₦airaland Forum

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday inaugurated Mr. Reynold Dagogo-Jack of the National Integrated Power Project as the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power at a brief ceremony in the Presidential Villa.

He takes over from Prof. Barth Nnaji, who resigned as Minister of Power last week.

The task force has the duty of developing and driving the Federal Government’s action plan for the power sector as well as articulating a proper plan of action for implementation in the areas of power generation, transmission and distribution, Premium Times reports.

Other members of the recomposed task force are the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, the Chief Executive Officer – Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Gas Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Geregu Generation Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Ughelli Generation Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Eko Distribution Company, the Chief Executive Offcier, Abuja Distribution Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Company, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria and Evaristus Mogbo.

The Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Fund will serve as Consultants to the Task Force while an officer of Directorate rank in the Federal Ministry of Power designated by the Permanent Secretary will serve as Secretary to the recomposed task force.

   http://www.punchng.com/news/dagogo-jack-takes-over-from-nnaji-as-head-of-presidential-task-force-on-power/

The Nigerian Navy on Wednesday said it had rescued a Singapore-owned oil tanker hijacked by pirates on Tuesday night.
Navy spokesman Kabir Aliyu told the British Broadcasting Corporation the crew was safe, the hijackers had fled and the vessel, the Abu Dhabi Star, was being escorted into the port of Lagos.
Earlier, the navy denied reports that the tanker was seized in the port.
Pirates had hijacked the Singapore-owned oil tanker in Nigerian waters, the third attack in just over two weeks in the Gulf of Guinea, the International Maritime Bureau said Wednesday.
It was the 37th hijack this year, an average of four per month.
The group said the tanker was seized within the port of Lagos, but Nigerian authorities insisted the attack happened farther offshore.
The vessel, which had 23 crew on board, was laden with fuel, IMB’s Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting centre said, adding that the pirates were sailing the ship into the open sea.
It did not say how the pirates hijacked the tanker on Tuesday evening.
“We have informed the Nigerian authorities who are taking action,” Noel Choong, head of the IMB’s Malaysia-based piracy reporting centre told Agence France Presse.
The crew members had locked themselves in a safe room, said Choong, who added, “We are concerned about their safety and the spate of hijackings.”
Aliyu confirmed the attack, saying efforts were being made to track down the tanker.

“The vessel was hijacked last night off the coast of Nigeria. We are trying to get the details of the seizure but everything is being done to ensure the safety of the crew,” Commodore Kabir Aliyu told AFP.

The Nigeria Ports Authority denied reports that the vessel was hijacked within the Lagos port complex.

“There has been no hijacking of vessels in the Lagos ports. In fact, it cannot happen and it has never happened. If there was any seizure it would be on the high sea,” NPA spokesman Michael Ajayi told AFP.

Pirates hijacked and looted two oil tankers off nearby Togo last month. The two ships and all crew members were later freed.

The IMB’s Choong said the same criminal syndicate could be behind the latest attack since the modus operandi was the same.

“They would seize the ship for about five days — ransack the crew’s cabin and syphon the oil to another pirate vessel,” he said.

The IMB has repeatedly warned ships plying the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa to be vigilant and called on authorities to step up patrols, saying last year the region was emerging as a new piracy “hot spot”.

The area has seen 37 attacks, including several hijackings, kidnappings and killings, so far this year. Pirates usually target cargo, loading it onto other ships to sell on the black market.

Nigeria and nearby Benin launched joint patrols last year in a bid to combat the problem.

http://www.punchng.com/news/pirates-strike-again-in-nigerian-waters-hijack-oil-tanker/#comments

The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) yesterday disclosed that it has paid a little over N25billion to contractors handling various federal government projects funded through the programme.

