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Gov Arc Namadi Sambo Vision: New Kaduna City, New Shopping Complex, New Housing for civil servant, New Markets, ,

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"Kaduna, with its unique cultural heritage and creative potential, is well placed to exploit new paradigm shift for sustainable economic growth and becoming a key actor in the knowledge driven-economy. That is why our 11 Point Agenda has ICT as a tool to empower, reconstruct, restructure and re-engineer. We are creating new city, new shopping mall, new markets, new hospitals and new ways of doing business, and by the grace of God, new ways of providing Good Governance and dividends of Democracy to our people", Arc Namadi Sambo
NAME:New Kaduna City
lOCATION:Kaduna, NIGERIA
USE: Materplan
STATUS: U/C

By David Agba Senior Correspondent, Abuja

Western Goldfields (WGF) Limited, a privately owned firm is set to bring on stream a $6 billion worth 2,500 megawatts of electricity in the country by 2013.


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The power plant, which is of one the three power stations that would be fueled by coal, will be built in the North Central state of Kogi.

The other two, with capacity of 2,500 megawatts (MW) each, will be built in another North Central state of Benue and in an Eastern state of Enugu.

In a chat with reporters at the weekend, Chairman of the organization, Philip Pereira, said his team of mining engineers would mobilise into the fields this month to actualise WGF's intention to generate a minimum of 7,500 megawatts (MW) from its three blocs in these three states, while working for the first coal-powered station to come on stream in the next four years from now.

Pereira also disclosed that WGF would spend an additional $50 million on coal exploration project alone, adding that the reason for the huge cost of the project was lack of basic infrastructures in the country.

"The whole exploration project is taking a minimum of $50 million, and this is for the coal exploration alone. Don't forget that the power people will be coming in. The first power station of 2,500 megawatts should be costing us probably $6 billion. This is because there are no infrastructures on ground in the country," he explained.

Pereira also said that once the first 2,500 megawatts of coal-power electricity is brought on stream in four years' time, it will always be followed by an additional 500 megawatts every four months.

He assured that each 2,500 megawatts of electricity would last for a period of 40 years, the first major task of WGF in its coal-to-power project is to prove the nation's coal reserves.

"The issue is coal, and this coal has to be quantified before one starts talking about power stations. The truth is that there are no proven reserves of coal in Nigeria. What we have here (in Nigeria ) are indicated, which are, in other words, inferred reserves - no proven reserves," he said.

WGF, which has teamed up with Energy and Metals Industries Limited (EMI) to form a group called Western Goldfields Group of Companies (WGGC), is working with its technical partners are from Russia and Ukraine - the Ukrainian State Geology Company (USGC) and the Russian Machinery (RM) to realise this dream project.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/may/11/702.html

MUHAMMAD KABIR, Kano

The Lebanese-Nigerian Community in Kano, has accused the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) of racial discrimination against its members, following its refusal to issue them the e-passport document in Kano, where they are resident.


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Alleging that the immigration authorities in Kano were not being sincere in referring them to Abuja for the document, the community wondered why they were treated as citizens during the census exercise, only to be seen as illegal aliens now.

Mr. Hafiz Falila, who spoke for the community, hinted that they would take to the streets to demonstrate against the racial discriminative tendencies of the NIS in Kano, saying that, "if Barack Obama could win the US Presidency, then all nations with racist problems should hands down, even though I know Nigeria does not have that problem".

The Lebanese community reminded NIS that their great grand fathers were born in Nigeria and by the virtue of the United Nation charter/convention they can even contest for elective political offices.

Mr. Falila, called on President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, to intervene in the imbroglio, saying that the action was shameful on the Nigerian state and that it should not be allowed to go unpunished.

He said they have a population that contributes large chunk of the population of the state and that even during the census head counts, they were treated as citizenry, ‘why is it that now we will be reduced to settlers living in the country illegally’.

He worried that they can not travel out side the country on any trip, because their passports have expired while those not expired could not be renewed from the authorities concerned.

