₦airaland Forum

Personally cannot see a run-off as TB Joshua is predicting. Atta-Mills may just have held his own but John Dramani Mahama won't, for many reasons, be as much of a match for Akufo-Addo as Mills would have been.

@OP. He was former Vice President. Change your misleading title.

http://www.modernghana.com/news/430468/1/breaking-news-confirmed-aliu-mahama-is-dead.html

Breaking News: Confirmed, Aliu Mahama Is Dead!

By CITIFMONLINE.COM




Information reaching citifmonline.com indicates that former Vice President of Republic of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama is dead.

The news was confirmed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof. Otu Nartey.

The 66 year old soft-spoken politician passed away at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after several days at the Cardio Centre of the hospital.

He is reported to have been suffering from a heart condition and was on life support for several days.

He was Vice-President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009.

A quantity surveyor by occupation, Alhaji Aliu Mahama was born in Yendi and was married to Ramatu Aliu Mahama.

The news comes days after President John Dramani Mahama directed the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to do all within its power to provide the necessary care for the former Vice President after news broke of his illness.

As a young man, Aliu Mahama studied at the Government Secondary School, Tamale from 1960-67 for his Ordinary and Advanced Level Certificates.

He proceeded to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi from 1967-71 where he obtained the BSc degree in Building Technology.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama started his working career at the Bolgatanga regional office of the State Construction Corporation as an Engineer/Construction from 1972-75.

He was promoted to Assistant Regional Manager and posted to the Koforidua Regional Office of the Corporation from 1975-76.

He held the position of Regional Manager in charge of the Northern Region, Tamale from June 1976 – August 1982. In 1982 he successfully established his own Civil Engineering and General Construction Firm – LIDRA Limited and became its Managing Director.

He became the Chairman of the Northern Regional Contractors Association in 1996 until the December 2000 Elections.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama is also an Aluminus of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

In order to sharpen and deepen his management and leadership skills, he obtained two certificates from the Institute in Project Planning and Management and in Leadership.

He had exceptional interest in Local Governance and Community Development. Accordingly he was Councillor for the Yendi District Council in 1978 and Assemblyman, Tamale Municipal Assembly in 1990.

He was the Chairman of the Economic Development Committee of the Tamale-Louisville Sister State Committee.

He had been board member of several Secondary Schools in the Northern Region including the Tamale Polytechnic.

In his leisure time, he loved reading, football and badminton.

He is a founding member of the Real Tamale United Football Club

take dat: Don't mind those silly clowns who likes taking credit for others toil. If it was not for the public outcry they would have maintained the status quo,

To be honest, Nairaland is full of the most shameless hypocrites. Like GEJ, these folks stand for nothing and move entirely with the wind. Only yesterday they were bursting their lungs arguing 100% in support of the cancellation on grounds of breach of "due process" while also imploring the forum to wait for the stipulated 30 days.

Now they are here jubilating over a supposed 'stay of execution' they cannot understand only makes a mockery of them as unprincipled mischief makers committed far more to the defense of individuals (GEJ) than to having a consistent viewpoint.

They argued only yesterday in defense of the cancellation and jubilate today over the non-cancellation of the contract No wonder Nigeria is troubled. Entirely crappy and blindly sycophantic followership .

eGuerrilla: Liar, liar pants on fire!

Still, a welcome development - just like the reversal of the National football team's disbanment.

Don't mind them. Some are here celebrating sleaze while the world sees dishonesty, cluelessness, deceit and corruption - ultimately wrapped up in the notion that the President is a weak and clueless character who does not have any understanding of what is going on around him. Are we no longer meant to have confidence in the announcement of the spokesman to the Presidency?

If Manitoba is re-instated, then all the pressure - online and otherwise - would have paid off. Somehow, I doubt this will happen. The GEJ Government , when cornered, has a penchant for 'theatrics' exemplified by Otedola/Farouk and Ribadu/Orasanye/Otti saga.

They have already decided to sack Manitoba and draft in 'one of the boys'. The condemnation has shocked GEJ same as the subsidy protest prompted several insincere actions including the empty promise of wage cut, the formation of the Ribadu task force and the propagandist promotion of the 'panacea' of SURE which has delivered nada to date.

They stall for time here as usual. The real strategy , in my opinion and going from what has been seen from this Government time and time again, will then be to go on to discredit Manitoba and validate whatever it is they have done or want to do.

Maxymilliano: You are asking for trouble madam... Lol

Characters like you just keep showing the deceit and lack of principles Nigerians are known for. Your focus on personalities on this forum blinds you to what is obvious. GEJ is only doing a u-turn because of the enormous criticism he has come under. Same as Yar Adua did a U-turn when he directed the EFCC to fall under Aondoakaa and the entire world screamed in protest.

