2015: PDP South East Declares Support for Jonathan at Awka Rally

2015: PDP South East Declares Support for Jonathan at Awka Rally

Chris Brown Suffers Seizure; Blames 'Extreme Emotional Stress'

Chris Brown Suffers Seizure; Blames 'Extreme Emotional Stress'

NEITI recovers $2bn education tax from defaulters

…Hails  $83.4m judgment against Mobil Oil
The Nigeria Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has disclosed that it recovered only $2 billion from the $9.8 billion uncovered by its audit reports as differential between what was paid and what government received.
The balance of $7.8billion, the agency said was still in the hands of companies.
NEITI said it also welcomed the recent bold decision of the Tax Appeal Tribunal which ordered Mobil to pay $83.4 million to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The judgment by the Tax Appeal Tribunal represented Education Tax liability of the company to the Federation Account  in year 2008.
NEITI said it found the courageous judgment by the Tribunal as a fundamental positive development in its efforts to draw national attention to the findings and recommendations on the issues of underpayment and underassessment in royalties, taxes, signature bonuses, rents  exposed by its independent audit reports of the oil and gas sector over the years.
In a statement signed Orji Ogbonaya Orji, Director of Communications, NEITI said the “judgment was also a vindication of its 2006 – 2008 findings of the independent audit of the Oil and Gas sector. In that audit, NEITI clearly revealed that Mobil owed $83.28 million Education Tax for 2008. However, before the litigation and landmark judgment by the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Mobil had insisted that it had no Education Tax liability to the Federation.
“It is on record that NEITI has consistently alerted the nation that out of $9.8 billion uncovered by its audit reports as the difference between what was paid and what government received, only $2 billion has been recovered through NEITI efforts, leaving a balance of $7.8 in the hands of companies.
“The judgment by the Appeal Tribunal was therefore a wake-up call for government agencies to rise up to the challenge and engage companies to remit outstanding revenues due to government.
“It is noteworthy that the judgment is coming at a time when Nigeria through the Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB), the European Union member countries, United Kingdom and United State are putting in place stringent regulations to compel extractive industry companies to embrace contract transparency, due diligence and corporate social responsibility.

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UK Police Officer Ibori Accused Of Corruption Is Cleared

By SaharaReporters, New York 

 

John McDonald, a British police officer with the Proceeds of Crime Unit who was accused of corruption by former Governor James Ibori of Delta State, has been cleared after a lengthy investigation by UK law enforcement authorities. A source involved in the investigation told SaharaReporters, “We found that DC John MacDonald was absolutely innocent of the allegation.”
Mr. McDonald was arrested last year after the British Parliament began investigating an allegation that a private investigation agency made illegal payments to police officers involved in Mr. Ibori’s money laundering case. British law enforcement had initially ignored the allegation, regarding it as a desperate ploy by Mr. Ibori and his defense team to undermine the integrity of the officers who investigated his extensive money laundering scheme.
However, British parliamentarians pressured police authorities to look into the matter.
Mr. Ibori and his jailed lawyer, Bhadresh Gohil, had orchestrated a campaign of calumny against the police officers involved in investigating the former governor’s network of corrupt activities around the globe.
Mr. Ibori and Mr. Gohil claimed that some serving officers of the Metropolitan police as well as a few retired officers employed by a private investigation agency took money and sold information regarding Mr. Ibori's investigations in order to pervert the course of justice.
Backed by powerful lawyers hired by Mr. Ibori, the allegation eventually received the attention of the UK parliament.
A UK-based Nigerian blogger, Daniel Elombah, used the allegation to write a series of propaganda reports believed to have originated from Mr. Ibori’s lawyers in the UK. SaharaReporters learnt that Tony Eluemunor, Mr. Ibori’s spokesman in Nigeria, arranged for Mr. Elombah to meet with the former governor’s lawyers in London.
In his reports, Mr. Elombah went as far as predicting that the criminal case against Mr. Ibori would collapse under the weight of allegations of corruption against his British police investigators. After Mr. Ibori pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail, the bloggers and media sympathetic to him focused their attacks against the police officers that helped jail him.
A source within the Ibori camp stated that the former governor and Mr. Gohil, his rogue former lawyer, calculated that their convictions would be reversed on appeal if their propaganda succeeded in casting doubt on the integrity of the officers who investigated Mr. Ibori’s slew of money laundering activities. In the end, the appellate Royal Court of Justice declined an appeal to reduce Mr. Ibori’s prison sentence.
A press statement received by Saharareporters from Eddie Townsend of the UK Metropolitan Police revealed that three other persons involved in the investigation are to return to the police in September. It also stated that no further action would be taken against Mr. McDonald.

African countries supply 12% world’s oil – PwC

… As Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt produce 91% natural gas
PrincewaterhouseCopper yesterday said Africa currently supplies about 12 per cent of the world’s oil, boasting significant untapped reserves estimated at 8 per cent of the world’s proven reserves.
The report said the continent has natural gas reserves of 513 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) with 91 per cent of the annual gas production of 7.1Tcf coming from Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt.
According to a review issued by PwC, the oil and gas industry is grappling with the severe stresses of a challenging economic and political environment on the African continent fueled by poor physical infrastructure, corruption, an uncertain regulatory framework, and a lack of skills.
PwC Africa Oil & Gas Industry Leader and Deputy Country Senior Partner, Nigeria, Uyi Akpata, said: “The challenges facing oil and gas companies operating in Africa are diverse and numerous. Political interference, uncertainty and delays in passing laws, energy policies and regulations are stifling growth, development and investment in a number of countries around Africa.”
He added: “PwC’s ‘Africa oil and gas review’ analyses what has happened in the last 12 months in the oil and gas industry and in the major African markets.
The survey draws upon the valuable experience and views of industry players in Africa, including international oil companies operating on the continent, national oil companies, service companies, independent oil organisations and industry commentators, to provide insight into the latest developments affecting the industry.
The review shows that the oil and gas industry in Africa is poised for momentous growth due to recent large gas finds in East Africa. “Large gas finds in Mozambique and Tanzania, and oil potential in Uganda and Kenya, have sparked a flurry of exploration activity across Africa,” Akpata added.
Speaking on developing the business, he said that the major challenges identified by organisations in the oil and gas industry have remained largely unchanged with the top four issues in 2010 continuing to remain the biggest challenges in 2012. Adding that poor infrastructure and an uncertain regulatory framework were the two top challenges identified by the new emerging players/markets, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
In Nigeria, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) continues to face opposition from oil companies and politicians, and is likely to require further changes.

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Eagles attack worries Keshi

Kunle Solaja reporting live from Brasil

It was a mixed feeling for Coach Stephen Keshi yesterday after his boys beat Tahiti 6-1 to set a possible competition record. He was happy with the final result and the competitive edge it has given the Super Eagles, but was quick to add that his attackers were wasteful, a situation that worries him.
He was also delighted that none of the players was injured. “That is a big relief for me”, he remarked, saying that was what he was concerned about before the game, having lost four vital players of his African Cup winning side to injury.

“That would have compounded my headache as I know that the competition is now going to get tougher”. Despite rejoicing over the score line, he expressed worry over the wasted chances that the strikers could not convert. “The valuable chances they lost can prove crucial in the long run, considering that Spain and Uruguay will also still play Tahiti and score many goals.

