The NSIA which was ranked alongside sovereign wealth funds from the USA, France, South Korea, Brazil, and Malaysia is the only African sovereign wealth fund so ranked. More significantly, the improved transparency ranking was due to NSIA’s commitment and adherence to the highest prescription of Santiago Principles with respect to corporate governance, investment strategy, disclosures and SWF best practices.

Ikengawo: 1. Nigeria's economy is now standing strong at $510 due to GDP Rebasing. This has given investors knowledge of how much money they can make by investing in and engaging with the Nigerian economy, the official largest in Africa.

2. Food importation bill is now N700bl. During Yar Adua it was N1.4 trillion, and before him even higher.

3. $1,000,000,000USD was saved in the Sovereign Wealth Fund, safe guarding the Nigerian economy from bankruptcy for today and most importantly future generations (when the youth take charge of Nigeria). This money is permanently allocated to stimulating industry and stabilizing the economy in case the economy begins to crash. The fund has been growing since it's inception.

http://businessdayonline.com/2014/07/positive-rating-of-nigerias-sovereign-wealth-fund/#.VBSrlfldXUc

4. 50,000 ghost workers have been eliminated from the system. This has saved in Nigeria economy N139 billion.

5. $4 Billion USD has been invested in to agriculture, Nigeria now boosts the largest ag sector in the whole of Africa

6. Life expectancy in Nigeria according to the UN has gone from 47 years to 52 years.

7. in 2009 500,000 Nigerians had insurance. Today it's 1.5 million and growing

8. 1.1m metric tonnes of rice is now being produced in Northern states alone.

9. Nigerians now own 400 crude oil tankers. In 2009, that number was 60

10. 11,604 housing units have been provided by GEJ

11. Nigerian attracted $7billion USD in foreign investment in 2013 alone. It's today the #1 destination in Africa for investment, topping South Africa during this administration.

12. Nigerian exports have risen 14.2% in the first quarter of this year alone.

13. Nigerian imports have droped 8.3% in the same period

14. Nigeria's trade surplus has increase N2.4 Trillion

15. 130,000 barrels of crude a day is being produced by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corportation. Before it was 0.

16. Nigeria has a 33.1% poverty rate in 2009 it was 62.2%.

17. Agricultural silo capacity has increased 400% in this admin

18. It now takes 7 days to clear trouble free cargo. In 2012 it took 39 days. This was done by reducing the number of port agencies from 13 to 7

19. 5 million Nigerians are today carried by rail annually in this administration. From 2000-2012 that number was 1 million combine

20. Nigeria's rails were morbid for 15 years before GEJ

21. 22 Federally owned airports where remodeled, and renovated under this administration.

22. 17 additional fuel deposits have been discovered under this administration, leading to oil finds in the Southeast, Southwest, Middle belt and North

23. 6 Million farmers have are now on the e-wallet program saving them from a combine totally of N50 Billion due to their new found safety from fraud.

24. Kebbi, Zamafara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Niger, Kogi and Bauchi have received 1.07 metric tones of increased farm productivity due to irrigation projects of this government.

25. Nigeria is not a cement exporting nation, and the worst's fastest growing market for cement.

26. Saving One Million Lives Program has provided direct treatment for 4333, 650 mothers and children with malaria control projects, HIV prevention and treatment projects, and immunizations and ...

27. Polio has finally been eradicated from Nigeria. Nigeria has reported 0 cases of polio.

28. 7 Million Tones of Paddy Rice has been added to national production.

29. $15 Million fund has been launched to start Venture Capital in Nigeria.

30. Guinea Worm has been eradicated from Nigeria, 0 cases reported this year.

31. 125 Almajiri boarding schools have been built by the federal government.

lakpalakpa: [s][/s]

The only reason you support Jona is because you are a corrupt and mediocre dude whose clannishness has blinded him to an extreme degree.

Jona-daft is a failure and come 2015 he shall be kicked out of Aso rock and brought back to Otuoke form where he will proceed to Kiri-kiri prison.

barcanista: ABDULRASHEED MAINA


Fmr Head of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms. Appointed by Jonathan. His job was to unearth and prosecute those that dipped their hands into Police Pension Fund. In twist of event, Maina was alleged to have participated in N195 billion pension fraud. He was indicted by the Senate, recommended for sack and Prosecution but Jonathan dragged and only sacked him two months later. As at today, Maina hasn't been convicted.

PRINCESS STELLA ODUA


Former Minister of Aviation that was alleged to have allocated N255 million for the purchase of 2 BMW Cars without appropriation in what was the biggest corruption scandal in Jonathan's cabinet. She was indicted by the Senate and the Presidential Committee setup to investigate her. After a while, she was relieved of her Job and walks as a free woman. NO PROSECUTION by any of the concerned Agencies.

