The Nation Newspaper

Tag: buying

  • Massive vote buying recorded in Niger

    The elections in Niger State recorded massive and outright buying of votes from the electorate by some party officials.

    In most of the polling units visited in Chachanga, Paikoro, Gurura, Suleja and Tafa, it was observed that the vote buying was not hidden from people as most of the voters hung around for the highest bidder.

    The Nation observed in one of the polling units in Maje, Suleja where the women were given N500 each to vote while some youths rejected N250 asking for N1000 instead.

    “We will take our vote and leave. What is N250?, let us go”, one of the youths who seemed to be the gang leader told the others.

    In Gawu Babangida in Gurara local government area, The Nation observed vote buying as various groups were gathered in different corners but efforts to get close to them made them disperse with some of them pocketing the money they had collected.

    In what seemed to be a confirmation of the vote buying across the state, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Honourable Ahmed Marafa, raised an alarm over increased money politics and the need to discourage the menace if credible candidates must emerge at the polls.

    He condemned the situation whereby voters would be at polling units hanging around for the highest bidder before casting their votes.

  • Anambra 2017: Cries over vote buying

    Last weekend’s governorship election in Anambra State threw up many issues, amongst which was vote buying, which was openly practiced at polling booths. Most concerned observers and stakeholders warn that except drastic action is taken against that development, vote buying may emerge the worst monster that may threaten Nigeria’s democracy in the forthcoming 2018 and 2019 elections, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu 

    MOST of the keen observers of Anambra State politics had sworn that the November 18 Governorship Election would never end the way it did. Their prediction was based on the boycott order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the massive deployment of military and other security personnel by the Federal Government, which created a near-panic situation before the Election Day. So, the questions on everybody’s lips were: Will the election hold or will it not hold? Will there be peace or violence on that day? Will the electorates dare IPOB and come out in mass to vote? If they did, what would happen? There was real tension.

    Today, the result of the election had been announced. Not only did election observers adjudge it peaceful, orderly, free, fair and credible, but also the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the incumbent Governor Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) the winner.

    To further douse the tension, most of the candidates and the participating political parties, contrary to the initial fears, did not waste much time before they congratulated the governor and accepted the outcome of the election.

    But notwithstanding the reports of peaceful and successful outcome of the election, concerned stakeholders have pointed out some lessons and issues arising from the exercise which they warned must be taken note of if the country’s democracy would grow. One of such issues is vote buying.

    Perhaps the first person to formally lay complaint against vote buying during the Anambra State Governorship Election was Chief Osita Chidoka, the United Progressive Party (UPP) governorship candidate. Chidoka, considered one of the first four foremost contestants, shocked some observers when he came out and accepted defeat even before INEC’s final declaration of the winner.

    In a statement entitled “Politics of Anambra election: Why I lost polls,” the former Minister of Aviation said: “I have accepted defeat in the Anambra governorship election even as result is still being announced by the INEC…

    “Our campaign attracted the finest and brightest of Anambra. The bold and the courageous were with us as we exerted our best in running the most robust issue-based and technology-driven campaign in the history of our dear state.

    ‘We attempted to change the course of events and chart a new beginning for our state…

    “But from the ballots, we heard the voice of our people. We heard it loud and clear.

    “On November 18 our people announced strongly their rejection of politicians.

    “They traded their votes because they doubted we would truly represent their interest.

    “While our message resonated with the people, they doubted that the political class cared about them. They voted for the highest bidder,” he said.

    Confirming that even his supporters insisted they would not vote unless he brought money, the former Corps Marshall of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said, “I insisted we will not pay for votes. The decision not to pay ended our good run.

    “We accept the voters’ decision. We also heard our people by their turnout and transactional approach.

    “In all, we hold our heads high; high because we did not lose the poll due to paucity of ideas or lack of “structure.

    “We lost to superior financial firepower. As Democrats, we concede to the voters’ choices,” he said.

    It was a concession that confirmed that the election may not have been as free and fair as it was widely reported. Since then, other insiders and observers have expressed concern over the likely negative effect of such a development in Nigerian politics.

    For example, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria and Chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, who said President Buhari’s commitment to free and fair elections was responsible to the peaceful governorship election in Anambra, condemned the act of influencing voters with money.

    As he puts it: “there is still much to be desired in our electoral processes. Cases where people are found with huge sums of money at polling units should be dealt with. Every stakeholder should come out openly to condemn and put to an end the unfortunate acts of voter inducement with plates of food and cash at polling units. No one should take advantage of the widespread poverty in the land to compromise our electoral processes,” he said.

