₦airaland Forum

http://thejuristlaws..com/2012/01/fuel-subsidy-nlc-commences-strike-on.html

“Reuben Abati is a blatant liar”- NLC President

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the umbrella bodies of Nigerian workers have fixed Wednesday, January 11 for the commencement of a nationwide strike to protest the removal of the subsidy on petrol.”The Labour unions reached the decision to embark on a nationwide industrial action after a meeting on Tuesday.

The only condition given that would avert the strike was the reversal of the pump price of petrol.
In a statement issued by the President of the NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, the Union dissociated itself from Dr. Reuben Abati’s claim that Labour was in support of the fuel subsidy removal. The NLC President stated that “no one would have believed that the revered office of the President could stoop so low to tell a lie, in a bid to defend the Presidency on the misleading and callous imposition of astronomical increase in fuel prices on Nigerians, the Special Adviser on Media to President Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati told the media that Labour was in support of the subsidy removal.

His claim that Labour was consulted and had given support to whatever government does on the issue of removal of subsidy is a blatant lie. In the first place, the leadership of the Labour Movement has held only one meeting with the Federal Government on the issue of subsidy removal. This was on Tuesday, 20th December, 2011 and that meeting was not conclusive, as it was agreed that a follow-up meeting will be called by the Presidency. ”

Meanwhile, the President has constituted a committee headed by Retired Justice Alfa Belgore to dialogue with the NLC. Another committee which would ensure judicious use of the proceeds from the subsidy is to be headed by Dr. Christopher Kolade.

Hundreds of people trooped out on Tuesday in Lagos, Ibadan and Ilorin to protest the removal of the subsidy which has caused an increase in the price of petrol. A protester was shot dead by the police in Ilorin, Kwara State.

http://thejuristlaws..com/2012/01/fuel-subsidy-nlc-commences-strike-on.html

First, it was refineries, to be sited in Lagos, Kogi and Bayelsa. Now alternative source of energy, to be sited in Ondo, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Gombe,Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Plateau.
For how long would the south-east be marginalized in Nigeria? Are you quite sure we are part of Nigeria? Where are our representatives in the National Assembly? They seem to be on vacation while all these decisions are taken by the presidency. They should wake up from their slumber and represent us well, Biko

Click on the link below to view video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtJW-DNXLVo

Just as the residents of Kaduna State were getting over the explosion that rocked the metropolis Monday afternoon which injured three persons, unknown gunmen yesterday killed five persons in the state.

The Monday explosion, however claimed the life of a two-yea-old girl, Lois Obajemu, yesterday after unsuccessful medical attention in an undisclosed hospital in Kaduna.

Daily Sun gathered that the unknown attackers invaded Angwan-rami village, near Kagoro, in Kaura Local Government Area of the state, under the cover of the night and started shooting indiscriminately at the men of the vigilance group on patrol.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Aminu Lawan, confirmed the incident, saying that there was actually an attack resulting in the killing of five persons in the village.
“Are you saying raid or attack? In the police force there is a difference between raid and attack. So, which one? If attack, yes, there was and five people lost their lives,” Lawan said.
Although, the motive for the attack could not be ascertained, it was alleged that five persons including a boy of about six years old were killed during the raid. But no arrest has been made as at the time of filing this report.
This is coming about two weeks after a similar attack on Kukum Daji, near Kagoro left one dead and two injured in the same council.

The chairman of the local government area, Mrs. Florence Aya told newsmen on phone that, “vigilante in the village had assembled to start patrolling the village around 9:30pm on Monday. Suddenly, some attackers who were lying in a bush nearby unnoticed, open fire on them. They could do nothing about it, since they were not carrying firearms.
“While they tried to wade off the attackers, the invaders went to those they shot and inflicted machete cuts on them, killing the five that were shot and could not run.

They also cornered a woman carrying an infant and cut them leaving them dead. You need to see the kind of injuries on this woman and her infant. But by some miracle, the baby and mother survived. They are now under intensive care unit in a hospital I could not tell you now. Two others, who were shot, are also critically wounded. They are also receiving treatment. Let’s pray for them as they receive treatment.
“But, even as they came with guns, some of the vigilantes were able to injure one. He escaped leaving a trail of blood on his escape route. As I speak with you, the youth and the police are searching the bushes for him. This is very, very sad. We need more security here.”

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/dec/21/national-21-12-2011-0012.html

Following last weekend’s threat by an unnamed Islamic group to bomb churches before December 26, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State, has called on all Christians to be vigilant as the threat may not be an empty one.

