Noibi Abiodun - My Blog!: 2012

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Forget the Olympics… Naija music loud in Notting Hill

FROM the preparation stage, up till the opening ceremony of the ongoing London Olympics, Nigerians all over the world were hopeful that, perhaps this would be one of the best outings for Team Nigeria. But as the games progressed, it became obvious that winning medals at international games such as the Olympics more than child’s play. While Nigeria is still struggling to register on the medals’ table, countries such as China, United States of America and host, Britain, who had proper preparations, are currently topping the medals table.
From table tennis to boxing, canoeing, athletics, basketball and other minor sports, it has been a woeful outing for Team Nigeria, though there are still hopes of picking something from wrestling, long jump and Taekwando, where the captain of Team Nigeria, Chika Chukwumerije, is expected to show leadership
For the country’s sports administrators, this is obviously the right time to start looking at areas where Nigeria could have competitive advantage and develop those areas of sports. Of course, if smaller countries with little resources such as Jamaica and Granada could win medals at the games, Nigeria, a country of over 150 million people with rich human and natural resources, has no excuse for not competing effectively with the likes of Britain, China, United States and the rest.
However, for Nigerians in the United Kingdom, who had eagerly waited for the opportunity to fly the country’s green and white flag high in the Queen’s land, all hope is not lost yet as Nigerian artistes and showbiz personalities are set to hit London in full force for the 2012 Notting Hill Carnival, the largest street carnival in Europe holding on August 27. At least, showbiz remains one area where Nigeria cannot be faulted.
Based on the list from Sodium Brand Solutions and Reve Entertainment, organisers of the Naija Corner at the carnival, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Kayswitch, Praiz, Mr. Solek and fast rising star Davido will be hitting London to thrill fans with the best of their hits. Stand-up comedians such as Princess, Gbenga Adeyinka 1st and Tee A, who are currently fine-tuning their jokes ahead of the show that will see Naija colours on display, will support them.
In a chat with the Executive Producer of Naija Corner, Abisoye Fagade, the young entrepreneur assured that plans have been made to bring together some of the biggest names in Nigerian showbiz industry to deliver 100 percent entertainment to fans at the authentic Nigerian corner on Golbourne Road W10 (Intersection of Golbourne Gardens and Hazlewood Cresent - Nearest landmark: Trellick Tower).
“It’s the Olympics year and a special one at the Notting Hill carnival. Nigerians will proudly join the rest of the world in the spirit of friendship and joy, as we fly the green-white-green high and show the world our culture and values, using our rich music, comedy, fashion and arts.”
While urging Nigerians to put the Olympics’ disappointments behind and join in the celebration, Fagade said, “this is another opportunity to celebrate the Naija spirit on the streets of London. We encourage Nigerians and lovers of Nigeria to come out in bright Nigerian fashion on Monday August 27, as we gather for this year’s carnival; it’s going to be fun and we look forward to it.”
The Naija Corner is supported by Encomium Weekly, BlackHouse Media Group, thenetng.com, Digiprints, Primetime Africa, Hip TV, Yes International, Alexia, Emblue, E24-7, Aquila Oil, Core Media, Nigezie, Playcentre, Acada, First Class Entertainment, Nigerian Entertainment Today and EME Records.
Conceived in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions in the United Kingdom, the Notting Hill Carnival, which takes place every August Bank Holiday weekend on the streets of London, is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity. At the roots of the Carnival are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century, a particularly strong tradition in Trinidad, which was about celebrating the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. The very first carnival was an attempt to showcase the steel band musicians, who played in the Earls Court of London every Weekend.
Today, Nigeria has become a major force in the yearly carnival, with the Naija Corner hosting some of the best Nigerian stars on stage, including the likes of Banky W, 9ice, Julius Agwu, DJ Abbas, AY, Gbenga Adeyinka, Funke Akindele and others.

UBA boss advocates strong ethical standard in banking sector

TO ensure consumer confidence in the banking sector, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), Phillips Oduoza, has said there is a need for very high ethical standards supported with robust corporate governance, to sustain recent positive developments in the Nigerian banking industry.
The UBA boss said this recently, when the new President and Chairman of Council, Segun Aina and other executive members of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), paid a courtesy visit to the Head Office of the bank in Lagos, as part of the institute’s stakeholder engagement agenda.
Oduoza, who noted that the banking industry has been refocused on real sector growth and development owing the recent regulatory reforms, opined that strict adherence to code of ethic will help sustain the recent gains.
Consequently, he charged the CIBN to continuously drive the adherence to banking ethics, corporate governance and professionalism in the banking industry.
Congragulating the new CIBN President on his recent appointment, Oduoza said UBA is very eager and willing to partner with CIBN.
“UBA has presence in 19 African countries and operates in key financial sectors of the world. Having a very professional and ethical workforce is vital to our operations. Our bank has zero tolerance for unethical behaviour because we believe that capacity building is important for the growth of the industry,” he added.
In his remarks, the CIBN President, who coincidentally started his banking career in UBA in 1974, said the institute has taken key steps to ensure adherence to banking ethics with a view to strengthen Nigeria’s banking industry.
“At CIBN, we believe in consistent development and adherence to ethics. We started a transformation process about a year ago and have developed a new structure to address the needs of the industry.
“UBA is the first bank we are visiting as part of our dialogue with stakeholders, we are glad to partner with the bank in our transformation programme because we are collaborating with institutions to develop the industry, “ he stated.

FAAC to harmonise accounting standards next year

THE Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) sub-committee on the roadmap for the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in the country has promised to harmonise the budgetary system of the three tiers of government before the end of 2013.
Secretary to the FAAC sub-committee on IPSAS, James Nongo, who spoke in Ibadan, at a two-day sensitization workshop for stakeholders in the South-West zone stated that the harmonisation process will be achieved through a uniform chart of accounts system for the three tiers.
He said it will be followed after due approval by relevant stakeholders involved in budgetary and financial management in the three tiers of government.
The workshop for the zone is the fourth in the series of programmes organised by the FAAC sub-committee for the six geo-political zones as part of strategies to get the buy-in of key players for the adoption of the new accounting standards.
The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) Jonah Otunla, who declared the workshop opened noted that government is presently taking concrete steps to ensure that all general purpose financial statements of the three tiers of government become compliant to the provision of IPSAS before the end of 2012.
Otunla stated that the workshop titled, “the adoption of IPSAS in Nigeria-the role of stakeholders” was carefully selected to get the buy-in of political office holders and professionals needed to achieved the process.
According to him, the Federal Executive Council FEC had approved at its meeting of July 28, 2010, that Nigeria adopt the provisions of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and IPSAS for the private and public sectors respectively.
“Consequently, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) at its meeting held on June 13, 2011 set up a Sub-committee to provide a roadmap for the adoption of IPSAS in the three tiers of government in Nigeria.
“This interactive workshop in Ibadan which is for the South-West zone has already been held in Kaduna for North-West, Enugu for South-East and Port Harcourt for the South-South,” hinting that others will be held in Bauchi for the North-East and Abuja for the North-Central before the end of September this year.
Stakeholders, who spoke at the event agreed that the decision by the Federal Government to adopt the new accounting standard was a mile stone that should be encouraged by political players in the three tiers of government in terms of providing the will power for its success.
The FAAC sub-committee has its terms of reference to include ensuring that officers involved in finance and accounts functions understand the core requirement of IPSAS; and adequate coverage of all stakeholders in the distribution of the document and tackling gaps noted in the financial statements of the three tiers in order to ensure that they are bridged.
Its membership comprise of Accountants General of Borno State representing the North-East, Sokoto for North-West, Kwara representing North-Central, Enugu for South-East, Ogun for South-West and Akwa Ibom for South-South.
The membership also includes the chairman, forum of Auditors-General for Local Government Council of Nigeria, representative of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and the Consolidated Accounts Department of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Two years after, Airtel yet to break- even

