₦airaland Forum

benedictnsi:
We asked how we wan take fix Nigeria, you sef d answer d question with question weh no get answer...... Forget propaganda and tell us your opinion

We must first address all acts of injustice by subjecting buhari and his gangs that executed the massacre of over 1000 Shiites to public trial and execution thereby using them as model in setting a good precedent.

NavierStokes:
Incompetence has destroyed the economy that "corruption" had kept stable.
Look at capital flight everywhere. Just yesterday I 're an article where it was stayed that for every $1 brought into Nigeria $2 are taken out.

Job loss everywhere. No light no water no fuel! Is war torn Syria not having a better living condition than Nigeria?

Buhari, where is the change you and APC were running mouth about fixing during the campaigns?

Pidggin:
APC =Failure

APC is a curse on Nigeria.

NavierStokes:
#INCOMPETENCEISWORSETHANCORRUPTION#

They are using corruption fight with no conviction as a guise to deceive the gullible from their incompetence!

BishopMagic Ecoterrorist

cc: True patriots BishopMagic, blueto, Ecoterrorist

If you have always been a Nigerian, by now you would be highly familiar with deferred national promises. Those are the lofty and extremely ambitious promises usually denominated with decade-long life cycles. Those promises, like a malevolent abiku child, are almost always guaranteed to die before they can even live. It so often happens that just when the years have rolled by, and the stated date to deliver on those promises neared, the promise givers (read: the government) quickly reset the date of redemption to another future date. That way, there is no shortage of either grandstanding on the part of the state, or disappointment on the part of the society that faithfully waits for the state to live up to its promises.
In 1991, partly in response to the United Nations advocacy for collective sheltering, the military government of Ibrahim Babangida launched the “Housing for All by Year 2000 A.D.” The programme had the goal of building up to 700,000 housing units per year but that idea never quite successfully took off. Then, there was Vision 2010 proposed by Gen. Sani Abacha. The year, 2010, they promised, was the time when Nigeria would finally soar on the wings of its grand vision and become one of the largest economies of the world. Again, that dream withered like a raisin in the sun. Then came Olusegun Obasanjo to launch Vision 2020, merely a rhetorical upgrade from Abacha’s dark-googled vision into Nigeria’s future. There was not much realised other than further hoodwink Nigerians.
Then lately, the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, added another futuristic vision of fancy: Nigeria will land an astronaut in space by 2030. That is a rather bold declaration, almost reminiscent of President John Kennedy standing before the US Congress in 1961 requesting an additional sum of $7-9bn to fund their space programme. Kennedy said then, “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” Kennedy’s dream would come to pass a mere eight years later. That story should tell us that the earth and its fullness thereof shall be inherited only by those who dare to dream beyond themselves. If there is a lesson to be learnt from President Kennedy’s, it is that for one to be able to dream, publicly commit oneself before the public that those dreams can come to pass, and have them happen exactly as one has foretold, is one of the greatest things that can happen to anyone or to any nation.
However, the kind of cynicism that has greeted Onu’s grandiose vision shows that Nigerians are not buying into his skyscraping goals. For obvious reasons, one should be pained at the thought of a society where such idealised goals cannot ignite public fancy. Personally, I find it disheartening that as a people we cannot see our culture as doing things beyond ourselves. What is the future of a society where its inhabitants cannot think beyond their present circumstances?
No, the problem is not that we, the people, are incapable of envisioning a future beyond the present and its pains. The issue is that we have heard these things so frequently it has become psittacistic. Space exploration is not new in Nigeria’s many fantasies and Onu should have checked with his priors before he uttered those words.
In 2013, the National Space Research and Development Agency made a similar claim: that they would produce the first Nigerian astronaut in 2015! The Director General of the agency who made the promise, Dr. Seidu Mohammed, claimed producing Nigeria’s astronaut by 2015 was part of their comprehensive plan of the agency towards boosting technological development in Nigeria. This is 2016 and nobody seems to remember that we have a promise pending. This year, we are being handed a similar promise by Onu, this time to be realised in about another 15 years. Who knows what another minister would promise for 2040 as soon as 2030 begins to beckon closer?
The same Mohammed said their agency, NASRDA, would design satellites in Nigeria by 2020 and five years later, would also commercialise the technology. If those goals were ever meant to be accomplished, by now there should be various indications in that direction. Nigerians should, by now, be able to see for themselves that the country has matured enough, technologically, to undertake such goals.
The truth however is that we have barely advanced and it is unlikely we ever will at this rate. The reason should be clear to Onu himself: no society sends an astronaut to space in isolation of other contributing factors of its existence. Nigeria should not be joining conversations about space technology for now, not because such accomplishments are beyond our natural endowments as a race or culture but because collectively, our society does not yet guarantee the kind of conducive atmosphere where ideas are allowed to thrive for such a goal to be possible.
It would be rather easy – too much in fact- to point at the infrastructure that are not working in Nigeria presently – such as power supply and similar basic provision and hold that up as proof the nation is not going anywhere. Yet, the reason we are stuck in pre-modern times goes far beyond that. It is that we are a resolutely anti-intellectual society, a superficial one that spies on – and tries to copy the accomplishments of others – with nary an understanding of the social and cultural philosophy on which those technological advancements were anchored. We dream of certain accomplishments but abjure the sacrifices and the processes others have made as they walked towards similar goals. As a culture, we act like the lazy person who desires the good things of this world; s/he lies on his back all day fantasising about living “the life” yet would not let rise and let his/her feet make contact with the ground of reality.
If Nigeria wants to join the club of nations such as the US, India, Japan, China, Russia, and Canada, in space exploration, we cannot begin with mere declarations and more noise but by inscribing certain ideas into every vein and artery of our national existence. We have to start by working on more fundamental things such as repairing our vandalised educational and social value system. To raise an astronaut in an abiku society like Nigeria entails rewriting our social DNA, re-ordering our priorities, and essentially building a modern society.
Nigeria’s goal should not be to have an astronaut by any stated date – a budding society like Nigeria that reasons that way will never rise above its mediocrity. What our country and its peoples should be concerned with is crafting an ideology, a national philosophy, that will jumpstart development in all facets of our life, of which sending an astronaut up there by whenever will be one of the many fruits of the social charter we have crafted.
Onu himself knows that presently, his dream of space technology, one must say, is almost as unattainable as saying Nigeria would become one of the 20 biggest economies in the world by year 2020. Even though no one in Nigeria seems bugged by the possibility of the Nigerian economy becoming anything anyone would reckon with in another four years, the idea of landing an astronaut in space by 2030 should not be just another sad joke meant to be cynically laughed to death.