Enugu State CAN Chairman and General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Nigeria, Prof Paul Emeka, who put the Christians on red alert yesterday in Enugu, called on the Federal Government to mobilise the security agencies to forestall the planned attack.

Where the Federal Government thinks it is not capable of arresting the ugly situation, he advised that it called for foreign assistance, especially the countries that had earlier indicated their interest to help the country.
The General Superintendent, who asked Christians not to panic as a result of the threat, however, advised them not to depend on empty optimism.
He said that there was no doubt the Boko Haram Islamist sect had infiltrated the southern part of the country and were ready to wreak havoc.

He advised Christians to also take their own precautionary measures to prevent the planned attack by searching strange faces that came to every worship centre, as well as hire anti-bomb squad.
Prof Emeka said the churches designated for attack by the fundamentalists had not committed any offence more than the ones that were not mentioned, pointing out that the sect was only targeting churches with large congregation.
He urged all churches to go into prayers to avert the attack, saying the power of God would definitely deliver the country from the hands of the evil ones.

“The Boko Haram sect has no reason of doing what they are doing, they are just interested in killing,” he said, arguing that they were not driven by poverty.
He was angry that the sect was threatening everybody in the country, saying they were just “killing innocent Nigerians and harassing them” and people were now living at their mercy.
“No matter what they are planning, Nigerians will celebrate Christmas in peace,” Prof emeka said, wishing all Nigerians a merry and peaceful Christmas.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/dec/21/national-21-12-2011-0026.html

For most couples, the birth of a baby elicits joy. For some, the birth of twins or more elicits even greater joy and gratitude but when a woman is safely delivered of quadruplets (four babies) or quintuplets (five), her joy is supposed to be boundless.

Such is the case of Mr. Wale Shofunlayo and his wife, Olayemi who were blessed with a healthy set of quintuplets weekend at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH.

According to Wale, the couple’s joy is immesureable as they did not prepare for five babies at a go.

As a Lawyer, Wale is under no illusion about the birth of their quintuplets. To him, the birth of the babies confirmed the adage that “Doctors care and God heals. ”

*The babies

Before the babies came, the couple had prepared for quadruplets as the doctors’ investigation including comprehensive scan showed that there were four babies. But little did they know that posterity had another plan for them. A gift, which could be described as the best Christmas gift anyone could get at a time like this.

Vanguard gathered that the middle aged woman who gave birth to two boys and three girls was said to have been in the hospital since last June waiting for the arrival of the babies that finally came last week Friday.

Doctors at LUTH had recommended bed rest from the seventh month till delivery.

The delivery, which was taken by over 50 active medical personnel at the hospital all started like a fairy tale when the first, second, third and fourth baby came and the leader of the medical team, identified simply as Professor Ajayi discovered that there was still ‘something’ in the womb.

Apparently confused with the fact that all the while, medical examinations continually show only four babies, the experts almost jumped to conclusion that what was left must be fibroid tissue. But thanks to experience, that made them hesitant in terminating whatever may be there or seal up the opening without further probe.

Further check thereafter showed that the fifth baby was actually on the way. Each of the five babies weighed at least 1.5 kg while the biggest weighed 1.8 kg.

Narrating her experience to Vanguard, Mrs. Olayemi whose joy knew no bounds described the delivery as a pleasurable experience and surprise package from God.

Olayemi who was still recuperating said, “I and my babies are fine. I was expecting four. After everything, I found out they were five”.

In a chat with Vanguard, father of the babies, who declined comments on the possibility of an Assisted Reproductive treatment said “We have a 2 -year -old -boy already but to have the quintuplets is God’s doing. Our first baby was delivered at Lagoon hospital. I’m a Muslim and I give glory to Allah for this rare blessing. It is not every day one is blessed with five children at a go.

“We have heard of instances of two, three, or four babies at once, but this is the first time I would hear about five and I feel so elated to be the one to have this number. I feel great, I feel happy and I give all glory to Almighty God without him nothing can happen.

“We were actually expecting four babies according to the scan. The doctors said there were four but God showed Himself and added the fifth one. They are two boys and three girls, he said.”

Wale, who would not reveal whether or not he and his wife went through assisted reproduction, is optimistic about the future.

On his reaction when he was told that his wife had five babies, he said:”I planned to have many children and my prayer is to provide for them to the best of my ability. I am not just knowing my wife was pregnant with multiple babies, we had been told there were four babies like I said earlier, and my wife has been on bed rest in the last seven months. I know God is there for me and my family”.

