I listen to naija radio stations through the TuneIn Radio app on my blackberry. But Online, it's probably gonna be through their website though.

The Federal Government is to build a new N2.2bn banquet hall in the the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

An approval for the hall, according to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed, was granted by the Federal Executive Council during its meeting on Wednesday.

Wikipedia dictionary defines a banquet hall as a room or building for the purpose of hosting a party, reception, or other social events.

There is an existing hall in the Villa where national events are held.

The proposed 150- capacity hall will have walk ways, security post, hall conveniences, technical room and press briefing room.

Defending the approval, Muhammed, told State House correspondents that the council did so because smaller countries had befitting banquet halls in their seats of power.

Muhammed said the contract for the construction was awarded to Julius Berger, a company that is already in charge of services in the Presidential Villa.

He said, “The second project approved by council is the building of a 150-seater Banquet Hall in the Presidential Villa.

“We noticed that it(existing hall) is inconveniencing; it is not in tandem with what is outside the country. Even smaller countries have better Banquet Halls near their Presidential residences. Of course, part of the things we are going to provide there is a 150-seater (hall) with all the facilities that will cover the walk ways, security, hall conveniences, technical room and press briefing room that are more and more enhanced so that national broadcast can be done from there.

“The contract was awarded in the sum of N2.2billion to Julius Berger because they are more familiar with the terrain in the Presidential Villa and for security reasons.”

But the approval of the contract for the hall was flayed by the Executive President, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adediran, as “irresponsible and wicked.”

Adediran, who said the government did not care about the welfare of the people, added, “This goes a long way to demonstrate the weakness of our leaders. They only care for things that favour them, their relatives and their caucus.

“ This is unimaginable, it can never be done under a dedicated government. Of what use is the hall? Is it for them to deepen corruption or to legislate? Personal satisfaction must be suppressed for the country to grow.”

The first contract okayed by FEC during the meeting which was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan is for the rehabilitation of some selected roads in Garki and Wuse Districts at the cost of N2.78bn

The FCT minister said the contract became necessary because the affected roads had exceeded their 15 years average designed life span.

He said the reconstruction work, which had been scheduled in phases, would focus on Herbert Macaulay Way, IBB Way, Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Sultan Abubakar Way, Michael Opara Way and Ladi Kwali Street.

Muhammad said that the project would be able to generate about 750 employment opportunities during its execution.

According to him, the FCT administration set aside N400m in its 2012 budget for the commencement of the project.

The minister said that FEC also approved a Revised Estimated Total Cost of the contract for the construction of Tank 1 and 6 and Associated Truck Mains for Abuja Water project from N22bn to N20bn.

Also briefing correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, the Senior Adviser on Media to the President, Dr Reuben Abati, said the Council approved N148.9m for the conduct of Fiscal Allocation and Statutory Disbursement Audit for the 2007-2011 Oil and Gas Industry Audit.

Abati and Mohammed were joined at the briefing by the ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed; Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson; Works(state), Ambassador Bashir Yuguda; Foreign Affairs I(state), Mrs. Viola Onwuliri; Power(state), Mrs. Zainab Kuchi; and Transport, Senator Idris Umar.

FEC, according to the presidential spokesman, approved a contract for the engagement of a consultant for the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to conduct fiscal allocation and statutory disbursement audit of the nation’s oil and gas industry.

He said, “The assignment given is to track extractive industry sector funds received into the Federation Account as were distributed and received by the federal, state and local government councils, with special emphasis on the application and utilisation of the funds on beneficiaries of the 13 per cent derivation and relevant federal institutions that directly receive allocations from the Federation Account.”

FEC also approved two contracts totalling N6.3bn for the National Identity Management System project.

Johnson said a contract for the supply of 30 million customised blank smartcards meant for the production of the identity cards was awarded in the sum of N5.3bn.

She also said that a contract for the personalisation of the card was also awarded in the sum of N1bn with a completion period of 18 weeks.