http://www.punchng.com/astronaut-2030-lazy-nigeria-fantasises/

lalasticala

If this is mere generation, I wonder the amount lost in transmitting. What is buhari even doing in nuclear Summit when we are the nation is in total darkness?

The current scarcity of petrol became more acute on Wednesday as reports from various parts of the country indicated that the product was selling far above the official pump price at filling stations operated by independent and major marketers.
Black market hawkers also had a field day in most cities by selling the product as high as N250 per litre instead of the official pump prices of N86 for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation retail outlets and N86.50 in other operators’ stations.
In parts of Lagos and Ogun states, the few filling stations that had the product were selling at almost double the regulated price.
At World Oil and Ascon filling stations along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State, the product was sold for N170 and N120, respectively on Wednesday, while many stations in Ota sold it for N140 per litre.
One of our correspondents gathered that most private depots in Apapa, Lagos were selling the Premium Motor Spirit ticket at N125 per litre to dealers as against the approved price of N76.50 per litre.
A top official of one of the independent marketers in Apapa said the supply situation at the depots had not changed.
“We don’t have products; we are just doing epileptic loading. The NNPC promised to bring in at least two vessels between now and Friday and they left a parking space vacant since yesterday (Tuesday). But I was surprised that an NLNG vessel, Gas Providence, berthed there this afternoon, and that one will take a minimum of three days before leaving. That means the supply situation cannot be improved in Apapa until about three days’ time,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained.
On the promise by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, that the queues would disappear on or before April 7, the source said, “It is not achievable. You need consistent supply of minimum of two vessels discharging at the jetty in Apapa every day before the scarcity can be arrested.”
The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Lagos Zone, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, said, “I don’t know the magic the minister wants to use, but as of today, nothing has changed at the depots. After nine days, we will re-evaluate and see whether he was speaking from both sides of his mouth or he was talking sense.”
The National Operation Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, said the price distortion at filling stations was as a result of the scarcity of the product, adding that Nigerians should exercise patience since the minister had said the scarcity would end by next week.
In Abuja, the scarcity of petrol grew more complicated as hundreds of motorists spent over 10 hours in fuel queues at the few filling stations that dispensed the product.
Ten litres of the product was sold for N4,000 by hawkers, who were bold enough to display the commodity around the headquarters of the NNPC at the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory.
The two petrol stations, Total and Conoil, located right opposite the NNPC headquarters, dispensed products, but the massive queues blocked the only access road in the area for several hours.
One of our correspondents observed that the cost of transportation in Abuja and environs had doubled.
Taxi drivers were charging between N500 and N700 for a ride of less than five minutes instead of the previous N300.
In Minna, Niger State, most of the filling stations did not have the product on Wednesday, with the few that had it selling a litre of petrol for N180 and recorded long queues.
The situation led to reduction in the number of vehicles plying roads in the state capital since most motorists could not wake up as early as 4am and in the long queues for five to six hours to get fuel.
However, the NNPC mega stations in Minna and Suleja recorded long queues of motorists, while those who could not wait in the queues patronised the black marketers, who sold the product for between N220 and N240 per litre.
In Akwa Ibom State, the product sold for between N160 and N170 per litre. Though there was no scarcity of the product in the state, queues were noticeable at the NNPC mega station along the Ikot Ekpene Road, Uyo.
The Controller, Operations, Department of Petroleum Resources, Eket Office, Mr. Bassey Nkanga, said the agency was monitoring the sale of fuel in the state.
He added that most filling stations were now selling fuel at night so as to avoid arrest by officials of the department.
A litre of petrol now sells for between N150 and N170 in the few independent marketers’ filling stations that have the product in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
While many filling stations in the state, especially in Ilorin, did not have the product on Wednesday, a few at Tanke, Pipeline and Ajase-Ipo road sold the product for between N150 and N170, while those at the hinterland were selling at N200 per litre.
It was also gathered that a litre of petrol was being sold on the black market for between N250 and N300.
One of our correspondents reported that petrol was selling for N150 per litre in most filling stations in Imo State, while the black marketeers were selling it for N300.
In the Kaduna metropolis and environs, the product sold for N180 per litre at filling stations on Wednesday.
The Federal Government, however, said it was aware of the difficulties that Nigerians were facing as a result of the lingering fuel scarcity and poor power supply.
Speaking when he visited a media house in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the government was working round the clock to provide solutions to the challenges of fuel scarcity and power shortage, according to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Segun Adeyemi.
Mohammed was quoted to have said, “As a government that was propelled into office by the power of the people, we cannot but feel the pains of our compatriots, and we deeply empathise with them.
“Our message to our compatriots is that this administration, under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, is working round the clock to ease the pains of Nigerians and that very soon, the efforts of the government will begin to yield fruits for the benefit of Nigerians.
“While we give no excuses for the challenges currently being faced by Nigerians, because they voted for us specifically to address those challenges, we appeal to them to bear with us as we strive to provide the much-needed relief in the days ahead.”
The minister also said that the government was aware that Nigerians had started questioning the genuineness of its change mantra.
“We understand the scepticism of Nigerians in questioning whether this indeed is the change they voted for. I can tell Nigerians that our change agenda is real, and that, indeed, Nigerians will get the change they voted for,” he said.
The minister said immediate measures were being taken to end the fuel scarcity, while medium and long-term solutions were being worked out to prevent a recurrence.
He said, “Petroleum product supply and distribution have been ramped up across the country by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to ensure product availability in the country, but repeated trips to filling stations and the backlog are making it impossible to immediately feel the impact.
“Monitoring has also been intensified to ensure full compliance with approved prices. Violations of approved prices and hoarding of petroleum products attract severe penalties, including giving out of petroleum products free to the public, sealing off of fuel stations found to be hoarding petroleum products, payment of fine as well as withdrawal of marketer’s licence.
“The ultimate is to ensure self-sufficiency in refined products supply by ramping up our local refining capacity. All local refineries will be made to run at a minimum 70 per cent capacity utilisation in the weeks ahead.
“This is in addition to the initiative of increasing the combined capacity of the domestic refineries through co-locating smaller but cost-efficient modular refineries within the existing refinery premises.”
Mohammed also announced the willingness of the international upstream oil companies to support the major oil marketing companies with the required foreign exchange, thus complementing the efforts of the NNPC, which has been solely importing refined products.
On the power situation, which he blamed largely on lack of gas supply to the generating stations, the minister said the NNPC was seeking alternative sources of gas supply after the attack on the Forcados Export Pipeline had forced the cut off of supplies to the stations.

