₦airaland Forum

Keneking:
I am sure he would have spent 30bn Naira...nonsense

So what if he spent 30bn!
Was the project delivered? is it serving the state? has it created additional avenue for employment? These are the pertinent question to ask, not cast aspersion on a man that set out to change in improve the decayed infrastructure and build new ones in the state.

This facility is poised to also print for all the budding newspapers in the state, which will bring additional profits. and it will cutdown on the cost of running Govt. in the long run as most of the printing work that govt did externally will now be handled internally in this govt. press.

Akpabio Hands Pioneer A Parting Gift

Joy will overflow today in Akwa Ibom State’s newspaper house, Pioneer House, as the board, management and staff of Akwa Ibom Newspaper Corporation (AKNC) throw their gate open to visitors who have beaten their way to witness the inauguration of the magnificent AKNC Press Hall housing a state-of-the-art rotary press and computer-to-plate (CTP) pre-press machine.
The Goss Community Press acquired for the newspaper organization by the administration of Chief Godswill Akpabio meets the standard and specification for modern newspaper production and will enable The Pioneer titles wear beautiful and attractive looks like other top ranking newspapers published in Nigeria and outside the country.
The general manager/editor-in-chief of AKNC, Mr Udo Silas, was full of smiles yesterday as he stood in the expansive new press hall admiring the rotary machine roll out exquisite copies of The Pioneer newspaper. Silas who started the process of rebranding of Pioneer newspaper when he was appointed general manager in 2007 described the facilities as a fulfillment of the promise made by Governor Akpabio to transform Pioneer to a modern newspaper organization that prints with her own state-of-the-art facilities. He thanked the governor for living true to his words and doing so much for the newspaper and promised that he will never disappoint the trust and confidence reposed on him.
Silas promised to produce a newspaper that would be the pride of Akwa Ibom State and called for support from all to give the state a befitting medium of communication in print.
Earlier, Silas had described the renewed process in bringing back the rebranded Pioneer newspaper as a rebirth and solicited the support of staff to enable the corporation deliver good services to the people of Akwa Ibom State and beyond.
The general manager who was chairman at the special editorial meeting to repackage the new Pioneer said he would feel fulfilled that he, with the support of AKNC staff, produced Pioneer newspapers that would meet high standard which Akwa Ibom under Governor Akpabio has been known for.
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more pics of the printing workshop

The inauguration of the senate was at 10am at the senate chambers and all senators were aware of the time. While 57 senators showed up on time for the event 51 decided to ignore the inauguration and head for the ICC Abuja for a party meeting holding at the same time others were being inaugurated and were voting their house leaders, Who is to blame for not paying attention to details and doing the right thing at the right time? No one barred the 51 senators from being present at their inauguration to move the county forward, but they chose instead to prioritize their party function over national interest. The 51 have them selves to blame for their failure and selfishness.

APC are Sore losers. Welcome to a new Nigeria where impunity by party bigwigs will not be tolerated. The legislature has a right to elect their leaders without being railroad by party bigwigs with big egos who feel the own the country.
Goodmorning APC

With the appointment of Ogbonnaya Onu as Secretary to the federal govt. by president buhari and the recent election of Ike ekweremadu as the deputy senate president, The south east now has the same top office they occupied under President jonathan.

Those who said the south east will lose out Under this administration should re-evaluate their stand

Now how about the solar streetlight lining the airport road in Uyo? It looks so sweet on the miles upon miles of the smooth road.
And checkout the young palms lining the centre divide of the dual carriage way! in the next 1 - 2 years when they are fully grown this road will become an iconic highway lined with tall palms giving you the same experience one gets when you drive from the florida Airport.

It will feel like you have arrived a tropical paradise which Akwa Ibom is actually. Cant wait for those palms to be fully grown it will be great on these road.

Installation of the enlarged Guinness world record validation certificate presented to Akwa Ibom State mass choir for gathering the largest number of carol singers in one place during the 2014 december world record breaking event.

