Bode George cautions Obanikoro over attacks

on December 19, 2014 / in News 1:05 am / Comments


LAGOS — Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Bode George, has called for an end to verbal attacks by Obanikoro.

George: Soon, FG will resolve Diya, others’ rights issue
Bode George
The statement reads; ‘’One has refrained from engaging Senator Musiliu Obanikoro despite his gross and alarmist provocations. I have deliberately remained distant and quiet, ignoring the stark obscenities of a desperate and obsessed man who is apparently incapable of absorbing the reality of his defeat by a well-bred and better man.

‘’For Obanikoro to claim in sheer ludicrousness that I, even remotely, identify with any intimations of violence is utter lunacy and blind, vindictive madness. Surely, Obanikoro is possessed and obsessed. He needs immediate psychiatric treatment. He is a desperate sinking man, grasping and thrashing in self inflicted chasm.

‘’ What is the pedigree of this young man who has abandoned the typical African deference to Elders? We know who sprung from violence and banditry. We know whose antecedents reek in noisome, vagrant, untidy ruffianism.

‘’ Politics is not a do or die affair. No civilized person with impeccable pedigree will seek a tacky refuge in destruction and ruin simply because he has lost in a free and fair contest. Obanikoro should go quietly into that good night if he means well for Lagos.

‘’ Enough of his desperate tantrums.’’

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/bode-george-cautions-obanikoro-attacks/#sthash.6Yn8AIZ1.dpuf

'Firstly he has to resign as President forthwith and undertake to stay out of Nigerian politics for the next ten years and confine himself to fishing in Otuoke'

'As I said eight months ago it is a party that has been rejected by God and whose leaders are suffering God’s judgement for their unjust, gluttonous, wicked, foul and evil ways.'

Yet PDP now uses this same man as a mouthpiece. Is there really no shame or principle in our governance? With friends like this GEJ needs no enemies.

http://ynaija.com/femi-fani-kayode-12-things-jonathan-must-do-for-peace-to-return-to-nigeria/