Chukwu said the council also approved a contract for the supply of anti-tuberculosis drugs for the multi-drug resistant tuberculosis programme through the International Dispensary Association.

He said the government was requesting for drugs that would be sufficient to treat 500 Nigerians.

The minister said the government was intervening in the supply of the drugs because it would take about N400,000 to treat a patient suffering from the disease, adding that 5,000 new cases were being reported in the country annually.

Umar also said the council approved the contract for the design, manufacture, supply and commissioning of two sets of five-car diesel multiple unit trains, each with capacity of 540 passengers, and additional six 60-seater passenger coaches to be used on narrow gauge trunk in the sum of N4.3bn.

He said the DMUS would be used for mass transit train services to meet the present day high demand for inter-city passenger traffic.

The Council was informed by Onwuliri of a “landmark” diplomatic agreement between Venezuela and Nigeria to allow transit and 90-day stay, for holders of official and diplomatic passports of both countries.

The minister noted that the agreement was a show of confidence in Nigeria.

Source: The Punch

http://ngpoint.com/2012/11/29/fg-okays-n2-2bn-party-events-hall-for-aso-villa

Nigeria has been identified as the leading country on the continent as regards smartphone penetration. This is obviously good news for Canadian smartphone maker, Research in Motion. In Nigeria, out of every ten smartphones, at least five are Blackberry devices.

Nigeria has become a major market for makers of smartphones to sell their products and maximize their profits.

From social events, religious gatherings, picnics and various forums Nigerians display different brands of smartphones and the under 35’s get more engaged on it using the social media feeds to explore and network with friends, sharing ideas and views.

At the recent regional launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Samsung Galaxy Camera held in Cape Town, the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Samsung Electronics Africa Mr. George Ferreira affirmed this trend stating that when it comes to smartphone penetration in Africa, Nigeria is the first in the continent with 41%.

Also speaking at the launch, the Group’s West African Business Leader for Nigeria, Mr Emmanuel Revmatas said “Mobile broadband penetration has increased tremendously over the last few years and all across Africa we are witnessing continued investment in infrastructure by most of the network operators making it possible for telecom subscribers to take full advantage of world of endless opportunities that smart devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note II offers”.

Mr George Ferreira also revealed that Africa is now the fastest and second largest mobile market in the globe after China, With Nigeria taking the driver’s seat followed by South Africa, Kenya and Ghana in the smartphone sales which rose from 90 million in 2005 to a current estimate of 450 million handsets in 2012.

With this development and trend it is expected that the smartphone makers like Samsung and Apple, will begin to look at markets like Nigeria strategically, with a view to partnering with government to tackle the issue of unemployment affecting the youth, by opening service industries that can create jobs.

Source: Business News

http://ngpoint.com/2012/11/29/nigeria-leads-africas-smartphone-market

According to a report on The Guardian, the Federal Government of Nigeria may soon introduce an HIV/AIDS tax in order to “improve domestic funding for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and prevent new infections especially from mother to child transmission.”

This is of course, in addition to international funding the country receives from international agencies to fight the disease. According to the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Prof. John Idoko, …”domestic funding needs to go up because we are seeing a shrinking up of donor funding.”

Now, with our dear country’s track record of “fund appropriation”, how do you feel about possibly having to pay an HIV/AIDS tax in Nigeria?

http://ngpoint.com/2012/11/26/will-you-pay-hivaids-tax/

Which side are you on regarding the gay bill controversy? Below is THE PUNCH interview with 2 people on both sides of the issue:


Bisi Alimi, a gay activist, and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on House Services, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, in these interviews with TOYOSI OGUNSEYE and JOHN AMEH give different positions on same-sex marriage

It’s an abuse of our rights —Alimi

You publicly declared that you were gay in 2004, what motivated you to do that?

