₦airaland Forum

amosy007: lol those people worse pass saboteurs.. They are too corrupt. I read dis morning that they collect money from gen importers to sabotage electricity for people to buy more gen..

Those animalistic, embellestic abdominiral messicuretella *coughs i need a glass of water*

I beg easy o, nor kill us with english ooo

Most Nigerian business men are just wicked and empty headed, if the generator sellers are smart they would covert their businesses into other electrical items to benefit from the improving power situation.

Well, bye bye saboteurs

FG distributes retirement benefit letters to PHCN workers

August 9, 2012 by Okechukwu Nnodim


The Federal Government has commenced the distribution of retirement benefit letters to employees of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry of Power said the exercise, which started on Wednesday, was in line with its privatisation process.

The ministry, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Power, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe, said each letter was personally signed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive, PHCN, Mr. Hussein Labo.

It said the letters stipulated their pension and gratuity, among other benefits.

It said, “The management of the PHCN this morning (Wednesday) began distributing letters to each PHCN staff member, advising him or her on the retirement benefits, in view of the impending privatisation of 17 out of the 18 PHCN successor companies.

“The workers were to study the contents of every form and look out for critical issues like possible computational errors and then return them not later than August 10, 2012, with appropriate remarks to the PHCN management.”

The ministry said the computations showed that some PHCN executives would get as much as N38m as retirement benefit.

It argued that this figure contrasted with the N2m, which some union officials had claimed would be the maximum amount any PHCN employee would receive on retirement.

The statement added that the entire severance benefit, calculated at N80bn, would come from the government treasury.

This, it said, was because the PHCN management did not comply with the Pension Reform Act, which came into force on July 1, 2004, and which required every worker to contribute 7.5 per cent of his or her basic salary towards pension.

Meanwhile, the ministry has noted that the leadership of the National Union of Electricity Employees prevented some workers of the power firm from accepting the letters.

It said, “With letters of advice on retirement benefits now being distributed to each of the employees of the 17 PHCN successor companies and any Transmission Company of Nigeria staff members opting to retire now, the NUEE leadership has used force to prevent the employees from receiving the letters and knowing their true contents.”


http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/fg-distributes-retirement-benefit-letters-to-phcn-workers/

dayokanu: Anyone that has FACTS should bring it forward and lets see for ourselves.

I spoke to one Ibo girl not long ago.

[b]She went to a Nursing school in Iboland, Got to America in 2010 wthout Papers. Currently, She has built a house in her village. Story building with pent house at the back up to roofing

She has set his brother in business to the tune of 2m naira.

[/b]She has papers now, Works legally and she just turned 27 like 2 months ago.

She is doing quite well in America, drives a brand new car and she is planning to buy a house in US by next year

And u believe all that?

Even if she prostitut.e or deals in drug, don't she have overhead cost to pay?, because nobody is going to take u indoor without contributing to payoff bills, not in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand some countries in asia. Did u bother to ask her monthly savings etc?

It could be possible if she is a yahoo yahoo girl.

chmod777: The main reasons I still prefer developed world to Naija
-Better life due to
Transport infrastructure
Security and healthcare..... I can sleep with my dorrs open
Internet
Roads
Things are working right
Water supply and quality
Clean environment free from pollution and noise
quality assurance of food you buy
easy to travel to other places
THESE Make up possible better life and higher life expectancy for me.... Life is just Once

Dude,

You should pray that u have legal residence to enjoy all that u have listed above else u will still feel like a prisoner and u will prefer Nigeria to where u are.
Now @ topic, Yes Belgium is still rosy if u have everything intact, when I say intact I mean your legal residence permit and professional skill, I would say I'm glad to get a job at my first attempt, I schooled and acquired my engineering skill in Nigeria and that what got me going, then later some courses here to upgrade myself. Most employers here don't discriminate if they are convince u are the right candidate for the job.

Fact is, develope world is ain't different from nigeria in term of rosyness, but not everyone that comes' here is going make it and making it is not instant as being said, i'ts a gradual process if u plan carefully else u go into debt that would ruin your life.

'Poko' means 'gossiper', the short for aproko

She seem like a gossiper with her big mouth.

zun nurain: nice ideal.... Reporting from Agenebode, all is going well...... God bless Edo, Agenebode and osho baba......

Are u gay? that flag is symbol for gay.

@op

U think everyone is a mumu?, 1. this this is an old pic circulating on NL for long, 2. how would gov. oshiomole stand without his personal security around him? 3 The pic is photoshoped.

Go and get something serious to do with your head.

Written by Donald Ojogo Sunday, 08 July 2012

There are jitters among the Northern political establishment over the sort of political accord between President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark as far as determination of the 2015 Presidency is concerned, Sunday Tribune can reveal.