The certificate is to commemorate the event and this huge edifice is installed along the Akwa Ibom Int'l Airport way, welcoming visitors as they visit the state.

What's. Breathtaking. About thos pictures? All i see is a flyover and a cow on a major road. If this is all kwankwaso did with all the loan he borrowed in the name of kano state, then kano had entered one chance game.

Where is the picture of the flyover that fell and killed 7 people in kano recently?
I dont trust those contraptions called flyover in kano. Will never drive on them for at least two yrs to be sure it wont collapse like the other one.

back2sender:
That is a sign of failure by the Governments( FG & State), its even more disgraceful that akpabio could utter such a statement . For 8 years at the saddle in Akwa ibom what was his impact on the state university? am disappointed

You are disappointed because his telling you the truth? the truth hurts, The harvards, yale, princeton of this world are all private universities not public. Its common kNOWLEDGE that private universities are better than public ones but with exceptions.

Akpabio built Akwa Ibom State university from the start. He is one of the few gov.during his time that built a state university. The Akwa Ibom State university started in 2010 and graduated its first students last month. Its only 5 yrs and yet is better than most state universities that started way back. Check NUC university ranking 2014 and 2015 to confirm.

In my regime there will be no office of first lady Buhari said. Yesterday his wife Aisha received adamawa women in her office as first lady, Nigerians have entered one big chance by baba.

shugacaneman:
Gej shared iphone 5 with diamonds on his daughters wedding. U did not die
Madueke's step son fly private jets and displayed huge bundles of dollar. U did not die
mama Piss built mansions and hotels everywhere in Nigeria and abroad. U did not die
Gej was stealing from the Nation Reserve account before the governors came to conclusion that the money should be shared. U did not die
GEJ awarded a contract of $9b for cooking stoves. U still did not die
GEJ spent N2.2 trilion in his campaign. U did not die

My brother why die now?

At least they spent some time in office before they started to misbehave, Buhari one is too early abeg. How about him blocking airport road in Abuja yesterday when he promised tha his convoy will obey traffic rules that respect other road users. Another one chance Abi two chance.
Buhari is allergic to keeping his own promises. I fear for all the other promises baba one chance has made to gullible Nigerians, Eye go soon clear una for this one chance govt.where una vote in.

Buhari is an empty Agbada, that has pulled a fast one on Nigerians. He is the real deal: the baba one chance of our time.

First he said he had only one million in his account and borrowed 27 million presidential nomination form funds from the bank, now we know his asset is worth over N900 million. If that is not one chance i dont know what is.

And he is not even up to a week in office we have discovered 1 one chance played on Nigerians! how many will we discover when he spends a month in office?

LordMecuzy:
Broda leave all this long talk abeg... hold your leaders accountable the rate of poverty ib Niger Delta is alarming.. Your Governors and rich militants are sucking you guys dry too biko stop consoling yourselves. I don't have much oil in my zone and we still the zone with the highest GDP in nigeria..

Even if NigerDelta gets 100% oil revenue it will remain the same not until you guys hold your ppl accountable... The little derivation I don't even see any significant change abeg...

You mean your parasite zone? If Niger delta cuts your region off from the monthly handouts that help feed you, you guys will starve within a week. forget the Paper GDP.
Its just like the paper IGR that ogbeni Rauf was quoting for osun prior to election to con the citizens to vote him for a second term as the state with highest IGR outside lagos, Oil prices took a hit and for 11 months now Ogbeni cannot pay salary to his civil servant. talk about paper GDP/IGR!
ALL na wash without Niger Delta oil your zone will starve! Forget all that voodoo statistics that your region like to bandied around.

Where is obama, cameron, Angela etc in that picture? e bi like say buhari wasted public funds to travel to Germany only to meet with third world leaders in a back room of the hotel behind where the G7 presidents met.
APC Stop hyping G7 meeting na only for back room na im Buhari meeting hold im never smell where the Obama, cameron and the G7 presidents be.

