Naija News-Today

Federal Govt, Lagos head for showdown

2009-08-06T09:59:00.003-04:00

THE stage seems set for a showdown between the Federal Government and the government of Lagos State over the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

The Federal Government said yesterday that it was ready to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue.

Minister of State for the Interior Demola Seriki and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa accused Lagos State Governor Tunde Fashola (SAN), of trying to whip up sentiments on the issue.

Both ministers, who spoke to reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, said the Yar’Adua administration would not accept any illegality.

Andoakaa said there was no point going through Fashola’s letter which was sent to him by President Umaru Yar’Adua for advice on the matter because, according to him, the Supreme Court’s judgment is there.

Aondoakaa said: "I have nothing to study; the law is there. He directed me and I have replied him. What do you mean by studying the matter. The judgment is there, the judgment of the Supreme Court is thorough; what do I have to study?

"The law is so clear, it is so elementary and the governor knows it and that is the law and it can’t be changed."

Yar’Adua last week hinted that he would explore dialogue to resolve the issue, even as he stressed that the constitution would not be compromised.

The 37 LCDAs were created by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2002 under the Bola Tinubu administration. Fashola is insisting that since the LCDAs were legally created, they could not be arbitrarily disbanded. All that is left is for the National Assembly to play its part and get the council areas listed in the Constitution after amending the first schedule.

At the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, Fashola told reporters that he was not disturbed by the presidential directive on the LCDAs.

He said: "I will not like to speak on that matter but urge you to see wherever you go the imprimatur of our work, our government, our party and tomorrow (today), we will be giving account again of what we have done in the last 100 days.

Seriki said: "This government is not in opposition to the creation of additional local governments. I, as a Lagosian and a minister from Lagos State, am not opposed to such as well ..."

Aondoakaa said the government’s action does not amount to arm-twisting Lagos State but a matter of constitutionality.

"Let me be very clear that President Yar’Adua supports development but we have to follow the law in doing things. Local government has two aspects of legislative imperative; the process starts from the state and terminates, at the State House of Assembly.

Government is open to dialogue to ensure that this matter gets resolved. Our position is to make the law clear, discuss with Lagos State. The law is very clear.

The Nation

Nigeria on the brink

2009-08-04T11:02:00.002-04:00

Four days of violence in Nigeria have left hundreds dead, destroyed towns and villages across the north, brought the cold-blooded police shooting of an Islamist rabble-rouser and left the outside world horrified. Nigeria, with 140 million people, is Africa’s largest country. It is also one of the most corrupt, unstable, unequal and fissiparous: in half a century of independence it has seen civil wars, separatist rebellions, military coups, ethnic vendettas and a terrible descent into virtual ungovernability. What happens in Nigeria matters not only to Africa: it affects the huge diaspora in Britain, distorts the oil market, drives international criminality and opens the gates to extremism and terrorism.

The latest violence comes after an uprising by a bizarre Islamist sect, Boko Haram, that urged followers in several northern states to attack police stations, prisons and churches and burn down schools in an attempt to enforce extreme Sharia and rid the country of all Western education. This is not the first such uprising in the north or the only time that militants, who model themselves on the Afghan Taleban, have clashed with federal authority. At least 10,000 people have been killed in sectarian clashes since the Government, attempting to appease the growing current of Islamic extremism after years of military dictatorship, allowed 12 of the northern states to proclaim Sharia. But President Yar’Adua now sees the very unity of Nigeria at stake. After a warning this week that the sect was preparing to unleash “holy war”, he ordered troops to eradicate Boko Haram once and for all.

The order has been carried out with indiscriminate brutality. House-to-house searches, gun battles and helicopter searches have killed sect members in scores. Their leader, a university dropout with a violent agenda and views so benighted that he asserted the world was flat and rain was not caused by evaporation but by Allah, was caught in a goats’ pen, and shot dead by police after begging for mercy. It is not only his followers who are outraged: many Nigerians and human rights activists have warned of inevitable reprisals and exacerbation of the nation’s religious divide.

The uprising, however, is just a symptom of the social breakdown that has made Nigeria so prone to violence. Rampant corruption has undermined even the feeble central government efforts to tackle social inequality, failing health and education systems, the stinking detritus burying most big cities and widespread unemployment. The oil boom has only exacerbated corruption and inequality, and the dreadful conditions in the Niger Delta have spawned an endemic rebellion, regular kidnappings and crime syndicates that siphon off so much oil that total production is running at millions of barrels below capacity.

Into this maelstrom have stepped Islamist extremists. Al-Qaeda has identified Nigeria as fertile ground for its nihilist message, just as it saw Somalia, another failing African state, as a new base for its operations. It is swiftly spreading the jihadist message, exploiting the unease over Sharia by pushing for the most extremist interpretation and recruiting Nigerians as new agents to infiltrate Western society. This is extremely alarming. There is a large Nigerian community in most European countries, and an especially big one in Britain. Already there are fears that organised crime is exploiting the link to racketeering. If al-Qaeda can recruit sleepers among still largely moderate Muslims living in the West, the security services have a nightmare on their hands.

Nigerians are desperate to see better government in Abuja. The onus is now on President Yar’Adua to overcome doubts about his democratic legitimacy, grasp the urgency of Nigeria’s situation and save a failing state before he is swept away by violence, despair or another coup.

London Times

AP shares: House dissociates self from committee’s report

2009-08-02T22:41:00.000-04:00

The House of Representatives on Sunday dissociated itself from the report made public by its committee on capital market, concerning the controversy trailing African Petroleum (AP) Plc’s shares. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Eseme Eyiboh, chairman, House of Representatives committee on media and public affairs, said the purported findings by the committee were not known to the House.
It would be recalled that Ahmed Wadada, chairman, House committee on the capital market had on Friday said that the House had recommended the cancellation of the controversial AP Plc hybrid shares, just as it ordered that the funds raised from it be returned to investors.
Wadada had also said that the committee’s findings revealed that there was ample evidence suggesting irregularities in the offer prospectus.
He said the committee had in June conducted an “investigative public hearing” on AP’s shares’ manipulation and its hybrid offer.
The lawmaker also absolved Aliko Dangote, chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, from the allegations of manipulating the AP shares.
He said that the committee equally adopted the recommendations of both the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the involvement of Dangote in the shares scandal.
The committee, however, upheld the punishment recommended for the managing director of Nova Finance and Securities Ltd, Eugene Anenih, but appealed for a review.
But Eyiboh said the clarification became necessary because of the sensitive nature of the sector in question, adding that the procedure was for such report to be debated and adopted by the whole House before it was made public.
“We are not formally and officially aware of any report. There was no report before the plenary session of the House. The report is a product of private pursuit,” Eyiboh stated.
He said the action of his colleague in presenting the report as if it was the resolution of the House had undermined the integrity of the House, appealing to Nigerians to disregard the report in its entirety.
“The committee has the task of intervening and bringing the report back to the House.
“It is because of the sensitive nature of the sector, because comments from an institution like the House of Representatives could cause panic in the economy and also have a spill over effect.
“This is not coming from House of Representatives; neither is it coming from its leadership, whatever comment outside this, is a private pursuit and cannot be linked to the institution, because if it is a report of the House, it would have come to the plenary for debate,” he said.
Efforts to get the reaction of Wadada (PDP-Nasarrawa) proved abortive as he was said to have traveled abroad on holiday. (NAN)

PTI relocation: How 2011 forced Yar’Adua to beat retreat - The kitchen cabinet connection

2009-08-02T22:40:00.000-04:00

AS the controversies generated by the relocation of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) from Effurun, Delta State, to Kaduna seem to have settled with the confirmation of the Presidency that the degree-awarding status of the PTI remains unchanged, fresh insights regarding the reason for the presidential clarification emerged on Sunday.

After about two weeks of heated debate over the propriety or otherwise of the transfer of the degree-awarding status from the PTI to the National Petroleum College in Kaduna, with a take-off budget of N14billion, President Umaru Yar’Adua finally broke his silence over the vexed issue on Saturday.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered, however, that political, rather than other considerations, informed the decision of the president to speak out in order not to “rock the boat already sailing,” according to a source.

The president’s clarification, the third in the series of denials since the controversy began, came through his Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi.

Adeniyi said the approval given by the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for the upgrading of the PTI to a university had come to stay.The statement all the same remained silent on the fate of the N14billion said to have been budgetted for the take-off of the petroleum university.

According to the source, who is a member of the PDP National Working Committee, both the Presidency and the party were taken aback by the courage of the South-South governors and the level of support they garnered by their threat penultimate week to back out of the Federal Government’s amnesty deal for militants in the restive Niger Delta region.

The governors had given the relocation of the PTI, among other reasons, as the basis for their threat.

“The threat issued by the South-South governors is one of the most courageous moves ever in this country in recent times, and that is the beauty of democracy; they really shook all of us; initially we thought by the time we talk to some of their leaders to reconsider their decision on the issue, they would back down, but by the time the level of support the decision attracted from their kinsmen began to manifest, the entire leadership of the party had to ensure that something was done not rock an already sailing boat.

“You know the region is one of the strongholds of the PDP, and you equally know what it means to incur the anger of even our own men; so we felt for them and reasoned that they will find it difficult to continue to sell the PDP in the coming elections in 2011. Remember, we have already lost one state in the region to the AC; so to gamble with the issue of the relocation of an institution from its original place was too much for the party to bear. Some of us are therefore not surprised that the president has finally spoken on the matter, we have been on it for days without resting, trying to enlist the support of some close confidants of the president to look at the issue once again.”

It was gathered that the party set up a secret lobby group comprising mostly, members of the president’s kitchen cabinet to meet the president and tell him the implications of the decision to relocate the University of Petroleum Resources from Effurun to Kaduna.

It was further learnt that the lobby team had to swing into action when the South-South governors, in their meeting with the president, insisted on the reversal of the Federal Executive Council’s decision conveyed by the Petroleum Minister, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, that while the PTI would remain a training ground for middle level manpower in the oil and gas industry, the NPC, Kaduna, was to be upgraded to a degree-awarding institution to breed the nation’s managerial needs in the same sector.

Among others, a former governor and a frontline member of the party’s BOT were said to have impressed it on the president that it was not politically expedient to effect such a policy when it is likely for him to seek a second term in the year 2011.

The governors, apart from Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, were equally said to have told the president that they could not guarantee the voting pattern of their people in 2011 if the decision was not reversed.

Nigeria Tribune

Fighting rages, death toll hits 300 in Borno

2009-07-30T10:03:00.001-04:00

HEAVY bombardments by the nation's forces on suspected strongholds of Boko Haram, the northern-based Islamic sect that is championing a 'Jihad' (holy war) in the region, continued yesterday.

Unconfirmed reports said that the death toll from the clash had risen to 300 while thousands of the residents had been displaced in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The leader of the sect, Mohammed Yusuf, was reportedly using some residents of the heart of the clashes, the Maiduguri Railway Terminus Areas (MRTA), as human shield.

In Jalingo, Taraba State, security agents have located a school where the sect trains its members while in Kano, the state government has demolished a mosque used by the armed group.

A senior government official in Maiduguri claimed that 4,000 people had fled their homes as troops and militants engaged in battles for the fourth day.

The opposition Action Congress (AC) has described President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's trip to Brazil in the face of the crisis as ill-timed.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Apollus Jediel said about 1,000 people fled their homes in Maiduguri yesterday alone and appealed to the state government to assist the displaced persons.

Militants seeking to impose Sharia law throughout the multi-religious country attacked a police station in Bauchi State on Sunday. The violence spread to three other states,

hundreds of people are reported to have been killed in the violence. Police said most of the victims were militants.

Yusuf's residence was shelled by troops on Tuesday evening, along with a mosque where many of his followers meet, but he allegedly escaped.

"The house and the mosque have been pulverised and reduced to rubble. To be honest with you I don't think the campaign will be finished within the next day or two," a police officer said.

Yesterday, the Borno State government advised residents of the six areas adjoining the scene of the fighting to stay indoors as the attack on the militants continued, to avoid being hit by stray bullets. The areas include Kumshe, Floor Mills, Kasuwan Shanu, State Low Cost, Kofar Biyu and Gamboru Police Station.

The police in Borno also said yesterday that they had concluded arrangement to return the 180 women and children allegedly lured to Maiduguri from Bauchi and nine others from Bukuru in Plateau State under the guise that they were going for Islamic Jihad.

Police spokesman, Isa Azare, commended the state government for its pledge to assist the command transfer the women and children back to their Bauchi base.

He said the Deputy Governor, Adamu Shettima Dibal, has promised the state government's financial assistance to the police to enable them transport the people back to their places, but it was not clear as at press time if the promise had been fulfilled.

Azare would, however, not give the exact details of the casualties, saying it was difficult to give a precise figure, given the fact that the operation was on-going. "You know it is not appropriate to give any figure of casualties now, because, apart from the sects members that were killed, there are a good number of policemen that are still missing. Until after the operation when the coast becomes clearer, nobody can give a definite number of those who have lost their lives."

But The Guardian learnt that the two hospitals in the state capital had been finding it difficult to accommodate the growing number of victims. For instance, it was learnt that the mortuary of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) had been filled to capacity. As a result, bodies were being dumped at the car park, at the Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital, Bulumkutu.

However, concerns were being raised as the expected capture of Yusuf appeared far- fetched given the inability of the combined military and police operations to capture the sect leader, who, is said to be taking human shields to avoid arrest. As a resident told The Guardian, the military is incapacitated by the fact that Yusuf had tactically resorted to human shields to avoid arrest.

For instance, at the Shehu North, men of the Operation Flush 11 were seen beating a retreat having been overwhelmed by the high number of the sect members who were said to be coming out in their hundreds from their hide-outs. The area is close to the palace of the Shehu of Borno.

Col. Ben Ahanotu, commander of Operation Flush 11, confirmed the fears as he said residents taken hostage, including women and children of the sect members, numbered over 1,500, adding that "we cannot raze down Yusuf's residence and the mosques right now (yesterday). There are a lot of people in the houses in the MRTA and two main residential areas of Maiduguri and Jere council areas."

A statement by the Director of Press Affairs to the Governor, Usman Chiroma, also confirmed that Yusuf and his followers were using the civil populace as cover".

He quoted Governor Ali Modu Sheriff as advising all residents of the affected areas to stay indoors to avoid endangering their lives.

Maj.-Gen. Saleh Maina, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3rd Armoured Division, Jos, who is leading the offensive, ordered his men to suspend the shelling to allow civilians to move out of the area to reduce human casualties, because the fundamentalists live in the State Low Cost Estate, Shehu and Abaganaram."

The Guardian further learnt that at about 1p.m. yesterday, the five armoured tanks deployed to the MRTA, were stationed 500 metres away from the sect's stronghold. One of the armoured carriers was on Tuesday attacked and its tyre was punctured, while advancing towards Yusuf's house and mosque.

While a combined force of 500 soldiers and policemen took strategic positions at all the entries to the area, Ahanotu, in a message to The Guardian disclosed that more than 65 sect members were killed while they were fleeing the platoon soldiers to Yusuf's house and mosque.

He said the joint military and police was able to arrest the second in command to the leader of the sect, Bukar Shekau, while Yusuf, was still with some members holed up in the house. Unconfirmed reports claimed that before the capture of Shekau, both men were sighted in military camouflage.

Shekau, according to military intelligence sources at the Maiduguri Government House, is providing useful information and means of arresting Yusuf and his armed members.

Meanwhile, all schools, markets, banks, the Maiduguri Monday Market and Musa Usman Secretariat complex that houses 18 ministries and parastatals have remained closed. Besides, the major streets in the metropolis, including the ever-busy Post Office-Airport Road and Shehu Laminu Way that lead to the MRTA were deserted.

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has blamed the Federal Government for not acting enough to reign in the terrorists, in spite of the earlier security information available to it.

The lawmaker, who represents Damboa/Chibok/Gwoza Federal Constituency in the House of Lower Representatives maintained that the government was briefed early enough ahead of the possible out-break of the crisis, but did not act promptly.

The Kano State government, which yesterday expressed concern over the Islamic militant's presence in the North, demolished a mosque in Wudil used by one of the group's leader, Salisu Al- Amin Wudil.

The state government described the activities of the group as unfortunate in view of the fact that the Ibrahim Shekarau administration had been committed to peaceful co-existence and religious harmony amongst residents of the state.

In a statement signed by Adamu Abdullahi, the government reiterated its commitment to the goal of ensuring the security of lives and property of all residents.

The Managing Director of the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Agency (KNUPDA), Malam Hassan Na'Abba confirmed the demolition of the mosque and the residents of the militants' leader.