Sources close to a recent meeting of some Northern political bigwigs confirmed permutations towards the 2015 presidential race have continued to assume varied dimensions as the far North is said to be ruing the possibility of Senate President David Mark being drafted into the race.

It was gathered that though many Northern leaders have not ruled out the possibility of President Jonathan joining the race, many of them are now concerned that the Jonathan camp could be perfecting a plot to foist Mark as his successor.

“What if President Jonathan decides not to run and opts for a Northern successor?”
This was the question that dominated the meeting of some Northern politicians which was hosted by a two-term senator who recently left the National Assembly at his Abuja residence last week.

Although those in attendance noted “with concern,” the “un-allayed fears” of the North as far as the 2015 race is concerned, they all the same decried the confrontational manner which some Northern politicians have been facing the “challenge.”

Sunday Tribune was informed by one of the attendees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the closeness of the Senate president and President Jonathan is a source of worry to the core North, adding that “a David Mark Presidency is another Southern rule.

“It is not possible for the real politicians in the North to sleep when we are talking about power equation and how it affects us as a people; that is the issue we are looking at with concern on very strong terms.

”How can we relax when there are many un-allayed fears along the path leading to the race? So, as you asked, I can tell you confidently that we discussed the issue even though it was not a formal meeting; that is why we need to be very diplomatic about it because the way some of our people face the challenge with confrontation is very condemnable, may be because they do not understand the essence of power-play.

“To be candid with you, that kind of confrontation can only lead to very serious negative impacts on us as a people. So, we are trying to see the possibility of avoiding a situation where those close to the president will wrongly advise him to drag in the likes of David Mark, who is very close to him and Southern power brokers, if eventually, he, Jonathan decides not to run.

“We do not pray for that in any case, but it is like handing over to another Southerner after Jonathan as we cannot say such a person is from the North.”

It was learnt that the North is not too certain of the body language of President Jonathan ahead of 2015.

While many of the political leaders were afraid that Jonathan could himself join the race, they are equally concerned that the president could spring a last-minute surprise by drafting Mark in.

It was also leant that the rapport between Jonathan and Mark had grown so robust in recent years and that the president could swing things in Mark’s favour.

There is also a feeling that if Jonathan would not contest, power might be retained in the Middle Belt in view of the widespread antagonism against Jonathan’s government since inception.

Sources said a feeling in Jonathan’s camp is that if the president will not contest, he could only yield the seat to Mark who is credited with military background.

“The feeling among the president’s supporters is that if he is not contesting, he should raise a candidate with military background and the person that has demonstrated capability is David Mark,” a source said.

This development is coming as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commenced deft, but discreet moves to take over existing structures of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West geopolitical zone ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

Already, a reliable source told our correspondent, the former vice president’s foot soldiers are making overtures to some influential power brokers in the region with a view to eliciting their support base at the various states even as they intend to use the PDP governorship ticket in Ondo State as springboard.

But the former vice president and the Ondo State chapter of the PDP have both denied the development.

Nonetheless, prominent among those said to be coordinating for the former vice president, in his latest move to take a shot at the Presidency, are former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP (South), Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun; former Special Adviser on Women Affairs, Chief (Mrs) Titi Ajanaku; former Education Minister, Professor Tunde Adeniran; Lagos politician, Mrs Remi Adiukwu-Bakare; as well as the former vice president’s business associate Chief Oyewole Fasawe, whose favoured candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, has emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in Ondo State.

However, the former vice president’s loyalists, according to the source, appear to have met a brick wall in the National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the South-West, Mr. Segun Oni; two unnamed former governors as well as the National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

President Jonathan is yet to confirm whether or not he will take another shot at the Presidency as he has consistently declared that it is too early to engage in activities towards the 2015 presidential election.

The former vice president is reportedly banking on the present state of the PDP in the South-West in relation to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in all the states in the region except Ondo which is controlled by the Labour Party (LP).

All the same, PDP Director of Publicity in Ondo State, Ayo Fadaka, has debunked that Oke, who is the immediate past National Legal Adviser of the party, is a loyalist of the former vice president.

“To all intents and purposes, our candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, is not an imposed candidate of the party; he enjoys the support of all leaders of the party from across the state.

This is even as the state chapter of the party is not in any way tied to the presidential ambition of anybody.

“Let me add that the man enjoyed a very robust working relationship with Mr. President when he was the party’s national legal adviser in Abuja; he is a man who has played very patriotic roles in the party and even at governmental levels while he served as one of the party’s brightest national legal advisers.