Caseless:
you don't sit in that dirty cabin of yours called room to post flatulence.

What bayelsa gets in one month as federal allocations, is highier than what the 6 states in the northeast get in 3 months.


Just sharrap and ask your leaders what they have done with your resources.

Nonsense its empty agbada/babariga like you that want to have sex with 11yrs old kids under the name of backward tradition. You should change your backwardness and start using the Niger delta oil handout to improve the live of kids in your hellhole region by giving them useful education that will make them productive citizens rather than exploring legal means to have sex with kids and kill their future.

LordMecuzy:
I Wonder what these South South States do with their Oil derivation funds...Massive poverty in the creeks

I wonder what the parasite states of Nigeria do with their Niger Delta oil Allocation/Handout? they are just sucking Niger delta dry of its oil resources yet the parasites are still poor and are still asking for more. And are not even grateful for to the region that feeds them.

A day of reckoning is coming. The people of lower Niger Delta will seek a referendum on self determination it is our inalienable right. Justice can be delayed but never denied.
ViVa Lower Niger Delta Republic!

A CASUAL visitor to Government House and the Commissioners’ Quarters opposite the sprawling seat of power both in Asaba, cannot help, but notice the emptiness of the car parks, which used to be jam-packed with Delta State Government vehicles.

Parking space there used to be a precious commodity at those two places, but not anymore. One hardly sees any car marked ‘DTGH.’

The number of cars at the car parks gradually dwindled just before May 29, when former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan handed over the reigns of government to his successor, Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa.

Now there are practically no vehicle as they seem to have all skedaddled with the exit of Uduaghan. Some of the political appointees who are the chief culprits reportedly vamoosed with four vehicles instead of one, which they were entitled to going by a circular letter signed by the former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Ovuozourie Macaulay.

Macaulay had explained that political appointees, which include Senior Special Advisers, Senior Political Advisers, Chief Advisers, Special Advisers, Political Advisers, Economic Advisers, Project Directors, Executive Assistants, Senior Special Assistants, Special/Media Assistants, Chief Press Secretaries, Press Secretaries and Political/Media Aides, are entitled to just one car.

The former scribe emphasized that the gestures preclude all other official vehicles, as well as, government properties still in possession of those categories of political appointees. He added that such properties must be returned immediately to the most senior officer in their respective ministries, department and agencies as part of the disengagement process.

read more at:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/06/delta-how-government-properties-were-looted-in-asaba/

Picture taken at this event
DERIVATION FORMULA: N/Delta gov, senators, Reps blast northern govs
GOVERNORS of the South-South region are meeting this week to articulate a formal response to increasing agitation from northern leaders for a reduction in the flow of derivation proceeds to oil producing states in the region.

In their reactions, Niger Delta senators and Reps are accusing the Northern leaders of provocation, insensibility and distraction from the Boko Haram insurgency in the north by their calls for a reduction in the revenue accruable to the oil producing Niger Delta states.

Some South-South leaders, however, welcomed the call as perhaps a possible opportunity for the enactment of the fiscal federalism that has been also canvassed by elements in the South-South region.

The latest call for a review of the revenue formula came last Thursday through the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, who while inaugurating the Advisory Council of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation lamented what he described as a skewed revenue formula process that favoured the South-South at the expense of the North.

Oil revenues in continental shelf

He also hinted at a review of the consideration of the assignment of oil revenues in the continental shelf.

“The revenue allocation formula should be looked at. We are hoping that within 2012, there would be discussions and review of the allocation formula.

“But there are other issues that would come. For example, there were oil wells that were over 200 kilometres away of the shore of the country. Those ones before the passage of law by the National Assembly were supposed to be oil wells for the whole country.”

His assertion followed earlier comments by the Kano born Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido where he linked the ongoing insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamic group to poverty he said arose from the alleged lopsidedness of revenue to the south.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State while confirming that South-South governors had scheduled a meeting over the development said, “Review of revenue allocation has to be done under the law, the law is that land and water are part of a state and so, the oil and gas resources found 200 kilometers away is inside the state that it is found”.