Na'Abba said the mosque was situated in a location in Wudil not within areas earmarked for the constriction of residential and religious buildings.

In Jalingo, the sect's school located at Angwan Lariya, the state capital, was said to be solely dedicated to the teaching of ethics opposed to western civilisation.

Confirming the report, the Chairman of the Moslem Council of Nigeria (MCN), Alhaji Inuwa Jauro Manu, blamed the security agencies and the Ministry of Education for allowing such a school to exist in the state.

The school, reportedly named Alfurqan Islamic School, is located on the same street as the Motor Traffic Division (MTD) of the Nigeria Police.

Manu, who was visibly dejected, said even though, the "sect called itself a religious organisation, its actions and activities does not conform with Islam"

The proprietor, whose name was given as Malam Salihu, was said to have fled to Maiduguri along with some of his followers and their families two days to the mayhem in Borno.

AC has described as ill-timed and ill-advised the current three-day official trip to Brazil by Yar'Adua, at a time the country was in the throes of violence triggered by the misguided and self-styled 'Nigerian Taliban' sect.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party wondered what was so compelling about the trip that it could not be deferred in the national interest.

"At the last count, four states in the north have borne the brunt of the violence unleashed by the senseless members of this sect, and dozens of lives, including those of security agents, have been lost while property worth billions have been damaged.

"In addition, hundreds of our citizens have been displaced and left deeply traumatized, while there is palpable fear across the country that the violence may either spread further or degenerate.

"It is therefore unconscionable that the President, who is the father of the nation, could take this time to travel to Brazil, instead of visiting the affected areas and offering succour to the people affected," AC said.

"The President's hastily-arranged media interaction before his departure, during which he commented on the crisis, has done little or nothing to change the fact that the timing of the trip was bad," the party added.

Guardian

Yar'Adua opts for dialogue in row over Lagos councils

2009-07-29T10:25:00.001-04:00

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is to explore dialogue in resolving the row over Lagos State’s 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) which he directed the governor to shut down.

President Yar’Adua, who spoke at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport shortly before leaving for a three-day official visit to Brazil, said the bottom line is that the constitution cannot be compromised.

The President also said he hoped that the issue would be resolved once and for all through constructive dialogue.

He, however, warned that if dialogue fails, the Federal Government would take measures to ensure that the government of Lagos State, its State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) and other agencies are compelled to abide by the Constitution. He gave no details of such measures.

The 37 LCDAs were created by the Lagos State Assembly in 2002 during the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu administration. Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has asked the President to go to court, if he has any case against the state.

The Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration withheld about N20billion meant for Lagos State from the Federation Account because the Tinubu administration created the council development areas.

The issue has triggered negative reactions against the Federal Government, but President Yar’Adua said he is awaiting advice from the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Michael Aondoakaa (SAN).

Yar’Adua said: "What has happened was that I wrote to the Lagos State Governor, drawing his attention to the fact that both himself and myself have sworn to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of this country and that the action of Lagos State Government and the State INEC was unconstitutional because the Constitution provides for only 20 local governments in Lagos State and I advised the Lagos State governor to take steps to rectify this unconstitutional act.

"He replied me, quoting the state’s statutes and putting forward his legal position that they did not violate the Constitution. I have referred his reply to the AGF to study the reply and advise me.

"What I am determined to do is that what is constitutional must be adhered to. So, if the argument put forward cannot stand on the violation of the Constitution, I will invite him to discuss further with him and dialogue so that this can be resolved peacefully.

"But the bottom line is that the Constitution cannot be compromised. The Constitution must not be violated. If at the end of the day dialogue fails to resolve the situation, then the Federal Government will be forced to take measures that will ensure that the Lagos State Government, its INEC and other agencies are compelled to abide by the Constitution. This is a process that will take some few months and I hope that we will be able to resolve the issue through constructive dialogue.

"Our democracy is still young; we are bound to make mistakes here and there but the important thing is that we must work hard to ensure the Rule of Law in this country. We know it is not easy but it is important to our survival."

The President is off to Brazil on a renewed invitation of the Brazilian President after last year’s trip was aborted.

Justifying the trip, he said: "I believe this is an important trip because Brazil is a fast advancing economy and I believe that Nigeria can gain from the visit in terms of multilateral cooperation and in terms of our economy and investments, especially in places where they have made very striking advancement in agriculture, agriculture research and agro chemical.

"Brazil has advanced in such a way that they are looking for strategic partners, especially in the developing countries to the underdeveloped ones, and they have their eyes on Nigeria, particularly in the South-South."

Security probes plot to implicate Bankole in N5b contracts scandal

2009-07-28T17:08:00.004-04:00

Security agencies are probing an alleged plot to implicate the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, in the N5.2billion contract scam in the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a 156-count charge against Senator Nicholas Ugbane, the Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Mr. Ndudi Elumelu and eight others suspected to be involved in the N5.2billion REA power contracts bazaar.

Also on trial are the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Mohammed Jibo; the Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, Mr. Paulinus Igwe; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi; and the Managing Director of REA, Mr. Sam Gakpe.

Others are: Simon Nanle, Lawrence Orekoya, AbdulSamad Jahun and Kayode Oyedeji.

But the trial of the 10 suspects, who are presently on bail, assumed a new dimension last Friday, following a plot to frame up the Speaker.

When the scandal broke out, there were unsuccessful attempts to link members of the immediate family of the Speaker with the contract scandal, it was learnt yesterday.

One of the suspects had on Friday tried to "set up" one of the Speaker’s aides by claiming that there were five yet uncleared cheques, amounting to N85.78million, in respect of the REA contracts.

The value of each of the five cheques, which was raised last week and possibly backdated, is put at N17, 157,000.

It was learnt that the suspect, who met the aide in a censored office in the National Assembly, said three of the cheques were meant for three companies owned by relatives.

It was gathered that the suspect said the N85.78million was not part of the N5.2billion scandal uncovered by the EFCC.

The suspect was alleged to have prevailed on the aide to "persuade Bankole’s family members to allow their accounts to be used for the clearance of the said cheques".

A source said: "Alternatively, the suspect said, the cheques could be endorsed by the directors of the companies belonging to the Speaker’s relatives directly to Chief and Chief Nigeria Limited, one of the named in the REA contracts bazaar.

"This would necessitate the companies agreeing to sign an agreement with Chief and Chief Nigeria Limited, claiming they got contracts from the REA and are subletting it to Chief and Chief Nigeria Limited. In this case, the aide will facilitate the agreement."

To underscore his seriousness, the suspect was said to have brought in a bank official, simply described as Gabriel, who came with photocopies of the five cheques.

According to findings, the aide had asked the suspect and the bank official of what will become of the two other cheques.

It was learnt that the bank official said new accounts could be "opened in any other bank for the cheques to be paid in".

Suspecting foul play, the aide quickly alerted the Speaker of the plot.

The Speaker reportedly asked the aide to play along and get as much information as possible from the suspect to enable his office to forward a report to security agencies.

The aide retrieved the photocopies of the cheques from the suspect and the bank official, The Nation learnt.

The cheques were dated after EFCC had concluded investigations and charged suspects to court.

It was gathered that shortly after the interaction, the Speaker asked his aide to report the matter to his Chief Security Officer, who in turn lodged complaints with some security agencies, including the EFCC.

None of the media aides of the Speaker was ready to talk about the matter.

One of them said: "It will be pre-emptive to talk since security agencies are probing the plot.

"One thing you should appreciate is that since the REA scandal broke out, some people have been so desperate to rope in the Speaker but they have failed.

"I think they want to use a backdoor approach to achieve their mischief. Again, they will fail."

A security source said: "We are in receipt of the frame-up alert from the Office of the Speaker; we are already closing in on the suspect and his accomplice.

"We have been able to retrieve the photocopies of the cheques which were dated June 8, 2009. The numbers on the cheques are: 04733442-6.

"We are going to invite the officials of the bank concerned on why they wanted to withdraw from the REA account, which has been frozen by the EFCC, pending the determination of the substantive suit."

The Nation

Top Lawyers Knock FG over Lagos Councils

2009-07-28T10:12:00.001-04:00

As the 14-day ultimatum issued by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to Lagos State to revert to 20 councils expires today, prominent lawyers have given knocks to the Federal Government over the affair.

Yar’Adua had threatened to “direct that necessary action be taken by the relevant organs of state to defend the constitution and preserve the authority of the Federal Government” if Governor Babatunde Fashola did not shut the new 37 councils which are not yet listed in the constitution.

Fashola, in his response, had maintained that the councils were legally created and asked the President to go back to the Supreme Court for “authoritative pronouncement” rather than resort to “self-help”.

Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), described Yar’Adua’s threat as “grossly illegal and unconstitutional” at the expense of the peace and order of the court.

He said if the government felt bad about the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), all it needed to do was to go to court instead of indulging in self-help and arbitrariness.
Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) saw the ultimatum as being in “bad taste”, adding: “There is more to it than meets the ordinary eye.”

The senior advocate said from the ultimatum, “it seems the Federal Government is up to some mischief going by its bellicose stance”.

Another prominent lawyer, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), said it was wrong for the Federal Government to have issued the ultimatum, saying that all it should have done was to go to court to seek legal interpretation to the issue.

He argued that provided the LCDAs were not funded from the federal allocations, there is nothing wrong with using internally generated revenue to fund them.

Oyetibo noted that if the Federal Government noticed that funds from federal allocations were being used on the LCDAs, it had the right to investigate and proceed to court instead of resorting to self-help.

Also, Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunle (SAN) described the Federal Government’s threat as raising a storm in a tea cup and an action that was politically-motivated.

He wondered why it could not head to the Supreme Court for interpretation and clarification instead of indulging in self-help.

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, opposed the ultimatum given to the Lagos State government, saying that it was unacceptable and should be resisted frontally and legally.
Aturu noted that the President needed to substantiate the allegations that the LCDAs in the state were being run on money allocated for the 20 local governments, adding that it was not just enough to make the allegation.

Mr. Femi Falana said the threat smacks of “primitive authoritarianism”, arguing that neither the President nor the Minister of Justice had the power to declare an action illegal and then proceed to intimidate any authority or person to dance to his tune.

This Day

Scores Die as Fighters Battle Nigerian Police

2009-07-27T23:11:00.001-04:00

DAKAR, Senegal — Scores have been killed in clashes between the police and members of a fundamentalist Islamic sect in towns across northern Nigeria, a predominantly Muslim region that for years has had regular and often bloody outbreaks of sectarian unrest.

An obscure group opposed to Western education appears to be at the root of the current troubles. The Nigerian police accused it of attacks on police stations in at least two states on Sunday and Monday.

In one state, Bauchi, at least 39 militants were killed on Sunday, a local police spokesman said; in another, Yobe, fighters used fuel-laden motorcycles to bomb a police station, and then, armed with bows and poison arrows, they attacked officers, another police spokesman said.

At least 55 people have been killed in the two-day wave of violence, according to news reports. A spokesman for the national police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, refused to confirm the number of dead, saying only that “a few renegade elements attacked the police, and the police fought back.”

Mr. Ojukwu said there had also been skirmishes in the state of Borno; news reports quoted the country’s police inspector general, Ogbonna Onovo, as saying that militants were “battling with the police” there on Monday.

In the town of Potiskum, in Yobe, “people we believe to be Islamic fundamentalists” drove into the police station at 3 a.m., setting it on fire with the fuel carried by the motorcycles, said a police spokesman in Yobe, Mohammed Padah. A police officer and a fire safety officer were killed, Mr. Padah said; no militants were killed, though some were wounded, and some officers were wounded by the poison arrows, he said.

Though Mr. Ojukwu, the national police spokesman, said the violence had been largely quelled by late Monday, he acknowledged that “a number of police officers from neighboring states” had been sent to “beef up” the police in the affected areas. News reports indicated that considerable violence may have occurred in Maiduguri, capital of Borno.

This latest violence differs from the interreligious clashes that have periodically flared up in a region where Islamic law has been imposed, with mixed success, over the past decade. Hundreds were killed in mob violence involving Christians and Muslims in the town of Jos last November, for instance.

But in the new outbreak, militants appear to be taking aim at Nigerian police forces, apparently because they are seen as captives of “Western education,” as a police spokesman in Bauchi, Mohammed Barau, put it.

On Monday, Mr. Barau said the militants were “religious fundamentalists” who were “popularly known as Boko Haram,” a Hausa expression meaning “Western education is prohibited.” Mr. Padah, in Yobe, used a different name for the militants, Yusufia, a variation of a Muslim name. Mr. Ojukwu of the national police refused to assign a specific motive to the attacks, saying only that “they are elements who are not happy with the status quo or the peace of Nigeria.”

It was not clear late Monday whether the police had entirely quelled the uprising. “Efforts are being made to root them out,” Mr. Padah said. “We are gathering information about their location and strength.” About 176 people were arrested in Bauchi, were a curfew was declared.

Sunday’s violence in Bauchi was at least the second episode of religious violence in the state this year; in February as many as 14 were killed in fighting between Christians and Muslims, and mosques and churches were burned.

NY Times

Dissolution of LCDAs: Fashola says no to Yar’Adua

2009-07-27T10:15:00.002-04:00

Here is Fashola's reply to Yar'Adua's letter.

RE: THE ALTERATION OF THE CONSTITUTIONALLY RECognised LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE IN LAGOS STATE BY THE STATE GoVERNMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSTITUTIONALISM AND NATIONAL UNITY
Your letter of 14th July 2009 refers,
Mr. President, after declaring a public amnesty with regards to the Niger Delta crisis, which was intended to bring peace to the country and calm frayed nerves in order to set a platform for meaningful development, the receipt of your letter signed barely twenty four (24) hours after an unprovoked attack on Lagos on the 13th July 2009, in which officers and men of the Nigerian Military lost their lives came as a shock to me.

As Commander-in-Chief, your silence in spite of this attack, and the timing of this letter heightens my concerns and causes me very deep apprehension about the motives behind the advice on which Your Excellency has acted in this matter and the intent of the entire letter at a time when all levels of Government must be working towards promoting peace and stability.

In specific response to the issues raised in your letter under reference. it is perhaps proper to start with a reminder that the decision of the Lagos State Government to conduct elections on 11th October 2008 into 20 local Government Councils and 37 Local Council Development Areas was based on laws validly enacted by the Lagos State House of Assembly pursuant to its legislative competence under the Constitution. The laws under which the Local Council Development Areas were created and under which the elections were conducted are as follows:

(i) The Creation of local Government Areas law No.5 2002;
(ii) The Creation of New Local Government Areas (Amendment) Law No. 15 of 2004;
(iii) The Creation of New Local Government Areas (Amendment! (No.2) Law of 2005; and
(iv) The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2008.
The decision of the Supreme Court noted in Your Excellency’s letter in the case of Attorney General of Lagos state v. Attorney General of the Federation (2005] 2 WRN 1 affirms the validity of two of the laws mentioned above namely, the Creation of local Government Areas law No. 5 2002 and the Creation of New local Government Areas

(Amendment) Law 2004.
In the judgment delivered by Uwais CJN, as he then was, the Supreme Court held that:
“having read all the provisions of the Constitution aforementioned I am satisfied that the House of Assembly of Lagos State has the right to pass the creation of Local Government Areas (Amendment) Law 2004” See AG Lagos v. AG Federation & Ors.
His Lordship further noted that:
“ ... the Laws are valid but inchoate until the necessary steps as provided by the Constitution are taken by the

National Assembly”
This position is also supported by the judgment of Iguh JSC when his Lordship held that:
‘“ Have therefore no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that the Lagos State Government’s Law No. 5 of 2002 is unquestionably constitutional and having complied with the provision of sections 7(J) and 8(3) of the Constitution.” see AG Lagos v. AG Federation & Ors.
Consequently there is no conflict between the Laws under which the new Local Council Development Areas were created and the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I therefore cannot agree with the advice that you have been given that the decision of the High Court in Chief Taiwo Joseph Tovi-Hungevu v. Abraham O. Ogabi Ors in anyway suggests that the Creation of Local

Government Areas law No. 5 2002 and the Creation of New local Government Areas (Amendment) law 2004 are null or void in effect.
It follows that the renamed Local Council Development Areas cannot be referred to as illegal administrative bodies having been validly created under Laws enacted by the Lagos State House of Assembly, which the Supreme Court has pronounced as validly made Laws.

