₦airaland Forum

CityNG:
I didn't ask you a question, it was a statement.

I have no reason to question the POTUS.

He was duly elected (without the theatrics of changing an election date and no violence by the way) so no issue here for us.

I just referred you back to your Islamist sitting in the White house. Osama bin Obama.

CityNG:
And in your mind you're making sense

Ask your Osama bin Obama that question.

Bluetooth2:
The US doesn't have any problem With Nigeria but with the criminal-in-chief who believes stealing is not corruption.

Just as the Nigerian government doesn't have any problem with Americans, just the Islamist in chief called Osama bin Obama.

Guyman02:
Sharaap there! Did you do your adhoc training in Maiduguri or Damaturu, tell us the location? Where you trained with functioning card readers? How many of you where trained and what is the required number to conduct elections in your zone.

APC ends on social media, Their defeat any day we have elections is guaranteed. Why are they afraid of people collecting their PVCs.

http://tribune.com.ng/news/top-stories/item/29285-fg-warns-us-others-against-unguarded-utterances


THE Federal Government, on Wednesday, cautioned members of the diplomatic community against making what it termed “unguarded utterances” on matters that are strictly within the domestic jurisdiction of Nigeria.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, gave the warning in Abuja, at an interactive session with the diplomatic community over the shift of the general election.

Wali expressed “the strong displeasure of the Federal Government with the conduct of some heads of mission,” who have continued to breach the laid down diplomatic channels of communication.

According to him, some heads of mission “have continued to behave in an imperial manner and in clear breach of the channel of the diplomatic communication.

“A situation, where a head of mission takes on the role of a government, seeking to impose the views and perspectives of his government and making unguarded utterances on matters that are strictly within the domestic jurisdiction of the host country is totally unacceptable.

“It is only in this country that I have noticed some envoys, who have taken it upon themselves and without recourse to the government to embark on social causes and political advocacy that are totally unrelated to conventional diplomacy and representational duties of ambassadors.”

The minister pointed out that Nigerian envoys abroad do not behave in such manners.

“It is, therefore, unacceptable for envoys to abuse their privileges and immunities by behaving in a manner that would have been met with the opprobrium in their countries were Nigerian ambassadors to behave in like manner.

“Let me be clear on this, the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the excesses of such heads of mission.

“They are, hereby, advised to operate within the norms and etiquette of diplomatic intercourse,” he said.

The minister declared that with the support of Nigerians and the international community, the elections would hold as rescheduled and in a peaceful and violence-free atmosphere.

He said it had become evident that elections could not hold as planned in the three North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

Wali explained that doing so could have put the lives of electoral officials, including observers and ad hoc staff in danger.

He said the decision to shift the elections, as stated by INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, was taken after painstaking consultations with all relevant stakeholders.

He said the Federal Government found the comments already made by some of Nigeria’s friends and partners on the polls shift as judgmental, precipitate and unwaranted.

“What we need at this time is not to be hectored or lectured as to the conduct of Nigeria’s internal affairs, but the deepening of democracy in our country.

“No country, no matter how well-intentioned, can love Nigeria more than Nigerians,” he said.

According to him, there is a broad-based consensus by Nigerians for the elections to hold in all parts of the country, to guarantee the credibility and acceptability of the elections.

“While security has been a major concern, it is obvious that INEC may not have been fully prepared to conduct the elections as earlier scheduled.

“It is a fact that over 34 per cent of registered voters are yet to collect their permanent voter cards.

“There are other logistical and operational challenges, such as adequate provisions for electoral materials including prompt delivery and the training of ad hoc staff, which are critical to the success of the elections.”

Wali said that President Goodluck Jonathan had continued to respect the independence and autonomy of INEC and the judiciary.

He pointed out that INEC had demonstrated its independence through the successful conduct of elections recently, where the ruling party lost.

He thanked the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission for their contributions to the operations of the Multi-National Joint Task Force in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.

“I am confident that as envoys accredited to Nigeria, you will continue to report events in this country factually and accurately, so as to deepen understanding, cooperation and partnership among your individual countries and Nigeria,” he said.

Author: John Campbell, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
Nigeria's 2015 Presidential Election - john-campbell-cpm-update-nigerias-2015-presidential-election

Council on Foreign Relations Press

Release Date
February 2015


The success or failure of democracy, rule of law, and ethnic and religious reconciliation in Nigeria is a bellwether for the entire continent. With a population of more than 177 million evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and most populous country. A 2010 Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Contingency Planning Memorandum, "Electoral Violence in Nigeria," considered the potential for widespread violence associated with Nigeria's 2011 elections and the limited policy options available to the United States to forestall it. This assessment remains relevant today.

