₦airaland Forum

House to probe Access Bank’s acquisition of Intercontinental
on OCTOBER 26, 2011 · in NEWS

BY BEN AGANDE

ABUJA – The House of Representatives, Wednesday, mandated its committees on Banking, Currency, Capital Market and Institutions to investigate the acquisition of the Intercontinental Bank by Access bank.

The decision followed the adoption of a motion by Hon. Yacoob Alebiosu (ACN Lagos) on the circumstances surrounding the acquisition.

The House also mandated its committees to examine the roles played by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, Access Bank and the Interface of the management Team of the Intercontinental Bank in the whole exercise.

The committees are also expected to investigate the involvement of a company allegedly owned by a Director of Access bank; United Alliance Company and report to the House within two weeks.

According to Rep. Alebiosu, the best way to ensure that mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector impacts on the economy ‘it must not only be seen to be devoid of underhand deals, but they must conform to the international best practices and statue and adhering to integrity test in order to prevent avoidable mistakes of the past’.

He noted that in the recent past the lifetime investment and savings of millions of Nigerians was wasted through the ineptitude and flamboyant lifestyle of the management of banks and warn that a preventive approach must be adopted to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the recent past.

The law maker noted that while the Federal Government through AMCON pumped in N650billion into the Intercontinental bank and has only 15% shares of bank, Access Bank put in only N50billion and has controls 75% share of the Intercontinental Bank.

It would be recalled that the Chairman of the House Committee on Capital Market, Rep. Herman Hembe had during the inaugural meeting of his committee announced that the recent acquisition of banks would be investigated because of the plethora of petitions that have trailed them.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/house-to-probe-intercontinental-bank-acquisition/

Fuel Subsidy Removal: Time to “Occupy” Nigeria! By Farooq A. Kperogi
Posted: October 22, 2011 - 20:37

By Farooq A. Kperogi
A seismic social convulsion is sweeping across the advanced capitalist nations of the world right now. It’s called the “Occupy” movement, which started with the “Occupy Wall Street” protest in New York. As I write this column, the protest continues to gather momentum and spread to not only other American cities (there was a hugely successful “Occupy Atlanta” protest here) but also to other major Western capitals and cities.

At the last count, nearly 100 countries in the world have caught the “occupy” bug. It’s a spontaneous grassroots rebellion against asphyxiating elite tyranny, greed, and other capitalist excesses.

But there is nowhere in the world that this protest is needed more urgently than in Nigeria where a clueless, thieving, conscienceless, and parasitic elite class is about to commit suicide through its wrongheaded plan to “remove fuel subsidies,” which is nothing more than an unimaginative, well-worn code for increasing fuel prices and deepening the misery of an already traumatized citizenry.

One of the slogans of the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters is, “We are the 99 percent”— in reference to the obscene income disparity in America where more than 40 percent of the wealth generated by the economy goes to the top 1 percent of the country’s population. But the income inequality in America pales miserably in comparison with the outrageously unconscionable pauperization of large swaths of the Nigerian population by a cruelly insensitive and rapacious ruling class. Nigeria’s problem isn’t merely one of income inequality; it’s more the sobering reality of the perpetually savage rape of the masses of the people by a criminally privileged elite few in order to subsidize their vain, epicurean indulgences.

Nowhere is this insensitivity more evident than in the perennial blackmail of the masses by successive governments through removal of so-called fuel subsidies. For as long as I can remember, every Nigerian government has “deregulated” and “removed fuel subsidy” to generate income for “national infrastructural development.” When the late General Sani Abacha hiked fuel prices in the mid-1990s, for instance, we were told that the last subsidy had been removed. To “cushion the effect” of this drastic action, the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) was established and entrusted with the responsibility of renewing Nigeria’s decaying infrastructure and health car.

After that “subsidy removal,” a lot of Nigerians were relieved not because they were anesthetized by the PTF palliative but by what they thought was their freedom from the permanent government blackmail that told them they were undeserving beneficiaries of government’s expensive benevolence through fuel subsidies. But the freedom lasted for only a short while. Olusegun Obasanjo came and rehabilitated the old blackmail strategy: he said government was collapsing under the ponderous weight of its magnanimity toward the masses through fuel subsidies. He therefore increased fuel prices more times than any president or head of state in Nigeria’s entire history.

The last time he increased fuel prices, he assured Nigerians that the last abiding subsidy had been removed once and for all. The oil industry was now truly and totally deregulated. Government would no longer intervene in determining fuel prices. In the new “deregulated” milieu, the wise, invisible but self-regulating dynamic of demand and supply would determine fuel prices. Even though Nigerians were being fooled for the umpteenth time, they, in their legendary docility, put up with the government’s lies and came to peace with the unjustified increases in fuel prices.

Now, the Goodluck Jonathan administration is deploying the same old, hackneyed, duplicitous, and mind-numbingly familiar arguments to increase fuel prices. But I think this time around the government is pushing its luck a little too far—never mind that the name of the president is “good luck.” As the English say, even a worm will turn, meaning even the meekest and most docile person will fight back if you push him so hard that he has nowhere else to escape to.

Goodluck Jonathan--may not be lucky this time

The government is about to push the masses of Nigerians to a cul-de-sac. When that happens the masses would be faced with only two options: fight back fiercely and doggedly or submit to incremental but sure death. If it is true that self-preservation is the first law of nature, I expect a sustained, single-minded, and uncompromising battle in the coming months. The time may have finally come when the fault-lines of ethnicity and religion that have historically divided Nigerians will no longer matter.




But the Nigerian people should never wait until next year when the government increases fuel prices before they strike. The “Occupy Nigeria” movement should start right away! And here is why.

While over 80 percent of Nigerians live below the breadline, our legislators at both houses of the National Assembly earn more money than any elected official in the whole world, including Barack Obama, president of the world’s most prosperous nation. Our president and his numberless coterie of useless minions pillage the national treasury daily in the name of maintaining government. Our ministers are the most expensive public officials in the world.

Now, because a numerically insignificant portion of the population that are “privileged” to work for government asked for a miserly 18,000 naira ($114) a month minimum wage, the government wants to push every Nigerian who falls outside the orbit of institutionalized stealing otherwise known as government to the brink, to the very edge of existence. The same government that is complaining of the unbearable burden of “subsidizing” fuel prizes for the masses of Nigeria has depleted our foreign reserve by $3.5 billion in 2011 alone to subsidize the unconscionably lavish opulence of its members.

In all of this, perhaps the biggest scandal is that among oil-producing countries in the world, Nigerians pay about the most for petrol. While Nigerians currently pay about $1.64 for fuel per gallon, Venezuelans pay only 18 cents per gallon (meaning a bottle of water is cheaper than a gallon of petrol in the country!), Iranians pay just 37 cents per gallon, war-ravaged Libyans 54 cents, Saudi Arabians 48 cents, Qataris 72 cents, Bahrainis 78 cents, Turkmens (citizens of Turkmenistan) 72 cents, Kuwaitis 87 cents, Omanis $1.17, Yemenis $1.32, etc. Only citizens of the United Arab Emirates pay slightly higher than us for petrol at $1.78 per gallon.

The standard of living in all of these countries is, of course, light-years higher than Nigeria’s. They have better social safety nets for their poor.

I read that that government wants to raise the fuel price to 141 naira per litter at the very minimum, which adds up $3.6 per gallon! That would mean that petrol would be cheaper in America and some European countries that don’t export oil than in Nigeria! I currently pay a little over $3 per gallon in Atlanta for quality fuel that actually burns a LOT slower than the fuel I use when I’m in Nigeria. (Nigerian importers always import the lowest possible quality of fuel to the country).

Remember, too, that the federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. That adds up to $1,160 per month, which is equivalent to 184,000 naira per month. In the state of Washington, the minimum wage per hour is $8.67.

So by next year, a low-grade clerk with an 18,000 naira monthly salary in Nigeria will be paying more for fuel than an American laborer who receives the equivalent of 184,000 per month. And the low-grade clerk is a citizen of the world’s 8th largest exporter of oil. Where is the justice in that? Why the heck should we have cream and our faces are dry?

If Nigerians don’t wake up now and occupy Aso Rock, the National Assembly, the Federal Secretariat, the Central Bank, governor’s offices all over the federation, etc they will be “occupied.” And this “occupation” will be more suffocating than it has ever been. The choice before Nigerians is one between death and life. I hope Nigerians choose life!

Dr. Kperogi can be reached at farooqkperogi@gmail.com. He blogs at www.farooqkperogi.com

http://saharareporters.com/article/fuel-subsidy-removal-time-%E2%80%9Coccupy%E2%80%9D-nigeria-farooq-kperogi

FCT Minister’s N1 Million 'Gift' Causes Row Amongst State House Reporters
Posted: October 23, 2011 - 17:28

Rueben Abati holds a microphone to Jonathan during visit to bombed UN house
By SaharaReporters, New York
A cash donation of N1 million by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed to journalists covering the State House in Abuja, Nigeria is generating controversies among the reporters.

The receiver of the money, Mr. Horatius Egwa of BusinessDay Newspaper had declared N400, 000.00 upon returning from a trip to receive the "gift" from the minister claiming that he was given N500, 000.00 out of which he was asked to take N100,000 for himself.

However, his colleagues did not believe him. This made them to call for emergency meeting to probe the transaction. The reporters then set up a committee to investigate him. The report of the committee, which though indicted him, however showed that Egwa was actually given N500, 000.00, but was not asked to deduct N100, 000.00 for his personal use.

SaharaReporters sources said the reporters decided to share the rest of the money after the committee submitted its report.


See the committee’s report:
Subject: Report Of Committee: Strictly Confidential For Only State House Correspondents.

Pls find below report to members as directed by committee chairman:

Report Of The State House Press Corps Committee On Investigation Of Alleged Corruption Case Against Mr. Horatius Egwa of BusinesDay Newspaper. 6th October, 2011.

Introduction:

1. The State House Press Corps precisely on 4th October, 2011 after an emergency congress meeting held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, constituted a three-man committee to investigate corruption allegation leveled against Mr. Huratius Egwa of BusinesDay Newspaper.

2. Alhaji Sadiq Aliyu of New Nigeria Newspaper had raised serious concern that he was reliably informed by the FCT Permanent Secretary that Mr. Egwa was handed over the sum of N1million after an assignment for the Press Corps. According to Alhaji Sadiq, instead of N1million, only the sum of N400,000 was handed to the Treasurer, Mr. Tunde by Mr. Egwa.

Findings:

The committee on 4th October, 2011 met with the FCT Director of Treasury. The following issues were established;

1. Members found out from the FCT Director of Treasury that only the sum of N500,000 cash, was handed over to Mr. Egwa on the same day that assignment held.

2. The FCT Director of Treasury told members of the committee that there was a mix-up from the Permanent Secretary. According to him, a total of N1million was actually approved but for two separate groups. That is, N500,000 for Villa Protocol and N500,000 for the Press Corps.

4. After its meeting with the DOT, the committee proceeded the following day, 6th October, 2011 and met with the Permanent Secretary.

5. The Permanent Secretary confirmed to the committee that he had actually spoken to Alhaji Sadiq and informed him that the sum of N1million was released to Mr. Egwa for the Press Corps. The Permanent Secretary also said that it was a mistake from him since he had intended that the total of N1million be shared between the Press Corps and the Villa Protocol.

6. Haven(sic) heard from the Permanent Secretary himself, Committee members then persuaded him to augment the approval since the already received amount would not be enough for the large Press Corps.




7. The Permanent Secretary agreed with the committee members that he will work on the request and asked that we should meet again with FCT Director of Treasury for possible augmentation.

8. Committee members same day proceeded after meeting with the Permanent Secretary to meet with FCT Director of Treasury to sort out possibility of additional funds.

9. Members of the committee have rescheduled to meet the FCT Director of Treasury.

Conclusions/Recommendation:

Based on the findings, the committee makes the following recommendations.

a. That Mr. Egwa attempted to short-change the Press Corps by deducting the sum of N100,000 from the amount released with the excuse that he was acting on the directive of the Permanent Secretary where as there was no such directive from the Permanent Secretary according to explanation given to the committee by the Permanent Secretary.

b. Haven (sic)returned the N100,000, Mr. Egwa should however be warned to desist from collecting monies on behalf of the Press Corps without the knowledge of the house since he is not an executive member. If any member collects monies on behalf of the Corps, deductions must not be made off front without the conscent(sic) of those concerned if it is the case of an assignment.

c. That Mr. Horatius Egwa has however not been found wanting in relation to the N1million allegation.

d. That Alhaji Sadiq's allegations were based on confirmed information provided by the permanent secretary.

e. That Alhaji Sadiq also did not err in the long run.

f. The committee also recommends that the money in question should be shared by those who were present at the assignment. It is wrong for the chairman to take a unilateral decision that the money be shared by the whole house when there is a standing rule of 'Shoot At Sight' endorsed by him and the executive.

g. Press Corps should therefore take steps necessary to erase any acrimony that this issue may have generated for the unity and peace of the association.

Signed:

1 Felix Onuah -Chairman

2.Anule Emmanuel-Secretary

3. Alhaji Sadiq Aliyu-Member

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/fct-minister%E2%80%99s-n1-million-gift-causes-row-amongst-state-house-reporters

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"OCCUPY WARRI"-Unemployed Youths And Students Stop Gov. Uduaghan Birthday Party In Warri
Posted: October 24, 2011 - 13:27


By SaharaReporters, New York
Youth groups in Warri, Delta state yesterday took to the streets to protest mass unemployment in the state. The unemployed graduates led by a youth activist and leader of the "unemployed Graduates Association of Nigeria, Progress Omo-Agege forced the governor of the state, Mr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to abandon his birthday party scheduled for the city.

Mr. Uduaghan and his guests fled the city after the protesters blocked major streets and highway leading to Warri metropolis chanting revolutionanry songs.

Omo-Agege told SaharaReporters today that the protests which was sparked off by the recent resignation of the governor's special assistant on student affairs, Fredrick Mosheshe, would likely continue until some of their grievances are addressed.

On Oil and Gas (2)
Friday, 21 October 2011 11:22

Written By Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai Hits: 296


Ref: The Nemesis Called Oil and Gas (1) http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/nasir-el-rufai/the-nemesis-called-oil-and-gas-1.html

Upstream activities - the exploration, production and export of crude oil are what Nigeria has become addicted to as the main source of its revenues. These activities provide three revenue streams - royalties, petroleum profit taxes (PPT) and sale of our share of crude. This week, we will look at upstream aspects and explain the jargon of the industry so we can understand this sector that has become a source of joy and sadness in our national lives.

Most Nigerians including those with only the most fleeting interest on the oil industry would have heard of the Bonga Fields and the massive reserves of crude oil and gas they produce. What most people do not know however, is that Nigeria earns no royalties from these wells because back in 1991, we signed an MOU with international oil companies (IOCs) forfeiting such royalties. So today, except from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Nigeria earns little from Bonga and other deep offshore oil wells with a depth of more than 1,000 metres. This anomaly is just one of many in the oil industry that defy common sense. What have our regulatory bodies and legislature been doing?

Unlike other national oil companies like Petrobras of Brazil and Aramco of Saudi Arabia, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have limited themselves to merely regulating the industry – and failing. For instance, what the IOCs do in Nigeria is in reality project coordination and management – by contracting out, outsourcing and subcontracting virtually all aspects of oil production from exploration to ‘fiscalization’. In return for these tasks, they repatriate billions of dollars in profit every year – money that would have helped to develop our human capital, infrastructure and create jobs.

And speaking of jobs, the relatively few Nigerians employed by oil services and related companies are engaged mostly through foreign companies who end up bringing in more expatriates than Nigerians – even in areas where there are many qualified Nigerians. Is this to say that the NNPC and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) cannot find or train Nigerian geologists, engineers, project managers and other skilled personnel required to ensure that at least 80 percent of workers in the oil and gas sector, like others, are Nigerians? Perhaps, we should not be too surprised, considering that until about 10 years ago, oil services companies operating in Nigeria were not even required to register in the country, and therefore paid no taxes to the Nigerian government despite the billions of dollars worth of contracts they have executed over the decades.

The Nigerian oil industry has been rendered unnecessarily complex, but in reality has less than 10 ‘major’ players – including Shell Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Texaco and Total. These IOCs only have a few thousand Nigerian employees, but produce millions of barrels of crude oil daily for export. Our oil exploration policy appears to be designed in the belief – or maybe the hope – that government will only regulate the industry while everything else should go to the IOCs since crude oil export was its main thrust. This environment means that our oil industry is skewed towards the dictatorship of the IOCs, including all kind of incentives, policies, agreements and MOUs with little or no positive impact on job creation and growth in the real sector in Nigeria.



To understand the workings of the sector requires an overview of the entire process – from exploration to exportation of crude and the meanings of some common and technical terms – the 'black box' of the sector. At the moment, the entire process is shrouded in secrecy and open to a wide range of interpretations, mostly to the detriment of our economy and environment.

Although oil and gas deposits are found in many areas of Nigeria, the process of exploration to production go through a similar sequence of activities. The differences lie primarily in the technology and sophistication of the process of the oil exploration/production companies involved. Our Constitution states that all minerals, including oil and gas legally belong to the Federal Government, so all oil exploration and production require licenses and approval of government. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) represent and coordinate government activities in the oil and gas industry. The standard process has some basic components.

The initial step is to ascertain whether there is commercial quantity of oil in a particular oil field. During this phase, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will issue an Oil Prospecting License (OPL) to a prospecting company. The second component comes when the quantity of crude oil in a particular oilfield is projected, and an Oil Mining License (OML) is issued to the company. The final step is when an Oil Mining and Leasing license is issued. At this stage, all relevant MOUs are signed between the Government and the oil companies. Bidding fees and signature bonuses in hundreds of millions of dollars are earned in the pre-exploration stages.

Petroleum production and exploration are covered under the auspices of Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) between oil companies and the Federal Government, Service Contracts (SCs) or the Marginal Field Development agreements. Joint Ventures and Production Sharing Contracts account for approximately 95 percent of all crude oil output, while local independent companies operating in marginal fields account for the remaining 5 percent. As at 2007, JVs accounted for about 72 percent of oil production, PSCs nearly 24 percent while Independent Producers and Service contracts had 3.1 and 0.49 percent respectively. There is another operational mechanism tagged ‘Alternative Funding’ whereby the joint venture partners make no direct funding contribution, but instead incorporate an entity that raises the funds so bears the direct financial burden of the production and exploration.

Joint Venture oil exploration and production arrangements are modelled after partnership agreements. It operates as a form of partnership between the joint venture partners, which spells out the participatory interest of each of the partners and also designates one of the partners as the operator of the venture. The NNPC represents the interest of the Government in the joint ventures arrangements that are currently ongoing, whereas the respective oil exploration and production companies operate the different ventures with varying participatory interests. The NNPC owns 55% of Shell’s production JV and 60% of other IOCs' JVs. Between $4-5 billion is spent each year as FGN's contribution to JV financing.