    In a statement he made available to The Nation on Thursday, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, the founder of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Secretary of Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) and Deputy Secretary of Igbo Leaders of Thought said the much celebrated Anambra election was a sham. According to him “it is sickening that Nigeria, with boiling flash points in the North-East and South-East prefers to dwell in falsehood built not only on a false unitary structure but now also on a laughable and frightening electoral culture.

    “Let the truth be told, celebrating the Anambra sham elections of 18th November 2017 will obviously kill Nigeria,” he warned.

    Contending that the truth has not been told on what transpired in the election, he said: “Nigerians are horrified at the bizarre celebration of the charade of November 18th in Anambra. The presidency, governors, political leaders and of course the winner of the Saturday 18th November polls all seem willing to condone the macabre dance of shame, for two reasons.

    “One, they are desperate to prove that IPOB did not paralyze the elections through their boycott and secondly the plot was designed to humiliate the former ruling party in the South-East, it’s citadel of support, thereby preparing the ground for the horror that would be 2019 elections.

    “For these two reasons, every effort is being made to applaud a non-election as a great election. Nigeria will pay a heavy price for her love of falsehood over truth…”

    “A very dangerous precedent is being set by government agents, apologists and all sorts of hypocrites and sycophants, who are applauding the Saturday, November 11 Governorship Elections in Anambra.

    “Whereas INEC officially acknowledged that more than 75percent of the 2.2 million voters who collected their PVCs stayed away, observers on ground believe that more than 90percent stayed away.

    “But for the inflated figures and the induced “multiple” voters, the grand total of votes cast would have been less than 100,000, instead of the over 400,000 votes bandied about by master riggers,” he said.

    He also lamented what he described as “the repulsive cash payments made openly at the polling booth,” saying it was “enough to cancel the election and a re-run ordered. The sickening applause by praise singers and other cheer leaders who are actually celebrating the false narrative that the 18th November elections were free and fair, is the beginning of the death of Nigeria.

    He also alleged that the current government, “in its desperation to prove that the elections boycott was ineffective” willingly “let the charade stand as valid,” and warned that if the federal government accepted this in Anambra in November 2017, why would anybody complain about the new norm in 2019? Cash payment at voting centres has come to stay. It was introduced in Anambra on 18th November 2017 and accepted as normal by the government. The government has refused to investigate, prosecute those behind it and even nullify such dubious elections, probably because the party that was awarded victory does not represent a threat to the ruling party.”

    Other informed observers that have spoken out against vote buying development in Anambra include the Independent Service Delivery Group (ISDMG) and the Nigeria Civil Society (NCS).  In separate news conferences they held in Awka during the week they lamented use of money to buy votes.

    Dr. Chima Amadi, Executive Director of ISDMG, quoted field-observers as reporting cases of vote buying and inducement of voters and security agencies.

    “Reports from our observers in the field on the widespread open selling of votes by citizens cast a major slur on the integrity of the votes.

    “The trend of vote-buying which has become a major feature of recent elections, sadly repeated itself in Anambra,” he lamented.

    Mr. Clement Nwankwo, the Convener of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, also regretted cases of buying and selling of votes in his interim report. “Situation Room is also disappointed with political leaders in the state whose conduct, carriage and disposition encouraged blatant buying and selling of votes to their citizens.

    “This emerging impunity of vote-buying appears to be a dangerous trend in our elections and needs to be addressed urgently,” he said.

    Call for action

    Alarmed by the likely long term implication of the development on Nigeria’s polity, other concerned groups and individuals have also called for immediate action to stop possible entrenchment of vote buying culture in the polity. They include Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), amongst others.

    The Chairperson of TMG, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, who addressed a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said it was necessary to take action now to ensure the success of some states’ governorship elections in 2018 and the 2019 general elections.

    She alleged that “agents were seen paying voters between N500, food and clothing materials among others, soliciting for votes in favour of their candidates in the presence of security officials.”

    Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, said “the incident of vote selling assumed a different dimension in this election as some voters demanded for enticements before casting their votes for parties. Some of these cases “occurred at Nnewi Ichi ward, Polling Unit 003, Polling Unit 008 Umudioka Primary School Awkuzu ward 2 and some others. Our observers also captured a video of inducement at Umuenem, Otolo Ward 2, Nnewi North LGA and these were available on YouTube.”