If you are not partisan beyond redemption and given to discussing personalities instead of issues then you will realize that the announcement of the cancellation of the Manitoba contract came from Reuben Abati who is the official spokesman for the Nigerian Presidency. Unless you now want to be telling us ,ridiculously, that Abati acted on his own.

It is not everything folks like you should play 419 with. The office of the President made the announcement through its spokesman. Simple. All that is now going on is that a dishonest and weak government is trying to do a u-turn after coming under pressure while its dishonest supporters are here shouting other forumers name. You people have no shame.

We know you fans of GEJ enjoy all his Nollywood antics and look for every small thing to jubilate but professionals and technocrats will not be fooled by this action of GEJ to stall and deceive because the information arm of his office announced the cancellation to the entire world. Perhaps Abati does not understands the meaning of "cancelled" and "terminated" when he used those words. Shameless sycophants.


http://www.channelstv.com/home/2012/11/14/power-reform-fg-terminates-manitoba-contract/

presidency’s spokesman on media, Dr Reuben Abati on Wednesday, confirmed to Channels TV that President Goodluck Jonathan has annulled the deal because “due process was not followed in the award of the contract…..and there were issues about the violation of due process” he said.

He however gave the assurance that “this does not in any way affect the ongoing privatization of the power sector.”

Manitoba was one of the transmission companies hired by the former Minister of Power, Professor Bart Nnaji, to manage the nation’s power transmission network and was supposed to start work at the beginning of September but transmission is still been controlled by the government.

The Ministry of Power has not commented on the matter.

Interview with Dr Reuben Abati on Manitoba

Q: What happens to the recent management contract awarded to the Canadian power firm, Manitoba

Ans: I can confirm to you that it has been cancelled.

Q: You mean the contract has been terminated?

Ans: Yes the contact has been terminated.

Q: Any reason for that?

Ans: For the simple reason that the management contract was misprochured.

Q: What do you mean by “misprochured”?

Ans: By being misprochured, I mean it failed due process review. In other words, there were issues about the violation of due process…..What has been observed when the President ordered a review of the award of contract for the engagement of the management contractor was that there were violations of due process. So it is on the basis of that that this management contract has been set aside….If the approval threshold is above the power of the originating agency, it(contract) must go to the Federal Executive Council for approval. In this particular case, the Manitoba contract was awarded for 23.6 million US dollar which is above the threshold for Bureau of Public Enterprises(BPE). So BPE cannot award the contract within that threshold. It must go to FEC and it must also be referred to Bureau for Public Procurement(BPP) for certificate of no objection. There are two examples of due processs that were breached…. The new directive is that there should be a re- procurement exercise. And to show everybody that government is committed to power reform programme, this re-procurement exercise should even include Manitoba and they should apply to the BPP for certificate of no objection when the decision is taken. And the entire procurement process should be concluded within 30 days. What government is after is the principle of transparency and we will not compromise it because we are in a hurry. No. President Jonathan is committed to getting it right.

kulutempa: @Gbawe, I think you deserve the Nobel Prize for trying to make sense to the senseless. A lot of Nigerians want their country to develop without the change and reform this would require. Just a few months ago the President was in London trying to woo "international investors" and now he cancels a contract one of them has already signed, not because of any wrong doing by the investor, but because of an internal and disgraceful failure by the government to apply its own laws. Even the best comedian in the world can't come up with such a story line

My guy, I just try and do my thing and avoid uncouth yobs - and this place is full of them - who get personal rather than face issues. No one want to be cynical of Government but Nigerian leaders are known throughout the world for their unbridled greed and totally unethical mien.

There is no moderation to their greed and they have a distasteful penchant for not adhering to contracts. Why is it always cronies of Government, specifically the ruling Party, currently 'winning' bids for State assets when these sort of things are becoming rare even among Nation that used to match us for corruption?

Why are we the only major oil producer to sell our oil through traders thus abetting theft and corruption? How long does it take a serious and sincere Government to change that situation? 1 day or 20 years? The answer is obvious to those who know life beyond Nigeria to see how serious Nations operate.

When our refineries have to be privatised, why is it always Dangote, Otedola et al who are bid winners? How did we frustrate and discourage Vodafone when they wanted to buy Nitel? This saga now with Manitoba is all too familiar and "more of the same" for those who know the oligarchic modus operandi of the ruling Party. Many cannot deal with our leaders brand of unconscionable and intemperate greed that destroys everything in its path to the extent we are now so far behind others in socio-economic development. The ordeal of Manitoba, cloak it in any toga of "due process", will only add to our reputation as a rogue nation with highly immoral and irresponsible leaders.

http://www.anticorruptionleague.org/africa/nigerian-politicians-are-very-insane-they-kill-dreams-%E2%80%93-richard-branson.php

Nigerian politicians are very insane, They Kill Dreams – Richard Branson


The rich international businessman, Richard Branson, has lambasted the crop of leaders we have in Nigeria for their high level greed which, according to him, is killing big brands wishing to do business with the government of the country, for the growth of Nigeria’s economy.