FEMI FANI KAYODE


Fmr Aviation Minister, whose trial on alleged looting of N250m was instituted by the Yar Adua Government and pursued. He was "cleared" of wrong doing few months after he defected to PDP (Jonathan's Camp)

CHIEF OLABODE GEORGE



Chairman of the NPA between 2001 and 2003 was Convicted in 2009 for contract splitting that amounts to N2b. He served his term. Went to Appeal Court to Upturn the decision but failed. "Miraculously" the supreme court in December 2013 upturned the decision "because the offence had not become a criminal offence as at the time the alleged incident took place."

MOHAMMED ABACHA
Son of Late Maximum Ruler Sani Abacha. Abacha's family looted the treasury without mercy. Millions of Dollars was recovered and more unearthed. Mohammed was facing corruption charges instituted by the Obasanjo regime, however, Our BENEVOLENT President withrew the charges from the court. Mohammed is a chieftain of the PDP and a Governorship Aspirant under the PDP.


All the Above listed are allies of the President and has endorsed his 2nd Term bid

Jonathan's Quotes:
Corruption is not Nigeria's number one problem
Stealing is Not Corruption

barcanista: Analysis Of Petroleum Subsidy Appropriation Between 2006 to 2014

President Obasanjo

2006- N151.9 billion
Price of Petrol N65 per liter

2007- N188 bn
Price of Petrol N65 per liter


TOTAL: N339.9bn In TWO Years

President Yar Adua


2008- N256.3bn
Price of Petrol N65 per liter


2009- N421.5 bn
Price of Petrol N65 per liter


2010- N673 bn
Price of Petrol N65 per liter

TOTAL: N1.356trn In 3 Years

President Jonathan


2011- N1.3 trillion (which was revised up to N2.19trillion)
Price of Petrol N65 per liter


2012- N1.049tr (Despite the partial removal of Subsidy)
Price of Petrol N97 per liter


2013- N971bn (Despite the partial removal of Subsidy)
Price of Petrol N97 per liter
2014- N971.1bn (Despite the partial removal of Subsidy)
Price of Petrol N97 per liter

TOTAL: N5.222trn in 4 Years

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is now the Poster Boy for corrupt leadership the world over.

Jonathan became the president of Nigeria with no positive antecedent or manifesto to develop or make Nigeria a better place to live in. He rode to power on the back of base sentiments without any known achievements nor blueprint to show. He was “our” son. What most people who voted or supported him did not know was that he is an indicted felon. Hold your stone, before you hurl expletives at me, see the next paragraph….

From his antecedents, Jonathan is corruption personified and I say this without any fear or favour. However, intellectual laziness has blinded most of us from researching his past. Here is a little snippet into the past of Mr. Jonathan, a creation of the corruption he unashamedly tells people that he is fighting: In 2006, he was indicted for false declaration of assets by a Joint Task Force (JTF) on corruption that was set up by Obasanjo’s government. That powerful panel was headed by Nuhu Ribadu, who was then chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Joint Task Force said Mr. Jonathan was in possession of illegally-acquired property such as homes and exotic cars, all of which he could not explain within his legitimate income. While he was invited for hearing, he claimed he bought them from his “savings”. Meanwhile, he was a lecturer preceding his becoming a deputy governor. Kindly see for yourselves the worth of the properties which were bought from Mr. Jonathan’s ‘savings’ as a teacher: seven-bedroom duplex worth N18 million at Otueke Ogbia LGA acquired in 2001; a four-bedroom duplex, valued at N15 million at Goodluck Jonathan Street, Yenegoa, acquired in 2003; and a five-bedroom duplex, at Citec Villas, Gwarimpa II – Abuja, valued at N25 million, also acquired in 2003. There were also two cars: a Lexus Jeep valued at N18 million; and a BMW 7351 Series worth N5.5 million. If you check the dates the purchases were made from 2001, it was just two years after GEJ became a deputy to a criminal Governor Alamieyeseigha, convicted for fleecing Bayelsa state dry. The same Alamieyeseigha Jonathan gleefully called “my mentor” and for whom he has now maneuvered a State pardon.

Does Mr. Jonathan have the right to grant such pardon? Absolutely! If so, why the hue and cry by “ignorant” Nigerians and “noisy” opposition figures? Well you may wish to glean into the “wonderful” past of Mr. DSP, who was alleged to have been dismissed from the Nigerian Air-force on charges bordering on stealing and sundry offences.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha, whom Mr. Jonathan recently described as his political mentor, is a fugitive who jumped bail in the United Kingdom. He was first elected governor on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 after his first term in office.

On September 15, 2005, while serving his second term, he was arrested at the London Heathrow Airport by the Metropolitan Police on the suspicion of money laundering. After he was granted bail, Mr. Alamieyeseigha jumped bail in December 2005 and bolted to Nigeria allegedly disguised as a woman after fooling U.K. border officials.

He was eventually impeached by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly in December 2005.

The U.K. authorities seized $1.5 million (N225 million) cash stashed in his London home as well as $2.7 million (N405 million) held in bank accounts at Royal Bank of Scotland PLC and Santolina Investment Corporation. His London real estate valued at $15 million (N2.25 billion) was also seized by U.K. authorities.