My motivation came from the fact that I and other people like me need to be respected and our rights upheld as citizens of Nigeria. The Nigerian constitution prides itself on promoting fundamental human rights and in a case where rights of a minority group are being abused, it is the responsibility of these people to stand up and speak up. Also my motivation comes from the community I belong to- the many men and women in Nigeria who are beaten and abused on a daily basis because of something they have no control over. I thought someone needed to speak out. I had the platform and I used it.

How did your open declaration affect your family and friends?

The way my family took it was expected. I was not expecting them to roll out the drums and call a party. My sexuality was quite alien to the understanding and intellectual capacity of most Nigerians and my parents were no exemption. So there was no point during the interview on Funmi Iyanda’s Show that I was expecting a hero’s welcome. I also realised that it took me more than 10 years to affirm myself as a gay man and I expect my family to go through the same phase. What is important at this point is that six years after my coming out, I am wise enough and so is every member of my family. The ones that want to talk to me are talking to me and the ones that have refused to talk to me are not. In all, I respect everyone’s right to choose who they want to talk to.

As for my friends and in this context, I will refer to my friends as my gay friends, it was more of a disappointment. Many of them turned their back on me and many stopped talking to me. But I also understand. I am out there and what that means is everyone seen with me is a suspect.

How do you feel about the Bill for an Act to prohibit marriage or civil union entered into between same sex and solemnisation of same which has passed the second reading in the House of Representatives?
It is important to make clear here that this bill is nothing but an act to target us. It is a misplacement of priority by the National Assembly. Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world. However, we account for part of the world’s wealth. Our politicians and religious leaders are getting fatter while the population is getting thinnier. Also there was no point in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender struggle in Nigeria that the community demanded for marriage. I think that marriage is a problem and I am not ready to get myself into it. The anti-same sex marriage bill has shown how out of touch and out of reality our leaders are. The National Health Bill is still pending in the House. The anti-corruption bill is still there. However, the one that concerns the House is what people do in their private lives.

The lawmakers say they are supportive of the bill because it is has no place in Nigeria’s culture and religion. What’s your view on this?

I am sure the lawmakers are intelligent enough to answer this simple question — “What is Nigerian culture and Religion in 21st Century?” We see on television when lawmakers are being sworn in. They use the Bible and Qur’an. But you and I know that the Bible and Qur’an are not our culture, it is not our tradition and it is not our religion. Today, Nigerians are deluded because the religious industry has been able to establish itself as the alternative to good governance.

Some also argue that apart from religion, the same-sex marriage is morally wrong. What’s your take on that?

When morality is defined by religion then “morality” becomes baseless. Ask an average Nigerian what is morality, the answer will surely tailor towards the Bible or the Qur’an. The concept of morality is questionable because it is always a weapon in the hands of the person that defines it. Morality is not the law and the law is not morality. Morality has no judgement of error, the law does. The law is flexible and dynamic, morality is not.

Is the gay community in Nigeria planning to fight this bill in any way?

It depends on what you mean by fight. We are not an aggressive people. We hope we can make the lawmakers see reason and change their ways. We do not intend to be another Boko Haram as we know Nigeria has enough drama in her hands at the moment. However, we will not seat back and allow the lawmakers take away our rights. And I am happy to say that this struggle, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, is seeing a strong partnership between the LGBT community in Nigeria and other people that do not identify as such. I am seeing more and more straight people in Nigeria, mostly young people saying enough is enough.

There are reports that influential Nigerians that publicly speak against same-sex relationships practise it in private. How true is this?

It is not in my place to condemn anyone. However, if you are a senator or a member of the House and you have a skeleton in your wardrobe, be very careful before you vote for this bill as it will surely come back to haunt you. The law of karma is never subtle.

No right is absolute —Dogara

You are one of the proponents of the Bill for an Act to prohibit marriage or civil union entered into between same sex and solemnisation. Some people think that this is discriminatory?