TWO years after acquiring Zain Telecom’s Africa`s operation for $10.7 billion, Airtel telecommunications company of Nigeria said it was yet to break-even on the operations.
Airtel said that within the two-year period, it has equally invested over $1.2 billion on various service upgrades and network expansions, across its service stations across the country.
Disclosing this on Wednesday, in Lagos, at a media interaction of its two years of service, Airtel’s Chief Executive Officer, Rajan Swaroop, said the company was not daunted by the various challenges bedeviling the sector, stressing that government needs to support the growth of the sector.
Swaroop said despite the challenges, Airtel was able to grow its subscribers base from 14.5 million to 20 million between July 2010 and 2012, an increase of 31 per cent, adding that traffic on its network has also increased by 124 per cent.
The CE0 said the telecommunications firm now has its 3.75G in more than 75 towns and villages in Nigeria with about 3000 sites launched in the country.
“Despite these challenges, we have grown our subscribers to over 20 million. It will interest you to note that two years after that acquisition, we are yet to breakeven”, he stated.
Swaroop, who listed some the challenges troubling operators in the sector to include, multiple taxation, erratic power supply, over regulation, vandalism among others.
He disclosed that operators spent #5 billion monthly on power generation, adding that an average operator suffers between 70 to 80 fibre cuts monthly and an average of 50 to 60 cases of locked up sites in every 30 days.
The Airtel CE0 disclosed that no single approval has been given to the firm for the installation of base stations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, since 2005, which he said has been to various bureaucracies’.
On efforts put up to improve its services, Swaroop said, beside investing heavily on the network, the telecommunications firm in 2011 deployed over 535km fibre, which has been increased to 2070km since the beginning of the year, aimed at expanding and enriching both voice and data services on its network.
Speaking also, the Director of Communications at Airtel, Emeka Opara, telecommunications firm in the country spend a lot in generating their powers, stressing that only 54 per cent of Nigeria is covered by the national grid, “am very sure that the remaining 46 per cent, may never see power. 90 per cent of our businesses run on generator. If you come to Eko Hotel, to host an event, they will ask if they should put you on generator or power and the same goes for other hotels. You can imagine how much that costs us. We also have issues with the area urchings popularly called area boys. They usually demand expensively to load diesel at our BTS, among others.“
Opara hinted that despite the various challenges, the telecommunications firm was poised to continue to deliver best of services.

Google’s global users hit 250m mark

SEARCH giant—Google has informed that its social networking platform— Google+, launched in 2011, has been able to attract 250 million users from Nigeria and other parts of the world.
Google disclosed that Nigerian professionals were among top users, using the platform to connect socially, adding that this feat makes it the fastest growing social network in terms of rate of growth within its first year of launch.
Besides, the search engine also said that with over one million brand pages on it, it has provided brands and companies in Nigeria and other parts of the world an opportunity to build social relationships and share anything with their followers, stressing that half of them log-in every day and spend about an hour on the network.
According to the Communications and Public Relations manager at Google West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, the rate of growth of Google+ was being driven by the social platform’s ability to connect people based on how real life relationships are built.
“Google+ integrates social services such as Google Profiles, and utilizes features Circles, Hangouts and Sparks to give users the human touch while within a online social world. One of the features that make Google+ even more ideal for Nigeria is the Google+ SMS announced in March this year”, he said.
According to him, Google+ SMS makes it possible for everyone to use Google+ on all types of mobile devices – either with data or not. Users can share and keep up with people no matter where they are, and on any phone via SMS.
The Country Manager in Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan said: “We have been hearing all sorts of exciting stories about how Nigerian professional are using Google+ to positively impact the lives of other Nigerians.
Examples such as Emeka Njoku Thaddaeus; a Teaching Assistant at University of Ibadan Distance Learning Center, who uses Google+ to foster e-learning at his university, Dr. Sid of Mavin Record Label, who interacts actively with his fans via ongoing posts around his upcoming projects, and Pastor Nike Adeyemi of the Daystar Christian Center, who used the platform to connect and engage via the Hangouts feature show that Google+ has indeed has found root in Nigeria”
She pointed out that “Google+ presents immense opportunities for businesses and individuals looking to broadcast their products and expertise.”
With Google+, Nigerians can now easily connect, and share their ideas with friends, potential clients and sponsors using via pictures, text or video chat.”

Kola-Ogunlade added that Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day, stressing that it was founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. He said Google today is a top web property in all major global markets.
According to him, Google’s mission in Africa is to make the internet an integral part of everyday life in Africa, by increasing its relevance and usefulness, eliminating access barriers for potential users, and developing products that are meaningful for the countries in the region.

Nigeria targets 6.4m tonne milled rice production by 2015

THE Federal government has initiated moves to increase Nigeria’s “milled rice” production to 6.4 million tonnes per year within the next three years.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina who disclosed this yesterday, added that beside the government working to bring about 100 large rice mills into the country, it had equally planned to achieve the target by forming clusters of rice farms around the mills and also equip farmers with the right seeds, technologies and practices.
According to the Minister, such height, when attained, would mean that Nigeria has made good its resolve to achieve “self sufficiency in rice production and complete substitution of imported rice by the year 2015.”
Adesina said the drive to increase the volume of locally produced rice had become imperative, not only because of the volatile nature of the rice market, but also due to the imminent rise in import bill on the commodity.
The Minister who spoke in Oriokuta in Owode-Egba, Ogun State stated; “Nigeria is the world’s second importer of rice, spending about N356 billion for about two million metric tonnes of milled rice. The world’s rice market is highly volatile. Nigeria largest supplier, Thailand is poised to increase price by over 50 per cent. Hence, if we do not grow our own rice, our import bill may also go up by 50 per cent“.
He spoke while commissioning a cottage rice mill, an agro - processing unit for S.K.F. He was represented at the occasion by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi.
According to him, the government would encourage local production of rice, stressing that Nigeria, not only spends N1billion daily on rice importation but also risk paying more in foreign currency in future to import rice.
He said: “We have started with the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) where the issues of right seedlings are taken care of. Hitherto, people are planting just grains not realising that they will not get the correct yield. So, we will ensure now that the farmers get the correct seeds, to equally ensure higher yield.
“The second leg is that of fertiliser which is also part of GES, we distributing subsidised fertilisers and other agro - chemicals to farmers. We are also mechanised agriculture so that we can have a rice growing clusters where existing farmers would be given all inputs and they would be around rice mills like this. So that rice mill like this would not lie waste and the market would also spring around the area”.
“The Federal Government is also bringing in 100 large Rice processing mills because we know that without those things, we won’t be able to produce the rice that have the correct quality and comparable to the one our people are lusting after.”
According to him, “our people tend to go for the rice from overseas rather patronise locally made ones. But if we are produce locally rice that compare favourably with foreign ones, our people will go for home grown rice.“