An adept criminal, Mr. Alamieyeseigha had spread his stolen monies across notorious tax havens and offshore destinations such as the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands and Seychelles. Others were hidden in the U.K. and South Africa.

“His scattered stolen funds posed some difficulty for anti-fraud agents who were keen on confiscating the slush fund. But after he pleaded guilty to money laundering at home, it opened the way for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to apply for a disclosure order for evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police. This was used alongside evidence of Mr. Alamieyeseigha’s income and asset declaration to obtain a worldwide restraining order covering all assets owned directly or indirectly by Alamieyeseigha and a disclosure order for documents held at banks and by Alamieyeseigha’s associates,” reports the World Bank’s Stolen Assets Recovery initiative (STAR).

Also, with the help of South African detectives, he forfeited his luxury penthouse in South Africa. He also lost assets in Cyprus and Denmark.

List of assets and properties in the Code of Conduct Assets Declaration Form submitted by Mr. Alamieyeseigha to the Code of Conduct Bureau in 1999 before becoming governor included:

• Five buildings with a total value of N50 million.

• 25 plots with a total value of N2.5 million.

• He owned a company, Pesal Nigeria Ltd. with a capital of Nl00, 000.

• He had four vehicles he acquired between 1982 and 1998 with a total value of N10 million.

• He had an account with Diamond Bank Plc, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, A/C No.0136900013 with a balance of N5 million.

•Cash in hand was N100, 000.00.

His Asset Declaration Form signed on 25th of April, 2003 when running for re-election, contained the following assets:

•Six buildings acquired between 1985 and 2002 with a total value of N70 million and annual income of N3.5 million.

•He has 27 plots acquired between 1985 and 2001 with a total value of N5 million.

•Six vehicles acquired between 1982 and 2003 with a total value of N14.8 million.

•One boat acquired in 2002 with a value of N2.5 million.

In his Assets Declaration Form signed on 2nd December 2003, we had the following:

• Seven buildings acquired between 1985 and 2003 with a total value of N77 million and annual income of N4.5 million.

Additional information on the buildings and plots revealed the following:

• 5, Khana Street, D/Line, P/H – Storey building,

• 5, Khana Street, D/Line, P/H – 3 Bedroom Bungalow,

• 4, Tombia Street, G.R.A., P/H – Detached Duplex,

• 2, Oniye, lyana Ipaja, Lagos – 5 bedroom bungalow,

• Amassoma – duplex/bungalow,

• Opolo, Yenagoa – Duplex

• 3, Williams Jumbo, P/H – Duplex

• lyana Ipaja, Lagos – 3 plots

• Isolo, Lagos – 1 plot

• NTARoad,P/H – 4 plots

• Yenagoa, Bayelsa – 17 plots

• Amassoma – 2 plots

Properties, companies and bank accounts in Nigeria and abroad acquired by Mr. Alamieyeseigha after assumption of office as the executive governor of Bayelsa State were:

i) That he holds a personal bank account with Barclays Bank Plc which was opened on 5 January 2004 and the balance stood at £203,753.34 as at 15th February 2005.

ii) He holds a personal bank account with HSBC, London, but the account was closed sometime in March 2003 while all the money in the account was transferred to Santolina Investment Corporation’s account with National Westminster Bank, London.

iii) It was confirmed that he is the sole Director of Santolina Investment Corporation and sole signatory to the company’s account with National Westminster Bank with A/c No. 10182819 Sort Code 15-00-25 in London.

iv) He also holds personal account with Bond Bank in Lagos which was opened sometime in January 2004 and the balance stood at N105-14.942.61 as at 16th September 2005 and another personal account in Oceanic Bank Plc, as follows:-

The Salo Trust in the names of Enitonbrapa Alamieyeseigha, Embelakpo Alamieyeseigha, Ebipadei Alamieyeseigha, Oyamuyefa Alamieyeseigha, Saleaka Alamieyeseigha and Margaret Alamieyeseigha.

v) He holds an account with Bank of America in the name of Peter Alamieyeseigha with account number 0054 8256 2491 which balance stood at $1, 600,000.00 as at August 2003.

vi) The sum of GBP 1350,000.00 being the annual premium for Insurance Policy No. 1E1/0405/0012/AR/HQ m respect of the Kolo Creek Power Station Yenagoa, has been traced in an account at Barclays Bank, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7NT, A/C No. 80041262, Sort Code 20-47-35, IBNrGB 87 BARC 2047 3580 0412 62SWIFT BICGB22 held by a certain First Investment & Finance Corporation. The premium is for an All Risks Cover for the Gas Turbine for a period between 22/6/2005 and 21/6/2006.

Properties in London

•247, Water Gardens, London, W2 2DG, which is the registered

address of Solomon & Peters Ltd. This property was purchased

for £1.75 million on 20/8/2003

•14, Mapesbury Road, London, NW2 4JB. This property was

purchased for £1.4 million on 6/7/2001

• Flat 202, Jubilee Heights, Shoot uphill, London, NW2 3LJQ,

purchased for the sum of £241,000.00 on 28/10/99.