The Ogun State born Wale who was full of gratitude to the medical personnel that attended to his wife at LUTH, said “I must specially thank Prof. Ajayi for his experience. An inexperience doctor would have sealed up the opening or terminate the last baby”

He described the quality of care given to the babies as excellent. “I give kudos to the nurses and doctors who attended to my wife and babies. I am more than satisfied with their services.

Asked if he is financially comfortable with the development, Wale said’ “I will not say it is the duty of government to take care of my babies. I don’t have the intention of begging with this publication but if anyone feels like helping it will be welcome.

I don’t like going to people and being turned down. Even as a Lawyer, we don’t advertise, I don’t see the reason why I should do that because of these babies.

“But being human no one can have it all, so any assistance is welcome but that is not to say we will go cap in hand begging for aid. I have a job I’ve been doing for 19 years and God has been faithful”, he added. In the views of the Public Relation Officer of LUTH, Mrs. Hope Nwalolo, the birth of the babies was not the first case of multiple birth recorded by the hospital. According to her, the delivery took less than 30 minutes as there were experienced medical professionals on ground.

What experts say about multiple births

Multiple births are a type of multiple birth in which the mothers give birth to two or more offspring from the same pregnancy. The occurrence and frequency, however, vary dramatically.

In the views of a fertility expert, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi of Nordica fertility Centre, Lagos and Asaba, “Factors such as maternal age, socio-environmental factors, increase in the use of contraceptives, the race of human population, increase in the spontaneous abortion rate, and seasonal variations are among the factors that could influence multiple birth including twinning (two babies), triplets (three babies) and quadruplets (four babies)

Assuming they are alive, Nigeria’s first known multiple birth babies (sextuplets) would be 103 years old today. Historical and medical records show that the birth of the first set multiple babies in Nigeria dates back over 100 years ago to 1907 when an unnamed 19-year-old woman from the South East region was delivered of six babies in a row after a short labour.

Although it is not known what their male/female sex ratio was or how many of the babies eventually survived, the event, like that of the controversial multiple birth babies, elicited as much drama, and graphic insight as to just how demanding all multiple births can be.

For several decades, multiple birth has been a regular feature in Nigeria. Multiple births refers to the delivery of twins and higher order multiples (eg, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, etc). Multiple births occur when multiple foetuses are carried during a pregnancy with the subsequent delivery of multiple births. Specifically, since the late 1970s, the prevalence of multiple births in Nigeria has been increasing.

A combination of factors including the widespread use of assisted reproductive techniques and advancing maternal age at conception is associated with this phenomenon. Records are scarce, but it is believed that a plateau in the prevalence.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/12/multiple-birthdoctors-say-4-but-god-added-another/

ISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

We shall remain grateful to God for bringing us together for year 2012 proposed Budget presentation. I appreciate your continued support and contribution to the success of this administration.

This Budget proposal is anchored on our desire to consolidate on the major achievements of our administration in previous years and to ensure that our

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success in transforming our State into an investors’ destination; a place of innovative governance and a land where opportunities will be achieved, is sustained.

Mr. Speaker and Honorable members, external environmental factors have direct and indirect effects on our economy. The year 2011 witnessed global economic and financial crises in Europe (e.g. Greece and Italy), North African Countries and the United States of America. The full impact of these on our economy have not completely unfolded.

The Boko-Haram insurgency has caused socio-economic upheavals and insecurity in some Northern States of our Country. The prevailing security challenges in those States have caused some of our people to come back home with the resultant pressure on the existing infrastructural facilities and job

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vacancies. These developments remind us of the need to be proactive and prudent in the management of our resources.

Mr. Speaker, Honourable members, the 2012 Budget proposal before you is carefully packaged to achieve a strong, diversified and competitive State economy that should provide hope for the hopeless, jobs for the unemployed and peace for sustainable development.

Against this backdrop of the economic environment and the challenges we face as a State, the 2012 budget proposal is envisioned to be a Budget of Transformation.

It is our resolve to transform Abia State into a prosperous State that would guarantee equal opportunities and high standard of living for our people.

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Review of the 2011 Budget:

The general performance of this administration in 2011 is commendable.

Our strive to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), yielded significant improvement. It was observed that the recurrent revenue as at the third quarter of 2011 was N36,640,588,599.88 (thirty six billion, six hundred and forty million, five hundred and eighty eight thousand, five hundred and ninety nine Naira, eighty eight kobo) only, representing 60 percent performance.

The total Capital Expenditure which represents government investments in infrastructure is remarkable. A good number of roads have been rehabilitated and many more are on-going.