“There is no way you can say that 200 Isobath does not belong to state. They (northern governors) are entitled to make request for review of revenue allocation formula, but to say that those oil wells do not belong to a state is unacceptable”, he added.

Besides Governor Uduaghan, Senators, members of the House of Representatives, former Minister of Information, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Prof. B.I.C. Ijomah, and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteers Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, traditional rulers were among others who fired back yesterday.

Among the Senators from the region who responded to the development yesterday were Senators Ikirikpo Claver, PDP, Bayelsa East, Enyinniya Abaribe, PDP Abia South, Senator Lokpobiri Heineken, PDP, Bayelsa West, Senator Solomon Ita Enang, PDP, Akwa Ibom North East and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, PDP, Delta North.

Warning that the north should not see the people of the South-South as fools, Senator Claver who wondered why northern leaders have bypassed the issue of Boko Haram to focus on the oil proceeds to the oil producing states said: “They should not see us as fools because Jonathan is the president now, they want to destabilize him and the government with whatever means. How many argued when they had 50 per cent from groundnuts and cocoa?

“As a Senator representing an oil producing state, I believe that the Niger Delta States are presently receiving less than they should receive because they suffer the degradation of their environment and subsequent loss of income earnings due to these oil prospecting activities. So rather than talk about reduction, we should talk about increasing their share through a change in the revenue allocation formula.”

Describing the call as unthinkable, Senator Lokpobiri said: “The problem of Nigeria today is that successive governments deviated from the true structure that was agreed by our nationalists before independence. Every state has its own resources, everyone should be thinking of developing sectors in their states with a view to raising revenue. The people of the Niger Delta suffering the environmental hazards, no one is talking about that; what is good for the goose is good for the gander, it should be increased to 50 per cent.”

In his reaction, Senator Enang, PDP, described the call as insensitive warning that the north should not wake the people of the South-South to revisit issues that had been considered settled in the Nigerian federation.

Enang who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business called for the amendment of the constitution that will reflect true fiscal federalism that would allow the states to exploit their resources and pay tax to the federal government.

Investment on carriageways

He said: “Let them consider the dual carriage ways in the north and tell us how much of these are in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. How much has been spent on FCT alone and where is the money from. Let them consider how much is invested in Kaduna State alone and how much has been invested in oil producing States, how much of oil money in river basins that is in the North can you find in the South? Those who are making this call now want to wake up the people of Niger Delta and the South on issues we said should be allowed to rest so that our children and youths will not be reminded of concessions we made just for national unity, what is the value of NNPC towers, PTDF in the north, is there such in the Niger Delta?”

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa on his part described the call as an insult. He said: “I think it is not right to talk in that manner. The constitution in the first instance said nothing less than 13 percent should be given to regions where resources are being sourced from and the Federal Government is currently implementing that. Any attempt to take it below 13 percent rather than move it to 25 percent will be very insulting to the Niger Delta people.

“Northern leaders can say what they like about the revenue to the Niger Delta, but they should know that the Niger Delta has made more sacrifices to Nigeria than any other region. And where this resource is coming from, most of the villages are not developed. You need to go and see how people are suffering in the Niger Delta.”

The call was also flayed by members of the House of Representatives from the region yesterday. Rep Daniel Reyenieju, Delta State, and Rep. Sokonte Davies, PDP Rivers, in condemning the call said it could well be an opportunity for the restructuring of the country.

Reyenjeju said: “Of course if we must dialogue if that is one of the issues that they must bring to the table, if all the states of the federation decide to bring the issue of revenue to collect more from the centre well and good let them come.”

Restructuring not revenue allocation

“What we need is restructuring and not revenue allocation which will increase anybody’s share. With restructuring, everybody will be happy and we shall then agree on what comes to the centre. That itself will reduce the attraction to control central power,” Davies said.