The Joint Venture agreement (JVA) governs the relationships between the parties, including budget approval and supervision, crude oil lifting and sale in proportion to equity, and funding by the partners. In addition to the agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governs the manner in which revenues from the venture are allocated between the partners, including payment of taxes, royalties and industry margin. The income derived from the operation is also shared in proportion to the equity interests of the parties to the venture, with each party bearing the cost of its royalty and tax obligations in the same proportion. Allocations are also made from the revenue to take care of operating and technical costs.

In the case of PSC, the IOC bears all the technical and financial risks of exploration of the field which remains the property of the government. This form is modelled along the lines of share cropping in agriculture, where the owner of the land grants a farmer the rights to grow crops on his land and shares the proceeds with the farmer in agreed proportions after the harvest.

Under the PSC, the contractor bears the entire cost and risk of exploration activities, and only reaps the rewards after a commercial find. In the event of a commercial discovery, the contractor recovers its costs fully from allocation of oil, referred to as ‘Cost Oil’. Allowance is also made from production for royalties, after which the remainder of the production, called ‘Profit Oil’, is shared in agreed proportions between the company and the government. The Oil Company thereafter pays income tax on its profits from the venture. The oil and all the installations remain the property of the government throughout the duration of the contract.

The major operators in Nigeria are still largely the holders of the PSCs but there have also been new entrants, made up of independent foreign oil companies, which enter into partnerships with indigenous companies to bid for oil blocks, and thereafter operate it in line with predetermined contractual arrangements. In Nigeria, this form of contractual arrangement is relatively new but growing, and covers mostly acreages in the shallow and deep offshore areas and the inland basins.

Marginal Fields comprise small and abandoned fields which have remained undeveloped by their joint venture operators. Such fields contain reserves that are considered uneconomic when produced by the multinationals but might be profitable if operated by indigenous entrepreneurs due to their low overhead and operating costs. There are over 100 such fields with collective estimated reserves of about 1.3 billion barrels. The interested parties in the development of marginal oilfields are the Federal Government, the indigenous entrepreneurs and the major oil companies that were originally allocated the oilfield. The standard method that is adopted for marginal fields is by government acquiring such fields from the major oil companies and reallocating them to intending indigenous investors.

Analysing the Nigerian oil and gas industry invariably leads to the conclusion that our existing policies have hampered the optimal development of these vital resources and limited our ability to use it to develop Nigeria and reposition our economy, with adverse effects on our environment and the lives and livelihoods of people in oil producing areas. Incidentally, one of the commendable efforts of late President Umaru Yar’Adua was the initiation of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which would have completely structured and reformed the oil and gas sector.

It is no surprise that the IOCs are so vehemently against it, with reports of massive ‘lobbying’ of members of the National Assembly to dilute its key provisions and even block its passage. If there is no truth in this, how come the National Assembly is yet to pass such an important Bill – one that borders on our national economic security – nearly three years after it was first submitted? Nigerians are watching. And waiting!

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/nasir-el-rufai/on-oil-and-gas-2.html

Organic Fertilizers and other support for Osun Vegetable Farmers

The Osun State Quick Impact Intervention Programme (QIIP) for farmers (QIIP) has arranged trial-run for Gbodofon Cooperative vegetable farmers to benefit from the use of organic fertilizer to enhance their productivity.

To this end, five acres of land will be used to kick-start this programme – There is a tripartite agreement between the supplier of the fertilizer, Groderiv-Africa Services, the cooperative vegetable farmers and Osun QIIP to manage and monitor this programme.

Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSADEP) will support the arrangement with extension services from treatment at the seed level to harvest of the vegetable produce on the demonstration farm.

The Technical Director of Goderiv-Africa Services, Mr Bolaji Adeniran, marketer of AgroteckUSA, a protective organic liquid fertilizer, said his company has been following the pace, breadth and depth of the QIIP programme with considerable enthusiasm from inception and his company is confident that this programme will boost agricultural productivity in the state on a sustainable basis and therefore, his company has decided to demonstrate its interest and support for the programme through this measure.

He further said that apart from his company providing the fertilizer and knapsack sprayers free of charge, they would also indemnify the cooperative farmers against any loss, economic or otherwise, that may arise from the usage of their product. He asserts that he has every confidence that the organic fertilizer will boost the yield and quality of the vegetable produce. His company will also provide extension services to monitor and co-supervise the demonstration farms operations. Finally, he praised Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration for the active agricultural revolutionary strides that his government has embarked on.

Evangelist Popoola Olayinka, the president of the beneficiary Cooperative group, expressed his gratitude to God, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the QIIP coordination team for the wonderful blessing his cooperative has derived this year. In an emotion-laden voice, he said it was only last year that his group got N1million loan from a credit union in Osogbo, and from which his group barely came alive after paying about six hundred thousand naira interest on the said loan. Further, he said to the glory of God, his group is enjoying a N2.5 million loan support for which they are paying only N120,000 interest in a whole year and on top of this, they are getting irrigation support and this demonstration farm enhancement.

The QIIP coordinator, Mr Dele Ogundipe, said that the programme remains focused and has already addressed two value-adding chains – planting and extension services for cooperative farmers, whilst the remaining two value-adding chains of processing and market linkages for farmers will be addressed before this year harvesting is completed. He believes that the agricultural programme will be more robust and inclusive in the coming year.

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=21098

‘My Appointment Was Based On Merit, Not Because Of My Father’

Saturday, 22 October 2011 00:00 BY DAMILOLA ADEKOYA Features - Policy & Politics
   
Dapo Lam-Adesina, Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports and son of former governor of the state, Chief Lam Adesina, initially contested for the Ibadan North East/South East Federal Constituency seat in the April elections, which he lost. He spoke to DAMILOLA ADEKOYA in Ibadan on the controversy trailing his appointment, the experience so far and other sundry issues.

THERE have been some insinuations that your appointment as commissioner was primarily because of your father and not on merit?

How do we know when someone merits something? Firstly, I guess the governor and certain people that were with us at the retreat we attended with him were shocked at my performance that the governor had to speak about the reason he chose me.

The governor said he never picked me because of my father and that he has been justified with my performance on that day. He said as a man who has really worked with so many people, he knows when he sees good product. He said he made the right choice by making me the commissioner for youth and sports.

Notwithstanding, one cannot but ask why me out of millions of youths in the state? Everybody has a platform that you use to get things done. Maybe that was just the platform I used, but it was not like I relied solely on it. It was just God’s doing and the fact that the governor wanted me. If he didn’t pick me, the heavens will not fall.

Does the fact that your name was not on the first batch of the commissioner-nominees sent to the state House of Assembly not justify the claim that probably you didn’t really merit the position?

I am so sure the governor is a man of integrity. For him to have said that he knew the quality I was made up of, he knew what he was doing when he later chose me.

I have said it before that when I was chosen, it was the governor that called me on phone. If he had called my father, I would have rejected it.

When I finished my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Enugu State, my father got me a job in Lagos, but I turned it down and went into private business. I gave in to the governor’s offer because of the honour he accorded to me by calling me to inform me that he want to make me a commissioner. I believe that if I didn’t take up that position, no young person like me would be made a commissioner in the state, at least for now.

I feel it is not justifiable to think I didn’t merit the appointment.

How are you going about your duties as commissioner for Youths and Sports and what plans do you have for youths in the state?

Today, we have broken the jinx of having a youth heading the Youth and Sports ministry in Oyo State. We have always had adults or senior youths, as they called themselves, heading the ministry.

So far, we have been trying to do our best and in no distant time, people will begin to see what we have been able to do.

We are setting up a youth parliament in the state and about completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp at Iseyin. We intend to renovate the Adamasigba Stadium in Ibadan.

We are also looking into skill acquisition centres, youth development, youth centres and so on. People might not be able to speak about me now until when they start seeing these things done.

I came into the ministry with a four-point agenda, which include the re-orientation of our youths regarding the way some of them think and the kind of lifestyle they live. We need to bring back the culture that our fathers grew up with. We need to make the youths see that there is a future for them, if they don’t derail.

Secondly, we see a need for us to develop our youths through Information Technology (ICT) and other innovations.

In addition, we want to resuscitate and develop our infrastructural facilities, and improve on sports and recreation.

To achieve all these things, the ministry has been divided into the youths and sports sections. Basically, we are planning to have a mini stadium and youth resource centre in each of the zones in the state, where we will have study centres, sport arena and so on.

Talking about youth development, which is very paramount to us, we need to look at seminars, trainings, motivational talk shows, campaigns, awareness and empowerment of our dear youths. When we talk about youth empowerment, we mean provision of jobs for the young people.

Right now, we have started work on having a data base for undergraduates and very soon, there would be a sports scheme called jersey merchandise, where young people will sell jerseys of different clubs and be able to make some money from it.

Youths in the country have been linked to violence and crime and all manner of social vices. How do you think government can positively engage the youths?

The first thing we need to do is make ourselves as role models.

Also, we need to create jobs, like I said earlier; we need to make our youths skillfully employed.

We need to start discovering talents from the grassroots and those that have excelled in whatever they are doing.

I am also planning how we could start a quiz and debate competition and strengthen the match past programme because when our youths are busy with some of these things, the crime rate will reduce.

Instead of gunning for the House of Representatives, people believe you should have started by contesting for the local government election, so that you could garner some more experiences and that the post of commissioner is too big a dream for you?

There is nothing wrong in being ambitious and the beauty of anybody that wants to succeed in life is for you to be ambitious.

I never dreamt of becoming a commissioner; my dream was to be a member of the House of Representatives. I believe it takes the grace of God for you to succeed as a councilor or local government chairman, because the system does not favour people to succeed in those positions.

I felt the first thing to do is challenge the constitution of this country. We should have youth advocates, and better still, people that are passionate about this country in the National Assembly. The Nigerian Constitution must be amended and after that one can begin to think about becoming a local government chairman or councilor.

The perception of most people in and outside the state is that you are a spoilt son of a rich man who doesn’t know anything about governance. It was even rumored that your lifestyle during your father’s tenure as the governor was questionable. How is your reaction such insinuations?

I am very bold to say that I am not rich and all the things I have today are legally acquired.

Concerning my lifestyle, I have so many times challenged people with a proof to challenge me in public.

At a time it was rumored that I had a Lincoln Navigator. I have never entered a Lincon Navigator. All these things started from the time my father wanted to re-contest the governorship election and the dirty politics started springing up.

BY DAMILOLA ADEKOYA

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65067:my-appointment-was-based-on-merit-not-because-of-my-father&catid=73:policy-a-politics&Itemid=607

Missing $12.4bn Oil Windfall: Judgment Adjourned Indefinitely
Posted: October 21, 2011 - 13:11
By Adetokunbo Mumuni/SERAP
Hope for a definite legal pronouncement on the controversial Okigbo Panel report was today dashed, as the Federal High Court in Abuja did not sit, leading to judgment in the case being adjourned indefinitely.

It would be recalled that judgment in the case was initially to be delivered on Thursday 28 July 2011 but the court then declared that the judgment was not ready. When the matter came up, the trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, said the judgment was not yet ready to be delivered. According to the judge then, “the judgment is not yet ready. I have to give priority to criminal cases which are very important. I have a backlog of judgments which are older than this case. I regret the delay.” He subsequently adjourned the case till October 21 to deliver the judgment.

However, the latest indefinite adjournment might be problematic in the light of Section 194 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that, “Every court established under this Constitution shall deliver its decision in writing not later than ninety days after the conclusion of evidence and final addresses and furnish all parties to the cause or matter determined with duly authenticated copies of the decision within seven days of the delivery thereof.”

The case instituted by Registered Trustees of Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) and five other right groups seeking for the publication of the report has now been adjourned indefinitely, and hearing notices will be sent to the parties on the next adjourned date for the judgment, says Sola Egbeyinka, one of the lawyers for the groups who was present in court.

The non-governmental organisations had dragged the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before the court over the much publicised 12.4 billion dollars oil windfall, which the country recorded between 1988 and 1994, while former military dictator, Ibrahim Babagida, according to the groups, rode rough shod on the nation as the maximum ruler.

The plaintiffs asked the court to make an order compelling the apex bank and the AGF to publish detailed accounts relating to the spending of the colossal sum of money between 1988 and 1994. They also sought for an order of the court compelling the respondents to diligently and effectively bring to justice any one suspected of corruption and mismanagement of the 12.4 billion dollars oil windfall.

They also want an order directing the respondents to provide adequate reparation, which may take the form of restitution, compensation, satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition to millions of Nigerians that have been denied their human rights as a result of the respondents’ failure and/or negligence to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of $12.4 billion oil windfall between 1988 and 1994.

According to the plaintiffs, "The need for information regarding the spending of $12.4 billion oil windfall is important to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public resources and to fulfill Nigeria’s international obligations to promote the development of the country. Access to information of this nature is especially important in this country, which is struggling to establish the rule of law and democracy in the face of underdevelopment, poverty, illiteracy and diseases. The right of access to information is also crucial to the realisation of all other human rights, including the peoples’ right to their natural wealth and resources."

Earlier, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) and the Central Bank of Nigeria have faulted the former Chief Justice of Nigeria Idris Legbo Kutigi over his enactment of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, arguing that he “exceeded his Constitutional powers by liberalising the rules on locus standi, permitting public impact litigation, and allowing the inclusion of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in the Rules.”

Both the AGF and CBN insisted that they could not find the Okigbo report, and had no duty to render account on the spending of the accrued revenue. The Plaintiffs disagreed, arguing that “such duty exists on the basis of Article 9 of the African Charter, which has become part of our national laws. Also, the Freedom of Information Act has just been enacted which also imposes a legal duty on public institutions and agencies to render account, and allow access to public documents.”

The CBN also argued that “only the AGF as a defender of public interest has the right to seek information on the spending of the $12.4 billion oil windfall,” saying that the Plaintiffs have no such right. The Plaintiffs countered by saying that it was “the failure of the AGF to carry out his duty in this respect,” that prompted their legal action against the government in the first place.
The suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/640/10 was brought under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.

It would be recalled that a coalition of six civil society groups led by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sued the AGF and CBN in September 2010, seeking information on how $12.4 billion oil windfall of between 1988 and 1994 was spent.

The AGF is represented in the suit by SN Nwosu, while the CBN is represented by Nwanrere and Magashi.

The plaintiffs also argued that: "The diversion and/or mismanagement of the $12.4 billion oil windfall is a violation of Nigerians’ right to natural resources and wealth and to economic development, as recognised and guaranteed by 21 and 22 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act). Under the African Charter, the Nigerian government has a legal responsibility to utilise the natural resources of the country so as to benefit the whole people. Just as the people of every sovereign state have a permanent right to choose their form of government, so the people are entitled to insist that the natural resources of the nation be exploited in the interest of the people."


www.serap-nigeria.org

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/missing-124bn-oil-windfall-judgment-adjourned-indefinitely

Women protest killing of mother of five
on OCTOBER 21, 2011 · in NEWS

Bauch-Hundreds of women in Bauchi Friday staged a peaceful demonstration , condemning the killing of a mother of five, Mrs Charity Augustine, by some soldiers at Anguwan Ngas in Bauchi, the state capital Thursday.

The women were however persuaded against carrying their demonstration into Government House to lay their complaint to the Governor, Isa Yuguda by both the police and some elders in the area.

The elders appealed to the women to remain calm and allow the family and the authorities affected to handle the situation so that the situation would not degenerate.

The ‘’killer’’ soldiers were said to be among those drafted to quell students’ uprising inside Baba Tanko Secondary School, so that it would not spill over to other parts of Yelwa and Anguwan Ngas in particular.

Charity’s husband said three soldiers entered their compound on that fateful day adding that one of them broke the glass of the door, pointed his gun through the shattered glass of the door and shot his wife twice on the chest.

Augustine, a retired banker, who said members of his family were inside the house when the incident happened said, “She died at the Teaching Hospital in Bauchi. We could not save her.”

The women who carried green leaves decried the killing of Mrs Augustine calling on military authorities to fish out the soldier who murdered the late woman in her matrimonial home.

One of the protesting women, Elizabeth Yahay, wondered why soldiers would open fire on woman who was neither fighting nor a threat to them.

“They went right into her compound and killed her when there was no trouble in the area,” she said. Everybody was ordered by soldiers to enter their house the next thing we knew was Charity was killed. We want the government to intervene so that the man who killed her is brought to book.”

The women’s mood however changed as the atmosphere became charged when Comfort, daughter of the deceased collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

The protest by the women started from the compound of the deceased and the women vowed to, “Continue to protest and cry until that soldier who killed this innocent woman is brought to justice,” just as they demanded the withdrawal of soldiers from the area.

The women were later addressed by the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the state, Lewi Pokti, who advised them to allow the authorities and God to handle of the situation, assuring that CAN would convey their grievance to the authorities concerned to ensure that justice was done.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/women-protest-killing-of-mother-of-five/

‘Afenifere’s visit to Daniel set bad precedence’

Written by  Sesan Olufowobi

The Afenifere Renewal Group on Thursday, flayed Afenifere leaders’ visit to former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Danel, saying they had set a bad precedence.

The Afenifere leaders led by Chief Reuben Fasoranti, offered Daniel solidarity when they visited his Sagamu home on Wednesday.

Daniel is currently facing a 16-count of corruption against him by the Economic and the Financial Crimes Commission.

But the ARG said the leaders should have waited until Daniel was cleared by the court before reacting and showing solidarity.

The spokesman for ARG, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said the visit was inappropriate.

He said, "There is also the question of morality and value. Elders are supposed to be custodian of truth. Elders should not intervene when a case is still in court. If there should be any visit, it should be from Daniel to explain what is going on and not from the elders.

"I am not saying that Daniel is guilty; the elders should allow the judiciary to run its course. If he is pronounced innocent, the elders can then speak. What they are doing now sets bad precedence and sends wrong message to the young ones that when they grow up and anything goes wrong, they could expect elders to show solidarity."

The ARG Chairman, Mr. Wale Oshun, however, declined comment.

He said, "We decided to renew because we felt that things could be done in a more efficient manner."

The Ogun State deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the April election, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, said the Yoruba elders that visited Daniel were not representing their people but themselves.

"These people are contractors. They have benefitted directly and personally from Daniel and their visit was not a surprise in any form. But they should have waited for the court of law to make its judgement before jumping the gun," said the former Ijebu East Local Government chairman, who spoke to THE PUNCH on the telephone.

"They should also know that their pronouncements were contrary to the conditions on which Daniel was granted bail."

However, a leader of the PDP in Ogun State, Chief Bode Mustapha, said Daniel was the architect of his own misfortune.