“Worse still, they allowed Tahiti to pull a goal back and that boosted their morale and confidence as they dominated the game momentarily for about five minutes. “If the trend continues, we will be in great difficulty soon”. He said he would now focus on strategy that may see the Super Eagles eliminate Uruguay tomorrow, so as to ease tension when the Super Eagles face Spain on the last match day of the group stage.

He said even though he was not expecting the thunderous booing from the Brazilian crowd, he could not believe that it was owing to the dented image of the Super Eagles over the bonus crisis. “It is common for the weaker side to be supported, so that the standard of play can rise”, he said. “The booing did not have any impact on my players”, he remarked.

While Enyeama on Sunday said the issue of match bonus had not been resolved, Keshi said the issue was over and almost had an unsettling impact on the team. Monday’s win coincided with the defeat of another Oceania team by an African side in the Confederations Cup four years ago.

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20 govs shun Jang’s NGF

A faction of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), under the leadership of Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang yesterday met in Abuja, despite the protests from the camp of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Amaechi, who is the Rivers State governor, had on Sunday cautioned Governor Jang against calling the meeting of the NGF as the former claimed that he was the duly elected chairman of the Forum of 36 states governors in the country.

But at the meeting, which took place at a parallel secretariat located in Maitama area of Abuja, the Jang faction had only 16 governors in attendance. The same number of governors attended the commissioning of the secretariat last month.
In attendance at the meeting were Jonah Jang, Olusegun Mimiko, Sullivan Chime, Theodore Orji, Martins Elechi and Idris Wada, governors of Plateau, Ondo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi States. Others were; Peter Obi, Ibrahim Shema, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Godswill Akpabio, Isa Yuguda, Seriake Dickson and Liyel Imoke, governors of Anambra, Katsina, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Cross Rivers states.
Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam was represented by his deputy, Steve Lawani, while Taraba State acting governor, Umar Garba was also in attendance. Daily Sun checks revealed that invitation was sent to all the 36 states governors for a crucial meeting to resolve grey areas of about N60 billion from the Federation Account owed the governors by the Federal Government.
State Commissioners for Finance had last Thursday boycotted the Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) meeting to protest the unpaid arrears.

Further investigation by Daily Sun revealed that some of the governors loyal to Governor Amaechi faction of the NGF arrived Abuja last night but shunned the NGF meeting called by Jang.
A media aide to one of the governors in Amaechi’s camp told Daily Sun that his boss and those loyal to him (Amaechi) were in Abuja last night but would only show up at the Presidential Villa for the meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at an enlarged meeting of all governors to discuss the impasse arising from the aborted FAAC meeting.

But speaking with newsmen at the end of the meeting, which was concluded at 9.30pm, Governor Jang told newsmen that the poor attendance was a non-issue, as he needed only 12 governors to form a quorum. “Some of the governors have traveled out of the country.

You cannot stop governors, because of NGF meeting. I need only 12 to form quorum.” Asked to react to allegation of impersonation by Governor Amaechi, the Plateau State helmsman told newsmen curtly: “What is the meaning of impersonation?
Am I saying that I am the Governor of Rivers State?” The governors later left for Presidential Villa for a meeting with President Jonathan.

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Boko Haram kills 22 in Maiduguri

No fewer than 22 people including students and fishermen might have died in revenge attack on a school and residents in Maiduguri by Boko Haram insurgents.

Some gunmen believed to be Boko Haram members were said to have attacked fishermen, local tea seller and some residents at Alau River near Maiduguri, killing about 13 people. Sources said the gunmen claimed they were on a revenge mission against some group of youths, who had been handing them over to security agencies in the area.

Also, the insurgents were reported to have attacked a private school in Maiduguri, where students that were writing their National Examination Council (NECO). “Nine of the students were shot dead by the insurgents while many of them were injured,” a resident claimed.
The gunmen were said to have stormed Ansaruden Private Primary and Secondary School at Jajeri, a Maiduguri suburb and opened fire on the unsuspecting students shortly after the commencement of examination.
Some parents of the deceased expressed shock over the killings and appealed to the federal and state governments to address the security situation in the area. Sources at the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri hinted that over 20 corpses with gunshots were brought to the hospital.
The Boko Haram had weekend warned of its readiness to revenge continued arrest of its members by the youths in the metropolis, famously called “civilian JTF.”

“A full blown war have been declare against Borno and Yobe youths,” Abu Zinnira, the Boko Haram spokesman, who authored the statement said they would launch manhunt of their hunters (youths).
“We have established that youths in Borno and Yobe states are now against our course. They have connived with security operatives and are actively supporting the government of Nigeria in its war against us. We have also resolved to fight back, “ he warned, a threat which the youths insisted would not deterred them from assisting the security agencies to bring peace to the area.

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Jonathan gives scorecard, faults assessment of his ministers

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday in Abuja said that while assessing his government, he had discovered that a number of comments of his critics were 'based on heartbeats and not any visible criteria', as he implored Nigerians to assess his administration based on individual scorecards.

Jonathan said this while presenting the mid-term report of his four-year Transformation Agenda.

He specifically referred to an assessment done by a national newspaper which scored the Minister of National Planning and the Minister of Trade and Investment an average in terms of performance.

Jonathan said contrary to that assessment, the performances of the two ministers remained the best among the three ministers that had so far been in charge of those ministries under his leadership.

On the Ministry of Trade and Investment, the President said because of the hard work of Dr. Olusegun Aganga, foreign investors had been investing heavily in the country despite the security challenges facing the nation and that until Usman came on board, the Ministry of National Planning had remained relatively not in existence.

Sambo had earlier in his welcome remarks said all members of the Jonathan administration were united in their aspiration to transform Nigeria to a nation that would be respected worldwide.

He said the Democracy Day was not all about a public holiday but a day to look inwards and give account of stewardship, adding that was why the administration was using the opportunity to give account of its actions to the nation that gave them the mandate to serve.

Sambo urged all Nigerians to join hands to build a nation that would fulfil the promise of the past and work for the good of the present and the future generation.

He said constitutional and moral burdens were on all of them in government to uphold democratic tenets.

He said, 'To whom much is given, much is expected. We are grateful to the nation for the mandate we received from the freest and fairest election in recent time. The transformation agenda is decided on those things that should be done to reposition the country. In the last two years, we have pursued a resolute course to widen the political space.

'Our public institutions are being rebuilt. The National Assembly is very vibrant, the judiciary is truly independent. There is a general onsensus that democracy and government in Nigeria are getting better. We have laid a foundation of change in the last two years.

'In the face of unprecedented security challenges, the challenges call for caution from all of us. Nobody should make political capital on the issue. We seek your support and honest counsel in the areas we can improve upon. A bright future beckons on this land and its people. We assure generations unborn of a nation that will meet their needs.'

Anyim said the mid-term report presented by the President provided verifiable achievements of his administration.

He said the administration had protected the rights of citizens and the rule of law in its two years of existence.

He scored the administration high in the expansion of civic space, entrenchment of checks and balances, sanitisation of electoral process, federal character in appointments and anti-corruption fight, among others.