There are other on-going projects such as the rehabilitation of water schemes, construction of new secretariat for Civil Servants in the State, construction

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of the International Conference Centre, and the construction of a new Government House, among others.

The monitoring and evaluation report for the third quarter indicated that the 2011 budget has been implemented above 60 percent. The modest accomplishments recorded have been due to a combination of foresight and prudence in resource management within this period.

Revenue Performance as at 3rd Quarter 2011:

As at the 3rd Quarter of 2011, a total sum of N5, 608,355,069.95 (Five Billion Six Hundred and Eight million, Three Hundred and Fifty-five Thousand and Sixty-nine naira Ninety-five kobo only was realized from our internal sources. This represents over 50 percent increase against that of last year.

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The revenue from the external sources was N31,032, 233, 589 (Thirty-one billion, thirty two million, two hundred and thirty-three thousand, five hundred and eighty nine Naira) only.

The breakdown is as follows:

Statutory allocation from
Federation Account -N22,735,564,528

Value Added Tax (VAT) -N 5,035,327,904

Derivation -N 3,261,341,157

= N31, 032,233,589

We shall put in place measures to ensure enhanced revenue generation in 2012.

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Expenditure Performance:

The recurrent and capital expenditures as at the 3rd quarter of 2011 was N30,001,605, 998.45 (Thirty billion, one million, six hundred and five thousand, nine hundred and ninety eight naira, forty five kobo)only.

Considerable increase is expected in the level of expenditure within the 4th quarter, due to a lot of rehabilitation and construction work going on in the State within this period. Furthermore, the implementation of the new minimum wage on the recurrent expenditure will also lead to a significant increase.

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The 2012 Budget:

The Philosophy and Thrust:

In 2012 fiscal year, we shall reinvigorate governance with renewed enthusiasm in the areas of internally generated revenue, especially in the execution of projects which have revenue yielding potentials. Integrated effort to be put in place towards the industrialization of the State and sustenance of the various economic empowerment programmes to reduce the level of poverty and unemployment, especially among the youths.

Our Framework shall include but not limited to:

i. Sustenance of peace and security in the State.
ii. Provision of enabling environment for investment.

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iii. Concerted efforts towards the transformation of the entire road networks in the State.
iv. Establishment of a new partnership with the private sector to create economic and educational opportunities.
v. Develop our human capital and empower our youth.
vi. Introduce modern technology in our Agricultural Sector.
vii. Enhance value reorientation in our public sector.
viii. Revitalise ailing government health institutions and improve health care delivery in the State.

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The 2012 Budget proposal is aimed at ensuring that the progress we have recorded, the sacrifices we have made and our commitment would transform the State to a modern, prosperous and secured place for all of us.

Naming of the Budget:-

Mr. Speaker, Honourable members, I present to this distinguished House of Assembly the 2012 Budget Christened “Budget of Transformation”. The 2012 Budget is painstakingly articulated to stimulate economic growth and development of the State.

The necessary policy guidelines to remove impediments and ensure efficient implementation of the budget would be put in place. Further details of this budget will be made public by the Honourable Commissioner for Finance.

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The 2012 Budget Outlay:-

The total budget outlay for 2012 fiscal year is N122,390,433,920 (One hundred and twenty-two billion, three hundred and ninety million, four-hundred and thirty-three thousand, nine hundred and twenty naira) only. This represent an increase of 16.4 percent over that of the preceding year which was N105,106,188,110 (One hundred and five billion, one hundred and six million, one hundred and eighty eight thousand, one hundred and ten naira) only.

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The Breakdown of the 2012 budget is as follows:

A. Revenue:

The revenue accruing to the State in 2012 is expected to increase. This is partly due to the anticipated favourable review of the revenue sharing formula of the Federal Government and partly due to the expected improvement in the collection of IGR and measures introduced by the reforms in the finances of the State.

(i) Internal Sources:

In 2012, concerted efforts would be made to improve on our Internally Generated Revenue. Meanwhile some consultants have been engaged to enable us restructure the systems of revenue collection.
For more go to:
http://www.abiastate.gov.ng/2011/12/the-2012-budget-speech-delivered-by-his-excellency-chief-t-a-orji-ochendo-the-governor-of-abia-state-at-the-abia-state-house-of-assembly-on-the-15th-day-of-december-2011/

FIERY Televangelist and Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly Church, Lagos, Pastor Tunde Bakare, was the vice presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), in the 2011 polls. In this interview, he called on Nigerians to resist the Federal Government’s plan to remove fuel subsidy, saying that he would lead the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) on a protest if government goes ahead with its plan to remove fuel subsidy. Excerpts:

Will you mobilise the Save Nigeria Group to protest like what happened during late Yar’Adua’s administration if the Federal government goes ahead with its plan to remove fuel subsidy?