However, responding the comptroller of immigration in Kano, Mr. David Parradang, said their action was based on the position of the law and purely within the confines of the Nigerian Constitution which stipulates that only Abuja has the right to give new passport to foreign nationals.

Parradang said that in Abuja, every foreign national, has tag which can be easily accessed and either clear a person or deny him the new e-passport, and it is basically for the security of the country.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/may/10/800.html

Despite the current global economic meltdown, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has been urged to leverage the resources of its Diaspora to develop the banking sector, which in turn would help to impact the country.

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Publisher of a Germany-based magazine, ‘The African Courier’, Mr. Femi Awoniyi at an interactive session with newsmen in Lagos, said it was important that the Federal Government tapped into the Diaspora's financial capital base to cushion the effect of the global meltdown, which was currently having its impact on the global economy.

“Nigerian banks should target the country’s huge Diaspora population to shore up their deposit base. These banks are the springboard for a real economic development in Nigeria and hence their health and well-being must be jealously guarded by Nigerians,” he said. “The current international financial crisis has shown the importance of banks in an economy. Because the banks have problems, we see how the mighty steel mills and auto-making plants grind to a halt within weeks in America and Europe,” he said.

Awoniyi said the challenges posed by the current economic crisis has made it imperative for banks and other sectors of the economy to leverage the resources of the Nigerian Diaspora. Awoniyi said the fact that Nigerians abroad send home more than $5 billion annually shows their enormous financial capital.

“The country could do more to tap into that,” he added.

Awoniyi pointed out that India’s example shows the enormous potentials of the Diaspora to make an impact on national development. India, the world’s largest recipient of remittances, about $30 billion in 2007, relies on its Diaspora as a major source of foreign exchange inflow, the materials engineer turned journalist said.

“In fact, the resurgence of the Indian economy in the early 1990s was partly due to the increased remittance flows to India in the form of deposits into the so-called Non-Resident Indian (NRI) bank accounts operated by Indian banks,” Awoniyi pointed out.

The Germany-based media entrepreneur explained that Indian banks’ focus on the country’s Diaspora population through the development of specific products, such as deposit accounts and bond schemes, led to a phenomenal growth of the remittances received by the country from just 2.1 billion US dollars in 1991 to more than 30 billion in 2007 – “a development that is generally now referred to as the Indian Remittance Boom.”

Awoniyi said Nigerian banks should take a cue from the Indians by developing products targeted at Nigerians abroad and aggressively marketing these.

On job creation, he warned the federal government against adopting the Babangida-era policy of dolling out stipends to unemployed youths in the name of giving them a job. Rather, he called on the Yar’Adua administration to use strategic infrastructure projects and import reduction policies to drive the creation of sustainable jobs in the country.

Awoniyi, who praised President Yar’Adua for setting up a commission to look into the issue of unemployment in the country, however, said “My suggestions to the commission are: the National Rail project should be allowed to take off – it is obviously held down by political intrigues, the objectives of which are hard to fathom. In full-stream, the project will employ hundreds of thousands of Nigerians across the nation. Also, the major roads in the country should be repaired under a crash programme, involving state and local governments nation-wide. Those earmarked for concessioning should be concessioned as soon as possible. Moreover, the Olokola and Brass LNG projects should be commenced. We should also build new refineries to achieve self-sufficient refining capacity.”

Awoniyi also called for a national drive towards self-sufficiency in rice, sugar, cotton, cooking oil and cement. “If we say, Nigeria will no longer import any of these commodities in the next five years and government, in collaboration with banks, supports the private sector to locally produce them through industrial and agricultural development funds, millions of sustainable jobs will be created in the country,” he added.

Awoniyi praised the 7-point Agenda of the Yar’Adua government and called on the citizenry to recognise their duty in governance. “Good governance is an outcome of the active participation of the governed in the process of governance,” he posited. “Hence, we must support President Yar’Adua not only by praising him but by criticizing him when necessary.”

