*Four Killed, 36 Escape In Akwa Ibom Jail Break*

*Four Killed, 36 Escape In Akwa Ibom Jail Break*

Four inmates were on Wednesday killed while 36 others escaped in a jailbreak at Ikot Ekpene Prison, in Akwa Ibom state. The spokesperson for the prison, Ogbajie Ogbajie in a statement on Thursday said that the prisoners attacked prison kitchen’s staff and proceeded to escape through the rear entrance of the prison.

“At about 11:47hrs on Wednesday, 27 December 2017, there was an attack on kitchen staff that were on duty at Ikot Ekpene Prison in Akwa-Ibom State by some prisoners. “They seized an axe from fellow inmate attached to the kitchen, inflicting a deep cut to inmate’s head in the process and immediately made for the rear entrance to the prison. They broke the door with the axe and engaged the staff that chased after them in battle,” he said.

Ogbajie said further that seven of the fleeing inmates were recaptured while four others who were hit by gunshots died.

*Fuel Crisis: Senate suspends recess, summons Kachikwu, NNPC’s GMD, others*

*Fuel Crisis: Senate suspends recess, summons Kachikwu, NNPC’s GMD, others*

In a bid to end the ongoing fuel crisis, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, directed the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to cut short its recess and immediately convene a meeting with industry stakeholders.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa, who disclosed this in Abuja, said following the directive, the Committee has summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Maikanti Baru and other relevant stakeholders in the petroleum sector to a crucial meeting on Thursday, January 4, 2018.

*Athletic warn Kepa: Pay buy-out clause if you want to join Real Madrid*

*Athletic warn Kepa: Pay buy-out clause if you want to join Real Madrid*

Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been told he must pay his buy-out clause in full if he is to leave the club for Real Madrid.

The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Liga champions in January as they look to bring in competition for Keylor Navas.

Kepa's contract expires at the end of the season and talks over a new deal appear to have broken down, despite months of negotiations.

However, club president Josu Urrutia insists the player will not be sold next month unless his release clause, reportedly set at €20m, is paid in full.

"We are aware of what has been reported but we have had no confirmation from the player's representatives or those from Real Madrid [about interest in a transfer].

"Athletic are not a selling club and if a player wants to leave then first of all it has to be his wish and then they need to pay the buy-out clause."

Urrutia compared Kepa's situation to that of striker Fernando Llorente, who joined Juventus on a free transfer in July 2013 after agreeing terms over a move in January of the same year.

*Heavy use of generators puts Nigeria’s climate plans in jeopardy*

*Heavy use of generators puts Nigeria’s climate plans in jeopardy*

The continued heavy reliance on fossil fuel-powered generators in Nigeria by government institutions, businesses and households for electricity supply constitutes a major threat to the nation’s climate change plans, ‘FEMI ASU writes

Diesel or petrol generators are often used in most countries as backup or emergency power when the national grid fails or during power outages or to provide energy in remote areas. But in Nigeria, generators have become the primary source of electricity for most businesses and households, as supply from the national grid remains abysmally low.

The use of diesel/petrol generator has over the years spread to almost every part of the country despite its negative health and climate effects. The proliferation of generators, or what Schneider Electric described as “the alarming reality of mass generator dependency,” exposes communities to harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.

*Federal Government Justifies $1 Billion For Boko Haram*

*Federal Government Justifies $1 Billion For Boko Haram*

The criticisms trailing the approval of $1billion for Boko Haram war and violent crimes across the country is unnecessary and unhelpful, the Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Lai Muhammed said yesterday. The minister said the $1bn was meant to fight security challenges including Boko Haram, illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping and cattle rustling, as well as the acquisition of military ammunition and hardware.

Speaking at a news conference in Lagos, the minister expressed dismay that an action intended to make the country safer had been subjected to attacks by people with ulterior motives. The minister said that it was wrong to sacrifice the issue of security on the altar of politics, saying opponents of the fund were taking politics too far.

The National Economic Council (NEC), comprising the 36 state governors, approved the fund from the Excess Crude Account, a move that generated controversy. “I said unnecessary and uninformed because everyone knows the role the military is playing in helping to tackle the numerous security crisis facing the states, much less the war against Boko Haram."

*Osun Govt Admits Paying Modulated Workers’ Salaries For 14 Months*

*Osun Govt Admits Paying Modulated Workers’ Salaries For 14 Months*

Osun State Government on Wednesday admitted that some civil servants in the state have not been receiving their full salaries for at least 14 months. The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Adelani Baderinwa, said during a phone interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“We are owing workers on levels eight to 13, 25 per cent of their salary for about 14, 15 months now; and those of levels 14 and above, 50 percent of their salary,” he said. “As a matter of fact, and to be sure that government is very keen on the welfare of workers; when the second tranche of Paris Club refund came, we quickly paid two months of the 25 and 50 percent being owed.”

Baderinwa’s comments come hours after the workers embarked on an industrial action over what they termed government’s inability to pay their full salaries. Prior to the strike, the state government had appealed to the aggrieved workers to be patient with a promise that the trying times would end soon.