The chairman of Virgin Atlantic said: “…we have virgin’s ill-fated footsteps by setting up a new airline in Africa in conjunction with Nigerian government…the details of the doomed attempts to crack the Nigerian market in the 2000s is better imagined…we put …together a very good airline-the first airline in West Africa that was ever IOSA/IATA operational safety audit accredited but unfortunately it got tied down to the politics of the country…we led the airlines for 11 years…

“We fought daily battle against government agents who wanted to daily make fortune from us, politicians who saw the government 49% as a meal to seek for all kinds of favour…watchdogs (regulatory body) that didn’t know what to do and persistently asking for bribes at any point…Nigeria people are generally nice but the politicians are very insane…that may be irony because the people make up the politicians…

“But those politicians are selfish…we did make N3billion for the federal government of Nigeria during the joint venture…realising that the government didn’t bring nothing to the table/partnership except dubious debts by the previous carrier, Nigeria Airways…The joint venture should have been the biggest African carrier by now if the partnership was allowed to grow, but the politicians KILLED it…Nigeria is a country we SHALL NEVER consider to doing business again..”

kalokalo: Something tells me that the powers-that-be terminated the Manitoba Company contract because the company refused to pay kick-backs to them. This is the Nigerian factor that many Nigerians still don't understand. The contract will be re-awarded to a local government crony or foreign company (Indian or Chinese) willing to "play ball".

That, my friends, is this governments due process policy. Ever wondered why the winners of the just concluded sale of Gencos and Discos were the "Owners of Nigeria" instead of global power companies with requisite financial muscle and technical expertise?

That is a consideration. Corruption is still rife across Africa. It is the extent to which it is allowed to taint or sabotage development that differs. For example,while Togo Politicians may accept kickback to favor certain companies for conceded State asset, from a competent pool, Nigerian leaders prefer the wicked and anti-people Oligarchic model where they and their cronies gain control of profitable assets of the State even as they have no core/technocratic competence to deliver.

The need to own processes and assets that will continue to generate big profit , through misuse of political power, is what sets Nigerian Politicians aside as the most dangerous and callously destructive in Africa and perhaps the world. Everything for Nigerian leaders is, first and foremost, an opportunity to make and continue making billions to the extent they will always try and own assets they should ordinarily concede into the most competent hands. This answers the question in your last paragraph.

Whereas others in Africa , to ensure progress is still the main issue, may simply just take £2 million to favor British Gas that is competent anyway and guaranteed to get the job done. While we have been going back and forth for years, Manitoba has settled in Kenya and is doing well delivering on its core brief.

Puntae: I can see this topic is urs to feed on as your name so smell all around it... I do not wish to discourage critics nor commentators of ur kind from airing their views on certain annoying issues which may likely remain unattended to... I only preach that much energy be reserved to tackle relevant issues than pour out anger which kills not even an ant...

Look, why not simply live and let live? If an issue annoys you, why not ignore it? Whether talk here affect issues on the ground or not still does not mean you should intolerantly join issues with other adult who do not need your consent to discuss with each other in any way or pattern they want. Go , in your personal capacity, and carry out whatever actions you want. In the meantime, let those who want to discuss do so in peace.

duni04: I've developed apathy for news like this, commenting on it won't stop those guys in Abuja from looting so there's just no point.When we come up with topics on protesting or assassinating all corrupt leaders, i'll be interested. Till then, no comments

eGuerrilla: @Gbawe, I always knew once the "due process" and "terms of reference" arguments were exposed for vacuity they connote as far as this discussion goes, see-no-evil government apologists were either going to resort to character assassination or feigned indifference.

transparent lot.

jmaine: I repeat, it's funny and futile ranting all day on nairaland which changes nothing

And I equally don't give a damn about folks ranting to no where . . .

the classy thing I did was to let you all know the futility in straining nerves with no tangible action or results to boot/follow.

Hope I made myself very clear

Jmaine, you are fond of needless back and forth. It really is very simple. This is a discussion forum. When forumers get audience and willing responses from others who wish to discuss with them, why do you intolerantly have a problem with that? Are you or any other forum user addressed directly?

You do nothing classy here. I only see intolerance because you have the adult option of ignoring other adults who have chosen , of their own free will, to talk to each other. You can simply choose the truly classy option. Walk in and walk out without trying to infringe on the rights of others to discuss whatever they want as repeatedly as they want.

Puntae: What is the essence of ranting without a yield of a visible result nor change arising from the ranting?
"Let's hold our breathe now so we dont gasp for it when we need it most"...

And what does your intolerance for the free choice of others demonstrate? Is this not a discussion forum any longer? What, first and foremost, are discussion forums set up for? Why not let others "rant" in 'futility' if that is their free and adult choice? Why does it bother you to the extent you have to speak? If you don't like discussing issues, why disturb others who do? Does the forum belong to you that you now get to decide what is "rantings" and what is not? Why don't you simply ignore the thread?

jmaine: Why should I give a damn about rants that gets no where . . .

