₦airaland Forum

From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE AND NAFISAT BELLO, Kaduna
Wednesday, December 07 , 2011


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The Northern governors and other critical stakeholders who had besieged the venue of the Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF), “Peace and Unity” conference, on Monday deserted it shortly after it was declared open by President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

This is even as a member of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the ACF, Alhaji Ahmed Hassan Al-Ghazali, told Northern leaders to prepare for a bloody revolution, so long as they chose to allow the teeming population of the youth in the north to continue to roam the streets hopelessly.

By Monday afternoon when the plenary session commenced, of the 11 governors who had personally graced the opening, only Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, returned to the hall, a thing former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, who was one of the discussants, at the Monday plenary session, frowned at.

And by yesterday, which was the day two of the conference, only the host governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and Wamakko, were again present at the sessions, a thing that forced Al-Ghazali, to describe the entire exercise as a waste of time. According to Makarfi, there is the need to take another look at how leaders emerge in Nigeria, adding that “we cannot have good governance, peace and tranquility without having a good leadership, and we cannot have good leadership without a clear leadership selection process, at all levels and in all sections of society.”
“As we discuss these issues this afternoon, why are all the Northern governors and other key stakeholders not present at this session? We should all sit down together and agree on what to do, then sit down again next year to assess our progress.”

“Instead of having a 2 or 3 day seminar, I think it is better to take one major issue at a time, gather all the relevant stakeholders and then discuss it thoroughly. We should agree on what to do and go ahead and make progress on it, and then we come back next year and pick another issue,” Makarfi said.”
Speaking in the same vein yesterday, the ACF NEC member, Al-Ghazali decried the situation where the various states governors, who are supposed to implement whatever was being agreed upon at the conference, were conspicuously absent at the discussion segment of the conference.

He further noted that, if corrupt politicians who steal, and are arraigned for trial by either the EFCC or ICPC, and are in the end left off the hook, the country would never know peace.
“I will like to suggest to us and Nigerians as a whole that the immunity clause in the Nigerian constitution should be expunged in order to make our elected representative accountable to us.”

“The President, Vice President and Governors do what they like with our money and this is wrong. So they have to stop that. So long as we allow our teeming youth to roam the street hopelessly, we must be ready to face a bloody revolution sooner than later. Only two governors are present here out of 19, Minister of Abuja and the Vice President did not show up. This is too bad for the North.”

Defending the absence of his colleagues, the host governor, Yakowa said, “let me quickly respond to the comment of our elders who spoke earlier, particularly elder Al-Ghazali, who would really have wanted to see all the governors and even the Vice President seated here, even if they don’t have anything to contribute or to take note with a view to going back to our states and implement the solutions (to our problems and challenges) from this conference.”

The conference, which is expected to come up with a mechanism for monitoring and enforcement of the implementation of the decisions taken on how to combat security challenges in the north, with a view to curbing ethno-religious crisis in the area, ended yesterday. A communiqué was still being expected as at the time of filing this report.

http://sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/dec/07/national-07-12-2011-003.html

LAGOS: Airtel Nigeria is in the midst of a project to put in place 250 solar energy base stations across the country in the first phase as part of its efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by eliminating the use of diesel and petrol to generate power at the base stations, an official said.

The first phase of the project started in November 2010 and would end in February 2012. The second phase would follow soon after that, chief operating officer Deepak Srivastava said here.

Speaking after commissioning a new green site, Srivastava said the company has invested 93 billion nairas ($600 million) in the past year to fund its network expansion to improve its services.

The new solar energy base station is expected to handle about 1,200 subscribers receiving and making calls at the same time. "This would help reduce network congestion," Srivastava added.

Airtel has also tied up with Ericsson to upgrade 250 diesel powered stations in Nigeria to green sites.

The poor power supplies across the country to the company's sites, Srivastava said, was "responsible for over 70 percent of downtime, resulting in poor quality of service".

He said Airtel was in talks with the World Bank as part of several options that it is considering to improve power supplies to some of its base stations in rural areas.