Mustapha, a former member of the House of Representatives, also dismissed the allegation by Daniel’s camp that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was behind the former governor’s travail.

http://news.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1969:%E2%80%98afenifere%E2%80%99s-visit-to-daniel-set-bad-precedence%E2%80%99&Itemid=542

Anenih can’t rig in Edo, says Oshiomhole
•2,000 PDP members join ACN

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said the Chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Tony Anenih, cannot rig the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into power.
Oshiomole spoke yesterday while receiving over 2,000 former PDP members in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
The defectors include members of the PDP executive committee in the council.
Oshiomhole said: “Let Anenih perish the thought that he will rig in Edo State, because he will not be able to do so. The people are the constant denominator. When the man lost the last election and is now boasting that he is standing on one toe, it can only be that he wants to rig.
“We decided that the way to punish Anenih, the godfather, is to bring development to his people, which he failed to give them. That is why he will continue to depend on rigging.
“If we can tar the road leading to his village, then we are determined to develop everywhere. This is the best punishment for those who benefit from rigging.
“We have fought the preliminary in Akoko-Edo, we had the elimination fight in Estako Central, we had the final during the last election and we defeated them in all.
“God has used you and I to liquidate Anenih politically. Right now, he is living on the political oxygen President Goodluck Jonathan extended to him. The day the President turns off the oxygen mask, Anenih will die politically.”
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, the former local government chairman, Chief Charles Oba, said their decision was motivated by Oshiomhole’s achievements.
Oba said: “What you have been doing in Edo State surpasses our expectations. We came to join you to work as brothers and sisters to expand the frontier of development in the state.”
Former PDP Secretary Chief S.S. Yaya said: “What governments could not do in 50 years, you have done in three years. When you came on board, I thought it was a big joke. But when you started work, I knew it was no joke. Come 2012, we will work to ensure your success.”
Oshiomhole praised them for their decision to identify with the progressives.
He said: “The essence of governance is the use of power to change the fortunes of the people. By your decision to unite with us, you have strengthened our capacity to deliver good governance to our people.
“We can only be judged by what we have done for the people. When the campaign starts, everybody will show his scorecard. For the 10 years PDP was in government, it had nothing to show. But the ACN has much to show for its two years and 10 months.
“We will continue to bring development to your door steps. Every local government will be able to point out what the government has done in the area.

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=20984

National Assembly ready for 2nd National Prayer Breakfast.
on OCTOBER 20, 2011 · in NEWS

Abuja – The National Assembly is to host the second edition of the National Prayer Breakfast, an event geared toward calling on God for divine intervention.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, Chairman of the Publicity Committee, Sen. Ita Enang said the theme for this year’s event is; `Unity through transformation`.

Enang said the purpose of the event was to acknowledge the place of God in a nation’s development and establish the universality of Christ in the everyday life of His people.

“It is to use the instrument of our faith to ensure a complete national transformation and to enthrone Him as our king and Lord while we consciously begin to dismantle all the works of darkness in our national life,” he said.

A member of the group, Rep. Sekonte Davies (PDP-Rivers) explained that this year’s theme was chosen in line with the fact that transformation was a difficult task to achieve without unity.

According to Davies, Nigeria at 51 should be at a level where tribe, ethnicity or even state is not a dividing factor.

“The theme, `unity through transformation’ is timely and relevant because the period of transformation is usually very challenging and painful and if people are not united, they will not be able to bear these pains and face the challenges.

“So, since we all know that we need transformation in this country, there must be a unity of purpose so that while we are transforming, we are also uniting, ’’ Davies emphasised.

The event which will hold on Thursday in Abuja will be attended by the President, the leadership of the National Assembly, former Presidents and Heads of State.

The keynote address will be delivered by the former President of Burundi, Dr Pierre Buyoya.

The `National Prayer Breakfast’ hosted by national parliaments started in the United States in 1953, it was viewed as a `Presidential breakfast’ and was later observed as a `National breakfast’.(NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/national-assembly-ready-for-2nd-national-prayer-breakfast/

Amaechi, Oshiomhole rubbish FG economic policy
Written by  Ifeanyi Onuba and Sunday Ojeme

The governors of Rivers and Edo states, Rotimi Amaechi and Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday, severely criticised the economic policy of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, calling for a total overhaul.

The governors picked holes in some Federal Government’s economic initiatives, including the 2012 budget, revenue allocation, fuel subsidy management and the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Amaechi belongs to President Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party while Oshiomhole is of the Action Congress of Nigeria.


Oshiomhole, on the other hand, berated the government for the parlous state of the nation’s infrastructure, and called for a "revolution" in the power sector.

He also specifically accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulating Agency of arbitrarily deducting N100b and N131bn respectively from the Federation Account.

He challenged the Federal Government to publish beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy, on which the government claimed it spent N1.5trn.

The state chief executives spoke while reacting to a paper presented by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. John Otunla, at the 41st conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in Abuja.

The theme of the conference was, "The dawn of transformation: embracing change and seizing opportunities."

Amaechi, who questioned what he described as the "arbitrariness" in the management of fuel subsidy, stressed the need for government to adopt a different approach to the management of the economy in order for the country to attain its developmental objectives.

He said, "The Federal Government said its recurrent expenditure was 73 per cent. But how do we transform with 25 per cent capital (expenditure)? When I took over in Rivers State, our recurrent expenditure was 20 per cent, with capital at 80 per cent. That is why we are asking for an amendment to the 1999 constitution.

"The Federal Government increased salaries without consulting us, (so) we are currently doing recurrent expenditure at 35 per cent, but our capital is 65 per cent. The Federal Government needs to do something and in doing that they must prioritise."

He also questioned why the country had not been able to fix its refineries despite its enormous oil resources.

Amaechi said, "I want to talk about the issue of subsidy, not more than 100 Nigerians are being paid this subsidy of about N1.4tn.

"I question the arbitrariness in the payment of this subsidy. Why can’t we set up refineries? Why must we continue to import fuel when we have oil in abundance in Rivers State?

"I want Nigerians to challenge the government and hold them accountable because it is only when we do this that we will start seeing the building of refineries in Nigeria."

Amaechi, who urged the Federal Government to address the challenges in the power, health and education sectors in order to boost investment in the country, also faulted the proposed SWF.

"The country does not need a law for the state to make savings for developmental purposes," he said.

In his remarks, Oshiomhole said the decay in the country’s infrastructure had made it imperative for a revolution to be carried out in the power sector.

He lamented the epileptic supply of electricity in the country in spite of the huge investment in the power sector within the past 12 years.

Oshiomhole had barely commenced his presentation when a power outage occurred.

Upon restoration of power, the governor said, "On the recurrent and capital expenditure, it is an open secret that it is impossible for us to revise the situation.

"When I took over in Edo State, the recurrent was like 70 per cent and capital 30 per cent. Even with the new minimum wage, our recurrent is 40 per cent while capital is 60 per cent.

"We had to cut down on unnecessary expenses. Since the Minister of Finance (Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) is new she needs to start on a clean sheet. I think the starting point is to revisit the way the Federation Account is being managed.

[b]"How much do we even make from oil? How many barrels of crude oil do we export daily? The situation has become so complex. Just yesterday (Monday), my Accountant-General told me that during the pre-Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting, the NNPC deducted N100bn for subsidy.

"The PPPRA even did worse than that, he told me they deducted N131bn and these figures are over and above what was in the budget and we all know that in a democracy, no one has the right to spend what has not been appropriated.

"The NNPC takes money from source, no one is complaining, PPPRA also takes money from source and nobody is asking questions."

The governor said what the government needed in the area of infrastructure was not "reforms" but a "revolution."

He said, "We need to go beyond transformation, what we need is a complete revolution in the infrastructure of this country.

"Between 1999 and now, a huge amount had been invested in the power sector and I have thought about the problem of the power sector and have come to a conclusion that the public sector cannot give us power because I haven’t seen new tools and approach to solving the problems in the power sector."

Oshiomhole also said that what he described as the inconsistencies in government policies" had led to a huge loss in revenue.

"We are losing hundreds of billions in revenue through waivers. For me, waivers mean distortions in the system and it doesn’t bring a level playing field," he submitted.[/b]

Efforts to get the NNPC to react on Tuesday yielded no result as calls to mobile phone of the corporation’s spokesman, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, did not go though. Also text message sent to his phone by one of our correspondents on the allegation against the NNPC was not replied to.

In the case of the PPPRA, an official of the agency who answered our correspondent’s phone call declined comment on the matter and that he would need to consult some documents before he could respond to the allegation against the agency.

http://news.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1808:amaechi-oshiomhole-rubbish-fg-economic-policy&Itemid=542

Unlocking the potential in Solid Minerals
Friday, 07 October 2011 09:37
Written By Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai

Unlocking the potential in Solid Minerals
By: Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai

In search of answers to the perennial question of jobs in the society, our ancestors appear smarter than our leaders! Our current leaders boast endlessly about what my ex-BPE colleague, Sa'ad Jijji called 'Nigeria's jobless growth! - 'high GDP growth figures without jobs’! Our ancestors, and the latter-day colonizers focused on developing our resource endowments - agriculture, mining and industry using indigenous labour and technologies, even if on modest scale and scope.

Mining is therefore one of the oldest economic activities in Nigeria, with evidence of iron-working civilization around the Nok area in Kaduna State from 340BC. Around 704AD bronze works civilization around Igbo Ukwu reached its peak. Some 1,000 years ago, the "Golden lands of Wangara" in the Hausa Kingdoms were famous for their gold. Ife and Benin bronze works flourished in the 13th and 17th centuries respectively.

Organized mining in Nigeria started in 1903 and reached its peak after the 2nd World War with exports of Coal, Columbite, Tin and Lead. At a point, Nigeria was the leading producer and exporter of Tin. Indeed, the now troubled city of Jos was born and flourished largely due to the influx of people and resources in search of economic opportunities of the mining boom. Enugu was for a while the capital of the Southern Protectorate because of the Coal mining that started around there in 1916.

Today, mining offers Nigeria potentials for job creation, foreign exchange earnings, domestic production and consumption, tax revenue and diversification of our economy from dependence on oil. It can contribute up to 3 percent of GDP and employ at least a million people, moving most of them to middle-class status. But that is all it offers - potential. The contribution of the solid minerals sector to the Nigerian economy has collapsed from about 1 percent at independence to about 0.3 percent of GDP in 2010, and it employs only a few thousand people. The industry is grossly under-developed leading to a situation where we import minerals that we could produce domestically such as Barites, Salt and Iron Ore.

Compare this with South Africa where in 2009, mining directly accounted for about 9 percent of GDP, one-third of the total capitalization of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and employed 500,000 people, or with the USA where mining provides about 670,000 direct jobs. In Australia, about 320,000 direct jobs are attributable to the mining sector. In Canada mining provides employment for about 200,000 people. In South Africa, mining contributes another half a million indirect jobs in addition to direct jobs, focused on only a handful of minerals! Nigeria has huge reserves of 34 solid minerals, and virtually no jobs!

Globally the mining industry has enjoyed strong economic growth for the past decade. Demand for solid mineral resources from rapidly growing nations like China and India is on the rise, while Canada supplied minerals with a total estimated value of $45.3 billion in 2008. Today, mining accounts for 3.5 per cent of Canada's GDP. Nigeria is losing huge amounts of foreign exchange that it could have earned considering the tremendous growth in the demand for minerals in the global market.

Nigeria has proven reserves of 34 solid minerals in commercial quantities. Unlike the oil enclaves we have indentified so far, these minerals are widely spread across 450 locations in most of the 36 states of the federation and FCT. No state or region will be left behind when we exploit our mining potentials.

So if solid minerals are God's Gift to our nation, and we have the people to put to work on them, why have we not done so? What are the lessons to learn from the past successes and failures? What can we learn from countries like Mali, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa that have become attractive destinations for mining investments? What more can we do as a nation to unlock the potentials in solid minerals? We will look at a few minerals to attempt answers.

Nigeria's Coal was highly valued for its low levels of sulfur and impurities. There are 22 coalfields spread across 13 states with proven reserve of 639 million tons, and inferred reserves of 2,750 million tons. Up till the late 1960s, Coal was the source of the entire energy requirement for the country’s industrial sector, which included Nigeria Railways, National Electric Power Authority and Nigeria Cement Company, Nkalagu. According to the Ministry of Mines, Coal export or usage for electricity generation is capable of earning or saving Nigeria up to $6 billion per annum. Applying our Coal to generate electricity would yield 7,000MW which can be the national base load, supplemented by other sources for the next 30 years.

The Nigerian Coal Corporation was a state-owned monopoly established in 1950 to engage in the exploration, production and marketing of our coal. It was successful until the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war. It never recovered from the years of mine closure and was privatized via liquidation by the BPE in 2007. None of the resulting investors has started production since then.

Due to uncertainty about commodities, currencies and stocks as stores of value in the global market, the price of gold has multiplied manifold in the last five years and remains at its highest level. Gold is another mineral we have in commercial quantities in Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Zamfara, Kebbi and Kaduna States. Between 1933 and 1943 when production peaked, Nigeria exported some 3.2 million ounces of gold! With the privatization via liquidation of the Nigerian Mining Corporation in 2007, it is gratifying that some domestic and multinational companies that acquired some of its mining leases are pursuing gold mining opportunities, supplementing the efforts of our indigenous small scale, artisanal miners.

Tantalite is a rare metal needed by high technology and aerospace industries. Nigeria has the second largest reserves of tantalite in the world, occurring as Tantalum-Niobium, and available in a belt stretching from Nassarawa State and FCT across to Ilesha in Osun State. We have huge deposits of Lead and Zinc in Benue, Kogi, Ebonyi and Nassarawa States among others. Large deposits of Iron Ore, reputed to be the largest in Africa have been found in Zamfara State as well.

We have bitumen and tar sands equivalent to 13 billion barrels of oil in a belt stretching from Lagos and Edo to Ogun and Ondo States. Each of these minerals is worth billions of dollars in revenue annually and hundreds of thousands of jobs. For instance we are also endowed with large deposits of Limestone, Kaolin and Gypsum that can be processed to meet the cement requirement of the African continent for the next two decades. There are large deposits of talc spread across the country that have the potential to earn about $3 billion annually.

A few lessons can be deduced from mining in Nigeria and other countries.

The first, from the experiences of our past, and the successes of other countries is that government-owned and managed organizations do not do a good job of mining solid minerals on a sustainable basis. My sister, Oby Ezekwesili did a great job of redirecting the Ministry’s role to that of a facilitator, regulator and administrator rather than owner-operator, and created a Mining Cadastre Office. Under Oby's watch the Minerals and Mining Act was drafted and steered through the Cabinet and National Assembly. That is the way to go. The enabling law and fiscal regime are excellent, on paper. The challenge is to translate policy, legislation, regulation and intentions into the right attitude and practice in the ministry.

Secondly, federal government must not only license private sector participants but also provide more accurate geological information about our mineral resources. The effort of the Ministry through its Geological Survey Agency to invest more in this area is another commendable step that was accelerated when Oby ran the ministry. Private companies must be regulated and made to comply with the best environmental standards. The mistakes of the oil industry must not be allowed to recur in the solid minerals sector. The recent death of over 100 people in Zamfara from lead poisoning arising from unregulated artisanal mining is unfortunate and must be prevented in future.

Thirdly, the strengthening of the Mining Cadastre Office and its freedom from ministerial and political interference will give confidence to investors on the security of their licenses and the policy environment. The focus of the Minister and his staff must be on easing the acquisition of titles to land for mining licensees - this continues to be a problem in spite of everyone's best efforts.

Fourthly, the recognition that small scale, artisanal (and often unlicensed, illegal) miners still account for about 90 percent of the output of the Nigerian solid minerals sector. This informal, largely unregulated part of the industry needs extensive support, organization and regulation, not just cash handouts from the ministry. We must deliberately empower our indigenous artisanal miners and incorporate them into the value chain of mineral production, beneficiation and marketing.

Finally, mining like other parts of the real sector is not attracting enough financing, mainly due to policy instability and uncertainties. The 2007 Mining Act anticipated this and created the Solid Minerals Development Fund to be managed by a public-private board. The World Bank has granted a credit of $120 million for the sustainable development of our mining sector, but the Fund is yet to be operational. And since mining is technically complex, risky and long-term in lifecycle, commercial banks are reluctant to jump into financing the sector. The government should establish the Fund immediately as required by law, and not wait for CBN to intervene yet again.

The solid mineral sector offers viable prospects for mining, mineral processing and the manufacture of a host of intermediate raw materials for local industries as well as for foreign exchange earnings. It presents the opportunity for diversifying Nigeria's hitherto petroleum-dominated economy.Improving the Nigerian Mining industry would help curb the growing level of unemployment, move rural miners into middle class and reduce poverty.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, no sector can grow and realize its potential without the basic building blocks of good government - internal security, a predictable legal system, supportive bureaucracy, affordable credit, transport and communications infrastructure, and electricity. It is impossible to even contemplate any of what we have been writing about without these, and President Jonathan should just wake up, stop behaving like a victim and work on these challenges. That is the job he craved for, and is not an easy one.

Unlocking the avalanche of potentials in the mining sector is an appropriate measure for actualizing the transformation of the economy if the government is serious about attaining such a feat. It is possible. It is achievable, but can President Jonathan attempt it? Does he even care?

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/nasir-el-rufai/unlocking-the-potential-in-solid-minerals.html

Jonathan, AGF Adoke, CBN, Private Developer Implicated In NITEL Land Scam
Posted: October 19, 2011 - 01:53

Uncompleted structure on NITEL land
By SaharaReporters, New York
An investigation by SaharaReporters has unearthed a scam in Abuja in which officials of the late Umaru Yar’Adua government as well as the Goodluck Jonathan administration colluded with a shady property developer in a deal where a government-owned land was bought and sold at a scandalous profit for the private developer.

At the center of the deal is Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu (boss of AA Oil), a close friend of the ex-convict former governor of Bayelsa state, D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha. Former Governor Alamieyeseigha was prosecuted for money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – and convicted.

The highly questionable land deal also involved the Central Bank of Nigeria, which was used as a conduit to buy back a piece of land that had earlier been sold to Mr. Aliyu by the Yar'Adua regime.

The high-priced piece of land, located in the central business district of Abuja across from the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), originally belonged to the Nigerian Telecom Company (NITEL).

A source at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) told SaharaReporters that when NITEL was about to be liquidated, the large piece of land was put aside as an asset to be applied to the NITEL pension fund. The pension fund had a deficit running into billions of naira. However, before handing over to Umaru Yar'Adua, the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to hand the land over to the Ministry of Communication, which was then headed by John Odey, a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Once Mr. Yar’Adua took over, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, the owner of AA Oil, began to lobby top members of that government to persuade Mr. Yar’Adua to approve for the property developer to buy the land from the Ministry of Communication. Our sources disclosed that officials of the ministry protested, arguing that it made more economic and strategic sense for the ministry to develop the land on its own.

