**Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor of Abia State, Southeast of Nigeria, now a Senator was today at a Lagos High Court sentenced to 12 years imprisonment haven been found guilty of fraud amounting to N7.65 billion while in office as State Governor (1999-2007). The case had lasted 12 years.

**The Nigerian Senate today passed the 2020 Appropriation Bill into Law. The Federal Government had proposed an expenditure of N10.33 trillion for next year; but the Senate jacked it up to N10.594 trillion, an increase of N264 billion.

**The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety, NIMASA says it is working with relevant authorities to secure the release of 19 crew members of of a vessel, ‘NAVE CONSTELLATION’ seized when the ocean liner was attacked off the coast of Bonny—Dakuku Peterside, Director General of NIMASA

**Federal Government raises alarm as thieves and vandals remove bolts and nuts on the new Lagos/Ibadan rail line now being test run with free passenger ride.

**In a country where there is incessant outcry that power supply is grossly inadequate, Federal Government says power generating companies will be permitted to sell power directly to willing buyers. Government by this policy will save itself of the ordeal of subsiding generating companies for power not taken by distributing companies. The Minister of Power, Sale Mamman disclosed that the Federal Government paid N700 billion as subsidy to the generating companies last year. Up to N600 billion additional payment is due to the companies. The revelation is that the power distributing companies are not taking up the entire quantity of power being generated mainly on the grounds that the customers are defaulting in payment for their power consumption.