Indeed the Supreme Court NEVER declared them illegal.
It is curious and worrying that Your Excellency has elected to act on advice suggesting that a lower court can pronounce as illegal what the Supreme Court has declared to be valid. This is a grave threat to the long established hierarchy of our Courts and our judicial system, and is not the rule of Law.
As the head of a State Government that is committed to the highest standards of Constitutionalism and legality, I regret that I am unable to accede to your request to alter the current status quo by stopping the operation of the 37 Local Council Development Areas.

It would require me as head of the Executive arm of the State Government to alter the provisions of an existing and valid law made by the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Your Excellency, I must reiterate that the Lagos State Government. Pursuant to Section 8 of the Constitution had forwarded returns of the necessary processes relating to the creation of the new Local Government Councils to the National Assembly to enable it make consequential amendments to the first schedule of the Constitution.

While we await the National Assembly’s discharge of its responsibility, the doctrine of separation of powers requires that each arm of government should be allowed to operate without interference from any other arm of government.
It will be pre-emptive for the Executive arm of Government to take any position that would prejudice the exercise of the power of the Legislature to discharge its responsibility, when there is no competent challenge to the validity of the Laws passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly that can in any way affect the administrative entities created there under.

Respectfully and contrary to Your Excellency’s assertions, I must caution that any steps taken outside the due process of the law by the Nations’ Executive against a sub - national government such as Lagos State in this matter will pose a grave threat to constitutionalism, our democracy and good governance, because it will amount to a usurpation of constitutionally guaranteed State autonomy and a violation of the Constitution.

“the Federal Government felt aggrieved by Lagos State creating more loco’ governments, the best solution is to seek redress in a court of law, without resorting to self _ help. In a society where the rule of law prevails. self help is not available to the executive or any arm of government”
An unavoidable fact is that the legal advice you have received seems to be rooted in disparate (I believe patently wrong) interpretation of the decision of the Supreme Court referred to above. While the actions of the Lagos State Government have been dictated by our belief that the decision supports the actions that we have taken, the Federal Government apparently has a contrary view.

As Your Excellency is aware, the interpretation of Laws is the constitutional preserve of the Judiciary. Where parties are in genuine controversy as to the legality of an action, the rightful course is to approach the Judiciary to seek authoritative pronouncement on the legality of disputed actions.
Permit me to draw your attention to the advice of the Supreme Court in Attorney General of. Lagos State v. Attorney General of the Federation as follows:

I respectfully urge your Excellency to reappraise the advice given on this matter.
In a constitutional democracy the Federal Government does not enjoy the prerogative of compelling a state entity to conform with its will _ however well conceived - except where that will conforms with the law.
The Federal and State Governments are autonomous entities within the sphere of authority and competence vested in each Government under the Constitution. In Attorney General of Lagos State v. Attorney

“But I do not need to repeat that Nigeria operates a federal system of government. Section 2(2) of the 1999 Constitution reenacts the doctrine of federalism. This ensures the autonomy of each government. None of the governments is subordinate to each other. This is particularly of relevance between the State Governments and the Federal Government, each being, as said by Nwabueze in his book, The Presidential Constitution of Nigeria, page 39-42, an autonomous entity in the sense of being able to exercise its own will in the conduct of its affairs within the Constitution, free from direction by another government”.

Should your Excellency take further and alternative legal advice as respectfully urge that you now do; you will find that where any party. Particularly the Federal Government is of the opinion that the Lagos State Government has acted contrary to the decision of the Supreme Court. It should follow the procedure for the enforcement of that judgment as stipulated by the rules of court and certainly not to employing the use of Federal “... organs of state to ... preserve the authority of the Federal Government” as stated in your letter. This is the practice that will be consistent with the Rule of Low.
Finally, Your Excellency, at this time when our economy is challenged and our people are expectant and looking up to us for leadership and direction, our Country can do without a political or constitutional crises over a matter, which constitutionally and demonstrably constitutes no threat to our Nation.
To persist, as Your Excellency threatens in your letter will suggest that this is a deliberate political crisis and not one of necessity.

However let me continue to assure you of my unwavering commitment to constitutionalism and the due process of the Law; you will find that my office and the Government of La.gos state will remain Willing partners in development and amicable resolution of disputes when called upon.
Your Excellency, please accept my best wishes and sincere compliments.

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN Governor of Lagos State

Showdown looms between Nigerian govt, Lagos state

2009-07-26T15:44:00.001-04:00

Nigeria - A face-off that is sure to end the rapprochement between the federal government and its Lagos state counterpart looms, after President Umaru Yar'Adua gave the state a 14-day ultimatum to cancel the 37 new local councils it created in addition to the 20 existing ones.

The letter, apparently leaked to the media by the Federal government, threatens unspecified tough measures against the state government if it fails to revert to the 20 councils at the expiration of the ultimatum.

Saying the creation of the councils breached the country's Constitution, President Yar'Adua warned: ''May I add that if the Lagos state government persists in breach of the Constitution in respect of this matter, beyond the ass erted 14 days, I shall be compelled to direct that necessary actions be taken by the relevant organs of state to defend the Constitution and preserve the authority of the Federal Government.''

The opposition Action Congress (AC) party, which controls Lagos state - the nation's economic nerve centre - has seized on the letter by President Yar'Adua to Lagos state Governor Babatunde Fashola to accuse the FG of seeking to sabotage developments in Lagos.

In a statement issued on Sunday, AC accused the PDP-led federal government of at tempting to distract the government of Lagos state from its ''much-acclaimed development efforts and divert attention from its (FG) own fail ures at all levels''.

The party said it could not fathom why President Yar'Adua would write such a letter to Governor Fashola

``The only reason we can think of right now for this shocking threat and totally unwarranted throwback to Obasanjo's lawless and anarchic era is that the PDP is envious and the FG is embarrassed at the success of the AC-led government in Lagos, hence both are looking for ways to throw spanner in the works.

The battle over the creation of the councils started during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that while the state violated to law in creating the councils, the creation was incomplete because the National Assembly (parliament) has yet to carry out its own part of the deal.

AC said if indeed President Yar'Adua believes in the rule of law as he has always trumpeted, he would go back to the Supreme Court to seek further clarification on the issue instead of resorting to self help.

``For the avoidance of doubt, the Supreme Court did not say the creation of 37 additional councils in Lagos was unconstitutional and illegal, as President Yar'A d ua wrote in his letter. It merely said the creation was incomplete because the National A ssembly has yet to carry out its own part.

``The court never asked Lagos to revert to 20 local governments. And the 37 are development areas for which Lagos state is not getting additional funds from the FG. What then is the fuss about? Is this the strategy of the hawks in the PDP to try to hijack Lagos in the next elections?'' AC asked.

The party described President Yar'Adua's letter as ''a tactical error and a disingenuous move to divert attention from the massive problems besetting the FG and over which it has no clue''.

``For a country where power generation is perhaps at all-time low; where the state of social infrastructure has gone beyond decay; where the Niger Delta crisis is threatening the nation's very own existence; where many more go to bed hungry at night than even in countries at war and where hope seems to be dimming by the day, should the issue of local council creation attract this kind of attention from the President?'' AC further queried.

Afrique en ligne

Ohakim ruffles feathers over defection, faces legal suit

2009-07-25T19:25:00.002-04:00

IMO State governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, formally left the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) yesterday and pitched his tent with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PPA leadership is threatening to drag the decampee to court. Speaking to welcome Ohakim into the PDP family, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua described the governor as “a treasure to PDP”, adding that they were in Owerri to celebrate his return to the party, as well as his good work in Imo State.

Commending members of the state House of Assembly for working harmoniously with Ohakim in the past two years, the president linked the success of the state administration to this singular act. “Today, Imo State has returned 100 percent to PDP. We should consolidate on the gains. Nigerians are great people and Nigeria is a great nation. I charge the Governor to continue to serve the people better”, the president said.

Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,, said “We are not just celebrating the re-entry of Governor Ohakim into the PDP, but we are celebrating integrity, honour, promises made and promises fulfilled”.

He recalled how in 2007, the PDP leadership scrambled for who should enter into an accord with party, when it was clear that the coast was not clear for the party in Imo State. Speaking at the event, Ohakim said that no fewer than 600 members of 21 political parties in the state were decamping from their various parties and collapsing into the PDP.

Meanwhile, strong feelers from the leadership of PPA indicated that it is already fine tuning the legal processes to do a serious battle with the governor. The stand of PPA may not be unconnected with the initial threat issued by former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, during a recent interview with a national newspaper.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that PPA has already assembled lawyers to drag Ohakim to court. The National Chairman of PPA, Chief Clement Ebri, said: “We hasten to say with all emphasis at our command that PPA will never condone a situation whereby its platform will be used to attain a political post, only for the beneficiary to decamp and still cling to that position”.

Vanguard

FG retires 15 NNPC top shots in massive shake-up

2009-07-25T00:12:00.002-04:00

PRESIDENT Umaru Yar'Adua yesterday retired 15 top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and redeployed 65 others.

According to a statement by the Group General Manager (Public Affairs) of the NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, the changes are with immediate effect.
The statement reads: “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved major changes in the Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“According to the President, the ongoing changes are in response to the enormous challenges of survival and growth of the NNPC. The appointments and retirements take immediate effect.”

Those retired are: Mrs. Lillian Adegbite(GGM, GHR); Sola Alabi( GGM, Greenfield Refineries Projects); Suleiman Achimugu(GG, RED); Chuks Onuoha(GGM, ITD);Mrs Zainab Abdurrahman(GGM, Retail); M. A. Agoro(STA Downstream GMD);George Osahon(GGM, NCD);M. O. Oti(GM, Downstream Investment);M. O.Bajomo (GGM, Marketing);G.O. Ahrore(GM, Retail, C& I); C. N. ChukwukaGM, JV NAPIMS); A.O. PIMS);S. Oyegun(Edo PPMC); and G. Etare(EDF, PPMC).

In line with the directive of the President, 67 major changes were also effected in the Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The changes are mainly the redeployment of key top officials for optimal performance.

Investigation by The Nation revealed that the retirement gale and redeployment are parts of steps to implement the recommendations of the Oil and Gas Implementation Committee (OGIC).

The OGIC was inaugurated by President Umaru Yar’Adua on September 7, 2007.

The committee, headed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, had submitted its report to the President in July 2008.

The OGIC report had recommended the privatisation of the NNPC when it is transformed into National Oil Company. Although the Federal Government is yet to determine the stake it will divest to the public, it has started implementing one of the key recommendations, which borders on restructuring of the NNPC.

“The reform of the NNPC has started. By OGIC plan, the NNPC might go through a 12-month transition period before its privatisation.” It was also learnt that the new NNPC might engage in “finding and producing oil; processing the oil; and marketing the oil and its products.”

According to a blueprint by OGIC on the privatisation, the new NNPC (NOC) will be initially 100 per cent owned by the government before the business environment determines the stake to be divested.

The OGIC document reads in part: “The transformed NNPC will be fully commercialised, capitalised and profit-driven in line with best international practices. In the context of the vision of the OGIC, it will operate along the entire supply chain in an integrated fashion within and outside the shores of Nigeria .

“It is therefore required that new structures and sub-structures of the NOC should be predominantly profit-oriented, with very minimal cost sub-centres. All structures/sub-structures should commercially justify their creation.

“The company will be 100 per cent owned by government on take-off; subsequently, stake may be offered to Nigerians. It is recommended that all the subsidiaries will have a hybrid form of ownership with private investors.

“The percentage of ownership to be divested will be dictated by business considerations.

“In addition, all common carrier assets like the pipeline networks of PPMC and NGC, SPM, jetties and LPG depots will be excluded from the take-off assets of the company.”

”Government should immediately institute a transition programme to last from nine to 12 months within which the institutional structure of the new industry would be consolidated.

“During the transition period, NNPC needs to start preparing to transform into a strictly commercial integrated National Oil Company in accordance with the prescriptions of the National Oil and Gas Policy as articulated in this report.

“At the core of the new National Oil and Gas Policy is the establishment of a new NNPC (National Oil Company) that is capable of competing both locally and internationally in all relevant segments of the Oil and Gas industry.

“The underlying intent of the exercise in this regard is to place the company in the same footing with other successful state-owned oil companies (Statoil, Petrobas, Petronas, etc.)

“The committee is of the view that for the new National Oil Company to effectively transform into the desired state, it must be endowed with certain key attributes:
• a strict commercial orientation and focus.
• financial authority and accountability, with effective internal controls.
•Independent and professional governance structures, with commercially driven decision making processes.
• Simple, lean and flexible structure.
• Promotion of profit sub-structures and minimisation of cost sub-structures.

The Nation

Real estate: Lagos becomes one of the most expensive cities in Africa- FT London

2009-07-24T12:40:00.003-04:00

At 4.30am of December 9, 2005, armed police broke into the 1004 Flats Federal Housing Scheme on Victoria Island in Lagos and violently evicted all the tenants.

This was a government-owned housing scheme and the residents were all supposed to be civil servants.

But the federal government had long since moved to Abuja, and people had become clever.

The civil servants, 1004 scheme tenants, had sub-let the flats or were housing family members or favoured mistresses even as they continued to work in Abuja, the federal capital since 1991. This, at least, was how the government justified the raid.

Almost four years later, the flats are owned by a leading private developer, who bought them for $44m. They have been renovated and are up for sale.

They are advertised as one of the hottest properties on Victoria Island and ideal for visiting Nigerians from the diaspora on short-term stays or Lagosian yuppies with young families. Individual units are selling at between N25m ($0.17m) and N45m.

Still, for many ordinary Lagosians who remember “1004 Flats” first as the residence for parliamentarians and senators during the early 1980s and later, as the home of senior civil servants, the fact that it required violence to create this shining symbol of the new, and rapidly gentrifying side of Lagos continues to be one of the more shocking outrages in the collective memory.

But the saga was less a symbol than a trend.

All across Lagos, and especially on the upscale Ikoyi Island, once home to colonial administrators, and Victoria Island, the city’s commercial centre, the government has been leaving and “monetising” its properties.

The result is that real estate in Lagos is doing very well.

House prices, driven up by expatriate demand, the oil boom and Nigerians returning from the diaspora, have shot through the roof and made Lagos one of the most expensive cities in Africa.

“Ten years ago rent on luxury flats was in the region of $25,000-$30,000 a year,” says Dipu Davies, editor of Castles Weekly, one of the city’s leading property magazines.

“At the time, we wrote articles saying there was no demand for these kind of flats. We were wrong. Now, those same flats are going for anything from $50,000 to $150,000.”

This is not a normal market, says Mr Davies, recalling an incident in which a landlord wanted to sell two dilapidated properties at an exorbitant price.

“When we told him it was not possible, he told us he could wait,” says Mr Davies.

“This market is not necessarily driven by supply and demand.”

“Up until 2007, house price increases were in tandem with inflation,” says Larry Ettah, chief executive of the United Africa Company (UAC), which has extensive holdings in Lagos real estate, including the 1004 Flats housing scheme.

“What happened was that in late 2007, alongside the surge in equity markets, property prices went completely out of synch with fundamentals.

“Prices went up by between 50 and 60 per cent,” says Mr Ettah.

Bullish from the incredible returns on share prices, Lagos’ nouveau riche put their money in real estate.

In addition, banks flush with cash following a wave of consolidations, also began investing in property, further pushing up prices. The nexus between the banking sector, real estate and the capital markets was further reinforced with the securitisation of real estate, which enabled big stock exchange operators to buy property without having their dividends taxed.

For Lagos’ 16m people, most resident on the mainland, however, this has made housing virtually unaffordable.

“The property boom had a pull effect so that even on the mainland, prices are going up. You now need to go further and further away towards Ogun State to get affordable properties,” says Mr Davies.

A typical rent package includes two or three years’ payment upfront as well as agents’ and lawyers’ fees. While many multinational companies include a housing allowance in salaries, for most people rent is a nightmarish prospect.

“If you want to know why Lagos is so corrupt, just look at rents,” says one Lagosian. “People have to borrow from family members, friends and loan sharks just to move to a new house.”

Stories abound of agents taking multiple rents on single properties and disappearing with the money. More than anything, however, is the fact that rent prices in Lagos are determined by expensive government permits and there is a lack of amenities.

With the fall in oil prices and the collapse of the stock exchange last year, property prices have dropped, although Mr Davies says it will take another year or so before the full effects are felt.

Still, many are bullish about the future. Savvy developers are already casting an eye on some of the new growth areas – the last of the undeveloped spots in the Lekki peninsula along the coast from Victoria Island, or the expressway from Lagos to Ibadan.

In Castles Weekly, however, there is a word of caution: “We seriously warn our readers to be cautious and investigate all the circumstances before concluding a transaction.”