Okonjo-Iweala, on her part, said the administration's transformation agenda had been tailored towards addressing some of the nation's problems, including insufficient jobs, rising debt, high recurrent expenditure and falling reserves, among others.

She said in its two years, the administration had made the economy strong, exchange rate stable, and reduced inflation to 9.1 per cent from 12.4 per cent in May 2011.

The minister said the  Federal Government had started retiring its past debts and changed waiver and tariff policies from focusing on individuals alone to the entire sector.

She added that the government hired 50 forensic auditors to probe the fraud in the fuel subsidy regime, adding that sanity had so far been restored to the system.

She said following the audit, N14bn had been recovered out of the N234bn diverted funds while oil marketers had been reduced to 32, making it easier for government to monitor them.

'The contributory pension scheme is sound and it is being reformed to prevent fraud. Nigeria's credit rating has improved. International investors are investing more in Nigeria. Our banks are strong and the stock market is also strong with stock exchange index rising to 71 per cent,' she said.

Okonjo-Iweala said the administration had done well in the areas of rail rehabilitation, inland ports construction and the overhauling of airports.

The Founder/President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Rev. Jesse Jackson, observed that leadership was not just about winning elections but about transforming the people.

He urged Nigeria to continue to deepen its democracy because the nation mattered to the international community.

He urged Nigerian leaders and followers to dream big about the nation, saying their resources must unite and not divide them.

'Nigeria must deepen democracy. Nigeria matters. In peacekeeping around the world, Nigeria matters. Dream, keep dreaming big. Dream Nigeria. Dream of one Nigeria,' he said.

Construction of Lagos-Ibadan rail to commence soon

The contract for the construction of  Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge double track has been awarded and the construction will soon  commence, Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, has said.

According to Umar, the government is currently carrying out necessary feasibility studies to create seven additional standard gauge lines in the country.

He said the  studies were expected to be completed by September this year after which the result would be advertised for potential investors for their development under the public private partnership.

Umar spoke during the inauguration of  the board of directors of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), headed by former national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kau Baraje in Abuja,.

He said  that efforts were on to ensure that the rehabilitation of the railway line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is completed this year.

He noted that the construction of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri and Abuja-Kaduna are to completed and commissioned by next year.

The minister disclosed that the law establishing the Nigerian Railway Corporation is currently undergoing review with the aim of ensuring private sector, state and local government  participation in the rail transport sector.

Kano: JTF arrests foreigners, uncovers missiles, grenades

Operatives of Joint Task Force  on Tuesday night raided a warehouse at Gaya road of Bompai in Kano city where it found sophisticated military hardware.

The JTF  troops were said to have stormed the house following a tip off by a suspect who is under investigation.

Four foreign nationals, suspected to have hailed from Middle East, were arrested in the operation. Owner of the warehouse, who was identified as a Lebanese national, was among those arrested by the JTF, who put the  building  under surveillance.

Items said to have been recovered from the warehouse  included 40 air-to-surface missiles, 50 cluster bombs, 200 rocket-propel launchers, eight AK-47 rifles, 200 military hand grenades and some military hardware capable of destroying  Armoured Personnel Carriers.

The items  were said to have been carried away  to the headquarters of the 3rd Motorised Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, alongside the foreign nationals.

Eyewitnesses estimated the number of  AK-47 riffles  evacuated from the scene at over 300.

Spokesman for the JTF Captain Ikedichi Iweha, promised to brief newsmen later on the issue, even as he declined comment on the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night.

'You would get the details tomorrow (Thursday) because of the Democracy Day celebration. We have resolved to talk to you after the break,' he said.

According to him, as a result of the Democracy Day celebration, security was fortified in the commercial city of Kano, with increased vehicular patrols by the military, JTF operatives and the police, as part of the measures to sustain relative peace in the city.

Governor Rochas Okorocha Sustains Head Injury In Car Accident

The convoy of the Governor of Imo State; Mr Rochas Okorocha has been involved in a head-on collision in Orlu local government area of the state and the governor sustained minor head injuries.

The Governor was on a scheduled inspection tour to some state projects in the area when the accident occurred.

A statement signed by the media aide to the Governor; Ebere Ozoukwa, stated that the Governor’s convoy was involved in the accident in Orlu town in Orlu Local government area of the state. According to Mr Ozoukwa, “the governor sustained a minor injury which is a minor cut on his head but he is presently in a good and stable condition and has been attended to by medical personnel.”

The statement advised the general public especially Imo citizens not to “panic and should go about with their normal duties since the Governor is in a good and stable condition and responding to necessary treatment.”

Constitution: Nigerians reject rotational presidency, immunity, state police

National Assembly building, Abuja
| credits: original

Nigerians have rejected the inclusion of rotational presidency, immunity for the President and governors as well as state police in the ongoing amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

They also kicked against the clamour for resource control by oil producing communities and the call to raise the derivation principle from the current 13 per cent to 20 per cent.

These views were in the collated results of their views on the amendment, made public by the House of Representatives in Abuja on Thursday.

The results came from the People’s Public Sessions conducted in the 360 Federal Constituencies on November 10, 2012 by its Ad-Hoc Committee on Constitution Review.

The committee, headed by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, produced a 43-item template for the public sessions, drawn from the memoranda submitted to it by many individuals and interest groups in the country.

According to the results, Nigerians neither want the presidency to rotate between the North and the South nor between the six geopolitical zones.

On a question, “Should a provision be inserted in the constitution for the rotation of the Office of the President between the Northern and Southern parts of the country”, 80  constituencies voted ‘Yes’, while 275 voted ‘No’. Five were undecided, making 360.

Similarly, 147 constituencies supported the rotation of the office between the six geopolitical zones, while the majority of 210 opposed it. Three constituencies were undecided on the issue.

At the state level, the results indicated that Nigerians did not want the office of governor to rotate between the three senatorial districts either. One hundred and eight-one constituencies voted against the proposal, while 175 supported it. Four constituencies were undecided.

 However, they supported retaining the present two-term tenure of four years for president and governors in the constitution.

They also rejected immunity for the President, Vice-President and Governors when it relates to criminal offences.

However, they backed immunity for the affected political office-holders on matters relating to “civil proceedings while in office”.

Two hundred and twenty-five constituencies supported amending Section 308 of the constitution to allow immunity to cover “only civil proceedings”, while 132 opposed it.

Nigerians also rejected the contentious issue of state police, according to the results.

The majority of 307 constituencies kicked against amending Section 214 (1) of the constitution to establish state police. Fifty-three constituencies supported state police.

On resource control, voters rejected a proposal to “implement the practice of federalism that allows states to control up to 50 per cent of their resources and pay the remainder to the Federation”.

While 123 constituencies supported resource control, the majority of 236 constituencies opposed it. Five others were undecided.

Other contentious issues voted on included financial autonomy for local government councils, independent candidature, voting rights for Nigerians in the Diaspora and parliamentary versus presidential system of government.

At the presentation ceremonies on Thursday, the Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, promised Nigerians that they would respect their views while considering the results.

 He stated that the review process would continue to be “transparent”, adding that the House was open to criticisms and further suggestions.