We will wait and see. They have been changing the goal posts themselves. We are going to make available to Nigerians the simple arithmetic of fuel subsidy; it is not just going to be a church affair. We are going to ensure that everything is spelt out for them to see.

They are not subsidizing the cost of production within our country, what the government is subsidizing is alternative cost. Is it not a shame that Nigeria will now be importing electricity from Ghana? So, whether I will lead a mass protest or not does not arise, President Jonathan has called for it, the battle line is drawn and we will see who will win between Ghaddafi and the people.

During your sermon, you said mass revolt brought President Goodluck Jonathan to power and mass revolt would flush him out of power. Are we going to see the revival of the Save Nigeria Group because for a long time, the group seems to be in a coma?

The Save Nigeria Group is not in a coma. Save Nigeria Group is at work, there are several aspects of our work. It is not going to be the responsibility of Save Nigeria Group to lead a civil protest. When it happened, there were so many groups that came together and at the end of the day, you find that some people and some groups pulled out, while some stayed.

What is coming is bigger than that, but I want to assure you that the Save Nigeria Group is not in coma, it is not dead, it is not silent. We will come out at the appropriate time. I am waiting for Jonathan to cut off his head if he goes ahead with the planned removal, you know that Goliath’s sword was used to cut off his own head.

But how do you separate your stand from that of the CPC on fuel subsidy removal?

In the days of Solomon, King of Israel, he was totally in charge and Rehoboam still had all the paraphernalia of what you call the ruling class until the people themselves said enough is enough.

If you put the population of the ruling class together, they are not up to one million, but the rest of the nation will rise against them. How will it happen? And how did it happen in the past? I remember when the Save Nigeria Group were going to march, there was one of their agents who said we were going to march and fail. The chairman of PDP then, Ogbulafor who said it was a road show, we knew who became history at the end of the day.

Let me make this plain: I made it clear that the message was given in the course of my duty as a shepherd to feed the flock with knowledge and understanding, so that they will not be afraid and they will not lack anything. They will not be afraid of terror and terrorists in power. God is able to tame any power monster at anytime. So, it is in the course of my duty as a shepherd that I gave the message. I am functioning as a shepherd, speaking to the parish not as a politician.

Security has been allocated a large chunk in the proposed 2012 budget. Do you think that will help Nigeria address the growing security problems facing the country?

An intending government would have sat down and said we spent so much last year on security, what did it produce? It produced confusion, death, destruction of lives and properties. That does not resolve instability and issues of insecurity in a nation.

Pastor Tunde Bakare

You cannot have peace without justice; the moment you compromise justice, you have murdered sleep. You can vote N10 trillion on it. It shows how far those in power are ruled by their own fear and they are running from their shadows. It did not work in the past, it will not work now.

Create job opportunities, give hope to people, serve their interest, all violence will begin to wane. And if you gave amnesty to those who threw bombs in the past, how far can you go by trying to jail those who are throwing bombs in the present? What is good for the goose is good for the gander, you will continue to waste your resources forgetting that if there is no error, there will be no terror. So, it is error of judgement, it won’t work. It has failed in the past, it will fail in the present and it will fail in the future.

The president is mobilising security operatives to forestall any resistance against planned removal of the oil subsidy. Many see this move as an oppression of the people, do you agree?

I don’t because there is a new wind blowing across the world, that wind is the peoples’ will against the power of incumbency. We saw it in Tunisia, in Libya, in Egypt, it is blowing across the whole world.

Don’t forget that those the President is mobilising are going to give a command to others to carry out and those that they will ask to carry it out, will be like the man who gave Salim to Anwar Sadat and shot him on the parade. Wait and see.

Right now, in the city of Kano, security men are also not just taking mufti to work, they are also taking women garment so as to change. Just wait and see. That shows the kind of person he is. The government is subsidizing refined products in Nigeria, they are subsidizing alternative cost of exporting our goods so that we can buy it at expensive rates later. What is wrong with us building new refineries?

The ones that were built, were built during the military. And if they are not working well, why can’t they build new ones everywhere so that we do not export crude anymore? We refine more and make more money than we have now.

In 1965, Malaysia came here to take our palm oil seeds, today, Malaysia is making more money from palm oil than we are struggling to make from crude oil. It does not make sense. We need leadership that has a moral fibre to stand and say this is wrong. We need to forge ahead.