    Also, the Nigerian Bar Association Election Working Group, NBA-EWG, in its preliminary report on the election said, “NBA-EWG observed the inducement of voters at the precincts of the polling units and the brazen manner some political entrepreneurs carried out the exercise.” The group therefore advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “issue an advisory to the Nigerian Police, directing them to arrest anybody that induced voters at the precincts of the polling units without waiting for directives from the Presiding Officers.”

    Commenting on the development, Dr. Desmond Ukandu, a political analyst and public commentator in Awka said, “considering the audacity of the party agents when they doled out cash to voters in the presence of policemen and other security officials, I envisage a terrible situation in 2019 except government wakes up and makes sharing of money on Election Day a serious criminal offence before 2019.”

  • Buying the right fruits

    Someone drew my attention to an interesting and educative scientific write-up on some of the common fruits found in Nigeria. The write-up is so practical and realistic that it will make sense to both the poor and the rich. Is not the usual write-ups on foreign imported fruits which most people have not seen and if by any chance stumble on them in some exclusive shops will be beyond their reach.

    It is not the usual health benefits of Kiwi fruit, Nectarines, Peach, Satsuma, Clementine, Strawberry, Raspberry, blue/black berry, Cherries etcetera but centers on the health benefits of our everyday African pear[Ube or atili], Black velvet tamarind [Icheku], Garden eggs, Pepper fruit, African star apple [Agbalumo or Udala], Almond fruit and Sour sop.

    1. African pear

    Ube or Atili is commonly known as African Pear. It is botanically known as Dascroides Edulis. African pear is a very delicious fruit and it can be eaten raw or roasted or softened when briefly immersed in hot water.

    The Health Benefits of African pear are based on its nutritional value. It contains 48 percent oil, vitamin D, ascorbic acid, calcium, folic acid and magnesium.

    Health benefits are:

    • It contains a lot of antioxidants due the presence of rich vitamin C content.
    • African pear has a lot of calcium, which means that it taking it often can notably reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
    • It presence of folic acid makes it great for pregnant women. Because it helps them avoid infant deformity such as spina bifida.
    • The fleshy back of the fruits can be used to treat skin disease like body rash.
    1. Black velvet tamarind

    Black velvet tamarind is locally known as, ‘Icheku’ in Nigeria. The fruits are very small, about a centimetre in diameter, The fruits have a black velvet shell. It is normally eaten by cracking the shell to reveal an orange pulp that is sucked or chewed. They can be taken as snacks or soaked in water to produce a kind of drink

    The nutritional contents of black velvet tamarind are beta-carotene (Vitamin A), tartaric acid, sodium, potassium, iron, calcium, and vitamin C.

    The health benefits of black velvet tamarind are:

    • Generally, it is a healthy fruit, due to its numerous nutritional content it has manifold functions in the body like regulating cell function or red blood cell production.
    • It equally has antioxidant properties (tartaric acid) that prevent free radicals from harming our body.
    • They also have a lot of dietary fiber that reduce the LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body.
    • It is also used medicinally as a laxative.
    1. Soursop

    Also known as graviola, Soursop is a fruit with green, spiny skin. It has a whitish inside which is eaten. It is extremely delicious and has a considerable amount of sourness. This fruit is packed with coolness and is wonderfully refreshing when taken in dry season.

    The Health Benefits of sour sop are:

    • It is used herbally to reduce, stomach pain and cramps.
    • It can also be used to treat respiratory system problems like cough.
    • It contains many phytochemicals that slow down the growth of cancer cells.
    1. Garden egg

    Garden eggs locally known as Anara to the Igbos and Igba to the Yorubas. This fruit has a spongy, seedy flesh that is crunchy and slightly bitter. It is eaten with a peanut paste (Ose Orji), then it gets very delicious. Garden egg is scientifically called Solanum Melongena,

    The nutritional contents of garden eggs are, dietary fiber, manganese, potassium and magnesium. It is also very rich in vitamin B.

    The health benefits of garden eggs are:

    • It is excellent for people that want to lose weight, because of its poor calorie count.
    • It is very good during hot weather, it can hydrate you immeasurably.
    • Garden eggs are so good for the nervous system and heart.
    • They help in lowering blood sugar level.
    1. Pepper fruit

    Pepperfruit is locally known as Mmimi and Ata Igberi Igbos and Yorubas respectively. It is spicy fruit. The fruits are small in size. When unripe versions they are green in color, but when ripe, they are red with sweet soft, juicy flesh. It can be eaten as a snack or even used as a condiment.