In a statement, the committee noted the encouraging performance of some contractors handling projects on rail and road construction, and approved payments for the stages of projects that had been certified as completed so far after it had visited the projects for verification. Among the contractors paid are; Dantata & Sawoe Construction Nigeria limited for certified sections on Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road (Abuja-Sheda Junction) and on the 510 km Kano-Maiduguri (Kano-Wudil-Shuarin) road dualisation scheme, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) for railway projects on Idu-Kaduna and Jebba- Kano rail line rehabilitation.
Others include, Messrs Reynold Construction co. for works on East-West Rd section 3(PH-Eket) and Benin-Ore-Shagamu section 1;  Esser West Africa for the Eastern rail line projects from Port Harcout- Makurdi; Niger Construction Ltd for Enugu-Onitsha road dualisation; Costain West Africa for the railway rehabilitation from Jebba-Kano and Messrs Gitto Construzioni for work on Abuja-Lokoja road.

Payments were also approved for the first stage of activities and the appointment of workers supporting the programme on maternal and child health in some states of the federation.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/news/176051-adamawa-assembly-orders-release-of-devt-areas-funds

@ilugunboy You still didn't answer the new questions raised. I thought you were going to do that, than classifying an issue that is less than 60days an old issue. That's how we sweep issues under the carpet, forgetting that they are there waiting for us, thereby compounding our problems.

Though Pa Awolowo is a house hold name In the western part of Nigeria, TINUBU needs no introduction either. These two giants in recent times have been at opposite ends, a situation that has threatened the unity of Afenifere. It would be recalled that recently, the Nation was shocked by a publication in The Nation Newspaper, a national daily owned by TINUBU, disparaging Awo's family for allegedly not attending inauguration ceremonies of Osun and Oyo state Govs. The editor of The Nation, Sam Omatseye, who also doubles as Tinubu's media manager had written an article titled "Awo family without Awo", where he condemned the passivity and non active participation of the family in ACN politics. The paper generated a lot of controversy , as analyst saw it as a ploy by ACN to immortalize TINUBU, make him appear more than Awo, and consequently place him as the true leader of the Western region.
Shockingly, TINUBU in a bid to clear the air on the issue, ended up worsening the matter. In a letter to Awo's wife- Mama Awo, TINUBU claimed that the editor was entitled to his opinion and that the write up didn't emanate from him. He further claimed that TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER, which is affiliated to the Awos, had on several occasion deamonised him in the past and he didn't complain. Hmmmmmmmmm
So is TINUBU equating himself with AWOS? Can he ever match Awo's record? Is it best for him to claim that that becos Tribune had deamonised him, it is justifiable to sponsor a paper that questions the integrity of the Awos, a family that is revered among the Yorubas? With Tinubu's egocentric and self centered character(especially the removal of vocal and vibrant Sen. Smart and replacing him with His wife, recent LAUTECH appointment as Chancellor, handling of all juicier contracts in Lagos state, reported extortion of all ACN governed states in the name of contributing to party purse and so on) can he ever be at Awo's record?

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, in Abuja, appealed to international development partners and the private sector to support the Federal Government’s effort at creating jobs for the youths.
The President made the call at the launch of the second phase of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin) programme.
YouWin scheme, launched at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, was targeted at young women entrepreneurs.
The President, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, said the second phase was initiated to focus on harnessing the brilliant ideas, innovative acumen and drive that vibrant young Nigerian women possessed.
He said 1,200 award winners would be selected across the six geo-political zones, in which each beneficiary would receive between N1 million to N10 million in addition to other training programmes.The President called on relevant stakeholders, including international development partners and the private sector operators to join hands with government in the execution of the programme.

“I urge all stakeholders, including our youths and their leaders in the private sector, as well as international and development partners to join hands with us as we expand this laudable initiative and give fresh hope to our young people. 
“People may ask why the government talks about YouWin. Of course, we know that the present administration is committed to creating jobs for Nigerians. 
“And jobs could be created through direct employment by government and her parastatals and agencies; but, we believe that a more sustainable approach to job creation is encouraging the private sector.

“And to do that, we need to build young entrepreneurs that will be able to employ five or more people and that multiplier effect will give us more job opportunities than even government expanding the parastatals that will make them less productive.

“That is one of the cardinal points of YouWin,” he said.