FT London

N166m debt: Okiro asks NDIC to prove forgery

2009-07-23T23:17:00.001-04:00

OUTGOING police chief Mike Okiro launched yesterday a desperate battle to save his career from ending on a bitter note.

The retiring Inspector General of Police (IGP) denied allegations by Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) that he was part of the loan defaulters who killed Lead Bank Ltd.

NDIC had on Wednesday alleged that Okiro contributed to the bank’s insolvency by failing to repay credit facilities of more than N166 million extended to him between 2000 and 2001.

The corporation alleged that Okiro, as "a police officer and knowing the implication of forging a signature, signed a document as Bessy Okiro and which signature is consistent with your true signature as Sir Mike Okiro on some of the documents available to us".

Okiro, alleged the NDIC, secured the loan to finance a pipeline laying contract that he had won from Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC). He used his family business enterprise, Hekiro Nigeria Ltd, to obtain the loan, it said.

It also accused Okiro of abuse of office and a breach of the code of conduct for public officers for using his office to secure the contract.

At his valedictory conference with senior police officers yesterday in Abuja, Okiro, who is retiring today, said the allegations were untrue and were mere frame-up by the NDIC in consonance with its Managing Director, Ganiyu Ogunleye, whom he accused of trying to tarnish his image as a pay back for the court case he (Okiro) instituted against him (Ogunleye) for alleged acts of fraud.

He said the company belongs to his wife who got the loan from the defunct Lead Bank to execute on Agip contract, adding that the money had been paid back.

Okiro said an agreement was reached that Agip should pay the contract sum directly to Lead Bank to offset the loan while his wife who maintained an account with the defunct bank would get her profit from the contract through the account after the debt might have been defrayed.

He added that unknown to his wife, Lead Bank ran into trouble and was suspended by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from foreign exchange handling, thereby prompting Lead Bank into opening an account with the defunct National Bank to handle its (Lead Bank’s) foreign currency transactions.

Okiro said Agip complied with the instruction by Lead Bank that the foreign currency payment meant for Lead Bank should be paid into the special account opened with the National Bank.

His words: "The contract sum was paid up by Agip. Lead Bank did not pay my wife her own share of the money paid by Agip while NDIC that had taken over the assets of National Bank had not deemed it fit to release the trapped fund.

"My wife did not owe NDIC or Lead Bank. NDIC was the one owing my wife.

"I challenge Ogunleye and the NDIC management to bring to public any document I (Okiro) signed on behalf of the company as a director of the company to prove the allegations that I forged a signature of my wife or anybody."

Parading a document on which lists of borrowers from defunct banks were written and forwarded to the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions on the June 27, last year, Okiro said neither the name of his wife, his wife’s company’s nor his was listed as a debtor or a borrower, adding that the new move by NDIC was an afterthought.

In a July 20 letter to Okiro signed by NDIC lawyer, Okunade Olorundare (SAN), released in Abuja on Wednesday, the corporation demanded immediate re-payment of the loan within 48 hours.

NDIC noted in the letter that as at January 16, 2006 when the banking license of Lead Bank Ltd was revoked, Hekiro Nig. Ltd, which was being run as a family business by the Okiros was indebted to the bank to the tune of N166, 597,365.97.

Rights lawyer Femi Falana said yesterday that Okiro should face trial, if the allegations are found to be true.

He said: "Since the rule of law stipulates that nobody is above the law Mr Mike Okiro should be arrested and charged before the Code of Conduct Bureau and the High Court for alleged forgery under the Criminal Code, breach of Code of Conduct, corrupt practices and obtaining the sum of N166m by false pretences."

The Nation

Angola leads Nigeria in oil production - As Nigeria loses 300,00 barrels per day

2009-07-23T12:05:00.000-04:00

NIGERIA has been overthrown by Angola as Africa‘s biggest oil producer, as militant attacks crippled production in the oilfields in the Niger Delta.

According to Reuters, an international news agency, Nigeria’s output has been hit by dozens of attacks on oil production facilities, which have increased in intensity this year and removed at least 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from its capacity since January.

With the problems in Nigeria, Angola which is increasingly politically stable, safer and more attractive to foreign oil companies. It has slowly increased its output and has the potential for much greater production over the next few years, consolidating its dominance.

“If nothing improves in Nigeria , Angola will almost certainly overtake it. Nigerian production is going down and down and they are failing to bring their internal difficulties under control,” said Peter Odell, professor emeritus of international energy studies at Erasmus University , Rotterdam.

Nigeria’s oil output has plummeted from 2.4 million bpd just before the militant attacks started four years ago and over the last year has averaged around 1.83 million bpd, compared with a little under 1.80 million for Angola, Reuters surveys show.

The gap between the two members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has narrowed this year and Angola moved ahead of its West African rival last month.

Nigeria Tribune

HiTV: A glimpse at the scope of the local media market- FT London

2009-07-22T12:10:00.004-04:00

At a secret location in Lagos, a room fills with giggles as 12 young ladies struggle to tie their geles: the flamboyant headdresses that – if worn correctly – grant an instant, show-stopping presence to any Nigerian woman.

The laughter conceals the hard truth that only one survivor will emerge to claim the affections of D’Banj, an ebullient Nigerian rap artist and pan-African heartthrob, popularly known as “D’Koko Master.”

Since its launch this month, the reality show has earned a loyal and opinionated following.

As the “Kokolettes” compete in tasks to test their talents in areas from elocution and deportment to business acumen and artistic creativity, viewers use text messages to vote for evictions and offer a running commentary.

Viewing the antics of the inhabitants of the “Koko Mansion” on a monitor in the HiTV studios in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, Toyin Subair, founder of the satellite television company, permits himself a grin.

The girls – under the supervision of a prim “governess” – are achieving mixed results with their geles.

Yet Mr Subair has a deeper reason to smile. That Nigerian programming is reaching Nigerian viewers over a Nigerian satellite television station vindicates the risk he took by venturing into the country’s still embryonic pay-TV market.

Launched in August, 2007, HiTV says its subscriber base has grown to 240,000, competing hard with the DSTV package offered by MultiChoice of South Africa, which also has more than 200,000 subscribers in Nigeria, according to Screen Digest.

HiTV’s rapid growth provides a glimpse into the potential scope of the media industry in Nigeria, where a combination of fizzing talent, new technology and increasing demand for local content is driving output of film, music and soaps.

Yet the road has not been easy.

HiTV has had to find ways to raise capital and recruit staff with the skills to run a sophisticated broadcast business. Difficulties obtaining Nigerian rights for some of the most popular global content is Mr Subair’s biggest headache.

The company’s technology also has some catching up to do: customers complain that wind or rain interrupts the signal.

A lawyer who specialised in intellectual property, Mr Subair had watched other Nigerian companies attempt to build the platforms needed to run a pay-TV business only to run out of cash when customers failed to materialise.

He flipped their model by buying the rights to content he believed would guarantee eyeballs, even before he could beam it into homes.

HiTV committed $28m in 2006 to secure the right to broadcast English Premiership football for three years even before they had sold a single dish. A well-connected member of Nigeria’s business community, Mr Subair raised funds from wealthy individuals and institutional investors. Nigeria’sGuaranty Trust Bank extended loans and took a 15 per cent equity stake.

HiTV has obtained rights to broadcast a range of other international content, including Spanish and Italian soccer, Sky News, Al-Jazeera and Nickelodeon, the US children’s channel.

A basic package of 28 channels costs N3,500 ($23) a month while the premium offering of 31, including top soccer, costs N6,000.

The company also produces eight of its own channels – including Nigezie, devoted to airing videos from Nigeria’s hip-hop scene, and Hi Nolly, which airs Nigerian-made films.

Dozens of graduates working at a customer service centre keep track of subscribers.

A bank of screens on the wall showing what HiTV is broadcasting reveals that several big international networks including CNN, BBC and some big sports and film channels are absent.

For Mr Subair, the hardest battle has been to convince big broadcasters to sell him rights to air their content in Nigeria rather than pursue their usual strategy of granting pan-African monopolies to his South African rivals.

In the long run, Mr Subair hopes HiTV will serve as a catalyst for developing the studios, distribution and financing needed to boost Nigeria’s own film and music industry.

“The talent is there, the market is there,” Mr Subair says. “The real issue is how to create the infrastructure to monetise that talent and market.”

For now, the biggest question for HiTV viewers is which of the dozen young women will be crowned “No 1 Kokolette.” “D’Banj u r d man,” says the latest SMS message. “luv ur show.”

Financial Times- London

Lagos State: Why we are challenging Census Figure

2009-07-21T23:01:00.003-04:00

Lagos State government yesterday insisted on the nullification of the 2006 census results.

Seventeen local governments in the state are before Tribunal C challenging the results given to them.

They are Ajeromi, Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ifako-Ijaye, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Island, Mainland, Mushin , Ojo, Somolu and Surulere.

The Solicitor-General Chief Lawal Pedro (SAN) told reporters in Abuja that the state "was here to challenge and object to the census results.

"It is obvious to some of you who want to admit that it is below what we call international and even local standard.

"Every individual or citizens of Lagos ought to be counted so that’s why we are saying that there has been under counting and there were lapses during the exercise...

So that is the reason we are saying the tribunal should make an order to nullify the results released for Lagos, all the local governments in Lagos and to order a recount", he said.

But counsel to the National Population Commission (NPC), Mike Ahamba (SAN) said 2006 census was the most organised.

Tribunal Chairman B, Mr. Habibu Ma’aruf said 18 petitions had been received so far and more were still being expected.

He will preside over petitions from Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu , Ebonyi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi Taraba and Gombe.

According to Ma’aruf, petitions woould be decided by Affidavit evidence. He urged lawyers to avoid technicalities and time wastage.

In the same vein, the chairman of Tribunal C, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Obegolu said the tribunal has an open mind to the census figures.

"The issues will be examined on the basis of facts and not on sentiments. Our decision will be based strictly on facts presented before us", she said.

She will preside over Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Kogi, Kwara and Plateau states.

The tribunals were established by virtue of Section 28 of the National Population Commission Act, Cap. No 67 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

They will hear complaints and objections to the census results as they relate to specific local government areas or localities.

The decision of the tribunal is however not final. A complainant, who is not satisfied, can approach the Appeal Court and lastly, the Supreme Court.

The Nation

Lagos State governor puts others in the shade- FT London

2009-07-21T14:31:00.001-04:00

Pausing from selling “chin-chin” – sweets made from twists of fried dough – on the verge of a half-built road in Lagos, Oluwaseun Tokunbo quickly warms to the city’s favourite topic: the new governor.

“His impact on Lagos State has been so awesome,” she says, to nods from a couple of friends sheltering from the drizzle under her lime green umbrella. “We have 36 states in Nigeria – they should copy what he has done.”

Such glowing praise is not normally afforded to politicians in Nigeria, where a legacy of military coups, grand-scale corruption and steadily-worsening electoral fraud since the transition from army rule a decade ago has corroded any sense of mutual obligation between government and people.

Yet Babatunde Fashola has won widespread respect since he took over as governor of Lagos State two years ago for the simple reason that he is seen to be getting things done. Accelerating a plan to decongest the streets of the megacity of perhaps 18m people, he has razed chaotic markets and started building bridges and roads.

His motto is played constantly on FM radios and is even emblazoned under the airport flyover in a pattern of carefully-planted shrubs: “Eko o ni baje”. In Yoruba, the dominant language in the city, it means: “Lagos will not be spoiled.”

“We’re planning the city – building and planning new towns and satellite communities that will form the basis of the infrastructure: rail, road and water transportation for the future,” says Mr Fashola.

Yet as the more sceptical Lagosians point out, Mr Fashola is doing no more than what any governor should: delivering public goods. The excitement he has generated simply by turning up for work is in many ways a damning commentary on the performance of the political class as a whole.

Liyel Imoke, governor of Cross River State, a former power minister and member of the ruling People’s Democratic party, sums up the feeling across Nigeria: “There is complete, total breakdown of the social contract.”

Guaranteed a share of oil wealth under the constitution, the governments in Nigeria’s 36 states assume wide responsibilities in areas such as health, education and infrastructure. Graft and inefficiency at the level of state and local governments – which also receive a substantial cut of oil revenues – are the main reasons so many Nigerians lack even minimal services.

At a secondary school run by Lagos State government near the Agboroko-Igboelerin road, children in green uniforms cram four to a desk – and more than 120 to a classroom.

Holding a switch to keep order, the headmistress laments the decline she has witnessed during her 30- year career.

“The standard of education is falling, it’s really falling,” she says.

“If we only had 30-50 children in a class, we would be able to supervise them.”

The previous generation of state governors – many of whom left office in 2007 after serving two four-year terms – is, in general, little missed. So flagrant was the corruption that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, an anti-graft agency, has charged more than 10 former state governors with money laundering.

In many cases, the current crop of governors, the vast majority of whom belong to the People’s Democratic party, owe their positions directly to their predecessors.

These political “godfathers” engineered their successors’ ascent at elections that were often little more than rigging competitions conducted with a complete disregard for the popular will. Many have been challenged in the courts, leading to re-runs and long-running legal disputes.

So broken is the electoral system that legitimacy tends to spring more from what leaders do rather than how they arrived in office. Mr Fashola’s performance on behalf of the opposition Action Congress has prompted optimists among the elite to talk of a possible “Fashola effect” – the hope that his example is starting to put peer pressure on others to deliver.

Sceptics abound. Uche Onyeagucha, a veteran human rights activist who contested the Imo State governorship for Action Congress, says there is still widespread evidence of graft. “It’s too early to conclude there’s going to be any improvement,” he says. “The governors today are stealing like the ones before.”

Yet even the most jaded Nigeria watchers admit there are signs of some new initiatives. Bayelsa State is introducing an innovative electronic system to weed out “ghost” civil servants. Katsina State in the north says it is making progress in improving delivery of education and healthcare. The governor of Niger State is among those actively courting foreign investors. Mr Imoke has backed a crackdown by respected environmentalists on illegal logging. Imo, Ogun and Kwara states want to emulate Lagos and issue bonds to fund infrastructure.

The irony is that several of the governors who appear to be making the fastest progress are those who have broken with their erstwhile “godfathers” and have the greatest motive to start building a base of popular support.

Rotimi Amaechi, who fell out with his own “godfather”, was appointed governor of Rivers State in the Niger Delta without winning a single vote after judges annulled the election of his rival.

He has since proved to be among the most proactive in terms of building roads and health centres. Some see a similar dynamic at work with Sullivan Chime, the governor of the eastern state of Enugu, who has pursued similarly populist road building policies after a row with his erstwhile “godfather”.

Even in Lagos, many people believe that Mr Fashola’s enthusiastic performance is motivated in part by a desire to create a model of what the Action Congress can achieve to serve the party’s eventual aim of winning control of the economically-important south-west.

The mastermind behind this plan? Bola Tinubu, the former state governor and the “godfather” who put Mr Fashola into office.

Financial Times

Vested interests block reform- FT London

2009-07-21T12:53:00.002-04:00

From the hawkers dodging traffic in the choked streets of Lagos to the billionaire oligarchs in penthouses above, Nigeria seethes with restless ambition and an awareness of potential unfulfilled.

Yet 10 years after the country’s transition from military to civilian rule, progress towards reversing decades of declining living standards and restoring the social contract between the government and the people is still agonisingly slow.

In the 26 months since President Umaru Yar’Adua took office, frustration has intensified.

On paper, his promised reforms in energy, power and infrastructure could lay the foundation for an economic lift-off that would transform the prospects of Nigerians.

Faith in his government’s ability to deliver, however, is evaporating. With the political class gearing up for general elections in 2011 – that risk degenerating into a repeat of the mayhem sponsored by rival politicians in 2007 – even the most ebullient of Mr Yar’Adua’s ministers acknowledge time is running out.

“If there’s any country today that can actually make a difference in this continent, to the black race, it is Nigeria,” says Remi Babalola, minister of state for finance. “We actually make the necessary difference – or we continue stagnating.”

Whether Nigeria can throw off its shackles of insecurity and underdevelopment matters far beyond Africa. Already the fifth biggest source of US oil imports, the country boasts giant gas reserves coveted by Russia and the rest of Europe.

The world’s largest energy companies are anxiously watching the evolution of Mr Yar’Adua’s plans to address chronic underfunding in the oil industry that threatens to plunge production into terminal decline. An attack on a fuel depot near the Lagos financial district this month showed how the festering conflict in the Niger Delta could widen.

That Nigeria has survived repeated bouts of political and economic crisis since independence in 1960 is a tribute to its people’s resilience: yet there is a sense today that the country is teetering between two very different futures.