Srivastava said by next March, the company would have erected an additional 1,000 sites.

"Airtel has invested heavily on site rollout, power improvement projects, microwave replacement, technical engineering and network capacity enhancement," he added.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/airtel-nigeria-goes-green-to-solar-energy-base-stations/articleshow/11017927.cms

…N40bn for bulk trader, NELMCO

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Company (NERC) yesterday issued licences to 20 new power generation firms, a distribution company and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (Bulk trader) as part of the Federal Governments efforts to improve on power generation in the country.

Government expects to generate an estimated 6,105 megawatts of electricity within the next three years from the ventures of the licencees, beginning in the first quarter of 2012. Current generation levels stand at about 4,000 megawatts.

Industry watchers say that the licensing of the power generation firms, will progressively bring about cost and efficiency reliefs to existing businesses, encourage generation of new businesses and create more employment opportunities for teeming Nigerians.

They add that the move will make the products of Nigerian businesses more competitive in local and international markets, and hope that it will attract back to Nigeria, some multinational firms that have repartriated their businesses to neighbouring countries, as a result of high operational costs here. Industry analysts say that 30 percent of the cost of doing business in Nigeria is spent on providing alternative energy, on account of inadequate and erratic supply from the national grid.

Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji, speaking at the licensing ceremony, described it as a laudable step towards securing improved electricity access for Nigerians, while disclosing that the ministry had elected to provide a budget of N40 billion as take-off capital to both the Bulk Trader and Nigerian Electricity Liabilities Management Company (NELMCO) with each entity getting N20 billion, to help them begin operations in the industry.

Eight firms were granted off-grid generation licences, ten got grid connected licences, two companies got embedded generation licences while one got licence for a distribution network.

Meanwhile, the ‘Bulk Trader’, securing its official trading licence, can now commence business as an entity in the power sector, as well as perform its task as manager of the Federal Government/World Bank’s Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG) scheme. The expectation of over 6,000 megawatts is deduced from the proposed generation capacities of each of the 20 companies with a licence. Zuma Energy Nigeria Ltd,has disclosed plans to generate about 1,200 mega watts of power from its proposed coal-fired power plant to be located at Itobe, Kogi State. The plant will be the first of its kind in Nigeria when inaugurated.

Nnaji specifically tasked the new licensees to brace up to the challenges before them, reminding them that: “Government expects you to help move this sector forward because there is no other way we expect a leap frog in the sector, other than from the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs).

“It is easy to give licences but it is actually the quality of the companies that are given these licences that matters, because we have capacities from government’s existing power plants as well as a limit from NIPPs which is about 4,775 megawatts. Once we reach that point, that’s it, we close and allow for expansion and we can only help you rather than impede you in achieving success,” the minister added.

Nnaji, commending NERC’s transparency in the process, said, “I like to say that licences issued by the regulatory body are not dodged licences, and so we expect that you are going to help to transform the power sector by these licences.”
He further said, “One of the things government wanted to do from the start, is to see that we have a very high quality strong and independent regulatory commission and we have one now. For them to come through with the processes of issuing these licences today is commendable.”

He reminded NERC of its obligation to the Nigerian people, saying: “There are many things that the regulatory commission does but let me say that the act of licensing, which empowers you to go out there and do what is important in the delivery of electricity to the country is a very important act and you have to bear in mind that you have obligations with this empowerment.”

Earlier, the President of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN), Jerry Gana, observed that on-going reforms in the power sector as well as the issuance of new licences to investors, suggests that government’s intention for the sector is genuine.

Gana said, “Bearing in mind the challenges that these licencees would have faced just a year ago, the rigorous processes initiated by NERC for this, as well as the gradual surmounting of obvious impediments to the operations of independent producers, we only expect to see the best in the sector.”

Some of the licencees for off-grid generation include Tower Power Abeokuta (20MW), Akute Power Ltd (13MW of renewal energy), Shoreline Power Ltd, Sagamu (9MW), CET Power Project, Sagamu and Ewekoro (7MW and 6MW respectively), Income Electrix Ltd (6MW), Energy Company of Nigeria (3MW) and Ilupeju Power Ltd (2MW).