“These roles were further exemplified by the very noble, responsible and loyal step he took at the last national convention of the PDP in Abuja by withdrawing from the race for the position of the national secretary of the PDP. This is one of the various means by which those peddling falsehood in Abuja think they can succeed; it is one of the very panicky insinuations aimed at dragging the name of Chief Oke into needless controversy, but they will fail,” Fadaka said on telephone.

On his part, Atiku, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Garba Shehu, denied any knowledge of politicians working for him towards the 2015 presidential election.

“It is not true; it is a figment of people’s imagination wrongly directed to create unnecessary friction where none exists.

The Turaki is very much unaware and wishes to state that no one has his instructions to mobilise for any election.

“He (Atiku) will be very much ready to speak on other issues of importance, but not on the 2015 presidential election. So, please disregard those rumours,” Sheu, who also spoke on telephone, noted.


http://tribune.com.ng/sun/front-page-articles/7832-2015-jitters-in-core-north-over-jonathanmark-accord-atiku-woos-swest-pdp

Wasbayd: I need members to share their experiences and opinion about our Nigeria's bad eggs abroad, they are causing us harm and disgrace, and we suffer from the bad image they paste us. Nigeria is a great country with great name and recognition, but these bad ones make us also majorly stand for anything tagged "BAD" in foreign countries.

@op
The 'bad' tag on Nigerians have never discouraged me from being my ownself, The good thing about most people reasoning in europe where I am don't put everybody into one basket unless u have proven to be added to a bad basket, They may have heard stories about Nigerians and criminality, prostitution, drug etc, but when they meet one they want to find out 'why' it's so, Its is your dutie to educate them of the social decadence/belief behind the disgraceful behaviour, they will come to understand it's not different from what is also happening in their sourrounding, the fact is, it is very minimal among their citizens.

.

+++++

*How SSS showed clips to Speaker Tambuwal
*Otedola faces fresh troubles
*SSS’ role in the sting operation
*Why Farouk was not immediately arrested

This is the chronology of a now inconclusive sting operation conducted by the Department of State Service, otherwise referred to as the SSS, involving House of Representatives member and Chairman, Committee on Subsidy Management, Lawan Farouk, and oil and gas magnate, Femi Otedola. The complicity of both men in this latest scam signposts a deeper mentality of dishonourable conduct that is pervasive in Nigeria.

By Jide Ajani

Femi Otedola and Lawan Farouk made a mockery of purity – they both wore white clothes in the video which showed them giving and collecting bribe.

The SSS swept the house before the operation was set up. They had to. They called it a STING OPERATION. It was set up at the palatial Aso Drive, Abuja residence of Otedola, the oil and gas magnate. The set-up was for bugging devices for an audio visual operation. With a camera pen for the visuals, ultra-sensitive microphones that could pick the sound of the drop of pins for the audio, as well as telephone bugging devices, the SSS’ communications experts did their job of installation and left.The question to ask is, why this elaborate operation at the residence of a friend of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan?

IN THE BEGINNING, 15 BECAME 13

Because the heart of man is clouded, the truth about who approached who may never really be known, without prejudice to the claims being made by Otedola and Farouk.

The truth, however, is that one approached the other.

What is also established, moving forward, is that Otedola’s Zenon Oil and Gas collected forex to the tune of $232, 975,385.13 from the PSF whereas it did not import petrol. There was another company, Synopsis Enterprises Limited, said to have collected $51, 449, 977, for the same purpose but did not deliver – so said the report of the House Committee, presided over by Farouk.

On the second day of the presentation of the report, a Wednesday, April 24, Farouk told his colleagues on the floor of the House, that the now notorious Clause 29 (5) and (6) needed attention. That fresh information had come upon the committee which suggested that some companies were erroneously listed as beneficiaries of PSF, whereas it was merely an error and, therefore, the names of the companies should be removed from the list. The House agreed to the amendment of the report. And, therefore, Otedola’s Zenon was removed from the list of indicted companies; ditto, Synopsis.

12 HOURS EARLIER, AT OTEDOLA’S RESIDENCE
The meeting between Farouk and Otedola was meant to hold by 1am, the very first hour of April 24, 2012. It did not. 2am, it did not. At about 4am, according to the timing on the recording device, Farouk entered the premises of Otedola. There, $500,000, out of a set aside $3m, was ready in cash.

According to visuals on the recording, which Sunday Vanguard has now been privy to, Farouk came in wearing a white Kaftan – not the long flowing and sweeping Senegalese type but a three quarter/near full length design.

There was no cap to match. It was very late any way – 4am. Otedola also wore his now familiar white guinea brocade ‘buba and sokoto’. After the exchange of banters, the $500,000 was handed over to Farouk and he left.