The 2015 elections again may precipitate violence that could destabilize Nigeria, and Washington has even less leverage in Abuja than it did in 2011. The upcoming elections are a rematch of the 2011 elections between the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan (a southern Christian) and Muhammadu Buhari (a northern Muslim and a former military chief). Tension between Washington and Abuja is higher than in 2011, largely over how to respond to the radical Islamist insurgent group, Boko Haram, which is steadily gaining strength in northeast Nigeria. According to CFR's Nigeria Security Tracker, Boko Haram has been responsible for nearly eleven thousand deaths since May 2011. Nigerian domestic instability has also increased as a result of the recent global collapse of oil prices, which are hitting the government and political classes hard. Oil constitutes more than 70 percent of Nigeria's revenue and provides more than 90 percent of its foreign exchange. Since October 2014, the national currency, the naira, has depreciated from 155 to the U.S. dollar to 191.

New Concerns

Since Nigeria's independence in 1960, political power has alternated between the predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, an informal strategy to forestall the country's polarization. Jonathan assumed the presidency when President Umaru Yar'Adua, a northern Muslim, died in 2010. Jonathan gave private assurances that he would finish Yar'Adua's term and wait until 2015 to run for president because it was still "the north's turn." But Jonathan ran for reelection in 2011, thereby violating the system of power alternation. Following the announcement of Jonathan's victory, the north made accusations of election rigging. Rioting broke out across the north, resulting in the greatest bloodshed since the 1967–70 civil war.

Geographic Distribution of Votes in 2011 Presidential Election

Geographic Distribution of Votes in 2011 Presidential ElectionThe 2015 elections are likely to be more violent. A new opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has nominated Buhari as its presidential candidate. The APC is stronger than its predecessors and reflects a splintering of the political classes. The government's inability to defeat Boko Haram, the economic hardships brought on by falling oil prices, and a growing public perception that the Jonathan administration is weak have fueled support for the APC. Though the APC's voter base is in the north, it enjoys support all over the country, unlike the opposition in 2011.

However, any incumbent Nigerian president has significant advantages: he is at the center of extensive patronage networks; he has access to the government's oil revenue; and he and his party largely control the election machinery and ballot-counting infrastructure. It is uncertain whether any provisions will be made for voters in the three northern states placed under a state of emergency because of Boko Haram, as well as the estimated one million people displaced by the insurgency. These displaced voters would likely support Buhari and the APC; their exclusion would benefit Jonathan and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Thus despite the strength of the opposition, Jonathan remains the likely—but not certain—winner.

Policy Implications

An unstable Nigeria with internally displaced and refugee populations and a government unable to quell Boko Haram could potentially destabilize neighboring states and compromise U.S. interests in Africa. Yet, the United States has little leverage over Nigerian politics, which is driven by domestic factors, and even less leverage over the Nigerian security services. Nigeria will be disappointed that the United States has not offered greater assistance to counter Boko Haram, and Washington will be frustrated by Abuja's failure to address human rights abuses by the security service.

Recommendations

A November 2014 Council Special Report "U.S. Policy to Counter Nigeria's Boko Haram" recommends long-term steps the United States should take to encourage a Nigerian response to terrorism that advances democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights. In the short term, vocal U.S. support for democracy and human rights both during and after the elections could help discourage violence at the polls and after the results are announced. Secretary of State John Kerry, in a preelection visit to Nigeria, has already underscored the importance of free, fair, and credible elections to the bilateral relationship.

In the aftermath, Washington should avoid commenting prematurely on the quality of the elections. Observers from the National Democratic Institute and the International Republic Institute are likely to issue preliminary assessments immediately after the polls close. So, too, will observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and the African Union. There will be media pressure for early, official comment. But, following a close election and the violence likely to follow, the timing and content of official U.S. statements should take into account the views of the vibrant Nigerian human rights community, which will likely be the most accurate.
Washington should forcefully and immediately denounce episodes of violence, including those committed by the security services. But official statements should avoid assessing blame without evidence, and they should take into account the weak ability of party leaders to control crowd behavior.

Washington should facilitate and support humanitarian assistance. The north is already in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, with the prospect of famine looming. If the postelection period is violent, there may be need for international humanitarian assistance in many other parts of the country. The Obama administration should plan for a leadership role in coordinating an international humanitarian relief effort, including a close study of lessons learned from the Africa Military Command's successful intervention in Liberia's Ebola crisis.


http://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigerias-2015-presidential-election/p36087

asamaigho:
ur head needs serious examination,unfortunately with d depth of ur ignorance,finding an examiner will b a colossal task

even kids in creche knows Nepa (phcn) is centalized.