Femi Fani-Kayode: 12 things Jonathan must do for peace to return to Nigeria


by Femi Fani-Kayode

Firstly he has to resign as President forthwith and undertake to stay out of Nigerian politics for the next ten years and confine himself to fishing in Otuoke.
I must commend President Goodluck Jonathan for removing Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as National Chairman of the PDP and finally dumping him. It really is good riddance to bad rubbish because that man was a disaster to his party. PDP itself is bad enough but to have a self-conceited and vainglorious ancient dinosaur who is completely fixed in his ways, who believes that anyone and everyone below the age of 60 is still a ”young” man or woman and who sees the world from the prism and mindset of a 1960′s Viet Nam war veteran that is still suffering from post-war traumatic syndrome was a disaster waiting to happen.
This was a man that drove goodwill away from his party in the same way that shelltox drives away mosquitoes from a bedroom. As long as Tukur was in charge the continued demise of the PDP was guaranteed. He was not only a scourge to the ruling party but he was also a beautiful, eager and willing undertaker to it’s long lost glory and a tremendous source of comfort and joy to those of us in the opposition APC. We shall miss him sorely and I must confess that he did a great job for us whilst he lasted. May he enjoy his forced and long-overdue retirement from public office and partisan politics and may he live long enough to see the PDP defeated and an APC President sworn in in 2015.
I also commend the President for removing and reshuffling a large number of his key commanders in the military a couple of weeks ago and then retiring no less than three of his four Service Chiefs just the other day (16th January 2014) and appointing new ones. This was the right and proper thing to do after the precious lives of no less than 7000 innocent Nigerian citizens were cut short by Boko Haram in the war against terror in the last three years. It was also the expedient and responsible thing to do given the fact that no less than 200 of our gallant soldiers were killed in one battle alone against Boko Haram (and later buried in mass graves) just a few months ago simply because they ran out of bullets and after a whole army barracks was burnt down to the ground and the family members of military personnel were slaughtered, again by Boko Haram, just a few weeks ago. Something had to give and heads had to roll simply because we were not making any headway in the war against terror and instead we were suffering heavy casualties and embarrassing losses.
Yet despite the fact that both moves were commendable they will change nothing because they are both too little and too late. The PDP will continue to sink because it is a political party that has lost it’s bearing and it’s soul and it has mortgaged it’s conscience. It has also lost the source and strength of it’s inspiration and moral authority in the distinguished person of President Olusegun Obasanjo who really was the glue that bound the party together and kept it going against all odds. Though Obasanjo remains in the PDP he has also wisely opted out of participating in its affairs. This is a manifestation of his disgust with the President and the former National Chairman and he has now become the official ”navigator” of the newly emerging power in the field of Nigerian politics which is known as the APC. Frankly speaking the PDP has become a party that is beyond redemption and the removal of Tukur cannot change that. I say this because no sensible person will go back to a stinking carcass simply because the head of the dead animal has been cut off and thrown away. A carcass remains a carcass whether you cut off it’s head, legs or any other part of it’s body or not. Whichever way, it remains as dead as a dodo and it only awaits a formal burial. The truth is that the vultures are already feeding fat on the rotting and decaying cadavar of the PDP and whether anyone likes to hear it or not the truth is that that party can never be whole again. As I said eight months ago it is a party that has been rejected by God and whose leaders are suffering God’s judgement for their unjust, gluttonous, wicked, foul and evil ways.
In the same way I have to say that no matter how commendable and honourable in intention the recent changes in our military High Command may be they will achieve nothing either and, in practical terms, they will serve absolutely no purpose. This is because the morale of the army is very low due to the massive losses that they have recorded in the war against Boko Haram and because they have a Commander in Chief who does not care about their welfare, does not ”give a damn” about their fortunes and does not have the guts to lead and inspire them with strength and courage. Worst still he has refused to arm and equip them properly or give them a free hand to fight and prosecute the war against terror with the ruthless precision and decisive resolve that is required. They say that if an army of sheep is led by a lion it will win every battle. In the same vein they also say that if an army of lions is led by a sheep it cannot win any battle. The latter is the case in Nigeria. In our military we have an army of lions who are well-trained, professional, strong, courageous, ready to go and capable of doing anything that is required of them as long as they are properly led, well-armed, well-equipped, well-motivated, well-supplied, adequately encouraged, thoroughly inspired and well-supported.
However that same army of noble and courageous lions is led by a sheep who, by his own words, has told the world that he is not a lion, he is not a warrior, he is not a fighter and that he is not a king. If anyone has any doubts about that permit me to refer you to my essay titled ”A President Without Balls” and the two updated versions of the same essay titled ”The Gutless Eunuch and Spirit of the Jagaban” and ”The Gutless Eunuch and the Lion King” respectively. They can all be found on my website-www.femifanikayode.org or you can just google them. To have such a man as Commander-in-Chief actually encourages and tempts the enemy to attack us because weakness and a reluctance to lock horns and engage and to be strong, forceful and decisive when provoked or attacked always attracts aggression. As long as such a weak and uninspiring man remains the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces please be ready for more casualties and more losses regardless of how lion-like, courageous or professional our soldiers may be.
However there is hope. If Goodluck Jonathan wants his fortunes and the fortunes of his party to change and if he wants peace to return to our shores he simply has to do twelve things. Firstly he has to resign as President forthwith and undertake to stay out of Nigerian politics for the next ten years and confine himself to fishing in Otuoke. Secondly, if he cannot step down, he must give a public undertaking to the Nigerian people that he will not run for re-election in 2015 and tell them that if he changes his mind and decides to do so at the last minute they should stone him. Thirdly he must go and prostrate flat on the floor with his face touching the ground before seven of the most respected and distinguished men in this country and tell them that he is very sorry for the mess he has created and he must refuse to get up until they swear by the Holy Bible or Holy Koran that they have truly forgiven him for destroying our country. Those men are President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General TY Danjuma, General Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Fourthly he must write an open letter of apology to the 36 Governors of the Federation, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of the Federation for his manipulative ways and the gross incompetence and ineptitude that he has displayed whilst running the affairs of this country over the last three years.
Fifthly he must write a letter of condolence and pay a token fee of compensation as restitution to the families of every single one of the 7000 innocent Nigerians that have been killed by Boko Haram in the last three years. Sixthly he must take off the kid gloves, stop interfering and give the military the green light to use all necessary means to prosecute the war against Boko Haram and he must win that war. Seventhly he must dismantle the death squads and the group of deadly snippers that he has allegedly commissioned to create havoc and he must tear up the list of one thousand opposition figures that he has been accused of drawing up for elimination by Obasanjo and others. Eighthly he must remove one Esho Jinadu who is better known as Mr. Buruji Kashamu (a rather strange name that does not have it’s origins in Yorubaland but instead sounds like a low quality brand of Indian tea) as the leader of the PDP in the south-west and honour the demand of the American Courts and the ruling of the Nigerian Federal High Court and Court of Appeal by extraditing him to the United States of America to answer serious charges of drug smuggling in that country forthwith. Ninthly he must direct his Ijaw supremacist kinsmen to desist from threatening the lives of other Nigerians that oppose his government and who keep threatening brimstone and fire and the dismemberment of Nigeria if he is not allowed to come back in 2015,
Tenthly he must undertake to stop serving kai kai at the Presidential Villa and he must dispense with the services of one Mama Brandy, a well-known Ijaw ”prayer warrior” and spiritualist. Eleventhly he must pull down every satanic alter that may have been erected in the Presidency and consecrate and re-dedicate the whole place to the Living God. And twelfthly he must give a public undertaking that the other four Presidents that run this country with him and that act as his ”Co-Presidents” will also step down with him forthwith or, if he insists on staying till 2015, give an undertaking that he will fire them with immediate effect and bar them from playing any role whatsover in the running of the affairs of our country from now on. Those four co-Presidents are, in order of seniority, 1. Dame Patience Jonathan (the First Lady) 2. Allison Dizeani Madueke (the Hon. Minister of Petroleum Resources) 3. Stella Oduah (the not so Hon. Minister of Aviation) and 4. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (the Hon. Minister of Finance and the Co-ordinating Minister). President Goodluck Jonathan, even though he is the public face of the small cabal of co-Presidents that presently rules Nigeria and even though he is the one that was given a lawful mandate from the Nigerian people in 2011 to lead our country, comes a distant fifth in the pecking order. He is co-President number 5 and woe betide him if he crosses the line and tries to challenge the position or usurp the duties of any of his four seniors. That is the sordid and degenerate level that our country has been reduced to by this little man from Otuoke.
Yet it is not too late. If our President can find the courage to take these twelve steps, peace will return to Nigeria immediately and our people will once again have hope. The problem that we have in our country today is not an ageing former Party National Chairman called Bamanga Tukur who has lost touch with reality, who never knew how to play the game and who did not know when to call it quits. And neither was it a set of tired and exhausted army commanders and Service Chiefs who did their best but who received no real and tangible support or encouragement from their Commander-in-Chief in the field of battle. The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of false prophets and strange women knows no bounds and has no end. A President who is as confused and as clueless as the comic character called Chancey Gardner in the celebrated 1970′s Peter Seller’s Hollywood blockbuster titled ”Being There”.
A President who does not understand the meaning of the word ”class” or ”honesty” and who breaks his own word consistently. A President who has abdicated his responsibilities, destroyed his own political party, divided his own country, alienated his own friends, humiliated his own mentor, abandoned his own people, brought ridicule to his own faith, cowers before his own officials, betrays his own governors, scorns the international community and breaks his solemn oath to protect and defend the Nigerian people. A President who does not even have the nerve or the guts to call to order any of the numerous Jezebels that control him. He is the problem we have in our country today and until he resigns, is impeached or is voted out of power nothing will change and Nigeria will continue to go from bad to worse. That is what you get when you vote for a man who never wore shoes to school.
May God deliver our country.

Or Defense Minister to scatter both BH and unrepentant militants. He did it to the cult boys in Rivers and will definitely relish doing it to Tompolo and co

koboko69:
It is only a fool that will see both choices of APC and would still foolishly vote for PDP. This is a clear signal that APC is going to blow what i call hurricane CHANGE. Rotimi, We reasonable Niger Deltans are solidly behind you. Next Secretary to the Federal Government or Petroleum minister

votes secured in the North, secured in the SW, and SS . I dont know of the majority that blindly support Mr Clueless. Quite a number of them are still reasonable, like berem, cleverly et all

Pls read the comments and ask yourself what else PDP will have to dredge up. Readers are actually commending GMB for what Abati intended to be indictments. Chai! Wahala dey PDP camp o.

China tests 3,000-kph ‘super-Maglev’ train concept

Chinese researchers at the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory of Southwest Jiaotong University claim their fast transportation concept based on magnetic levitation (Maglev) technology could potentially be three times faster than an airplane.

Maglev technology was first proposed in the mid-20th century. Nowadays, the Shanghai Maglev Train can reach speeds of over 430 kilometers (260 miles) per hour and is the world’s fastest passenger-carrying train.