Sometime four to five hours later, Boniface Emenalo, the secretary to the House Committee on Subsidy Management, who had been nominated by a very senior high-ranking member of this administration, entered. The recorder kept rolling. Emenalo was handed two packages containing $120,000.

Emenalo, according to the recording, was dressed in a Niger-Delta like attire. He collected the two parcels, put them in the trousers pockets which swallowed the packages – one in each pocket. The Niger Delta top did not betray the dollar cargo in the pockets of the trousers worn by Emenalo. He left. Mind you, the disputation between the combined sum of $600,000 and $620, 000 came about as a result of the alleged declaration made by Emenalo that he collected just $100,000, as against the alleged $120,000 Otedola gave to him.

The funds Otedola parted with were provided by the SSS.

It was part of the $3m that Farouk allegedly demanded for and which had been set aside for the operation. The point of convergence between the video recording of money changing hands and the now infamous bribery saga is the removal of the name of Zenon from the list of 15 later that morning on the floor of the House.

The video recording had very clear audio accompaniment.
The SSS experts moved in afterwards to develop the recording into a full fledged audio-visual production.

A copy of the recording was given to Otedola.
Now, whether Otedola made it available to former President Olusegun Obasanjo or not could not be verified.

What was verified, however, was that there was a balance of $2.5million allegedly to be collected.

THE AIRPORT RECORDING THAT NEVER HAPPENED
The next phase and scene of the sting operation was to be the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. There, the balance of the money was being kept for Farouk.

Otedola insistently told Farouk that he could not carry $2.5m cash to his residence and, therefore, wanted Farouk to meet him at the airport for the collection of the remainder of the money.

Now, whether Farouk had a premonition that he was likely to be set up or that he just didn’t want to be spotted at the airport in the company of Otedola, he simply refused to meet the oil magnate at the airport afterwards.

Instead, according to records of the telephone conversation that was bugged, Farouk instead suggested that he would send a third party to collect the money.

According to the recordings, he gave the telephone numbers of the nominee.
He, according to the recorded conversation between him and Otedola, actually spelt the name of the nominee to the Zenon Oil chief.

But all these were activities in futility.
The high command of the SSS would not have a third party collect the balance of $2.5m. A senior security source told Sunday Vanguard that the reason the airport operation was aborted was that since it was Farouk that was being expected to show up and was now planning to send another party, there was no need to continue.

Had he shown up and collected the money, he would have been arrested immediately, a source confirmed.
[b]
WHY FAROUK WAS NOT ARRESTED EARLIER
In fact, Sunday Vanguard was made to understand that the “only reason he was not arrested at the residence of Otedola that early morning was because options would be limited in proving that the episode was bribery related; and Farouk could insist that he was just set up, with cash brought in to justify the action”.

More importantly, sources said that “arresting Farouk on the morning of the day he was supposed to be presenting the continuation of the report of the committee, especially since Zenon’s name was still on the list of 15, would appear as if he was to be pressured into removing the oil firm’s name and, when he refused, he was set up for blackmail”.

According to a security source, such a “development would have made it appear again as if the government of the day simply decided to overshadow the presentation of the report with the arrest of Farouk”. These were the issues that weighed heavily on the minds of the SSS high command. They let Farouk go.
All these were not known to the lawmaker .
[/b]
SPEAKER TAMBUWAL
AS A GUEST OF SSS

Once the operation at the airport was inconclusive, but with Farouk removing Zenon’s name from the list of 15, it was time for the SSS high command to act swiftly.

Later that same week, the Command invited Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to its office in Asokoro. He obliged.

Upon his arrival, he was met by the Director General, DG, Ita Ekpeyong. A source disclosed to Sunday Vanguard that after the pleasantries, the Speaker was entertained with the recording of the morning of April 24, with the star actors being Emenalo, Farouk and Otedola. It was a totally astounded Tambuwal who was said to have watched in utter amazement footages from the recording.
He was informed of the sting operation which was set up by the SSS.
He was also informed of the botched operation meant for the airport.
The Speaker was made to understand that what he saw that transpired in the video led to the actions of Farouk on the floor of the House whereupon Zenon’s name was removed from the list of 15.
While the DG was said to be doing the briefing, it was a Tambuwal, with dropped jaws, who listened in awe and shock. On conditions of confidentiality, what transpired between the Speaker and his host can not be reproduced here.

However, Sunday Vanguard was told that “the Speaker simply said they should call Farouk and show him the recording; that he should come and answer ‘his father’s name’”.
Upon arrival back in his office, Tambuwal reportedly summoned Farouk and gave him a thorough dressing down.

FAROUK’S CLAIM
Farouk initially insisted that there was nothing of such. He denied any such thing as collecting any money from any marketer.