Anambra 2013: Parties come alive to replace Obi

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi

As the campaigns for 2013 governorship election begin to take shape, EMMANUEL OBE, captures the mood among contending political parties and candidates jostling to replace Governor Peter Obi

Things are beginning to look up in the political firmament of Anambra State as political parties and candidates get set to present themselves for the governorship election tentatively slated for either November or December.

Events in the state in the past week have indicated that it is not going to be an easy ride for any of the parties or candidates. Before now, the arena was calm and quiet.

 The three leading political parties in the state — All Progressives Grand Alliance, Action Congress of Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party — also witnessed developments that have left pundits guessing.

Positive signals seem to be coming more from the Peoples Democratic Party, which literarily went into coma due to a vicious factional wrangling which gripped it after it lost the governorship seat to APGA 10 years ago.

In a well-attended rally at Emmaus House, Awka, the major factions of the PDP came together under the chairmanship of Mr. Kenneth Emeakayi, and constituted a harmonisation committee, made up of representatives of the major factions, as directed by the National Working Committee of the party.

The party has since gone to the wards to conduct a fresh registration of its members. Given the huge following the party enjoys in the state as well as the clout of its leaders, PDP could spring a surprise if the current momentum is maintained.

The big names have started stepping out. Nicholas Ukachukwu, a veteran of the governorship race since 2003, and a candidate with a deep pocket, has opened a high-profile campaign office along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway. Senator Andy Uba, who, in the guise of constituency visits, has been subtly campaigning, is also among the contenders. President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Chief Akachukwu Nwankpu, who oversees the SURE-P scheme, has also been campaigning for the governorship seat. Dr. Obinna Uzoh, who has inaugurated a charity foundation, is among the party’s aspirants. The list that also has Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Senator Emma Anosike and a lot of others is growing with each passing day.

Something fresh is also coming out of the Action Congress of Nigeria which is neck deep in a proposed merger with some opposition parties. The prime mover of the party in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, who had during the Christmas season, given an indication that he would use the Easter break to make pronouncements about his political plans went taciturn during the season.

Instead of the news about Ngige’s declaration for the governorship, the posters and billboards coming out in the name of ACN are those of Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, the publisher and Philanthropist, who recently built and handed a brand new NUJ Press Centre to the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

In the past, Ngige had served as the party’s sole governorship candidate.

If Ezeemo is stepping out, chances are that he has the backing of Ngige, who might have decided to hold on to his seat in the Senate, and not bother about the money guzzling race for Government House.

However, the main focus is on the All Progressives Grand Alliance, which before now appeared to be well favoured to carry the day in any election before it was thrown off balance by a self-inflicted crisis that is widening its divisions.

With the crisis that exist in the PDP and the total control of the ACN by Ngige, the next party that could provide candidates with a solid platform is APGA. The case for APGA is strong because the incumbent, Peter Obi, having served his two terms in office, is no longer eligible to contest and would therefore pose little problem to candidates seeking a fresh mandate.

The popular choice of APGA could be seen from the manner many aspirants have been jostling to catch the attention of the governor, who however made it clear that his choice of a successor would come from the less privileged senatorial zone, Anambra North, that has not produced a governor since the state was created in 1991.

The nestling around Obi was largely informed by the fact that he had yet to name a successor, thereby leaving the contest open. Many political observers in the state believe that Obi’s quarrel with Umeh was due to Umeh’s frolicking with multi-billionaire petroleum products marketer, Ifeanyi Ubah, who though hails from Anambra South, has insisted on running for the governorship against Obi’s declared position.

The quarrel between Obi and Umeh, who had all along forged a united front, has taken a huge toll on the party, which, only a few months ago, appeared to be the strongest party in the state. The refusal of any of the parties to back down has not helped matters.

Parading the powers and money that go with his office, Obi had borne the burden of ensuring that Umeh was kicked out of APGA, at a time when his brother governor from Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, had boxed himself into a critical situation by declaring for the yet to be registered All Progressives Congress, without as much as carrying his party men along.

The removal of Umeh by an Enugu High Court however provided the needed fillip for Obi and his faction of the APGA, who proceeded to take over the national leadership of the party.

They were already feeling home and dry when the Court of Appeal, Enugu, came out like a bolt from the blue, declaring that Umeh should continue to hold onto his office until his appeal is tried and dismissed. That appeal court ruling technically put paid to all the efforts that culminated in the election of a NWC of APGA led by Chief Maxi Okwu, and placed Obi’s faction in jeopardy.

From the look of things, both factions of APGA might just spend the rest of the party’s election year slugging it out in court to the detriment of their chances at the poll.

With virtually every other APGA national officer having crossed over to the Obi faction, leaving behind Umeh and his national secretary, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, on the other side, it appears that APGA’s political travail just begins in Anambra State.

 But Umeh can fall back on the support of the Anambra State Executive Committee led by Chief Mike Kwentoh, who was purportedly removed from office by the Obi faction two days before the national convention that produced Okwu as national chairman. Another loyalist of Umeh is Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, the leader of the APGA caucus in the House of Representatives.

Ekwunife parted ways with Obi when her governorship ambition clashed with Obi’s insistence that APGA would entertain only aspirants from Anambra North Senatorial Zone. Ekwunife, who like Obi, comes from Anambra Central Senatorial Zone, says inasmuch as she is not opposed to  zoning as a formula for picking candidates for the party, the issue has not been previously discussed. Even at that, she says if zoning is going to be adopted; it should start alphabetically, with Anambra Central, her senatorial zone,  taking the first slot.

The crisis seems to have touched raw nerves in the South East where the Igbo-speaking people, irrespective of party affiliation, consider the party as their own, which they can always fall back on when they cannot find accommodation in other national parties.

But Dr. Okey Umeano, the Anambra State Chairman and governorship aspirant of the United Peoples Party, says there is no need to cry over the crisis in APGA as UPP has come to give the people of the South East a voice. UPP was founded by Chief Chekwas Okorie, the founding chairman of APGA. Umeano, a former member of the House of Representatives, was the founding chairman of APGA in Anambra State.

It would seem that the smaller parties would as usual be waiting in the wings to profit from the fallouts of the rough games that will play out in the big parties. The  PPN, ADC, Labour Party and ANPP have also been renovating their secretariats preparatory to the elections.

 In the meantime, the Obi camp appears yet undecided on who to back for the governorship. Several of his aides are jostling for the position including the current Secretary  to the State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze; his brother, Dubem, who is the immediate past Commissioner for Local Government; and the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, Chief Paul Odenigbo. Callistus Ilozumba, who has served as the Commissioner for Works in the last seven years, has been going round churches requesting the people to pray for a governor that will build on the records of Governor Obi.

Most Nigerian roads’ll be motorable by 2015 – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that most Nigerian roads will be in good conditions in the next two years. Speaking during the inauguration of the WEMPCO cold steel plant in Magboro, Ogun State on Thursday, the President acknowledged that most Nigerian roads had been abandoned for a long time.

He, however, gave an assurance that most of the roads would be in good shape by 2015.

He said, “We assure Nigerians that we are intervening in our road reconstruction. It is not easy because this country is very big and the road networks appear to have collapsed due to long time neglect.