The “Super-Maglev” could, however, beat even that. Chinese researchers have been testing a concept train encapsulated in a vacuum tube, thus decreasing the speed limitations imposed by air resistance on regular Maglev trains.

Should the project be successful, the workable prototype will set the standard for the future evacuation tube transportation (ETT).

“ETT systems might allow HTS Maglev trains to attain speeds in a new order of magnitude, such as super-high 3,000 km (1,800 miles) per hour, which could be applied to some military or space launch systems,” Dr. Deng Zigang, who’s been developing the technology for years, told The Daily Mail.


At the moment, the testing laboratory looks like a toy train track with the vehicle running inside a 6-meter diameter vacuum loop, reaching a speed of about 48 kilometers per hour. But the speed is only limited by the small radius of the ring, Dr. Deng Zigang says.

He says that if the speed exceeds 400 km per hour, more than 83 per cent of traction energy is wastefully dissipated in air resistance. But with a vacuum tube design, that speed could be surpassed in the future.

The researcher doesn’t limit his innovation to land-based transportation only, and hopes that similar vacuum tube technology would be used to launch space vehicles, or enable super-high speeds for military weapons.

Chinese authorities, on the other hand, could utilize the novelty in their grand scheme to link the country with Russia, Canada and the United States with a high-speed railway.

http://rt.com/news/158116-china-super-maglev-train/

So this one na heavenly class then?

http://rt.com/business/212719-china-opens-high-speed-train/

China opens 32 high-speed rail routes in grand expansion

China is launching 32 high-speed train routes on December 10. The network extension includes a link between the biggest city Shanghai and the manufacturing hub of Guangzhou right next to Hong Kong.

The 1106-mile route cuts the journey time down to 6 hours and 51 minutes, instead of the 16 hours it previously took. New bullet train lines are part of the government’s plan to double the size of the domestic rail network.

The expansive high-speed train network in China. Image from wikipedia.orgThe expansive high-speed train network in China. Image from wikipedia.org

China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network, which keeps the growing population and economy connected. The country’s two largest train makers are in the process of merging to create a more competitive company, both internationally and domestically, reports in October said.

The world’s fastest passenger train is also in China - the Shanghai Maglev Train can reach speeds of over 430 kilometers (260 miles) per hour.

Authorities in China have big dreams for the transport network, envisioning links with Asian neighbors, Russia and even the United States and the United Kingdom.

China’s ambition could be curbed by a string of cancelled contracts. In October, Mexico unexpectedly cancelled a $3.75 billion bullet train deal with China, only two days after awarding the contract. The proposed 210-kilometer (130-mile) railway would link Mexico City with the central manufacturing hub of Queretaro. Another setback was in Thailand, where Chinese state companies were slated to develop a high speed rail network.

Devastating high-speed passenger train crashes in China in 2011 that killed 40, and in 2008 that left 90 dead have drawn critics to the project.

However, Chinese trains will arrive in the US before any tracks, as one of the two biggest state-owned train makers, China CNR Corp, has sold 284 cars to Boston’s metro in a $537 million contract.

Exporting What We Don't Produce and Importing What we Flare Since 1960!

Following the bright idea of bringing in refined oil products from Niger we now move on to importing natural gas from Niger while we continue flaring gas in the Delta and leaving gas in the ground. Such progress under GEJnomics! Yet even this is touted as a policy success!

At least the North is weaning itself off moribund naija. It has its own army (cJTF), its regional economic and energy linkages and its emirs rule kingdoms that span beyond naija. I hope Tinubu and his boys are learning how it is done.

We need an LNG regassifier at Egbin and all along the SW coast to deliver the more than 20,000MW the SW needs for prosperity. We need to accelerate development of the LEKOIL field and Aje even as we need to accelerate exploration on and offshore the SW. Ondo fields need to be optimally exploited. Bitumen can't be allowed to waste any longer. Oodua moneybags should pour their billions into these areas.

The bluff of the ND should be called and we should be the ones to propose the amicable break up of what was the Blackman's best hope for redemption. We can restart from zero and ally with like minded people in Bendel, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana etc if we think we need scale. All we have gotten for five decades from being part of this nation has been abuse and retardation. We should leave oil and governance to those who believe they own both.

SLS must ensure the right thing is done. For once we must know the real number of dead and injured victims and we want their names. No more under-counting. I trust he will do the needful.

He can go even further by erecting a commemorative wall to these victims, victims of earlier attacks and victims of those attacks to still come; listing names and ages. We must remember our dead if we are ever to muster the courage to deal with this depravity. Kano should start the memorials and other affected towns and states will follow suit. We cannot allow those who misrule us to continue downplaying the direness of our perilous situation.

The Emir must ensure the right thing is done. For once we must know the real number of dead and injured victims and we want their names. No more under-counting. I trust he will do the needful.

He can go even further by erecting a commemorative wall to these victims, victims of earlier attacks and victims of those attacks to still come; listing names and ages. We must remember our dead if we are ever to muster the courage to deal with this depravity. Kano should start the memorials and other affected towns and states will follow suit. We cannot allow those who misrule us to continue downplaying the direness of our perilous situation.

Bakare Calls for Postponement of 2015 Elections

17 Nov 2014

Shola Oyeyipo

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2011 presidential election and pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has called on Nigerians, especially those in the position of authority, to suspend the 2015 general elections as a way to avoiding the imminent crisis that might trail the polls.

Bakare, instead, said a two-year transitional government should be put in place to adopt the report of the just-concluded National Conference as a way to avoiding the crisis that might follow the polls.

The cleric who was the vice-presidential candidate to former military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, gave the advice on Sunday in his church in Lagos during a thanksgiving service marking the end of the week-long ceremony to mark his 60th anniversary.

He said in the face of the security challenges facing Nigeria, it would be in the best interest of the country to hold the elections at a future date.

While emphasising that the current situation in the North-east would not allow proper election in areas affected by the activities Boko Haram terrorists, Bakare noted that Nigeria needs the two years extension of the election “like yesterday,” or that the political class should state how the election would hold without rancour.

“In my capacity as a servant of God and a watchman mandated to warn the nation ahead of impending danger, I have already made it clear to the nation that we need a transitional arrangement to pilot our nation out of this chaos before we can talk about elections. He who has ears to hear, let him hear because at this sensitive period in our polity when the nation seems to be tottering on the edge of a precipice, is a general election the solution to our crises or will elections aggravate the problem?” he asked.