• 68-70, Regent’s Park Road, London, N3 which was purchased in

July 2002 for the sum of £3 million.

i) All the property listed above have a combined value in excess of £S 381million

ii) He had almost £1.9 million in a Royal Bank of Scotland account belonging to his company Santolina for which he had requested to be transferred to an account in Cyprus.

iii) Four transfers to the tune of Euro 2.36 million were made from Bayelsa State Ministry of Works Account held by Allstates Trust Bank to Germany through Commerz Bank, London at a time when Chief D. S. P. Alameyesigha was receiving treatment in a German hospital.

Properties in South Africa

i) It has also been established that he owned a property at V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa worth over £1 million.

ii) Royal Albatross Properties 67 is a company registered in September 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa. This company is also believed to be owned and controlled by Chief Alamieyaseigha.

Properties in the United States

i) 504, Pleasant Drive, King Farm Estate, Maryland USA,

ii) 15859, Aurora Crest Drive, Whither, California, USA, 906

(Courtesy Premium Times)

That was the CHARACTER that the Nigerian Council of State at its meeting, attended by three former heads of states and some state governors on Tuesday March, 2013, approved a presidential pardon for. Note that the Nigerian constitution guarantees the president discretionary powers to grant presidential pardon and the council of state is merely advisory in nature.

Word out there is that Mr. Alamieyaseigha was pardoned preparatory to his eventual journey to the National Assembly as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Lord Have Mercy!!!

By this singular action, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has shown the world and whoever cared to listen that he is not interested in fighting corruption as he recently said Corruption was not Nigeria’s problem. Therefore he will be best advised to stop deceiving himself, pretending to fight corruption. It is time to disband the EFCC, ICPC and all other CLOWNS masquerading as agencies fighting corruption in Nigeria, because we isn’t fighting no corruption. Corruption is the MIDDLE NAME of this mascot called Jonathan, who unfortunately is our president. It is also time to throw open all the prison gates and pardon every known felon since (according to the reasoning of Mr. Jonathan) they have all suffered enough.

- See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/124815-the-corruption-mascot-called-goodluck-jonathan-by-ayobami-oyalowo.html#sthash.kJRei42P.dpuf

Nigerians groan under worsening power supply

•New owners yet to get acquainted with generation, distribution •Businesses folding up by the day •It used to be bad, now it’s worse –Ogun residents

By Anayo Korie (Lagos), Gbenga Faturoti (Osogbo), Emmanuel Nzomiwu (Awka), John Adi (Kaduna), Igoniko Oduma (Yenagoa) and Ibrahim Umar (Sokoto)



The high expectations of Nigerians when the Federal Government on November 10, 2013 handed over ownership and operations of the unbundled electricity firms of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) would appear to have been dashed.

Although available power has gradually improved from 3,400mw to over 4,000mw it is still a far cry from meeting the power needs of a nation with a population of about 170 million people.

Five months down the line nothing tangible has happened, as darkness, “crazy billing”, as well as vandalism of power facilities are still the order of the day.

Investigations showed that the investors who acquired the power assets are yet to get acquainted with the business of electricity and distribution which is capital intensive and technology driven.

The shortage of natural gas to energise some of the completed and streamed up power stations has further compounded the distress of Nigerians.

Daily Independent investigations revealed that the new owners of power assets started with the breaching of the deal reached with government on the retention of workers of the defunct PHCN for six months before deciding on retaining valuable hands or sacking of those whose services are no longer needed.

The sacking of both competent and incompetent hands along with those who have reached retirement age some weeks after take over have put the investors in tight corner, as they lack capable hands to fix faulty distribution facilities.

Some of the equipment that are now difficult to fix under private sector were easily fixed when they were in government hands.

For instance, Integrated Energy Limited, the investor who acquired Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IEDC) Limited and the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) Limited went wild with the laying off of the entire management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and this has affected power distribution in the zone.

Apart from sacking the entire management and replacing it with fresh hands, the management of Ibadan and Jos DISCOS, sources revealed, are set again to sack about 1,580 workers under their pay roll due to financial constraints.

The Jos DISCO is managed by AURA Nigeria Limited, while the Ibadan DISCO is being managed by Integrated Energy Distribution.

Jos DISCO is planning to lay off about 1,000 of its workers, while the Ibadan DISCO had pencilled down 580 names for disengagement.

Giving reasons why the nation is encountering power outage, Vice President Namadi Sambo, who spoke recently in Abuja, expressed sadness over the inability of contractors handling power projects to deliver on time on distribution facilities meant to stabilise power supply in the country.

According him, a situation where contractors were only able to deliver 57 projects out of 297 being executed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company is not acceptable to government.

He gave the contractors 60 days ultimatum to deliver the power projects or risk being blacklisted by government in future.

Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, James Olotu, who spoke on the same subject in Abuja recently listed the hiccups as non-availability of 33kva bays at the 132/33kv substations, inadequate transmission capacity at the TCN substations of Abuja, Ikeja and Port Harcourt DISCOS.