The President said after the First Phase in which both men and women benefited, attention was focused on women in the Second Phase in line with the global trend on empowerment of women and children.
“We must come up with programmes that will help women and protect and save lives of children, that is, at the UN level. So, we must do things that other nations will copy (from) us; we should not only be copying from others,” he said.
Jonathan explained that women were better managers in terms of using little money to create opportunities and admonished the beneficiaries of the programme to make judicious use of the funds when made available to them, while giving assurance that the process of selection of beneficiaries would be transparent.
He also said that the selection process would be devoid of the usual ``godfatherism’’ syndrome.
The Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, recalled that the maiden edition of YouWin Business Plan competition was inaugurated in October 2011.
She said the programme, which was aimed at attracting ideas and innovations from Nigerian youth entrepreneurs, had progressed well and yielded fruitful results.
The minister pointed out that “since disbursement commenced in July, about 933 of the 1200 beneficiaries of the first batch of YouWin award winners have received the first tranche of about N1,03 billion of their award funds and are already implementing their approved business plans.

“The few yet to receive their own funds will do so by the end of next week. As we will hear from some of the awardees today, many are already creating jobs for fellow youths as a result of their YouWin grants.”
The minister disclosed that the second edition of the programme would identify 1,200 young female entrepreneurs to join the first cohort as YouWin awardees.
Also, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said the process of selecting awardees was made up of three stages - the launch; the evaluation; and the final selection stages.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Salamatu Maina, said the programme heralded another landmark of the administration’s quest to economically empower the Nigerian women, particularly the young females.
She called on women with business ideas to maximise the opportunity by bringing up innovative business proposals that would qualify them for the grant.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97773:jonathan-seeks-global-support-for-job-creation-in-nigeria&catid=31:business&Itemid=562

Nigerians don't want 5000 note, but Melaye protest is suspect. Last time, I joined the eagle square protest, and we know how some of them were cornered and given chips to stop shouting. Immediately they ran into hiding. Today he is at it again, one wonders how much he is expecting from Sanusi

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday affirmed that the only way to sweep corruption out of the country is to vote out bad leaders.

Jonathan said this in Abuja, at the inauguration of the 2nd edition of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria, YouWin.
Jonathan said: “We feel that for a political dispensation to be relevant to the people to endure, the electoral process must be sanitised. The voter card of Nigerians must make them vote out the bad politicians, that is the only way we politicians will be committed and do what is right and for that we promised to change the electoral process, we have not reached where we want to go but Nigerians and indeed, all the people that have been monitoring our elections have observed that this is a different face of Nigeria and we will continue to improve on it.”

He said his government is also tackling the issue of corruption which has bedeviled the nation for a long time, adding that  “in this country, these days, people talk about corruption, sometimes those who are corrupt even shout more about corruption but we are tackling it gradually.

If you look at the Agriculture sector, procurement of fertilisers and tractors and other scandal that was going on, we have stopped that, the oil sector, we are going to stop it, gradually this will thin down, we cannot change the society overnight but we have to take step it by step by step.”He added.

http://www.elladiary.com/2012/09/jonathan-advises-electorates-to-vote.html

This rapid increase in power generation and supply obviously means GEJ's transformation is yielding desired result. He need to be supported. No Govt has ever achieved this.

I make bold to say I have never liked him. He is one shameless fool. I pity those who identify with him. Peddler of falsehood.

Now they are talking. Govt should look at their genuine cases and address same. Secession is not an option.

Peoples Democratic Party has asked a former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.),  to stop inciting Nigerians against the government.
The party stated this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Sunday.
According to the PDP,   political differences notwithstanding, it expects  Buhari  to acknowledge the  progress the country had made in internalising democratic culture since the return of democracy in 1999.
The party was reacting to comments by Buhari  while on a visit to Kano last week.