For the grid connected licensees, Zuma Energy (1200MW coal power plant), Alaoji Generation Ltd (1,074MW), Knox J&L Energy Solutions (1,000MW), Olorunsogo Generation (750MW), Ogorode Generation (450MW), Azura Power West Africa (450MW), and Zuma Energy (400MW gas plant).

Others are MBH Power Ltd (300MW), Eleme Petrochemical Ltd (135MW) and Delta Electric Power Ltd (116MW). The embedded grid category has Geometric Aba Power Ltd (140MW tenure extension), Kaduna Power Supply Ltd (84MW), as well as a distribution licence to the Aba Power Ltd.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/30581-regulator-issues-21-new-power-licenses

Am not surprised, we now begin to know the real boko haram sponsors.

Story Story Story, i need light period

up gunners

Hall of Fame: Chinua Achebe for refusing national honours
Hall of Shame: PDP for making Alams Chairman of Elders forum bayelsa state.

Buhari na bad news, e should apologise for the post election violence in the north. Religious Bigot.

An not suprised that the likes of Jega, Fashola and Okonja Iweala didnt make the loosers list.

Haba, why the noise? House of Reps. wants to sort out some ''Very Vital Issues'' regarding the new number plates, their kick backs needs to be secured.

I think Aso Rock should have Annex in Maiduguri.

witches turn or refineries to coven

Failure is our trade mark

the topic should have been " Lay Down Your Arms, We’ll Be Merciful, Boko Haram To GEJ

GEJ is guilty as charged.

I was awarded GCFR some years ago. Prove me wrong if you have records but do not ask of the medal because it was not enough for us.

I had my GCFR some years back, prove me wrong if have records, dont ask me to produce the medal because it did not go round. Hahaha

Nigeria happens to be my country by accident of birth, so you see am stuck to it. I once believed in this country despite her obvious weaknesses. At least that was what i was thought in sunday school, to believe and have faith.
To cut the long story short unlike our nollywood stars, i woke up this morning with deep sense of frustration for this country. Looking at what has been happening these past years, i realised that we are making no progress. From Obasanjo to Yaradua and now Goodluck, no real change. I would not say i was disappointed with the previous two because i never expected much from them. Rather my concern is on president Jonathan in whom i had great faith in just as i know most Nigerians also had.
Looking at recent developments from Boko Haram the National Assembly is too afraid of to discuss to our worn out education sector, to our lifeless health care system. Not even our roads that SUV's dreads.
Looking at all these you would expect even a docile government will attempt to address these issues. Thats not in our case, rather the body language and programmes of mr presidents shows that we are about wasting another four years.
So you now know why i want to mourn for this country.

Lagos money in action

expert555:
Folks, lets debate this fool doctorate degree. How did he acquire it? Please help, do you know this man? Is it through forgery or somebody sitting the exams for him? I heard you Nigerians were paying people to sit exams for your children and family members at a time

I do not know how he got his Phd, what i know is that with a million naira you are sure of purchasing Phd in an open market (sorry university) in Nigeria.

Lagos Money.

Its of huge economic importance to those of them with swiss bank accounts and properties in dubai.

our money.

I was made to understand that the shortage of medals was due to the activities of an evil cartel that uses the medal subsidy to enrich themselves.

Timipre Sylva should come tops for using Kalashnikov (AK47) as his pillow.

nagoma:
I want to see the list of morons accepting the Shameful award.

Aliko Dankote made d list of morons.

Why 7years you should have proposed 8years single tenure for yourself and (your) governors. I de laugh.

Where are the other Achebe's who are ready turn down these National (Dis)Honours.

Congratulation, Out of the shortlisted applicant you are here by invited for interview section at 9, Oremeji street beside barrister's house iyana isolo Lagos .
Time: 9am
Date: 9th May, 2011. For more information call recruitment officer on 07029129122.