Govt approves N34bn payout for retirees

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has finally approved the release of N34 billion to offset the outstanding accrued rights of retirees and death benefits of deceased employees of Federal Government, under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
Specifically, the beneficiaries of the fund, according to a release from the National Pension Commission (PenCom), signed by its spokesman, Emeka Onuora, include retired employees that enrolled with the commission, “including next of kins of deceased employees that have documented with the Pension Fund Administrators…but who have not been paid their entitlements”.
The President’s approval was sequel to the recommendation of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the submission made by Pencom to the government on the status of the account and the identified huge deficit.
The Federal Government, under the CPS, has been setting aside five per cent of its total monthly wage bill into the retirement bond redemption account with the Central Bank of Nigeria, for the settlement of the accrued pension rights of its employees since the commencement of the pension scheme, as required by the Pension Reform Act, 2004.
However, the account has been overstretched in recent years with the upsurge of retirements from the Federal Civil Service, occasioned by the tenure policy, voluntary retirements and thousands of unredeemed death benefit claims, resulting into heavy back log of arrears that could not be accommodated due to paucity of funds in the account, giving rise to untold hardship to retirees and next of kins of deceased pensioners.
The Pension Reform Act 2004 is the most recent legislation of the Federal Government aimed at addressing the associated problems of the old pension system.
It established the CPS, which is a uniform pension system for both the public and private sectors.
Similarly, for the first time in the history of the country, PenCom was established to regulate and supervise all pension matters in the country.
The scheme is being managed by licensed Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), while the custody of the pension fund assets are provided by licensed Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs).
The law that established the CPS mandated all workers in the public service of the federation, Federal Capital Territory and the private sector where the total number of employees is five or more to join the contributory scheme.
However, existing pensioners and workers that had three years or less to retire in accordance with the terms of their contract of employment were exempted from the scheme. Also exempted were the categories of persons under Section 291 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Under this scheme, public sector workers contribute a minimum of 7.5 per cent of their monthly emoluments but the military personnel contribute 2.5 per cent.
The public sector contributes 7.5 per cent on behalf its workers and 12.5 per cent in the case of the military.
Employers and employees in the private sector contribute a minimum of 7.5 per cent each.
An employer may elect to contribute on -behalf of the employees such that the total contribution shall not be less than 15 per cent of the monthly emolument of the employees.
An employer is obliged to deduct and remit contributions to a custodian within seven days from the day the employee is paid his salary, while the custodian shall notify the PFA within 24 hours of the receipt of such contribution. Contribution and retirement benefits are tax-exempt.

Ajimobi charges police on security, leaves for lesser Hajj

GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has charged members of the Nigeria Police to be fearless in addressing the security challenges in the country.
Meanwhile, Ajimobi will today leave for Saudi Arabia to observe Umrah (lesser hajj).
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, in a statement issued in Ibadan yesterday, said that the governor would be leaving with three of his aides.
The governor gave the charge in Ibadan yesterday while receiving the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11, Mr. Orubebe Ghandi Ebikemeh, who was on a courtesy visit to his office.
According to him, since the police were saddled with the responsibility of providing security for lives and property of Nigerians, only a bold step was required to be taken by members of the Force to re-assure the citizens that their lives and property were safe.
Ajimobi also charged the police to avoid taking side in any given situation in the performance of their duties.
He said that his administration would continue to accord priority to security, adding that the recently launched state Security Trust Fund would further strengthen the state in its efforts at providing the necessary security in the state.
“Talking about security generally, Oyo State takes security very seriously, hence we have cooperated and worked closely with the police; here, we obey the rule of law and we are guided by it. Oyo today is a peaceful and secured state, and we are not only ready for business but also, we are prepared to accommodate people of different ethnic backgrounds,” he said.
The governor, who disclosed that his administration was, at its inception, faced with the menace of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), however, expressed happiness that the situation had successfully been nipped in the bud.
This, he said, was made possible because government was able to separate the activities of the union from politics, adding “while NURTW was made to face the transport business, government, on its own part, was saddled with the responsibility of providing good governance and social amenities to all and sundry.”
Speaking earlier, the AIG commended the Ajimobi administration for its support and assistance to the state police command, saying this had continued to boost the morale of the officers and men of the command in the performance of their duties.
Ebikemeh noted that the security of any nation was a collective responsibility of the people, stressing the need for them to provide the police with useful information at all times.
He gave the names of the aides as Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Special Adviser on Water Resources, Alhaji Fatai Buhari and Personal Assistant to the Governor, Mr. Dayo Iyaniwura.
According to Adedayo, Ajimobi would offer special prayers for peace and tranquility, as well as the socio-economic development of Oyo State and Nigeria in general.

Fashola canvasses voluntary traffic law compliance

GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has called for voluntary compliance rather than opting for punishment in the new Lagos State traffic law.
In the same vein, the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described Lagos PDP’s faulting of the new Lagos traffic laws as confused and typical of the directionless state of the state chapter of the PDP.
Fashola added that the traffic law was meant to curtail reckless driving among drivers in the state, saying that it was one of the strategies adopted to make Lagos a mega city.
The governor made the call at the 43rd Bi-conference of the Methodist Church of Nigeria with the theme, “I will do a new thing” held at the Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba yesterday.
Fashola said that some of the sanctions for the traffic offences were more of community service while extreme punishments were designed for habitual offenders.
In a statement in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that what remained of the PDP in Lagos is that it thinks it can source political strength through bland and uninformed criticism of every action of the Lagos State government.
It advised the PDP to stop thinking it would constitute a cog in the wheel of progress in Lagos by its often specious reactions to actions of the Lagos State with the hope it would sow sufficient bad blood against the government in the minds of Lagosians.
He added: “It is curious to read the Lagos PDP’s ludicrous claim that the new traffic laws are ambiguous without pointing out the ambiguity in the well elucidated laws. We are aware that the Lagos State government has mapped out extensive enlightenment exercises by the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) to acquaint Lagosians of these new laws before starting implementation. We are aware that far reaching media campaigns and enlightenment of these laws are presently going on and we wonder why Lagos PDP could indulge on the mischief of alleging that the law is hidden from the public, if not to sow mischief among Lagosians.
“Lagos ACN is well convinced that what decides PDP’s reactions on issues that concern Lagos is the indecent urge and desire to corner the state for its selfish purposes and not the interest of Lagosians.
“This has made the PDP to engage in awkward trading of lies, mischief and tendentious allegations with the hope that they will sever the bond that binds Lagosians with the ACN. In the issue in focus, such permanent state of selfish-driven mischief is exhibited where the PDP came out to criticise a well founded law meant to ease the traffic problems on Lagos roads, save the lives of thousands of Lagosians and save precious man hours lost to intractable traffic bottlenecks with the hollow allegation that Lagosians are not aware of the provisions of the law.”
This is despite of the fact that the Lagos State government is engaged in elaborate public enlightenment efforts to sensitise Lagosians of the law before it starts its operations, Igbokwe stressed.
The party added: “We want to advice the good people of Lagos to beware of the leaven of the PDP for it does not bode good for Lagosians. We want to let them know that the new traffic laws were enacted to sanitise road usage in Lagos, drastically reduce the high rates of accidents and deaths on Lagos roads.
“The law was enacted for the safety and well being of Lagosians and seeks to impart desirable codes of conduct on Lagos drivers and we wonder why any responsible party that purports to seek to govern Lagos should quarrel with this if not to impose a state of bedlam and horror on Lagos roads.

Labour rejects new electricity tariffs

THE labour movement has rejected the upward review of electricity tariffs by the Federal Government.
Yesterday too, commercial activities at the Shiroro Hydro Electricity Dam were yesterday brought to a standstill as the National Union of Electricity Employee protested against what they called the decision of the Federal Government to retire them under the new pension scheme instead of the old one as contained in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) condition of service.
Conveying labour’s perspective yesterday at a meeting with the Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Emeka Wogu and the Chairman, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, President of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Peter Esele declared that Nigerians could not pay for illegality that the increase represented.
His words: “ One of the issues also has to do with the political leadership; sometimes they put the cat before the horse. NERC says it wants to make meters available for everybody so that we start paying for what we consume. And he said in 18 months. My question is, if right now I am not paying for what I consume, you are saying that I will continue to pay illegally 18 months before the meters are available?”
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was absent at the meeting as it strives to restructure its secretariat. Its President, Abdulwahed Omar was not only absent, no representation was sent by the labour centre.