Bakare, who drew inferences from Habakkuk 2:1-4 and Ezekiel 12:26-28 to buttress his position, premised his argument on the dire security situation in the country and the political hostility between the northern and southern parts of the country ahead of the election which many Nigerians and international community consider a make or mar poll in the political history of Nigeria.

“With parts of the North under the siege of Boko Haram insurgents in the form of outright territorial control in some cases and guerilla styled terror attacks in others and with the government failing to bring the situation under control, what is the guarantee that there will indeed be general elections in 2015?

“Even if elections are held successfully in some parts of the country, would results be conclusive without elections in the troubled parts? How would displaced persons cast their votes or are they automatically disenfranchised? How safe would massive campaign rallies be? With politicians and their militant cronies on both sides facing up to one another ahead of the elections and sounding the drumbeats of war should the elections not go in their respective interests, what would be the aftermath of a general election?

“We may argue that elections have been successfully held in some states under heavy military presence but let us not forget that we do not hold staggered elections in Nigeria. We are talking about general elections.

“If one were to ignore the atmosphere of intimidation and the warlike environment that such massive military deployment across the nation at the same time would create, do we even have sufficient security/military personnel for such a mission? What would be the impact of such a thin spread of our military on the safety of terror-stricken areas? In whatever way the results of the general election go – North or South – are we prepared for the reactions that could ensue?”

“Against the structural and systemic backdrop of the chaotic state of the nation, what is the wisdom in holding elections without dealing with these foundational problems? If the politicians ignore these salient questions and go ahead to juggle for power in the midst of chaos, then that would seem to lend credence to the allegation that the politicians do know what the Nigerian people do not know and are behind the crises in our nation, competing among themselves to see who can best manipulate the situation for political gains, not caring how many lives are lost in the process as long as personal ambition is achieved,” he noted.

The clergyman who has consistently alerted Nigerians since 2012 on the urgent need to address some salient issues in 2014, or else “there would be no 2015,” said for the country to have a hitch-free election, certain actions must be taken to ensure peace and understanding among Nigerians

“We need to address firstly the underlying problems by joining forces to deal with insurgency, seeking national reconciliation and integration, forging a new people’s constitution, developing a blueprint for development along zonal lines, organising an accurate census and establishing a truly independent electoral commission whose head is not appointed by the president and whose financial allocation will be obtained from the first line charge of the federation account.

“We must understand at this crucial stage in the history of our nation that this is no time to engage in the blame game that has torn us apart these past 100 years: the blame game between the North and the South, the blame game between the Christians and the Muslims, the blame game among political parties and the blame game between the leadership and the people,” he advised.

He also suggested that instead of acrimony, the people should think in line with the founding fathers of Nigeria to ensure that the best people become leaders of the country.

“The best of the North and the best of the South must come together. Instead of mediocres mistakenly labelled moderates, the best, the brightest, the fittest and the most competent must come together and steer the ship of the nation along the path of predictable development and progress.”

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/bakare-calls-for-postponement-of-2015-elections/194305/

So There Was No Ceasefire Deal?

THE VERDICT By OLUSEGUN ADENIYI; olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

A genius in his craft, Alhaji Kareem Adepoju aka Baba Wande remains my favourite Nigerian actor. And it all started from the time of the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Group when he was the star attraction in epics such as “Ekuro Oloja”, “Kuye,” etc., before he now came with his own blockbuster: “Ti Oluwa Ni Ile”. However, the play that I would never forget is the one titled “Oba Igbalode” which can be translated to mean “Modern Day King”, even though it was not the role Adepoju played (palace jester called Gbajumo) that is central to this intervention.


With the enthronement of a new king (Tafa Oloyede) came proclamations that were clearly antithetical to the peace of the village and because some of the chiefs would not support him on the road to perdition, the king decided to humiliate them. The first victim was the “Jagun” (Chief Warrior) who was invited over to the palace where many villagers were already seated. Quick as a flash, the king moved from his throne, grabbed the “Jagun” by the legs and before the dazed chief knew what was happening, he found himself on the floor. His mission accomplished, the king gestured to the people, pointed to the disgraced chief on the floor and said with contempt: “E wo Jagun ilu mi!” (Behold, the chief warrior of my village!)

Regardless of the element of surprise and other considerations, what is not in doubt is that the king made his point, however diabolical. That I guess is the message the Boko Haram insurgents are sending by their capture of Vimtim in Mubi North Local Government of Adamawa State. For those who may not know, Vimtim is the hometown of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh.


About three weeks ago, on October 16 to be precise, Badeh announced a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram in an unsigned and undated statement that was not on any official letter head. Even though that was in itself curious (and I have it on good authority that the statement may have been dictated from elsewhere) field commanders who were caught by surprise nonetheless had to comply by stopping all hostilities with Boko Haram. But Shekau, who has resurrected as many times as he has been reportedly killed, was quick in dismissing the ceasefire as nothing but a scam while “the issue of the (Chibok) girls is long forgotten because I have long married them off.”


On Tuesday, following a Council of State meeting, the Federal Government confirmed that there was indeed no ceasefire agreement. “The NSA was of the opinion that high level contact with the Republic of Chad was made and that there were some persons who acted on behalf of Boko Haram and who claimed to have authority also had discussions with them and there are some Nigerian officials with them. And, of course, no agreement has been reached yet, it is just that the press probably misunderstood what was reported. The discussions are ongoing,” said Governor Godswill Akpabio, who briefed the media after the meeting.

That disclosure, to put it mildly, is rather shocking. What was the sense in asking our troops to commit themselves to passivity while the insurgents were allowed to operate freely based on negotiations that we are now told were yet to be concluded? Unfortunately, nobody asked Akpabio whether it was the press that invented the statement on the ceasefire that came from Badeh’s office or the subsequent interviews by presidency officials who gave Nigerians graphic details of those behind the negotiations and how the abducted Chibok girls would be released.


As one of the people who dared to believe the “Boko Haram ceasefire” because I always want to hope for the best, I cannot come to terms with the fact that our troops were told to stay action against Boko Haram just because talks were going on with some characters. Now that the insurgents seem to have turned the unilateral ceasefire to mean surrender on the part of our military, taking several towns, including that of Badeh, the question being frequently posed on the social media is: If our Chief of Defence Staff cannot secure his hometown and protect his own immediate kinsmen, how can he defend the territorial integrity of our country?

Unfortunately, from Badeh’s body language when he discussed the development with media men in Abuja, he did not appear to share the seriousness of the psychological blow that Boko Haram has dealt him. To be sure, Badeh accepted full responsibility for the catalogue of setbacks that include the botched ceasefire as well as military losses. But it is beyond ridiculous to say that the embarrassment of the terrorists over-running his hometown has no particular significance. Even at that, the whole tragedy should not be reduced to what has happened to Badeh’s hometown.


