NATIONAL AND GLOBAL UPDATE
President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that each family of the 10 NYSC members slain in post-election violence in the northern part of the country be paid N5 million. President Jonathan gave the directive when he received a delegation of some of the family members of the 10 corps members killed in Bauchi and Niger States.  He said the success of the 2011 elections was due largely to the patriotism exhibited by members of the NYSC.
 
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 Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigerian has cautioned the public from making inflammatory statements on the murder of 10 NYSC members in post-election violence in Bauchi State. CAN president, Ayo Oritsejafor, said this in Abuja yesterday at the service of recognition and commendation for the slain corps members, jointly organised by the NYSC and CAN. He said the NYSC members had not sacrificed their lives and time in vain, adding that they paid the supreme price for the unity and peace of the nation.

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National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Bisi Akande, says the Government of National Unity proposed for the next dispensation will kill the country's democracy.  Chief Akande said the GNU model was touted when the country’s peace was threatened.  He said the country would not need such coalition in a peaceful democracy.

 The ACN chairman explained that the GNU had not favoured opposition parties in the country, adding that the process had made some parties, at a time, to lose their states to the ruling party.

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 Meanwhile, a current and an ex-federal lawmaker yesterday said each member of the then National Assembly was enticed with N50m, for thethird term bid of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.    The lawmaker,  Abike Dabiri-Erewa and Lawal Shuabu, disclosed at an interactive session with Action Congress of Nigeria National Assembly members-elect in  Abuja, that the money was tempting. They did not say if any of the then National Assembly members accepted the huge sum. They told the ACN lawmakers-elect that they rejected the money because the bid was not in Nigeria’s interest.

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 The Northern Governors’ Forum has condemned the violence in Northern part of the country after the presidential election.
 It sympathized with families of corps members who lost their lives during the violence, praying that such would not occur again.
 The Forum, in a communiqué read by Babangida Aliyu, urged the Federal Government to tackle ethno-religious crises in the country, promising that they would also address the problems.

 
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 Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, says there is the need for the commission to create additional polling units to ensure the success of subsequent elections in the county. He said this was one of its findings from the just-concluded general election.
 According to Professor Jega many of the states in the country needed to have their polling units increased. He said when more polling units are created; more people would have the opportunity to vote.

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 Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday failed to arraign former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola, due to EFCC’s lateness to court.
 Dr Akingbola and his associates, who were re-arrested on May 3 over a fresh 29-count charge of stealing about N47.1bn belonging to Intercontinental Bank, were to be arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru. Dr Akingbola’s wife, Anthonia who is still at large and one Bayo Dada were among his associates said to have jointly committed the offence.

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 Meanwhile, the EFCC arraigned former Managing Director of Finbank Plc, Okey Nwosu, and three former Executive Directors of the bank on a 26-count charge of stealing about N10.9bn belonging to the bank. Others arraigned before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos High Court in Ikeja alongside Nwosu included Messrs Dayo Famoroti, Danjuma Ocholi and Mrs. Agnes Ebubedike. According to the charges read to the defendants in court, they allegedly stole over N10, billion between August 10, 2006 and November 26, 2007.

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 Similarly, EFCC has detailed how a former Minister of Works, Hassan Lawal and 15 others allegedly stole N75.7 billion public funds through unexecuted contracts.The commission had subsequently slammed a 25-count criminal charge on them, with the accused persons to be arraigned before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja today. EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the planned arraignment, while disclosing that the accused had been arrested yesterday, preparatory to their arraignment today.

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 Aviation Minister, Fidelia Njeze, says the Federal Government would complete the fencing of five other airports by December to enhance security at the facilities.
 The minister made the declaration while inaugurating the expanded apron, perimeter fence and perimeter road at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.She said the airports to be fenced are
 Minna, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Yola and Enugu adding that the second phase of the project would involve the Owerri Airport and would begin in 2012.

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 As part of efforts to protect the waterways and eradicate activities of sea pirates, the Nigerian Navy, Apapa Naval Base has launched 3 speed boats, for the use of naval officers.
 Commanding Officer NNS Beecroft, Jonathan Ango said the boats which are smaller in size will help naval officers catch up with pirates that hijack oil vessels on the high sea.
 Commodore Ango said the boats, aside from being used on Lagos territorial waters, will also be deployed to Niger Delta and the Eastern part of the country.

FOREIGN

North Atlantic Treaty Organization has carried out more air raids on the Libyan capital, Tripoli; shortly after United Nations aid chief Valerie Amos called for a pause in hostilities to ease the humanitarian crisis. Reports say NATO targeted government buildings, including the compound of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
       Baroness Amos told the UN that the besieged city of Misrata was in a dire state, short of food and water. About 750,000 people have fled Libya since the uprising began in February.

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 President Barack Obama has called for broad reform of the US immigration system, while highlighting steps he has taken to strengthen border security.
 In Texas, President Obama backed a path to legal status for illegal immigrants, as well as crackdowns on employers who hire illegal workers.He called on the fractured Congress to reject the usual
 Washington games and enacts a comprehensive overhaul. An estimated 11m illegal immigrants, most of them Hispanic, live in the US.

 
 BUSINESS
 Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Lamido Sanusi, says the number of banks in the country is likely to fall to about 20 from the current 24, following the completion of banking reforms.
 Mallam Sanusi said some of the bailed out banks were still in search of suitable partners, stating that at the end of the day about four banks would likely not meet up.
 He stated that fighting inflation was likely to be a challenge for Nigeria this year, but noted that growth could top seven per cent if power and other reforms went on.

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 Capital market operators have urged the Nigerian Stock Exchange to prevail on the Federal Government to insist that telecommunications companies be listed on the exchange.
 Some of the market operators who spoke to our correspondent Clementine Okonye said the country would depend on the telecoms to drive the economy.
 They however added that the NSE should liaise with Bureau of Public Enterprise to ensure that such companies including the power sectors invest in the NSE.

 
 ENTERTAINMENT
 Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver have said they are separating after 25 years of marriage.
 The two in a statement said after a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision.
 They said they were working on the future of their relationship while living apart and would also continue to parent their four children together. They did not provide further details.

 SPORTS
 African champions Flying Eagles of Nigeria were upset by underdogs New Zealand 4-3 yesterday in their final match of the Suwon Youth International Tournament in Korea.
 Uruguay won the invitational tournament on five points after they drew
 1-1 with hosts Korea.
 The Flying Eagles were runners-up on four points, while the home team was third also on four points and Oceania flag bearers New Zealand finished bottom with three points. All four teams have qualified for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup to be staged in Colombia from July 29.

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 Manchester City qualified for the Champions League for the first time as Peter Crouch's own goal gave them the decisive victory over Tottenham at Eastlands.
 Crouch's strike here late last season sent Spurs into Europe's elite  competition at City's expense - and he was unwittingly involved at the  same end again as he deflected James Milner's cross past keeper Carlo  Cudicini in the first half.


HISTORY
 May 11, 1996 - Nigeria's first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, died  ODD SIDE OF NEWS  Police in Connecticut say a man who called 911 three times and then  asked emergency responder to make a beer run was charged with misuse of 911.
Bridgeport police said Raymond Roberge, aged 65, called 911 three times and told emergency the responder he would pay them to go buy him some beer. Sales of beer, wine and liquor are banned on Sundays in Connecticut. Roberge, who police said has called 911 for false alarms 79 times since the start of the year, was arrested on a charge of misusing the 911 system.