http://www.punchng.com/marketers-hawkers-raise-petrol-price-as-scarcity-worsens/

lalasticala

The total generated electricity on Wednesday fell to 2,030.5 megawatts from the over 5,000MW peak recorded earlier this year.

Data obtained from the power System Operator in Abuja on Wednesday showed that as of 8.37am, electricity generation had fallen by over 800MW when compared to the 2,841.9MW that was recorded at 12.42pm last week Thursday.

The fall in power generation, according to officials of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing as well as private investors in the sector, is as a result of vandalism of gas pipelines and the destruction of vital infrastructure in the industry by miscreants.

“Aside pipelines vandalism, some miscreants have been involved in the destruction of vital power infrastructure, and this has been affecting not just generation, but transmission and distribution as well,” a senior official at the ministry said.

The official, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, also stressed that the ongoing difficulty in the downstream oil industry was also impacting negatively on the power sector.

Corroborating this, the Executive Director, Association of National Electricity Distributors, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, said the power situation was a big concern to operators in the sector as they were losing huge amount of money due to the development.

On the cause for the drop in power generation, he said, “It is mainly because of gas pipelines’ vandalism although there are a few other issues that also attribute to it. But I must say that the current poor supply of electricity across the country is not the fault of the distribution companies.”

On electricity load allocation to power distribution companies, the System Operator stated that Ikeja Electric got 304.58MW; Abuja, 233.51MW; Eko, 233.36MW; Benin, 182.75MW; Ibadan, 263.97MW; Jos, 111.68MW; Kano, 162.44MW; Kaduna, 162.44MW; Port Harcourt, 131.98MW; and Yola, 71.07MW.

Oduntan explained that the more power allocated to the Discos, the more hours of supply to households across the country.

“The drop in generation is affecting everyone, particularly at a time when there is petrol scarcity. For if we get enough allocation, this will mean more hours of power supply to households as well as to industries and other organisations across the country,” he said.