Awoniyi called for “national courage” to make changes to the constitution to solve some of the problems facing Nigeria, such as insecurity and chronic inadequate power supply. “Like in Germany, the federal government should hands off the power sector, leaving it to private enterprises, state governments and local councils to completely take over the business of generating and distributing electricity,” he opined. “That is the way to stable power supply in the country.”

On crime, the publisher calls for “the localisation of police”. He added: “Only people from a community can police that community. That is the principle of policing in Germany, for example. Can you imagine the police chief of the southern city of Munich having been posted from Hamburg in the North?” “That is why the German states have their independent police services.”

Awoniyi therefore called for a “constitutional re-engineering of our polity” without which “we will never achieve sustainable social peace and progress in Nigeria”.


http://odili.net/news/source/2009/may/10/212.html

EDO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has described the administration of his Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola, as a model worthy of emulation, vowing to replicate the Lagos success story in his domain.


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Speaking at the weekend during a reception/dinner event organised in his honour by a cross-section of Edo indigenes resident in Lagos, Oshiomhole said: "Lagos is now good".

Oshiomhole added that he had understood that "the challenge of governance is not about lamenting but for the governor of a state to invest his goodwill in such a way that those who have money would pay tax."

He described Edo State as a "tax-free state."

The governor, who identified the three priorities of his government as "production, infrastructure and education," said Edo would focus on the "two-point agenda" of education and infrastructure this year.

His words: "What I met on ground was that from the governor to the civil servants, there was no payment of correct taxes. I had to give the directive that from the Governor's Office to the least establishment, tax law should be implemented."

Oshiomhole also alleged that he inherited a graft-ridden contract awarding process in Edo State.

He said: "The level of contract inflation in government was two or three times higher than what it would take the private sector to execute the same job.

"This made us to engage the services of a robust monitoring team, which would scrutinise project sums to ensure that some people are not feeding fat on taxpayers' money."

He also lamented that about 12,000 people who got government land for farming purposes gave them out to land speculators to make money at government expense, assuring, however, that measures are "being taken to bring things into proper perspective."

Oshiomhole stressed that his government was ready to take on the challenges of fixing bad roads and constructing new ones, as well as stemming erosion in Edo State.

He lamented that Edo's education and healthcare systems had long been paralysed, saying that no less than N5.5 billion would be needed to rehabilitate the state's primary and post-primary schools in the next two months.

The Edo governor promised to re-orientate the state Civil Service to support him in his quest for a new state.

He disclosed that his cost-cutting measures in the Governor's Office and others had reduced expenditure to N850 million from the yearly average of N1.4 billion.

In his welcome address, Chairman of the occasion, Tayo Akpata, described Oshiomhole as an "articulate and fearless comrade, the only one who took after Michael Imoudu, the number-one Labour leader."

Akpata added: "You are the first trade unionist to head a government in this country. No doubt, the new era in trade unionism under you as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president would be replicated in the government of Edo State.

"We have high expectations of a new Edo State of our vision with provision of water, good roads, good schools and hospitals. We are also looking forward to Edo State Arts and Culture Ministry creating a boisterous tourism industry in Edo."

At the event were the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu; Apostle Hayford Alile, formerly of Stock Exchange; erstwhile Information Minister, Tony Momoh; Chief Executive Officer, Oceanic Bank, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru; her counterpart at Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia, former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, among others.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/may/11/14.html

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@ Londoner It cost 3 Millions Cedis I think 40k for Naija currency the last time i enter go lagos na 30k i don't know right now.

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@SeanT21 Who be your mate? Abi you nur get sense You think say I go follow your mouth stupid girl

Ado-Ekiti — The palace of Onisan of Isan, Oba Sunday Ajibaye was yesterday razed by suspected arsonists and properties including antiquities and other personal effects worth over N100 million were destroyed.

Apart from the main palace building burnt down by the hoodlums, they also set ablaze a Toyota Camry and Mercedes Benz E-Class cars belonging to the royal father on fire. Crowns and other palace antiquities were also burnt in the attack.