During the meeting, Amadi had assured that in the next 12 to 18 months, the power distribution companies would supply meters to most electricity consumers in the country.
The NERC’s boss explained that what was planned to take effect on June 1 was an adjustment in the tariff, which would make the poor pay less.
The poor in the electricity context, according to Amadi, are the least consumers of power. According to him, the rich and poor have nothing to do with their geographical location but the kilowatts of electricity they consume, which graduate them from one class to another.
This argument failed to persuade Esele, who accused government of reneging on previous agreements upon which several billions of naira were expended.
He queried the rationale behind adjusting the tariff in the face of erratic power supply.
The PHCN protesters accused Nnaji of insensitivity and high handedness in the handling of the entire affair as it affects the proposed retirement of the PHCN workers.
The workers, who lamented the alleged plan by the Federal Government to forcefully retire them under the new pension scheme, said that they were ready to go if government paid their retirement benefits under the old pension arrangement, adding that they were not against privatisation of the company as alleged by the government.
The Chairman of the union, Mallam Nagwa Mohammed, stated that most of them had been told to go but nothing had been said about their benefits, rather they were being told to go and register with the Pension Commission (PENCOM) “which we see as an aberration as that is not what was contained in PHCN condition of service.”
Besides, the relationship between the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) seems to have hit the rock finally.
Reason: despite several efforts to manage the complaints about alleged deductions from staff pension, the bubble has burst.
As such, government has turned to NLC to assist it to trace the pension fund of workers.
A statement from the Ministry of power yesterday entitled “ Where are the PHCN Superannuation Fund Collections?” sought the assistance of the NLC to help government trace the whereabouts of PHCN workers’ contributions which the congress asked government to pay within seven days or face a nationwide strike.

Clinton welcomes reforms in Nigeria, silent on insecurity

UNITED States Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Clinton yesterday met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, declaring that if the economic reforms being implemented is carried out to a logical end, “the future for Nigeria is limitless.”
Clinton also charged President Jonathan to ensure that there are better opportunities for all Nigerians so that every young boy and girl will have chance to fulfill his or her God given potential.
She pledged that the American government will work closely with Nigeria in order to make the reforms embarked upon by the government to endure “and take the tough decisions that are necessary.”
Clinton, who arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was driven straight to the Presidential Villa where she was received at the foyer of the President’s office by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru.
She arrived by 3.52 p.m. with a retinue of aides and media team. Her convoy drove into the foyer of the President’s office, a honour granted to only visiting Heads of State and Government. Ashiru led Clinton into the President’s office for a formal welcome and meeting with President Jonathan. Both the American and Nigerian delegations later went into talks.
After the meeting, Clinton said: “You know how committed United States and the Obama administration is to our partnership with your country. We consider it absolutely vital to our bi-National Commission, which has helped us to expand and deepen our co-operation on full range of issues. We are working on economic matters, the improvement of productivity in agriculture, education and health, security, diversification of your economy and so much more. We intend to remain very supportive on your reform efforts. Thank you for mentioning the work we did together on the election.
“We were also very supportive of anti-corruption reform efforts, more transparency in the work that you and your team are also championing because we really believe that the future for Nigeria is limitless. But the most important task that you face, as you have said, is making sure that there are better opportunities for all Nigerians, South, East, West, every young boy and girl to have chance to fulfill his God given potential. We want to work with you and we will be by your side as you make the reforms and take the tough decisions that are necessary.”
President Jonathan extolled the roles played by President Barrack Obama and Mrs. Clinton in supporting the deepening of democracy and good governance in Africa.
He said: “Within this period of being Secretary of State, she (Clinton) has raised the relationship between Nigeria and America to a very high level that we have never reached for quiet some time by personally chairing the Bi-national commission and we have discussed various things - security, economy and so on and so forth. She has been very supportive. And of course, the President of America, President Obama administration is also quiet passionate about Africa and Nigeria. He has always been very supportive of us for the past five years, from the days I came in as Vice President, especially that period as a nation that we faced a lot of challenges when the late President was very ill and we passed through turbulent period.
The support given us is one of those support that stabilised this country. When we insisted we must conduct an election that is free and fair, as the only way we can stabilise democracy, they were very supportive. They gave us moral support and gave technical support to INEC and assisted us to make sure that we conducted elections that national and international observers declared as free and fair. So, let me on behalf of government and good people of Nigeria really thank you and President Obama and the good people of America for this your support for Nigeria and Africa and all what you are doing to make sure that this part of the globe develop.”
Among members of the Nigerian delegation to the meeting were Ministers of Finance (Dr. Okonjo-Iweala), Agriculture (Dr. Akinwumi Adesina), Power (Barth Nnaji), Petroleum Resources (Deziani Alison Madueke) and Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada. Others at the meeting include the National Security Adviser (Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd)), Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyin Petinrin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar and Director General of State Security Services, Mr Ita Ekpeyong.

Bakassi declares independence, hoists flag

THEY began with a cry for help from their country. They wanted the Federal Government to take them back to their homeland in Bakassi. It is now about a decade since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the oil-rich Bakassi did not belong to Nigeria but Cameroun.
But for almost a decade, their hope has remained forlorn. So yesterday, the indigenes of Bakassi finally took their destiny in their own hands. They declared themselves independent of Nigeria. They went further. They hoisted their official flag and launched a radio station.
The Bakassi Self-Determination Front (BSDF) is the rallying point for all this. It hoisted a blue, white and red flag with 11 stars on the blue colour.
This development is coming a week after the Ogoni declared their independence on August 2, 2012.
The Bakassi’s radio station started transmission on August 6 at noon and operates on 4.2MHz and 5.2MHz band. The station, otherwise known as “Dayspring”, is part of efforts by the group to ensure the liberation of Bakassi people as well as disseminate information on developments.
Already, the Camerounian soldiers have piled up arms in the peninsula ready for any action as the Bakassi group had issued a two-week ultimatum to its people still living within the ceded territory to vacate or be crushed in a cross-fire.
In his maiden broadcast, the Commander-General of the BSDF, Ekpe Ekpenyong Oku, said: “Please for the umpteenth time, we plead with our people to leave Abana now. The fight is going to be thickest and fiercest now that our brothers from the northern and eastern flanks have fully arrived. Bakassi we hail thee.”
Oku revealed that arrangements had been concluded with some international liberation groups to assist the Bakassi natives in the battle ahead.
The Bakassi militant leader did not disclose details of the international liberation group but noted: “Ours will be a classical story of the elephant and the ant. The elephant will soon be driven frantic with ants all over its enormous bulk. The elephant will be so harassed and will find no respite and will dash itself against a tree trunk.
“Throughout history, injured people have had to resort to arms in their self-defence where peaceful negotiations fail. Bakassi people are no exception. Our right to self-determination is imminent; some will die, but some will live to reap from our labour.”
The BSDF warned all travellers on the sea to stay away as “August 11 and 12, 2012 this week will be bloody and is not good to travel on the sea.
“No sea movement so that you don’t have cause to regret. There shall be no movement of boats from Ikang or Marina beach to Cameroun on these two days. Be warned.
“We call on men of goodwill, individuals, human rights organisations and the indigenous people of Bakassi to join hands in resisting and fighting the present international conspiracy.”
In the wake of the Green Tree Agreement, (GTA) in 2006, a group under the name ‘Bakassi Freedom Fighters’ had threatened to seek independence if Nigeria renounced sovereignty.
The group even went ahead to hoist the then Bakassi flag of the rising sun in Abana, the headquarters of Bakassi now in Cameroun.
But a few days to handing over Bakassi to Cameroun at the Government House in Calabar, Cross River State, the leader of the militant group, Tony Ene, died in a mysterious road accident along Calabar-Itu highway.
The federal and state governments were strongly fingered in the death of Ene.
Now, tension is high in the peninsula as some Nigerians have started fleeing the area for safety as it is alleged that the village head of Ekoi, near Abana, Chief Okon Effiong Esu, is missing and there is the fear that he might have been killed by Camerounian soldiers.