Do you guys get paid to scream all day

Think about it. It is a no-brainer. If you truly did not give a damn, would you not simply ignore instead of even commenting to claim you don't give a damn and to complain of "strained nerve"? Guy, you have the option of doing the classy thing if you truly don't give a damn. Ignore and let others "rant". Simple as that.

Rubbish news. As if we don't know El Rufai bought Gallup last month and is now using it to rubbish the image of the Government. "Fresh air" is working and "haters" like Gallup are trying to taint the image of the best President in the world who is transforming Nigeria at a rate faster than the speed of light.

take dat: @Gbawe, abeg just cool down for these guys. 30 days is not far from now, we await to see the outcome

Indeed.

olivertwist: I won't be surprised if Asari Dokubo pass the 'due process' & wins the power contract. No be Naija we dey talk!

My brother, the problem we have on this forum is that many blind backers of Government prefer insulting and focusing on other forumers vapidly instead of using commonsense and even rudimentary logic to see what is obvious. How long did it take to screen Manitoba and eventually settle on the company amidst several other competent bids? This TCN concession is virtually one of the most important aspect of the ongoing privatisation exercise.

This same Government was happy to endure with Manitoba because it deemed the company competently screened to the extent it was reluctant to initiate a new round of screening that will be time-consuming. Now Manitoba is sacked and a new Company must be in place within 30 days. Does that not suggest arbitrariness? Should the right process not involve re-advertising to gain expression of interests?

"Due process"? Perish the thought. GEJ has capitulated again to corruption and that is certainly not Gbawe's opinion alone even if those who love discussing people instead of issues think so. Below is latest emerging information. Informed Professionals, technocrats and even general Nigerian stakeholders are very angry at this development yet enemies of progress remain here focusing on other forumers instead of inspecting issues honestly and sincerely. Nigeria has a long way to go.


http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/47639-how-anti-privatisation-forces-killed-tcn-contract

How anti-privatisation forces killed TCN contract
THURSDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2012 00:00 BUSINESSDAY



A confluence of three anti-privatisation forces in government, including those angling for a slice of power contracts, those who do not want to let go control of the transmission grid, and others working to undermine the integrity of the power privatisation process, were involved in the sudden termination of the contract awarded to Manitoba Electric, to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).



The assault on the Manitoba contract was formidable, well choreographed, properly timed.

At a special meeting of arrowheads of the president power agenda where the president directed that the Manitoba contract be probed, those present were said to include, the Vice President, the Attorney- General, the former minister of State for Power, Darius Dickson Ishaku, his Permanent Secretary, Dere Awosika and the Director General of BPP, Emeka Eze.


Hints of the Manitoba contract cancellation were first made public November 2, when BusinessDay ran a comprehensive story on a wide-ranging investigation of the contract awarded to the Canadian firm to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for the next three years.

The development, BusinessDay observed, followed the pressure being brought to bear on President Goodluck Jonathan, to review the contract under which the firm would be paid a total of $23 million over a three-year period.


The contract to Manitoba Electric was sanctioned by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) chaired by the vice president, more than two months ago, but the company was not allowed to assume full control of TCN by the old management, appointed by the Ministry of Power.

BusinessDay learnt that the contract was cancelled by the president on Sunday, upon a memo submitted by the Director-General of the Bureau for Public Procurement, Emeka Eze, who has been exercising the powers of the Bureau without safeguards of a non-existent National Council on due process, as provided for in the enabling law.

Section 6:1 A of the Act establishing the BPP says “the Bureau shall have the power to enforce the Monetary and Prior review thresholds set by the ‘COUNCIL’ for application of the provisions of the act by the procuring entities.” Paragraph (b) of the act says “subject to paragraph (a) of the section, issue certificate of “NO OBJECTION” for Contract Award within the Prior Review threshold for all Procurement within the purview of this Act.”

BusinessDay learnt that in the past two years, the BPP has had no Council, and that the DG has been acting unilaterally.

Several private sector leaders, including prominent lawyers, became furious yesterday, after they heard of the cancellation of the contract.

Said one, “There are two issues that I have with this action and the reasons given for it. One, the exercise of powers of the bureau by the DG of the BPP, who has canvassed the illegality of this contract, is itself illegal, given that the DG has been acting alone for two years, without a ‘national council’ as provided for in law. So any exercise of such powers is illegal. Secondly, if it was a matter of procedural misdemeanor, the president should have asked the NCP to correct the wrong, bring a memo to the FEC for approval of no objection by BPP, instead of cancelling the contract”.

Said a local investor, “It makes you wonder what loopholes they will find to negate the sale of Gencos and Discos, a year from now.”

His fear was likewise underscored by Bismarck Rewane, CEO, Financial Derivatives Company Limited.