The optimistic one is that a burst of private-sector led growth, unleashed by government action to solve the chronic power crisis diversifies the economy and spurs a rapid re-emergence of the middle class.

Companies such as HiTV, a satellite television station profiled in this report, show that dynamic businesses can offer jobs to the country’s army of unemployed graduates. The sheer scale of the Nigerian market continues to act as a magnet for investors and an inspiration for entrepreneurs.

The second vision is bleaker, informed by images of communal violence that killed several hundred people in the city of Jos in November that underscore the growing social pressures.

Nigeria’s population – 40 per cent of which is under 15 – will grow from 140m in 2005 to more than 200m by 2025, according to the United Nations. Even today, only a fraction has access to clean water, adequate housing or healthcare.

For a teenage generation warehoused in a failing state education system the consumer lifestyles championed by hip-hop stars and on homegrown TV channels remain a seductive yet remote aspiration – nowhere more so than in the rapidly de-industrialising north.

“The collapse of the architecture of governance means the government has lost its moral authority to hold things together,” says Matthew Hassan-Kukah, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Kaduna and a respected commentator. “People are falling back on vigilante groups.”

Such a grim prognosis is in contrast with the glowing accounts of foreign investors when reforms implemented under Olusegun Obasanjo, the previous president, saw external debt written off and the fast-growing banking sector briefly transformed into one of the world’s best-performing asset classes.

Since then the collapse in world oil prices has exposed how dependent Nigeria remains on energy exports. Standard Bank projects real gross domestic product will grow by 4.2 per cent this year and 6 per cent in 2010, compared with 9.4 per cent in 2008.

Against a deteriorating global backdrop, Mr Yar’Adua has struggled to muster the political strength to overcome the nexus of special interest groups blocking reform. The government pleads for patience, saying it has committed $5.3bn to building power plants, commissioned roads and ear-marked funds to boost textiles and farming. Nigeria is starting to roll out Africa’s biggest anti-malaria initiative. Mr Yar’Adua says his critics confuse careful planning with inertia.

The government has launched a campaign to polish the country’s image, saying it has been unfairly tarnished by email scams and human trafficking conducted by a tiny minority. One blogger captured the popular reaction in a post last month: “Nigeria needs rebooting, not rebranding.”

The widespread perception of weakness at the centre is partly a reflection of Mr Yar’Adua’s own restrained style of rule – dogged by rumours over his health. Yet his emergence as Nigeria’s leader is symptomatic of a deeper problem: the political system has remained skewed towards perpetuating elite interests.

From an aristocratic dynasty in the mainly Muslim north, Mr Yar’Adua owed his ascent to Mr Obasanjo, who anointed him his successor. The judiciary’s failure to complete prosecutions of former governors charged with looting hundreds of millions of dollars has reinforced the impression that Mr Yar’Adua remains captive to powerful vested interests.

His government has watered down proposals for electoral reforms designed to restore Nigeria’s democratic credentials following the 2007 polls, which were so marred by cheating and violence that many governorship contests have been overturned by the courts. A case challenging Mr Yar’Adua’s own election weighed heavily on his administration until it was dismissed in December by four votes to three in the Supreme Court. Violence and allegations of rigging at a re-run of a governorship race in the south-western state of Ekiti in April showed the system remains broken.

“The police, the military, the civil service, the judiciary, have all been compromised,” says Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who competed in the presidential elections in 2007. “This is the billion-dollar question: how do you resuscitate the institutions that run the country?”

Thousands of Nigerian professionals are, nevertheless heading back to Lagos after careers in the US and UK to work in banking and telecommunications. Plans to complete an undersea fibre-optic cable to increase internet bandwidth tenfold next year reinforce the impression of a vibrant enterprise culture struggling to take root.

“I think a very unique thing has happened in this country in the past four to five years, and that’s the strength of the private sector,” says Ngozi Edozien, west Africa head of Actis, the private equity fund.

Investors take comfort from Mr Yar’Adua’s appointments since December of respected figures to the finance and power portfolios. Lamido Sanusi, the new central bank governor, has begun an energetic drive to increase transparency in a banking sector saddled with bad debts racked up in last year’s crash on the Lagos stock market.

The record of the telecoms sector, which has grown faster than anywhere else on the continent, has shown that when government steps back and provides the right regulatory environment, businesses in Nigeria can thrive.

Change is visible in Lagos, where Babatunde Fashola, the governor, has accelerated a public works programme, building roads, bridges and trying to impose public order on the crowded commercial capital. This has rekindled hopes that government can deliver when it tries. Mr Yar’Adua has only two years left to do the same.

FT-London

Nigeria’s external debt portfolio hits $3.6b

2009-07-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

Nigeria’s external debt portfolio is $3.6 billion, Finance Minister Mansur Muhtar said yesterday.

Muhtar, who spoke at the signing of the $100m Credit Additional Financing for the Malaria Control Booster Project and $95million Credit Lagos Eko Secondary School Educational Project Agreement in Abuja, said the World Bank portfolio, including the two agreements, stands at $2.3billion.

"At the moment, we have $2.31billion and with the signing of this agreement, this increases it by $195million .The total external debt portfolio that we have recorded is $3.6 billion," he said.

According to him, the $100million additional financing of the Federal Government’s Malaria Control Booster Project is to enable the country meet the global Universal Scaling Up for Impact (SUFI) and significantly reduce Malaria related morbidity and mobility.

The $95million Lagos Eko Education Project, he said, is meant for the promotion of school effectiveness, quality assurance and strengthening of the state’s post-basic education.

But the Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Oshotimehin, explained that the challenges in the battle against malaria are quite enormous. This, he said, makes the loan minimal and makes a call for credit soon imminent.

He pointed out that the country’s population of 140million makes the case more serious than that of its neighbours on Afican continent.

Consequently, he said, "We are looking to a target at malaria research in Nigeria. The goal is very challenging. That is not all, we need capacity, and we need to be able to show results for the money we get in the most transparent way. I am not even sure that the money we have will do so I am going to come back to the Minister of Finance."

Muhtar noted: "These two credit facilities are all geared towards a common objective, namely, accelerating the pace towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria."

He added that the objectives of the Malaria Control Booster Project are to provide improved access to and utilisation of Malaria Plus Package of intervention in the seven participating states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano and Rivers.

The loan, according to him, would as well strengthen the Federal and states’ agencies’ ability to manage and oversee delivery of malaria and intervention.

Continuing, the minister said the additional financing of $100million would be disbursed within the three years life span of the project. He said the original International Development Agency (IDA) credit in an amount of $180million became effective on May 15, 2007 with a project closing date of March 31, 2012.

He claimed that there had been progress in the implementation of the project in all the seven participating states and the federal level.

The Lagos Eko Education Project, he said, is for the enhancement of the quality of public junior and senior secondary education in the state, as well as to strengthen the capacity and quality of science and post-basic education strategy at the Ministry of Education.

"The total cost of the project is $95million, out of which $90million, will be provided to support monitoring of post-basic education development and capacity building by the Federal Ministry of Education. The project will be implemented over a period of four years."

The minister, who explained the conditions for the IDA credit, called it "a highly concessional facility with a repayment period of 40 years, including a 10-year moratorium. It attracts a commitment charge of 0.50 percent per annum payable on the un-disbursed amount, and a service charge of 0.75 per annum payable on the amount withdrawn. These projects fall within the human development category of the World Bank and do attract counterpart funds, as effective condition. However, it was agreed with the seven participating states in the malaria booster project that each state government will provide government contribution as a sign of commitment and sustainability of the project."

The World Bank Country Director - Mr. Onnoh Roul noted that everybody is working to ensure that the statistics of malaria in Nigeria is changed.

According to him, eradication of malaria from Nigeria is so important because every second a child dies of the disease.

The project, he said, involves other donor – partners, such as the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) "and everybody is working together to ensure that the horrible statistics can be changed and malaria is something under control".

Roul earlier recalled that the US President Barack Obama had commended the corroborative efforts which the Sultan of Sokoto and the christians had put into battle against the scourge. The Minister of Health said only two states had got the treated mosquito nets and, by next year, the ministry would have distributed them to all the states.

Churches, Mosques won’t pay taxes, says Fashola

2009-07-21T11:12:00.002-04:00

Churches and mosques will not pay taxes, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said yesterday.

He spoke just as religious leaders agreed with the state government that it is indeed constitutional for them to fulfill their individual tax obligations to the state.

The leaders said the Quran and the Holy Bible support the payment of taxes.

They, however, resolved that a small group be set up to examine identified grey areas in the plan to make all individuals to pay taxes.

Fashola, who spoke at a meeting he had with the religious leaders, urged them to improve the awareness among their members on best practices.

His words: "We should all realise that religion is not just about faith but a totality of life. Our religious leaders should help to improve awareness of the people by looking closely at how these communities we visit during pilgrimages manage their wastes, make their cities so clean and ensure that public transportation works.

"Our religious pilgrimages to foreign land must also include cultural and social diets and not restricted to only religious diets. We must make conscious effort to know about what obtains there and let our people know. Some of the issues are purely attitudinal and not spiritual."

Fashola, who thanked the religious leaders for empathising with the government on reasons for implementing the law, added that it should be realised that there are no perfect laws anywhere since they are drafted by human beings.

He said the law, which prescribes the payment of taxes by all those who earn an income or generate revenues from religious institutions or activities, is not a creation of the state but a federal law which he swore to uphold.

Earlier, the Prelate of the Methodist Church, Rev. Ola Makinde, said information management had always been a major problem between the government and the governed.

He said the meeting was a departure from the norm, and has shown how responsive the Fashola administration is, stressing that Churches and Mosques exist for the people.

A Moslem cleric, Prof. Moshood Fashola, said the government was right to insist that religious leaders who earn income must pay taxes.

He, however, said donations should not be taxed because the Quran enjoins all adherents to share donation and gifts with the needy.

He added that some religious organisations are also involved in social activities, saying rather than being taxed such religious organisations should be given subventions.

The meeting attracted notable religious leaders, such as the Chief Imam of Lagos, Alhaji Imam Akinola Ibrahim, General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Dr. Wilson Badejo, scholars, the Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue, Mr. Ade Ipaiye and other senior government officials.

The Nation

Yar'Adua In Bayelsa, Insists Amnesty Is Real

2009-07-20T21:18:00.004-04:00

President Umaru Yar'Adua reaffirmed in Yenagoa on Monday that the amnesty offered militants is not a ruse but a gambit to ensure peace and development in the Deep South.

He advised criminals disguising as militants to have a change of heart when he spoke at a reception organised for his one-day visit, during which he commissioned projects completed by the present administration in Bayelsa State.

Those present at the occasion included Patience, wife of Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan; Governors Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa); Mines and Power Minister, Diezani Allison-Maduekwe; and former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director, Timi Alaibe.

Federal lawmakers stayed away, claiming they were not invited, even though an aide to Sylva said invitations were sent to them.

Yar,Adua and his entourage arrived Yenagoa at about 1.50 p.m. en route Port Harcourt Airport, and headed straight to the reception.

He then went on to commission the Peace Park, Glory Land Castle (New Governor's Lodge), Gate-Way Road, 20 megawatts (mw) gas turbine, and Judiciary Headquarters Complex.

He acknowledged that the Niger Delta problem is enormous, but pledged that targets would be met with commitment, because the region's development is very high on the agenda of this administration.

"The Federal Government will ensure that all statutory allocations due the NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) and the Niger Delta Ministry are paid to ensure development and enduring peace in the region."

Yar,Adua commended the state government for initiating projects and completing some that were started by previous administrations.

He said Abuja is investing heavily in the power sector, so as not to waver, on our commitment in providing 6,000 (mw) by the end of this year and 10,000 (mw) next year. There are enormous challenges, but the target will be met."

Sylva explained that all projects executed by the state government are to alleviate poverty, create jobs, ensure conflict management, and boost internally generated revenue (IGR), among others.

He recalled that at the inception of his administration in May 2007, poor infrastructure and development challenges were daunting, but he summoned the courage to complete some projects abandoned by previous administrations.

Sylva renewed Bayelsa's commitment to diversify from oil to agriculture to boost its economy, and solicited the support of Abuja.

He expressed appreciation to Yar'Adua's administration for proposing to site in Bayelsa offices of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), together with a federal inland port, and a federal polythecnic.

Yar,Adua granted the amnesty to militants on June 25, "predicated on (their) willingness and readiness to give up all illegal arms in their possession (and) completely renounce militancy in all its ramifications unconditionally."

A momentum was added on July 13 with the release of Henry Okah, leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), after his detention for two years on treason charges.

On July 15, the insurgents announced a ,,temporary,, ceasefire for 60 days "to allow for a peaceful negotiation" with Abuja, now that Okah has been set free.

That means hostilities will be on ice till September 15. The government's own amnesty offer is on the table till October 4.

The Federal Government welcomed the relief that came after two straight days of mayhem in Lagos, where the MEND set Atlas Cove ablaze, and deeper in the South, where it destroyed oil facilities which led to another cut in production of 24,000 barrels per day (pbd), this time by Agip.

On Monday, Lagos Council Chairmen and traditional rulers described the attack on Atlas Cove as a ,,cowardly, unprovoked and irresponsible,, act at a press briefing where they said the attack was misplaced, given the support the Niger Delta struggle enjoys among residents of the state.

The leaders demanded an ,,unreserved apology,, from the MEND, because Lagos, Nigeria,s capital until 1991, is as affected by federal neglect as the Niger Delta.

"As Obas, chiefs, elders and leaders of councils in Lagos who have for years helped to promote and sustain peaceful co-existence of people of all tribes in Lagos, we feel it is our duty to register publicly the anger and disapproval of our people against the dastardly, wicked, callous, and irresponsible act of men of MEND on our dear state", said a statement read by Tajudeen Olusi.

Present at the briefing were former Deputy Governor, Biodun Ogunleye; Senator Tony Adefuyi; a representative of Lagos Council Chairmen, James Faleke; the Onilado of Ilado and Ilagbe, Bade Oyekan; Olu of Agege, Lateef Adams; Action Congress (AC) top notch, Henry Ajomale; and others.

"What has further made our people more furious is the fact that the reason given for the attack had nothing to do with Lagos.

"If the men of the MEND were provoked (as they claimed) by the trip of Michael Aondoakaa (federal Attorney General and Justice Minister) to Sao Tome and Principe instead of hastening the directive that Okah be released, why should that be a Lagos problem?

"Did the Lagos State Government imprison Okah? Or Is Aondoakaa the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Lagos? Or Is Lagos responsible for the cause of agitation?"

Olusi said the MEND"s anger was misplaced and turned history on its head, given the role of Lagos in the demand for fiscal federalism - and in spearheading the campaign that made the 13 per cent oil derivation formula a reality.

"Given (these) facts, we cannot but be horrified by the mindless and thoughtless attack on the facilities located in our state, which was capable of crippling economic, commercial, and social activities.

We hereby give a serious warning to the militants in the Niger Delta to view the last attack as the last of such, as any attempt to (repeat it) would be met with serious consequences the attackers would live to regret.

"The attack on Atlas Cove was not only unprovoked, but has also drawn the ire of the generality of Nigerians who have been living peacefully in Lagos State."

Daily Independent

FG Hastens Deregulation Of Petrol

2009-07-20T21:14:00.001-04:00

Aso Rock is in low spirits with skyrocketing crude prices, which on Monday jump over $64 per barrel (pb) on the global market.

A source in the Villa said Nigerians may "very, very soon wake up to a full fledged deregulation of petrol and outright removal of subsidy as efforts are in top gear for this."

Africa,s biggest oil producer is traditionally happy where there is a surge in oil price, but the situation has changed with the shortfall in output due to the attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta.

Before the unrest, the country produced about 2.3 million barrels per day (mbpd). Now it produces less than one mbpd.

A high price on the international market requires more subsidy for local consumption, which costs N1.528 billion per cargo of imported refined fuel.

Oil prices rose to above $64 pb on Monday as strong second-quarter company earnings boosted investor optimism and pushed stocks in Asia and Europe higher.

A weaker United States Dollar also supported crude markets.

By mid-afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for August delivery was up 88 cents to $64.44 pb in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

On Friday, the contract jumped $1.54 to settle at $63.56.

Better than expected earnings last week from Goldman Sachs, Intel Corp, and JP Morgan Chase & Co. eased some investor doubts about the chances of a U.S. economic recovery this year.

Traders are watching results this week from Apple, Amazon.com, and Microsoft for further clues about growth and consumer spending.

,,Sentiment has been helped a great deal by the earnings reports so far,,, said Victor Shum, an Energy Analyst at consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.