What is your take on the controversy heralding toll gate along Lekki-Epe expressway?

I lived in London and America for a while and there are tolls everywhere. I have not limited myself to Lagos State in the pronouncement I made, it is a general thing. They are bringing all the tolls back but my statement is not limited to Lagos State.

If good roads are being constructed and to maintain it in the years to come, tolls are being taken, no sensible citizen will complain. If citizens cry out, governments must explain to them and not to send people to beat them and kill them, that would be tyranny.

The people have a reason for crying out, it does not matter who is in power, whether progressive or conservative. Our citizens are not incapable of reasoning and many of them will gladly pay tax. But when people cannot talk anymore and government does not have the grace to explain, anarchy is on the way.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/12/oil-subsidy-removal-i%E2%80%99ll-lead-sng-to-protest-if-tunde-bakare/

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has assured citizens of accelerated infrastructural development in Abia state.

The commissioner representing Abia on the board of NDDC barrister Aloysius Nwagboso made the promise during the environmental impact assessment of the proposed 23 kilometer Agwati – Obokwe – Umukechi – Urata – Urata junction in Ukwa West and Ossisioma local government area of Abia state.

He advised the consultants handling the road designs to go back to site and correct whatever defect that needs to be corrected.

Questions after questions, one after the other, from various representatives of host communities of the NDDC projects requesting for compensation, The NDDC representative Barrister Aloysius Nwagboso after commending them for their comments reminded them that essence of NDDC projects in oil producing communities is to their benefit but, issues of environment is better addressed during environmental impact assessment

The representative of the Minister of Environment, Mr. Ambrose Erege assured the communities of the Ministry’s readiness to ensure that the right things are done to bring lasting development to the people of Abia state.

A presentation by the Department of Environmental Impact Assessment of the NDDC and their Consultants marked the highlight of the event.

http://www.channelstv.com/global/news_details.php?nid=30684&cat=Local

Jackson Ude again? How long are we going to be having you in the news for all wrong reasons. Today scamming, tomorrow blackmail. You kw go rest?

On December 10, 2011, if you stopped at the Mobil filling station on Old Aba Road in Port Harcourt , you would be able to buy a litre of petrol for 65 naira or $1.66 per gallon at an exchange rate of $1/N157 and 4 litres per gallon. This is the official price. The government claims that this price would have been subsidized at N73/litre and that the true price of a litre of petrol in Port Harcourt is N138/litre or $3.52 per gallon.

They are therefore determined to remove their subsidy and sell the gallon at $3.52. But, On December 10, 2011, if you stopped at the Mobil Gas station on E83rd St and Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, USA, you would be a able to buy a gallon of petrol for $3.52/gallon. Both gallons of petrol would have been refined from Nigerian crude oil. The only difference would be that the gallon in New York was refined in a US North East refinery from Nigerian crude exported from the Qua Iboe Crude Terminal in Nigeria while the Port Harcourt gallon was either refined in Port Harcourt or imported. The idea that a gallon of petrol from Nigerian crude oil cost the same in New York as in Port Harcourt runs against basic economic logic. Hence, Nigerians suspect that there is something irrational and fishy about such pricing. What they would like to know is the exact cost of 1 litre of petrol in Nigeria .

We will answer this question in the simplest economic terms despite the attempts of the Nigerian government to muddle up the issue. What is the true cost of a litre of petrol in Nigeria ? The Nigerian government has earmarked 445000 barrel per day throughput for meeting domestic refinery products demands. These volumes are not for export. They are public goods reserved for internal consumption. We will limit our analysis to this volume of crude oil. At the refinery gate in Port Harcourt, the cost of a barrel of Qua Iboe crude oil is made up of the finding /development cost ($3.5/bbl) and a production/storage /transportation cost of $1.50 per barrel.

Thus, at $5 per barrel, we can get Nigerian Qua Iboe crude to the refining gates at Port Harcourt and Warri. One barrel is 42 gallons or 168 litres. The price of 1 barrel of petrol at the Depot gate is the sum of the cost of crude oil, the refining cost and the pipeline transportation cost. Refining costs are at $12.6 per barrel and pipeline distribution cost are $1.50 per barrel. The Distribution Margins (Retailers, Transporters, Dealers, Bridging Funds, Administrative charges etc) are N15.49/litre or $16.58 per barrel. The true cost of 1 litre of petrol at the Mobil filling station in Port Harcourt or anywhere else in Nigeria is therefore ($5 +$12.6+$1.5+$16.6) or $35.7 per barrel . This is equal to N33.36 per litre compared to the official price of N65 per litre. Prof. Tam David West is right. There is no petrol subsidy in Nigeria . Rather the current official prices are too high. Let us continue with some basic energy economics.

