FG Bans Usage Of Souvenirs At Events

This was in a statement on Sunday in Abuja by the Director
of Information, Federal Ministry of Finance, Salisu
Dambatta.

In a bid to ensure the efficient utilization of public funds, the
Federal Government has banned the procurement and
distribution of bags, T-shirts and other souvenirs at events
funded by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MDAs).

According to the statement, President Buhari had approved
the ban following recommendations by the Efficiency Unit of
the Ministry.

It said the Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari,
had forwarded the directive to the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, the Head of the Civil Service
of the Federation and the Ministers of Finance and Budget
and National Planning, for implementation.
“The directive which is a recognition of the fact that in a
period of lean financial resources unnecessary expenditure
on overheads such souvenirs are luxuries that the
government must eliminate.
“This will enable release of funds for infrastructure and
services such as health and education that would have
direct positive impact on the well being of the citizenry and
promote economic development.
“The directive also contained specific guidelines that would
reduce the cost of printing Invitation Cards, Programme of
events, Brochures, Folders and Note Pads.
“Among the guidelines are that they should be in black and
white and limited to only one page and in the case of
Brochures they should be streamlined to contain only
essential information,” it said.
Also, the statement said the printing of unnecessary
publications and books of short shelf life has also been
banned.
“MDAs were encouraged to save costs by uploading such
publications on their websites which has the added benefit
of wider visibility,” it said.
President Buhari had set up the Efficiency Unit to review all
federal government’s overhead expenditure with the aim of
reducing wastage, promoting efficiency and ensuring
quantifiable savings for the country.
The Minister of Finance, Head of Service of the Federation,
Accountant-General of the Federation, Auditor-General of
the Federation and Director, Budget Office of the Federation
are members of the Unit.

Man Assumed Dead Wakes Up At His Own Burial

The 23-year-old man from India, named as Sandeep, was
attacked while collecting wood from the forest. While the young man was presumed to have died
after being bitten by a snake rose up from the funeral
pyre at the moment it was set on fire.

When he arrived back in his village in the Raisen
district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, he told
his family about the snake bite.
Instead of taking Sandeep to a hospital, they brought
him to a traditional tantric practitioner in a nearby
village.
But the tantric’s treatment proved ineffective and it was
assumed the young man had passed away.

Villagers were left baffled at what to do because some
in India claim that those who die of snake bites should
be buried rather than burned.
In the end it was decided that his body was to be taken
to the local cemetery where a funeral pyre was
prepared.
But when the fire almost reached the body of Sandeep,
the young man started to shout and people realised he
was still alive.
Sandeep was taken to the same tantric practitioner
instead of a hospital after he regained consciousness.

16-year-old Leader Of A Robbery Gang Arrested In Calabar

Christian Donatus, a Senior Secondary School, 2 student of Eastern Secondary School, Ediba,
Calabar, had allegedly led his syndicate
to raid a shop, Value Mart, owned by the former First Lady
of the state, Obioma Imoke, two weeks ago.
The suspect was paraded alongside one of his
accomplices, Ubong Bassey Essien, on Wednesday before
newsmen at the Command’s headquarters.
Parading the 19-year-old man, the Police Public Relations
Officer, PPRO, Ms. Irene Ugbo, said the suspect who hails
from Akokwa, Imo State, had been terrorizing various parts
of the city, raiding homes, shops and commuters and
dispossessing them of their valuables.
She said, “The gang shot a medical doctor at Akim Qua
three weeks ago and also carted away safes at a shop
along Marian Road, containing large sums of money.
“The suspect and one of his members were arrested on

July 16 by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
SARS.
“Efforts have been intensified to track down four other
members of the gang who are on the run and we hope that
very soon they will be arrested and brought to book.

TRAGEDY; Nollywood Actor Roasted By Fire On Set Of A New Movie

According to several reports, Ani Iyoho, a Nollywood
actor was badly burnt while playing a fire incident role
on set of movie director, Stanlee Ohikhuare.
The special effect scene ended in disaster on the set of
a Nollywood movie and the actor, Ani Iyoho,

was left
with severe burns that landed him in the hospital.
According to an actor on set, while Ani was burning,
the fire extinguisher on set did not work and Stanlee
shocked everyone by filming the scene with the
intention to add the real fire incident to the film.
However, reports confirm that the actor is currently in
the hospital with several of his colleagues running
around to raise money for him while all efforts to reach
Stanlee has proved abortive and the producers of the
movie Kelechi Udegbe and Ugochukwu Azikiwe are
also on the run.

Radio Nigeria

The United State Suspends Humanitarian Assistance Mission In Borno State

In a statement made available to newsmen by UNICEF
Nigeria,Chief of Communication,Doune who said The United State temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance
missions pending review of the security situation in
Borno state. He said this is
due to an attack on a humanitarian convoy in Borno
state on Thursday.
“The convoy was in a remote area of northeastern
Nigeria, where protracted conflict has caused extreme
suffering and has triggered a severe malnutrition
crisis..”
“UNICEF can confirm that a UNICEF

driver and an IOM
contractor were injured in the attack and are being
treated at a local hospital. All other UNICEF, IOM and
UNFPA staff are safe.”the statement says.
” Conflict in northeast Nigeria has caused extreme
suffering and triggered a severe malnutrition crisis.
Children need our help!”
“This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers.
It is an attack on the people who most need the
assistance and aid that these workers were bringing.”it
added.