“It is a major setback. Manitoba is a highly reputable firm. Once the government said the contact was given to Manitoba, we were all very excited. It gives you hope that something very important and real was going to happen, because transmission is very critical to the power reform. Power generation and distribution depend on transmission. We are in trouble because the entire process is in trouble.”

Bisi Sanda of Ernst and Young, said that the government should stop conducting itself as if nothing has changed in the process of carrying out our business affairs. He said the action would further worsen the perception of the global community.

“Arbitrary behaviour is inconsistent with global standards and it is better that the country adheres to rules and regulations guiding contracts, so that investors could come and invest,” Bisi added.

The main grouse of the BPP was that the contract awarded to Manitoba was illegal in their view, because the privatisation council failed to secure the required no-objection certificate from it, via the Federal Executive Council (FEC). Questions were also raised about the contract price of $23 million, when $8 million was agreed for a similar contract five years ago, but those raising the questions have not taken the pains to compare the scope of the two contracts.

However, our reporters learnt in Abuja yesterday, that this was a mere cover for those in government who always wanted the status quo to be maintained, and whose actions have now put the entire privatisation process and all its gains in jeopardy, especially because this will be the second failed attempt at enthroning a credible manager for TCN, after a botched process in 2006.

“The BPP and the Federal Government had ample time to look into what may constitute ‘breaches’ even before the contract was signed,” argued an analyst, who was clearly disturbed by the development. “This strongly underlines the level of the country’s under-development. We can’t see the relationship between investment and law and order. It will send a very bad signal.”

Curiously, the president sidetracked the NCP, and instead, has asked the Ministry of Power, which has been central in stalling the privatisation of key power assets, to lead the re-procurement of the contract to manage TCN within a period of 30 days, as against the painstaking two years it took to find bidders like Manitoba to bid in the first place.

It was not clear last night, if the Ministry of Power would aim to clean up the controversial bits of the Manitoba contract, or if it would go for a fresh tendering process, with a fresh invitation to capable managers from around the world.

But the manner in which the legal dispute is resolved will be crucial to helping steady the nerves of foreign investors. Ultimately, given the fact that this decision came as a surprise, providing a clear explanation as soon as possible, would go a long way in helping the government maintain momentum, said Robert Tashima, Economist and Political Scientist at the Oxford Business Group.

Maxymilliano: Gbawe why are you trying hard to derail your thread from the initial topic of discussion? May be you should try and borrow a leaf from Ribadu's experience by adhering to the topic of discussion, which can be likened to the 'Term of reference' in this context. :-)

What derailment? Can you not notice linked relevance? I.e the notion, illustrated with examples, that it is unlikely a Government that revels in flagrantly ignoring due process will be the one also devoted to upholding due process. Does due process" also entail cancelling a contract on this scale and not informing the other Party formally? We will see the replacement for Manitoba that can be produced miraculously within 30 days when Manitoba had to be screened extensively and for a lengthy period. The 30 day proviso alone shows it is likely that a known replacement is already waiting in the wings. This is another Otedola/Oransaye drama from this Nollywood Government.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201211150778.html

Nigeria: TCN Contract Cancellation, Yet Another Setback?
BY YUNUS ABDULHAMID, 15 NOVEMBER 2012

The hiring of Canadian firm, Manitoba Hydro, to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) took the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) five years and enormous resources to conclude. It was seen by industry watchers as a major step forward for the power reform process. The cancellation of the contract by President Goodluck Jonathan could well be a major blow to the reforms.

Managing Director of Manitoba Hydro International in Nigeria Mr. Don Priestman yesterday expressed shock over the reported cancellation of its management contract to run the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for a period of three years.

He said his company was yet to get any official correspondence terminating the contract has been but they only learnt of the development on the pages of newspapers.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Priestman said: "I haven't really received any formal notification yet. All I know is from the newspapers. So, we are also surprised and disappointed. We don't understand the reason behind it but we are just waiting to receive a formal notification. I was hoping that sense would prevail and that it was just a question of time. We were willing to give time for the right decision to be made so we could get out of it."

TCN is one of the successor companies created from the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). It combines the functions of a transmission services provider, a system operator and a market operator, all of which are central to the sustainability and development of the electricity sector.

Priestman said his next step was to, "wait for instruction from my head office."

eGuerrilla: And I suppose it is this charade that currently passes for "due process".


Source

The same DG who has had absolutely no qualms flouting procedural rules in the past suddenly gets a re-awakening and discovers "due process" en route Nirvana?
Please spare me the lullabies!

My guy, we both know what the "due process" ruse is in aid of. Is it this Government that wants to preach due process with many infraction to its name that insensitively flouts due process? The routine dishonesty of Nigerians is worrying and enough to make one wonder whether others have a point when they claim many Nigerians are fraudulent by nature.