With mixed messages from the military high command and the apparent low morale of the troops on the field, stories of desertion are now common while Nigeria loses territories to the insurgents almost every day. A report in Daily Trust at the weekend revealed that the insurgents have already seized control of over 20,000 square kilometers in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, a territory bigger than several countries and particularly larger than Imo, Abia and Ekiti states put together. Shekau has since declared the annexed territory a Boko Haram Islamic caliphate with Gwoza as the headquarters while Mubi, the second largest town and commercial never centre of Adamawa State has been renamed “Madinatul Islam” by the insurgents who are effectively in charge there.

Given the foregoing, I fail to understand why the authorities are not paying attention to the fact that we are gradually losing our country to the insurgents. Only on Monday, the Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zanna Mustapha, said in Yola that going by the ease with which Boko Haram insurgents are capturing territories in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the entire three North-Eastern states could soon be lost to Nigeria. “If the Federal Government does not add extra effort, in the next two to three months, the three North-Eastern states will no longer be in existence,” he said. “The Federal Government has tried its best but their best is not enough because rather than going after the insurgents, it is the insurgents that are going after us. It is a big shame that the criminals are better equipped than the military and they are just few kilometres from the Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states capitals,” Mustapha said.

Mustapha is not the only person that is concerned about the growing audacity of the insurgents. The latest interview by Ahmad Salkidar, a journalist believed to have close contacts with Boko Haram, is as revealing as it is frightening. He said clearly that the goal of the sect is to upturn the current constitutional order and impose their brand of Sharia on Nigeria. While pointing out the danger we face as a nation from the activities of the sect and the need for the army to be prepared to fight and win, he also dismissed the ceasefire claims, or indeed that there could ever be one, in words that are measured and patriotic.


After reading Salkidar, I am now more worried about the federal government approach to the war against insurgency and I will recommend to the authorities Chapter 22 of Robert Greene's book, “The 33 Strategies of War”. Titled “Know How to End Things: The Exit Strategy”, Greene had used the idea of the great German General Erwin Rommel who once made a distinction between a gamble and a risk. Both cases involve an action with only a chance of success. According to Greene, "the difference is that with risk, if you lose, you can recover: Your reputation will suffer no long term damage, your resources will not be depleted, and you can return to your original position with acceptable losses. With a gamble, on the other hand, defeat can lead to a slew of problems that are likely to spiral out of control.

"With a gamble there tend to be too many variables to complicate the picture down the road if things go wrong. The problem goes further, if you encounter difficulties in a gamble, it becomes harder to pull out- you realise that the stakes are too high: you cannot afford to lose. So you try harder to rescue the situation, often making it worse and sinking deeper into a hole that you cannot get out of. People are drawn into gambles by their emotions: they see only the glittering prospects if they win and ignore the ominous consequences if they lose. Taking risks is essential: gambling is foolhardy. It can be years before you recover from a gamble, if you ever recover at all...”


The war against insurgency is not easy anywhere in the world and prosecuting it may sometimes involve elements of calculated risks. However, the idea of a unilateral ceasefire to an enemy that is not seeking truce is now looking more like a political gamble, may be even gambit.


As I have had the privilege of telling some of the people around the president, 2015 is not as important as they make it out to be because even if he secures a second term next year, 2019 is almost here so they should be more concerned about his legacy. To that extent, a situation where valuable hours are spent plotting how to remove a speaker just because he changed political party and where the security agencies are overreaching themselves by interpreting the law to score a cheap political goal do not show an appreciation of the challenge we face at a time we should be mobilising all resources and our national will to fight a dangerous insurgency.



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/so-there-was-no-ceasefire-deal-/193304/

Developers breach contracts, undermine home ownership in Nigeria
November 6, 2014 | Filed under: Exclusive,main story | Author: Chuka Uroko
1
The growing tendency of real estate developers to breach contracts between them and subscribers to their housing schemes is thwarting the home ownership dreams of teeming Nigerians and undermining public confidence in the system, industry watchers say.

They further add that the development is discouraging investment in real estate.

Also, they say, Nigeria’s ten percent home ownership level for a population of 170 million is grossly inadequate for a country adjudged the largest economy in Africa.

According to the observers, attempts by individuals to improve this situation have in recent times been frustrated by some developers who renege on their promises to house buyers, kill the buyers’ home ownership dreams and distort their investment decisions through arbitrary price increases.

Recently, subscribers to a moderate estate linked to an insurance firm and located in a prime neighbourhood on the Lagos mainland, cried foul over the action of the estate developer, who without prior discussion or consultation, raised the unit cost of the houses they had subscribed to, by almost 25 percent of the original value.

The subscribers, in a statement issued by their lawyer, Wale Adesokan of Adesokun & Co Chambers, made available to BusinessDay, lamented that contrary to the promise of delivering the estate in 2012, work was yet to be concluded up till now. They added that many delivery dates had been touted after the first one failed, but all to no avail.

In reaction to the developer’s explanation that the delay was caused by unfavourable environmental factors, and that the cost variation was as a result of rising cost of construction and the quality of the houses they were going to deliver, the subscribers stressed that the price increase wouldn’t have been necessary if the estate had been delivered on the originally scheduled date. “Subscribers consider this price increase unacceptable, because contract had been entered into between the parties for the sale of those houses at a given price and they have been performing their own side of the bargain.

“Many of them have made family and career decisions tied to the use and occupation of the houses as from January 2013. These plans are now being put in jeopardy by the price review”, the statement emphasised.

An official of the development company has said however, that they were not driven by profit motive in embarking on the project but were committed to assisting fellow Nigerians gain access to affordable houses. They added that they were doing all they could to ensure that subscribers would move into the estate before Christmas.

In the same vein, a group of subscribers who said they represented the interest of over 3,000 other subscribers to Mainland Park Estate located along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, being developed by an Ogun State-based property development company, told journalists in Lagos that a few years ago, the company advertised plots of land in the estate for sale.

Bamidele Alabi, spokesperson for the group, recalled that the developer promised to deliver (plots of land) to all subscribers upon completion of payment, which they agreed to collect instalmentally.

The subscribers said they were worried that the developer after several years, and despite collecting different sums of money, ranging from N350,000 to N1,000,000 per plot, began to ask for further payments ranging from N200,000 to N1,200,000 which they described as ‘Development Levy’.