Are you not tired of being an impostor troll?

Bawss1:
Unless you assume that Kerry is ominiscient there is nothing that suggests that he was aware of the contents of the report. All you have done so far is conjecture... Besides why would he make a remark that makes him lose face?

Ominisicent, when you're the one paying. Why Kerry made such remarks, is a story for the gods to resolve. The man even came to Lagos on Jan 25 2015, to make sure elections would hold on Feb 14.

Bawss1:
Is there anywhere you gleaned that the report was ready before this time, or before Kerry's last visit? The dates in January was when the teams from the NDI and IRI were in Nigeria working on their report.

John Kerry's state department paid for this report. Sambo spoke in the UK on Jan 22 2015 about Inec's unpreparedness. Yes, John Kerry knew about this report, before his Feb 8th statement.

Now we know why, Dasuki Sambo spoke in the UK on Jan 22 2015. They probably heard about this report.

Bawss1:
How would John Kerry have known about this report before now? He is not ominiscient.

According to the report, the NDI and IRI delegations were in Nigeria between January 15 and 20, with the aim of assessing the current political and electoral environment in the lead-up to the February 14 presidential election; assess the preparedness of all stakeholders for the election and offer recommendations to enhance citizen confidence in the process.

Lalasticlala, Seun this deserves a front page spot.

Ephemmm:
It's is criminal to shot up tarrif on imported new and second hand car without a corresponding increase in local production at competitive price.
You only encourage smuggling and the resultant loss of revenue to the government by way of reduced custom duty...
You can't inconvenience Nigerians because of some cabal close to the seat of government ...promising the govt they can meet demand, which obviously is a daunting task..

Quote me when you are ready to make a serious argument. I will pass for now.

tbaba1234:
Distributed power is the way to go for Nigeria. It means harnessing what is available in a community to provide power for that community.

Who is stopping you from doing that today?

front page

Did John Kerry not see this report, before he issued his pretentious statement. Americans make una fear God. Nigeria will survive beyond 2015.

http://tribune.com.ng/news/top-stories/item/29309-inec-wasn-t-ready-for-polls-on-feb-14-us-institutions

TWO democratic institutions of the United States (US), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), have submitted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not ready for the presidential election initially fixed for February 14.

The two institutions made the position known in a report submitted to the government and relevant stakeholders, including INEC, after a five-day study in Nigeria.

The study, which was undertaken with funding from the US Department of State, held between January 15 and 20, was undertaken by experienced resource persons on electoral matters and African affairs.

The report obtained by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that INEC was not ready for the conduct of the election on February 14, contrary to claims in the media.

According to the report, the NDI and IRI delegations were in Nigeria between January 15 and 20, with the aim of assessing the current political and electoral environment in the lead-up to the February 14 presidential election; assess the preparedness of all stakeholders for the election and offer recommendations to enhance citizen confidence in the process.

The report noted that violence was a major threat to the election, including threats of post-election violence and the insurgency already unleashed on the north-eastern parts of the country by Boko Haram.

The institutions stated that no fewer than 4.5 million persons would have been disenfranchised in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe as a result of insurgency if the elections were held on February 14.

The report indicated INEC’s lack of readiness for the election, by highlighting its poor voter education measures, as well as what it called miscommunication on its part.

“The delegation is concerned that millions of permanent voter cards (PVCs) have not yet been distributed by INEC. Although INEC plans to move the distribution of PVCs from the local government level down to the wards (which are smaller units under the councils and closer to the polling points), that exercise has not started in the states.

“Moreover, some Nigerians stated that in a number of states, the distribution exercise has repeatedly been postponed in some locations, leading to further erosion of trust in INEC.

“Some Nigerians are still unsure whether a voter without a PVC, but whose name is on the register, will be allowed to vote on election day and what arrangements will be put in place to adjudicate such matters.

“Similarly, INEC brands the voter card readers (VCRs), a handheld machine that will be used to scan the biometric voter cards, as an innovation in Nigeria that would strengthen the integrity of the voting process; however, the procurement of the VCRs is still underway and not all card readers have been delivered to lNEC.

“INEC is confident the delivery will be made and has issued guidelines to address card reader malfunction. INEC also views the card reader as a confidence building measure that would allow the commission to track the number of accredited voters and make sure they match the figures to be reported on the results sheet.

“Yet, some Nigerians are apprehensive about what would happen should the remaining VCRs not be delivered on time, or should many of these new machines malfunction on election day.