“There is no magic wand that the government will use to repair all the roads at the same time, but we are intervening massively, and if we progress at the rate we are progressing, God willing, most of Nigerian roads will be motorable in the next two years.”

The President was prompted by the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who complained that the federal/state road dichotomy was frustrating the state’s infrastructure development drive, especially in the area of road development.

“We have been trying everything possible to make Ogun State conducive for business. Our investment drive is being greatly hampered by an embarrassing dichotomy called the federal/state roads,” the governor said.

Amosun remarked that Ogun State had rehabilitated some federal roads considered very critical to the economic development of the state; adding that this had not happened without confrontations with the Federal Ministry of Works.

“As at present, our roads are wearing new looks and have high standards. However, we are been accused by agencies of the Federal Government of improving on roads in our dear state. The most painful thing is that these federal roads are very germane to our investment drive. The least we expect is for the Federal Ministry of Works to come and disturb us,” he said.

While lauding the effort of the Federal Government in rehabilitating the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Amosun said the state would not hesitate to partner with it to repair the road.

This, he said, had become imperative because 83 per cent of the road was situated on Ogun State land.

In response, Jonathan, said “I believe there is a communication gap between your government and the Federal Ministry of Works. If not, those issues were not supposed to have even come up at all. There is no controversy at all about a state or local government intervening in any federal road. “I will emphasise that the ordinary Nigerian does not want to know whether a road was built by the federal, state or local government.

“However, if you intervene in a federal road at a time we are not ready, and you want the Federal Government to partner in terms of cost, then we will give you what we have planned for the road. However, you must follow our procurement process for us to pay you.

“But if you have money to build the road, you don’t even need to bother with our procurement laws, you can go ahead and build the road, but we will not refund any part of the money.”

FG uncovers fresh N3.2tr Abacha loot

Billions of dollars stashed away in foreign bank accounts by the late military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, may far exceed the already established $5 billion, as a Special Investigation Panel (SIP), tracing what has now become ‘Abacha loot,’ has stumbled on fresh clues indicating that the stolen funds still trapped in offshore accounts stand at over N3.2 trillion.

A competent source close to the panel, whose office is in the presidency told Saturday Sun that about four different meetings between the SIP team headed by a retired senior military officer and a Switzerland-based lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, hired by the Federal Government to assist in the recovery of the Abacha loot in foreign jurisdictions, had taken place outside the country in the last eight months.

Monfrini is an Attorney-at-Law, Monfrini Grettol & Associés, Geneva, Switzerland.  The source, who preferred to be anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said: “In the course of the recent meetings between the Nigerian team and authorities in about four other jurisdictions as well as the team from the foreign legal firm, it was discovered that a lot of underhand dealings must have taken place in the recovery of the Abacha loot.


“This was largely responsible for the under-declaration of what has been recovered so far by three successive governments and worse still what is still trapped in offshore accounts, which, in our estimation, in our last meeting with our foreign team, stands at $210 billion.”  Some of the foreign jurisdictions, where the stolen funds had been traced to include Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the latest discoveries includes a $550 million in a coded account in France.

“It has been very difficult to get details out into the public domain so far because the latest process is being secretly coordinated by the retired senior military officer heading the SIP in the presidency and the Attorney General of the federation, who provides legal advice for the team,” the source added.  The Federal Government was said to have been encouraged to dig deeper into the Abacha loot because of a recent statement credited to the Swiss lawyer, Monfrini, handling the case.

While giving further insight into previous efforts to recover the stolen money, the lawyer was quoted to have said: “Civil action was initiated by the Federal Republic of Nigeria before the High Court of London in May 1999. It resulted in the seizing of only USD 60 million in the United Kingdom. The ‘full account’ given by the members of Abacha family was notoriously incomplete, notably in respect of their Swiss, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg assets, totaling USD 1.5 billion, which were entirely omitted.

Less than USD 10 million of frozen assets been forfeited and recovered in the United Kingdom, none of which was through civil proceedings.”  Only the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been able to record the highest amount of $1.25 billion from the Abacha loot. The preceding regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the succeeding government of the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua could not do much in this regard notwithstanding the efforts also made.  Obasanjo recently gave an indication that much could still be trapped outside the country when he declared, at a function in Delta State: “When I was president, I called the World Bank.
I said, please, give me the list of the amount that has been stolen, where it is kept and who the beneficiaries are. I never got anything from the World Bank thereafter. We have on our own decided that we will investigate and get from one family, Abacha family alone.   “From the Abacha family alone, we recovered millions of dollars.


I got 1.25 billion dollars and the lawyer in Switzerland (he is still there), who was doing it for us, said, when I was leaving, that if we worked harder, there was still, at least, one billion dollars that we can get from that family alone.”  General Sani Abacha had ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State between November 17, 1993 and June 8, 1998, when he died suddenly of a heart attack. As a result, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became the head of state and within a short time, he re-established democracy in Nigeria, arranging for general elections that resulted in the emergence of Obasanjo assuming the presidency as the democratically elected leader of the country in 1999.

Before Obasanjo took office, Abubakar’s government had delivered a clear message that Abacha had looted huge sums, and they had to be restored. Members of the Abacha family and some of their accomplice then ‘voluntarily’ returned approximately $1 billion to the Federal Government. In 2002, the Obasanjo administration tentatively came to an agreement with the Abacha family to return another $1 billion out of the $1.1 billion that had been identified, traced and frozen, with the quid pro quo that the Abachas would be allowed to keep balance that had been assessed not to be of criminal origin.

The arrangement was not well received by the masses. Although the proposal caused a massive outcry for seeming to reward the theft of public funds, it was subsequently rejected by the late dictator’s son, Mohammed Abacha, who continued to maintain that all the assets in question were legitimately acquired.  The highest sum that had in the past been traced to the family ranged from $3 billion to $5 billion, which includes money allegedly derived from misappropriation of funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria, bribes received from multi-nationals, among others.


The Swiss government last December said that it has so far returned to Nigeria the sum of $700 million stolen by the late dictator and deposited in several Swiss banks. The Swiss ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Hans-Rudolf Hodel, had announced the figure at a media briefing in Abuja. In addition to freezing about $640 million, the Swiss judicial authorities handling the case have also indicted Mohammed Abacha and Atiku Bagudu under Swiss legislation regarding money laundering, fraud and taking part in a criminal organisation.


While the latest discovery of the volume of stolen funds still trapped outside the country may appear as an indication of a breakthrough in the renewed effort to recover the looted funds, the sad news is, however, that Nigeria may never get the money back through the legal means it has been following since 1999.

“In one of the last meetings before the SIP team stopped foreign trips on the case, the Nigerian government was told in plain terms that it will be too hard to get the money repatriated to the country through any court case or legal battles except through diplomatic negotiations with the foreign jurisdictions where these funds have been servicing their economies,” our source added.

It was further gathered that the Jonathan administration is already contemplating the idea of checking the record of recoveries made under the coordination of a former National Security Adviser (NSA).
As a result, the SIP was said to have recently interacted with a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Peter Gana who worked with the ex-security adviser on the recovery of the Abacha loot with a view to getting certain clues needed for further probe.

