FG Blocks Sanusi from Traveling Abroad; Seize His Passport

According to several reports, the Nigerian government have stopped suspended Central Bank of Nigeria governor Lamido Sanusi Lamido from traveling out of the country and have also seized his passport.

Premium Times reports.

Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services, SSS, on Saturday night blocked the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, from boarding a Turkish airline flight for a planned trip to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj, a witness and a spokesperson for Mr. Sanusi have told Premium Times.

Operatives of the SSS based at the Aminu Kano International Airport also seized Mr. Sanusi’s passport and told him they would not allow him to travel abroad unless they received clearance from their Abuja headquarters.

The SSS’ action however appears a contravention of the April 3 judgment of a Federal High Court in Lagos, which restrained the agency and the Nigeria Police from arresting or harassing the CBN Governor or seizing his passport.

FG Okays Six-Month Jail & N50,000 Fine For Public Smokers

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the draft of the National Tobacco Control Bill 2004 that would be sent to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill for promulgation into law.

The bill recommends a minimum of six months imprisonment or N50,000 or both for individuals that smoke outside public places designated as smoking areas.

The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, and the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Chukwu said the penalties for corporate offenders varied from N1m to N5m and one year to two years imprisonment for the chief executives of such firms.

The minister added that all forms of advertisements of tobacco were totally banned under the proposed law.

No FG Directive to Return Applicants’ Money - Nigeria Immigration Service

The Nigerian Immigration Service collected N1,000 application fee from almost 700,000 applicants who participated in the recently disastrous employment test that claimed more than 15 lives. There were reports recently that the federal government had directed the NIS to refund the money but according to new reports, no such directive has been given by the government despite the fact that the recruitment exercise was cancelled.
The Public Relations Officer of the NIS and a rep of the Minister of Interior said that they are yet to receive any directive to refund the money.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have called on the Federal Government to refund the money to the applicants. They should return it. It's the decent thing to do.

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