According to the monarch, who spoke on phone yesterday night, the assailants were three, two of them wore masks.

At press time, it is not clear what was the reason behind the attack, but sources linked the development to the fact that Isan-Ekiti is the hometown of the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and that the Onisan was solidly behind his "son" during the struggle.

THISDAY further gathered that the monarch was being victimised for the support he offered his subject in his bid to become governor.
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Following the attack on the traditional ruler and members of his immediate family, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. John Ahmadu, had ordered the deployment of riot policemen to the community to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The youths in the town had staged a protest against the declaration of Governor Segun Oni as the winner of the rerun governorship election as they claimed that Fayemi, their townsman, was robbed of victory in the last governorship rerun election conducted in 63 wards in the state.

In his reaction, the AC governorship candidate, Fayemi, who condemned the act described it as the height of PDP desperation.

While appealing to the people of the town, especially the youths, Fayemi called on security operatives to ensure that lives and properties of Ekiti residents are saved.



http://allafrica.com/stories/200905100009.html

Abuja — As part of his proposed laws aimed at implementing the electoral reforms programmes, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is seeking to reduce the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by taking away its duties to register and monitor political parties.

The president also proposed the conditions expected to be met by political office seekers who want to contest elections as independent candidates.

Among the seven bills the president sent to the National Assembly on April 30, there is one providing for the establishment of Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission (PPPRC) which will be the regulatory authorities for political parties.

Entitled: "A Bill for an Act to Establish the Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission and for Other Matters Connected Thereto," it seeks to divest the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its constitutional supervisory powers over political parties.

INEC registered all political parties currently existing in the country.

When it is passed into law, the PPPRC, according to Part 1, Section 2 of the legislation, will register political parties in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2006.

The Commission shall monitor the organisation and operation of political parties, including their finances; arrange for the examination and auditing of the funds and accounts of political parties; monitor political campaigns and provide rules and regulations governing the activities of political parties.

It will also accredit domestic civil society groups and organisations working in the areas of elections and provide rules and regulations governing their observation of elections; accredit international election observers and provide rules and regulations governing their conduct and observations of elections; accredit national and international media organisations observing elections and provide rules and regulations governing their activities.

In addition, the PPPRC, according to the Bill, will perform all the functions listed under sections 46, 78-105 of the Electoral Act, 2006; set guidelines for fund-raising exercise by political parties from time to time; and ensure that party conventions, congresses and meetings are held as required by Law.

The Bill provides for the establishment of a governing board, which shall consist of a chairman, a deputy chairman, six persons (one each from the six geo-political zones) and a Director General, all of whom shall be appointed by the president and hold office for a renewable five-year term.

It bars members of the commission from holding elective office.

According to section 4, "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any enactment or law, a person who holds or has held office as a member of the Commission under this Act shall not, until after a period of five years immediately thereafter, be qualified for any elective office."

The Bill also empowers the president to remove members of the Commission from office.

Section 5 states: "Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3 of this Act, the President may at anytime remove a member of the Board, if the President is of the opinion that it is not in the interest of the Board for the member to continue in office and shall notify the member in writing to that effect."

The Bill also empowers the president to give directions to the Board.

According to Section 14: "Subject to the provision of this Act, the President or any other person on his behalf, may give to the Board direction of general nature or relating generally to particular matter, but not to any particular individual or case with regard to exercise by the Board of its functions under this Act and it shall be the duty of the Board to comply with the directions."

In another bill entitled: "A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and for Other Matters Connected Thereto," Yar'Adua proposes new subsections in Sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the constitution spelling out the conditions for qualification as independent candidates for federal legislators, state legislators, president and governor respectively.

For qualification as National Assembly candidates in an election as prescribed in Section 65, the bill states that "A person standing for an election as an independent candidate shall be qualified for election if he is nominated by not less than 30 and 40 registered voters for senatorial and House of Representatives respectively each of whose signatures on the nomination form shall be verified and authenticated as provided by law, from at least two-thirds of the electoral wards in the relevant electoral constituency."