    The Health benefits of pepper fruits are:

    • Because of its spicy pungent aroma, it is used to treat nasal congestion and cold.
    • It is used to prevent glaucoma, because it reduces intra ocular pressure.
    • It is given to pregnant women, because it helps in uterine contraction.
    1. African star apple

    African star apple is known as Agbalumo to the Yorubas and udala to the Igbos, This is a very popular African fruit. It has an orange skin, a deep orange pulp and brown strong seeds. This fruit is delightfully sweet. This fruit is commonly seen around December to March.

    The nutritional value of African star apple are: Dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin C and Iron.

    The Health Benefits of African Star apple are;

    • It is very powerful in the treatment of diarrhea and fever.
    • It is also great for weight loss because it just contains 65 calories and is poor in fat content.
    1. Almond fruit

    To almost every Nigerian, this fruit is simply known as fruit. It is a very common fruit that grows many times a year. It is green when unripe and yellow when ripe.

    The nutritional value of the almond fruit are: protein, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and potassium.

    The health benefits of almond fruits are:

    • They reduce heart attack risk notably.
    • They help alkalize the body because of high amount of calcium and potassium.
    • They provide healthy fats and aid weight loss.
    1. Mango

    “The king of the fruits,” mango fruit is one of the most popular, nutritionally rich fruits with unique flavor, fragrance, taste, and heath promoting qualities, making it numero-uno among new functional foods, often labeled as “super fruits.” The scientific name is Mangifera Indica.

    • Mango fruit is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds.
    • According to new research study, mango fruit has been found to protect from colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Several trial studies suggest that polyphenolic antioxidantcompounds in mango are known to offer protection against breast and colon cancers.
    • Mango fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin-Aand flavonoids like b-carotene, á-carotene,and b-cryptoxanthin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
    • Fresh mango is a good source of potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
    • It is also an excellent source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E.  Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine isrequired for GABA hormone production within the brain.
    • Further, it contains moderate amounts of copper.
    • Additionally mango peel is also rich in phytonutrients, such as the pigment antioxidants like carotenoids and polyphenols.

     

    • With additional report by Collins Nwokolo

  • ULC strike: NNPC cautions against panic buying

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has warned Nigerians against panic buying of petroleum products in compliance to the strike embarked upon by the United Labour Congress (ULC), stressing it has enough stock of products to meet national need.

    This was even as the strike purported to have commenced on Monday failed to make any impact on the masses and businesses as Nigerians went about their activities without any disruption.

    The ULC President, Joe Ajaero, however, said the strike in its first day recorded huge success in the target the centre set for it to achieve.

    The NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in a statement in Abuja, said the corporation had sufficient Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, in stock to serve the nation for 48 days.

    He said: “Similarly, there is in stock, sufficient quantity of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) as well as Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) to serve the country.

    “Motorists are further enjoined to report any challenge they may have in the course of purchasing any of these products to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

    “The DPR is statutorily empowered to deal with such issues and has offices located in all parts of the country.”

    NNPC assured that the government was working to arrive at an amicable resolution of outstanding issues with the industry unions.

    The ULC had threatened the Federal Government that it would go on strike from Monday, if its 11-point demand was not met. It demanded, among others, that the Federal Government stopped stationing soldiers and policemen in its workplaces.

  • SON: Consider safety before buying products

    The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advised the public to always consider safety when buying any product.

    The Director General of SON, Mr. Osita Anthony Aboloma said this at a three-day workshop for engineers and scientists on Non-Destructive Testing.

    Represented by Mr. William Okpeh of the Nigerian Institute of Metrology, the SON boss urged the participants to make the most of the training in ensuring reliability with integrity not thrown out to the dustbin in manufacturing, fabrication and service inspection for products as much as control for manufacturing processes, lower production cost and maintenance of uniformity in quality levels is ensured.

    The lead resource person Prof. Terfa Gundu of the Mechanical Engineering Dept of University of Agriculture, Makurdi, stressed that the importance of Non Destructive Testing cannot be wished away as the training would help participants to have an overview of the concept of Non –Destructive testing, the nature of defect and flaws in materials and products and the importance and application of Non Destructive Testing.

