allow us into her yard but her relatives are allowed to visit any time,” Modise’s brother Marutle said.

Superintendent Sitale said the incident was the first of its kind in Mochudi and advised couples to settle disputes through family mechanisms and social services.

Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke

A new policy drafted to phase out the use of Kerosene and  firewood  by replacing them with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) otherwise known as cooking gas has been proposed at the LPG National Strategy Policy Review.
The policy draft was presented on Thursday 20 December 2012, at the LPG National Strategy Policy Review session held in Abuja.
Presented as a draft proposal and tagged National Strategic Policy for LPG, the policy identified its goal to make available LPG for poorer households within defined geographical areas in several representative states.
Minister for Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke while speaking at the LPG National Strategy Policy Review said the current LPG national consumption rate stood at 110,000 metric tonnes per annum, with Nigeria ranking low in African consumers.
The launching of a pilot programme to replace kerosene with LPG was constructed with a five year time-line and is also to consist of the provision of free or low cost starter kits, basic appliances, phased reductions in kerosene subsidies and increase in LPG supply.

Police in Kariobangi are holding a couple from Nairobi’s Korogocho slums after bodies of their five children were found lying in their room.
There was somber mood at the slum as police flooded the area picking pieces of evidence from the crime; It is still not clear how the children were killed since the parents were still in the house when police arrived at the scene of the incident.
 
Preliminary investigations indicate that the couple had a domestic brawl last night which may have resulted to the killings. A neighbor said that she visited the family and found the bodies of the children lying on the ground of their semi permanent house.
 
Neighbours called police officers who stormed into the house and found bodies of the children; the parents were arrested and are helping police with investigations. Police suspect that the children were poisoned.
 
The bodies of the children are still lying in the house.

244 leisure centres in Lagos have failed to comply with the Licensing Law thereby receiving a blacklist from the government.
They include hotels, event centres and restaurants that did not seek necessary registration from the authority and to comply with annual payments.
The Lagos State Government of Nigeria has also concluded plans to sue the defaulting facilities while ordering government ministries, departments and agencies not to do any form of business with the 244 hotels, event centres and restaurants henceforth.
Section 4, sub-section 1, 2 and 4 of the Hotel Licensing Law, Cap H6, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003 amended in 2010 says: “No person shall carry or keep a hotel in any premises in Lagos State without a license granted by the authority in respect of that premises under this law.”

Adesegun Ogunlewe, Head of Service, said: “It  was observed with utmost dismay that a number of such establishments in the state have refused to comply with the provisions of the law, thereby depriving the state government of its revenue that could have been used in providing essential amenities to her teeming population.”

“In order to ensure enforcement and compliance with the Hotels Licensing Law, the state government has concluded all arrangements to charge defaulting hospitality establishments to court.”

Secretary, Lagos State Hotel Licensing Authority,  Aduke Gomez, said in line with government’s resolve to sanitise the tourism industry, government will prosecute the defaulting facilities.

According to her, suits have been filed against identified non-compliant hospitality and tourism establishments in courts within the various magisterial divisions across the state. She added that legal proceedings against the proprietors of such establishments will soon commence.

Gomez also disclosed that legal proceedings against such defaulting establishments was ongoing, stressing that a second list of names will soon be submitted to the courts.

“The registration of hotels and tourism -related outfits is an internationally accepted control mechanism evolved by the World Tourism Organisation. “Therefore, it is mandatory that all hospitality and tourism establishments operating within Lagos State be registered. The registration of all hospitality and tourism establishments will provide a database for planning, marketing and research,” she stated. Gomez, who spoke in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria urged those that were yet to fully comply with the state government’s registration requirements to do so immediately. “Hotel registration will provide accurate information to protect hotel clientele and will also provide information to users on the quality of facilities available in the establishments while the publication of such data has the potential to increase customer traffic to accredited hotels and tourism establishments,” she said.

A document from the office of the Lagos Head of Service identified the defaulting facilities as A.Y. Hotel, Country Guest House, D Rock Hotel, De Boss Garden Hotels and Suites, Embassy Court Hotel, De Next Hotel, Edge Water Hotel and Resorts, Fantasy Land, Garden View, Georges Chinese Cuisine, Lekki, and Grand Roses Continental Hotel.

Others include Hotel Tropicana, La Scala Restaurant, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Lekki Suites, Nicon Hotels Limited, Peninsular Hotel and Towers, Prime Chinese Restaurant, Regency Hall, Rochester Gardens, Precious Garden Hotel, Rex Hotel, Omission Crown Prince Hotel and Sabitex Hotel Limited.

Nkiru Sylvanus, the special assistant on public relations to Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha was released by her captors in Owerri, the Imo State capital today. A male companion equally breathe the air of freedom.
The governor’s aide was abducted on Sunday in Owerri while filming a special public relations project for the state.
Report also say Kenneth Okolie, another Nollywood actor has equally been set free after he was kidnapped earlier this week.
It is not clear whether the police, the government or the family members paid any ransom to effect their release.
Recall that the mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was recently kidnapped at her home in Delta state but the 82-year old Prof Kamene Okonjo was freed after five days in captivity.