Insecurity in the North East, including Jos and Yola DISCOS, connection of weak existing 33kv source to new completed injection substations at Kaduna and Ibadan, and refusal of new DISCOS owners to connect completed project in Jos and Port Harcourt is compounding the situation.

Reports from Daily Independent correspondents across the country showed that power consumers are frustrated by the near absence of electricity either for industrial, commercial or domestic use.

Following drops in power supply, residents of Kaduna State have said they see no reason for the sale of the PHCN to new investors.

For most of the residents, power supply was far better when the electricity companies were under PHCN.

A visit to Malali, Barnawa, Ungwar Rimi, Tudun-Wada and Sabon-Tasha areas within the Kaduna metropolis revealed that power supply situation is now worst off.

According to the residents in the areas visited, power supply is so bad that sometimes they don’t get it for a full day.

And if supply is eventually restored, it either fluctuates or they have it for an average of three hours.

Bala Usmanm, a tailor who works at Dutsema Street, Tudun Wada, while lamenting the poor power supply that has caused him and his other colleagues heavy financial losses due to use of generator, asked angrily; “Why did the government sell PHCN to incompetent investors?”

Saleh Jinjiri, a welder, said he has not been able to start any welding job and finish it for some time now because of epileptic power supply.

“As you can see, I have several doors to weld, but I can’t work because my generator has fault,” he said.

Residents of Anambra State also decried poor supply of electricity to the state from the national grid, saying the situation leaves very much to be desired.

A resident of Awka metropolis, Ikenna Emebo, who spoke to Daily Independent lamented that the supply of power in the city has turned from bad to worse.

Emebo said he hardly sees electricity in his home in Enugu for up to five hours even when it is supplied in an epileptic manner.

He recalled that some time last year there were media reports about improved electricity supply to Awka, but that he kept wondering the basis for such reports.

“There is no electricity in this town. Everyday, I spend close to N800 fuelling my generator. Unless somebody is trying to tell me that it is my home alone that is denied electricity; what we are experiencing in our area at Amenyi is nothing to write home about,” Emebo said.

Reports from Nnewi also showed that residents of the industrial hub of Anambra State suffer the same fate like those in Awka.

A resident, Ama, who works with a hospital in Nnewi, told our correspondent that he slept in darkness on Friday and woke up on Saturday morning and yet there was no light.

As at 3.00 p.m. when he spoke on Saturday, Ama had not seen a blink of electricity in his home.

Adaobi Oko, a merchandise trader at Onitsha, said she doubted if there was any part of the country experiencing poor electricity supply more than the commercial town.

Oko said Onitsha residents no longer rely on electricity from the national grid but make do with their ‘I better pass my neighbour’ generators.

Like in Anambra State, since the full privatisation of the power sector, provision of electricity has gone from bad to worse in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Usually at night the entire Ibadan metropolis looks like a typical village because of the pervading darkness that envelopes the city.

The epileptic power supply has taken its toll on virtually everybody and every sector.

A resident of Ago-Tapa, Mokola, Ibadan, Temitope Olaiya, who runs a business centre with a refrigerator with which she sells soft drinks and sachet water, bemoaned the situation, describing it as “killing and frustrating”.

“We thought with the so-called privatisation, there would be an improvement, but what we are seeing is worse. Sadly, the staff of the power company have no sense of shame, as they still disconnect when one fails to pay for a service not rendered.

“At times, we will stay a whole day without light, while they bring it for just two hours on some other days. The government just has to do something about the situation, it is highly worrisome,” she added.

Another resident, Kamorudeen Olayiwola, an artisan

Economic and social activities of people, which over the years have been badly affected by the poor power supply, are getting worse in the recent times, especially those whose businesses are dependent on electric power find it difficult to operate.

This has resulted in rise of cost of goods and services.

A sachet water (pure water) seller at Muritala Muhammed Way in Ilorin, Mama Wumi, said she and many of her colleagues now sell a sachet at N10 without concession of two per N15 as they were used to doing before now.

This is because they now have to buy frozen water (ice block) to make the ‘pure water’ cold since there is no power supply in the area to make the commodity cold through their own freezers.

After some months of bitter complaints and protests against high electricity tariff by consumers in Uyo and its environs, Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO) finally organised an interface between consumers and the Port Harcourt Distribution Company (PHDC).

On the occasion, the consumers condemned the outrageous bills forced on them by the PHDC in the last three months.

A consumer, Michael Asuquo of No. 19, Okon Mbaba Street, Uyo, lamented that he was billed N6,944.77 in March against N2,750.75 for January.

He complained that the bill was based on estimated billing, as he was yet to procure a metre for his apartment.

Another consumer, Christopher Oton of Nsetip Street, Uyo, in his complaint said there was no electricity for over two weeks in March but the electricity still billed them N7,755.45.

Oton wondered why the bill was still high when there was no electricity supply for some period during the month under review.