“While INEC has specific plans for recruiting and deploying ad hoc poll workers that would include current and former members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and students in tertiary education institutions, some members of the public are concerned that training of these workers has yet to begin,” the report stated.

It also identified some of the challenges to the elections, with insecurity as a major challenge.

“The impact of Boko Haram ongoing attacks and killings have disrupted dally life in Borno State and several local government areas in Yobe and Adamawa states.

“The presence of Boko Haram poses a political risk in that, not conducting polls in significant parts of a region viewed as the stronghold of one of the contesting parties, even if for reasons of insecurity, would mean the disenfranchisement of a large number of voters.

“This would well call into question the legitimacy of the election in the eyes of the population, not only in the affected states but more widely. According to INEC, the three states have a cumulative total of approximately 4.5 million registered voters (Adamawa 1.5 million; Borno 1.9 million and Yobe, 1.1 million).

“Internally displaced persons (lDPs) in the North-East is an issue, with a number of councils inaccessible because of insecurity caused by Boko Haram. The presence and de facto control of territory in these states by Boko Hararn has resulted in the internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

“Advocacy for steps to be taken to facilitate lDP voting continues to grow, as INEC pursues its consultations with political parties and other election stakeholders on ways to facilitate such. Nigerians recognise that it is imperative that their fellow citizens already traumatised by terrorist attacks be afforded the opportunity to exercise their constitutional rights.

“The delegation noted that a number of positive steps taken by INEC to enhance the integrity of the electoral system were either misinterpreted or misunderstood - sometimes willfully - by some segments of society. For example, while INEC introduced a biometric registry and machine-readable permanent voter cards (PVCs) to curb fraud and duplicate registrations, some critics of INEC argue that there are no legal provision for INEC to require a PVC (in lieu of a temporary voting card), and that the biometric features of the PVC go beyond minimum requirements of Nigerian law.

“Similarly, INEC explains the reduction in the number of voters in the voter registry from 73 million in 2011 to 68.8 million in 2014 as a result of steps taken to expunge from the registry double registrations and underaged and deceased voters. However, some critics of INEC are concerned that the new figure does not reflect the growing population of the country.

“According to a recently released Gallup poll, confidence in elections in Nigeria has eroded significantly since 2011: whereas 51 per cent of Nigerians expressed confidence in the honesty of elections in 2011, that number declined to 13 per cent in 2014. A number of Nigerians with whom the delegation met expressed concern that insufficient communication by the election management body - and disparagement of INEC’s efforts by some of its critics - could undermine the efficient administration of the polls.

“The delegation concluded that there is a paramount need for more and more regular, updates and increased service announcements to the public regarding progress in election preparations, including with regards to the procurement and distribution of PVCs and other materials, to dissipate mistrust among citizens,” the report added.

The delegation comprised Ambassador George Moose, former US assistant secretary of state for African Affairs and vice chairman of the board of directors of the US Institute of Peace; Brigalia Bam, former chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa; Honourable Patrick Muyaya, member of parliament, the Democratic Republic of Congo; Pauline Baker, former president of the Fund for Peace; Michael Bratton, distinguished professor of Political Science and African Studies at Michigan State University; Robert Lloyd, professor of International Relations at Pepperdine University, and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center; Christopher Fomunyoh, senior associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa at NDI; and Gretchen Birkle, Regional Director for Africa at IRI.

http://tribune.com.ng/news/top-stories/item/29309-inec-wasn-t-ready-for-polls-on-feb-14-us-institutions

jmaine:
Quite weak, sharp guyz don't dwell on little mistakes like that . . . .Appears this is Omenka ?

They are obligated to have a minimum of 50 monikers each.

Funny comments from APC supporters, nevertheless nah una choice.

GEJ till 2019.

ilugunboy:
Why is the government not privatizing the transmission grid...? Do you have an idea?

Unfounded fear, that's why we still have pipelines owned by government, for absolutely no reason.

fyneguy:
You do not understand the issues. Yes many companies generate electricity which they can not plough to the grid because of transmission inadequacies.

By LAW, only TRANSCON can evacuate generated power and dump on distribution lines. Rivers state has an IPP with over 100MW capacity but your President instructed Transcon to not take from it because of the face-off with Amaechi.

Osinbajo is talking about decentralizing from generation up to distribution by setting up Modular plants with transmission and distribution facilities, as against the current inefficient model.

Thanks

ilugunboy:
Price ? Who regulates it..?

It's far more than just issue of price...