Bakassi declares independence, hoists flag

Ban, UNDP want Nigerian youths in leadership

THE United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged more youth engagement in global development.
Also the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Country Representative in Nigeria, Daouda Toure, has decried the lack of opportunities for Nigerian youths to correctly participate in the political process.
The concerns by Ban and Toure were expressed at the commemoration of the International Youth Day in Abuja, yesterday.
The event was organised by the Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) of the UNDP.
According to them, the world was fast losing grip of youth potential for economic, political and social development spreading underdevelopment through “low-wage, dead-end work and record levels of unemployment.”
Ban, whose message was delivered by the Deputy Country Director of the UNDP in Nigeria, Ade Mamonyane-Lekoetje, stressed further that, “the global economic crisis has hit youth the hardest and many are understandably discouraged by rising inequalities. A large number have no immediate prospects and are disenfranchised from the political, social and development processes in their countries without urgent measures, we risk creating a lost generation of squandered talent and dreams.”
Speaking on the theme for this year’s anniversary: “Youth Political Participation: Setting an Agenda for Good Governance and Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria, Toure said: “The youth constitute over 50 per cent of the voting population in Nigeria. However, inadequate and deliberate measures to actively engage them in the electoral process have largely hindered their input in the nascent electoral democracy in Nigeria.”
The UNDP chief listed some of the “obvious shortcomings” in youth involvement in Nigeria’s political process to include “somehow low participation of youths in the election of political leaders at all levels, relatively limited political parties youth leaders, lack of effective representation of youths in the political governance structure of the country and the political manipulation of youths for undesirable ends.”
On the way forward, he said: “Undoubtedly, there is a dire need for greater social investment in young people to promote active citizenry to develop tolerance and commitment to peace, justice and human rights in Nigeria and to develop their full potential for creative leadership in democratic governance.”
Though, the social media are largely not regulated, they have succeeded in giving development voices to the indigenous communities, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has said.
In commemoration of the 2012 edition of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, which has the theme, “Indigenous media, empowering indigenous voices”, the ILO said social media and radio had indeed uplifted the development strides of the people.
With about half of the world’s indigenous people living in cities - where connection to the wired world is comparatively easy, electronic media is playing a growing role in promoting their rights.
“Thanks to the Internet, it only takes a couple of seconds for news related to indigenous communities to travel from one part of the world to the other,” said Karmen Ramirez Boscan, who runs a community website.

W’Bank, others list obstacles to business growth in Nigeria

A REPORT on the investment climate in Nigeria undertaken in 26 states spread across the six geo-political zones has indicated huge constraints that negatively affect start-up and growth of business.
The revelation came as the Federal Government intensified effort to attract more foreign direct investments and encourage local entrepreneurs to invest in Nigeria as a way of diversifying revenue sources and boosting the economy.
Topmost on the list is epileptic power supply and corruption in form of bribes demanded by government officials responsible for licensing businesses and other necessary frameworks to commence businesses, according to the report officially launched in Abuja yesterday by the Governor of Anambra State, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Peter Obi.
But the Trade and Investment Minister, Mr. Olusegun Aganga has said initiatives are already at advance stage to enthrone a more transparent regime of processing business start-up in Nigeria where entrepreneurs would begin to apply for registration or file their tax returns from the comfort of their homes without interfacing with officials.
Governor Obi yesterday declared that the objective of economic diversification initiative in Nigeria would remain a ruse if governments at all tiers continue to show preference for imported goods that have alternatives produced locally. He called on administrators at all levels to embrace made-in-Nigeria goods as a way of boosting industrialisation in the country.
The Investment Climate Analysis Report reviews the experiences of over 3000 surveyed business owners in the 26 states about the aspects of the business climate that affect their businesses. It complements a similar study in 2007 that covered 11 other states. The survey asks business owners about both their perceptions and the actual costs of selected constraints. The analysis benchmarks Nigeria against comparator countries, and provides detailed data for each state.
The report reads in part: “ Nigerian firms have low productivity, as measured by their output in relation to their labour and capital inputs. Firms in Kenya are about 40 per cent more efficient, firms in Russia almost twice as productive, and firms in South Africa almost four times as productive. Nigerian firms that export are about 90 per cent more productive than non-exporters. Although labour in Nigeria is inexpensive, it is not inexpensive enough to compensate for this low productivity. The poor performance of Nigerian firms reflects many factors. This study focuses on constraints in the business climate and the serious costs they impose on Nigerian firms. Taken together, the total indirect costs of poor quality infrastructure, crime and security, and corruption amount to over 10 percent of sales for Nigerian firms. This is twice as high as in South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia.”
According to the report, “ Nigerian businesses’ biggest reported problem is the unreliable power supply. About 83 per cent of all managers surveyed considered electricity outage to be a serious problem—more than any other constraint. Firms of all sizes, in all states and sectors, report average power outages equivalent to eight hours per day. The average firm reported that outages lost them money equivalent to more than four per cent of sales. No comparator country experiences such severe business losses related to the power supply.”
The findings also indicate that “business owners’ second biggest obstacle is financing. About half of all firms reported that access to finance and its high cost constitute a serious problem. Only about 12 per cent of surveyed firms have an overdraft facility and only about 14 per cent have a line of credit or loan—about one-half or one-third the shares in comparator countries like Kenya and South Africa. About 60 per cent of firms that applied for loans in the previous year had their applications rejected - far more than in most of the comparator countries.”
“Collateral requirements are high in Nigeria: fully 89 per cent of loans required collateral, and the average collateral amount was 160 per cent of the loan, compared to say, 100 percent in South Africa. Loan duration is relatively short, as well. This suggests that even firms that have loans might not be able to get as much credit as they want and may not be able to finance cost, especially for exporters and larger firms.’’
The survey under the Federal Government’s Growth and Employment in States (GEMS), an initiative of the Nigerian Government, UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank aims at reducing poverty in the country through reform of the business environment and increased competitiveness in selected industry clusters.
In a comment at the launch yesterday, the Country Director, World Bank, Nigeria, Ms. Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, said that despite the current infrastructure challenge facing Nigeria, the country remains the most attractive place for both local and foreign investors.
She, however, said there was need for the country to improve its business environment in order to maximise the hugely untapped investment opportunities that exist across the country.
“The basic lesson from the World Bank Assessment Report titled “ Nigeria, An Assessment of the Investment Climate in 26 states”, is that there are critical constraints in Nigeria that impede the development of the non-oil sector. Some of the critical issues include electricity, which affects the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises.
In his keynote address, Aganga said his ministry had already embarked on far-reaching investment climate reforms in order to improve the county’s competitiveness ranking and attract more Foreign Direct Investment into the country.
Specifically, Aganga stated that his ministry was partnering the Ministry of Power for the provision of uninterrupted electricity to nine industrial cities by the first quarter of 2013.