It was learnt from associates of Farouk that he also thought “he was doing a sting operation on Otedola; that he collected the money with a view to exposing him; that he wanted to collect the balance before presenting it all to members of the House and the public”.

In addition, Farouk, in a confidential briefing with Sunday Vanguard in April, had hinted at the development.

He disclosed that “one of the marketers wanted me to come and collect money from him at the airport but we are watching him and, when the time comes, we would expose him and the others”.

He also granted an interview published on April 28, in another newspaper, where he openly made the claims that an attempt was being made to bribe him and that some people were even threatening his life over the subsidy probe.
Farouk maintained that he planned to expose Otedola by going full length and playing along. Why he did not carry others along remains a mystery.

AND THE MATTER BLEW OPEN

Police sources confirmed, last Friday, that “contrary to what was being published, it was the police who first wrote Farouk, seeking to know who the people that were piling pressure on him were and those who were behind the threat to his life”.

The lawmaker responded to the police request and that actually marked the beginning of investigation into the matter.

Sunday Vanguard was also made to understand that investigations by the police had commenced before the matter blew into the open.

Indeed, it was the panic move by some powerful people both in the corridors of power and a few who rose in defense of Farouk that unwittingly blew the whistle in their bid to keep the matter out of public glare.

It was learnt that a very disappointed senior government official, who brought Emenalo in to work with the committee, had suspected that the matter was already being handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and made a move to find out the culpability of his ward. This was also another act which unwittingly blew the lid off.
By penultimate Saturday, it had become obvious that the matter had spread like wild fire in the House.

This was what necessitated the statement from the House leadership declaring that it would investigate the matter fully. Meanwhile, Farouk has been suspended indefinitely by the House.
And Otedola’s Zenon and Synopsis have been re-indicted by the House of Representatives’ Committee of the whole.


THE SEQUEL CONTINUES NEXT SUNDAY


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/dishonour-among-thieves-scams-within-a-scam-the-video-evidence-exclusive/

Tinyemeka: This Otedola guy no try at all. Why him no go upload the video for Youtube or even tubidy sef?

Crappy noisemakers. Nothing would come out of all these eventually. That's the painful part. Bloody rogues. What has happened to Hernan Hembe and co after all the noise made about prosecution? This nation is really sick.

Posting the video on a public dormain will make the case in court useless, defence lawyers can easily disqualify the video and get their client off the hook, If there is a video, it will be played in court to the judges, lawyers and those present in court on that day.

Frank-C:
I think the game is this: FL and team took the government and actual whistle blowers to the court of public opinion and got them really messed up, but it appears that he is fronting for an opposition camp. Allowing this issue to loom in public domain for some time has purpose that just exposing FL as a person, but aimed at exposing the hypocrisy of the present crop opposition masquerading as anti corruption persons. They will be so thoroughly indicted publicly that their words will seem like that of FL after now. At the end of the day, we may agree with GEJ that arresting people and clamping them to jail may not be the fist fights against corruption but actually dealing with the avenues that encourage corruption and making corruption less attractive. Ask top federal civil servants what GEJ is doing with their pay roll system so that you can get an idea of this governments anti corruption strategy.
With this happening, many people will be more careful when next they want to ask for bribe while on national assignment and that itself made corruption less attractive. Next time you wnat to bribe somebody, make sure he has no hidden mic on!

Dude

Your head is very sane at thinking, but the nigeria slow ways of thinking would'nt allow for common sense, actually dealing with the avenues that encourage corruptions are what developed world we now admire used to eradicate corruption to a great extent.

If an incriminating video truely exist about the bribery transaction, that fully renders the subsidy report 'doctored', and only good for the dustbin. Have those of u screaming don't dump the report thought about that?

I think his proclamation sound timetable enough, until then i reserve my comment.

States can own distribution companies •Tariff to go down for rural dwellers, urban poor


By Yemi Ajayi



Nigerians will soon witness some improvement in electricity supply nationwide as the Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, has unfolded plans to commence the commissioning of some National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs), which will be coming on stream between the third and fourth quarters of this year.

Nnaji, fielding questions from the THISDAY Board of Editors in Abuja last week, said based on the work that has been done so far, there would be significant improvement in electricity supply starting from next month to the end of the end of the year as 1,000MW from the NIPPs is added to the national grid to bring total available capacity to 5,400MW.

Although Nnaji admitted that for a country of 167 million people adding an extra 1,000MW to the grid to take it up to 5,400MW was still insignificant, he said with the aggressive completion of the NIPPs, expansion and upgrade of the transmission and distribution infrastructure, Nigeria should be able to generate 9,000MW by next year.

“Based on what is currently on the ground, starting from next month, you will begin to see an improvement similar to the December/January (last year) scenario when the improvement was felt by all.