He appealed to the PHDC to live up to their responsibility and provide the residents with light before billing.

Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of Niger Delta Anti-Corruption Network (NIDAN), Nsekpong Udoh of Akpakpan, accused operators in the power sector of robbing electricity consumers through estimated billing system, despite poor power supply.

“Power Holding at some point introduced the prepared billing system but later realised they were unable to rob the masses through that means, they decided to go back to estimated billing system.

“Even when you have meter, it’s not being read and when you get tired of settling exorbitant bills over services you rarely enjoy, they’ll storm your house, disconnect you and take your cables away. This is a very open violation of human right that we must all rise to fight”. Udoh charged.

In his reaction, the Uyo Business Manager, Reginald Madu, explained to the consumers that the company was working according to law and would not charge consumers outrageously.

Madu assured consumers that the electricity company would do its best to provide quality electricity supply to consumers in the state.

As the power distribution nosedives under the Ibadan Distribution Company (IBDC), business owners have continued to moan the development.

Even domestic power consumers are not left out in recalling their woes, as a handful of them expressed frustration and anger.

Managing Director of Heritage Furniture, Mrm Emmanuel Taiwo, based in the “highbrow” Oke-Ilewo area of Abeokuta, the use of electricity has gone from bad to worse.

“Before now when government was in control of both the generation and distribution, the situation was not this worrisome; I can say from experience here that what we are experiencing now is worse.

“Government as the regulator should do something before we begin to experience worst situation.

“I have a circular machine which we use here for cutting of logs into sizes, the purpose-built diesel engine in it will consume between N700 and N800 per hour.

“More worrisome is the fact that I don’t like putting it on because of the noise pollution,” the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic National Diploma (ND) holder in Mass Communication lamented.

In her own case, a business woman who deals in wholesale and retail drinks, Tunbi Akinremi, said her area at the Oke-Lantoro axis of Abeokuta could go for a week without a blink of electricity.

“I think what we have on our hands is an irresponsive government that promises to protect lives, but ends up killing people installmentally,” the trader bemoaned.

Residents of Yola, Adamawa State capital, also decried the continued epileptic and worsening electricity supply.

To further worsen the situation, the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has continued with the policy of the PHCN which assigns “dedicated or hotlines” to only well to do individuals in the society at the expense of the masses.

Manager of Yakubu Shopping Plaza along Galadima Way in Jimeta, Ibrahim Yakubu, told Daily Independent that the rate power supply has continued to drop was having a devastating consequences on business operators.

He noted that “even with their so called dedicated or hotline in which they charged exorbitant rate before connecting, one hardly enjoys the power supply for about five hours per day”.

But at least, a cheering news came from Osogbo, Osun State capital.

The electricity supply to Osogbo and its environ is said to be averagely stable when compared with the neighbouring states.

Investigation by Daily Independent revealed that the residents have electricity supply for between 12 and 18 hours in a day except when there were major faults.

It was gathered that the electricity supply is stable in the state because the central control centre for electricity supply is located in Osogbo, the state capital.

The centre is where the electricity supply landed from Kanji Dam before the distribution to other parts of the country.

Though one of the 150kva transformers which supplies electricity to four states got burnt recently, the necessary separation had been done to restore electricity supply to the affected areas.

Residents of the state therefore enjoy relatively stable supply of electricity in the state except major faults occurred.

A resident, Ajisafe Sulemanu, who is a welder by profession, said members of the association are aware of the shedding of power load to ensure that the electricity equipment was given necessary rest to avoid over use.

“The only complaint from our association is the new tariff introduced which is making it difficult for electricity users to pay the rate.

“We are relatively enjoying the supply of electricity. We are not saying it is enough but it is better when compared it to other places in the country,” he added.

Nigeria: Jonathan Encouraging Corruption - Tambuwal

By Adesuwa Tsan, Kunle Olasanmi, NSE Anthony-Uko and Juliet Alohan

Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal yesterday declared that President Goodluck Jonathan is encouraging corruption in Nigeria by failing to act on corruption cases that the National Assembly has probed and found to be true.

The speaker, who also took a swipe at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as also being a corrupt institution, stated this in a paper on the role of the legislature as the vanguard for anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria, which he delivered at a lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day.

Citing the recent corruption case involving the minister of aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, over the purchase of two BMW armoured cars for N255m, Tambuwal said the president's setting up of a committee and burdening the national security adviser (NSA) to investigate the allegations rather than delegate the EFCC to take charge sends a signal that he is not sincere with his fight against corruption.

"By the action of setting up different committees for straightforward cases, the president's body language doesn't tend to support the fight against corruption," he said. "Take the subsidy probe, the pension, the SEC probe and recently the bulletproof car cases. After the House of Representatives did a diligent job by probing and exposing the cases, you now see something else when it comes to prosecution.

"In some cases, you have the government setting up new committees to duplicate the job already done by the parliament. Take the bulletproof cars case: what we have is that the NSA, who should have not been bothered, is being given assignment to investigate what is obvious."