Hitches as families begin collection of Dana crash victims’ bodies

• Journalist injured in clash with morgue officials
• Witness accuses crew members of ignoring flight rules
FAMILIES of the victims of the June 3, 2012 Dana plane crash in Lagos, did not collect the bodies of their relations yesterday as they came to the venue of the event unprepared.
Contrary to the directive of the state government, they come to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) with caskets for the collection of the charred remains of the victims, they all came without the vital equipment.
The exercise was further spoilt by a row between journalists and morgue officials, which degenerated into a fisticuff.
When the dust settled, one of the photo-journalists had his head smashed for allegedly attempting to take a shot of the body of one of the deceased.
The first batch of 20 of the victims’ families showed up yesterday for the documentation processes at the Lekan Ogunsola Memorial House in LASUTH.
The initiative by state government to release 20 of the 107 bodies per day, paid off as the process went on smoothly.
The injured photo-journalist was identified as Benedict Uwalaka of the Leadership Newspapers. He is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Some family members and friends dressed in black attires completed the documentation processes, but the number of bodies released to their families was not immediately made public.
A representative of one of the families of the deceased, Uchechukwu Ohakaibeya, told The Guardian that the protocol was satisfactory and lauded the state government for choosing to do it differently. Ohakaibeya lost his close friend, Sunday Enumah, in the crash.
The release of the second batch of 20 bodies continues today. There are 132 bodies that have so far been identified, but only 25 have been released to their families since the crash occurred while 16 bodies are yet to be identified.
A family member, however, protested the non-inclusion of his relation’s name on the 132-name list pasted at the crisis centre.
In a reaction, LASUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Adewale Oke, said that the relation’s name must have been among the unidentifiable victims.
“This is because some relations didn’t come forward during the DNA processes. Some bodies were also so badly burnt that they could not do with the DNA materials. But the team of pathologists and examiners are still here to find a way to identify the 16 bodies. We have nothing to gain by keeping the bodies.
“Twenty bodies would be released per day until we’ve exhausted it. After that there will be a meeting with the families of those we cannot identify, to see if we can take more specimen. That will be faster because they are about 20. What happened to the unidentifiable bodies will be determined by the families.”
On the delay in releasing the bodies yesterday, Oke said: “It is because some people would come, complete the documentation process but will not be ready to collect the body. To redeem your body, you have to bring your casket, among others. Some of the relatives begged us yesterday to keep their bodies here while they make preparation. But 20 bodies will be released today (yesterday) barring any of these unforeseen circumstances that has nothing to do with the hospital,” he said.
An eyewitness told The Guardian that officials of the Memorial House had warned the journalists against taking photos of the charred bodies and “they all complied.”
He continued: “None of the pressmen took pictures of the bodies. It was almost becoming a conflict, such that they threatened to seize their cameras.”
A journalist, who witnessed the incident, said: “We decided to leave the scene but in the process of vacating, an official of the morgue pounced on Uwalaka and slapped him.”
He added that the official, simply identified as Bayo, allegedly used an “iron rod on Uwalaka’s head” in a fight.
“There was blood all over his body. After the argument with Bayo and we had them separated, another official, called Idowu, came to Uwalaka, accusing him of taking pictures.
And another melee ensued, with Uwalaka bitting Idowu on the leg, and the latter dashed inside, emerged with a bottle and used on the journalist’s head.
“After that he was looking around again. He went after a concrete block, but in an attempt to use it on the victim, some people intervened and saved the journalist.”
The Commissioner for Information, Lateef Ibirogba, after a closed-door meeting with officers of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lagos, apologised to the reporters over the incident.
While he noted that there was a standing rule against coverage of bodies “in this case, especially without the permission of the families or hospital management, the clash was condemnable.”
Ibirogba promised that Uwalaka’s camera and phone that were ceased and damaged by the officials would be replaced.
Oke said that Uwalaka was receiving “comprehensive treatment at a special ward” and responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, a Lagos coroner court making inquest into the Dana plane crash that led to the death of 153 passengers has been told that failure by the flight crew to adhere to emergency guidelines led to the tragedy.
Captain Tito Omaghomi who claimed he had more than 32 years experience as a pilot yesterday told the court presided over by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe that his opinion of the preliminary report of the Accident Investigation Bureau was that the pilot and his crew failed to keep to necessary checklists to prevent fatalities.
Omaghomi, a retired pilot of the defunct Nigerian Airways, while being led in evidence by Femi Falana (SAN), said checklists are items and actions you take in the operations of a plane. The ex-pilot, who said he retired from flying commercial planes in 1993, noted that his view of the AIB’ s report was that “it was a disorganised cockpit and that it became a flight that nobody had control.”
According to him, “the pilot did not call for help when he should have done so, that is, at the time when the plane had already lost two engines.”
He quoted the rules as saying that no pilot flies for more than 100 hours in a month. He said he observed that the pilot of the ill-fated plane had put in 120 hours of flight within 13 days. This he said was illegal.
According to Omaghomi, between 1965 and 2003, there were only 17 accidents while there have been almost 21 of them from 2003 till date.
Earlier, an Aviation Operations Manager with Total Nigeria PLC, Daniel Akpokoje, in his testimony before the court, said the last time Dana Air bought fuel from his company was November last year.
He stated that normally before fuel is supplied to an aircraft, several checks are made to ensure that there are no sediments or water mixed with it.
Magistrate Komolafe subsequently adjourned hearings till August 13, 2012 in consideration for relatives who are now collecting the remains of their loved ones who died in the crash.