Besides, at the time that Mr. Aliyu was bargaining to acquire the land, he and his company were deeply indebted to several banks and had defaulted on several loans, the highest being one from Skye bank. Despite his shady corporate profile and huge debt burden, Mr. Aliyu was able to secure Mr. Yar'Adua’s approval of the deal to buy the land.

Several sources told SaharaReporters that the rogue businessman bribed his way to Mr. Yar’Adua’s approval. And then, since the approval came just before Mr. Yar’Adua took gravely ill and was flown away to a hospital in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Aliyu manipulated the process of the land deal, including fixing the evaluation of the property, a task that ought to have been done by the Federal Government. “Alhaji AA Oil bribed officials in President Yar'Adua’s government, and they let him use his personal evaluators to value the land,” said a source.

Our sources revealed that Mr. Aliyu’s evaluator did not assess the value of the land, but focused on an uncompleted building on the land. A legal wrangling during the era of former General Sani Abacha had led to the freezing of the uncompleted building. The legal tussle arose when Nasir el-Rufai, who acted as a quantity surveyor on the development, dragged the Abacha regime to court over contractual services offered to the government. Mr. el-Rufai was later to handle the botched privatization of NITEL, which included the land.

Our sources disclosed that the land area was 80,000 square feet. They also revealed that the going rate of land in the area at the time of the evaluation was N100,000 per square feet in the area. Going by that rate, the government could have easily negotiated to sell the land for at least N8 billion naira. However, in what was the first phase of the scam, the evaluator hired by Mr. Aliyu focused entirely on the uncompleted property on the land, ignoring the value of the land itself.

As a result of Mr. Aliyu’s fraudulent moves, he got the government to sell him the land for less than N1 billion. A few years later, he attempted to sell the land to several businesses, including a firm belonging to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. A source said Mr. Atiku reportedly offered to buy the property for N3.5 billion, but Mr. Aliyu rejected the offer, asking for N4 billion to enable him to offset one of his bad bank loans. He could not find a willing buyer.

As several banks increased their pressure on the debt-burdened AA Oil, threatening to take over the company’s assets, Mr. Aliyu approached more buyers, including banks, but none put together an offer that the company considered acceptable.




However, Mr. Aliyu’s troubles ended when the Goodluck Jonathan administration came into office. Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke, who is reportedly from the same area as the owner of AA Oil in Kogi State, started working directly to help AA Oil market its landed properties.

One source said Mr. Aliyu recruited Mr. Adoke to speak to Goodluck Jonathan, who was then completing the remainder of Yar'Adua's presidential tenure.

With the attorney general on his side, AA Oil saw a quick swing in its fortunes. The company had two properties for sale. President Jonathan approved a deal for the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately buy one for N4.5 billion on behalf of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). Sources within the Presidency and the Central Bank told SaharaReporters that the six-story building was over-inflated. Even so, payments were promptly made to AA Oil.

Soon after the conclusion of this property sale to AMCON, Mr. Adoke again approached Mr. Jonathan with a proposal to ask the CBN to buy the controversial NITEL property from Mr. Aliyu. One source said that President Jonathan found the deal too good to disregard when Mr. Adoke suggested that the sale would be a good source of campaign funds for the Jonathan presidential campaign.

As soon as Jonathan gave his approval for the deal to proceed, the CBN corralled an evaluation committee to value the land. The evaluators reported returned with hugely over-inflated evaluations. One group claimed the property was worth N21 billion while another group put the value at N17 billion. The CBN did not only speedily approve the deal; it also quickly paid Mr. Aliyu through two banks. One of the payments to Skye Bank reportedly wiped out AA Oil’s debt to the bank. A second trance was paid through another commercial bank. It was from this second payment that several officials involved in the deal, including Mr. Jonathan, received a share of the loot. Our sources confirmed that Mr. Jonathan's campaign received $7 million in December 2010 through the treasurer of the then Jonathan Campaign team, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi. She is currently the Minister of Aviation.

Our sources said CBN staff members who processed the deal shared N1 billion. Attorney General Adoke was also handsomely rewarded. Mr. Aliyu, whose property business specializes in building and furnishing homes for sale, built and donated two houses to Mr. Adoke. One of the buildings is reportedly located on Gana Street across from the Hilton Hotel while the second house is on Ikogosi Street, near the official residence of the Inspector General of Police in the Maitama section of Abuja.

A source, who once worked in the Presidency, said he was shocked that the government would dole out approximately N20 billion naira for a piece of land it sold just a few years ago for less than N1 billion. “This is the kind of deal that makes Nigerians look at people in government as crooks,” said the source.

An official at the Central Bank of Nigeria, who asked not to be named, claimed that the bank relied on evaluations provided by professional real estate valuers in arriving at a price for the property. The Central Bank also stated that an international conference center that meets "global standards" is to be built on the land acquired from Mr. Aliyu.

But a source in Abuja described the CBN claim as “both curious and spurious.” “Look, the Federal Government has in recent years been selling properties owned by it at greatly discounted prices. It has also begun a policy of monetization for public officials instead of building new government buildings in Abuja. In fact, it was with this pretext that most government-owned properties, including this NITEL property, were sold a few years ago,” said the source.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/jonathan-agf-adoke-cbn-private-developer-implicated-nitel-land-scam

Chinese Expats Treat Nigerian Employees As Punching Bags
Posted: October 18, 2011 - 17:22

A Nigerian policeman holds an umbrella over a Chinese expat

Maaji Meriga
By SaharaReporters, New York
The Chinese kick Nigerian workers on the testicles when they are not submissive.

If you are a Nigerian working for the Chinese, you are at risk of losing your private parts, says Maaji Meriga, after he practically lost the use of his manhood while working to construct railway tracks in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, for the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a major overseas interest of the Chinese government.

The 62-year-old casual worker and bread winner of a family of 6 children was left potentially impotent when the company’s transport manager, Marcho Chin, popularly called ‘old soldier’, allegedly kicked him on his testicles and punched him on the ear to prove who is boss.

It all began a month into his job as a water tanker driver on January 29, 2011 at about 11:00am when Old Soldier asked Mr. Meriga to fill his tank and water the road leading to the CCECC yard, around Karamajiji Village near the Abuja airport. Mr. Meriga said while en route and spraying the ground, another Chinese in charge of drainages stopped him close to the yard and asked he fill two drums with water. He obliged, turned off the main spray machine, opened the side tap and began filling the drums when Old Soldier came and queried him.

“He said I am wasting resources, that I want to spoil the tanker. I told him that I can’t spoil it. He just went and opened the spray machine,” said Mr. Meriga. “I told him that it is his brother that asked me to fill the drums. I bent down to switch off the spray machine when he then kicked me from behind on my scrotum and testes. I immediately fell down. As I got up and asked him ‘master why?’ he then blew me on the ear before entering his jeep and drove to the yard.

Mr. Meriga immediately reported the case to the company’s personnel manager, Mr. Austin, but was ordered out of the premises, without any medical attention given to him.

“I reported at Karamajiji Police Station. I Unclad myself before the Police and showed them what happened to me. They saw my thing was swelling. I told them I am dying, I need,” Mr. Meriga said. “One officer followed me to the company but Mr. Austin told the Policeman he will not allow the white man go to station unless order comes from above.”

But several days later the order never came. By this time, Mr. Meriga’s left testicle had become swollen to the extent he was admitted for five days at the Garaku General Hospital in Nasarawa State. He was in need of urgent surgery as “examination of the testis showed grossly enlarged left hemi scrotum with marked tenderness of contiguous testis”. One medical record stated that an impression of inflammation was “made secondary to direct blow resulting from a beating”.

Regardless, the Chinese company had made it clear the Nigeria Police couldn’t do them anything; after all Mr.  Meriga wouldn’t be the first to receive a ‘Chinese kick to the balls’ and nothing would come out of it.

A year earlier, on February 5, 2010, another of the company’s water tanker drivers, Michael Francis, a casual staff for over a year, had on resumption of duty that morning told Old Soldier the pump of the tanker to be used to wet the ground was faulty. He was asked to manage it.

But later that day, the assistant transport manager, Mr. Lie, better known as ‘Bedebede’, wanted to reduce his daily wage as the ground he had been allotted was not properly wet. His refusal allegedly earned him a kick to the groin. He fainted on the spot and was subsequently hospitalised for over a week at Access Hospital located along Police Barracks Road, Gwagwa, Abuja.

“He held my shirt, slapped and kicked me in the joystick when I refused to give my wages card for him to cut some hours from the work I had done that day,” said the 29-year-old. “The pay is N600 a day and we can work from 7am to 5pm. I refused since it wasn’t my fault, because they can cut your money by half, then how much do I have left?”

The company had tried denying having any Chinese staff bearing that name but conceded when Mr. Francis produced a picture of himself and Bedebede taken together on December 16, 2009 at the CCECC yard. But again, the company’s Nigerian personnel manager, Mr. Austin, was involved in sweeping the case under the carpet. Mr. Francis resigned from the company on February 16, 2010 as he couldn’t resume work immediately after he was discharged, as the company had mandated. He was not compensated.

In pains, distraught, and in urgent need of money for his operation, Mr. Meriga in February 2011 took his plight to the Brekete Family Show, a human rights radio magazine talk show, run by Ahmad Isah, who brought him and Mr. Francis on live radio to tell their stories.

“Nigerians are being brutalised by foreigners in our own country. In their country, this can never happen. We reported to the Human Rights Commission, Police, Ministry of Justice, everywhere. What has anyone done to the foreigners or the company? Nothing!” Mr. Isah lamented. “If you see how swollen his testicles were. He couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t wear pant, even to stand was a problem. I had to spend over N350,000 of my own personal money to pay for Meriga’s surgery and hospital bills at the National Hospital, just to save his life. The company did nothing for him. It is pathetic!”

Mr. Meriga petitioned the Commissioner of Police of the FCT Police Command on February 22, 2011, in a case of criminal force and assault. Eight months later, the Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, says investigations are still on.

“The DPO Lugbe handling the case told me the matter has not being charged to court because the complainant went for medical treatment and has not returned for the police to conclude their investigation and charge the person to court,” Mr. Moshood said.




But contrary to Mr. Moshood’s claims, the Police in an unprecedented record time of six days had concluded the case in favour of the Chinese eight months ago, through Chief Superintendent of Police Olufemi Abaniwonda, the Divisional Police Officer of Lugbe Division.

CSP Abaniwonda declared in his report dated February 28 that as a “matter of fact, there is no case to be arraigned in court because no witness to facilitate the prosecution”. But Mr. Meriga had provided several witnesses whom the DPO dismissed as “hostile witnesses” collaborating “to see how they can make false claim on the Chineseman”. He then wrote that Mr. Meriga be warned to “desist in parading himself within the company”.

CSP Abaniwonda further compromised his authority. He had received a letter from the Chinese company on February 28 requesting for his report on the case. Despite being a criminal case with police reports only to be given to courts of law, the DPO in a few hours quickly dispatched a signed copy of the 3-page Police report directly to CCECC’s Managing Director at Plot 215 Cadastral Zone, KM 10, Umaru Yar’Adua Way, Airport Road, Abuja. To please the Chinese, he wrote Mr. Meriga was never kicked in the groin.

The DPO by his actions effectively denied Mr. Meriga his right to seek justice for the assault he acknowledged occurred when he wrote that Old Soldier “slapped the complainant on the face as the complainant alleged”. The content of the Police report further suggests Old Soldier was never interviewed on the incident, as he was never identified by his real name, only described as a suspect named “Mr. Old Soldier”.

A lawyer, Nsikan Robinson, had also voluntarily taken up the case then. His best effort was to write CCECC on February 22, 2011 giving the company seven days to repatriate Old Soldier and Bedebede, pay N10 million compensation to each of his clients, and for the company to bear their medical expenses. Eight months on he says lack of funds and not fear has hindered him from instituting legal action against the company.

Very little has indeed being done in the eight months since Messrs. Meriga and Francis also petitioned the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on February 16, 2011 and the Director General, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria on June 24, 2011.

Only once since July did Mr. Francis say a lady called him from the Legal Aid Council, a government agency which gives free legal aid, promising to call again to give him an appointment. The most the NHRC, which has constitutional powers to prosecute cases of Human Rights abuse, have done is exchange of letters with the Chinese company.

“We demanded a full response from the alleged company. The company’s lawyer wrote back referring us to the police report which rather blamed Meriga than the company,” said Lambert Oparah, the Human Rights Commission spokesperson, who said the commission has being pushing to settle the case by dialogue with all parties.

Phone calls, text and email messages to the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, including Mr. Wang, the embassy’s representative in Lagos State, went unanswered. But the Chinese company through their solicitors, Paul Attayi and Co, categorically dismissed Messrs. Meriga and Francis stories as “gold digging exercises” and told the Human Rights Commission that they should go to court to seek redress.

“Our clients are prepared and determined to frustrate this exercise. Our client is prepared to defend itself against such frivolous and vexation claims with fanatical determination,” said Mr. Attayi while stating that the company “recognises and protects” the rights of all employees as contained in their employment letters.

But employees of the company who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal say their working conditions are greatly abused and the worst in the construction industry. Most workers say they don’t have employment letters and have remained casual labourers for months, some years, thus being denied such benefits as health insurance and pensions.

“If you say you can use a machine or you can drive, they test you. If you pass they give you a form you fill there and return to them before you start work. They don’t give you a copy,” said one labourer. “In 40 people, maybe five are staff, the rest are casual. They keep promising they will staff us. A lot of us are getting injured but because we are not staff, company will not take care of you. Our Nigerians in company management are not helping us. What can we do? To find work is difficult. We just have to accept.”

When Mr. Austin, the company’s personnel manager was contacted on Messrs. Meriga and Francis case, he feigned ignorance of them stating: “I don’t know very well. Actually we have many cases on ground but I can’t recall now. Are they our workers?” On the illegality of the company engaging people on casual labour for extended periods, he quickly said, “that’s where my statement stops”.

A successful surgery was performed on Mr. Meriga’s testicle on July 7. He is still on medication but says he doesn’t take for granted anytime he has an Attention. Some months back, his manhood was dysfunctional. His case is one of justice delayed is justice denied as he is losing faith in Nigeria defending the rights of its citizens at home and abroad.

“I don’t think Nigerians can go to China and behave like that and go free. I want Nigeria to follow the law and give me justice,” Mr. Meriga says.

http://saharareporters.com/report/chinese-expats-treat-nigerian-employees-punching-bags

The Sophistry About Fuel Subsidy

Mon, 17/10/2011 - 12:29am | SAM NDA-ISAIAH

I am repeating this piece today because the president gathered some of “his own” private-sector representatives to endorse his intention to remove fuel subsidy.

I am not only a member of the private sector, I belong to one of the most difficult, if not nigh impossible, arms.

I am a newspaper entrepreneur who started from scratch, and I write as a direct participant and an enlightened stakeholder.

I also write as a human being with a feeling for the very poor and lowly among us who have no voice. In spite of the endorsement, I stand by every word I have written here.

Extreme corruption and government incompetence are our problems and not subsidy qua subsidy.

Without consultation or even as much as informing Nigerians about his intentions on the very contentious matter, President Goodluck Jonathan has tabled a proposal before the National Assembly for the removal of fuel subsidy from next year.

I am not sure if this is a courageous move, a reckless act or simply a very cold-blooded one.

The arguments on both sides are not new. It is just that, in this particular case, it looks like a conspiracy of those in power against the ordinary people.

Jonathan’s people say the subsidy amounts to throwing away over N1trillion annually in the name of providing a kind of price support for the people.

One of the silliest arguments of government is that the subsidy actually benefits the smugglers who take the fuel to other countries.

The government actually forgets that it is one of its responsibilities to secure the country’s borders from smugglers in addition to Boko Haram, MEND, kidnappers, armed robbers, etc.

State governors are some of the most enthusiastic supporters of fuel subsidy removal.

They are already doing a mental calculation of the extra money that would accrue to their monthly allocations from Abuja, which most of them will just convert into dollars and transfer to private accounts abroad.

That much can be gleaned from Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s gung-ho statements as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum recently.

The CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, also argues in favour of subsidy removal.

He says it is unwise for the government to be subsidising petroleum products to keep refineries in other countries going while the ones in Nigeria would not be producing in full capacity.

In other words, the CBN governor wants Nigerians to pay or be penalised for government’s incompetence in managing and building refineries that will refine our own crude at full capacity.

Even Niger Republic recently completed building its refinery and has been threatening to join the league of fuel exporters into Nigeria.

The CBN governor also argues that subsidy has not benefitted the masses of the country in any way.

The nation is borrowing billions of naira annually to pay subsidy debts that benefit a cabal in the oil industry, he says.

Well, it is when this subsidy is removed that we will see whether subsidy benefits the masses in any way or not.

By the time the price of everything doubles or triples or even quadruples, we will know whether the fuel subsidy makes a difference in the lives of the ordinary people or not.

If the impending catastrophe is added to the ever-increasing bank interest rates, and the ever-falling value of the naira – some people have predicted it might even get as bad as N180 per dollar soon – then, we will not really have to consult the dictionary anymore to know the definition of poverty.

Maybe Jonathan’s idea of poverty alleviation is to kill all the poor people.

Every responsible country must grant one form of subsidy or the other to its people anyway.

The total amount of subsidy to agriculture and food security (that affects everyone) by the United States government is in the region of $1 billion daily.

And this has nothing to do with whether it is the Democrats or the Republicans that are in power.

Some European Union countries vote even higher subsidies for food security.

For whatever anyone would say about the tyrant, Robert Mugabe, the senile president of Zimbabwe, it is his subsidy on education that has given the country one of the highest literacy rates in the world today.

Zimbabwe has a literacy rate of 90% compared to Nigeria’s 57%.

Education in government-run schools was made free in 1980 via subsidy, of course.

Many countries also maintain subsidies on healthcare especially for the most vulnerable members of the society.

In Nigeria, it is hard to see what government really does for its people. You buy your own generators for electric power supply, which is a small price compared to what you have to pay for diesel daily.

You would also have to construct your own borehole to get potable water.

You would have to take care of your own security needs.

And you must pay through your nose to get good education for your wards; it would have to be either through expensive private schools or sending them abroad, which these days includes countries like Ghana.

And you better don’t fall badly sick here.

If you cannot afford flying abroad for good treatment, then, you could be taken to one of the government hospitals that have now become places where people go to die.

The truth about this rush to remove fuel subsidy is that, in spite of the high international price of crude oil, which should have made us very comfortable like other oil-producing countries, Nigeria has precipitously run out of money to run the machinery of government.

