Govt targets double digit GDP, 10m jobs by 2011
From Madu Onuorah, Abuja
A double digit Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate by the end of 2011 and creation of 10 million jobs are being targetted by the Federal Government, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua announced yesterday.
Vice President Goodluck Jonathan (left), National Planning Chairman, Senator Sanusi Daggash (right) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, at a retreat of NEEDS-2 and the seven-point agenda of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua held at the State House, Abuja .... yesterday.
PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA
Obasanjo explains absence at power probe panel
From John-Abba Ogbodo and Alifa Daniel (Abuja)
FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, billed to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Power and Steel probing expenditures in the power sector from 1999 wrote to the panel yesterday, saying he could not make a physical appearance because he was indisposed.
Yar'Adua orders arrest of aviation chiefs over missing plane
From Madu Onuorah, Abuja
PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has directed the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) to arrest and interrogate officials of the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) over their roles in the alleged doctoring of the transcript of the Voice Flight Recorder between the pilot of the missing Beechcraft plane and the Control Tower of the Port Harcourt Airport in Rivers State.
Quake kills 9,000, buries 900 pupils in China
FOR several minutes, buildings swayed and finally collapsed. Residents and workers rushed out of their homes and offices to the streets for safety.
Jonathan, Soyinka, others seek justice in Niger Delta
From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt
VICE President Goodluck Jonathan and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, reached a common verdict yesterday as they assessed the crisis in the Niger Delta: It is justice that can improve the lot of the people in the region.
AFRICA
Zimbabwe to bar foreign monitors for presidential run-off polls
REJECTING opposition demands in a political crisis, Zimbabwe has planned not to invite election observers from Western countries to monitor a presidential run-off unless they remove sanctions, state media said.
Sudan arrests opposition leader, pursues rebels
BARELY 48 hours after Darfur rebels attacked the capital's twin city of Omdurman, Sudan yesterday arrested Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi and pressed its pursuit of rebels who threatened again to attack the capital amid sporadic gunfire across Khartoum.
WORLD
Bush offers assistance to China after quake
UNITED States (U.S.) authorities have rushed aid to disaster areas after a series of tornadoes tore across the country, killing no fewer than 23 people and shattering homes and businesses, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.
Buried teenagers cry for help
THE Chinese authorities have launched a major rescue operation in Sichuan province, after it was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit the south-west of the country in 30 years.
POLICY & POLITICS
Nigerians ought to have voted out PDP in 2003, says Isyaku Ibrahim
Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim, one of the founding fathers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke to BAYO OHU on the on-going probes by the National Assembly, how to strengthen the opposition and the PDP should have been voted out of power. Excerpts:
ARTS
For ARESUVA, National Gallery documents artists, targets tourism
By Tajudeen Sowole
HAVING identified the importance of documentation, the nation's apex art gallery, National Gallery of Art, NGA may have resolved to restructure how artists are recorded for a richer archive.
Editorial
The deadly cyclone in Myanmar
CYCLONE Nargis, packed with winds and speed in excess of 193km/h, ripped through the Southeast Asian state of Myanmar last week. When it cleared, the country lay prostrate, its terrain devastated, and numerous villages and settlements destroyed.
Fashion
Elegant chronographs
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Modern meets classic in these beautiful Balmain chronographs. NIKE SOTADE writes.
Auto Wheels
Nissan Teana tops training agenda at Sun Motors
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By Moses Ebosele
AS part of its ongoing expansion agenda, Sun Motors has mobilised huge resources aimed at providing after-sales facilities for Nissan products across the country.
Food & Drink
Fabulous foods for mother
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IN United States of America, Mother's Day is a national holiday and is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and gaiety just as Britons celebrate it in March. On this day people reflect on the importance of mothers in their life and thank them for their unconditional love and support. Mothers and children in USA look forward to celebrate the day with one another.