    The development, he said will impact the society positively on safety, efficiency and the economy.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of SKB consult, Mr. Olusegun Onidare, reiterated that SKB consults, evolved the training program to equip SON staff for proficient perfomance in Non Destructive Testing methods, to get Nigeria as a people, out of the woods of a never- do-well state as far as safety and economic efficiency for Nigeria remains sacrosanct.

  • Buying time

    Buying time

    WATCHES come in various sizes and styles and can be worn as a functional accessory or a stylish piece of jewellery.

    They are a form of self-expression and make it easier to display your sense of style. It is also a great way to add interest to an outfit.

    Watches are quite comfortable and simple. They could be worn to any occasion and setting. It adds a finishing touch to a well-polished outfit.

    There are no basic rules to follow when wearing a watch. However, make sure your watch is the proper size.

    You don’t want it too loose or tight, it’s going to look ugly. Also, watch is typically worn on the hand opposite your dominate hand, that is, if you are right-handed wear on the left hand and vice versa.

    Make sure that the face sits right next to the bone on the outside of your wrist. Do not wear your watch on top of your shirt cuff.

  • Shun panic fuel buying, hoarding, NNPC urges

    Shun panic fuel buying, hoarding, NNPC urges

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday urged  members of the public to shun panic buying and stock-piling of petrol as there is enough stock of the product to keep the country wet for two months.

    In a statement endorsed by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, the Corporation put the current stock of premium motor spirit (petrol) in its depots across the country at 1.9 billion litres.

    It also appealed to tanker drivers who had stopped hauling fuel from depots in the coastal states to the Northern part of the country for fear of being caught in unfounded fears of post-election violence, to return to work as the Corporation is working closely with security agencies to provide maximum security for them.

  • 10 things Nigerians are buying

    May is truly a fun-filled month to Nigerian shoppers, fashion lovers, football lovers, students and others looking forward to events, such as the UEFA champions league final, roland garros, school resumption, shopping discount days, Workers Day holiday and Children’s Day.

    The month kicked off in a grand style with the smashing Konga Worker’s Day mega sale which offered customers a whopping 70 per cent discount across categories. And customers’ shopping trends so far offer credible insight on what Nigerians are interested in at the moment.

    So, if you are on the fence regarding what and how to shop this month, this list of ten hottest items Nigerians are buying should serve as reliable pointers.

    Phones and Tablets: Google Nexus Lenovo A369i,  Infinix and Samsung GalaxyS5.  May is emerging as a popular month for Nigerians looking to upgrade their smart phones with these three devices emerging as the most popular ones so far.

    Books and Stationery: Half of a yellow sun, this month has seen an increased interest in Chimamanda Adichie’s international bestselling novel ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ thanks to recent heavy press the release of its accompanying film is garnering, plus the book is a totally great read.

    Computers and Accessories: Dell Inspiron 3521 at N69,500 and HP Pavilion 15-n002sia at N89,250 are currently the most bought laptops this most. The specifications on both laptops are perfect for work or play.

    Fashion: Apparently, it isn’t just the women who love the women accessories hot and stylish, fashionable male can’t seem to get enough of these new arrivals. It seems Konga customers are keeping up with global fashion trends observed from different celebrities in the month of April. Games, Music and Movies: Playstation 4 console; Nigerians definitely love their game consoles, and the latest gaming console from Sony at the best price in Nigeria seems to be very popular among Nigerians.

    To encourage more Nigerians to jump on the trend, Nigeria’s largest online marketplace, Konga.com will be continuing the mega sale to make sure everyone has a chance to grab a bargain.

  • Tips on buying fans

    Fans are simple interior appliances used to create a cooling effect in the summer. In Nigeria, fans are used more during the dry season or when the weather is hot.

    Are you the type who has been worried over the choice of fan? You need not worry again.

    Fans are of three types. There are some meant for the ceiling, and there are the standing ones. The third is the wall fan.

    Brands like O.R.L has various products with different prices. Its Giant 60 costs N4000; Deluxe, N3,500; Max, around N3000; Executive and Zurge go for N3,500; Mega, N4,800; Golden, N3,800. They come in white and brown colours.

    STC also has different products. Its Super goes for N3000; Super Power, N2, 800; and President (N3, 800). SMC has model KL which costs N5, 800; and model KN which stands at N8000. This pair happens to be the oldest. They are from Asia.