Jonathan, Plateau leaders raise hope of peace in Jos

• Oritsejafor, Makinde seek political will, confab on terrorism
• S’East insists on reparation, 2015 presidency
BUILDING on his meeting with Berom leaders, President Goodluck Jonathan has continued his consultations with representatives of the Hausa/ Fulani groups in a bid to find an enduring solution to the Plateau crisis.
This development came as South-East leaders asked for reparation and support for their region to produce the nation’s president in 2015 as ways of alleviating their maginalisation in the polity.
Still on fairness and equity, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor and the Prelate of the Methodist Church, his Eminence, Sunday Makinde, sought urgent actions on the parts of the Federal Government and other stakeholders to check the activities of Boko Haram.
Jonathan’ s meeting with the Hausa/Fulani leaders started at 10.00 p.m. on Wednesday and ended around 12.44 a.m. yesterday morning.
The representative of the Hausa/Fulani groups and former Minister of State for Information and Communications, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, told journalists that he was confident that the new peace initiative launched by Jonathan would yield the desired peace in Plateau State especially within the Jos North and Jos South Local Councils of the state.
But unlike the Berom indigenous group, which met with the president and opted for a wholesome implementation of all past commissions of inquiry, Nakande said they gave qualified agreement to the adoption of the recommendations of past panels.
Nakande stated that the issue was discussed at the meeting with Jonathan, noting that his delegation “agreed to a large extent to most of the commissions of inquiry, especially those set up by the Plateau government. “We said all those commissions of inquiry have lost contemporary relevance. But we are confident of the ones set up by the Federal Government, especially the Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Abisoye report as well as the advisory committee on Jos crisis headed by Solomon Lar. We are comfortable with them. But the rest are in fact subjudice and therefore cannot be implemented,” he said.
The former minister added: “We are here on the invitation of Mr. President. The president has taken so many initiatives. And again, this is another initiative towards finding a lasting solution to the protracted crisis in Plateau State but specifically within the Jos axis, that is, within Jos North and South Local Councils. The discussion was the way forward, how best to tackle the crisis in such a way to enhance tolerance, accommodation and respect for one another so that at the end of it all, the conflicts would have been put behind us. We also discussed mechanisms which will help government put in place ways and means of resolving conflicts amicably.”
On his part, representative of the Fulani cattle rearers and Protem National Secretary, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders of Nigeria, Alhaji Sale Bayari, said: “We have appealed to Mr. President to address the issue of the conflict between cattle rearers and farmers which some people said had been responsible for some of these crises. The cattle rearers in Plateau State, especially in problem areas like Jos South, Barkin Ladi and Bassa, and the Federal Government should try and ensure that the conflicts are resolved. It is because we have the grazing reserves in those areas and with the grazing reserves, there is conflict between cattle rearers and farmers. But with the intervention of government, it will be reduced to a minimum level.
“When that is done, we are sure that the issue of people alleging reprisal attack will be reduced also. Once those flashpoints are addressed, the issue of saying that some people are regarded as not belonging as if they just sprang from another planet and landed where they are, should also be looked into. We have given the history of the cattle rearers, it is not as if they came from somewhere else. They are as indigenous as any other people, only they have the occupational hazard of cattle rearing and they are nomadic and they have to move from one place to another. That does not mean that because he cannot stay in one place based on his occupational hazard, you say that he is a settler or he does not belong there.”
Asked to give the panacea for lasting peace in Plateau State, Bayari said: “We have tried to solve the problem like it was done in Benue State where there was a similar crisis because the governor took personal interest in the matter. We are appealing to the governor of Plateau State to copy from the governors of Benue, Nassarawa, Taraba, Bauchi and Kaduna States. They succeeded by calling the leadership of the two groups and at the end of the day, the matter was settled. In Plateau State, the problem has been that there is nobody forthcoming either from the traditional institution or the government to say, let’s sit and discuss.”
But he expressed the hope that the crisis would be resolved especially “with this presidential intervention, from the way the president has given us time and the way he listened to us like a father listening to his children. You know that when you see your father in a pensive mood, you know that the matter must have touched him so much.”
At an event organised by the Methodist Church Nigeria at Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba, Lagos, yesterday, Oritsejafor said: “The president of this country must muster the political will to do what he has to do and what he has to do is to strengthen the security apparatus of this nation. There are problems there.
“There is a difference between Islam and Islamism. What we are looking at is a group of intolerant religious fanatics who are causing this problem. I am appealing that we reach out to some sheikhs and imams who understand what it means to live together in a country like Nigeria.”
According to him, “ it is impossible to Islamize Nigeria. If they have other problems, let them voice them out because to Islamize Nigeria is not possible.”
He condoled with those affected by the attacks of Boko Haram, saying to them that “do not be afraid of your tomorrow as it is taken care of by God.”
Also at the event, Makinde said that the insecurity in the nation should be tackled.
He said: “The menace of the Islamic Boko Haram has become unbearable and a big threat to national unity and cohesion. The government should exercise more political will to deal decisively with the sponsors and perpetrators so that we may have peace and stability in the North.”
Makinde identified the “convocation of a national conference where all the ethnic groups in Nigeria, religious and traditional rulers, intellectuals, business people, students and civil servants, women, men, farmers and artisans, the foolish and the wise will sit down and talk on how to live together peacefully in our diversity in religion, culture and ethnic background without any conflict.”
Besides, political and religiousleaders of South-East extraction yesterday in Enugu raised the alarm over an alleged grand design by other sections of the country to ensure that no Igbo person occupied the presidency.
They stressed that since the end of the civil war over 50 years ago, the Igbo had been schemed out in the power equation of the country.
Calling for Igbo presidency as reparation from other sections of the country for the neglect the zone had suffered since the end of the civil war, the leaders vowed that nothing short of producing the president of the country from an Igbo extraction in 2015 would be acceptable to it.
The leaders, under the aegis of the South-East Forum (SEF) recalled that the Igbo remained the only zone that had never had the presidency, stressing that other zones had continued to inflict injuries on the country in a bid to earn political power.
They noted that the onslaught by Boko Haram was aimed at returning political power to the north.
At the event, which was the formal launch of the constitution of the forum, were former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo; former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Prof. Elochukwu Amucheazi; former presidential aspirant, Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu; Senator Nnamdi Erobuna; Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Prof. Catherine Achalonu; Bishop Obi Onubugu, Bishop Nwodika; and Nwafor Orizu (SAN), among others.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

9ice Video

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Reps to Jonathan: beware of Okonjo-Iweala’s advice

Zakari Mohammed

House rejects minister’s stand on Budget 2012

There seems to be no end in sight to the wrangling between the House of Representatives and the Presidency over the poor implementation of the 2012 budget, with the House throwing barbs at the Executive yesterday.

Nigeria has left the military era behind, House spokesman Zakari Mohammed said at a special media briefing where the House faulted the Executive’s claim that the National Assembly’s input into the budget delayed its implementation. The National Assembly is no longer “a toothless bulldog”, Mohammed said.

The House also, in a direct reference, warned President Goodluck Jonathan against the kind of advice he gets from Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and other “un-elected appointees”, which might put his administration in more trouble.

Mohammed said: “The idea of the National Assembly distorting the budget is incorrect. The National Assembly cannot distort a budget which it has full powers over. There is no law that says the budget must be returned to the President exactly the way it is forwarded to the National Assembly.

“They (Presidency) seem to be suffering from military hangover where budgets were announced after a meeting of the Supreme Military Council (SMC). The Federal Executive Council (FEC) is not the equivalent of the SMC. The National Assembly has replaced the SMC.

“If the Appropriation Act is to be sent back to the Executive the way it is presented, then, it is better that the National Assembly is abolished. In a constitutional democracy, in the budgeting process, the National Assembly exercises the constitutional responsibility of taking care of the interests and aspirations of Nigerians from every constituency.

The House spokesman, who read from a prepared text entitled: “2012 Budget, Non-Implementation: Okonjo-Iweala Should Address the Real Issues,” accused the Finance Minister of breaking the law by not adhering to the letters of the 2012 Appropriations Act.

According to the House, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s claim that the executive arm has implemented 56 per cent of the 2012 budget as widely reported, “is not true,” as only “about 34per cent of the budget has been implemented.”

The statement said:

“The House of Representatives will like to restate its concern on the poor and selective implementation of the 2012 budget by the executive arm of government and the attitude of officials of government saddled with the responsibility of implementing the Appropriation Acts. For the avoidance of doubt, section 6 and 7 of the 2012 Appropriation Act clearly says what officials of government and in this case the Honourable Minister of finance is permitted to do.

“Section 6 of the Appropriation Act, 2012, states that: “The minister of Finance shall ensure that funds appropriated under this Act are released to the appropriate agencies and or organs of government as and when due, provided that no funds for any quarter of the fiscal year shall be deferred without prior waiver from the National Assembly”. Mark and note the choice of the word “shall” which is mandatory under the circumstance, not discretionary.

“This is what the minister is expected to do. It is not within her powers to pick and choose projects and programmes to fund as has been the case with the Appropriation Act 2012. Her piece meal and discretionary release of funds for projects contrary to the schedule approved in the Appropriation Act is unlawful. She is, in fact, apparently breaking the law. What the law requires the minister to do is ensure that all funds appropriated for projects within a particular quarter are released to all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as at when due without preference.

“If the revenue target is not achieved in any particular period, it is the responsibility of the Honourable Minister to seek for waiver from the National Assembly. This has not been the case as the Honourable Minister has not told the nation or the National Assembly that the monies for these projects are not available.