Ex-Information minister, Prof Oyovbaire told Vanguard: “It is a pity that in 2012 the northern governors are proffering this kind of argument. They have refused to tackle the issue of underdevelopment, which they identified years ago, and instead of addressing the matter squarely, they want funds that do not belong to them”.

He said the issue of onshore/off shore derivation was a settled matter and wondered why northern governors were resurrecting it. Oyovbaire said: “The northern governors have simply re-opened the issue of restructuring of the country. I think, however, that their call is a strategy of provocation because we have been arguing that 13 per cent derivation is too small, yet they are saying that it is too high. I feel sad that we are going to all these again”.

Erudite academic, Prof Ijomah in his reaction said: “Well, if they want a review of the revenue allocation formula, it should be in the direction of what northerners wanted before independence. It is their resolution that revenue should be collected by regional governments. That is the way we in the South-South want it. We should return to pre-independence situation, that is fiscal federalism. No review outside that will be acceptable to us.

“The review should be that each state should collect its revenue and pay royalty to the central government. This is the Aburi agreement and the basis of Nigeria’s unity. Abubakar Tafewa Balewa and other northern leaders supported this, otherwise, there is no basis for the present unity in the country.”

Niger-Delta activist, Alhaji Dokubo-Asari, who spoke to Vanguard from overseas, said: “The northern governors should go and look for their own resources because we want 100 per cent. They should stop thinking that they (north) will continue to intimidate us. They don’t have right to our oil resource; they should look for their own. We are demanding 100 per cent of our resources because when it was groundnut and other things in the past, they did not use the money to develop the South-South, it was only the north that they developed.”

Former President of Ijaw National Congress, INC, Prof Kimse Okoko in a chat with Vanguard described as unacceptable the position of the Northern Governors calling for review of the country’s revenue allocation formula on grounds that it was allegedly skewed in favour of oil states. He said their position had further reinforced the call for a Sovereign National Conference and the urgent need to amend the 1999 Constitution in favour of true federalism in the country.
Coordinator of the South-South Elements Progressive Union, SSEPU, Joseph Ambakederimo stated: “The Northern Governors call is not only parochial but smacks of insensitivity. When we are still agitating for resource control which we are prepared to fight to achieve with the last drop of our blood, they are talking of sharing of money. Whose money do they want to continue to share?

Founding Director, Ijaw Council for Human Rights, ICHR , Patterson Ogon, asserted: “The call of the Northern governors would have made meaning if they, in their wisdom had advanced a review of revenue sharing formula on the basis of revenue generation, a fiscal federalism wherein the component units are statutorily empowered to explore and develop their natural and human endowments and pay tax to the centre.”

Former chairman of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Producing Communities Organization of Nigeria, TROMPCON, HRM, Charles Ayemi-Botu in his own reaction yesterday said: “What the South-South is for asking for is the implementation of true fiscal federalism”, pointing out that it was a misnomer for northern governors to think that oil revenue would be shared equally.

His words: “It is an insult on injury for them to think in that way or make such suggestion.”

He said TROMPCON had been crying for a long time that the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, should begin the implementation of true fiscal federalism, and said the call for the review of the formula by northern governors should form the basis of action.

“True fiscal federalism means that whatever resources are found in your place, you will take and pay tax to the Federal Government. This is what is happening in the United States of America where we copied our presidential system of government. Derivation is paid by states to the federal. We are not against the review of the revenue formula; it is foolhardy for them to think that revenue that is supposed to come to the oil states where the resources will be shared equally with them. In fact, I am even surprised that they are talking about oil revenue at a time they should be concerned with how to arrest the Boko Haram that is on rampage in the north.”

Mainstay of the economy

The royal father asserted: “They forgot what when agronomy was the main stay of the economy of the country, they were collecting 50 per cent derivation and now that it is oil, they are angry that we are collecting 13 per cent, which is not enough. It is not up to 50 per cent they were collecting before. We have been collecting 13 per cent since 1994 and we want a review, we want to start collecting 100 per cent in the spirit of true fiscal federalism and pay tax to the federal government, this is what it is supposed to be.”