The government claims we are currently operating our refineries at 38.2% efficiency. When we refine a barrel of crude oil, we get more than just petrol. If we refine 1 barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil, we will get 45 gallons of petroleum products. The 45 gallons of petroleum products consist of 4 gallons of LPG, 19.5 gallons of Gasoline, 10 gallons of Diesel, 4 gallons of Jet Fuel/Kerosene, 2.5 gallons of Fuel Oil and 5 gallons of Bottoms. Thus, at 38.2% of refining capacity, we have about 170000 bbls of throughput refined for about 13.26 million litres of petrol, 6.8 million litres of diesel and 2.72 million litres of kerosene/jet fuel.

This is not enough to meet internal national demand. So, we send the remaining of our non-export crude oil volume (275000 barrels per day) to be refined abroad and import the petroleum product back into the country. We will just pay for shipping and refining. The Nigerian government exchanges the 275000 barrels per day with commodity traders (90000 barrels per day to Duke Oil, 60000 barrels per day to Trafigura (Puma Energy), 60000 barrels per day to Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and 65000 barrels per days to unknown sources) in a swap deal. The landing cost of a litre of petrol is N123.32 and the distribution margins are N15.49 according to the government. The cost of a litre is therefore (N123.32+N15.49) or N138.81 . This is equivalent to $3.54 per gallon or $148.54 per barrel. In technical terms, one barrel of Nigerian crude oil has a volume yield of 6.6% of AGO, 20.7% of Gasoline, 9.5% of Kerosene/Jet fuel, 30.6% of Diesel, 32.6% of Fuel oil / Bottoms when it is refined.

Using a netback calculation method, we can easily calculate the true cost of a litre of imported petrol from swapped oil. The gross product revenue of a refined barrel of crude oil is the sum of the volume of each refined product multiplied by its price. Domestic prices are $174.48/barrel for AGO, $69.55/barrel for Gasoline (PMS or petrol), $172.22/barrel for Diesel Oil, $53.5/barrel for Kerosene and $129.68/barrel for Fuel Oil. Let us substitute the government imported PMS price of $148.54 per barrel for the domestic price of petrol/gasoline. Our gross product revenue per swapped barrel would be (174.48*0.066 +148.54*0.207+172.22*0.306+ 53.5*0.095+129.68*0.326) or $142.32 per barrel. We have to remove the international cost of a barrel of Nigerian crude oil ($107 per barrel) from this to get the net cost of imported swapped petroleum products to Nigerian consumers. The net cost of swapped petroleum products would therefore be $142.32 -$107 or $35.32 per barrel of swapped crude oil. This comes out to be a net of $36.86 per barrel of petrol or N34.45 per litre.

This is the true cost of a litre of imported swapped petrol and not the landing cost of N138 per litre claimed by the government. The pro-subsidy Nigerian government pretends the price of swapped crude oil is $0 per barrel (N0 per litre) while the resulting petroleum products is $148.54 per barrel (N138 per litre). The government therefore argues that the “subsidy” is N138.81-N65 or N73.81 per litre. But, if landing cost of the petroleum products is at international price ($148.54 per barrel), then the take-off price of the swapped crude oil should be at international price ($107 per barrel). This is basic economic logic outside the ideological prisms of the World Bank. The traders/petroleum products importers and the Nigerian government are charging Nigerians for the crude oil while they are getting it free.

So let us conclude this basic economic exercise. If the true price of 38.2% of our petrol supply from our local refinery is N33.36/litre and the remaining 61.8% has a true price of N34.45 per litre, then the average true price is (0.382*33.36+0.618*34.45) or N34.03 per litre. The official price is N65 per litre and the true price with government figures is about N34 per litre (even with our moribund refineries).

There is therefore no petrol subsidy. Rather, there is a high sales tax of 91.2% at current prices of N65 per litre. The labor leaders meeting the President should go with their economists. They should send economists and political scientists as representatives to the Senate Committee investigating the petroleum subsidy issue. There are many expert economists and political scientists in ASUU who will gladly represent the view of the majority. The labor leaders should not let anyone get away with the economic fallacy that the swapped oil is free while its refined products must be sold at international prices in the Nigerian domestic market.