According to the subscribers, the company insisted on collecting these monies on the same plots which had been paid for, even when no subscriber among those who had completed payment had been physically allocated their land.

Another set of subscribers to Teju Royal Garden, an estate along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, told BusinessDay recently, that they were fast exhausting their patience with the developer who had shifted the estate’s delivery date more than five times.

The 850-unit low cost housing estate comprises one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom semi-detached and three-bedroom detached bungalows, selling for between N2.5 million and N7.5 million.

A subscriber who identified himself simply as John, told this reporter that the endless shifting of delivery dates had exposed him to the discomfort of paying house rents, long after he had expected to be a home owner.

Another subscriber who did not want to be named, said though he was buying for investment purposes, the uncertainty surrounding the delivery of the estate was making him regret the decision to invest in the estate.

Anthony Osae-Brown, a banker, had in a chat with BusinessDay described the action of these estate developers as frustrating, recalling that he had to get his money back from developers who had deceived him into believing that they were developing houses for sale.

“Three times I had subscribed to estates and three times I had collected my money back from them. What these people do amounts to fraud because they would collect money from subscribers, use the money to start the project, delay the development and when the value appreciates, they will increase the prices and ask the subscribers to either pay the new price, or wait to collect whatever they had paid before.

This is not only frustrating, but also discouraging investment in real estate, and can only happen in this country”, he lamented, noting that if it were in a country with better judicial system, the developers wouldn’t indulge in such acts and go scott free.

Chuka Uroko

http://businessdayonline.com/2014/11/developers-breach-contracts-undermine-home-ownership-in-nigeria/#.VFsUDTTF_3Q

Just in:

Dangote Cement 9-month pretax profit rises to N154.05 billion

November 3, 2014 | Filed under: Market Report | Author: Editor

Dangote Cement said on Monday its pretax profit for the nine months to September rose 1.5 percent to 154.05 billion naira ($930.70 million), compared with 151.72 billion naira in the same period last year.

Revenue for the nine month period was 310.21 billion naira compared with 288.98 billion in the same period last year, the company majority owned by billionaire Aliko Dangote said in a filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Reuters

Thanks but not so difficult deconstructing Dangote's moves if one has followed his spectacular rise for some time as I and others, including you, I suspect, have done.

Humanbeans:
The best comment so far, I think we should be friends

If you read Dangote's published financial reports you will note that PBT is typically 50%+ of turnover. That tells you that mark up is at least 100% since you will deduct overhead and other costs from Gross Margin before arriving at PBT. Clear?

Billyonaire:


Nonsense analysis ? Do you just write without evidences to prove that Dangote cemently is currently on 100% mark up. This is just a strategy to decimate competition and take hold of market. This is phase one of monopoly strategy. On the course of these phases, the price war will be in favor of consumers, call it backward integration if you like but this cant be possible without Government's continuous economic catalysis.

As always, FRESH AIR.

We can expect this to be a permanent shift and just the first salvo in the price war about to hit the industry. Dangote's Ibeshe plant phase 2 is about to come on stream with another 6mt per annum while BUA group is bringing fresh 3mt too. Other players are still ramping up production and we can expect at least 50% oversupply of the Nigerian market by the end of this current round of capacity expansions.

With oversupply and the govts not taking the bait on building concrete roads, the manufacturers can only use price to secure market share and, hopefully, stimulate demand. Other companies will react with their own pricing and ultimately the abnormal super profits the industry has enjoyed since Dangote came to the scene will normalise.

This single price move has wiped out about 50% of Dangote's 100% markup though we should expect that doubling Ibeshe's capacity and other moves like securing gas for all his plants and selling excess power production to the national grid will result in compensating economies of scale.

Bottom line: expect a significant moderation of Dangote Cement Plc' superlative profits, likely correction of the stock price and fewer collapsed buildings.

Stop mongering rumours. Clueless lectured in a college of education and Peshy's first certificate was an NCE. So he was her teacher at NCE school? So far so good. QUESTION TO ASK THOUGH IS WHY A PhD HAD TO TEACH AT NCE LEVEL? DID HE RECOGNISE THE LACK OF TALENT IN HIMSELF OR WAS IT POINTED OUT TO HIM BY OTHERS? DEFINITELY THE POOR SUFFERING AND MISRULED NIGERIANS HAVE NOTICED HIS SEVERE LIMITATIONS BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF HE REALISED HOW LIMITED HE WAS WHEN HE CHOSE TO LECTURE AT A COE WHEN EVEN THE PRINCIPAL OF A COE DOESN'T REQUIRE A PhD! IN NORMAL COUNTRIES THE PRESS WOULD BE DIGGING INTO THIS CONUNDRUM.

So where did Vanguard get its quotes of Badeh from?

Boko Haram: Nigerian Army Denies Burning of APC by Its Officers

12 Oct 2014

By Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The military has denied reports that a Colonel, and 10 other officers of the Nigerian Army set ablaze Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) in order to pave way for Boko Haram to advance in Adamawa State.

The report by one of the dailies (not THISDAY) had it that the Army Colonel, some junior officers and soldiers who were taking part in the military offensive to reclaim communities taken over by the Boko Haram terrorists in Adamawa State, had been arrested for the alleged sabotage.

However, the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brig-Gen. Olajide Laleye, while responding to THISDAY inquiries on the matter yesterday, described the report as untrue.

According to Laleye, APC is a special weapon of dual purpose that could not just be easily be put on fire by any officer or personnel. He also clarified that the Army only made tactical withdrawal in accordance with the outcomes of the battle, explaining that it is derogatory to insinuate that the soldiers “ran away”.

“It is not true”, he insisted, adding, “it is not true in the sense that no APC was set on fire”.

He said: “No APC was set on fire, at all. There was nothing like that. So the report is not true. How can you say the military ran away (from battle) when such did not happen? There was nothing like setting on fire of the APC, because APC is a weapon on its own. Apart from the fact APC is used to convey troops to the theatre of operations, on its own it is a weapon. So no APC was set on fire”.

“Let us put it this way, to use the word ‘run away’ is unfair to the military. It can even be that the military in one of its operation made a tactical withdrawal. Yes it is tactical because withdrawal is a tactical maneuver that troops embark on to confirm to the higher commander’s directive or to confirm to the movement of the battle as it rages”, he noted.