“This is not to say that funds should be released and accessed by MDAs without due process and actual execution of projects. In other words, there should be value for money. How released funds are accessed by the various MDAs is stated in Section 7 of the budget Act and further guided by due process law.

“Section 7 of the 2012 Appropriation Act states as follows:

‘The department of government charged with the responsibility of certifying that due processes have been complied with in the processing of implementation of projects shall ensure that all processes of approval are completed within the specified period as provided for in the Public Procurement Act”. Again, mark and note the choice of word “shall” and not “will”. If these processes are not satisfied by the MDAs the monies lapse at the end of the financial year and are returned to the treasury. The Honourable Minister has rather chosen to release funds for the implementation of the budget subject only to her whims and caprices. She has no right to do so.

“The House will further like to clarify a few misinterpretations on the Minister’s recent media briefing on the implementation of the 2012 budget as reported by the media on Thursday July 26, 2012.

First of all, it is not true that the executive arm has implemented as at today 56% of the 2012 budget as widely reported. In truth, about 34% of the budget has been implemented. What the minister admitted to as can be confirmed from her own words is that, at best Government has implemented 56% of the N404 Billion released to MDAs.

“The Minister was clear in saying that, of this amount (N404 billion) only N324 billion has so far been cash backed. In other words, it is only N324 billion that is available to the MDAs for implementation of capital projects and programmes of government out of about N1.5 trillion appropriated for all capital expenditure. The House of Representatives also does not agree with the Honourable Minister that the slow pace of implementation of the 2012 budget is as a result of the constituency projects introduced into the budget by the National Assembly.

“For the avoidance of doubt, constituency projects represent less than 10% of the 2012 capital budget. How can this be the reason for the slow implementation of the budget? This excuse for non-implementation falls flat on its face when a review of the performance of the Executive on even its own preferred projects is made. More evidential is the fact that releases so far made to the MDAs are not enough to pay for on–going projects or projects chosen by the executive. For instance, out of a total appropriation of N145 billion for the Ministry of Works in the budget, only N47 billion has so far been released to the ministry. In the first quarter, N38 billion was released and in the second quarter only N9 billion was released, with a shortfall of about N30 billion for the 2ndquarter.

“The projects that need these appropriations are core road projects scattered all over the country. Or are these inter-state highways and other strategic road projects also constituency Projects? Playing to the gallery by the executive arm will not change the facts of the situation.”

The lawmaker said it was important to restate that the constituency projects are managed by the Executive arm of government.

“Members of the National Assembly are not involved in the advertising of these projects, nor are they involved in the short listing of contractors for the projects neither are they part of the process of the actual award of the contracts. It has been their exclusive preserve.

“The security, welfare and prosperity of Nigerians has always been and remains uppermost in the consideration of the House of representatives in raising concerns on the slow implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act. What is the benefit of annual appropriations if projects enunciated in the budgets are not implemented?

“For us in the 7th Assembly, significant implementation of budgets is our desire. We are not at war with the executive arm on this matter. We shall continue to insist on the implementation of the budget, no matter what is being insinuated as the motivating factor for our intervention.

The lawmaker while faulting the Finance Minister’s claim that a 100 percent implementation of the budget is impossible before the resumption of the House on September 18, said: “If you give your child an examination, when you see the result, you should be able the know if he/she has passed or not.”

According to him, the era when the National Assembly was viewed as a toothless bulldog was over as the House will take stringent action when necessary to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the dividends of democracy.

Mohammed, however, agreed that there has been a slight improvement in the implementation of the budget since the resolution of the House on July 19, adding that lawmakers have been getting updates from their constituencies in that regard.

“We further wish to enjoin all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to continue with the procurement processes and eventual award of all capital projects within their purview.

“Finally, we call on Mr. President, as an elected official who is ultimately accountable to Nigerians, to be careful of the type of advice he gets from his unelected appointees on the issue of the implementation of the budget, as its significant implementation is ultimately in the interest of his presidency.”

Friday, July 27, 2012

‘Fashion is a passion for me’

DAMILOLA Bode-Ogundipe, Creative Director of Chocolate Clothing and Accessories, is a designer of note. The Urban and Regional Planning graduate from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who also had a stint at the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan African University, launched her outfit in 2007. She spoke to KEHINDE OLATUNJI on her sojourn in the industry.

How did you become a designer?
Though, I've always had love for fashion, I never considered it as a career option until five years ago. When we were growing up, jobs such as fashion designing and event management were not considered as serious career paths, however, things have changed.

Why fashion designing and not something else?
For me, it is instinctive and natural. I don't have to 'work' at it, and I believe that to give your best at your job, you need to be doing something that you can do and love with your whole heart without getting paid! I have other 'loves' such as interior decoration and writing, but fashion is my absolute passion.

Training?
I had worked for one of the top designers in the country and gained quite a bit of experience before I did a three-month course at Valerie Davids School of Design, which was to give a 'formal touch' to the skills I already had. But as in every other profession, keeping abreast of what is happening in the industry is key, so, I make sure I stay current through workshops and short courses.

Motivation
I’m motivated to be the best at what I do and excel at it because I know that's what Christ expects of me. Motivation to keep doing what I do (even when factors like epileptic power supply and other factors rear their heads. It also comes from 'that look' on a client's face when she sees her reflection in the outfit for the first time! That pure look of pleasure makes it all worth it.

What gives you the cutting edge?
It’s what I call the 'oomph!' factor. It’s that little extra in a design that takes it from being a lovely outfit to a breathtaking one. My designs are for people who truly love fashion and appreciate even those tiny details that you need a magnifying glass to see! I believe a design doesn't always have to be overtly complicated but should always be able to make the statement the wearer wants to without her having to say a word.

First thing that comes to mind when designing

The purpose of the outfit! Even the bible says 'where purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable'. Knowing what the client wants the outfit for, serves as a foundation of the whole design before even thinking of her personal style and other factors.

What messages are you passing with your designs?
That style can be infused into every area of your life be it at play or work. That even in the ever-changing fast paced world of fashion you can look stylish, fashionable and current without being a slave to trends. That fashion is individual and you should be proud of your uniqueness and not try to look like someone else

My style
My style is what I term 'easy cosmo'. Stylish yet comfortable — laid-back enough to catch a movie and dressed up enough to eat out at a nice restaurant. Of course, I dress to suit occasions that demand a certain look, but I don't lose style of comfort and style whatever the outfit is.

What materials do you use?
I'm not really restrained in my use of fabric. I use materials ranging from flowing fabrics such as chiffon, silk, silk satin to ones of a more structured nature like raw silk, cotton and ankara. I get a lot of my fabrics from places like Dubai and India. I have vendors who supply me with whatever specifications I give them. So, I don't necessarily have to travel to shop for fabrics. Our local markets are also a great source of quality materials and I enjoy making 'finds' in them.

Why I prefer the materials I use?
My choice of materials depends on the design of the outfit and the form and fit it would take, but I must say I have a love for raw silk and Chantilly lace when used properly. There's a richness about the that makes the simplest design luxurious

Do you design for celebrities?
Yes and one of them is Nikki Laoye

Role models
Locally, I'm inspired by Deola Sagoe and internationally, Diana Von Furstenberg and Donna Karan. The three ladies have built their business alongside their brand and are the epitome of what I envisage for Chocolate — Longetivity, continued relevance and a pioneering spirit

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Reps to Jonathan: beware of Okonjo-Iweala’s advice

Friday, July 27, 2012