,,If the remaining reports paint an upbeat picture, that could sustain oil,, which bounced from $58.78 pb last week after falling from an eight-month high of $73.23 on June 30.

On Monday, stock markets closed higher in Asia and were showing gains of at least 1.5 per cent in most leading European markets.

Oil and other commodities also became more attractive to investors looking for protection against inflation and Dollar weakness.

The Euro was up to $1.4228 from $1.4139 late Friday in New York, while the British Pound rose to $1.6518 from $1.6382 on Friday.

Investors remain concerned about weak crude demand. Rising inventories of oil products, such as gasoline, suggest the recession has kept some U.S. drivers from hitting the road this summer.

"Weak fundamentals should keep a lid on prices", Shum said. "We have a glut of oil products."

JBC Energy in Vienna does "not expect the recent recovery in oil prices to last for long as it has been led by premature optimism rather than by fundamentals."

In other Nymex trading, gasoline for August delivery rose 1.16 cents to $1.7815 a gallon. and heating oil gained 2.75 cents to $1.6685.

Natural gas for August delivery was up 0.9 cents to 3.678 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent prices rose 88 cents to $66.26 pb on the ICE Futures exchange.

Daily Independent

Amaechi Damns NLNG Action

2009-07-20T15:03:00.005-04:00

The Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has condemned the discriminatory operational regulations of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) company at its Port Harcourt and Bonny Jetties, describing it as an international embarrassment to the people of the state.

Governor Amaechi. who said this, Saturday, at a luncheon for delegates to the 40th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting in Port Harcourt said it was unethical to carry out discriminatory operations on the jetties as a cover for its security concerns for the company

He apologised to the delegates, who were expected to embark on a scheduled tour of Bonny Island from the NLNG ‘s Eastern Bye Pass Jetty, but were turned back because of NLNG policy of White/Black jetty and wondered why a world class organisation could cover up such lapses.

“We are sorry over the incident and promise that we will conduct an integrity test on the jetty to ascertain why the company is being selective on those that will use the jetty”, he said.

According to the governor, there was no justification in the “policies that white people should be flown to the site and black people will go by sea”.

The governor also said that in taking the decision the company did not take into cognizance the . security implication of endangering the lives of some people while preserving others.

He also called on members of the public who may be affected by the closure of the facilities to bear with the state government as urgent measures were being taken to salvage the situation.

Responding on behalf of the parliamentarians, the leader of the South African Delegation. RT. Hon. Linhiwe Maseko, Speaker Geuteng Parliament, South Africa, thanked Governor Amaechi for responding swiftly to the embarrassing situation.

“We are proud of you because you have given us our pride. All the delegates that are participating in this meeting are black and white, and we were wondering why this had to happen on Nelson Mandela’s birthday”, she said.

The Parliamentarians who later led all delegates and the Government to chant the happy birthday song for Nelson Mandela, said in compliance to their national call, Parliamentarians from South Africa had to do a 67 minute work for the people of Rivers State to commemorate the 67 years Mandela spent in political activitism

The TIDE

Bunkering: 20% Of Nigeria's Oil Lost Daily - U.S. Congressman

2009-07-20T09:36:00.002-04:00

*Says Aso Rock Aware Of Dealings

*Ghana Woos Nigeria's Oil Majors, Others
By Rafiu Ajakaye and Adeola Yusuf, Lagos (With Agency Reports)

Up to 20 per cent of daily oil production in the Niger Delta is lost to bunkering, an American lawmaker disclosed at the weekend, in what he believes is an illicit trade with the tacit backing of Aso Rock.

Donald Payne, United States House of Representatives Africa and Global Health Committee Chairman, said bunkering in the Deep South is too prevalent to thrive without the support of the Nigerian establishment.

Washington is neither impressed with the happenings, nor with the inaction of President Umaru Yar'Adua who feigns ignorance of bunkering, Payne stressed.

"In the Delta," he explained, "the amount of oil misappropriated is up to about 20 per cent, (which) is flagrant. It is not like diamonds which you can stick in your pocket.

"If you're stealing crude, you have got to have a big pump and a big ship. It is in the water, and everyone has got to see it. So, that means a lot of people are either looking the other way or involved in this skimming."

In his view, Nigeria has a lot of work to do, because it a country that has "so much potential, so many bright people. Here in the United States, you have tens of thousands of Nigerian doctors.

"Nigeria is a country where it is a part of their heritage to get an education, become a professional, work hard. So, there is no need for (the) country to have the abject poverty it has, and the opulence on the other hand.

"It is too much of a disparity. We certainly need to focus on Nigeria."

In what explains why U.S. President Barack Obama shunned the continent's most populous nation in his first touchdown in sub-Saharan Africa, Payne repeated that Yar'Adua's election fell short of democratic expectations - a fact made worse by his poor performance so far.

"We are disappointed that the new government of (Yar'Adua) has not focused more on the Delta region. We visited (him) in Nigeria right after his election. We said we had concerns about the fact that the election appeared not to be transparent, did not appear to be fair and free.

"It was not an election to be proud of. He agreed that the election was less than perfect and appointed a commission to look at how to strengthen the electoral process."

Payne has represented New Jersey 's 10th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1989, and is about the most respected American lawmaker on African affairs.

Nearer home, the gale of oil boom blowing in Ghana has started to lure some major oil companies in Nigeria to the former Gold Coast.

Ghanaian President, John Attah Mills, has already confirmed that he has "seen all sorts of people flocking into (the oil fields). People knocking on our doors, making all sorts of proposals."

If consultation by Ghanaian officials and the oil majors yield results, it could halt the development of new oil projects and hamper ongoing ones in Nigeria.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Ghana could earn over $20 billion from only one of its first offshore field, and this has led to a rush, because "oil companies are in business whose natural law advocates that you run it at gain when you run in a peaceful and friendly environment.

"But it would be very difficult at a tensed environment," said a source in one oil firm.

Particularly so, as Attah Mills has declared that Nigeria is not a good example for his country when it comes to oil industry activities.

Tullow Oil announced on July 13 that the Ghanaian Energy Minister has approved the Jubilee field Phase 1 development plan and unitisation agreement.

Phase 1 calls for up to 17 wells, including up to nine oil producers, five water injection wells, and three gas injection wells.

Water, and possibly gas, injection wells will enhance production and maximise oil recovery by maintaining reservoir pressure.

Gas will be available for export to shore, and or re-injected into the reservoir, thereby eliminating gas flaring.

Daily Independent

Globe-Trotting Governors

2009-07-19T22:34:00.003-04:00

Recently, there have been public outcries over the frequent rate of foreign trips by some state governors on the pretext of scouting for investors. Ademola Adeyemo in this report examines the governors’ many trips abroad vis-a-vis the level of investments in their respective states

Frequent overseas traveling by some state governors have continued to attract public criticisms as critics describe the habit as “insensitive” to the people’s yearnings, jamboree and sheer waste of public fund. While some people find it difficult to appreciate the benefits of such trips abroad which have become fashionable among the state governors, matters of public importance are often left unattended to for most of the time, as a large retinue of public officers also accompany the state chief executives on such trips. Observers report that from May 29, 2007 to date, some governors have made not less than 50 trips abroad on the pretext of looking for investors or to attend various ceremonies of their family members, relatives or friends. Some trips are also for private business, medical check-ups. They often last for between two to four weeks and are usually funded from the government coffers.

Apart from public officers, members of the governors’ immediate families and personal friends also benefit from the globe-trotting through huge estacodes. Worried by the habit, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), an umbrella of political parties in Nigeria also took a swipe at the state governors for squandering the states’ dwindling resources on needless foreign trips. Chief Willy Ezugwu, CNPP’s scribe in a statement, condemned the governors’ habit of globe-trotting on the pretext of seeking foreign investment.

Also, the regular absence of the state executives from their duty posts have resulted in huge loss to the states in terms of project execution and provisions of social amenities to the people .Moreso, the revenue profiles of the affected states have continued to nose dive due to wasteful spending. During emergency situation, the globe throttling governors are not always around to take urgent crucial decisions.

Recently in Oyo State, the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) criticized Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala for embarking on his recent foreign trip. The party described the journey as mere waste of public fund. The party accused the governor of neglecting his duties but embarking on frivolous journey that has not benefited the State in any way. According to the party, the governor has squandered the state resources.

But Mr Dotun Oyelade, the governor’s spokesman said that recently a state delegation led by the Governor, concluded a one-week business visit to the U.S. on the invitation of the World Trade Centre (WTC). Oyelade said that during the Nigerian Business Summit, which held in Illinois, Chicago, Oyo State succeeded in signing three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the private partners geared towards job creation and poverty alleviation.

He explained that as a gesture of government determination on poverty alleviation, over 15000 citizens and groups have benefited from the Oyo State Poverty Alleviation Scheme as at two weeks ago. Some other States including Lagos, Abia States and the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce were also invited to the American summit.

“Since assumption of office, Governor Alao-Akala had visited Tunisia for the African Development Bank Water Scheme, he visited India for the transportation scheme which has since taken off last year and Europe on similar bilateral private sector driven projects at the instance of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council . It is a deliberate distortion for anyone to say that Governor Alao-Akala had gone abroad 20 times since he assumed office.”

Recently, Senator Joseph Waku publicly accused Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State of wasting the resources of the state on frivolities. According to the Senator, Suswan has made not less than 50 trips across the world since his assumption of office on May 29, 2007. He said that the people of the State have been neglected as no dividend of democracy is coming to them.

But the governor, while responding to the public outcry over his trips explained that his recent trip abroad was financed by the Federal Government. Suswam claimed that he accompanied Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and that other governors were there for the African Business Round Table of the African Union meeting with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Last January, the Governor was said to have made similar trip to the United States to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. It was however alleged by critics in the state that Suswan had visited ten countries within the last two months mostly to woo foreign investors. The opposition parties in the state are also demanding that the governor should account for the trips.

However, Dr. Cletus Akwaya a close aide of the governor explained that the trips are beneficial to the development of the state. “In terms of naira and kobo, it is difficult to state the cost,” he said. While responding to the accusations leveled against the governor by the opposition in the state, Akwaya said that Suswan has not done anything outside the budget of the state as appropriated by the State Legislature. “It is simply impossible for a state governor to effectively discharge the duties and responsibilities of his office without having to make international travels. The trips have attracted investment in Mbatyav Cement factory worth over $300million”

Explaining further, Akwaya said that “ The governor’s first two trips to the US had to do with wooing agricultural technologists, while the third was to attend the Mzough-U-Tiv in America (MUTA), a gathering of Tiv people in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”

However, despite the public outcry against the governor’s frequent trip, the State House of Assembly had to reconvene in order to pass a vote of confidence on the governor to stave off public criticisms.

In Taraba State, Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai has been nicknamed “The globe-trotter”. He was said to have earned the name due to his frequent foreign trips. He was said to have visited over 30 countries chasing investors. His critics said the governor is reckless when it comes to travelling abroad an action which they alleged was responsible for the poor state of social and economic infrastructures in the state. Aminu Jika, the state Commissioner for Information, while defending Suntai’s trips said that the governor only travel out of necessity.

But the governor’s travelling may not have been a waste after all; his trip to Egypt yielded the recruitment of 30 expatriate doctors for the State Specialist Hospital in Jalingo. Also, his visit to Malaysia brought some expatriate engineers to Jalingo where they work for the state road construction agency (TARCMA). Although critics have claimed that the Malaysian experts have been discovered to be artisans and not engineers.

Even in Kano, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau’s trips abroad have sparked off series of criticism. He was said to be in the habit of travelling with a large retinue of aides with the attendant huge cost to the state, especially during his recent visits to England, South Korea and Malaysia. Critics also said that the state has no record of investments to justify the governor’s frequent trips abroad. According to critics”Instead of settling down for serious business, Shekarau is busy receiving honourary degrees and titles.”

But Alhaji Sule Ya’u Sule, the governor’s spokesman dismissed the allegations as “unwarranted and ill-informed”. According to him”, The governor never embark on any foreign trip unless it is beneficial to people. Our governor doesn’t sneak in and out of the state without the knowledge of the people.”

Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, who is also the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), is allegedly among the most traveled governors. His numerous trips outside Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, are said to be “uncountable”.

Saraki’s incessant travelling has been hinged on two factors, by a source close to the governor. “Saraki’s family lives in Lagos where he grew up. He is said to be one of the few people who have President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s ears. Therefore, he purportedly has to go to Lagos every week to meet his family and go to Abuja to keep a tab on political developments,” the source said.

Apart from chairing the NGF meetings, the governor also travels abroad too. As a soccer fan, his critics have often accused him of flying to England to watch football matches involving his favorite team in the English Premiership.

The governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali modu Sherrif, was said to be in the habit of sneaking out of the state for his many trips abroad. The governor was said to be a common face in the neighbouring Chad Republic. It was also said that he often embarked on trips to Europe and other countries through Chad.

Governor Sheriff apparently moves away with governance any time he is outside. Also, whenever Sherrif travels, “every administrative and other governmental affair stands still” said a source.

Adamawa State Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako was also accused of globe trotting. According to Hon. Abdulmumini Ibrahim Song, “the funds involved in Nyako’s frequent foreign trips could be better used to reduce the plight of the ordinary people in the state.

However, Nyako’s spokesman, Aminu Iyawa denied the accusation as mischievous claiming that the governor’s trips abroad were to woo investor’s to the state. Said he, “The last time Nyako traveled out of the shores of this country was before the annulment of his election and it was on the issue of the hospital. Nyako doesn’t need to go abroad before wooing investors. The governor is not known for globe-trotting.”

THIS DAY

Yar’Adua picks Onovo to succeed Okiro as Police IG

2009-07-19T19:33:00.002-04:00

By Kingley Omonobi

ABUJA — Strong indications emerged, weekend, in Abuja that at the retirement of Mr. Mike Mbama Okiro as the 13th Inspector General of Police, his number two and Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration, DIG Ogbonna Onovo would be named the next Inspector General of Police by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

The expected appointment of Onovo, according to Presidency sources, followed Yar’Aadua’s insistence that due process should be followed in the appointment of senior qualified officers with track records of performance to head sensitive positions.
Moreover, it was gathered that the presidency is comfortable with DIG Onovo’s simple, non controversial and business-like attitude which were noticed from close quarters when he worked with the office of the National Security Adviser as Deputy Inspector General in Charge, Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID).

Another factor that worked in favour of Onovo is said to be the matured manner and equanimity, with which the erstwhile number two to former IGP, Sunday Gabriel Ehindero, took the appointment of Sir Mike Okiro as IGP in 2007, following the retirement of Ehindero, even though he was a course mate of Okiro at NIPSS and when every permutation had pointed to him (Onovo) as the next IGP.

Yar’Adua is said to have been further impressed with the excellent cooperation and loyalty Onovo showed to Okiro despite losing out to him, and with kind words about Onovo coming from Okiro himself, it is his conviction that DIG Onovo, who has enhanced his knowledge after working closely with Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero and Mike Okiro, and with three years left to serve in the force, should be well experienced enough to be the next IGP.

Onovo had held among others the following positions: Deputy Commissioner of Police, old Bendel state, Deputy Commissioner and later Commissioner of Police, Adamawa state for eight months, Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, Chairman, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Assistant Inspector General of Police {Force Secretary}, Deputy Inspector General, FCID and presently Deputy Inspector General of Police, Administration.

The senior officer, who is 56 this year has four years more to attain the mandatory retirement age of 60 years. But if the year of joining the force comes into question, DIG Onovo will be retired on the attainment of 59 years, when he would have clocked 35 years in service.

However, severe pressure is said to be mounting on President Yar’Adua to ditch Onovo and go for what some describe as the new breed in the police force. With some former but powerful governors and top PDP echelons amongst them, a former Governor, proposing the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge ‘Operations’, Mr. John Ahmadu or the Deputy Inspector General in charge of Works, Udom Ekpe Udom, as the next IGP.

Their argument is that in view of the fact that policing of today and tomorrow needs young and dynamic officers capable of matching the sophistication of new dimension crimes have introduced, DIG Ahmadu who supervised the security arrangements for the volatile Ekiti governorship re-run elections which reproduced Engr. Segun Oni, could reproduce the commendable feat in a bigger capacity in future.

They further cite the police report that emanated after the Ekiti election which spared nobody, including local political gladiators like Senator Ayo Arise and Senator Femi Kila (PDP Chieftains) of contributing to the few violence and confrontations that threatened the Ekiti re-run elections, as ample evidence of John Ahmadu’s ability to be neutral in sensitive assignments.