And the only reason for this is corruption.

The nation is being looted to death. Virtually all the money has been stolen at all levels.

The government says that removal of the subsidy would free more than N1trillion to develop the country.

No, the money that would be freed would also be stolen.

And nothing will come out of it; there will absolutely be no development that anyone would see.

Only the foreign bank accounts of government people and their fronts would be richly developed.

The governors are, of course, supporting Jonathan because they also want to partake in the loot sharing.

By now, it should be clear to all of us that the governors don’t care about this country.

Their response to the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) has made this clear.

The governors want to share in the subsidy money that would accrue to the FG.

But, like it happened when Jonathan was acting president, when he opened up the coffers of the Excess Crude Account to the governors and nothing came out of it, the governors will also blow this and nothing will come out of it.

They absolutely would have no qualms or second thought about that.

If Jonathan and the governors (especially those who contested as incumbents) can publicly tell Nigerians the source of the humongous amount of money they used for their elections, then, they would have the moral right to remove fuel subsidy and ask the ordinary Nigerian who is the ultimate victim of their bad governance to share in the sacrifice.

The truth is that if the government wants more money to run the government, it should face the cankerworm of corruption.

Nigeria is being looted to extinction and nobody appears to give a hoot.

Many of us can afford the generators, boreholes, barricades and extra guards to provide the security that government is not providing, as well as dispatching our children overseas, but the ordinary Nigerian on the street doesn’t deserve what the self-imposed leaders are doing to him.

For God’s sake, Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and the seventh largest exporter of the commodity in the world, and with the 10th largest reserves.

This is apart from our gas reserves.

We produce more than two million barrels daily and yet we are the only OPEC country that imports refined products and our government is not even ashamed of that.

Because of corruption, the country has not constructed new refineries or even managed the old ones to full capacity and they complain that the fuel subsidy benefits only foreign refineries that we import fuel from.

Besides, I bet that not many people know that crude oil is not the highest revenue earner for the country.

The revenues that the nation is supposed to be making from many of its revenue-yielding agencies like the NPA, NIMASA, CBN, FIRS, Customs, the Mint, Immigration Services, and many, many other agencies, if maximised, would cumulatively generate more funds than oil.

It is the revenues from such agencies that others use to develop their countries.

In Nigeria, only the FIRS and Customs declare their figures.

State governments can also make a lot of revenue if they, just for a second, take their greedy eyes off the federation account from where they get cheap money every month without having to work for it.

I have said on this page several times that virtually every state in Nigeria can exist as a rich nation if only we had serious people at the helm.

If Jonathan’s government wants more money, it doesn’t have to kill poor Nigerians to get it.

It should leave fuel subsidy alone and look elsewhere.

Fuel subsidy is too hot an issue for a government that is already perceived to be ineffective and incompetent.

The president should start by fighting corruption, building refineries, policing our borders effectively and getting all the revenues he can possibly garner from revenue-generating government agencies.

The Jonathan government would do well to concentrate and improve the real sector of the economy by providing power supply immediately or providing subsidy on the diesel that now solely powers entrepreneurship.
Yes, subsidy again.

This would stabilise the naira at a respectable value.

The government must use all its will and focus to stabilise the value of the naira at less than N100 per dollar.

It can obviously be done with a serious government. One of the jaded arguments for a weak currency is that it encourages export entrepreneurship.

That lie has been fully exposed and must now be finally laid to rest.

The only main export commodity Nigeria has today remains predominantly crude oil, unless we also want to include the prostitutes we export to service the developed world.

But if Jonathan insists on removing the fuel subsidy because his government has no better idea, then, like General Sani Abacha did, he must tell us what, specifically, the money would be used for and who would manage it.

When Abacha increased fuel price from N3.25 to N11 per litre, he promised to use part of the proceeds to create the PTF in order to “cushion the harsh effects” of the increase.

The PTF got 33.333% of the N7.75 difference which came to N2.58 only.

The balance was shared between the federation account (which also got about the same amount as the PTF, the NNPC, the FCT) and the armed forces/police.

The rest is now history, and, unless you want to lie to yourself, the effect of PTF has been the only semblance of meaningful government in the ordinary people’s lives in the last 15 years.

If, as it now seems, Jonathan will increase the price from the current N65 to probably over N150 per litre, what exactly would he do with that large difference?

We expect the difference to be even much bigger than what the PTF received because of the sheer amount that would accrue.

We would want to be sure that most of the money does not go into his seven-year single-term fantasy.

Nobody is asking Jonathan to be an army general or a lion, or even a pharaoh.

Nobody is even asking him to be an Abacha, but in spite of his generally not-so-sterling legacies, Abacha used the proceeds of the partial removal of oil subsidy well, and maintained the value of the naira at approximately N80 per dollar, in spite of the fact that crude sold at an average of less than $20 throughout his tenure.

Abacha has provided a standard for all those who want to toy with the fuel subsidy. We shall expect nothing less!





EARSHOT

Obasanjo And Jonathan’s Police



More often than not, the Nigerian police behave like paid bouncers.

And this can be very bad depending on who’s the IG. Last week, The Nation carried a story about former president Olusegun Obasanjo writing a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan asking him to change the heads of some government agencies over non-performance.

The curious, if not funny, thing about the letter is that all of the agencies are funding agencies.

The former president wants the heads of the PTDF and a couple others changed and replaced with his own nominees. Obasanjo has always been interested in the PTDF right from when he was president.

It’s one of the places he stole good money and he now wants to take possession of it again.

During Yar’Adua’s presidency, he lost total control as the former president appointed the heads himself. Obasanjo also listed TETFUND (formerly called ETF), UBEC, Petroleum Equalisation Fund and Industrial Training Fund.

The story written by The Nation was a very good scoop, the type that earns awards for both reporters and editors.

When asked about the story, Obasanjo denied ever writing such a letter.

The PDP Board of Trustees chairman was lying, as usual.

People who know Obasanjo very well have always known him to be a compulsive liar.

Remember he still says he never attempted to do a third term. Lying is a sport for him.

But since the editors of The Nation knew that they had to protect their names, they then released a scanned copy of the letter Obasanjo wrote to the president in his handwriting.

It was at that point that Obasanjo thought he should rent the Nigerian police, who are always available for such acts of thuggery.

Like most felons, Obasanjo hates to be caught.

And it is worse if he is caught pants down. That was exactly what happened with this letter to the president.

Obasanjo, Jonathan and Ringim (the IG) forget that we are in the freedom of information era.

They also forget that it is both outdated and crude to send policemen to newspaper houses.

When was the last time any of them heard policemen being sent to newspaper houses in Ghana or Mali?

And we claim to be more enlightened than these countries.

I have three pieces of advice here. My counsel to Ringim is that he should place the photograph of Tafa Balogun on his wall to always remind him of how that IG ended.

After Obasanjo had thoroughly used him, including to rig the 2003 elections, he dumped him with a handcuff and a prison term. Those who learn from history,

The advice to Obasanjo is that he should please retire and leave us alone to clean up the mess he left behind.

The former president is responsible for the quagmire in which we have found ourselves in Nigeria today.

In any other country, he would be treated like a villain, the same way Americans treated Richard Nixon before his death.

Obasanjo is currently the busiest former president in the world, causing mischief everywhere.

And to President Jonathan: he should not allow anyone to decide his legacies for him.

Already, the arrest of Nasiru el-Rufai over the views he held and last week’s raiding of The Nation and arrest of its editors will remain an indelible blot on his legacies, whatever they end up to be.

http://leadership.ng/nga/columns/6766/2011/10/17/sophistry_about_fuel_subsidy.html

My fears over subsidy removal, by Oyedepo
By Our Reporter 15 hours 2 minutes ago
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Bishop David Oyedepo

Renowned cleric Bishop David Oyedepo yesterday spoke on the planned fuel subsidy removal, warning that its proceeds may be stolen by corrupt public officials.
Speaking at the Sunday service of Winners Chapel in Ota, Ogun State, Oyedepo said subsidy removal won’t solve the nation’s problems.
He said: “I don’t have a problem with the removal of the subsidy but what will happen to the money that will be made. It will be stolen. My worry is with the thieves in government who steal the money that should have been used to develop the country.
“Can you imagine a public officer reported to have stolen N57billion? That would have been enough to develop a state,” Oyedepo said.
He added: “Stealing is stealing no matter how and where you steal. Either from your mother, your family, your church or government, the act of stealing makes you a thief and it will attract a curse”.
He cited the deposed Libyan and Egyptian leaders as persons who appropriated the resources of their countries at the expense of the citizenry.
“While Gaddafi is on the run, Mubarak is now facing charges of corruption while in office and had to be taken to court on his sick bed”.
Oyedepo decried what he called the “unquenchable quest” for wealth which he said has forced many, in and out of government, to engage in atrocities.
He urged Christians to live a sanctified life and avoid exalting the god of money above the almighty God.
“People who do this like those in government are involved in idolatry and they stand to be destroyed,” Oyedepo said.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/23127-my-fears-over-subsidy-removal-by-oyedepo.html

NLC: subsidy removal a declaration of war
By John Ofikhenua, (Abuja), Kelvin Osa-Okubor, Adesoji Adeniyi (Osogbo) and Adekunle Jimoh (Ilorin) 15 hours 30 minutes ago
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Omar
•‘List of beneficiaries will shock Nigerians’
THE planned removal of subsidy on petroleum products is a declaration of war on Nigerians, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said yesterday.
Labour said it would mobolise Nigerians against the Federal Government’s plan to remove the subsidy.
At a retreat held in Abuja last week by the Federal Government, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) endorsed the subsidy removal.
The phased subsidy withdrawal will begin in January. The government said N1.2 trillion to be saved from the exercise will be used as “safety net” for the masses.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the subsidy only benefits a few people to the detriment of generality of Nigerians.
NLC acting Secretary General Owei Lekemfa said Labour is planning a series of activities, events and programme to mobilise Nigerians for the rejection of the subsidy.
Lakemfa said “the announcement of the plan by President Goodluck Jonathan is a declaration of war on the people of Nigeria.”
“We are going to organise a series of activities, events and programmes to get Nigerians ready to resist the policy.”
He noted that the NLC is able, willing and capable of leading Nigerians against the policy which he said is designed to further impoverish the people.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said the list of the few powerful Nigerians benefiting from the subsidy will shock Nigerians, if published.
He said government should fix the ailing refineries before removing subsidy.
Also yesterday, Senator Bukola Saraki said the federal government will spend N1.5 trillion at the end of this year subsidising petroleum products.
Saraki - who moved a motion for the review of the subsidy issue by the senate – said the subdidy should go.
But Catholic Bishop Alaba Job, President of Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Nigeria, described the planned subsidy removal as coming at a wrong time.
Speaking at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, Ekweremadu said subsidy removal should be handled with utmost caution because it involves the living condition of Nigerians.
He said government could give notice of a few years before embarking on total withdrawal of subsidy, such that there will be sufficient time for government to fix the refineries that are comatose.
Ekweremadu also canvassed the exposure of those responsible for the inability to fix the problems in the oil and gas sector. He said they include oil contractors and others holding the nation hostage.
He said: “I think it is a very sensitive matter to handle. I agree with you that there is an absolute need for the refineries to be up and running before the subsidy is removed. I think Nigerians also need to be sensitised more about it.
“I believe it is a cabal that is holding the entire nation hostage and they need to be exposed. The federal government needs to publish the names of all those who are infringing on this oil, those oil contractors.
“I am sure there will be outrage when you see the list and I am sure that will prepare the ground for eventual removal (of subsidy) so that Nigerians will see that it is just a handful of people who are milking us dry and we cannot continue in that manner.
“But, I think in additional to that, we need to also fix our refineries. What I suggest the federal government should do is like give a two to three years notice of the total withdrawal and use that period to get the refineries working and apparently build new ones and then we know that by that time, subsidy is gone.
“And as l said, that has to be accompanied by a list of all those who are doing this business so that we will know if actually anything is being imported and then the quantity that is been imported and who benefits from this because sometimes they think that Nigerian don’t believe the story.”
He said: “It is better just like when they did the story on the banks, when the federal government wanted to restructure the banks, it was necessary also to publish those who were holding the banks. We need to publish the names of all those who are bringing in this oil products so that Nigerians will know that it is just a few people that are just milking us.
“You know because what happens is that in spite of the so-called subsidy, some people still buy fuel at very exorbitant prices. You know maybe in Lagos and Abuja, the prices are regulated but outside that, even in Bayelsa that produces oil, I believe they don’t sell at regulated price, so we have to do something about that.”
Speaking in Ilorin, Saraki said the federal government expended N600billion last year on fuel subsidy and may spend N1.5trillion this year, an amount he described as “even more than the entire capital expenditure.”
His words: “Spending N1.5trillion annually on fuel subsidy is not sustainable. Government must however be able to convince Nigerians that removing the subsidy is in their own interest. Government must also make all know that there are tangible benefits to be derived from the withdrawal of fuel subsidy. But this will take a lot of consultation
“You ask yourself are there more cars? Are we consuming more fuel than before? If we run a more efficient mechanism, is it possible to keep it at N600billion? At N600 billion is it sustainable? Spending
N1.5trillion on fuel subsidy is suffocating government.
“If we are producing through the refinery, the fuel will not cost as much and at that level, you can subsidise, other countries they are comparing Nigeria with are refining their own petroleum products. People are rejecting the proposal as they have lost confidence in the process. They don’t want to know how we got to that mess.”
Bishop Job who spoke with reporters in Iwo, Osun State, after the fourth graduation ceremony for 20 students of the Olupona Fish Farming Education Resource Centre (OFFER Centre) said those canvassing the removal of subsidy are justifying their position with a wrong argument.
He said in view of security breaches caused by the activities of the Islamic sect Boko Haram, it has now become imperative ever than before for the country to come together through a national conference to review and determine the “essence of our togetherness.”
He said: “Threat to our security as a nation and individuals has reached the peak for us to come together and consider our togetherness. We need to speak frankly to one another and get serious as a nation blessed with diverse and huge potentials and prospects wasting away untapped. In Alaska (United States), citizens are paid from the oil found there unlike here in Nigeria with a different story.”
The Catholic cleric advocated a bridge of wide gap between the rich and the poor, saying everyone should be asking why the salary system and huge allowances of the political office holders are not reviewed downward.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/23130-nlc-subsidy-removal-a-declaration-of-war.html

Tambuwal sets rules as Reps opt for N2.5b cars
By Yusuf Alli 15 hours 4 minutes ago
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Aminu Tambuwal
•360 Camry cars for members
To ensure prudence, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal has set new financial rules as the House of Representatives opts for N2.5billion worth of Toyota Camry cars for its 360 members’ oversight functions.
The unit price of the highest grade of the car (double cylinders) is said to be N7million going by the official rate adopted to buy the same brand for Senators in the last National Assembly.
It was, however, learnt that other brands of the same car could cost between N5.6m (second hand) and N6.5million.
Tambuwal is said to have imposed stringent conditions for the purchase of the cars to avert dragging the House leadership’s name in the mud as was the case in the past.
Tambuwal also asked members to stay away from the award of contracts relating to the cars and any other item.
He said the management of the National Assembly, which is the civil service arm, will handle the purchase.
The House, it was learnt, split into four groups on whether or not to buy the cars.
The groups are those opposed to new cars because of the fiscal challenge facing the country and a N2.8billion car scam that trailed the last House; those in support of new cars; those who wanted members to use buses from the vehicle pool for oversight functions; and those insisting that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should provide vehicles for members on oversight assignments.
After weeks of heated debate, members last week settled for the Camry cars instead of the Peugeot 407 ST Sports cars used by members of the last House.
Although the exact number of cars the House will buy is being jealously guarded, it was gathered that it might not be less than 360 translating to a car per head.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji Zakari Mohammed, confirmed that the House has settled for Camry cars.
He also explained that new financial procedures have been adopted by Tambuwal and the House leadership in line with the House’s legislative agenda.
Mohammed said: “Tambuwal said whatever vehicles will be purchased must be handled by the management of the National Assembly and not House Committees. No member of the House shall be part of the process.
“The Speaker has also given directive that the tender process must follow the Procurement Act and payment for the cars and the projects will be effected by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). We will follow due process.
“Unlike in the past, the new cars will be the property of the National Assembly and not individual members of the House.”
A source in the House, who spoke in confidence, said: “I know each member will be assigned a Toyota Camry car but the units might not be up to 360 like the case with the sixth House.
“We weighed all options critically in the last six weeks before deciding to buy Toyota Camry cars for members’ oversight functions. The choice of Toyota Camry was based on technical advice.
“We felt we cannot depend on MDAs that we are to supervise for vehicles to monitor them as it will amount to compromising members.
“It will also look clumsy drawing buses from the House Vehicles Pool because committees’ schedule may clash. A considerable number of time will be wasted for members to converge on the National Assembly to board buses for oversight functions.”
Another member of the House added:  “At the end of the day, we chose to buy Camry Cars for all members but with some conditions attached by the Speaker.
“The Speaker has gone tough on how to go about the purchase of the cars.
“Members agreed that we will fund the car project from our outstanding N30billion for capital projects. We will not take a loan to do that.
“None of the vehicles will be personally owned by members unlike the situation in the past.”
Asked to clarify a few grey areas, a second term member said: “The Toyota Camry cars we are buying for oversight functions are for all members. Each member of the House will be entitled to a car.
“It is not a case of two cars per committee; every member will have a Toyota Camry car for oversight functions.”
The source said the oversight cars are different from the personal car which each member can take a separate N7milion loan for.
He added: “As I am talking to you, each member is entitled to a personal loan of N7million to buy a car of his choice.
“Already, the management of the National Assembly has started deducting this loan gradually from the salaries of members even when some have not accessed it.
“Statutorily, every member is entitled to a car loan which can be accessed anytime. This loan is repayable and the deduction of the loan has started upfront from members’ salaries.”

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/23131-tambuwal-sets-rules-as-reps-opt-for-n2-5b-cars.html

Ekweremadu: The love-vendor In The Senate
Posted: October 16, 2011 - 16:18
By Citizen Reporter
Nigerians were jolted recently when Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu made a call for legalization of prostitution in the country.

Said Ekweremadu: "We need to legalize prostitution in this country so that if anyone wants to indulge in prostitution, the person should be registered and issued with a license. if we say we want to stop it. it would be difficult. It is done in other countries. Let us regulate it by issuing a license."

The call attracted condemnation from the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, and as soon as Ekweremadu who represents Enugu West, saw the public outrage over his stupid suggestion, he issued a statement denying what he said.

However, it is important for Nigerians to know that Ekweremadu's call was not a slip of tongue, but an attempt to legalize prostitution business in the country, where he holds a stake.