Yesterday, some media report had it that a top military sources said the colonel (a Muslim) who was Commanding a team of three APCs, with the capability to fire up to a range of 1.5kilometres or even more, had instead of pursuing the terrorists, deliberately set the APCs on fire between Gulak and Madagali, before running away with his team of soldiers into the bush.
The report noted that the Army authorities were outraged over the development and ordered the arrest of both the commander, the junior officers as well as the soldiers under his command.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/boko-haram-nigerian-army-denies-burning-of-apc-by-its-officers/191071/

Ultimately Oyedepo's greed - owning every business in a city of that size and paying peanuts to even his top ranking staff - will be his downfall. Soon and very soon he will have enough disillusioned staff and collaborators in breaking the laws of the land and in scamming the masses who will break ranks and do him in. He and others of his ilk won't get away with this if only because God is still in His heaven.

When money changers refuse to do business with a 'man of God' on ethical grounds e get as e be.

Oyedepo's highest claim to charity are his schools yet we all know the students pay market rate fees

$150m as at 2011and 'business' has been booming since then. Has naija already minted its first dollar billionaire pastorpreneur?

While Jesus said we should give unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, Oyedepo says if you have had to supply your own water etc you don't need to pay taxes. By that standard no Nigerian should pay taxes then.

BTW I know he had gun toting Naval ratings guarding the Canaanland 'ranch' when it was first acquired and the omo oniles were trying to renegotiate terms. Who does he think pays for those naval ratings? Tax dodgers like him?

Who pays for the soldiers fighting Boko Haram in the North and keeping them from kicking Winners Chapel and every other church in naija into the Atlantic Tax dodgers? Whenever people like him choose to rewrite principles long established by Jesus they expose themselves for what they are: money grubbers who are in it just for the filthy lucre.

$5m per week yet our political misrulers refuse to do the needful and capture this BUSINESS sector in the tax net Someone should be suing the whole lot for treason and economic sabotage. Is this what NOI learnt at Harvard, MIT and the World Bank

I hope GEJ, Badeh and the rest are paying attention.

Five Reasons To Pay Attention to Boko Haram’s Latest Video

On October 3 Boko Haram released a new video asserting that Abubakar Shekau is still alive. The video goes beyond “Shekau’s” usual rhetoric and Boko Haram violence. Here are five reasons to pay attention to this newest video:
1. The quality of the video is very good. Typically, Boko Haram videos have been grainy and have had low-resolution. This newest video is clear and well produced. Parts of the video show other videographers filming. This quality of video production is reminiscent of earlier work by the splinter group known as Ansaru. This video could suggest that the two groups are now working together.

2. It claims to show the remnants of a Nigerian jet fighter that went missing on September 12. The footage shows a jet wing that looks to be riddled with bullet holes. If this is indeed the missing Nigerian jet fighter, then Boko Haram likely has anti-aircraft weapons capable of shooting down the Nigerian military’s jets.

3. It introduces Al Qaid (Commander) Al Midani Ali Al-khambuwi. He is the executioner of a man that Boko Haram claims is the pilot of the downed Nigerian jet. This is the first time that Boko Haram has shown the face of any commander other than “Shekau” in a video. This may suggest that they are trying to establish formal leadership as the group develops its own governance.

4. It shows multiple examples of Boko Haram’s sharia justice: a couple being lashed, a man losing his hand, and a man being stoned to death. In each case there are large crowds of men and women witnessing the punishments. This indicates that Boko Haram has control over certain populations in northeast Nigeria and is reminiscent of MUJAO and other radical groups during their occupation of northern Mali.

5. There are more references to an Islamic caliphate. In previous videos “Shekau” has used the terminology “Islamic state,” in this video he refers to Boko Haram’s territory in Nigeria as a “caliphate.” The flag used by Boko Haram in the video appears to be the same as the one flown by ISIS. While the two organizations seem separate it is clear that they have shared aspirations.

The reemergence of “Shekau” is not of particular interest. The Nigerian military continues to claim that the real Shekau died years ago, and, if he is still living, it is unclear what Shekau’s actual leadership role is. What is of great concern is Boko Haram’s increased military capabilities, control of territory, and its efforts in establishing its own “caliphate.”
This post appears courtesy of CFR.org.http://cdn.defenseone.com/defenseone/img/article-end.png

http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2014/10/five-reasons-pay-attention-boko-harams-latest-video/95999/

APC Hails RCCG’s Position on Offensive Audio CD


Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the General Overseer (GO) of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, for dissociating himself and the church from the offensive and divisive audio CD that is being circulated by certain pastors.

While condemning the circulation of an audio CD describing APC as an ‘Islamic Party’, the opposition party said the measure taken by the authorities of the RCCG is a right step that will promote religious harmony.

In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said by his action, the GO has again exhibited his characteristic exceptional leadership and shown what religion should be about, which is love, rather than hate and incendiary statements.

It particularly expressed satisfaction that the GO specifically asked the RCCG pastors to ignore the contents of the audio CD, especially all the references to political parties, including the APC.

‘’The GO’s statement, in his response to the APC which had written to protest the divisive and corrosive statements contained in the audio CD, which has been smuggled into some RCCG parishes, made it clear that the RCCG is neutral and apolitical, and that it prays for all irrespective of political persuasion or creed.

‘’We in the APC are delighted at the GO’s prompt action and statement that the RCCG did not endorse divisive comments in any form or shape, that it has sons and daughters in all political parties, and that the allegations contained in the audio CD are wickedly false, unsubstantiated, ill-conceived and mischievous.

‘’Equally satisfying is the GO’s directive asking everyone in possession of the audio CDs to return them, and the directive to the Church’s pastors to communicate such to their respective congregations immediately,’’ APC said.

On the obviously sponsored audio CD, produced by one Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, the party wondered why a man of God will engage in outright lies to propagate hatred, incite Christians against Muslims so brazenly, as if the adherents of both religions are not children of the same God, and then use the platform of the church to campaign for the PDP while seeking to destroy the APC.

‘’In a country where the citizenry, whether Christians or Muslims, have been shortchanged by greedy, selfish and clueless political leadership, a Pastor went on record as saying President Goodluck Jonathan has performed 100 per cent, while at the same time demonising and denigrating the APC as an ‘Islamic Party’ without a scintilla of proof. Much as he struggled to couch his inflammatory and discordant message in flowery lies, it is clear that he was sponsored to inseminate lies to shore up the dwindling fortunes of the ruling party.

‘’Where in the world has an Islamic party been led by a Christian? Where in the world has the membership of an Islamic Party been populated by Christians and Muslims? Why would a Pastor whose primary purpose is to preach the Gospel (good news) now make himself available, for whatever reason, as a tool to disseminate lies and bad news?