NCC ready for mobile number portability

In line with its function of protecting and promoting consumer interest against unfair practices, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has concluded arrangement to flag off mobile number portability(MNP).
The MNP, when implemented, would give consumers the option of changing their network at will while also retaining their mobile numbers. Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, who disclosed this in Ibadan, during the 72nd edition of Telecoms Consumer Parliament, added that the MNP would enhance competition and improve quality of service.

Juwah said: “It is an established fact that one of the most significant barriers to competition in the telecommunication industry is the reluctance of consumers to change their network even when they are not satisfied with the services provided because of the fear of changing their number.”

The porting process (process of changing network) would, according to him, be simple, free of charge and would be completed within 48 hours from the time when a request is made by a subscriber. Juwah noted that when the MNP becomes operational subscribers would no longer be compelled to carry many handsets at the same time for fear of network failure, adding that subscribers can always migrate to the best network of quality while retaining their number.

He added that the focus of the commission was to give the consumer a choice and freedom to be with best network at any time as well as enhance competition in the industry.

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Nigercem: Is Ebonyi govt not over-stepping its bounds?

Our Reporter

If there is one word that could be used to describe the Nigerian Cement Company Plc., Nkalagu, in Ebonyi State, that word is “troubled”. But the trouble could have been easily handled and the company brought back to regain its fading glory if not for the inexplicable bellicose position taken by the members of House of Representatives and Senators representing Ebonyi State in the National Assembly.

Penultimate week, the lawmakers, comprising three senators and five honorable members of the House of Representatives signed an advertorial which appeared in major dailies, casting aspersion on the intentions of the Ibeto Cement Company Limited, the majority shareholding company in Nigercem. They are Senators Chris Nwankwo, Paulinus Igwe Nwagu and Sunny Ogbuoji. The Reps members are Peter Oge Ali, Linus Aba-Okorie, Tobias Okwuru, Sylvester Ogbaga and Christopher Omo Isu.

The lawmakers claimed that while Nigercem was initially owned by the five eastern states and the federal government, it was sold to Eastern Bulkcem Company Limited with Ebonyi State as strategic equity holder. They alleged that years after the privatization process, “it became evident that the core investor was neither interested in nor capable of reactivating the company as it was essentially a cement bagging company.”

According to the lawmakers, it was after this that the Ebonyi State government petitioned the federal government “about the fraud and exploitation going on at Nigercem at the expense of the people of Ebonyi State. They also claimed that the investor vandalized and cannibalized facilities at the cement company and as a result of the inability of the federal government to look into the matter, the Ebonyi State government revoked the certificate of occupancy, C of O, of the land upon which Nigercem is located.

Not done yet, the lawmakers claimed that while the judicial commission of inquiry set up to look into why the cement company was not functioning was still sitting, Eastern Bulkcem Limited “came up with a new scheme by colluding with Ibeto Cement Company Limited by way of a purported sale of Nigercem to Ibeto Group.” ‘Case’ against Ibeto Group The lawmakers claimed that since Ibeto came into the picture, the group and its agents have “orchestrated a campaign of calumny, blackmail, falsehood and misrepresentation against the government and people of Ebonyi State in its desperate bid to take over Nigercem, Nkalagu.”

The lawmakers further claimed that Ibeto Group had reached out to various interest groups in the state, including the lawmakers themselves, to arm-twist the state government over its principled stand on Nigercem. They therefore re-affirmed their support for the “principled stand” of the state government on Nigercem and then “advised” the Ibeto Group to keep away from the company and that they would never permit a “re-colonisation of Ebonyi State through the exploitation of its principal economic heritage.”

While this position might evoke emotions, it’s punctured by the fact that BUA Group, owned by a Northerner from Kano, is the core investor in Okpella Cement Factory in Edo State and the group has commissioned the best cement plant building experts in the world, FLShmidt, to transform and modernize the entire plant, pumping over five hundred million dollars into the process. Work is still in progress but the economic benefits are already being felt by indigenes of the area while waiting for the commissioning in the first quarter of next year.

Those who have seen the level of work have commended BUA Group for this initiative. Nigercem could have brought this to the Nkalagu area only if emotions could be taken out of the mix. Facts versus Fiction While the action of the lawmakers could be considered patriotic if looked at from the emotional point of view, the fact remains that some of the claims were either wrong, outright falsehood or misrepresentation of facts.


For instance, while the lawmakers claimed that Nigercem set up in 1954 was owned by the federal government and the five eastern states, the fact remains that this company was set up as a private outfit and was owned previously by the federal government, Sir Odumegwu-Ojukwu, father of late Biafran leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the then Eastern Nigerian government. The question here is whether Ibeto Group bought Nigercem from Eastern Bulkcem or acquired Nigercem from it.

Via the acquisition of Eastern Bulkcem, Ibeto naturally controls 60% of Nigercem. It was a simple case of acquiring assets and liabilities of a company being taken over by another one. Another major issue, which perhaps, the Ebonyi State government is hiding from its citizens, including the lawmakers, was the fact that when Ibeto Group came into the Nigercem picture, the governor, Chief Martins Elechi, nominated Mr. Peter Nwokpor , who was the director of Ebonyi State investments, to represent the state government on the new board while the chairman of the board was Dr. Cletus Ibeto who is also the chairman of the Ibeto Group.


On a request by the Ebonyi State government, a share certificate no 21841659, in the name of the state ministry of finance and economic development, was issued which was for thirteen million ordinary shares representing ten per cent ownership of Nigercem. This certificate was signed both by the chairman of the board and the company secretary. Upon acquisition, Ibeto Group had moved in and started geological surveying and drilling. It was when this process was going on that hoodlums came in and showed the unclean hands of the state government and the undercurrents of its real intentions as far as the company is concerned.


After the attack, the state government told Ibeto to suspend work while at a meeting with the governor, he told them they should reduce their stake in the company to forty-nine per cent while the state government acquires majority shares. While the Ibeto Group agreed to this, it also stated that those shares it would be relinquishing should be taken by ordinary people of Ebonyi State. While the governor promised to look into this, perhaps he would get back to the Ibeto Group on it tomorrow, over two years after.


Ibeto Group’s capabilities While the lawmakers, apparently echoing the voice of the state government, claimed that Eastern Bulkcem could not revitalise Nigercem, perhaps they had a point. But the Ibeto Group which now owns Nigercem has the capacity to raise Nigercem from the doldrums. However, the group has been trying hard to correct the wrong impression being fed the public. And this has to do with the fact that the capability of the Ibeto Group does not go beyond importation of cement. While the group admits that it has the right to import 1.5 million tonnes of cement annually, the group has proved its readiness to change the fortunes of Nigercem.

Apart from the financial wherewithal, it started the revitalization of the cement coy with the renovation of the wet process line and construction of a brand new dry process plant. It went further by organising a due diligence visit by FLSmidth, global leaders in cement plant building and the one that built the original Nigercem Plant, to come and see to the renovation of the plant. Unfortunately, this could not be done because the Ebonyi state government had taken physical possession of the factory premises.


If truly the Ebonyi State government is really interested in making Nigercem return to its old glory, why then is it frustrating the efforts of Ibeto Group at resuscitating the ailing cement giant? Perhaps, it was more political than economic or perhaps the state government is being influenced by outside forces. If there was fraud in Nigercem under Eastern Bulkcem as the lawmakers who signed the petition claimed, how come the state government did not carry other stakeholders along in its campaign to clean the augean stable in the company?