The government should explain at what price the swapped crude oil was sold and where the money accruing from these sales have been kept. We have done this simple economic analysis of the Nigerian petroleum products market to show that there is no petrol subsidy what so ever. In the end, this debate on petrol subsidy and the attempt of the government to transfer wealth from the Nigerian masses to a petrol cabal will be decided in the streets. Nigerian workers, farmers, students, market women, youths, unemployed, NGO and civil society as a whole should prepare for a long harmattan season of protracted struggle. They should not just embark on 3 days strike/protests after which the government reduces the hiked petroleum prices by a few Nairas. They must embark upon in a sustainable struggle that will lead to fundamental changes. Let us remove our entire political subsidy from the government and end this petroleum products subsidy debate once and for all. It is time to bring the Arab Spring south.

Izielen Agbon Izielen Agbon writes from Dallas, Texas. izielenagbon@yahoo.com

(This article is adapted from Noam Chomsky's talk at the Occupy Boston encampment on Dewey Square on Oct. 22. He spoke as part of the Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture Series held by Occupy Boston's on-site Free University. Zinn was a historian, activist and author of A People's History of the United States.)Delivering a Howard Zinn lecture is a bittersweet experience for me. I regret that he's not here to take part in and invigorate a movement that would have been the dream of his life. Indeed, he laid a lot of the groundwork for it.
If the bonds and associations being established in these remarkable events can be sustained through a long, hard period ahead -- victories don't come quickly -- the Occupy protests could mark a significant moment in American history.
I've never seen anything quite like the Occupy movement in scale and character, here and worldwide. The Occupy outposts are trying to create cooperative communities that just might be the basis for the kinds of lasting organizations necessary to overcome the barriers ahead and the backlash that's already coming.
That the Occupy movement is unprecedented seems appropriate because this is an unprecedented era, not just at this moment but since the 1970s.
The 1970s marked a turning point for the United States. Since the country began, it had been a developing society, not always in very pretty ways, but with general progress toward industrialization and wealth.
Even in dark times, the expectation was that the progress would continue. I'm just old enough to remember the Great Depression. By the mid-1930s, even though the situation was objectively much harsher than today, the spirit was quite different.
A militant labor movement was organizing -- the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) and others -- and workers were staging sit-down strikes, just one step from taking over the factories and running them themselves.
Under popular pressure, New Deal legislation was passed. The prevailing sense was that we would get out of the hard times.
Now there's a sense of hopelessness, sometimes despair. This is quite new in our history. During the 1930s, working people could anticipate that the jobs would come back. Today, if you're a worker in manufacturing, with unemployment practically at Depression levels, you know that those jobs may be gone forever if current policies persist.

For more on this visit: http://thejuristlaws..com/

The Abia State Government has reinstated 58 Rivers State indigenes, that were sacked recently from the former’s civil service. The chairman, Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions Hon Michael Chinda, made this known on the floor of the Assembly last Monday while presenting a report on the issue of disengagement of Rivers workers in the Abia State civil service.

Hon Chinda, said the committee in its investigation met with the Abia State Head of Service Chief G.C. Adiele and other top government officials who admitted that “the disengagement of Rivers indigenes was done out of error” The report also revealed that “disengagement policy of Abia State” was retaliatory and it affects the South-East states, of Imo, Anambra, Ebony and Enugu who displaced Abia State indigenes from their public service. “ “The report also noted that most of the disengaged Rivers workers were currently undergoing their promotion interviews before their dismissal.

Responding to the report, Chief Whip of the Rivers Assembly, Hon Ikunyi Igbani commended the committee for the report and called on the Assembly to monitor the process of reinstatement through appropriate civil service rules.

In her contribution, Hon Felicia Tanee, representing Tai Constituency, also commended the committee, stating that, any attempt to disengage Rivers workers again should lead to automatic disengagement of Abia citizens in Rivers State civil service.

Also contributing, Hon Kelechi Nwogu, representing Omuma Constitutency, called for a letter of reabsorbtion of the disengaged workers from the Abia civil service, since there was a letter ordering their sack.

It would be recalled that the issue of disengagement of Rivers workers from Abia civil service, was brought to the notice of the Assembly through a motion by Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, following a petition by the disengaged workers.

Two private bills also received first hearing on the floor of the Assmbly. The first bill bordering on “the Prohibition of Curtailment of the Rights of Women to Share in Family Property in Rivers State and Related Matters”. Was sponsored by Hon Michael Chinda representing Obio/Akpor Constituency I, while the second bill on “Handicapped Persons Welfare (enchantment) bill 2011, was sponsored by Hon Victoria Nyeche, representing, Port Harcourt Constituency I.