’Had this Pastor any sense of history, he would have realised how the propagation of hatred, as he is currently doing, led to the killing of over 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda in 1994. This Pastor made it seem as if the terrorists called Boko Haram are fighting the cause of Nigerian Muslims, when he knows deep down that this evil group has not spared Muslims either.

‘’We have said it repeatedly: Boko Haram is a clear and present danger to Christians as it is to Muslims. Boko Haram is as dangerous to the rich as it is to the poor, it is as dangerous to the North as it is to the South. Simply put, Boko Haram is an enemy of Nigeria and all Nigerians, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity, must unite to defeat the terrorists,’’ it said.

The APC appealed to Nigerians of all creed and ethnicity to repudiate politicians or politicians in religious garb, who may be seeking to divide them on primordial basis, especially as the general election is fast approaching.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/apc-hails-rccg-s-position-on-offensive-audio-cd/190732/

APC dodging the Islamist label.....

This might just be the secret to stopping people from dashing madly across busy roads despite the provision of pedestrian bridges. I believe the average naija person just disembarked from a stuffy bus / taxi and with many more minutes to spend trekking under the blazing sun will be grateful for the blessed relief of a few seconds of coolness gained while crossing the road via pedestrian bridge. This could just be the solution we have been seeking to the pedestrian carnage on our roads. Hope the rulers are listening and thinking....

Meanwhile:

Problems Hamper Completion of East-West Road

23 Sep 2014


Muhammad Bello in Abuja
It has again come to light that myriad of problems are responsible for the delay in the completion of the East-West Road.
These problems include poor funding, improper releases of yearly allocations, dwindling budgetary provisions and insecurity.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru, who appeared before the House of Representative Committee on Niger Delta yesterday disclosed these, while reeling out the up-to-date account on the progress of work on the four sections of the road.
He also clarified the issue of the conflicting figures of N97, 743, 483, 929.26bn said to have been paid to SETRACO just as the construction firm insisted that it was paid N99bn.
According to Oru, who denied any collusion with the contractors to short-change Nigerians, the excess might have come from SURE-P.

Assuring the committee that the ministry would go back and reconcile the matter, it explained that N36, 598, 304, 621.10bn is still required to complete the four sections.
Even the Managing Director of SETRACO, Mr. Michael Hachenberg, could not explain the over N600m paid in excess to his company.
On the progress of the work, the minister hinted that Oron to Calabar is the new section that has been added to the East-West road, awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
He said N349, 866, 255, 942. 76bn was the total contract sum for the four sections.
Oru explained that out of the sum, N268, 469, 689, 118. 33bn had been paid out of the N274, 726, 357, 326. 76bn while N6, 256, 668, 208.43bn is still left unpaid.
Chairman of the committee, Hon Warman Ogoriba, said the committee would give the ministry and SETRACO more time to go and reconcile their figures.
The East-West road is a flagship of the Ministry of Niger Delta with 338 kilometres lenght, cutting across the Niger axis. The road is divided into four sections and awarded to three contractors.
Sections one and two are being handled by SETRACO, while sections three and four are awarded to RCC and Gitto respectively.

This is sabotage! Now that the rail line is about to cross the lagoon and the whole world can see how wonderful the project is PDP wakes up to overturn the milk basin. Where was PDP in the last five years of securing right of way, paying compensation and spending almost $1b? How long will it take PDP to agree a regional effort with ECOWAS states struggling currently with Ebola and Ghana whose economy is suffering a meltdown? Can we expect completion of this project even by 2020 if PDP's leprous fingers are laid on it? BRF should head to the Federal High Court pronto before this campaign gimmick causes Lagos real harm. Eko o ni baje o!

Charlie, I love Ghana and am a Ghana investor. Just making the point that PDP shouldn't use an mythical 'regional effort' to dabaru what BRF is doing. Even you as a Ghanaian would appreciate not hitting traffic once you cross Seme into naija so its win-win if BRF is allowed to deliver this modern road.

PetroDolla3: Ghana's economy is doing just fine,huh? All countries go through spells of economic downturns and so Ghana's current situation is just normal. The economy is currently growing at nearly 7% and the country is 3rd highest recipient of foreign investment in africa. does that sound to you like a country in meltdown? your airlines fly to Ghana than they fly to any other country in the world. if Ghana is in meltdown, why do your airlines keep coming here? some 50 buses travel to Ghana every day? arrant crap!

Meanwhile:

Problems Hamper Completion of East-West Road

23 Sep 2014


Muhammad Bello in Abuja
It has again come to light that myriad of problems are responsible for the delay in the completion of the East-West Road.
These problems include poor funding, improper releases of yearly allocations, dwindling budgetary provisions and insecurity.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru, who appeared before the House of Representative Committee on Niger Delta yesterday disclosed these, while reeling out the up-to-date account on the progress of work on the four sections of the road.
He also clarified the issue of the conflicting figures of N97, 743, 483, 929.26bn said to have been paid to SETRACO just as the construction firm insisted that it was paid N99bn.
According to Oru, who denied any collusion with the contractors to short-change Nigerians, the excess might have come from SURE-P.

Assuring the committee that the ministry would go back and reconcile the matter, it explained that N36, 598, 304, 621.10bn is still required to complete the four sections.
Even the Managing Director of SETRACO, Mr. Michael Hachenberg, could not explain the over N600m paid in excess to his company.
On the progress of the work, the minister hinted that Oron to Calabar is the new section that has been added to the East-West road, awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
He said N349, 866, 255, 942. 76bn was the total contract sum for the four sections.
Oru explained that out of the sum, N268, 469, 689, 118. 33bn had been paid out of the N274, 726, 357, 326. 76bn while N6, 256, 668, 208.43bn is still left unpaid.
Chairman of the committee, Hon Warman Ogoriba, said the committee would give the ministry and SETRACO more time to go and reconcile their figures.
The East-West road is a flagship of the Ministry of Niger Delta with 338 kilometres lenght, cutting across the Niger axis. The road is divided into four sections and awarded to three contractors.
Sections one and two are being handled by SETRACO, while sections three and four are awarded to RCC and Gitto respectively.

This is sabotage! Now that the rail line is about to cross the lagoon and the whole world can see how wonderful the project is PDP wakes up to overturn the milk basin. Where was PDP in the last five years of securing right of way, paying compensation and spending almost $1b? How long will it take PDP to agree a regional effort with ECOWAS states struggling currently with Ebola and Ghana whose economy is suffering a meltdown? Can we expect completion of this project even by 2020 if PDP's leprous fingers are laid on it? BRF should head to the Federal High Court pronto before this campaign gimmick causes Lagos real harm. Eko o ni baje o!