All those backing the Government's "due process" pursuit here should tell us what opinion they offered after no less that the Petroleum Minister of the Government and chairman boad of NNPC(Allison-Madueke) directly breached due process by allowing two members of the Ribadu-led Petroleum revenue task force to join the NNPC without resigning their appointment with the PRST ala the obvious notion of conflicting interests. Surely we all understand that Allison-Madueke wanted to compromise the members of the Ribadu committee with that development she cannot feign ignorance of.

Yes, this Government is indeed committed to "due process". The sort it showed issuing many Marketers licence to start-up companies that had no capacity, history or competence to engage in fuel importation.

mbulela: I struggle to understand why folks are surprised? Maybe few of us have been reading BusinessDay. Those guys have been following this thing big time. That power reform na high wired drama with intrigues,back stabbing, corruption and double speak of the highest order. These barbarians just do not care for the masses. See the VP Sambo that does like butter does not melt in his mouth? That guy is not to be trusted. I think cos GEJ has his own hands soiled in other pies, he had to concede this one to his fellow barbarians. As long as the president does not have the political and moral will to do right at all times, he does not have to be a willing participant in corruption at all times for it to thrive. I am a known pessimist but reality is that all the panels in the world will not save the petroleum industry nor the power sector. Our leaders lack the will to bring change. in the net 12months we will be hear expressing shock and surprise at Gencos and Discos contracts that have been cancelled.

This is the crux of the matter. Every President, since 1999, has come into power compromised and 'owing' some powerful cabals, AGIPs, 'interest groups' and kingmakers. We know what these AGIPs and cabals go on to demand and get. They are the group , from one government to the next, responsible for how every process that can transform Nigeria is always hijacked cynically. We all know political will and sincerity will deliver solutions to our greatest problems. No Nigerian President has had those quality since 1999 and our current President is no exception.

GEJ has been President for over 2 years. He can, for example, stop the practice of Nigeria selling its oil through traders if he wants and any time he wants. We are the only major exporter of crude doing this and keeping this harmful doorway of graft open. Why so under a President who promised "transformation"? A simple directive from GEJ could change this yet he has not bothered in 2 years !!! Are those not the sort of things that blatantly show a compromised President who lacks the political will to transform Nigeria and in fact keeps things 'business as usual'?

All we see are actions that abet malfeasance everywhere. Otedola himself confessed we could defeat subsidy scam if Nigeria dealt with refineries directly instead of supporting fraud through the use of marketers. Yet did we not see number of marketers swell massively under GEJ with the FG and the NNPC in control of the issuance of marketers licence? That action of the GEJ government then led to the largest payout on subsidy seen in Nigeria under any President. Yet some cannot call a spade a spade.

This is why African Nations, previously troubled as we are, are making appreciable progress. They are learning moderation in relation to corruption. In other words, they are ensuring corruption is now no longer entirely pervasive and self-destructive as is the case with Nigeria.

We will see how this "due process" ruse plays out.

lastpage: BTW: I cant imagine that people like Dangote, Tinubu, OBJ, Andy Ubah, Emeka Ofor, and some other "established" looters/Criminals in this country would suddenly "set-up" a Power Company once they see that their is a "killing" to be made! ...and Voila, they are "Power Giants/Coys"!

That is what 'part 2' of this drama will turn into. What people do not understand when they defend the Government blindly is that no one is saying corruption should stop totally. That is impossible. What we should condemn is the sort of corruption that ruins the future of our children. Go around Africa today and you will note corruption operating everywhere to some degree. Yet it is Nigerian leaders that practice their corruption with brazen evil. some of us have not arrived where we are today without many examples shaping our thinking.

For example, Vodafone, one of the World's best telecom company, wanted to buy NITEL. OBJ, the king of oligarchic enrichment/empowerment and cronyism, undermined the deal. Vodafone left.
Vodafone wanted to buy GHANATELECOMS. Some corrupt cats got 'paid' yet deal still went ahead and Vodafone is now Ghana's national carrier and everyone lived happily ever after.

Manitoba is doing its thing in Kenya yet now bounced by the government that had ratified the company's position as the unopposed choice and went on, through the BPE, to sign a contract to that effect. Now a government that abused due process flagrantly via issuing many, many marketers licences to fraudsters and crooks is using the very same due process as an excuse. Only in Nigeria. Let some keep fooling themselves. Astute observers know what is going on here and how things will end.

kalokalo: This is one of of the reasons why I will never enter into an agreement with any government entity in Nigeria and will actively discourage anyone whether local or foreign from doing business with any government entity in Nigeria. The unpredictably and instability of our government is insane. A fundamental premise of civilized nations is sanctity of contracts.

An agreement that was signed in July after the approval of the National Council on Privatization and chaired by none other than the Vice President is now "cancelled" by the president. Where is the rule of law when a party abuses its political position to unilaterally cancel an agreement? Are there penalties and indemnities in the agreement actions like this considering the costs the Canadian company will incur?

