Sahara Reports | Nigerian Political and Breaking News

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The United States government has slammed a punitive fine of N35.8 billion or $236  million on six foreign companies for offering hefty bribes to Nigerian government  officials during the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency.



The bribes were paid between 2002 and 2007 by Shell, the giant multi-national oil  producing company,  Panalpina, the Swiss-based freight forwarding company and  Transocean, an oil drilling company and three other oil service companies.

Reports by Bloomberg and Reuters last night said the fines settled several years of  probes of the companies by the US Justice Department and court actions by the US  Securities and Exchange Commission over the illegal payments to Nigerian officials.  All the six companies and some of their subsidiaries also agreed to violations  in  Angola, Brazil and Russia and Equatorial Guinea, all oil producing nations.

Panalpina will pay the heaviest penalty—$81.5 million. Shell will pay $48.1 and  Transocean $20.6 million.

Bribes To OBJ's Govt: US Slams $236m Fines On Shell, Others-PM News, Lagos

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Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay has revealed that a legislator in the National Assembly, Abuja, Nigeria, earns far more than the United States President, Barack Obama.



This revelation was made by Sagay yesterday when he delivered a lecture to mark the 47th birthday celebration of the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele held at the Eko FM Multi-Purpose Hall, Ikeja, Lagos.

In the lecture, Sagay lamented that a Nigerian Senator, in 2009 earned N240 million in salaries and allowances annually while his House of Representatives counterpart earned N203.8 million annually.

"In other words, a senator earned about $1.7 million and a member of the House of Representatives earned $1.45 million per annum," he said.

Nigeria's Federal Legislator Earns More Than Obama-Prof. Itse Sagay

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                                                          In what appears to be a resumption of hostilities in the Niger Delta region militants last night attacked an oil block owned by Nigeria's Former Petroleum Minister Rilwan Lukman

Militants Attack Rilwan Lukman's AFREN Oil Rig In Akwa Ibom, Abduct Expatriates

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                                                                                                 By SaharaReporters, New York                   AFREN, Nigeria, an oil firm owned by Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Rilwan Lukman, has confirmed the abduction today of five oil workers at its Okoro oil fields in Akwa Ibom State.

UPDATED: Five Oil Workers Kidnapped, Two Injured, At Rilwan Lukman's AFREN; Drilling Operations Stalled

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                                                                                                 Channelstv.com                   A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has held that the amendment to the 1999 Constitution recently carried out by the National Assembly cannot become operational without the assent of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Court Declares Constitutional Amendment Inchoate (Null And Void)-Channelstv.com

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                                                                                                 By SaharaReporters, New York                   Earlier today former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo received a dose of the widespread hatred in which ordinary Nigerians hold him, when  a man forced his way into his car. The angry Nigerian believed to be in his 40s forced his way into his car, grabbed him by his "Agbada" and pummeled with vicious punches.

Irate Nigerian Man Rains Punches On Obasanjo  At Lagos Airport

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                                                                                                 By SaharaReporters, New York                   Nigeria's economy will be effectively shut down on Wednesday as workers across the country under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress down tools over government's refusal to implement the N18,000 minimum wage earlier agreed in negotiations.

Minimum Wage Showdown: Strike Goes Ahead As NLC, Jonathan Meeting Deadlocked

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                                                                                                 By SaharaReporters, New York                   The Nigeria Policemen with a handful of workers at the gate of Federal Secretariat  in Abuja this morning. Nigerian workers are on strike due to the Nigeria Labour Congress induced workers strike across Nigeria over demands for the increase of the minimum wage.

PHOTONEWS: Workers Go On Strike In Nigeria

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                                                                                                 GIN                   Nov. 9 (GIN) – The Guardian newspaper of London has reported this week that internal documents of the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell described a “crisis management strategy and plan” in response to the execution of Nigerian activist Ken Saro Wiwa.

Shell Tried To 'Re-Brand' Itself After Execution Of Nigerian Activist, New Docs Say

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                                                                                                 By SaharaReporters, New York                   SaharaReporters has obtained the report of a disciplinary panel of the Nigeria Bar Association, which indicted a lawyer to Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State, Kunle Kalejaiye, SAN, for unprofessional communication with tribunal judges who adjudicated over the Osun State governorship election petition.

NBA Panel Indicts Oyinlola's Lawyer For Misconduct Over Osun Tribunal Text Messages