“This will be repeated more prominently, we will exceed that quotient this year and we will stay like that on an incremental basis.
“But realistically, Nigeria should be leapfrogging, as I don’t want to be talking about 3,000-4,000MW. I want us to think about leapfrogging so that we can catch up with other emerging or developing nations,” said the minister.

Nnaji, however, admitted that the biggest challenge to the availability of constant electricity in the country today was inadequate gas supply, but expressed optimism that under the 12-month emergency gas plan embarked upon by the Ministry of Petroleum, things will begin to improve.

He said as a way out of the gas supply constraints the power sector has committed to paying for gas at cost reflective tariffs so that the international oil companies (IOCs) and other gas producers will be incentivised to invest in new gas-to-power projects.

“At this juncture, let me state that the IOCs have no choice but to come to terms with the current arrangement. Right now, we have an inter-ministerial committee that is supposed to work on the emergency provision of gas for power; there is a quantum identified where we can quickly get gas for the next 12 months.

“But we believe that gas producers will be encouraged to begin to invest in gas production and transport to the power companies with the cost reflective tariff put in place.

“Those of us on the power side have made every commitment that we’ve been asked to make. We have increased the tariff for gas from 10 cents that NEPA used to pay to $1 and next year it will be $1.50, then it will reach $2 the year after.
“We have also agreed that if the infrastructure for the transport of gas is built, that we are prepared to increase the tariff for gas transport to 80 cents, so we have made every commitment on the power side,” Nnaji explained.
He also spoke on the plans to involve states in the distribution of electricity that will pave the way for them to ensure that the electricity generated in their states reached consumers there.

He said under the privatisation of the power sector, state governments, besides investing in power plants, could also invest in the distribution network.

“We believe that the states should be accommodated as part of the whole reform programme. As such, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Bayelsa, for instance, will become part owners automatically of the Port Harcourt Distribution Company that covers them.
“In addition, we have given the states opportunities to be part of the bid process, so they can choose a company/consortium that has already been approved today as a bidder and bid alongside it,” the minister stated.

The minister also allayed fears that the revision in electricity tariffs, which began this month, would add to the financial burden of rural dwellers and urban poor, stating that under the new tariff regime, they will pay less for electricity.

He stressed that the new tariff structure should be deemed an adjustment, not an increase, adding, “That the tariff has gone down for rural dwellers and the urban poor, from N7.00 per kilowatt hour to N4.00 per kilowatt hour. Then other category of consumers will pay more but it will be graduated.”

Nnaji explained that no consumer will be made to pay more that they consume as the pre-paid metering being put in place will end the era of estimated billing.



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nnaji-we-should-expect-better-power-supply-by-third-quarter/117694/

The Real reasons behind dana air crash


.How Staff Were Forced To Fly The Plane Despite Complaints
. The Plane’s Catalogue Of Faults