    Usher ceiling fan has white and brown colours. The former goes for N6, 800; and the latter, N7000. The Binatone brand has brown, white, cream, and chocolate colours. Each has three or four blades depending on the taste of a potential buyer. The three-blade type costs N3, 500, four blade, N4, 800.

    The standing fan comes in 16 and 18 inches. Standing fans of 16” come in plastic blade, the 18” iron blade. This rule doesn’t apply to certain brands like Fanafrik which produces both inches in iron blades. Fanafrik also has a model for recognition of the inches such as S.O. 6 which is its highest model. It is an 18 inch fan valued at N5, 500. Model S.O.7 16 inch costs N4000. Century produces both inches but makes the former with iron blades put at N4, 800, while the 16 inch made in plastic blade costs N3,300. STC has only 18 inches at N4000. , ditto for Jumyrich but with an additional N500 raise. Astros is also in the same bracket with its price put at N3, 300.

    Like the standing fan, wall fans equally come in 16 and 18 inches, but the latter seems to enjoy more patronage than the former. Century has 16 inches fans which cost N3,600 and N4,500 respectively. Others like TMT, have only the 16 inch valued at TMT N5, 800. Evernal, Occenic, and Super Master have 16 inch each which goes for N3, 500, N3, 000, and N3, 500 respectively.

    For prospective buyers, the aforementioned fans can be obtained from makeshift stalls in areas such as Adebayo Onipanu Bus/stop, Elpina Creek Road, Apapa; Yaya Abatan street, Ijaye Road, Ogba; and Alaba International Market, Ojo;. Other places are: 38, Adedeji Street, Itire, along Ijesha Road; 126/130, Lawanson Road, Itire, Surulere; and 126, Isolo Road, Mushin, among many others.

    Perhaps individual tastes might differ; buyers must take into cognizance certain factors.

    Your ceiling height: Knowing the ceiling height where your new ceiling fan will be installed will determine whether you choose a hugger ceiling fan or the variety with a down rod. National Electric Code (NEC) requires that fan blades should not hang lower than seven feet from the floor. For ceiling heights less than 7’63 , a hugger or a regular ceiling fan with a low ceiling adapter, might be preferable.

    Sloped or angled ceiling: A hugger ceiling fan is not ideal for a slope ceiling. Ceiling fan blades should always be in the horizontal position where gravity finds them, else, the fan motor will incur too much strain and eventually burnt out. A sloped ceiling adapter will enable the ceiling fan to hang from 29 degrees to 52 degrees.

    Determine blade span based on room size: Ceiling fans come in different blade span sizes. Knowing the estimated blade span size will greatly narrow your search when it is time you want the right ceiling fan. Below should give you a good idea of what ceiling fan blade span you will need based on the square footage of your room.

    Square Footage and Room Length x Room Width: 16 – 40 sq. feet = 243 to 323 blade span40 – 75 sq. feet = 343 to 403 blade span; 75 – 100 sq. feet = 403 to 423 blade span; 100 – 140 sq. feet = 423 to 483 blade span, 140 – 200 sq. feet = 483 to 523 blade span.

     

  • Presidency denies buying jet for CAN President

    Presidency denies buying jet for CAN President

    The Presidency yesterday denied the allegation by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that President Goodluck Jonathan bought a private jet for President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, as a reward for his support during the 2011 presidential election.

    CPC’s Spokeman Rotimi Fashakin said that following the spontaneous violent reaction in parts of the North to the outcome of the 2011 presidential election won by Dr. Jonathan, Pastor Oritsejafor, demanded the arrest of Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

    “As a fitting reward for that execrable service and many others, Pastor Oritsejafor was rewarded on 10th November, 2012 with the gift of a Bombardier Private jet at a ceremony in which the President was physically present,” Fashakin claimed.

    But reacting to the allegation yesterday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati said that it was a product of an unimaginative mind.

    According to him, it was a rambling statement that serves no purpose.

    He said: “The statement by Rotimi Fashakin of the CPC is a thoroughly incoherent, stream of consciousness rambling that serves no purpose other than that it fits into a pattern of perpetual heckling and wolf crying by a defeated, unimaginative group that hides under the guise of being an opposition.”

    “More discerning persons know the truth: that the CPC and its ACN conspirators will say anything no matter how unreasonable just so they can be seen to be saying something in the name of politics.”

    “The Jonathan administration remains resolutely committed to the pursuit of the transformation agenda and will not be distracted or discouraged by those who in hustling for relevance have chosen to place their selfish interests before and above the national interest,”Abati said.