Okonjo-Iweala lied to Nigerians on budget – Reps

The House of Representatives on Wednesday called the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a liar.

It said the minister lied to Nigerians on the implementation of the 2012 budget by claiming that government had achieved 56 per cent performance.

“It is very clear already that she (Okonjo-Iweala) lied; she has lied to Nigerians”, spokesman for the lower chamber of federal legislature, Zakari Mohammed, said on Wednesday in Abuja.

Contrary to earlier submissions by the finance minister that the budget had recorded 56 per cent implementation, documents submitted to the Senate by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday indicated that performance of the budget as  of July was a mere 12.6 per cent.........

Subsidy Scam: Justice Minister orders withdrawal of charges against suspects

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday withdrew criminal charges filed before a Lagos High Court, sitting in Igbosere, Lagos Island against some oil subsidy suspects and their Chief Executive Officers.

Consequently, the trial judge, Justice Samuel Candide-Johnson struck out the suit instituted against Durosola Omogbenigun, Peter Mba, Integrated Resources Limited and Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd.
At the resumed hearing of the suit, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo in an application dated July 26 brought pursuant to Section 73 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Law, 2007 sought leave of the court to withdraw the charges.
Mr Oyedepo told the court that he had instructions from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to withdraw the charge against the defendants.
In a 10-pragraph affidavit attached to the application, deposed to by one Usani Francis, a prosecuting counsel with the EFCC, the anti-graft agency stated that the charges preferred against the defendants were misconstrued by the prosecution and were inadvertently filed against the defendants.
“That a review of the prosecution’s case and the evidence available to the prosecution clearly show that the defendants did not commit the offences for which they are charged’’, he swore.

19 Million Nigerians affected with Hepatitis

As Nigeria joins the world to mark this year’s World Hepatitis Day on Saturday July 28, 2012, experts have said that hepatitis B alone affects about 19 million Nigerians.
The experts, who made the revelation in Lagos on Friday 27 July 2012 during a symposium on hepatitis B organized by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in collaboration with the Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of Nigeria (SGHIN) called for collaboration to raise awareness on the disease, which they said is more infectious and common than the human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).
NIMR Director-General, Prof. Innocent Ujah, said although the disease is deadly, it is largely unknown by Nigerians. He put the global rate of hepatitis B and C  at about  490 million, adding that HIV and the disease “are two enemies” that should  not be allowed to mix.