Before his appointment as DIG Operations, Ahmadu who is an alumnus of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS); served as Assistant Inspector General in Charge, Zone 10, Sokoto, Commissioner of Police, Delta state during the first tenure of Chief James Ibori, who had a first knowledge of the capabilities of Ahmadu as a police officer.

Click Link for Full Article- Vanguard Newspaper

I did not impose Yar’Adua, says Obasanjo

2009-07-18T16:32:00.004-04:00

Kamarudeen Ogundele and Mabel Okpala, Abuja

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied declaring the 2007 presidential election as ‘a do-or-die affair’.

He has also denied foisting President Umaru Yar’Adua on Nigerians during the election. According to the former president, Yar’Adua contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he won.

Obasanjo made the denial in a Counter Affidavit sworn to by his lawyer, Akin Akintan, in a suit filed against him by the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and its presidential candidate, Ambrose Owuru.

The plaintiffs claimed Obasanjo declared during a campaign in a South-West state that the April 2007 presidential election would be "a do-or-die affair" for his party and that Nigeria without PDP was dead.

They said the public outcry which greeted the declaration did not deter Obasanjo, who at another campaign rally in Kebbi State, vowed "to install Yar’Adua as the next president ‘Insha Allah’."

The plaintiffs are demanding for N100billion as exemplary damages from Obasanjo for alleged "violation, harassment, intimidation and frustration of their constitutional rights to seek elective office and canvass to vote and be voted for without any hindrance."

Joined in the suit as defendants are the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to an Affidavit filed in support of the Amended Originating Summon by Caroline Okon, Obasanjo was also accused of alleged abuse of office and powers as a sitting president.

"That he (Obasanjo) deployed all machineries of state, both the security agencies and the nation’s finances beyond the stipulated guideline to ensure that the plaintiffs are intimidated out of the election, when he (Obasanjo) used state power to acquire fleets of aircraft for Yar’Adua’s campaign, coerced the private sector and businessmen and contractors to government to organise both breakfast and dinner fund raising and campaign funds to the disadvantage of the plaintiffs.

"That he (Obasanjo) abandoned his office duties and responsibilities to the electorate and was involved in campaigning all over the 36 states … with state funds to the detriment of the plaintiffs.

"That he (Obasanjo) abused his office and powers as a sitting president …"

But the former President, in the Counter Affidavit yesterday, said he did not at anytime declare in any state that the April, 2007 presidential election would be "a do-or-die affair" for his party, neither did he say that Nigeria without PDP was dead.

"That he did not at anytime vow to install anybody as the next President of Nigeria.

He also denied using state machineries in favour of his party.

•that he did not do anything or make any pronouncement that gave rise to fear that the April, 2007 election would not be free and fair.

•he did not deploy any machinery of the state or nation’s fiancés to campaign for any candidate neither did he coerce any businessman, contractor or anybody at all to raise any fund for any candidate in the April, 2007 election.

•he did not foist on Nigerians or anybody at al any candidate in the Presidential Election of 2007.

The respondent also averred that Obasanjo neither abandon his official duties and responsibilities to the electorate nor expend any state fund on any campaign.

"That I know as a fact that (Obasanjo) did not at any time abuse his office and powers when he was the president", Akintan averred.

Although the case has been assigned, it is yet to be heard.

The Nation

OPC will fight back if MEND attacks again- Fasehun

2009-07-18T10:10:00.003-04:00

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

Barely 48 hours after the Lagos state governor, Mr. Babatunde Fasola (SAN) condemned the attack on the Atlas Cove jetty in Lagos by Movement for the Emancipation of Niger /Delta (MEND), president and founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun has cautioned that a repeat of such incident in any part of Yoruba land will attract severe retaliation.

Dr Fasehun noted at a press conference in Lagos that his investigations revealed that the attack on the jetty as claimed by MEND was carried out by a dissident group within the movement.

He however said that any slight attack by any group against Yoruba people and its territory would be regarded as an affront against Yoruba people, which will not be tolerated.

According to him, Yoruba people, especially OPC, has always been sympathetic to the struggle and course of the people of the Niger/Delta. He wondered the latest attack on the Lagos Atlas Cove which he said was meant to punish the people of the South / West.

Fasehun lamented that majority of the casualties recorded at the scene of the incident were Yorubas.

“We viewed MEND’ss attack on the Atlas Cove with a measure of discomfort. That bombing left collateral damages not just on the key Federal Government facilities; it left deaths in its trail. Some lives and property lost were those of Yoruba people.

And as an organization sworn to defend Yoruba interest anywhere in this country, OPC will be behaving out of character and calling, if it keeps quite.”

He observed that though his group recognized “the environmental and socio economic devastations that engineered the Niger/ Delta struggles.”

He however, enjoined the fighters in MEND not to “take action directly or indirectly that will suggest that Yoruba land is under attack from agitators who should rather regard us as well wishers and mediators.”

Condemning the attack, he said if they (MEND) did not refrain from such attack in future, “MEND should know that OPC has the capacity to return fire for fire. So, MEND should not provoke any unnecessary crisis between us.”

The OPC leader also called on the Federal Government on its part to “begin the implementation of recommendations proffered by the several panels established on the Niger/ Delta, fro pre-independence to the 2008 Niger/ Delta technical committee headed by Ledum Mittee. We especially viewed the resting of the recommendations of the Ledum Mittee committee as flagrant demonstrations of insincerity on the part of the government.

“We request that the superlative resolutions of Mittee committee be unearthed and implemented immediately, as a matter of national emergency.”

He also called on the Federal Government to consider the issue of self determination and resource control “that motivated the struggles which must be settled with the introduction of true federalism and a new constitution agreed at a completely unfettered sovereign national conference.”

He also suggested that the government should introduced a short-term stop gap measure where-in the Niger/ Delta altercations can be amicably resolved at a conference to be supervised by prominent Nigerians and civil society groups.

Vanguard

U.S. Not Aware Of Obama's Planned Visit To Nigeria

2009-07-17T21:23:00.003-04:00

No clue President Barack Obama is visiting Nigeria soon, the United States Embassy reacted on Friday in a veiled rebuttal of claims that Obama will be visiting Africa's most populous country shortly.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Maduekwe, claimed in Lagos on Thursday that he has the word of Obama that he plans a visit to a country whose democratic credentials he (Obama) repeatedly castigated during a 23-hour visit to Ghana last Saturday.

"President Barack Obama told me (Maduekwe) that he will be visiting Nigeria very soon", Maduekwe was quoted as boasting at a book launch in Lagos.

Maduekwe claimed he "walked up to Obama and said, Mr. President, nice to meet you. I'm the Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria., President Obama was warm when I introduced myself. He held me by the shoulder and said to me, well, Mr. Minister, I will be visiting your country very soon. The second time he told me that, Mr. Minister, wherever goes Nigeria, goes Africa."

But the U.S. Embassy not having knowledge of the planned visit cast a serious doubt on the claim, which critics believe was a face-saving gimmick by Aso Rock to redeem its image and regain momentum after the Ghana visit that saw opposition camp taking a dig at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government.

It is unlikely that a president would be visiting a country without the embassy of that country knowing well ahead of time. Besides, presidents are known to keep a list of their journeys abroad - especially during rare emergency - most likely keeping their envoys abroad in the know.

U.S. Embassy Spokesperson, Jennifer Dewitt-Walsh, told Saturday Independent that she is not aware of the visit - either soon or in the future.

"The only report I have of that is what I have seen in the newspapers. I don't know where he (Maduekwe) got his information from, and I would direct you to their office for confirmation." Dewitt-Walsh said.

When told that Maduekwe said he had the words of Obama, Dewitt-Walsh said, "I haven,t seen any statement about the President's future travel plans. I have not seen any statement from the State Department about that conversation."

Daily Independent

Nigerian Ministers and their many lies.

Nigeria says 10,000 rebels could get amnesty

2009-07-17T21:14:00.003-04:00

Up to 10,000 militants in the troubled Niger Delta could benefit from an amnesty offered by the Nigerian government aimed at ending attacks which have crippled the country's oil industry, a top official overseeing the amnesty said Friday.

"We are working in the region of about 10,000 militants," the chief coordinator of the amnesty implementation committee, Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ararile, told a press conference.

He said the militants were in between 50 and 60 camps in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Akwa Ibom states.

Each militant will receive an allowance of 20,000 naira (135 dollars) per month in addition to 1,500 naira per day for food while at a reintegration centre, he said.

"Disarmament and demobilisation part of the programme will last 60 days. Thereafter, the reintegration programme is indeterminate," Ararile said.

He said a "few" militants had already surrendered their arms. He declined to give a specific figure.

President Umaru Yar'Adua has announced an amnesty running from August 6 until October 4 for all those who are prepared to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

Many armed militant groups exist in the volatile region. The groups are demanding a fairer share out of Nigeria's oil wealth.

Henry Okah, a leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), who was facing treason charges, was released from jail on Monday as part of the amnesty deal.

In response, MEND declared a 60-day truce in its "oil war" which has seen oil production cut by more than 30 percent over the past three years.

MEND, the most prominent and sophisticated of the rebel groups in the region, has been attacking major oil companies and the army in the south for more than three years, demanding a greater share of the oil wealth for local people.

In its last monthly report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that the country's crude production fell to 1.72 million barrels per day (bpd) in June from 1.8 million bpd in May, as a result of the incessant attacks.

Nigeria, the eighth-largest producer in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), derives more than 90 percent of its foreign exchange earnings from oil.

AFP

Yar’Adua: Obama consulted me before visiting Ghana

2009-07-16T21:54:00.002-04:00

President Umaru Yar’Adua has expressed dismay over the manner Nigerians have reacted to American President, Barack Obama perceived cold shudder to Nigeria, the acclaimed giant of Africa, during his recent visit to the continent disclosing that he (Obama) consulted him 24 hours before embarking on the visit.

Yar’Adua made this disclosure yesterday at the public presentation of three books written by the Governor of Imo State, Okedi Godson Ohakim at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, where he praised the governor’s “dynamic leadership to the people.”

The books are Pushing the Limits, The Courage to Challenge and Challenging New Frontiers.
Yar’Adua, who spoke through the External Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Madueke stated that, even Obama reconfirmed Nigeria as the undisputable giant of Africa when he said, “whichever way goes Nigeria, goes Africa,” pointing out that, the import of Obama’s admittance of Nigeria’s leadership position in Africa was that, Nigeria should try to sanitise its electoral processes to be able to lead the way.

The Sun Newspaper

Reps reject Yar'Adua's Seminar for budget implementation

2009-07-16T21:36:00.002-04:00

Two days after the House of Representatives threatened President Umaru Yar’Adua with impeachment following poor implementation of the 2009 budget, Aso Rock yesterday extended an invitation to members for a consultative chat on the way forward over lunch.

A similar invitation, three weeks ago led to hurried adjournment of the plenary for members to attend, unlike Thursday when members fired back by turning down an invitation to come and eat, saying that there was nothing to consult on the budget after it had been passed into law, not over any sumptuous meal.

The decision of the House jolted the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Muhammed Abba Aji, who raced to the office of the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole to seek clarifications on the stand of the House.
Bankole had read the letter of invitation from Abba Aji for a workshop and lunch where members would have the opportunity to rub minds on the 2009 budget implementation and have a look at the 2010 budget estimates from the presidency.

Members wasted no time to react to the invitation by raising point of order to enable them respond to the invitation.
Hon Halims Agoda [PDP Delta State] was the first to kick against the invitation citing Order 9 rule 9 of the standing orders of the House, noting that there was no need for any workshop on the budget, since it had been passed by the parliament.
“Mr Speaker, it has been established that we have enough money to execute this year’s budget, there was no need for any workshop to review it again,” he fired Not done, Agoda maintained that such workshop was a ploy to trap the lawmakers into concurring into illegality on the budget implementation.

“I urge this distinguished House to disregard the message and shun such meeting, which is not necessary at this point in time,” stating that full implementation of 2009 budget was sacrosanct, while urging the House to send signal to the President to ensure full implementation of the budget without further hesitation. Following Agoda’s step, Hon Igo Aguma (PDP-Rivers) recalled that the House had passed many bills which the executive had failed to implement.

He reminded his colleagues that the mood of the nation does not call for any lunch date or workshop on the budget that had been passed, which the executive had been refused to implement it as passed by the parliament.

“Things are not right in this country. We need to fix a lot of things through this budget, the executive should implement the budget first and we should also expunge the letter from our records,” he added.
Reading the mood of the House, Speaker Bankole said he would not take any further comments, knowing fully that the mood of the House clearly frowned against such meeting.
He subsequently ruled against the invitation and warned that no member of the House should attend any meeting.

SUN Newspaper

Failed States Index: Nigeria rated 15th

2009-07-16T11:00:00.004-04:00

Nigeria was yesterday ranked the 15th most failed nation in the world, out of a total of 177 countries that were surveyed. The country moved upwards three places from 18th position in 2008; and 17th in 2007.

The newly released Failed State Index 2009 was published by the United States think-tank and an independent research organisation, the Fund for Peace, and the magazine Foreign Policy. This is the 5th edition, since 2005.

According to the detailed Index, Somalia emerged the most failed state, for the second time running, while Norway emerged the best or most sustainable state.

The index’s ranks are based on twelve indicators of state vulnerability – four social, two economic and six political. The indicators are not designed to forecast when states may experience violence or collapse. Instead, they are meant to measure a state’s vulnerability to collapse or conflict.

Out of the 15 most failed nations surveyed, ten were African nations. These include Somalia (1st), Zimbabwe (2nd), Sudan (3rd), Chad (4th), Dem. Rep. of Congo (5th), Central African Republic (8th), Guinea (9th), Ivory Coast (11th), Kenya (14th), and Nigeria (15th).

The best five nations, which were described as having the most sustainable state include Norway (177), Finland (176), Sweden (175), Switzerland (174), and Ireland (173). Ghana emerged the best state in Africa, ranked 124 and classified as moderate state, while USA was 159th and UK 161 on the survey list.

The Crisis States Research Centre defines a “failed state” as a condition of “state collapse” – i.e., a state that can no longer perform its basic security and development functions and that has no effective control over its territory.

This Day Newspaper

Fashola responds to MEND attack

2009-07-15T21:29:00.005-04:00

In his first reaction to Sunday’s bombing of the Atlas Cove Jetty by men of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, warned the militants that the action must never repeat itself as the state was quite ready to respond to “this new security threat appropriately".

Fashola, briefing newsmen on the development after an emergency meeting of the state Security Council condoled with the families of the officers and men of the Armed Forces who were victims of the attack.

According to Fashola, the attack raises very new questions about what the agitation in the Niger Delta is all about.

He said that Lagos as the headquarters of the national press has been the medium of agitation and as a melting pot of nationalities; the people of Lagos have protected and hosted even displaced Niger Deltans.

He noted that it was quite unfair to have turned on Lagos, the Governor explained that the State itself has been a victim of years of neglect as a former federal capital which continues to serve as the host community to all ethnic communities and as economic nerve centre of the country.

He said: "Is Lagos not also a victim of years of neglect? Is this an agitation without limits, is a friendly and host State fair game?"

"If this (Atlas Cove Jetty bombing) was a mistake, we expect that it must never repeat itself as we will respond to this new security threat appropriately".

Vanguard

Africans protest at Chinese police station over death of Nigerian

2009-07-15T11:12:00.001-04:00

Hundreds of Africans protested outside a police station in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Wednesday, after an Nigerian died from falling from a building while hiding from police.

The protesters had taken the dead body of a man, who they said was trying to evade Chinese police after he overstayed his visa, to the door of the police station to demand justice.

The victim was Nigerian, a witness told Reuters.

Riot police holding shields blocked roads near the police station, asking the crowd to leave, the Nanfang Daily said on its website.

A Nigerian businessman who gave his name as Emeka said there was no violence, only shouting and the occasional scuffle, and estimated the number of mainly Nigerian protesters at about 100.

"We are angry because the police catch people without passports. We need to give them bribes to stay in Guangzhou," he told Reuters by mobile telephone.

The crowd dispersed by late afternoon.

Repeated calls to the Guangzhou police were not answered.

Guangzhou has a large population of traders and businessmen from West Africa, reflecting the growing ties between the world's third largest economy and the resource-rich African continent.

Reuters

MEND: declares 60-day ceasefire; troop movement threatens ceasefire

2009-07-15T09:43:00.009-04:00

On Tuesday night, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND) declared a temporary ceasefire for a 60-day period beginning from 00.00 hours on Wednesday, July 15.