This question becomes pertinent since the state government owns just ten percent equity in the company. Does it mean that other stakeholders were not as interested in the fortunes of the company the way Ebonyi State government is? And traditional rulers paid the price Apparently aware of what effect a rejuvenated Nigercem would have on Nkalagu and adjoining towns and villages, traditional rulers in the area decided to put their money where their mouth was. But there was a price for that.


These towns and clans included Nkalagu, Amaezu as well as Umuhuali and Nkalaha. All these belong to the Igboessa clan where Nigercem was located. Traditional rulers of these towns and villages were suspended apparently because they supported the take-over of Nigercem by Ibeto Group. Engr. Peter Edeh, member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza North/Ishielu Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State, has openly disagreed with the Ebonyi State government over this persecution.


“I believe that the traditional rulers and their subjects have a right to hold an opinion and to freely express same and that in declaring their support for Ibeto’s attempt to take over and revitalise Nigercem; they have done nothing unlawful,” Edeh declared. So why can’t Ebonyi State government learn from other states that are investors-friendly by creating enabling environment for economic activity to thrive?

Why resort to strong-arm tactics to muscle an investor into abandoning his investment? Can the state government and the National Assembly legislators revive and run Nigercem?
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Restructuring of examination agencies

Our Reporter April 8, 2013

From all indications, the Federal Government is set to scrap the National Examinations Council (NECO) and rationalize the functions of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in a far-reaching restructuring of the nation’s examination bodies.

Under the plan widely reported in the media on April 3, JAMB will no longer conduct the entrance examination into the nation’s tertiary institutions, the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Instead, all tertiary institutions will now conduct their own entrance examinations while JAMB will only serve as a clearing house and administrative centre for admission matters. Instead of both WAEC and NECO conducting Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE), WAEC will now conduct the examinations in November/December and January every year, in addition to the existing May/June examination.

These changes, which are expected to be made public by the Federal Government soon via a White Paper, are reportedly based on the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies. A White Paper committee set up by the government to review the Oronsaye Report also reportedly approved the recommendation.

The Oronsanye Committee, which had a brief to streamline government agencies with a view to reducing the cost of governance had recommended the scrapping of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversal of 14 to departments of existing ministries. The plan to scrap NECO and limit the role of JAMB in tertiary institutions’ admission process is not surprising.

Arguments have been raging for some years now on the continuing relevance of JAMB and its UTME in the admission process since many of the nation’s tertiary institutions now conduct Post-UTME examinations because of the growing lack of credibility of scores awarded to candidates in the UTME examination. Many universities now base their admissions on a combination of results obtained in their internal Post-UTME examinations and JAMB’s UTME, thereby making the UTME of little relevance.

The decision to grant universities a measure of autonomy in their admission process is, therefore, welcome. It is in line with the demand of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and it will go a long way in helping to ensure that universities solely determine the quality of candidates that would be admitted into their programmes. What is surprising in the Federal Government position, however, is the decision to still retain JAMB as an agency when it will no longer be conducting examinations.

We do not think that whatever clearing has to be done for admission into universities and other tertiary institutions at the Federal Government level requires a large organisation such as JAMB. The department responsible for Higher Education in the Federal Ministry of Education should be able to do the job. Although arguments have been made in some quarters that the restriction of JAMB from entrance examinations into tertiary institutions will return the country to the era when candidates had multiple admissions to different universities, and there was no provision to ensure admission for candidates in the institutions’ “catchment” areas and those from “educationally disadvantaged states” under the contentious quota system, the loss of confidence in JAMB as a credible examination body is sufficient reason for it to be scrapped.

Strangely, the committee reportedly fell short of recommending the scrapping of JAMB. The rigmarole on the need for the continuing existence of the body is inexplicable at this time that the agency has obviously outlived its usefulness as an examination body. For NECO, we think the duplication of the functions of WAEC in this agency via a decree promulgated in the dying days of the Abudulsalam Abubakar regime in April 1999 was not well considered from the outset.

Although NECO was instituted partly because WAEC, at that time, was adjudged to have become overwhelmed by the number of examinations it was saddled with, there is really no need to have two agencies conducting parallel examinations. Except for the likelihood of job losses and the negative impact of its scrapping on holders of its certificates, the decision to do away with NECO is in order because it is redundant. Arguments have, however, been made in some quarters that NECO, as Nigeria’s sole examination body for the SSSCE since WAEC is a regional body, should have been spared.

The ability of WAEC to conduct SSSCE examinations in November/ December and also January, when the results of the November/December examinations would not have been released, has also been questioned. Certainly, WAEC will need to be strengthened to conduct the three SSSCE that it has now been saddled with effectively. All in all, the streamlining of these education agencies is welcome.

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World Bank approves $450m for youth empowerment projects in Nigeria

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, yesterday, approved $450 million (about N67.5 billion) for two projects in Nigeria. The projects are the Nigeria Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) and the Nigeria State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP) to boost employment opportunities for young people in 20 states and improve quality of education for millions of school children in the country.
Financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), the credit will support Nigeria’s socio-economic development in line with the Federal Government’s Transformation Agenda. The bank said $300 million (N45 billion) would go for YESSO programmes that would focus on poor youth and the poorest 10 per cent of households in participating states, while $150 million (N22.5 billion) would be for SEPIP, to serve millions of children in Anambra, Bauchi and Ekiti improve the quality of their schooling.

YESSO is expected to provide youths aged between 18 and 35 with opportunities for work and skills training, and improved access to social services for the vulnerable as part of efforts to support government in strengthening Nigeria’s social safety net system. Apart from the project linking financing to results achieved through better teacher deployment and school management, the project helps beneficiaries improve measurement of student learning in government primary and secondary schools in the benefiting states, with qualifying households entitled to regular cash transfers to improve family health and schooling.

The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly, said the bank was delighted to support efforts to develop better schooling and earning prospects for millions of children and young people in Nigeria, while also cushioning some of the poorest families through a stronger social safety net system.

“Investing in people is an essential part of Nigeria’s strategy to reduce poverty and achieve steady economic growth,” Ms. Marie-Nelly said. The World Bank Task Team Leader for the YESSO project, Foluso Okunmadewa, acknowledged the importance of the support by the World Bank, considering that the youth make up over a half of Nigeria’s population of 167million people, with about 38 per cent of them either underemployed or unemployed and their education and skills levels low. “The YESSO Project will help young people earn wages by planting trees or cleaning public spaces, get help with livelihood skills and job placement, and live in less vulnerable households. The project will also help the government create systems that can be used to protect poor households and individuals both now and in future,” she said.

The Deputy Director, Vocational Skills, National Directorate of Employment, NDE, Roslyn Olawunmi, believes the project would benefit poor people, as it would help young people acquire skills and the opportunity to earn a decent living. “Some of the beneficiaries will work for wages, while others will start their own businesses and hire others”, Mrs. Olawunmi said. “At the end of the day, this will reduce poverty greatly among the poorest households.”