In Section 106 in respect of State Legislature, the Bill proposes a new subsection 2 which reads: "A person standing for an election as an independent candidate shall be qualified for an election if he is nominated by not less than 50 registered voters, each of whose signatures on the nomination form shall be verified and authenticated as provided by law, from at least two-thirds of the electoral wards in the relevant electoral constituency."

To qualify as an independent candidate for President, the Bill proposes a new subsection 2 to section 131, thus: "A person standing for an election to the office of President as an independent candidate shall be qualified to run for election if he is nominated by not less than 10 registered voters, each of whose signatures on the nomination form shall be verified and certified as provided by law, from at least two-thirds of the electoral wards of the electoral constituency."

The new subsection 2 to Section 177 proposes: "A person for an election to the office of Governor of a State as an independent candidate shall be qualified for election if he is nominated by not less than 20 registered voters from each electoral ward, each of whose signatures on the nomination form shall be verified and certified as provided by law, from at least two-thirds of the electoral wards of the electoral constituency."

The Bill proposes new subsections to Sections 68, 109, 135 and 180 of the constitution, which make defecting from a party on which a person wins election to another party as a condition for losing the seat of a federal legislator, state legislator, president and governor respectively.

For instance, the new paragraph (d) to section 135 in respect of president, reads together with subsection (1) thus: " Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, a person shall hold the office of President until -' he becomes a member of another political party different from the political party which sponsored his election to the office of President."

Also importantly, the Bill also seeks to insert a new paragraph (d) to Section 155 of the 1999 constitution on membership of the Indepen-dent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The new paragraph reads: "notwithstanding the provision of paragraph (c) of this section, the appointment of members of the Independent National Electoral Commission may be renewed for another term of five years."

This proposition finds concurrence in another Bill for an Act to amend the INEC Act CAP 15 LFN 2004 and for other matters connected thereto.

The Bill proposes that Section 3 be amended in subsection (1) by inserting "after the words - a period of five years - the words - which may be renewable for another period of five years."

Presently, the tenure of office of members of INEC is four years, which is renewable.

The Bill in section 2 proposes new paragraphs (a) and (b) which prescribes that member of INEC shall be non-partisan and possess commensurate professional, administrative an academic experience respectively.
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In section 182 on qualification for office of governor, the Bill proposes deletion of Administrative Panel of Inquiry from the following paragraph (i) of the constitution, which reads: " (i) he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel of Inquiry or a Tribunal set up under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, a Tribunals of Inquiry Law or any other law by the Federal or State Government which indictment has been accepted by the Federal or State Government."

The Bill also seeks to encourage women participation by proposing twenty women in the membership of the executive committee of associations wanting to be parties.

It also wants the associations to maintain functional and verifiable offices in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation.

In the explanatory memorandum, the proponent of the bill states that it seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to, among others provide for independent candidates in elections under the Electoral Act 2006, prohibit defection by elected persons, and guarantee the funding of INEC in line with the Electoral Reforms, 2009.


http://allafrica.com/stories/200905100004.html

I believe your father and your forefather will own a Pig Villages.

I know you don't come out from your mother womb I wish you came out then You could have at least some little manner.Go get your sense somewhere maybe you left it somewhere freak, Whacked Head

@ayusman16 Shut your dirty mouth e dey smell for Nairaland.

@Mr Kovoso I heard you recently got your Independent from SB.Thanks for the successful to fight for your freedom for your country just as you are stupid enough to come here and talk rubbish.You are nothing but such an Unknown Mystery.You should read my post before Jumping into conclusion.What are you trying to tell me there are no single white or Foreigner in Nigeria dumb ass.Get yourself Whacked.

When you know there is tomorrow you don't need to cause what put you in that problem it is better fight for freedom and when fighting for freedom you don't need to wake anybody you can do it on your own.What the Organization is doing it to Improve Nigeria tourist center we are not Adverting Politics here.Thanks