Although many Nigerians may not know, the Deputy Senate President, a senator for over eight years now, proudly owns multi-million Citipak Hotels Enugu, with a night club called club125 annexed to it.

Outside Nigeria and West Africa in general, Citipark also has branches in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

But, in the past few weeks, men of Nigerian Police have been harassing prostitutes going for nude shows at CLUB 125 Enugu and the development was brought to the notice of Senator Ekweremadu by the management of Citipak.

After listening to the predicament of the prostitutes, the Deputy Senate President promised to find a lasting solution to the police harassment.

As soon as he got back to Abuja, he called for legalization of prostitution in the country.

This move Ekweremadu believes, would save the prostitutes further police embarrassment, so that his CLUB 125, which operates three times a week, could boom.

Besides, Ekweremadu's interest in night club business dates back to the military era when he was a love-vendor to a former military administrator.

He was rewarded with sole administrator-ship of his home Aninri local government area, from where he became Chief of Staff to Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and later Secretary to the State Government and then Senator in 2003

http://saharareporters.com/report/ekweremadu-love-vendor-senate

Oritsejafor calls for Sovereign National Conference

By Obafemi Obadare

Saturday, 15 Oct 2011

The president of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to organise a national conference as a way of resolving the security and economic challenges facing the country.


In a wide-ranging interview with select reporters in Lagos last week, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said moderate imams and the Northern elite had a crucial role to play in ending Boko Haram’s terror attacks in the country.


Projecting that the future of the country is bleak on account of the mismanagement of the economy by previous administrations, Oritsejafor, however, said it was a miracle that Nigeria’s 400 or so ethnic nationalities were still together, arguing that 51yrs of independence had not brought much returns in terms of development to the ordinary Nigerian.


“We must sit around a table and discuss,” said Oritsejafor, the founder and Senior Pastor of the World of Life Bible Church, Warri, Delta State, on whether the country could break up as a result of terror attacks and insecurity.


He said, “You see, the problem of Nigeria is that we want peace without justice; we want justice without truth.


“We’re experts at sweeping the truth under the carpet. Some governors are now calling for a sovereign national conference, unlike what the case used to be. People are beginning to reason that what do these people (Boko Haram) causing trouble really want?


“A national conference is a good place to ask them this question. I don’t pray Nigeria breaks up.”


He called on the elite in the North to come out and advise the Boko Haram insurgents on the need for peaceful coexistence among the federating nationalities and religions in the country.


He said, “When we had serious issues in the Niger Delta, some of us intervened. I went to the creeks and we discussed until we finally came to the point of amnesty. Some people are making an excuse that the issue of Boko Haram is political, but I can tell you that it is religious.


“Politicians may have taken an advantage of it but if you listen to the boys, you will find out that it has religion at its base. They believe their religion has to be supreme.


“I believe that moderate imams should find ways of teaching these boys the right things about Islam. They have been indoctrinated, they have to be deprogrammed and reprogrammed. And that has to be done by the imams.”


Calling for caution on President Goodluck Jonathan’s six-year single tenure proposal for the president and governors from 2015, the CAN president said the idea must be properly considered before it could become a law.


Oritsejafor said, “On the single term matter, I don’t see anything wrong with the idea. But the problem is still corruption among the political class.


“If a man has just six years and he knows he is not coming back, then we’re in trouble because he begins to grab all that his hands can find and destroys the nation. But the kind of money that goes into elections every four years now is enough to salvage the country.”


On the fuel subsidy controversy, he said, “Before making this (petroleum subsidy removal) public, they ought to sit down and agree with relevant stakeholders – the Nigeria Labour Congress and the other groups that represent the masses. I’m not aware that happened and it’s still not too late to do that.”


Projecting that the masses might soon react violently if the economy continued to be mismanaged, Oritsejafor reiterated that it was wrong of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to use public funds to promote his “narrow” policy of Islamic or non-interest banking.


He said he was still waiting for Sanusi to discuss the issue, hinting that the CBN governor had been shying away from meeting Nigeria’s Christian leaders on the policy in spite of giving them an appointment to meet in Warri two months ago.


“I’m not against Islam or Islamic banking per se,” said Oritsejafor, who described Nigeria’s 51yrs of nationhood as disappointing.


He said, “This is not a fight between Christians and Muslims. But some of the things that I’m against are to give the world the impression that Islamic banking is synonymous with non-interest banking.


“Yes, it is, but there are other kinds of non-interest banking. The principles of non-interest banking existed before Islamic banking. It’s like Nigerians are being intentionally indoctrinated.


“He made the adjustment he made when he saw that the pressure was much from us (Christian leaders) and it meant that there would be one guideline for Islamic banking and another for the other forms of non-interest banking. Is that not discriminatory?


“There is a problem there. Why not have a uniform guideline for all forms of non-interest banking. If he truly has a genuine intention, he should provide a common guideline for all. This man has spent billions on this pursuit; can’t the Nationa l Assembly or executive ask him?


“If tomorrow, Christians start a bank, will he do the same? This is wrong of a regulator that the CBN is; it’s not supposed to promote a religious banking idea. He has taken so many steps that elicit suspicion: he sent 1,000 people to Sudan to get trained on Islamic banking; he appointed a special assistant on Islamic banking and planned to establish a Sharia Council of Experts – mainly Islamic scholars. Sanusi is trying to divide Nigeria along religious lines.”


Calling on Christians to continue to pray for Nigeria, the PFN president urged Nigerians to give Jonathan time to settle down before doing a proper assessment of his administration.


“I’ll be able to assess him properly by the end of this year,” he said.


However, Sanusi has denied that he is promoting Islamic banking in the country, saying that he was only fine-tuning what he met on the ground.


CBN spokeman, Mohammed Abdullahi, said a provision had been made for Islamic banking in the CBN Act since 1991 and some banks already had the Islamic banking window since then.


He said, “It is not true that the CBN has trained 1,000 personnel in Sudan on Islamic banking. This is not only outrageous, but a deliberate misinformation to score cheap points.


“The two units, in two departments (Financial Policy and Regulation and Banking Supervision) having anything to do with NIB, have a total of nine employees and these are the ones that have received training in various countries in the areas of regulation and supervision, which are legitimate functions of the CBN.


“The adviser appointed is on NIB, but he is not the only adviser that the governor or the bank has. The governor has advisers on economic development and risk management.


“The idea of establishing the so-called Shariah Council was a mere proposal on the draft guidelines presented as an exposure document for comments of all stakeholders. The CBN, having considered the comments of stakeholders and realising the need to respect the sensibility of Nigerians, changed the name to Committee of Experts consisting of persons versed in the subject matter.”


He said that anybody who knew Sanusi or his pedigree would be the last to ascribe to him the desire to divide Nigeria along religious lines.


http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201110158581620

Stella Obasanjo, Diya, Useni others lose prime lands in Lagos
By Akinpelu Dada
Friday, 14 Oct 2011

The Lagos State Government has cancelled 562 prime land allocations to prominent citizens and organisations in the highbrow Lekki Peninsula Schemes I and II and Abijo Government Reservation Area for failing to pay the prescribed fees.


Some of the prominent Nigerians affected by the cancellation are one Stella J. Abebe (suspected to be the late wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo); former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya; former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lt. Gen. Jerry Useni; former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the late Clement Akpamgbo; former Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin; and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Abiodun Ogunleye, and his wife.


Other prominent names on the list, which was released on Wednesday, are the current Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah; former Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Fulani Kwajafa; former Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Mrs. Titi Oseni; former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Chief Joseph Sanusi; Prof. A.B.C Nwosu; and former Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority, Mr. Vincent Maduka; and renowned industrialist, B.O. Alex Duduyemi.


Others are Mr. Aina Tugbogbo; Mr. Matthew Jolayemi; Brig. Gen. Lawrence Onoja; Chief Fatai Idowu Arobieke; Mrs. Olayinka Abiola (suspected to be wife of the late Chief Moshood Abiola); Capt. A. A. Madueke; Maj. Gen. S. L. Yusuff; Alhaji Ahmed Onibudo; and Mrs. Teresa Omawunmi Ikimi; among others.


A curious name, Boss of Bosses, appeared on the list, but not even state officials could explain who the face behind the name was.


At the corporate level, a firm suspected to belong to Maryam, the late wife of the former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, El-Amin Nigeria Limited; Sunny Ade Organisation; defunct Republic Bank; Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Limited; Lady Mechanic Initiative; Nigeria Arab Construction, Allah-Deh Investment Limited; Merchant Bank of Africa Nigeria Limited; Peak Merchant Bank; First Interstate Bank Limited and Abacus Finance Limited, were also listed.


The Nigerian Bar Association and some religious bodies like the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and Rhema Christian Church & Tower were also affected.


Some prominent arms of government and agencies of government like the Rivers State Government; Raw Materials Research and Development Council; and the Lagos Building Investment Company, also forfeited their land allocations to the state government.


In justifying its action, the government said the allottees had repeatedly and continuously ignored its notices for them to pay up.


It said, “Further to our publications of December 22, 2004; October 31, 2005; April 26, 2006; August 20, 2007; June 16, 2008; and August 8, 2011, in respect of the allottees of Lekki Peninsula Scheme I, Scheme II and Abijo GRA Scheme requesting payment of outstanding charges on state land and continuous default in payment of the same, we wish to inform the general public, especially the under listed allottees of the immediate withdrawal and cancellation of the listed allocations corresponding with their names.”


It directed the affected individuals and corporate organisations to stay away from the plots of land and desist from further actions that might appear to run foul of the withdrawal and cancellation of the allocations.


The withdrawal notice added, “All affected allottees are advised to apply for refund of funds already paid in respect of the withdrawn allocations. To hasten the process of refund, please attach with the original receipts of payment.”


The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Lands Bureau, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, told our correspondent that the government did not take into consideration the calibre of the people affected before cancelling the allocations because of the need to discourage speculation in land in the state.


He said the Certificates of Occupancy issued to the allottees clearly stated that they must pay the ground rent and develop the plots within two years of allocation, noting that the affected people had violated either or both of the provisions.


Muri-Okunola explained that most of the affected allottees had C-of-Os because majority of the allocations were done by military regimes after the introduction of capital contribution for the development of infrastructure in the schemes, which did not follow due process, noting that the possession of C-of-O was not an evidence that all due fees had been paid.


He said the government would allocate the affected plots to individuals and corporate organisations that were ready to make full payment and develop within two years.

http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201110140454339

The Nemesis Called Oil And Gas (1) By Nasir Ahmad El-rufai
Friday, 14 October 2011 09:13 Written By Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai


Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai

That Sunday was like every other one, but the impact of a single event that happened would change the destiny of Nigeria forever.  It was the day Shell D’Arcy found oil in Oloibiri, in present day Bayelsa State.  The year was 1956; but the story began 20 years earlier in 1936 when Shell D’Arcy was granted sole rights to explore for hydrocarbons all over Nigeria.  Prospecting began in 1937 but the company’s activities were interrupted by World War II.

After the war, it teamed up in 1947 with British Petroleum to form Shell-BP unit in Nigeria.  In 1958 production began and the quantity of crude oil export was about 5,100 barrels per day (bpd), which doubled a year later and increased to 20,000 bpd in the 1960 when Nigerian was granted independence. Output increased rapidly to 50,000 bpd (1961) and over 1 million bpd in 1970. The first Obasanjo administration created the NNPC in 1977 and that year saw the then highest ever output of 2.09 million bpd under the ministerial leadership of Muhammadu Buhari.

By the time of the Shagari administration in 1980, production had come down slightly but was still in excess of  2 million bpd. It has remained there since. By 1999, the World Bank estimated that Nigeria had earned about $300 billion from oil rents in the previous 25 years! Between 1999 and 2011, the country netted nearly another $300 billion in oil exports, taxes and income from condensates, gas to liquids and liquefied natural gas. Some estimates are even higher, nearing $1 trillion in current dollars.

That steady increase in oil production put the country as the 14th largest producer of oil in the world but the 8th largest exporter. Many Nigerians will be shocked to learn that Russia produces more oil than Saudi Arabia, and the USA, China, Canada and Norway produce more oil than Nigeria. But they do not export theirs in crude form, but choosing to add value through refining, processing and beneficiation into gasoline and other petrochemicals for internal consumption and export. With an estimated crude oil reserves of 40 billion barrels and some 184 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, we are more of a gas than an oil-blessed nation - the 5th largest gas reserves in the world.  The capacity to leverage these natural resources for the betterment of our nation and its people is in the hands of our leaders.

The discovery of crude oil was supposedly a blessing of nature expected to accelerate the development and growth of the Nigerian economy.  Our oil revenues provided avenues to invest in the future through massive infrastructure build-out, educating our people, ensuring their health and well-being,  and equality of opportunity for all. That was the dream and promise of Oloibiri through the lens of our founding fathers. Whether that expectation has been actualized 55 years after is a question requiring deep pondering.

What went wrong with the dream of Oloibiri? What was the vision of the industry's founding fathers and how did we deviate from it? What can we do to diversify away from our oil-dependency? What reforms do we need to implement to put our oil and gas on a path of growth, indigenisation and maximum benefit to our nation?



As part of our exploration of the real sector in search of employment opportunities for our rapidly increasing and youthful population, for the next couple of weeks, we will analyze the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy. The objective is not only to restate its importance in our national lives, but open up the black box of the sector a little bit for our readers to understand this tool for our national development, which has also turned out, so far - to be our nemesis.

This is because most of our problems as a country can be traced to our mismanagement of these two natural resources. And what we do going forward can convert this blessing into a greater curse, or the reverse. Like most things in life, it is about the choices our leaders make today that determine the future of millions.

The oil and gas sector accounted for about 16 percent of our GDP in 2010 - the third largest after agriculture and wholesale and retail trade, but employs less than 0.15 percent of the population, due to its technology-intensive nature and the procurement practices of the international oil companies (IOCs). The industry has capacity to employ more people, and with the enactment of the Nigerian Content Development Act in 2010, more will be expected in this regard.

The founding fathers of the modern Nigerian oil industry are probably Head of State Yakubu Gowon, Shettima Ali Monguno, Philip Asiodu, Olusegun Obasanjo, Sunday Awoniyi and Muhammadu Buhari. Their vision of the 1970s led to creation of the NNOC which became the NNPC in 1977. Their desire was to create a Nigerian-owned and managed oil industry via the instrumentality of the NNPC. They saw joint ventures as temporary measures to enable Nigerians acquire the education, expertise and exposure necessary to take control of the commanding heights of the economy, including the petroleum industry. Everything was well-thought out. For instance, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) was established in 1973 to train manpower for the industry.

The Malaysians took similar steps by creating the Petroleam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), which holds exclusive ownership rights to all oil and gas exploration and production projects in Malaysia. Unlike the NNPC, Petronas has since its incorporation grown to be an integrated international oil and gas company with business interests in 31 countries. It was ranked as the 80th largest corporation in the world in 2009 and the 13th most profitable. It has even bid for and acquired oil blocks in Nigeria. NNPC is still a passive partner in an array of joint ventures, entirely dependent on treasury funding!

The Nigerian economy is heavily reliant on oil and gas exports - oil and gas account for about 96% of foreign exchange earnings and 86% of the total revenue of the Federal Government. Compared to other oil-producing nations, Nigeria's excessive dependence on oil is a clear and present danger that we have gone awfully wrong. Take Indonesia which was at the same level of development (and oil-dependence) as Nigeria in the 1960s, oil now accounts for less than 10 percent of its GDP, 25 percent of government revenue and only 15 percent of exports. This over-dependence on oil exports for both foreign exchange and revenues is partly responsible for our poor programme implementation, continuous boom-bust cycles and abandonment of development projects.

The other problem with oil goes beyond government revenue-dependency. It is the impact of 'easy money' on the incentive structure in the society. Oil and gas are natural resources that are, as we say in Nigeria, "just there". Unlike agriculture and industry that require real hard work to earn the fruits of one's labour, oil and gas are gifts of God, and we have the IOCs to organize, finance, extract, transport and sell them, without any labour on our part!.  A few statistics here will suffice. Out of 896 million barrels of oil we produced in 2010, 531 million barrels were produced by NNPC-IOC joint ventures in which the NNPC contributes financially but not technically or managerially, 317 million were produced under production sharing contracts in which the NNPC contributes nothing, and only 45 million barrels were produced under service contracts and by independents. Only these miniscule 45 million barrels were produced with some significant Nigerian participation!

As a country therefore, we do little or nothing every month except meet in Abuja to share out what Shell, Exxon-Mobil, ChevronTexaco, ENI, Elf and other oil companies tell us is our share through the NNPC! We can only believe what they and NNPC tell us because we are not involved enough to question what they say or do. The relative ease of 'earning' this money has created a 'national rentier mentality' within the Nigerian elite and even the common man. Our nation got "oil-rich" without working, so each one of us can get rich overnight without working!  The impact of this on our thinking as a people, our response to incentives and the mentality of the young generation can only be imagined.

Every activity has become subordinated to the capturing of easy rents from oil and gas. The best and brightest no longer joined the public service and academia willingly, but the oil industry. Oil became the only game in town, and the acquisition of political power by hook or by crook, was the fastest way to be a player. The overconcentration of government efforts and attention on the oil and gas sector has led to the neglect of the non-oil sector making the entire economy fragile as any slight disruption in the oil sector puts the country's economy and polity in crisis, both gasping for breath.

The oil and gas sector has contributed to our challenges in yet another profound way. The rapid accumulation of oil revenues and build-up of healthy foreign reserves led to an overvalued exchange rate. This made imports much cheaper and exports more expensive and therefore less competitive. The results were the collapse of our export agriculture, reduced food production and more imports of cheaper Asian rice for instance, and capital flight - the rush to take monies out of the country. In 1980, the Shagari administration earned about $24 billion from oil exports, enjoying the benefits of the Iranian crisis when oil prices hit nearly $40 a barrel. Then 80 kobo would buy you one US dollar, and everything became cheaper to import than make in Nigeria. A couple of years later, Nigeria's debt crisis surfaced which took us 23 years to exit from.

Once again, our oil and gas industry is at a crossroads. NNPC is perceived as corrupt, opaque and dysfunctional. Its financial solvency and stability are questionable. Its true participation in the industry insignificant, and its unchecked power not matched with responsibility. Operationally, its best refinery (Warri!) operated at 43 percent capacity in 2010, and the proposed withdrawal of the 'fuel subsidy' faces resistance from people that no longer believe an administration that promises to spend at least 70 percent of the budget running government instead of more investments. The reform of the petroleum sector has stalled with the dilution, and delay in passing the Petroleum Industry Bill since 2008! Where do we go from here

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/nasir-el-rufai/the-nemesis-called-oil-and-gas-1.html

This is the beginning, this is the end
on OCTOBER 13, 2011 · in THE HUB

By Josef Omorotionmwan
WE may choose to ignore history but history, in its crushing implacability, will never ignore us. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was perhaps one person who saw tomorrow on behalf of Nigeria.