The Congress for Progressive Change’s presidential candidate for the 2011 general elections had said the ruling PDP  had breached the 1999 Constitution on many occasions.
But the PDP said it was shocked by  such comments.
The statement read in part,  “We shudder that a former Head of State under whose watch freedom of expression landed many Nigerians in detention on account of his obnoxious decrees, and who now enjoys such freedom, is utterly ungrateful to the efforts of our great party in advancing the cause of democracy.

“If the CPC leadership does not understand what the rule of law is, let’s oblige them with little details.

“And for General Buhari, the evangelist of Rule of law, Nigerians wish to know  if unlawful incitement of the populace to violence and attack on the institutions of democracy is part of the rule of law.”

It added that criticisms from  the opposition would  not make the  government to deny Nigerians their  inalienable rights.

The statement said, “The PDP loses elections and winners are sworn in;  we do not use our incumbency at the centre to stop  the democratic wishes of the people.”

This, it said, was not so with the  opposition parties, which it alleged  was in the habit of rigging local government  elections in their states.

It cited Lagos and Ogun states as examples where such incidents had happened.

It said because the Federal Government had nothing to hide, it  enacted the Freedom of Information Act so that Nigerians would  not be in the dark as to how the nation was being run.

The PDP advised  Buhari to concentrate on giving Nigerians alternative ideas and plan of action to what the party  had at present or even engage it in a public debate on the values of good governance.

It reminded Buhari of what Nigerians  went through under his regime.

“There is no doubt that even the blind can distinguish between the daylight it is today and the deep dark night it was hitherto,” it added.

Me I just dey Laugh

The seeming cold war between former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and the Presidency appears to have taken a new twist as he and former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, as well as some sitting governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have perfected plans to float a new political party ahead of the 2015 elections.
In the plot, driven mostly by some serving and former governors from the Northern part of the country, Obasanjo is expected to make a statement in mid-2013, stating reasons for power to return to the North in 2015.
Also in the know of this plot are two serving governors from the South-South and about 10 former governors; three from the South-West and two of whom are in the current Senate, as well as not less than 30 serving senators on the platform of the PDP.
This development is coming on the heels of a private meeting between the two former military leaders a few weeks ago in which both issued a statement on the current state of insecurity in the country, particularly in the Northern part, just as Obasanjo had denied media reports that he was propping Jigawa governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and his Rivers counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, for president and vice president respectively in 2015.
A source close to the two Generals told Sunday Tribune that the thrust of the meeting of the duo was mainly on the 2015 presidential election, even as both weighed the possible consequences of any desire by President Goodluck Jonathan to seek re-election in 2015.
The president has neither denied nor confirmed that he would, again, take a shot at the nation’s number one position in 2015.
All the same, the PDP spoke through its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, that it would rather wait to confirm the move, describing Sunday Tribune’s inquisition as ‘speculative’.

“We have issued a statement on the alliances the media have been reporting all along; we remain unperturbed because the people elected us and when the time comes, the same people will decide our fate. No amount of gang up will be looked at as important.

“On the unconfirmed reports of possible formation of a break away party from the PDP, let us wait until that happens; we will wait to confirm such stories than react now”, Metuh told Sunday Tribune on the telephone.

Nonetheless, our source said, “all things being equal, the situation will unveil itself by mid 2013.”

“Whatever we think about these two men (OBJ and IBB), they are politicians who will continue to give direction and good counsel to the people of this country, their shortcomings notwithstanding, because no one is faultless.

“I can confirm to you in confidence that when they met, the issue of the 2015 presidential race was in the front burner vis-a-vis the possible implications the rumoured ambition of the current president will have on the nation.
“As men who had fought once to keep this nation together, they owe it a duty to give proper direction at all times. But you know, this is politics; the office of the president is like god. So, they equally believe and are not oblivious of the fact that a lot can happen under a president.

“So, the issue about the next presidential election is being looked into from different angles that will engender unity and cohesion in the country. If need be, a new political party, a veritable platform, will emerge by mid-2013 to provide the needed vehicle for that national unity and cohesion I am talking about; and by the time someone like OBJ speaks at that point, the nation will know better,” he said.
Sunday Tribune learnt that one of the grouses of former President Obasanjo is the sudden loss of political relevance to the Senator Bola Tinubu-led Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the South-West, apart from the fact that the zone is the less patronised in the present dispensation under Jonathan.