The speaker continued: "What the President should have done was to explicitly direct the EFCC to probe the matter. With such directives coming from the president, I am sure we still have good people in EFCC who can do a good job."

Speaking on the EFCC, the speaker said the commission receives but does not account for grants it gets from donors to aid its anti-corruption activities: "We know as a fact that the grants you receive from donor agencies have never been budgeted for. That is corruption."

He also said the anti-graft institution is also guilty of disrespecting resolutions of the House while noting that it had chosen to implement the subsidy report of the presidential panel led by AIG Imuokhede over the one passed by the House.

"The report you have been implementing is the Aig-Imokhuede report, not that of the House of Representatives. The last the House heard from you on the subsidy report was when you requested me, the speaker, to request some of my members to come and help you do your work... Of course, the pension scam is there; the scam in the aviation sector, the most recent one, is there. There is also that of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where trillions of naira from private citizens was suspected to have been mismanaged and is being mismanaged. When we commissioned an enquiry into it, what interested you more particularly was the allegation that our members refused to travel after taking $4,000 estacode, and they are still facing trial."

Tambuwal also disclosed that the House is investigating to know if the federal government is funding the SEC from service-wide vote, voted after the National Assembly jointly passed an appropriation law denying that agency funding.

"I cannot recall reading anywhere or hearing from any commentary that she (DG, SEC, Arunmah Oteh) was ever invited by the EFCC or that any officer of SEC was ever invited by the EFCC. Still on this matter, we received a report from the Public Account Committee of the House that it is like the finance ministry, the Budget Office and the Accountant General of the Federation's office found a leeway of funding SEC through Service-wide Vote. We are quietly investigating that and we will get to the root of that matter."

SSTL Executive Chairman, Sir Martin Sweeting, commented: "NigeriaSat-X is the product of Nigeria's training and development programme here at Surrey.

"It is a great credit to NASRDA (National Space Research and Development Agency) and their engineers that this satellite is performing well and its operations are progressing so quickly.

"These highly skilled engineers will not only help Nigeria to manage its resources, but also bootstrap its fledgling high-tech economy alongside a growing nucleus of highly trained people."

A first picture should be released from NigeriaSat-2 in the coming days. This is a much more powerful platform, able to resolve details on the Earth's surface just 2.5m across.

Few countries in the world have access to such a capability.

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14679166

Ikengawo:

You're only angry because of the Kpomo ban. Now you'll have to go back to school with your mates instead of stealing hides from the market like a vulture.

Go and find a place to vent your frustration about you own life's failures. This thread is for FACT ONLY and i challenge anyone to give me a more comprehensive list of 'failures' that you speak of. Industrious Nigerians are taking advantage of the new found boom in our country and moving up while other's are lamenting and blaming others.

Ikengawo:
Nigeria's First Indigenous Drone

Ikengawo:
Nigeria's First Indigenous Drone

Nigeria’s multibillion naira drones obsolete – ISRAELI EXPERTS

on May 21, 2014 / in News 9:10 am / Comments

By CALEB AYANSINA



…as Jonathan orders more troops to N’East
The surveillance drones which Nigeria bought from Israel years ago that might have been used to hunt for the more than 200 girls held by Islamist rebels, have been left grounded due to poor maintenance, two official sources and the aircraft’s manufacturer said.

“To the best of our knowledge, these systems are not operational,” Tsur Dvir, Marketing Officer for Aeronautics Defense Systems, a firm based south of Tel Aviv that supplied Nigeria with Aerostar unmanned aerial vehicles, said yesterday.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/nigerias-multibillion-naira-drones-obsolete-israeli-experts/#sthash.xsFesQm3.dpuf

KIA Motors Corporation, the Korean manufacturers of KIA automobiles, on Wednesday announced its plan to roll out in September, the first set of made-in-Nigeria KIA vehicles from a state-of-the-art plant in Lagos.

The National Automotive Council on Tuesday said 30 vehicle manufacturing plants would soon commence operation in the country..



The Director, Policy and Planning, Lukman Mahmud, who made the disclosure in an interview, said the Federal Government was working toward facilitating the production of vehicle components at competitive prices through the Nigerian automotive industry and to create employment opportunities.

Mahmud explained that prior to the pronouncement of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan in 2013, Nigeria had 14 existing plants across the nation.

“The protection and incentives provided to the industry under the new policy persuaded 16 companies to establish assembly plants,” he said.

Mahmud added that the motor assembling companies would come in with complete and semi-knock-down vehicles.

He said Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, Leyland, Fiat, Volkswagen and Mercedes were the complete Knock-down assembling plants that were forced to shut down due to the influx of imported cars or and second hand vehicles otherwise called “Tokunbo”.

Mahmud said the idea of Semi-Knock-Down and Complete Knock-Down import was to address the demand from the automobile market due to eventual hike on tariff and levy of imported fairly used cars.

The director said the policy made provision for high patronage from government and Credit Purchase Scheme.

He explained that under the credit purchase scheme, middle class Nigerians would buy cars at affordable prices and pay back within 36 to 46 months and at single digit interest.