Hear Dickens in the telling paragraph of his book, A TALE OF TWO CITIES: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”.

Although Charles Dickens was referring to two cities that existed at that time, one in England and the other in France, there are aspects that fit perfectly into Nigeria’s situation of today, which for good or evil, can be clearly seen only in Dickens’ superlative degree of comparison.

Nigeria is a land of stinking wealth; Nigeria is a land of debilitating poverty. Nigeria is a land of opulence; Nigerian is a land of lack. Nigeria we hail thee; Nigeria we hate thee. This past week, four Nigerians who are said to be ex-Governors got nominated into the EFCC book of records for misappropriating hundreds of billions of Naira, which they were supposed to have kept in trust for their people. This does not strike Nigerians as news any more because it happens every day.

It is like the snake and the man. When the snake bites a man, it may appear at an obscure corner of page 17 but if a man bites a snake, it becomes the cover story. This same past week, we received the narrative of Citizen Charles Nweke who described himself as a walking corpse. Hear him: “I died many years ago.

I have attempted suicide more than four times. On each occasion, vigilant neighbours rescued me. I am a graduate of economics. I lost my job over eight years ago when the textile company where I was working at Isolo, Lagos folded up…”. Since then, life has been anything but pleasant for this father of five children and his wife.

He now rides a rickety commercial motorcycle, which keeps him in and out of the mechanic workshop most of the time (THE NATION ON SUNDAY, October 2, 2011, page 17). This, too, is no news. It is the fate of the lucky ones. The unlucky ones have since surpassed Umaru Dikko’s Second Republic challenge of Nigerians not yet eating from the garbage bins.

Nigeria is a land of sharp contradictions. Dig this: Nigeria is the fifth largest producer of oil in the world and by the just-released United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, report, Nigeria stands elegantly at number 142 among the 169 countries in the 2010 Human Development Index rating.

This stands statistics on its head: By Nigerian standard, there is an inverse correlation between your income and poverty. Put differently, the more money you have, the poorer you are. By Charles Dickens’ reasoning, we have everything and we have nothing.

Nigeria is very rich. Nigeria is very broke. As the fifth largest producer of oil in the world, Nigeria pumps out millions of barrels of crude oil everyday, 365-24-7, which translates to billions of Naira.

Money is not Nigeria’s problem but how to spend it. We are so wealthy that at the beginning of each budget year, we are unable to exhaust the pool of money that we have, to the extent that we build our appropriations on just a small fraction of the money we have.

This is what they call benchmarking. Like the proverbial “Oru people” who manufacture cooking pots but have no pot to cook with, after selling all the crude, Nigeria must import refined petroleum products at cut-throat prices, from everywhere, including Niger Republic.

That is why Nigeria talks of subsidy at every bend. In every economic sense, Nigeria subsidizes nothing but her inefficiency and propensity for corruption. So Nigeria subsidizes all and Nigeria subsidizes none.

On the eve of our 51st Independence Anniversary, it took a vibrant foreign lecturer to inform us that Nigerian politicians are the highest paid in the entire world but our infrastructure is among the least developed. Is it by accident that our refineries are not working? Self-deceit is the worst disease. It is a disease to which even the best physicians have no remedy.

At the anniversary lecture, two main people spoke – President Jonathan and the foreign guest lecturer. The President’s speech, which was as insightful as stating that people tend to get wet in the rain, was freely circulated.

We wonder who on earth wanted the false profundity that contained nothing but the obvious. All the same, the guest lecturer’s paper, which contained the home truth, the bitter truth, was carefully withheld from circulation. Smart guys, eh?

Each time our leaders are confused, they harp on the subsidy question. They soon forget that there is always an Appropriation Act that is not based on subsidy. Suddenly, they must rely on removal of subsidy to fix all our problems that have even been provided for in the budget.

Even before the fight starts, our legislators are already jittery. They say subsidy is only beneficial to importers, not to the common man.

Absolute hogwash! Who buys kerosene, even if it hits N500 per litre? Who pays the increased transport fare from Oghada to Benin City? Who is unable to afford gas? Whose children die from adulterated products….? Let everyone put on his thinking cap. This is the beginning, this is the end!

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/this-is-the-beginning-this-is-the-end/

Me, go slow? Perish the thought!
By Sam Omatseye and Sanya Oni 17 hours 46 minutes ago
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Fashola
In his first term in office, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, (SAN) established a reputation as a pacesetting performer. Since being re-elected, however, some critics have charged that he has slowed down somewhat. Recently Sam Omatseye, chairman of the Editorial Board and Sanya Oni, Editorial Page Editor, spoke with the governor on issues ranging from the pace of governance, to federalism, and the challenge of the environment in Lagos State.

What areas would you consider as priority in your second term?
For me the areas of priority are those that form the basis of my campaign. For me if we must have real value for democracy, electoral promises must be taken very seriously. Just like during the first term we tried to stick to the promises that we made. We intend to do the same this term.
This is important because the wish of the people will never really be fully satisfied. That is why principle for decision making will always be the greatest good for the greatest number. If you seek public office, the important thing is to understand the environment, and assess the basket of needs to see which of them are uppermost in the expectations of the people. Given the equivalent economic circumstance, the skill that you think you have and the knowledge available, what you need is set the points on the table. These are do-able things and I commit to do them.
That was one of the things we did after the elections, I believe, in 2007. Then I commissioned a poll, sampled the opinions of the people and found out what the expectations of the people were. Not that we did not have an idea but we wanted to validate the people’s expectations. What came back to us informed us that the promises we made, substantially approximated these expectations and they relate to housing, employment, roads, particularly also suburbs – what you can call greater Lagos – those you call the suburban Lagos who felt that we had neglected them.
First is, we told them we did not neglect them. Then we concentrated on some part; the feedback therefore validate that our strategy and anticipations were correct. We used the old 20 local government structure to do our plan. If we spread ourselves over 20 local governments we will not end, so we decided we would concentrate on 10 and in those places where most impact would be felt. We are now spreading out to the remaining 10. The strategy was to maintain substantially what we have done and concentrate on those places where we were not as active as we were expected to be.
We think it is in that way that we can bring development across. So housing, waste water management there is a huge deficit; we will be focusing more on them in this dispensation. We will also be focusing on our mortgage policies to provide access to housing, focusing more on education quality. I think we have done a lot on construction. We are focusing more on inside the classroom. The classrooms, no matter how beautiful, won’t teach. We are focusing now more on standards and what is going on inside. We have done teachers training; we are now looking at teacher-student relationships. How are they being assessed? How are they moving on? The issue of how to get better grades in their terminal examinations … those are the areas we are focusing on.

There are perceptions that the rate at which you started in 2007 is not the rate at which you started now in your second term.
Perceptions will be there, opinions will be free, facts will be sacred. I think also that there is a temptation to jump to the conclusion that the governor that you see running around is the action governor. Those who hold the opinion must be respected. But I disagree with it. I respect it because I understand why it is like that. There is a deficit of infrastructure and it speaks to that. And if they don’t see you running around commissioning and building things, they feel that nothing is happening, but the perception is wrong. And I will tell you why.
People probably should pay more attention when we are presenting our budget. We are still operating the 2011 budget, and the thrust of that budget was that we will try to complete as many on-going projects as we could. And we will start only few new projects that we thought was compelling and we are able to harvest. Now we are running a budget that is finishing up and that is why you will see that in the last few days, we’ve started handing over those projects – housing, roads, rounding up waste management projects. So work is rounding off now. If you go to places like Idi Araba, you will see what we are doing there. The roads are finishing up - Mabo Road leading to LUTH, Akanro, leading to Ilasa. If you go to the other side of Mushin, you will recall that the progress of work there was obstructed by the police station. I have just acquired land to relocate that police station so that they can finish the work. I have been to Surulere, to inspect the progress on Akerele, which will finish at the end of October. Adelakun Road should finish, Bode Thomas Road is making progress, the interchange we are doing at Ogudu is almost completed. We are going to pour the asphalt. On the Falomo ramp, they are pouring the asphalt as I speak to you. So work is going on. Instead of me to go and sit down at projects where the contractors are clearly able to do their work, let me use my time more effectively to begin to do serious policy work. We just completed the consideration of the visitation report from LASU, the panel I inaugurated. It took us three days of regular executive council meeting on Monday from 9am- 8pm, and two emergency sessions to go through. Roughly we must have spent about 36 hours for detailed examination because those are the things that will endure. The buildings will come down in 20 years’ time or 30 years’ time. It is the institution, the policy underlining it that will remain and once those policies are there, whoever is there in future can erect another building. We passed series of laws to attend to issues that many people have neglected.
We complain about security, but we are using a 97- year-old law to administer criminal justice administration. We are the only state that has reviewed the laws inherited from the colonial government for criminal law giving protection now to women advancing the frontiers of the law on violation and all of those things. We have carried on as if all of us are able bodies but there are physically challenged people in our society. We’ve passed that law again. And now, our work is to set up that agency, begin to establish the quota of the physically challenged people who I’m already employing.
I challenge any government who has done that to produce the result. We are tasking our people, saying okay this was good but we didn’t like this, we are not getting enough of this. So it is taking us back to the table. What should we do more? What should we discard? So that what is we are doing. Apart from this, mile to mile, pound for pound, this government is quicker that the last government.
The last time we were unknown so they expected nothing from us. With the support of the people of Lagos, we’ve been able to demonstrate that given half a chance we could work with the people of Lagos to make things better. And of course that has raised the bar of expectations. We are flattered by that expectation. It is a belief in our ability and we continue to do our best. If we look at it pound for pound, at this time 2007 I was in New York still setting out my plans; because I remember it coincided with the United Nations General Assembly meeting. I have been here working. So when you look at the pace from when I inaugurated the House of Assembly in 2007 to this time, this term was quicker. Look at the time it took to constitute the cabinet, the cabinet is quicker this time.
We settled down to work very quickly but the work we are doing now is probably not typical of what people expect. We did not participate in the 100 days syndrome because we saw ourselves as a continuing government. Our 1600 days accounting period will come in October and we will explain what we have been doing since then.
There are two sides to it; our strategy must change. We know now which contractor will deliver. We have been evaluating contractors who haven’t done well either in the quality of their jobs or in the timing of their delivery. And we are saying, look, we probably have to take you off our list and stay with those who are trusted and reliable.
As at October- November 2007, we were still doing local government tour, familiarising people with the places they had to work. Now this team had a head-start. Then (2007) I spent two months meeting with the permanent secretaries at the time. That is not necessary now. It was necessary for me then but even more compelling for my deputy and my Chief of Staff, because I have four years head-start ahead of them. If I took off without them behind me I will run into trouble. So we spent about two months touring Alausa, but now I have a deputy governor, who is eight years old in the saddle. So I delegate so much to her to do, and you see that she’s been very active and visible. That is the essence of this partnership and team work.

But that tells you that people are sensitive to what they see. For instance, people say the pace of fixing potholes – especially the inner roads – was different between then and now.
Again there is a sequence in that, even when we handle those potholes, we didn’t cover the distance of pothole margins in 2007, than we have covered in the last one year. What that says is that we have now institutionalized the capacity. Public Works Corporation is now up to its responsibility, it set up its own communication strategy, it is communicating with the people. It has its own telephone line and e-mail, to entertain complaints from the public. It has its own direct budget now from council, so it sequences its work and goes on with little supervision.
At that time (first term), I needed to be there, but now some of those operations are running almost semi-automated and which is what is important.

Earlier you mentioned the issue of housing … how far has the state government gone to institutionalize the capacity in terms of creating the mortgage institution to help in the delivery of houses?
The plan for housing was made in the course of campaign in 2007. At that time, what I felt the solution would be is the development of a mortgage institution where people can pay for their houses over their working life whether self-employed or in paid employment. But it has been a challenging experience given the variables that we do not control. We do not control the money market, interest rate and the exchange rate. We do not control the turnaround period at the port. All of these exacerbate the price of houses but I was convinced that with continuous thinking and probing, we would find something. Where we are now is that we would soon flag off the detailed policy. It is called "The Lagos Home Ownership Scheme". We’ve developed an acronym for it called "Lagos Homes" spelled "HOMS". We’ve opened the website where all of the materials, information of where houses are, how to calculate your mortgage, applied details of your salary and all the facts are already on-line. There are so many components and layers beyond just building houses. If you build houses and you don’t do some of the things we are doing, the people you are targeting to own the homes would end up as tenants in their houses. So the website is part the process to open it up. You don’t have to know anybody. If they have 10 houses available, on the basis of first come first served, we assess your ability to pay and you win.
You pay 30 percent of the price of the house that you choose, take your keys and pay your monthly mortgage payment until you finish paying. We are starting on the floor of 10-year repayment, hoping to graduate to as much 20 or 25 years later as we go ahead. That will be dictated by the energy we can inject and the dynamics of the financing options that emerge as we go on. But we think we have found the basis to start. We have also evolved a standard type housing model. It is a four-floor design, three floors plus the ground floor. Each block will have 12 flats. On each floor there will be three flats: a one bedroom, a two bedroom and a three bedroom. The reason we settled for that is we see that our society is being stratified along class lines and it’s dangerous. We wanted people – slightly privileged, not too privileged, and senior civil servants – to raise their children together. That was how we were raised. So it was important we make it spacious with standardize space designs, for two-bedroom flat, one bedroom with standard space so that is how it will be built and that is what will be seen when it is built.
Government will provide soft subsides as we go on; the ‘t’s and ‘i’s are being dotted; the scheme is already on its way.
You will see that in the last few days I have been handing over completed houses and I will continue to do that. We have already also started some schemes. We are now going to start another round of houses fitting those models wherever we can find land.
We have also introduced arbitration into dispute resolution because that is the biggest disincentives to investors. It is difficult for them to re-possess houses when people default, so beneficiaries are going to sign that they may not go to regular courts. If there is a dispute you go to arbitration, you will share the cost of arbitration which I think will not exceed 20% of the profit. So it is going to be commercially responsive. So we think that by that there is going to be much more investment of private sector building houses because government alone cannot build all houses.
We have also agreed on some other policies aimed at inducing private partnership and investment. We are talking to some banks as well as gradually working through all of the hurdles. You are going to swear that you do not own any other property in Lagos to benefit because we are targeting first-home owners. If we find out at any period at all that you own any property, you lose the house.
That’s why it has taken about three years of working quietly within government, outside government in partnership – long lines of meetings but right now we are very close. That’s why we intervened in the tenancy and landlord relationship and people misunderstood, but I think the response speaks to the currency of the issue. Not everybody likes every policy. It will favour some people and leave some out. For example, as we are all unhappy that we don’t have electricity, some people are happy and will become unhappy when we have electricity. The point is that even for the landlord, I can say confidently, that this law is also in their interest. I know some properties that are empty today because people cannot accumulate two years rent. So you have wasting assets that are not earning income. Even some new highbrow houses wait on the shelf for two years which shouldn’t be the case. Part of the problem is that it also compounds the difficulty of evicting defaulting tenants because it is not that the defaulting tenant does not want to leave but because he/she will be thinking of how to get so much money to pay for two years rent to take a new house. There are intrinsic benefits if we allow the law to work.
This system where you ask people who earn their income in arrears on a monthly basis, to come and pay rent in advance on a three-year basis … the truth is that we are all bearing that cost. If you don’t have something and you suddenly produce it you must have got it from somewhere and you have to replace it. Its replacement cost comes in high cost of transport, high cost of garri and high cost of tomatoes; so what the landlord gains on the straight road, he loses at the bend.
We are not in any way regulating prices. We know that it is a demand-and-supply issue. The landlord and tenancy law is not a substitute for us to do what we need to do which is to provide houses for the people at affordable prices.

There is this perception that the security situation in Lagos has relapsed after what was noticeably massive improvement. Do you agree with the observation?
To be honest, your observations are right. You cannot be a perpetual oasis success amidst despair. We are interwoven part of this federation. Our successes compound our challenges. I know thousands of people who have relocated from other states because of security. They add to the number that those successful policemen now have to police. If you have to look after 10 children as a father, and then your cousins and your brothers come and dump all their children in your house, your responsibility is increased, your margin of efficiency thins out. Of course, we also saw during the electoral period – some of the fallout of our electoral style is that people hired thugs; some gave money, some guns. The people who got money used it to buy a gun. Now the electoral period is over, the regular allowance that kept them in form is gone. Elections have been won and lost, so the guns must be used. We are mopping up those guns now. It was the same thing in 2007 but the escalation this time is not as high as 2007. We anticipated all of these so we are mopping up.
The potency of our security system has also increased. A few things have been done – the Inspector General of Police has also responded to our appeals – but it’s not all of these things that we discuss. Today we have five additional area commands as against eight, so we are going to take policing closer to the people. They have put five area commands for us. Alimoso will have its own command now. It used to take police from Ogba, Ibeju Lekki, all the way to Epe was being police for Lion Building. Ikorodu was being policed from Ogudu; Ikorodu will now have its own area command. There will be a new area command at Elemoro in Ibeju Lekki area that will stand between Victoria Island and Epe. There will be one now in Ilase for the riverine communities.
We need money now to build the area command but we’ve already started working with whatever we have. We’ve provided vehicles and this has partly begun to show us that we are on the right path. We will be re-equipping some of the vehicles, we need to replace for patrol, again the cost of fuel. That is why one wonders when oil worker say they are going on strike. They are shutting security against themselves because without fuel, police men can’t go out, without fuel we can’t carry refuse.

Let’s look at the issue of federal infrastructure in Lagos. How are you contending with this because it also affects your assessment at the end of the day. Some people don’t know the difference between what is federal and what is state.
Let me disagree with you there, our people are sufficiently knowledgeable to know that the airport road belongs to the Federal Government. I am telling them now that Apapa – Oshodi- Oworonsoki expressway belongs to them. Lagos Badagry express road that I am fixing belongs to them (Federal) and so many others. Ejigbo road is their project. That is where they take the bulk of petroleum products. It is a shared responsibility, and I am doing a lot to discharge my share because when we build the road they will come and put their FRSC vehicle there, but they will never bring the money to refund what we have done. Currently, they are assessing and we hope that this assessment will lead to reform so that we can do more. But essentially, it is a shared responsibility; we dare not to drop the ball in those places where we have sole responsibility.

Let’s move to transportation matters. Here, we have in mind, the Lagos light rail project. Can you give us a progress report?
Well it was a dream and the reality of that dream are manifesting. The project is within touching distance. The only thing that stands in the way of that dream now is money. The more money I get, the quicker the project. Our concession operators and partners are doing their work. They are backed by some of the biggest trustees in the business.
Our responsibility to provide the hardware and their responsibility is to provide concession and the rolling stock and management. So everybody is in it. Contractors are fully mobilized; they are working seven days a week, but if they get more money I assure you they will work 24 hours. Most of the materials are in stock. Every day you go there, you see progress. Out of the basket that I have, I still have to deal with inner roads, hospitals, build roads, etc.