Meanwhile, former Senate president in the First Republic, Mr. Joseph Wayas, has called on Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State to accept alleged former President Obasanjo’s proposition of a Lamido/Amechi presidential ticket in 2015.
The former Senate president made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Lamido on Friday.

He led The Albinos Foundation of Nigeria (TAFN) on the visit.

Mr Wayas told the governor, that he (Wayas) represented the national grand patron of the foundation fomer President Shehu Shagari.
“No matter what, don't dare reject the people and statesmen like Obasanjo,” he said, adding that “you are not only Jigawa State material, but the nation’s material. It is a must to answer the people’s call to serve Nigeria.”
He maintained that the governor was dynamic, principled and hardworking, adding that he had vast experience, which he has demonstrated as governor of the state. He said this was an indication of his capability to rule the country

Even though GEJ is trying, they should not distract him. Let him settle down and work

Welldone Navy

We hope that the state will judiciously use the proceeds from the derivation for developmental projects.

Wrong move at a very wrong time. National Assembly must kick this N5000 stuff into thrash can period

geeez: Can this happen like now? As in right now

It will be seriously rejected, especially if the agenda is to fuel secession

No fewer than 200 vessels allegedly used in illegal oil bunkering have been arrested in the last nine months by the Nigerian Navy in the Niger Delta region.
This was disclosed by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjimi, while inspecting the readiness of ships and establishments for the biannual inspection of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Saheed Ibrahim, at Onne, near Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Ogunjimi stated that since the arrival of NNS Thunder nine months ago, the vessel had arrested over 200 vessels suspected to have been involved in illegal oil bunkering in the region.

He added that out of the figure, about eight of the vessels were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.
The FOC, who addressed officers and men on board NNS Thunder, after assessing two other vessels, NNS Kiyawa and NNS Ologbo, at Onne, said naval personnel would continue to fight oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

He expressed delight that with the arrival of NNS Thunder, there had been improvement on fight against illegal oil activities on the territorial waterways.
Ogunjimi added that recently, a wooden boat carrying about 150 drums of illegally refined petroleum products was impounded by NNS Pathfinder in Port Harcourt.
Addressing officers and men at the base, the FOC described the August 18, 2012 tragedy where an officer and two ratings of NNS Jubilee were killed, as sad
The naval boss lamented that the incident was avoidable if proper security “consciousness” was exhibited by the victims.
He urged them to be security conscious, adding that the use of life jacket was for their good.
“Whether you know how to swim or not, you should always use life jacket,” he said, advising that they should improve their swimming ability.
He, however, expressed satisfaction with what he saw during his assessment tour, which he started on Monday, having earlier visited Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.

The Yoruba General Assembly yesterday called for regional autonomy for the Southwest in an atmosphere of true federalism in Nigeria. 
The group dismissed the thinking that regional autonomy will undermine or subvert national unity, stressing that it could only solidify national cohesion and harmony.
The assembly, which held a one-day conference in Ibadan, the political headquarters of the Southwest, also canvassed state police, return to parliamentary system, abolition of the Land Use Decree, regional constitutions and role for traditional rulers. 
Highlights of the conference included a historical presentation by a member of the planning committee, Mr. Dipo Famakinwa, who traced the tragedy of the Yoruba nation from the colonial period to the present day Nigeria, goodwill messages from delegates and passing of resolutions on the national question. 
The General Assembly resolved to set up the Southwest Constitutional Commission “for the purpose of coordinating memoranda from citizens and groups in the region towards a federal constitution for the country and of producing a constitutional framework for the region as a unit of the Nigerian federation”.
The meeting also listed the demand of the Yoruba, including the adoption of a parliamentary system, regional and state police, establishment of a Constitutional Court with jurisdiction over inter-governmental cases and petitions from elections to the National Assembly, open ballot system, Yoruba anthem and flag.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/news/59785-yoruba-demand-regional-autonomy-state-police.html

Pathetic

The police in Lagos have told PM News they will soon be ready to prosecute Senator Bukola Saraki, and that the delay in the process is to ensure that the investigation is thorough so that the prosecution is not thrown out by a court on a technicality.