If only folks realize the damage this has done to the investment climate in Nigeria. The list of agreements cancelled by governments in Nigeria is too long to bother listing here. What is the guarantee that a future government will not cancel this government's ongoing power privatization on the premise that "it did not follow due process"?

That is why you will never find long term lending for any business in Nigeria due to political instability and uncertainty.

This is an important point. In the end, it is obvious the Nigerian government has always conspired to discourage competent investors so it can, through cronies and fronts, gain valuable assets/processes it should not. The cumulative effect is that serious companies stay away from Nigeria.

1k001: Nigeria's credibility out the window!

Indeed.

Billyonaire: I am tempted to believe you require mental salvation. You derail from core subject of threads when your folly is opened up on Nairaland. You are one fellow that needs structural mental adjustment. If BPE under GEJ signed a contract with Manitoba after years of lobbying from OBJ administration, hibernation by Yaradua Administration and now terminated by GEJ when realized that due processes were not followed, who are you to know better than the Power Ministry and the Presidential Think-Tank. You are just a monika on Nairaland and nothing more than a barking dog. You are a paid agents of the surrogates of the Manitoba, and we will not let sell-outs like you handover our collective destinies into the hands of Western Imperialists and their covert representatives within our polity. I represent truth and light, you represent darkness. FEDs know better, you know nothing about Electricity Sector, so just watch and learn.

Liar, liar pants on fire.

hisson3: nice argument but your logic is faulty,first off, it is an irresponsible government that will approve then turn back to revoke its action after a long period of time & resources wasted all in the name of due process,that's so lame, but then again its only in nigeria I hear of such things, even angola down south have strict compliance to procedures, don't put your faith in this government,I doubt if the process will be completed 2 years from now,we really need a change.

That is what we are telling obdurate apologists too blinded by emotion and sectional bias. Did the FG go into this with its eyes closed or did it select Manitoba willingly when it had the total freedom and discretion to do otherwise? We will see where this is going. Predictable really. When the inevitable happens and a crony of government replaces Manitoba, these same set of Nairalanders will be here trying to spin that development in a positive light also.

Billyonaire: Stop your lamentation and do not make this personal cos of your health. FEDs via BPE signed the contract and faulted it there after, whats hurting you, are you paid by a Manitoba stakeholder to cry online ? FEDs signed the contract and was applauded, they have a better choice now, and the next choice will be more applauded than Manitoba, take a chill pill. You cant do s/h/i/t!

Liar, liar pants on fire Is it not easier to accept the truth than continue uttering inanity that make you appear deranged?

Where was this love of "due process" when the FG (headed by GEJ) and NNPC (headed by Allison-Madueke) were happily handing out fuel marketers licence to so many scammers?

WENGERNOMICS: But seriously Gbawe......why are Nigerians like this......GEJ approved BPE to go on and appoint Manitoba.....and then suddenly......towards d tail end......they realize due process was not followed......and so u set back d entire process ......back to square 1.......and some annoying nigerians will still be defending such rubbish openly.....

My guy, I really don't know. How can anyone be arguing in favour of the FG here. I am thoroughly ashamed of some Nigerians. As usual, the usual suspects are here defending what cannot/must not be defended and even lying blatantly to shore up their deception. It is the same as how they defended GEJ and Allison-Madueke over the subsidy scam when we all know that it was only the FG (under GEJ ) and NNPC (under Allison-Madueke) that ignored the "due process" they claim to love so much to issue fuel marketers licence to crooks who did not have the requisite capacity or ability to engage in fuel importation.

Here, again, some are defending this dishonest government over a simple matter. It was the FG that chose to re-engage Manitoba willingly after Yar Adua had stalled the privatisation initiative. The GEJ Government had the option to start the process afresh if it felt uncomfortable with Manitoba or suspected anything was amiss. Yet they chose to ignore that option only to now cry "foul" today.

The BPE , directed by the FG, willingly signed a contract with Manitoba. If they want to talk of lack of "due process" what would sensible folks think in regards to government culpability considering the BPE has the duty to ensure due process is adhered to? Should it be like the fuel subsidy saga where the FG and NNPC issued license to crooks only to then feign ignorance when the Nation was scammed blind by those fraudsters? Clearly we have a situation where partisanship and innate dishonesty is clouding logical thinking of some.

duality: I'm sorry I can't help you. your obsession for this Canadian company is rather unfortunate. You just don't seem to understand that their are vested interest in the Manitoba deal. Its Painful but we must get it right.

You can wriggle around in dishonesty all you want. It is clear the FG willingly decided to re-engage Manitoba , as a measure of a belief in the company's competence and capability, instead of re-advertising to enable interested companies to submit bids. Insinuating "vested interest" simply means you do not see the logical permutation of how the FG is guilty by default because it chose Manitoba when it had the total freedom to initiate an expanded process that may have produced a different company. We will see what happens from here on.