What are your reflections on the recent flood and the future status of Lagos?
When I became governor, one of my greatest fears was the risk of Lagos being submerged by water because I saw what was going on in other parts of the world. The commitment I made at the time was to pay more attention to the environment. That led me to put in a strategy. Unfortunately not many people listened, because we sometimes learn the hard way. The interest in climate change since July has risen no doubt. The pain the people suffered on July 10 would have been minimal had the people listened to us.
In 2008, we built a resettlement centre in the event of flood because it is a natural disaster you can’t stop. But your responsibility will be what you do when it happens. Can you save lives? I’m proud to say that we did.
When Ajegunle got flooded in 2010 toward Ikorodu, we didn’t lose any life; we evacuated all of the people. The children went to school. Parents went to work. Children were born there and for one year we kept them in the camp. It was a product of visionary thinking and plan. We are building another centre in Alimosho, and we chose the location strategically. We chose high ground. I listened recently to a religious programme where a religious leader claimed that climate change is a problem of the Europeans. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
When you calculate the number of lives that have been lost globally in the past one year without war, it speaks to the seriousness of the issue. In the context of Lagos, we had 16 hours of rain that did not stop and delivered at least 240 litres of rain in one day.
While all of that was going on, drainage was working. Before the rain stopped after 10pm, I was managing the situation, giving direction that students should not come to school the next day. But by 7 am next day, Lagos was back to normal. New York did not have as much rain, they didn’t return to work in 24 hours, and I think that my predecessors – those who planned the state deserve some credit. I didn’t start the master plan for the drainage, it started since 1974. Time after time we’ve implemented those plans and we are still going on.
Now, we are not out of the woods and when there is rain we are grieved. We should be careful of the aftermath and so we should stop building on drainage lines, stop throwing our dirt in the drainage, because if water can’t go it will burst out. So people should listen to us. We gave three months notice of the risk but people chose to experience it first to learn. So really I hope that when we make announcement next time people will take it seriously.
Lagos is a city state on the move, competing globally. The character of the economy of the state will continue to change. I know a number of new businesses that have emerged, we should know that Lagos may lose the character of one business, but it will gain the character of another business because of technology. It remains attractive for innovation, high tech, finance trade and service

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/22253-me-go-slow-perish-the-thought.html

ABSU gang rape: Victim agreed to be raped – Police
on OCTOBER 8, 2011 · in NEWS

By UDUMA KALU, With agency report
The Abia State Police command has explained why it suspended investigations into the gang rape that happened in its Abia State University. The state police command said the girl-victim consented to the rape.

An online website monitoring the case yesterday reported that commenting on a DVD tape sent to his CP to expedite investigations into the activities of the criminal gang, J.G. Micloth, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Abia State Police command Criminal Investigation Department said the lady had consented to the gang crime.

He was quoted as saying that after watching the DVD, he said he did not see the young lady resist the rape.

On Thursday, 300 women from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, were stopped by the Abia State police command from protesting in Umuahia, the state capital, against the controversial gang-rape alleged to have taken place at the state university, Uturu.

In Umuahia, the women, who said they came under the umbrella of civil society groups in the South-East and Igbo Women Organizations, urged the government and police to conduct deeper investigation into the ugly incident.

The police stoppage of the Abia walk happened on a day Abia State police command announced N500, 000 reward to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators or identification of the rape victim.

A statement by the command’s spokesman, ASP Geoffrey Ogbonna, said: “The command in its usual manner of protecting informants’ identity, assures utmost secrecy in this regard while a handsome reward of N500,000 awaits any one with useful information.”

The women, who came into Umuahia with two big buses, were stopped close to Government House by the Divisional Police Officer of Umuahia and diverted to the Central Police Station. However, last week the Assistant Commissioner of Police head said the Police cannot go on with the investigation because ”they cannot tell who the suspects are ‘from the legs’ in the video, amongst 70 million males in Nigeria”.

Mr Micloth yesterday said gang rape is often videoed as a tool by under-graduate boys to rubbish the self esteem of snobbish girls. He said even if the lady had not consented, he figured that she was a girlfriend to one of the cultists and must have probably cheated on him and when queried ‘insulted’ the boy hence he probably assembled a gang to teach her the lesson of her life, the website said.

It would be recalled that some students who are now known in the media circle as Uchenna, Wisdom, Zaki, Chisom and Ifeanyi — all believed to be students of Abia State University gang raped a young lady sometime in August this year, recorded it on video and circulated the dastardly act on youtube three weeks ago.

Mr Micloth who claimed to be heading the Police investigating team said ‘Several visits have been made to ABSU. Police have consulted the VC and checked the University records. Searches have been conducted and still on going in students Lodges.

Maranatha Lodge and Duperville Lodges have been checked room to room. Unfortunately no such names cited in the internet and press live there.

None also in the University records’ the website, elombah.com had “revealed the gang rape assailants as Ifeanyi Justin Ogu, Jonah Uche, Zaki and Winston Okoye Chinonso.”

In the rape video, which lasted well over an hour, the girl could be seen trying to fight off the men. When her efforts proved abortive amidst beatings, she resorted to pleading with them to spare her; but her pleas fell on deaf ears. And when she could not take the excruciating pain any longer, she begged them to kill her, instead of letting her live with the stigma our society would pile on top of her already horrendous trauma. As she pleaded with them, the boys laughed and mocked her, asking her to ‘co-operate’ or face two more days of torture by rape.

The incident, which is believed to have occured in Abia State sparked outrage nationwide.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/absu-gang-rape-victim-agreed-to-be-raped-police/

Sack: Non-indigenes lament as Abia compiles lists
on OCTOBER 8, 2011 · in POLITICS
     
It’s retrogressive—Ebonyi, It’s irrational—Imo

By Anayo Okoli, Umuahia/Peter Okutu, Abakiliki.
ON AUGUST 25, 2011, Abia State Government issued a circular which directed non-indigenes on its employment to disengage and return to their various states by October 1, 2011. The only exceptions were those engaged in the tertiary institutions.

To give effect to the policy, the circular, HAS/S.0071/II/13 issued by the Head of Service, Mr. G.C. Adiele, directed heads of ministries, departments, agencies and Local Government Service Commission “to submit the names of all non-indigenes in their employ on or before 1st of September, 2011, failure of which or any connivance thereto shall attract strict sanctions by Government”.

Entitled, ‘“Back loading on transfer of non-indigenes in Abia state public service to their states of origin”, the Head of Service said, “I write to convey the approval of the Government of Abia state that all non-indigenes working in the public service of Abia state [including local Governments] be transferred to their states of origin with effect from 1st October, 2011. This policy does not apply to tertiary institutions in Abia state”.

Ever since this policy was announced, there has been confusion in the state’s civil service. The confusion arose mainly because women of Abia extraction who by marriage changed indigeneship are protesting their inclusion. They are arguing that constitutionally, they remained Abians and therefore should not be affected by the exercise. Some of the cited cases where married women take ministerial positions in their states of birth even when they are married in a different state.

Investigation showed that Imo state indigenes would be most affected. This is very understandable because Abia was created from Imo state and it was believed that Abia as a new state lacked enough personnel to propel the new administration, hence they absorbed the workers of Imo origin.


Abia gov Orji and Imo gov Okorocha
Some of them have put in as much as15 years in Abia’s 20 years of existence. So, the directive devastated them more so when they are not sure of being absorbed by their respective states.

Though Abia state governor said that he consulted with his fellow governors of the South East before the policy was enunciated, the decision no doubt has attracted some criticisms. The criticisms have come from the church, business men, the civil servants themselves and some state governments.

The first attack on the policy came from the Catholic Church. The Catholic Bishop of Umuahia Dioceses, Dr. Lucius Ugorji, in his reaction, condemned the decision, describing it as an “injustice and divisive”.

In a statement he personally signed, Bishop Ugorji said that the-sack-non-indigene policy contravenes Section 42 of the nation’s Constitution in respect of place of origin.

“This policy negates true federalism and constitutes a serious obstacle to our march to nationhood. The spirit of a true nation where citizens have equal rights and opportunity must not be compromised by such divisive policy.

“Most of these individuals have families with children in schools and other dependants. It is obvious that their forced transfer or retrenchment will impact negatively on all these people. Moreover, up-rooting fellow Nigerians from their long-established social networks and economic ties leads to the unsavoury effect of making them feel they are being made aliens in their own country.

“Having served Abia state diligently for decades, it amounts to injustice to compel them to return to their various states of origin that may not have any plans to engage them or provide them with their entitlements.

“Implementation of this policy amounts to discrimination on grounds of place of origin which is a serious contravention of Section 42 [1, 2, and 3] of 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. That in the past some states have breached the Constitution in this regard is not a valid reason for Abia State Government to yield to the temptation of committing an illegality. Two wrongs do not make a right.” He called on the Government “to rethink this policy in the interest of justice, fair play and social harmony.”

But the Government maintained that the decision was not to punish anybody, saying that Governor Theodore Orji discussed with fellow South East governors before taking the decision. However, it is not known if there was a promise of any sort by his colleagues to absorb those to be sent back to their state.

According to the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Don Ubani, the government has no evil intention in the action. Rather, the government was creating vacancies for its citizens displaced in the North during the election crisis and Boko Haram attacks. But the question is were there Abians working in the Northern state civil service? If there were, how many were they?

Strong as Abia Government wants to defend this policy, at least two states have condemned the action, a situation which casts doubt on the consultation said to have been made by Governor Orji before the policy was released.

Ebonyi and Imo state governments have attacked the action, describing it as capable of disintegrating the unity and oneness of Ndigbo. They both spoke through their commissioners of Information and said that many Abians work in their states. Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi even said that his Government was yet to be communicated on the issue, saying that for now they see it as a rumour, and such action was backward thinking.

The Governor who spoke through the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr. Chike Onwe stated that the issue was still based on rumours, explaining that if implemented, it would not only threaten the corporate existence of Ndigbo but also the well being of Nigerians.

“So disengaging people from service on account of place of origin is backward thinking. But as I said, it is still on the plains of rumour and we don’t react to rumours but to substance.For now it is not true, until it is true the issue will be addressed.

“I think Ndigbo are a united people and we shall not allow anything to disintegrate this unity but I think it will be unfortunate if such a thing happens; it has not happened, it is still on the plains of rumours and until it is made real, we will not take any official stand or action”, the Commissioner said.

Onwe said that the state government would not be part and parcel of any process that would cause disaffection among citizens because of issues bordering on indigenization. He added that non-indigenes in the state were gainfully occupying sensitive positions in the state, even among the state executive council members.

“Since we are talking about true federalism and we cannot achieve such by being sectional or calling some indigenes and some others non indigenes. So for us to achieve true federalism, we must get people to feel at home wherever they are. We are looking at a situation where an individual from Kaduna comes to Ebonyi state and stands for any election and the man from Ebonyi goes to Lagos, stands election and gets elected to serve his term, people. That is where we are aspiring to.

“The position of Abia state government is yet to be made available to the Ebonyi state government but as I said, it is still on the plains of rumour but if that turns out to be true the matter will be looked at collectively by the state executive council and a position will be taken on the matter.

“On the interim, it is still a rumour and we shall treat it as such but I want to inform ourselves that there are Abians and people who are in other states that work in Ebonyi unhindered and un-marginalized, not witch-hunted and we see ourselves as brothers and sisters.”

On its part, Imo State Government reacted angrily to the action, and described the policy as “anachronistic, obsolete and reprehensible”.

Imo state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Obinna Duruji condemned the policy as being “irrational”. According to him, Imo government might be compelled to retaliate by sacking Abia indigenes in the employment of the government.

However, there are two categories of people are yet to know what their fate would be in the exercise. They are Abia women married to non-indigenes and non indigenes who secured appointment through automatic appointment of the NYSC. Some of them have even married indigenes of the state. The women are insisting that constitutionally they remain indigenes of Abia and that any attempt to disengage them would be resisted.

Though the government said the policy took effect from October 1, 2011, those affected are waiting for the letters to move them, as their names have since been compiled. So the letters will tell who and who will leave.

Lamentations

No doubt the affect people have been lamenting what the future holds for them.

A lady who simply gave her name as Cynthia from Imo state described the action of Abia state Government as pure wickedness. “How can a person who calls himself father of all do this type of thing? I have been working here for over 17 years, even in remote village of Isiukwuato. We have been contributing to the development of the state; all of a sudden our reward is to be sent back to our states of origin unprepared.

How do I relocate my five children who are in schools here? This is inhuman and we wonder where the unity of our Igbo people lies. This type of thing does not happen in the North and West. It is only in the East, among Ndigbo. Well we wish Governor T.A Orji well.”

Another woman, a mother of six also from Imo state said that she was still surprised over the whole thing. “I have been working in Abia since it was created 20 years ago. I have contributed to its development. My children are all in school in some parts of the state. Now, tell me, how do I begin to move? To move alone, and shuttle between here and say, my council area, in Ohaji/Egbema? I am still confused. I can’t really understand these people called politicians.

Just few months ago, during the elections, this same governor, while addressing us, assured us that he would not sack any non_indigene. Less than four months after voting for him, our reward was the circular to go. We will go but he should remember God. Our problem is that it was so sudden and nobody was prepared for this sudden dislocation. If he had said by end of next year, all of us would be prepared, afterall, there is nothing special here. It just because of our children.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/sack-non-indigenes-lament-as-abia-compiles-lists/

Reps to spend N2.5bn on committees vehicles
By John Ameh
Friday, 7 Oct 2011


Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday approved a decision to purchase new operational vehicles for the House committees.


The decision to buy the new vehicles was endorsed at a closed-door session presided over by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.


The committee vehicles are different from the N7m car loan each of the 360 lawmakers got at the beginning of the current tenure on June 6.


The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, confirmed the decision of the House when he spoke with journalists shortly after the meeting rose.


“Operational vehicles are coming; they have been approved. But, how many or brand of the vehicles, that has not been decided.


“When we decide on the number or brand of vehicles, we shall adequately inform the public,” he said.


Mohammed added that the initial N7m was a loan given to members to buy personal cars, “as different from operational vehicles.”


“The loan is already being deducted at source; the whole value will be paid,” he stated.


He claimed that the explanation was to guard against any speculation that might portray the House as embarking on a spending spree or wasting public funds.


Findings by our correspondent indicated that the total loan for all 360 lawmakers was about N2.5bn.


There are 89 standing committees in the House.


Incidentally, the sixth House headed by the immediate Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, also spent N2.3bn to procure 380 operational vehicles for lawmakers in 2008.


The Peugeot 407 cars were supplied by Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited for N6.1m each.


The House had explained that the vehicles were National Assembly property and would be left behind at the expiration of the tenure last June.


However, the departing legislators later paid about N800,000 for each car and took them away.


The contract for the cars became a sore point in the House as some lawmakers later alleged that the transaction was inflated.

http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2011100711301964

InterContinental-Access Bank Merger: How CBN Sold A Bank To Its Rogue Debtors
Posted: October 5, 2011 - 19:33

Aig-Imokhuede and Herbert Wigwe
By SaharaReporters, New York
Fresh documents obtained by SaharaReporters on the badly mismanaged InterContinental Bank of Nigeria reveal that Aigbovigse I. Aig-Imokhuede, a key player in the sale of the troubled bank, still owes InterContinental Bank N16 billion—even as the Central Bank of Nigeria and Access Bank shareholders have finalized the merger of the two banks, giving Access Bank 75% ownership of InterContinental Bank.

The loan documents show that Mr. Aig-Imokhuede and Herbert Wigwe, as the Director and CEO respectively of Access Bank and also co-owners of United Alliance Company, borrowed a total of N16.3 billion from InterContinental Bank as of May 31, 2009. The loan was to be repaid in 36 months. However, once the cash was released to the company, the debtors defaulted on their loans.

As the CBN began its clampdown on financial recklessness in the banking sector, the apex bank ran an advertorial August 18 2009, categorizing Mr. Aig-Imokhuede’s United Alliance Company’s loan from InterContinental Bank as a “non-performing” loan. The CBN also said that Mr. Herbert Wigwe and Mr. Aig-Imokhuede’s debts were some of the largest loans. However, promises by the CBN to keep publishing the names of defaulters until they paid has not materialized. A source within the apex bank told SaharaReporters that the CBN came under strong political pressure to stop publishing defaulters’ names.

As if in response to the CBN’s publication, InterContinental Bank wrote a letter to United Alliance in November 2009 offering to reschedule the company’s loans having reduced it to N10.39 billion. It remains unclear whether Mr. Imokhuede repaid part of the loan.

However, relatively new documents—dating from as recently as June 2011—show that United Alliance Company could not fulfill its repayment obligations to InterContinental Bank. Instead, the company kept making numerous requests for extension of time to make payments. A letter signed by United’s CEO Chiozoba Ufoeze in June 2011 requested a 30-day extension to repay some N1.3 billion that was due on July 7th 2011.

SaharaReporters learnt that the request for extension was a second in the series of defaults in repayments of the loans after a repayment schedule had been established between the two entities. Another letter submitted by United Alliance on March 20 2011 had requested a shift in repayment dates due to what the debtors claimed was cash flow constraints.




What remains curious in this case was that Access Bank, which is also owned and controlled by Aig-Imokuede and Herbert Wigwe, were negotiating a take-over of InterContinental Bank, a bank formerly run by Erastus Akingbola, one of Nigeria’s worst rogue bankers and a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Several banking sources told SaharaReporters that Mr. Aig-Imokhuede and Herbert Wigwe were variants of Mr. Akingbola in the way they too mismanaged their banks. “The fact that those two men were never arrested by the EFCC is something that continues to puzzle many of us in the banking sector,” a top banking analyst told our correspondent. Another added, “There is no doubt that Chief Aig-Imokhuede and Herbert Wigwe have questions to answer about the many questionable deals in their bank,” wondering “why are they being rewarded instead of being made to pay for their financial shenanigans?”

An investor in the troubled InterContinental Bank said he remains worried that the duo of Aig-Imokhuede and Wigwe are being cleared to take over a bank they helped ruined by defaulting on massive loans they took from it. The investor added that he feared that the glaring shady repayment arrangements between the distressed bank and the two men would be now be foreclosed by the merger of both banks.

SaharaReporters texted questions to CBN authorities to ascertain whether United Alliance Company, co-owned by Aig-Imokhuede and Wigwe, had pre-paid the loans it borrowed from InterContinental Bank before the apex bank gave its clearance for the controversial merger to proceed. The CBN did not respond to our inquiry.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/intercontinental-access-bank-merger-how-cbn-sold-bank-its-debtors