In an interview published in today’s edition, Mr. Ayotunde Ogunsakin, the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit (SFU), told the newspaper that as a matter that involves an important personality and some other individuals, the Saraki case cannot be hidden.  

Below are some excerpts from the interview:

Sir what’s the update on Saraki’s case and why have you refused to prosecute him?
It’s not that we have refused to prosecute him, you must be aware that we are doing a very extensive and painstaking investigation, we don’t want a situation where we rush him to court and the case will be thrown out. As it is now, we have carried out extensive investigation and it involves a lot of work. However, what I can tell you at this stage is that investigation is almost concluded. The whole world we know when we conclude the investigation. It’s not a case that can be hidden as it involves an important personality and some other individuals. So we are doing a painstaking and intensive investigation so as not to get to court unprepared. That’s all I can tell you. We want to be as diligent as possible.

We are aware that you are investigating a case in FAAN, can we get the update?
Yes, that is also a very critical case in the sense that it has to be extensive as we want it to be. It has to do with the officials of FAAN, Senior officials of FAAN past and present; senior officials of Ministry of Aviation, past and present; very senior officials. I won’t be able to give details now so as not to impede our investigation. Since some of the people we are investigating are still in office, we don’t want to give all the details out. However, I can tell you it has to do with funds and inappropriate use of funds, inappropriate funding in terms of training outside Nigeria and inappropriateness in the award of contracts. These are some of the allegations…and you know the issue of FAAN is very sensitive as it has to do with planes flying and all that, especially with the problems in the aviation industry. We want to be as painstaking as possible, and we don’t want our investigation to disrupt operations at the airport.

Most time when you charge suspects to court, when they are granted bail, they come back to the same crime. What do you think is the solution?
I think that’s the society issue. Like you are aware that we arrested a guy recently who committed the same offence and we took him to court; at the court he was granted bail but as soon as he was out, he was discovered to have gone and defraud another person, committing same offence and so we had to pick him up again. I think it has to do with justice administration, and it appears that the justice system is slow but surely we will get there. At times maybe we need to review our laws too, to tackle issues like this, so there can be an improvement in our legislation, especially in fraud cases like this. Or other issues that require National Assembly to look into our fraud and evidence cases, so that when something like this comes up, they can also assist the police to curb such offences. What I can say is that we cannot say the judiciary isn’t doing enough but like all facets of the society, the police reform and the judiciary are places we should look into as well. Our legislation also has to be looked at.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/n11-billion-fraud-police-will-prosecute-bukola-saraki-commissioner