Inside sources have revealed that the Dana Airline crash that killed over 150 people and rendered many homeless in Lagos could have been avoided if the airline’s management had listened to its staff.
Reports monitored on Channel’s TV on Monday morning indicated that the management was informed that the plane developed a fault shortly after it left Lagos and stopped over in Calabar. The Dana Air staff who spoke revealed that instead of sending the aircraft back to Lagos for repairs, the owners decided that it should go ahead to Abuja to pick passengers. The lady also stated that in the recent past, the plane had a number of problems with its hydraulics. The official said “the plane has being giving faults for a very long time. There was a case when it was on ground in Uyo for over six hours, because of delayed flight, it had a bolt. And then in Abuja it happened a few days ago, then some people went with the aircraft but they could not come back, because it had a fault there and it couldn’t leave Abuja.”
Speaking further, the official said “yesterday, it (the aircraft) was not supposed to leave Lagos at all, but it left and then got to Calabar, gave fault and it was fixed and then they took it to Abuja, when they should have returned to Lagos but because they didn’t want to part with the little money they will make, they took it to Abuja, loaded full passengers, and then it couldn’t get to Lagos. It has being having faults over time, continuously, hydraulics or one thing or the other. That aircraft kept having problems and they were not ready to park it” she stated.
Street Journal has also found out that the aircraft was faulty and the faults it gave made the original owners sell it. The plane was sold to Dana Airlines in February, 2009 by Alaska Airlines.
Checks from the Aviation Safety Network revealed that that particular plane, an MD-83 was manufactured in 1983 and it had its maiden flight on December 17, 1984. Alaska Airline bought the plane on the 13th November 1990 and it had the registration number N944AS.
It was found out that the plane had its first fault on November 4, 2002 when it had to undergo emergency diversion due to smoke and electrical smell in the cabin area, which engineers said was because light ballast had over heated.
The plane’s cabin area developed another fault on August 20, 2006, and it had to be evacuated after landing in Long Beach, California due to a chaffed wire bundle that discharged and produced smoke in the cabin area.
Street Journal gathered that Alaska Airline had the aeroplane parked in Victorville after the August 20, 2006 incident and it was in that state until maintenance was carried out on it in Miami on September 11, 2008 before its eventual sale in February 2009 after which it was registered as 5N-RAM.
The first issue the plane had in Nigeria was on April 19, 2010 when it had an emergency landing following loss of engine power after bird strike on take off in Lagos.
Meanwhile, in February 18, 2012, Street Journal published a story titled “America’s Damning Report on The Rot In Nigeria’s Aviation Sector”, the story was a sequel to a report on Nigeria’s aviation industry by an American agency. It reads “A few days ago, Street Journal reported on the substandard services in Nigeria’s aviation sector which have forced numerous travellers to complain about several airlines. At times flights are delayed for hours and on several occasions, passengers’ have had to cope with another stress as their luggage are sometimes forgotten at the point of departure by airlines. And to cap up the insult, neither apologies nor explanations are offered by the airlines for such developments.
Though the Nigerian aviation authorities have not released full reports of the three air disasters that occurred between 2005 and 2006, Street Journal got a copy of the reports on the crashes which were obtained by the American agency, AP. The revelations in the reports were damning and they went a long way to expose the rot within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
For instance, the report made it clear that before Lambert Imasuen, the pilot of the Bellview plane that crashed in 2005 was engaged by the aviation company, he had not flown any aircraft for 14 years. He worked at a popular dairy company in Ibadan and he only got to Bellview after he quit the dairy company. It was also discovered that during the 14-year break from flying, Imasuen was shot in the head by armed robbers, yet he was allowed to work as a pilot.
It was also discovered that safety regulations in aviation circles are rather loose.
The American Federal Aviation Administration requested the documents about the crashes through a Freedom of Information Act.
A report on the Oct. 22, 2005 crash of a Bellview Airlines flight that killed 177 people showed that the plane nose-dived into the ground at high speed. Investigators reportedly found only human remains that were “nothing bigger than toes and fingers,” the report read.
The summary of the report also stated that the plane’s captain, a 49-year-old former pilot, had been hired by Bellview after he had been working at a dairy for about 14 years. The pilot also had been “shot in the head during a robbery attempt” while he worked at the dairy. Surprisingly, “medical records do not contain any medical or hospitalization history of the event”. Though it was also stated in the report that follow up investigations would be carried out on the issue, there was no evidence that it was done.
At the Bellview crash site, deep in rural Nigeria, villagers looted the few pieces of what remained from the plane, likely including its “black box” recorders, according to an investigation summary.
The Dec. 10, 2005 crash of a Sosoliso Airlines flight full of schoolchildren from Abuja to Port Harcourt, which killed 107 people, appears to have involved both pilot error and weather.
The pilot was “reportedly racing a thunderstorm” nearing the airport, an FAA memo reads. The inclement weather also forced the pilot to make an instrument landing — meaning that visibility had been reduced to the point the pilot needed to rely on instruments to make his landing, the report read.
The plane crash landed on the grass alongside the runway, broke apart and caught fire.
The third major crash — an Oct. 29, 2006 ADC flight from Abuja to Sokoto — killed 96 people, including the top spiritual leader for the nation’s Muslims. The plane crashed 76 seconds after going airborne.
It was stated in the report that just before the crash, alarms began sounding in the cockpit and the pilots’ incorrect actions stalled the plane.
Though Nigerian aviation officials have claimed that air travel is much safer in the country, Nigerians in some places are still sceptical. Travellers alighted from an aircraft at the Ibadan airport sometime ago fanning themselves
with almost everything they could lay their hands on; the air conditioning unit in the aircraft malfunctioned mid-air.
There have also been reports that the communication equipment on most aircrafts flying the local routes sometimes fail with weather situations.
The issue of graft too cannot be ruled out especially with the kinds of irregularities and substandard services that are allowed to pass.”


http://thestreetjournal.org/2012/06/the-real-reasons-behind-the-dana-air-crash/

Fight Erupts Between Hausa, Yoruba in Yaba

Internecine fracas breaks out between Yoruba, Hausa in Yaba area of Lagos state, around CAC office near Unilag. 13 persons feared dead.

Details shortly

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fight-erupts-between-housa-yoruba-in-yaba/117280/

The Federal Government appears set to announce a review of the concessioning arrangement on the troubled Lagos/Ibadan expressway any moment from now, as sources confirmed that the government has perfected fresh measures to save the road.

Sources close to the administration confirmed that the Presidency has ordered a full study of the legal implications of cancelation of the concession granted Bi-Courtney, which has refused to take off more than five years after it was granted by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration.

