Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For 6th March 2017

The Nation: INEC Probe Panel On #23b Bribe: REC Got #140m Cash
A resident electoral commissioner (REC), who completed his tenure on Friday, collected about #140 million of the #23.29 billion 2015 election bribe, it was learnt at the weekend.
A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly coordinated the bribe that has sparked a big scandal.

New Telegraph: Two Marketers Steal FG’S 100m Litters Of Petrol
The Independent oil marketers have been accused of stealing 100 million liters of premium, motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol belonging to the Federal Government. The product disappeared in the storages of the oil marketing companies leased by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) without return of the value of the stolen product.

The Guardian: Senate To Probe Alleged #10tr Fraud In Oil Industry
The Senate declared yesterday that it had uncovered some fraudulent practices in the petroleum industry through which the nation lost #10 trillion between 2006 and 2016
Consequently, the leadership of the upper chamber has instructed the Joint Committee on Petroleum (upstream and downstream) and Gas to investigate the alleged fraud.

Vanguard: Jonathan Rejected UK Offer To Rescue Chibok Girls
But for lack of response from immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, the British Armed Forces, would have helped to rescue the 276 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State on April 14, 2014, the United Kingdom Guardian, has claimed, quoting the Observer.

Daily Sun: Senate Begins Fresh #10 Trillion Probe
The Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources, compromising Upstream, Downstream and Gas, has announced the commencement of the probe of alleged #10 trillion –subsidy fraud by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and independent marketers in the country.
According to the joint committee chairman, Senator Kabiru Marafa, the probe will look into subsidy spend on importation of petroleum products from 2006 to date. Senator Tayo Alaosoadura, who heads Upstream and Senator Albert Bassy who chairs Gas, will co-chair the probe.

Business Day: February PMI readings give mixed signals on Nigeria’s economic recovery
Optimism is creeping back in Nigeria economy but very slowly, indications from three different Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) reading from three different sources in a week have shown.
A PMI measures the confidence level of purchasing managers whose purchasing decision is usually influenced by management’s outlook of the future.

The Punch: PDP members have right to seek alternative platform- Markarfi
The sacked Chairman, National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has said members of the party are free to join the other political associations to realize their political ambition.
He said neither him nor any member of the caretaker committee had, however, joined the proposed Advanced Peoples Democratic Party.

Nigerian Tribune: How FG, States, LGs Made Fortunes From Falling Naira
Even as Nigerians groan under the burden of depreciating naira, direct beneficiaries of the Federation Account have continued to smile to the bank month after month of sharing the widening differentials between the #1990/US$ upon which the 2016 budget was based and whatever it depreciates to.
In February 2016, federal, states and local governments shared some #48.370 billion described as exchange gain for the month of January 2017.