Former Power Minister Barth Nnaji
Revealed: The battle that consumed ex-Minister Nnaji
FORMER Power Minister Barth Nnaji lost his job to the fierce power play by investors bidding for plants and distribution companies, it was learnt last night.
No fewer than 51 investors are bidding for 11 distribution companies, including the controversial Enugu Distribution Company, which cost Nnaji his job.
According to sources, some of the powerful would-be investors that Nnaji may have offended include some ex-Heads of State, governors, top businessmen who are also  election financiers,  one or two retired Secretaries to the Government of the Federation, some stakeholders in the Southsouth and Southeast and top government officials.
These powerful interests are covertly promoting companies bidding for power plants and distribution companies through their surrogates and international investors.
Their list was, however, kept secret last night.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that these vested interests were “too hot for Nnaji to handle”.
It was learnt that Nnaji managed to accommodate these bigwigs until he ran into a “big storm” in the Southeast where his company, Geometric Power was implicated in the bid for Afam Power Plant and Enugu Distribution Company.
Geometric Power, is said to have a minority stake in the Eastern Electric Nigeria Limited, which submitted technical and financial bids for Enugu Distribution Company on July 31.
Also, one of the consortia bidding for Afam Power Plant, O and M Solutions of Pakistan, was once  Geometric Power’s contractor.
A source said: “The ex-Minister cannot talk but he has a lot up his sleeve. He had been coping with pressure because the elite who call the shot in the country are neck-deep in the scrambling for these power plants and distribution companies.
“They include some ex-Heads of State, governors, top businessmen, who are also election financiers, retired Secretary to the Government of the Federation, some stakeholders in the Southsouth and Southeast and government officials.
“He is a victim of elite war for the control of the power sector. His tact, however, failed him in managing these elite, especially those from the Southsouth and Southeast. His problem started with the submission of the technical and financial bids for Afam and Enugu Distribution Company. Reports indicated that during the process, one of Nnaji’s close relations was sighted submitting bids for one or two companies.
“And the submission was witnessed by BPE officials, World Bank representatives and all security agencies.
“These security agencies might have also submitted indicting reports to the National Council on Privatisation.
“But the sighting of Nnaji’s alleged relation drew curiosity, which led to the unraveling of Geometric Power’s interest and equity in one of the firms bidding for Afam Power Plant and Enugu DISCO.
“Some stakeholders in the Southeast, led by a powerful moneybag, foresaw the likelihood of Nnaji coming from the backdoor to emerge as the sole supplier and distributor of power to the region in future. The management of a power plant in Aba by Geometric Power alluded to their fears.”
According to sources, the Southeast stakeholders capitalised on the implication of Geometric Power in the bid process to petition the NCP and the Presidency.
Another source said: “Based on the petition, which was verified by security agencies, Nnaji was confronted at the NCP meeting where he explained that he had resigned as a director of Geometric Power and put his shares in a blind trust.
“But the Chairman of the NCP, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, was not convinced and he walked Nnaji out of the session. The bids were later cancelled, based on Nnaji’s conflict of interest.
“An official report was made to President Goodluck Jonathan on the conflict of interest of the ex-minister and the President decided that Nnaji must go.
“What pained the government was that it had assured the international community of a transparent process and the involvement of the minister’s firm cast a doubt on the integrity of the process. It was like drawing back the privatisation process.”
A government source said: “This development has grave implications for the timelines for the privatisation of the power plants and the DISCOS.
“We will be forced to adjust the timelines and we might be seen by investors as unserious.”
The BPE had in a statement released the timetable as follows: “The transaction timeline reveals that the evaluation of the technical bids will take place between August 14 and 28, 2012. The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) will approve the results of the technical evaluation by September 11, 2012.
“The deadline for the short listed bidders for generation companies to submit their letters of credit is September 18, 2012 while October 2, 2012 is the deadline for short listed bidders for distribution companies. 
“Consequently, NCP’s approval will pave the way for the opening of financial bids of the short listed investors.
“The BPE will on September 25, 2012 open the financial bids of prospective investors for the generating companies while October 10, 2012 is the date for the opening of the financial bids for the distribution companies. 
“The announcement of the preferred bidders for the generating companies is October 9, 2012 while October 23, 2012 is the date for the announcement of the preferred bidders for the distribution companies.”

If dog barks, they blame FG, if they don't construct drainages and flood comes, they blame FG, so State Govt's don't have responsibilities again abi? Fashola should better fix his wahala and stop blaming others for his state's mishap. I dey vez