Sources confirmed that the ideas being conceived for the ever-busy road was part of the discussions at a meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and governors of South-West states which held at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

It was gathered that the meeting between the president and the governors was the first of a series of consultations the president had lined up to intimate the governors of specific policies of his administration as they get to points of execution.

One of the issues said to have been raised by the president is the decision to cede some roads considered as small arteries to states for their control and management, while the Federal Government would concentrate on the bigger arteries and roads connecting state capitals as well as the six geopolitical zones.

But a major blow might have been packaged for Bi-Courtney as the meeting was said to have resolved to alter the plan made by the concessionaire and make the road a 10-lane expressway. Though the president was said to have resisted the bid by the South-West governors to take over the road, he was said to have confirmed that the administration has also affirmed the fears that the concessionaire was incapable of handling the road.

Two of the governors were said to have spoken vehemently against Bi-Courtney, saying that since it won the concession, the company had refused to make any significant impact on the road in the last five years and that the people were tired of excuses. They were said to have requested that the Federal Government handed over the road to a consortium to be put together by the South-West.

But a source said that the government was wary of approving the management of any road linking geopolitical zones to zonal leaders so as not to threaten national unity in the long run.

“The government is being careful not to start something that could create problems for national unity. If the expressway is granted to the South-West, the South-East and other zones are likely to come with similar requests. While government is willing to hand over smaller arteries for management by states, it won’t toy with idea of giving out major outlets that link geopolitical zones. The experience that led to imbroglio over Lekki concessioning in Lagos could also have contributed to discouraging the government in taking such a decision,” a source stated.

According to sources, a new draft concept for Lagos/Ibadan expressway is already in the works and the new plan will see the road expanded to 10 lanes on each side.

It was gathered that the meeting discussed how the government would handle issues that would arise from claims on right of way and that it was resolved that state governments would play major roles in resolving such issues.

Said a source close to the meeting: “The meeting of President Jonathan with the South-West governors was part of a wider infrastructural revolution plan by the administration. The plan is to connect all state capitals by dual carriageways starting with connection of all geopolitical zones. It is possible that the Federal Government may cede some of the smaller roads to states because they are closer to the people and the Federal Government can concerntrate on the bigger arteries. There is also the plan to connect all major cities by rail and the coastal rail project that will link all coastal cities.

“The Lagos/Ibadan road is seen as the most important road in the country in terms of the volume of traffic and economic importance. There is a plan to go beyond the Bi-Courtney’s plan of six lanes to 10 lanes because stakeholders appeared to have convinced the government that since it came on board as concessionaire, the company has done nothing. It is being suggested that it has no funds to do the job and that investors have not granted the company desired credit.

“Two governors spoke against the company and wanted the president to remove it as concessionaire. But the president said he would look at all legal implications to ensure that nothing is done to make the people suffer more on that road. He said he believed that the urgent thing was to get the road fixed and that funds could still be raised locally to get it done.

“The challenges that would arise could be in the issue of right of way, but governors had assured to undertake the necessary liaison. The South-West governors wanted to take over the road, but the government is wary of the security implications because other zones could raise similar issues about roads in their domain. The commotion on Lekki/Epe expressway over concessioning recently was also fresh in the minds of government.”

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/front-page-articles/7473-lagos-ibadan-expresswayinside-details-of-jonathan-swest-govs-meeting-govs-nail-bi-courtney-fg-rethinks-concession-agreement-10lane-road-likely-as-24-vehicles-burn-2-injured-48-hours-after-similar-disaster-on-same-point

Don't forget the action of the ijaw brought the turn of event in nigeria history, MEND, NDPVF and co have become tested and trusted.

dayokanu: What a clueless and reetarded president

He is clueless to u because he declined your "GEJ one million man march"? lol

UNILAG is now MAU MAU lol

@op,

The new vehicle rule/standard stipulate that vehicles should be fitted with daytime driving light, that means that once the engine is switched on the light comes on automatically, some manufacturer uses the dimlights while others are fitted with ledlight at a place suitable.

Again, research has proved that driving with lights-on draws more attention of other road users and than with light-out, That is why in most EU countries traffic safety expert advice driving with light-on.

interesting thread

what is the rage of your price for 1 storey buildings with 4 appartment of 3 bedroom each?.

Nice job dude

The forum is already missing BEAF?, Those that thinks they make the forum interesting are already boring the hell out of everyone in beaf absence lol.

Beaf is a good talker and can defend his opinion without fear or favour, that make him stand out on the forum.


Jarus and oam4j make una go beg beaf to come back to political forum else seun go sack una for slow traffic and absence of comedy.