What does discrimination mean? A lot of people lay claims to certain rights, but no right is absolute. Virtually all the rights we have in the constitution are heavily circumscribed – the right to life is circumscribed by the offence of murder; if you kill under certain circumstances, the law permits that you should die as well. The freedom of expression is circumscribed by the law of libel. Before the early 70s in the United States, it (same-sex marriage) was characterised as a disease, but the reason it was removed was because of the fact that the gay community in the US became more vociferous. Most of the claims of gay people are that some of them are gay because of biological accidents. What kind of biology? If we do not find it in the animal kingdom and we don’t find it in the plant kingdom, why should we elevate an issue that is morally-based to the level of the human society? The same God of nature gave a commandment that we should be fruitful. If God has instituted that in biology that someone could be born gay with natural affection towards persons of same sex, it will be contradictory for the same God to give a command that we should be fruitful and replenish the earth. To come back to your question, if you are talking of discrimination, the question is whether it is right to say you are protecting something that morally, cannot be defended. Public health and our religious practices in Nigeria do not support it. So you have to balance the two — rights versus morality and what is legal in Nigeria and what is Godly.

Lawmakers say they are supportive of the bill because same — sex marriage has no place in Nigeria’s culture and religion. But, culture is dynamic and is always changing.

Development over time has brought about a lot of advancement in the Western world whereby they seek to trust more in science than even in God. We are not there yet. To import their (West) moral values here under the guise of sophistication or advancement of community, thereby colonising us morally, is what we should fight against. Even with advancement in this part of the world, it is going to take some decades before we get there. But, with laws like this, we will prolong the process of getting there.

It has been argued that apart from religion, the same-sex marriage is morally wrong. Don’t you feel that the issue of morals should be an individual choice?

If you look at Section 45 of our constitution (1999), it clearly talks about public morality and public health. Most sexually transmitted diseases emanated from the gay community, go and check the records. Statistics show that virtually all persons living in gay communities carry one form of sexually transmitted diseases or the other. So, from the point of view of public safety, morality and religion, you know that certainly gay practices are prohibited.

The bill states that, ‘if you know someone who is gay and you do not report to the State, you will be jailed as well,’ do you think this is fair on the families of the affected persons because being gay may not be the same as being a thief or murderer?

The provision is in tandem with our criminal jurisprudence. If you look at criminal laws in Nigeria, you can justify that. There is something called screening of offenders. The bill doesn’t talk about the practice of homosexuality as such. It talks about same-sex marriage and civil union, which are unions or marriages consummated by persons of the same sex. If that happens, it relates only to an individual, who can be imputed with knowledge, that there is a same-sex couple around his area or that there is a civil union entered into by persons of the same sex and that individual keeps quiet. In our criminal laws for instance, if I see a thief or have every reason to believe that someone has stolen and I harbour that person without reporting him to the authorities, the long arm of the law can catch up with me. That offence is called screening of offenders. So, this one can be tantamount to screening of same-sex couples or people who have entered into civil unions. You can see that it aligns with our criminal jurisprudence. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the provision.

How will this proposed law affect Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with Western countries?

There have been concerns raised by Britain and I think to some extent, the European Union and even some people in America as well. They are saying the same thing; that if we don’t allow these practices to become part of our norms, there are certain assistance that we currently get from them that may not be available to us. The question is whether merely extending assistance to us is enough reason for us to relinquish our moral values? The point is that there is no barometer to measure which culture is more superior. The fact that they allow such practices in their own climes does not make theirs superior to ours where we say no to such practices. If they want to keep their assistance because we are banning same-sex marriage and union, so be it. In Nigeria, we virtually have everything that we need. That we are not where we should be in terms of development is because of leadership. Maybe, by withholding their aids, it will push us to a situation whereby real leaders will emerge.

There are reports that influential Nigerians and some politicians that publicly speak against same-sex union practise it in private. Is this not pretentious?

I quite agree with your observation. You see, ours is a hypocritical society. The long arm of the law will reach out to those people who are practising it undercover, pick them up and make sure that appropriate penalties are meted out to them.

http://ngpoint.com/2012/11/25/gaybillcontroversyinnigeriawhichsideareyouon/