Very soon, you will hear that Buhari was sighted in Minna. Buhari will go and beg, he knows his hands are not clean.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has scored his administration high, saying he achieved all that he set out to do as President between 1999 and 2007.
Obasanjo said this in Lagos on Tuesday after delivering a lecture titled, ‘Leadership foundation and underpinning’ as the guest speaker at the forum of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative.
He said after observing that Nigeria was at the precipice and under heavy debt, he focused on holding the country together, securing debt relief and improving the image of the country.
When asked if he had regrets concerning his two cycles of political leadership of the country, Obasanjo said, “When I was military Head of State, my main concern was how do we forge a united country and a self reliant country? So, the constitution was very important. We established a constitution that helped us to achieve that.
“When I came back in 1999, some people came to me and said I will be the last president of Nigeria. There were different groups at that time; there were the Egbesu Boys, the OPC and the Arewa. Some people thought the centre would not hold together. The need then again was how do we hold the people together and how do we pay off our debts?”
He added, “Nigeria was a pariah state, which nobody wanted to touch. But by the time we left, Nigeria was the darling of the world. So (for that) I don’t think there was anything I wanted to achieve that I didn’t achieve.”
He however admitted that his administration did not succeed in fixing the power sector, but blamed it on paucity of funds.
“If I had had money, I would have started working on power earlier than we started. People have forgotten that when I came in, there was little funds to do much. But then we started the National Integrated Power Project and the oil companies that were supposed to assist us were not forthcoming. I think it was only Agip that built something,” he said.
To buttress the achievement of his administration, Obasanjo said when he became President in 1999, Nigeria’s reserve was $3.7bn and the country was spending $3bn every year to pay interest on debts.
“At the time we owed about $35bn. But by the time I left,  our reserve was about $45bn. We had paid all our debts. Our debt sum, all that we owed was about $3bn. And we had about $35bn in what we call the excess crude account for a rainy day. And when we left they said the rain has come and cleared the account,” he said.
Obasanjo also stressed the need for training of leaders in Africa to effectively respond to the global challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century.

— Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, weekend, broke his silence on why he resigned as the party’s Board of Trustees Chairman, claiming that he did it so as to concentrate on international issues.

Obasanjo said his resignation was “to attract business opportunities to Africa in general and Nigeria, in particular, in view of the happenings in Europe and America.”

Reacting to the crisis bedeviling the Peoples’  Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, the former President declared that he had no grudge against ex-governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the party’s financier, Buruji Kashamu and other aggrieved members of the party.

Obasanjo, who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting in his Hiltop residence in Abeokuta, urged party executives to open its doors to everybody ‘regardless of their antecedents.’

It would be recalled that the party has been enmeshed in leadership crisis which had polarised the party into four  factions with Obasanjo, Daniel, Kashamu and Jubril Martins-Kuye leading the factions.

[quote author=Demdem][/quote]It is shameful that you have straight jacketed yourself to perhaps one meaning, even in the face of linguistic dynamism. In Logic, there is what is popularly known as stipulative definition. This reminds us that language assumes non static posture. Consequently, linguists use a particular word to mean so many things. This again opens up another important issue in Language called contextualism, which basically tells us to look at the context of usage and get our meaning. Heheheheehe
If you really want to know what Boss means, it refers a politician who controls a party or party machine( free online dictionary), this is just one meaning of Boss, and it suits this context.
I used it within this context because you appear to defend what Buhari represents. if you are denying his philosophy, do that maturedly. Must we use abusive words? Hmmmmmm.
Nlanders, can't we have people that will just approach issues based on their merit? Logicians will say fallacy of Argumentum ad hominen

Demdem: Firstly, Buhari is no boss of mine.
Secondly when has the words of the Retardeen's father, IBB himself the great maradonnaa been held in high esteem by you?
cant u see that u are an hypocrite.
Again, Expose buhari for all i care if there is anything to expose. You dont even need to say it before u do it. JUST DO IT. Just like the retardeen that will talk first before he acts, i now know here the traits comes from.

You support Buhari with all vigor and still not call him boss, shameful. You don't find fault in him even when you claim that you have the interest of this nation at heart. He threatened blood shed, you praised him, when the post election violence orchestrated by CPC claimed lives and destroyed properties, you were at his feet chanting the warrior anthem. Jonathan is fixing power, no thumbs up, has fixed electoral matters, no Welldone, he is working on infrastructure, and exposing crooks, no praises yet Boko Harams will be here peddling falsehood. Aproko people

Blood of innocent Nigerians is driving him crazy. The perpetually unelectable character, your days are numbered. Very soon, we shall know who is more sincere to Nigeria. Be there deceiving the alimajiri people