Billyonaire: I regret the fact that you are a Nigerian, I can say you hate the color of your skin. Why on earth will any right thinking Nigerian applaud handiwork of white-man than his fellow blacks, why do you clamor so much for a Canadian company ? If you say that BPE under GEJ signed the contract with Manitoba, what makes you think that same GEJ doesnt have a better plan on ground ? After all you say the contract was applauded. You are just one person that needs to get your loyalty and DNA rechecked again and again. I am sorry to say, you are not a patriotic African, you are a sellout. An covet rogue agent of the white men. You love Canada, America and Europe more than you love us. Its a fat shame.

Here we go again. You simply have no shame. So it is easier for you to try and turn this into a race issue rather than apologise for telling lies and attempting to deceive others? The part in bold just shows that you are a stark raving lunatic.

lagerwhenindoubt: Naive folks know where to hangout on Nairaland. pray-tell, how was the deal brokered and what were the irregularities noticed.. or is it Confidential Info not accessible through the FOI Act.

Thank you. For those not into self-deceit, it is very obvious this is simply a cynical move , after GEJ has come under pressure, to favour cronies of government. It is the age old formula of conceding Juicy assets/processes to 'pals' or fronts of government.

duality: Gbawe, is it wrong to backtrack when the possess is faulty? I think its most reasonable to do so. Have you asked for the reasons Late Yaradua stalled the process? He most likely would have done the same. Besides, if these issues are not dealt with. you'd be the one to complain, query and react harshly when problems arise.

Gbawe, please don't leverage on the naivety of folks here. We as Nigerians must learn to do things right. I can put my money on the fact that you know absolutely nothing on how the Manitoba deal was brokered. come-on....

Please shut up !!! Why are you and others so dishonest? When caught out you are then runnning from pillar to post instead of showing character and simply admitting you spoke out of turn. Can you not read? Is it not clear to you that the GEJ Government that took the decision to re-engaged Manitoba rather than restart the process of screening interested companies all over again?

I am simply tired of the dishonesty of some of you. You are like your 419 leaders who turn to double-speak when exposed. The BPE, under GEJ's directive, was comfortable to re-engage Manitoba without any desire to screen others. We would assume the BPE stuck to its professional brief in doing a decent job to harsh out the contract signed with Manitoba. What is therefore the pedantic 'due process' argument folks like you are now supporting Naively? Should we all, like you, blindly support every action of Government without even using logic?

However, when Jonathan took over in 2010 and launched the Power Sector Road Map that same year, the Federal Government directed the BPE to continue with the process from where it had been stopped, rather than re-advertising for prospective companies to express interest all over.

Billyonaire: The process was started during OBJ regime, please get your facts right.

You are simply shameless. You should be apologising for your lie below because the current contract engaging Manitoba has nothing to do with OBJ as you falsely assert:

Billyonaire: All the DISCOS we selected in an open bid, but Manitoba Canada's contract was signed under OBJ regime without due process, and no open bidding. If we must get it right, we have to be transparent, and we must do it right and not let vested interest of past administrations blind our sense of judgement. We need an open bid process to appoint the best firm to handle this job, if Manitoba wins in an open bidding then so be it.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201211140262.html

Nigeria: Power Privatisation - President Cancels Manitoba Contract
BY IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, 14 NOVEMBER 2012

In a move aimed at ensuring that due process is followed, President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday cancelled the $23.72 million management contract for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), a critical component of the power reform and privatisation programme.

The president, THISDAY learnt last night, cancelled the contract that was awarded to Canadian firm, Manitoba Hydro International, which had been selected by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) to run TCN for three years, with the option to extend for another two years.

Manitoba had signed the $23.7 million management contract with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) last July, following a long drawn out process that lasted more than five years, in which the Canadian firm and Power Grid of India had their technical and financial proposals evaluated to determine which of the companies would be selected as management contractor.

The selection process for a management contractor was started under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007, but was stalled by his successor, the late President Umaru Yar'Adua, who rolled back the power sector reform and privatisation programme.

However, when Jonathan took over in 2010 and launched the Power Sector Road Map that same year, the Federal Government directed the BPE to continue with the process from where it had been stopped, rather than re-advertising for prospective companies to express interest all over.

The decision was based on the fact that the government was eager to jump-start the power privatisation process without the bureaucratic red tape.

But presidency sources said the president based his decision to cancel the contract on a memo sent by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which for several weeks, had been pushing for its cancellation on the premise that did it not pass through due process as provided under the Public Procurement Act.

The Director General of the BPP, Emeka Eze, THISDAY learnt, was said to have kicked against the appointment of Manitoba because a few material irregularities had been noticed in the process that led to the company's selection.

Billyonaire: @ The Bolded! You are confusing DISCOs with TCN, you need to pay more attention to details before you sound a conviction.

You are the one who is confused and a liar to boot. I really don't know why it is ignorant folks like you and your pal Duality who are always the most likely to attack others and/or talk condescendingly to them.