Price is a big part of the problem. Remember the gencos pay below the market price for gas. NNPC is compelled to sell to them at a discount. Dangote, Honeywell and co, don't enjoy this same discounts. Then, we have the issue of basic infrastructure(transmission hubs)

ilugunboy:
If Dangote and the rest can generate such massive amount of power....why is it been wasted...?

Several issues, lack of infrastructures and pricing are the main bottlenecks.

ilugunboy:
So which of this power from Dangote and the other millers ( they generate more power than they required...but they need the steam from the power generation to fire their milling machines) is getting to nigerians ?

Price, price, price.

ilugunboy:
15,000MW of captive power you say? Whaooooooo....we are not living in the same Nigeria.

Of course....the power sector is still fully regulated by NERC.....and this surely cannot encourage modular operators.....there are loads of power generated by Dangote and BUA been wasted because they can't sell it...

So what happens from the generation to the transmission and eventual distribution of this your bogus 15,000MW?

Chai!

No regulation is stopping you or states in Nigeria, from building their own plant. The big issue in Nigeria is the price of power.

Dangote, Others Generate 15,000MW Of Electricity From Private Plants

Read more at: http://www.ventures-africa.com/2014/04/dangote-others-generate-15000mw-of-electricity-from-private-plants/


VENTURES AFRICA – BUA Group, Honeywell and Dangote Group in conjunction with similar manufacturing plants across Nigeria are generating more than 15,000 megawatts of electricity used by the companies off the national grid, Dr. Lazarus Angbazo, President and CEO of General Electric (GE) Nigeria disclosed at the weekend. According to him, the captive power of 15,000mw is sufficient for the private companies to operate. “When I say they are captive, I am talking about consumer industrial groups that are self-generating, like the Dangote Cement, Bua Cement, Lafarge Cement and others,” explained Angbazo. He said due to inefficient power supply, these groups are constructing private power plants to ensure their operations are not affected by epileptic supply of electricity in the country. “We are in partnership with Dangote, for example, on Obajana, Ibese, Shagamu and Gboko and we are the one providing the power,” local news platform, local daily ThisDay quoted him as saying. Honeywell also gets power from GE, as well as other companies producing food and making use of GE engines. Angbazo said further that the groups have been able to continuously produce the quantity of electricity required for their operations due to their financial muscle, citing Dangote, which is Africa’s largest producer of cement as an example. According to him, the companies are taking the same step in the generation of captive power to ensure smooth operations. The CEO said GE would during next month’s World Economic Forum (WEF) holding in Nigeria talk about how the partnership it has with respect to additional power generating capacity would be increased. He added that the 11 distribution companies (DISCOs) can generate power within their own networks, without going through the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), if they are financially buoyant enough. This, he said would be good as the DISCOs lose up to 40 percent of power allocated to them from the generating companies on transmission. The GE Nigeria chief said he expects some DISCOs to have generating capacity in the next few years, especially the big ones like Ibadan, Ikeja, Enugu and Eko. This he noted will improve electricity supply in Nigeria. Africa’s largest economy with over 170 million people still produces less than 4,000 MW of electricity, a dismal figure when compared with South Africa’s estimated population of 52.9 million and 44, 000MW power generation level. However, reforms in Nigeria’s critical power sector, is expected to bring the much desire succour to its citizens and boost economic activities. Early this year, renowed economist, Jim O’Niell was quoted as saying the country’s economy “could grow at 10-12 percent by sorting out this problem alone.”

Read more at: http://www.ventures-africa.com/2014/04/dangote-others-generate-15000mw-of-electricity-from-private-plants/

asha80:
well maybe he is talking about the 'national grid' issue.

Yep, that might be the issue here.

ilugunboy:
When you encourage 100-200 small modular power operators generating around 10MW per plant in each regions of Nigeria and dedicated to specific neighborhoods ...you can easily add around 2,000MW per region.....that is 6,000MW.

Honesty power generation and 24hr power supply is not a difficult science, as the likes of the Lagos State government, Dangote, Nigeria flour mills and BUA have proven to us.....its a science in existence several years ago...

Is anyone stopping anybody or any state from doing that right now. I hope you know, the Nigerian private sector generates almost 15,000MW of captive power. I support any means of power production, but don't tell me Power generation is currently centralised.

So you're telling investors building assembly plants to back off . Because you intend to reduce tariff, that have not gone up yet?


What is this decentralising power generation? Is power production currently centralised?

That's change according to APC. If this man had left politics alone, in his second term, this project would have been completed.


https://www.nairaland.com/2134069/addis-ababa-light-rail-test/2#30618549

Backwards never, God is already blessing team fresh air. GEJ till 2019