He added that modalities were being worked out with all stakeholders in the sector to curtail smuggling of used cars.

Mahmud said that when stability was achieved and the demand from market met, the manufactures would buy the component parts locally.

“Plans are in top gear to revive the auto glass company in Ibadan, car seat company at Kaduna, Nocaco Auto Wires, exhaust pipes and many more parts and consumable producers in the country,” he said.

The director said that the council had established material testing laboratory in Zaria, Kaduna State; components testing laboratory in Enugu and emission testing laboratory in Lagos.

“All these are to ensure that the components to be produced are of international standard,” he said.

Mahmud said that a critical element of the policy was under legislation at the National Assembly to avoid policy somersault and protection of the investors in the sector.

Ikengawo:

1. Completion of Vom-Manchok road in Plateau State.

2. Completion of Yola-Numan road in Adamawa State.

3. Completion of Gombe Bye-pass road in Gombe State.

4. Completion of Kaduna Refinery road in Kaduna State.

5. Completion of Kano-Daura-MaiAdua road in Katsina State

6. Completion of Uba-Mbalala road in Borno State.

7. Completion of Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto road (from Gusau to Talata Mafara)

8. Ongoing dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Road.

9. Ongoing construction of Kano–Potiskum–Maiduguri Road

10. Ongoing construction of the Loko–Oweto bridge( across River Benue). This project was started in 2012.

11. Ongoing dualisation of Benin-Lokoja road. This project was started under this President.

12. Ongoing reconstruction of Makurdi-Gboko road Phase 1 Wannune-Yandev section, in Benue.

13. Ongoing construction of Sections 1A and 1B of Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Kontagora Roads, respectively in Sokoto State, Kebbi and Niger

14. Ongoing reconstruction of Kunya-Kanya-Babura-Babban Mutum Road in Jigawa.

15. Ongoing reconstruction of Zing-Yakoko-Monkin Road in Taraba.

16. Ongoing reconstruction of Alkeleri-Bauchi Road in Bauchi.

17. Completion of the rehabilitation of Lagos-Kano narrow guage railway. Movement of passengers and freight has since commenced along this route.

18. Ongoing construction of Abuja-Kaduna modern railway. This project was started under this administration and has reached over 70 completion rate.

19. Ongoing construction of the Abuja light rail

20. Ongoing construction of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri modern railway.

21. Ongoing rehabilitation of Port-Harcourt-Enugu-Makurdi-Lafia-Jos-Gombe-Maiduguri narrow guage railway.

22. Completion of the re-modelling of the Kano Airport.

23. Ongoing remodelling of the Yola Airport.

24. Ongoing remodelling of Jos Airport.

25. Ongoing remodelling of Kaduna Airport.

26. Ongoing remodelling of Abuja Airport.

27. Construction of new international terminal in Abuja Airport.

28. Creation of Federal University , Lokoja Kogi state.

29. Creation of
Federal University , Lafia, Nasarawa state.

30. Creation of Federal University, Kashere, Gombe state.

31. Creation of
Federal University, Wukari, Taraba state.

32. Creation of Federal University , Dutsin-Ma, Katsina
state.

33. Creation of Federal University , Dutse, Jigawa state.

34. Creation of Federal University Gashua, Yobe State.

35. Creation of Federal University Birnin Kebbi Kebbi State capital.

36. Creation of Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State.

37. Construction of Almajiri model schools. As at the last count, about 120 of these Alamjiri model schools have been completed.

38. Construction of perishable cargo terminals in Abuja, Ilorin, Jalingo, Jos, Kano, Makurdi and Minna

39. Rehabilitation and re-commissioning of the NNPC depot in Suleja (after 15 years of inactivity), Minna, Kano, Gusau and Jos.

40. Completion of 434 megawatts Geregu II power plant in Kogi.

41. Ongoin construction of 700 megawatts Zungeru hydropower plant

43. The ongoing reconstruction of the Oturkpo-Otukpa-Obollo Afor rd in Benue State.

44. The ongoing reconstruction of the Lau-Kona-Jalingo rd in Taraba State.

45. The provision of portable drinking water at the Nasarawa State University Keffi

46. The construction of Calabar-Ikom-Katsina Ala rd in Benue State

Ikengawo:

Nigeria's First Indigenous Drone

Power Sector
Privatization to 11 independent companies giving each region control of it's power destiny: Completed

Solar Power
0mw before
1000mw after (Kano and Yobe plants completed)


Federal Roads
5000km of Federal Roads Before
25,000km of Federal Roads After


Irrigation Land Mass
90,000 Hectares Before
400,000 Hectares After

Farmers with Access to Irrigated Land
20,000 Before
400,000 After

Dry Season Farmer
0 Before
1.07 Metric Tonnes After

Rice Output
Before: Morbid Before
1.76m Metric Tonnes After ending Nigeria's dependence on imported rice.


Agricultural Orientation
Largely Subsistence before, excluded the youth
750,000 young nagroprenuers as of this year