SEPIP is aimed at raising the quality of education in the three benefiting states by improving teacher availability in rural areas and for core subjects; introducing standardized state-level testing in English and Mathematics; making technical and vocational education more relevant to the needs of employers and entrepreneurs; and strengthening school-level management and accountability. “Rather than financing the educational system to keep it running, this education project shifts the focus to what the system is actually doing for children, by linking financing to the achievement of agreed results,” said World Bank Task Team Leader for the SEPIP project, Irajen Appasamy.

“The project is designed to make a real difference in the lives of children and youth, particularly girls and those from poor families, so that their education and skills help them join the jobs market as skilled adult workers,” she noted. The innovative and catalytic nature of the two projects helps to establish results and practices which could be scaled up and implemented by the state and federal authorities.

Happy end to Ebonyi ACN crisis

Finally, the protracted leadership crisis, rocking the Ebonyi State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has come to an end, following the emergence of a new state executive, led by Dr. Sylvester Nwambe. The party had been immersed in leadership squabbles, which saw to the expulsion of the former state chairman of the party, Mr. Elder Igwe, by the National Working Committee, which ordered a fresh state congress that produced the new state executive.


The newly elected State Working Committee of the party was elected in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, under the supervision of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Speaking shortly after the election, the newly elected state chairman, Dr. Sylvester Nwambe, described the electoral process as credible and promised to bring unity to the party.

Nwambe further stated that the party had been properly repositioned to champion the liberation of the people of the state, adding that his executive would work in harmony to unite members of the party. “Today marks the beginning of a new dawn in the history of our great party in the state as we are witnessing a re-birth of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which always play the role of a liberator.

Today, just like other states across the country, Ebonyi has been liberated by the party from their oppressors, we have no doubts that we are going to achieve greater things in future.” Nwambe also disclosed that the party would start the process of reconciling members of the party in the state, adding that he would run an open door policy to accommodate old and new members, which he described as being at the peak ahead of next political activities in the country.

The state chairman further stated his readiness to work together with the new state executive committee of the party with a view to fostering unity and cohesion, while insisting that the door is still open for those who have strayed. Earlier, the Electoral Committee chairman and the chairman of ACN in Anambra state, Chief Joseph Obidike commended Ebonyi people for maintaining high discipline in electing the new executive.

He described the election as transparent, adding that the party has been repositioned to win elections and lead the people out of political bondage. Obidike said he was in the state to exercise his powers as enshrined in the constitution of the party as well as the electoral law, to make sure the new executive was elected in accordance with the constitution of the country. He further described the new executive as spectacular, adding that with their vast experiences and great integrity, they will surely make the party a bride for all, and pilot the affairs of the party to the next level, while calling on trouble makers and mischief makers to steer clear.

Another member of the Congress committee, Rev. Dr. Ogwale O. Ogwale also called for understanding and unity among the members of the party starting from the state leadership to the ward levels, insisting that the party would be stronger under the new leadership. Ogwale further reiterated the readiness of the people of the state to co-operate with the new leadership under Nwambe to bring unity and transparency in the party while commending the transparent and peaceful nature of the state congress that produced the state executives.

The INEC Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Sunday Johnson who led other members of INEC in Ebonyi state to monitor the congress also described the election as transparent and urged other political parties to borrow a leaf from the party to conduct elections in credible and transparent ways. He said they were at the venue to monitor the election to make sure it was conductedin accordance with the stipulated laws concerning the conduct of political party congresses and described the state congress of ACN as commendable.

British businessman kidnapped in Nigeria

A British businessman has been abducted from an upmarket district of Lagos, in a rare case of an expatriate being taken hostage in Nigeria's main commercial city.

 

Kidnapping of expatriates by armed gangs seeking ransom money has been rife over the years in Nigeria's oil producing southeast, but in Lagos victims have usually been locals.


Police spokesman Frank Mba said reports indicated the man, who has not been named, was abducted at about 11pm on Saturday night while on his way home from a nightclub in the high-end residential and business neighbourhood of Victoria Island.

"I think they trailed him back to his house and picked him up," he said. "We are doing everything operationally possible to solve this crime."

A spokesman for the British High Commission confirmed an expatriate worker had been kidnapped, but declined to give his nationality or any further details. The spokesman said "there is no indication of terrorist involvement at this stage."
An unnamed security source told Reuters that he was an oil worker.

Nigeria is one of the worst countries in the world for kidnappings, a lucrative criminal enterprise worth millions of dollars a year. Abductions are most rife in the oil states, but sometimes happen in Lagos and the southwest too.

"Lagos has never had a reputation for kidnapping and we want that to remain as it is," said Mr Mba.
The kidnapping comes a week after men claiming to be members of radical Boko Haram Islamic group said they would not free a French family unless Nigeria and Cameroon freed all of their members from prison.

In the north, kidnappings of foreigners for ideological motives by Islamist groups have taken a more deadly turn.
Militant group Ansaru killed seven foreign hostages this month.

Pope to Wash Young Offenders' Feet

 The Pope held his first general audience in St Peter's Square on Wednesday

Pope Francis will wash the feet of prisoners in a youth detention centre near Rome on Maundy Thursday.

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists are arriving in Rome to attend ceremonies during the holy week ahead of Easter.

The washing of feet on the Thursday before Easter is a Christian tradition commemorating Christ's Last Supper.

It is part of a papal calendar of events running up to Easter, the most important festival in the calendar of the Catholic Church, reports the BBC.

On Easter Sunday morning, the new Pope will deliver his first "Urbi et Orbi" message to the city of Rome and to the world.

During his inaugural general audience Wednesday, Francis called for an immediate political solution to the conflict in the Central African Republic after last weekend's coup.

The new leader of the world's 1.2bn Roman Catholics has brought a new sense of simplicity to the Vatican, reports the BBC's David Willey in Rome.

He has decided to live in a small suite in a residence for clerics, eating with other priests in a common dining room, after deciding not to move into the palatial apartments occupied by his predecessors in the Apostolic Palace.

He has again broken with tradition for the foot-washing ceremony, which is normally performed on lay people in one of Rome's basilicas.

This time the Pope will visit the Casal del Marmo detention centre on the outskirts of Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the centre in 2007, but not for the Holy Thursday Mass. Only for the first two years of his pontificate did he perform the feet-washing himself, after which the task was delegated to priests.

During the service, the pope washes and kisses the feet of 12 people to replicate the Bible's account of Jesus Christ's gesture of humility towards his 12 apostles on the night before he was crucified.

Some of the young detainees volunteered to have their feet washed, while others were given an invitation to help them overcome their embarrassment, the Catholic News Agency quoted the prison chaplain as saying.

On Good Friday evening the Pope will carry a wooden cross and pray at a ceremony at Rome's ancient amphitheatre, the Colosseum, commemorating Jesus' crucifixion.

And on Saturday evening Pope Francis will celebrate the main Easter Vigil Mass in St Peter's Basilica.

Pope Francis - renowned for his modest former life as bishop of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires - refuses to be awed by the magnificent surroundings of his new Vatican City home, visited every year by five million tourists and pilgrims, our correspondent says.

Some past popes vaunted their riches, but Francis wants a simpler church mindful of the plight of the world's poor people, he adds.

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