Read today's newspaper headlines [Wednesday, February 17, 2016]

Find out what is making headlines all over the country from the covers of The Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian and more.

For today, Tuesday, February 16, 2016:

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Confusion In PDP as Ali Modu Sheriff emerge as PDP National ChairmanABUJA- CRISIS rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Tuesday took a new twist as there was a sharp division among the organs of the party over the choice of former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the new national chairman of the Party.READ MORE>>>

$3bn debt necessitated oil swap deal, says ex-NNPC boss, OniwonABUJA— FORMER Group Managing Director, GMD, of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Austen Oniwon, yesterday told the ad-hoc committee on Crude Oil Swap probe that a debt of over $3 billion necessitated the oil swap deal entered into by Nigeria and that he was entitled to a spending limit of $10 million.READ MORE>>>

Senior lawyers frustrating war against corruption —EFCC bossABUJA— In a daring tone, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, yesterday, stunned the nation with a declaration that senior lawyers in the country were hampering the fight against corruption.READ MORE>>>

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THE GUARDIAN

How Allison-Madueke granted N4.8tr oil swap without contractFROM a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Austin Oniwon, yesterday came a disclosure that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Maduekwe, gave an approval to oil trading companies to swap the nation’s crude oil for refined petroleum products for three years without a contractual agreement. READ MORE>>>

Ali Modu Sheriff is PDP chairmanTHE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rose from its 68th meeting yesterday night and approved Ali Modu Sheriff, the former Governor of Borno State, as its National Chairman. READ MORE>>>

Senate orders NERC to halt power tariff increaseGIVING vent to the frustrations of electricity consumers in the country, the Senate yesterday ordered the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to halt the 45 per cent proposed increase in tariff. READ MORE>>>

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THE PUNCH

Budget: ICPC to begin probe of perm secs, DGsThere were indications on Tuesday that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was set to begin full investigations into the discrepancies and padding of the 2016 Budget.READ MORE>>>

Ooni, Adeboye meet Buhari, Osinbajo, monarch advocates farmingThe Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the General Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Tuesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. READ MORE>>>

Jonathan’s men sabotaging Buhari – Odigie-OyegunTHE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Tuesday said the ruling party was concerned about alleged internal sabotage going on in some agencies, said to be headed by members of the Peoples Democratic Party. READ MORE>>>

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THE NATION

Jonathan’s camp, senators kick as Sheriff leads PDPA MAJOR step to restore the strength of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – the choice of an acting national chairman – was off the target yesterday. The main opposition party sank deeper into crisis after a section of its leadership picked former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff for the top job. READ MORE>>>

Court refuses to stop Olubadan’s installationThe Oyo State High Court has refused to grant the interim order application by Seriki chiefs, seeking to stop the installation of a new Olubadan, pending the determination of a substantive suit. READ MORE>>>

Diezani alone extended oil contract, says ex-NNPC GMDFormer Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke unilaterally extended crude oil for refined products (oil swap) contracts, a former Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director (GMD) Austin Oniwon alleged yesterday. READ MORE>>>

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BUSINESS DAY

Weak naira pressures consumer goods firmsThe effect of the increasing cost of doing business, along with slowing economic growth is manifesting in the recent numbers of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms operating in Nigeria, as production costs spike, amid foreign currency restrictions. Since most manufacturers import raw materials, it is expected that the recent fluctuation in the naira will… READ MORE>>>

Citizens Wealth Platform identifies N668 bn in wasteful 2016 budget line itemsCitizens Wealth Platform (CWP) a civil society organisation has presented its recommendations on line items considered to be “frivolous, inappropriate, unclear and wasteful estimates in the 2016 Federal Appropriation Bill,” to members of the National Assembly. From its estimates, the NASS will be saving the country N688 billion from wasteful line items. The items identified,… READ MORE>>>

Private data providers gear up for 5G era, as FG lagsPrivate internet data providers in Nigeria have jumped on the constantly moving train of the Internet of things (IoT) by continuously seeking solutions to upgrade accessibility and deepen penetration of broadband in the country. However, experts are worried about the snail pace of the Federal Government which is supposed to be leading the drive through … READ MORE>>>