On his part, former acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and Executive Director Finance and Administration, Pastor Power Aginighan, said the call by the northern leaders was inconsistent with reports of the various panels that had looked into the problems of the region and recommended upward review of resources to the area.

Aginighan who noted that the 13 percent derivation to the region was still not appreciable wondered what was happening to solid minerals reportedly mined from other sections of the country. He said it was a paradox that a Ministry of Solid Mineral was being funded by proceeds from oil in the Niger Delta region yet no revenue from the mineral goes into the federation account.

A frontline activist in the region, Dr Sofiri Peterside, said the call by the northern leaders was not realisable. According to him, when agriculture was the mainstay of the nation’s economy they had the lion share.

Also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, said if there should be any review of the allocation principles then it should be to raise what accrues to the Niger Delta region. He said this would help tackle environmental challenges and pollution occasioned by oil exploration in the area. “If any review should be done it should be on how more fund should be credited to the region in order not to destroy the bird that lays the golden egg, to address seriously the damage of lack of development, today the future of the South South is bleak as experts have predicted that in near future natural disasters like earthquake, flood will be the lot of the region.”

An Aero Contractors Airline Flight 180 which took off from the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and heading to Kaduna almost crashed yesterday, June 5, with 120 people onboard.
It was reported that the aircraft developed fault 20 minutes after departure as it experienced heavy vibration in the air for over one hour before it was eventually diverted to Abuja.
The Director of Muslim Rights Concern, Professor Ishaq Akintola, who was aboard the flight recounted the story to New Mail.
He said, “the plane lost altitude 20 minutes after take-off. We had to make use of the oxygen masks. We saw smoke outside the plane, probably coming from the engine compartment.
“At this time, the whole plane was thrown into commotion. Many passengers screamed and some fainted. Prayers upon prayers were offered. Some shouted Allah, others Jesus.”
Akintola said while the turbulence was going on, the crew announced that the plane would be diverted to Abuja.
He added, “While the pilot was making the announcement of the flight diversion, I noticed that his voice was trembling. He told us that Abuja was 120 miles away and that we would land in 25 minutes. But we were not sure we would make it.
“In fact, I quickly recited the Kalimah (the Quranic invocation of the oneness of Allah), believing that the end had come”
He said at about 9.00pm, the plane finally landed in Abuja and Aero officials told the shocked passengers that aircraft would be fixed hurriedly so that they could further their journey to Kaduna.
But Akintola said he refused to continue the trip on the same aircraft that almost crashed; rather he resulted to journey by road to his destination.
Akintola said, “As I am talking to you, I am now in a taxi taking me to Kaduna. They said they wanted to repair the plane and that we should wait so it takes us to Kaduna. Allah forbids. They asked how many of us wanted to disembark and almost everybody came out.”
The airline however released a statement confirming the incident.
It says, “Aero confirms that there was depressurisation in the aircraft cabin leading to the dropping of oxygen mask. And since Aero has a maintenance facility in Abuja, the flight to Kaduna was diverted to Abuja this evening to fix the problem.”

http://pulse.ng/local/aero-contractors-we-shouted-allah-jesus-passenger-recounts-averted-plane-crash-horror-id3834828.html?utm_campaign=art-aero-contractors-we-shouted-allah-jesus-passenger-recounts-averted-plane-crash-horror-2015-06-06&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

more pictures

What an architectural masterpiece. Uyo is full of surprises! I honestly did not know there was a museum in Uyo. @op thanks for the information please post the website of the museum.
the museum is located at Udo Udoma Ave Uyo exact location on google plus and more pictures :https://plus.google.com/116893581742963325155/about?hl=en

stop usuing civil servants salaries to buy awards.

Where is Amaechi? wasn't he suppose to be SFG?

good for Abia State.