MEND's spokesman, Jomo Gbomo in a statement said, "Effective, 00.00 Hrs, Wednesday, July 15, 2009, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) will be observing a temporary ceasefire for a 60 day period".

"Several factors necessitated our decision; chiefly the release of Mr. Henry Okah from government custody.

"During this period, the Aaron team of wise men and women will be put together after consultations with relevant stakeholders. They will speak on our behalf and convey our demands to government.

"A compulsory prelude to talks is the withdrawal of the military Joint Task Forces from the Gbaramatu communities and the return of all the displaced persons back to their various homes.

"Hopefully, the ceasefire period will create an enabling environment for progressive dialogue", he stated.

But early this morning MEND released another statement threatening to call of the ceasefire due to the movement of the military JTF (Joint Task Force) towards their camp.

Its spokeman, Jomo Gbomo in a statement said, "Barely 12 hours into our cease-fire, the military Joint Task Force has dispatched seven gun boats with heavily armed troops from Warri and are headed towards one of our camps located around the Delta/Ondo state border."

President Yar'Adua makes minor shuffle to Cabinet

2009-07-14T14:40:00.008-04:00

President Yar'Adua announced a minor shuffle to his cabinet.

In a press release by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, said: “the current Minister of Interior, Major-General Godwin Abbe (rtd) becomes the new Minister of Defence and will take over from the incumbent Minister, Alhaji Shettima Mustapha who is to move to the Ministry of Interior”.

Similarly, the Minister of State (Interior), Alhaji Abdulrahman Adamu is to take over from Mr. Ademola Seriki as Minister of State (Defence), while Mr. Seriki becomes the Minister of State (Interior).

why is he recycling the same set of people?

House of Reps may probe Minister of Education over party

2009-07-14T13:28:00.008-04:00

The Nigerian House of Representatives this week will debate a motion to probe the lavish party the Minister of Education, Sam Egwu hosted recently, while university lecturers are currently on strike.

A motion has been filled to mandate the House Committee on Education, to inquire into the sources of the N120 million reportedly lavished by the minister on the celebration of the 25th anniversary of his marriage.

Also the motion calls for the committee to look into the sources of fund used by various university administrators, provosts of colleges of education, rectors of polytechnics and heads of parastatal agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education, who attended the wedding anniversary, in terms of expenses on transportation, traveling basic allowances and other logistics, including media coverage and recommend appropriate action to the House of Representatives,” the motion stated.

The motion demanded an immediate public apology from the minister “to Nigerian university students and their parents and guardians for conducting himself in a manner suggestive of contemptuous disregard for the current plight of Nigerian students.”

The motion was sponsored by Chairman of the House Committee on Air Force, Honourable Halims Agoda (PDP, Delta)

The press secretary to the Minister, stated N120 million was not spent on the party and the Ministry of Education did not fund the party.

Nine dead as MEND attacks Atlas Cove in Lagos

2009-07-14T09:21:00.006-04:00

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) last Sunday night extended its battle to Lagos State, Nigeria's commercial nerve center, with an attack on an offloading jetty and Naval base that left about nine people dead and properties destroyed.

An unconfirmed report said three Naval personnel (an officer and two ratings) and six civilians lost their lives. There are some other unconfirmed reports claiming four, with another calming six.

Atlas Cove is located at Takwa Bay Island. Takwa Bay is a man made bay created during the formation of the Lagos harbour. It is accessible by boat from Maroko or from under Falomo Bridge on Victoria Island.

Based on speculations about the attack, MEND in an email noted: " only two gunboats were used with a total of eighteen well armed and experienced commandos”

“The naval resistance was weaker than anticipated because after the first shots were fired by them, we responded with heavy caliber machine guns which made them to flee”, he asserted.

His words, "We regret any civilian loss of life that may have occured from the attack".

233 foreigners become Nigerian citizens

2009-07-13T20:59:00.006-04:00

I did not know people are choosing to become Nigerian citizens.

Recently, 233 foreigners formally became Nigerian citizens.

Minister of Interior, Godwin Abbe, at a formal ceremony to handover the certificates to the new Nigerian citizens in Abuja stated: "As a developing nation and in the face of globalization with its attendant competitiveness, Nigeria deserves every support and understanding to enable it remains focused if it must realize the goal it has set for herself."

He urged them to enjoy all the rights and privileges that come with being Nigerian citizens, he also called on them to fulfill their responsibilities to the country.

PHCN or NEPA threaten indefinite strike

2009-07-13T19:32:00.007-04:00

With the ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) on strike, Nigerian doctors on the verge of strike, PHCN (Power Holding Company of Nigeria) or NEPA-no difference, are threatening to go on strike .The government owned company stated they will commence the indefinite strike on Monday July 20, 2009.

I have always thought NEPA, now PHCN have been on strike for years.

The workers are demanding increase in remuneration and welfare package by at least 150 per cent to reflect the reality of the current economic situation.

Polo gaining popularity in Nigeria?

2009-07-13T16:47:00.008-04:00

I found this interesting article in Reuters Blog about polo in Nigeria, Lagos to be specific.

by Hannington Osodo

Polo has a large and growing following in Nigeria and every year fans get the chance to see some of the country’s best players at the Lagos International Polo tournament. This year more than 200 participants registered for the event.

It’s the biggest polo tournament in Africa. This time around 30 teams took part and more than 3,000 people came to watch.

Polo was introduced to Nigeria by British colonialists in the early 1900s. The sport isn’t as popular as soccer but local interest is growing fast.

Several companies sponsored this year’s event, which cost millions of dollars. Polo is an expensive sport. Each team fields 24 horses during a match and each horse costs about $40,000.

Most of Nigeria’s players are young successful businessmen. Bode Makanjuola trades in oil and gas. He’s been playing polo for three years now. Bode owns the Coverton Polo club, playing in white jerseys. He never misses a game.

“I like the competitive nature of polo and the ultimate aim is actually to build a very strong team so that in the future we can compete not just in Nigeria but in Africa. And who knows, Europe or round the world, that’s the ultimate sort of aim,” he told Reuters Africa Journal.

“A lot of people are getting into it, people find that it’s not as snobbish or as you say, it’s not as out of reach as a lot of people sort of think.”

But somebody has to pay for the horses, the trucks, the mallets and other equipment, even if players insist that those who don’t have much money can still play.

And while it obviously helps to be young and fit, the veterans still like to saddle up. It’s an easy game, says Ali Abubakar, 74, who has been playing for 30 years.

“We are still in the game,” he said, shortly before falling off his horse.

Not many Nigerians will be trading in their love for popular sports like football to take
up polo, but players at the Lagos club hope that those who are interested know that there’s an
opportunity for them to try.

Nigeria Militant Leader Okah released from Jail

2009-07-13T12:15:00.004-04:00

Nigerian rebel leader Henry Okah was released from jail on Monday after the government withdrew its case against him, a federal court judge said.

President Umaru Yar'Adua agreed to drop felony charges against Okah, who is the suspected leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), after the militant accepted the government's "unconditional" amnesty.

"Having reviewed what the attorney general said, you have become a free man at this moment. You are now discharged," Judge Mohammed Liman told Okah at a hearing in the central city of Jos.

One of Okah's lawyers confirmed his client had been freed and would travel to the capital Abuja later on Monday.

"We are relieved this has finally happened after more than a year," the lawyer said

Okah was arrested in Angola in September 2007 and extradited to Nigeria to face charges carrying a possible death penalty. His deteriorating health has been an increasing concern, with his lawyers saying he needs urgent treatment overseas.

The rebel leader is the first senior militant to participate in the federal amnesty programme, which Yar'Adua created last month in hopes of halting the unrest in the Niger Delta.

Some rebels have said they would lay down their arms after Okah's release, but analysts believe the violence will not subside.

MEND said earlier on Monday it had attacked a key loading dock for oil tankers in Lagos state, the first such assault in the area since the group began its latest campaign of violence against Africa's biggest oil producer.

REUTERS

Babatunde Fashola: why we cannot ban Okada

2009-07-13T10:01:00.002-04:00

The Governor explained why his administration cannot ban Okada from operating in the state

Speaking at an interactive session with editors in Lagos, the governor said since the people of the state have decided to adopt it as a means of transportation, his administration cannot outright ban it.

He said:“Okada problem is the people’s problem not that of the government. It is not a joy-ride. It is a business. The choice of whether to ban it or not is that of the people who ride on it. It is rewarding that is why more people like it.”

Fashola, who talked about the dangers of Okada stated: “We must have to pay for the way we want to live. This comes in form of broken limbs, death, wives becoming widows when they lose their husbands in motorcycle accidents, and so on.

“I have always said that walking cannot kill a man, but Okada can kill you.”

On the lawlessness of most of the riders, the governor said he cannot deploy 33,000 policemen in Lagos to chase Okada riders.

The governor stated providing security in the state is a piority of his administration. The state launched a security fund last year which has been used to help buy equipments for the Nigerian Police force in the state. There has been a decrease in violence in the state, especially robbers targeting banks but, the state still has a long way to go.

Babatunde Fashola: Murtala Mohammed airport road to be reconstructed

2009-07-13T09:48:00.003-04:00

During an interactive session with newspaper editors in Lagos, the Governor Babatunde Fashola disclosed that the road design for the reconstruction of the important but neglected Murtala Mohammed airport road is ready.

He said, the federal and state government are yet to resolve some issue concerning the management of the road and the relocation of petrol tanker that park in the area.

The road is currently been managed by the federal government.

FG to name Aruma Oteh Director-General of SEC

2009-07-12T22:36:00.007-04:00

The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) would soon finally get a Director-General. A source at the federal ministry of finance disclosed that President Yar'Adua has confirmed Aruma Oteh's appointment based on the recommendation of the Minister of finance, Mansur Muhktar.

Aruma Oteh was the former vice-president of AfDB (African Development Bank) in charge of finance.

Oteh and Muhktar were colleagues at AfDB

Oteh is from Item in Ohafia, Abia State and holds an MBA from Harvard. She began her carrier at Centre Point Merchant Bank, from where she moved to AfDB as treasurer.She was elevated to the position of vice president of AfDB in charge of finance.

The hope is with her appointment as the DG of the SEC and, Lamido Sanusi as Governor of CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria), reform of capital market will be implemented.

Nigerian rebels say they attacked oil tanker dock in Lagos

2009-07-12T20:31:00.002-04:00

ABUJA, July 13 (Reuters) - Nigeria's most prominent militant group said on Monday it had sabotaged a loading dock for oil tankers in Lagos state, the latest in a string of rebel attacks against Africa's biggest oil sector.

"Heavily armed MEND fighters (on Sunday) carried out an unprecedented attack on the Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos state," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in a statement.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the attack.

REUTERS

FG set to deregulates Oil sector, petrol to cost N94 per litre

2009-07-12T19:52:00.006-04:00

According to the Vanguard Newspaper, the FG is set to deregulate the Oil sector from August which will lead to the cost of petrol increasing to N94 per litre.

Sources say that the President had instructed the Economic Management Team headed by the Minister of Finance, Mansur Mukhtar, to work out the details of the deregulation after investigations showed that the Presidential Committee earlier set up by the Presidential Task Force of Global Financial Meltdown, may have been compromised by group interest.

The proposal on oil sector deregulation before the government is that, based on the current indicative price of the Petroleum Products Price Regulation Agency, PPPRA, the price of PMS should be around N98.2 per litre

The deregulation will be done at once and not in stages to avoid political constraints, oil cartels from hijacking the initiative and reduce cost of negotiation.

FG: 6000 MW on Track for December

2009-07-12T17:31:00.005-04:00

"The Minister of Power, Dr. Lanre Babalola, told Vanguard in Abuja, weekend, that against the notion of many Nigerians that the project is unrealistic, the country would be in a position to generate, transmit and distribute 6000Mw by the end of the year.

He said the country currently has a nameplate installed capacity of about 8000 Mw of electricity, and a good number of the units are in various states of disrepair, while the available capacity still stands at about 4500Mw.

It is from this standpoint that the target of 6000 Mw has continued to appear more feasible as it would require an additional 1500 Mw to get the proposed 6000Mw."

Full Article

December is fast approaching so we will see if we can get the 6000MW

Child's Rights Law: Child beggars stil Roaming Lagos State

2009-07-12T11:44:00.004-04:00

Despite Lagos State passing the Child's Rights Law, children can still be seen roaming the street during school hours begging. The Guardian Newspaper ran an article this past week on Child beggars.

"Little Fatima was spotted at Toyota Bus Stop on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway as early as 8.00 a.m. She spread a sheet of paper on the wet ground ready for the day's business. Displaying a small bowl in front of her, with three dirty and ruffled five naira notes, a sign that she had already won three people's sympathy, she continued in the business, pending when their coordinator would come for them.

As passers-by were surging to their different destinations, she continuously waved her hand, inviting them to give her some money.

A few meters ahead of her, was another girl-child in a similar situation, showing signs that she needed money for food."

Full Article

Ogun State: Ogun Assembly Vs. LG Chairman

2009-07-12T11:04:00.000-04:00

The Chairman of Ifo Local Government, Sikirulahi Ogundele had gone to the House of Assembly to answer some questions with respect to the accounts of his Council. He requested to sit while he answers the questions due to his health condition. But members of G15, descended on him calling him all sort of names which lead to exchange of words between the lawmakers and chairman.

Obama: Africa's future is up to Africans

2009-07-11T22:03:00.000-04:00

In an an address to the African Continent, Obama talks about problems facing the continent and states her problems can only be solved by Africans. In his speech the U.S President said:

"Repression takes many forms, and too many nations are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers.

"No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 per cent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.

"Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions," he declared to applause. Obama said he has instructed his administration to put a greater focus on corruption in its annual human rights reports.

Full Speech

University Strike: Minister of Education Holds Lavish Party

2009-07-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

With the current indefinite strike by Lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities Nigeria (ASUU) which has resulted in students sitting at home, the Minister of Education, Sam Egwu did not see anything wrong in having a lavish birthday party and wedding anniversary. To make things worse the Senate President, Minister of Information and, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education were in attendance.

Nigerian rebels claim to blow up Chevron pipeline

2009-07-10T20:58:00.000-04:00

Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claims to have blown up a recently repaired pipeline.

According to their statement, they will target repaired pipelines:

"The government and the oil companies seem to care more about the flow of oil than the return of displaced persons.

"If the government can show the same speed ... which it exhibited in repairing the lines as returning the displaced communities, the region will be a better place," said MEND.

It said the soldiers guarding the area did not resist "and no shots were fired" during the pipeline attack.

AFP

I guess the soldiers were sleeping or they support MEND, because I cannot see any reason why they will try not to resist the attack.

MEND is right government is slow in helping the people of the Niger Delta, but quick to repair pipelines.

Obama Snubs Nigeria

2009-07-10T19:12:00.000-04:00

What is the big deal with Barack Obama deciding not to visit Nigeria?

To some Nigerians it is a big deal because they believe Nigeria is the "Giant of Africa", but to others Obama was right not to visit Nigeria due to its questionable democracy.

here is an interesting article from The Washington Post-For Nigerians, Obama's Snub Prompts Soul-Searching

Yar’adua urges G-8 to fulfil pledges to Africa

2009-07-10T18:04:00.000-04:00

By Daniel Idonor

ABUJA—PRESIDENT Umaru Yar’Adua, Friday in L’Aquila , Italy demanded an explanation from the group of eight industrialized countries (G-8) on why they failed the continent of Africa through their many promises to assist the continent which they never fulfilled.

He therefore called on leaders of the G-8 to fulfill their past and present pledges of developmental aid to developing nations in Africa and other parts of the world.

While welcoming the pledge of $20 Billion by the G-8 leaders for efforts to boost food production in poorer nations, President Yar’Adua said that African leaders were concerned that previous pledges have not been fulfilled.

According to a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, the president was quoted as saying that “ Nigeria values the African Outreach Session of the G-8 which started in 2000 and we also acknowledge the various commitments that the G-8 has made to our continent over the last decade.

“While we appreciate these commitments which indicate the willingness to build an enduring partnership between the developed and developing countries, we are concerned that we are yet to see the fulfillment of some of these pledges even as concrete actions have become more urgent due to the impact of the current global economic crisis.

“On our part as African leaders, we are determined to make those difficult choices that will enable us deal with the complex challenges facing us because we recognize that the responsibility for peace and development in Africa rests squarely on our shoulders.

“Some of our efforts are, however, being eroded by the prevailing global economic and financial crisis. That is why we are calling on the G-8 to, as a matter of urgency, fulfill all past and present commitments to Africa ,” President Yar’Adua said.

Vanguard