Tag: commissions
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Kentebe commissions Bell Oil’s $4m spool yard
•Urges employment creation
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Denzil Amagbe Kentebe, has urged oil firms to create jobs through the various projects they handle, as Bell Oil and Gas did with its spool yard.
Kentebe made the call when he commissioned the spool yard for Glass Reinforced Epoxy (GRE) pipes of Bell Oil and Gas Limited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He described the spool yard worth over $4million as the first of its kinds in Nigeria and Africa, saying it will help to provide immediate solutions to various oil and gas projects onshore and offshore.
Glass Reinforced Epoxy pipes are valid alternative to carbon steel pipes especially for corrosive, aggressive and normal environments. GRE pipe technology, according to the firm, is based on the continuous filament winding process using high strength fibreglass (e-glass) and amine-cured epoxy resin as basic material. The pipes are reinforced throughout with tough glassfibre strands, creating a lightweight, strong, corrosion-resistant pipe that meets international standards.
According to Kentebe, the facility is capable of creating thousands of employment for Nigerians, ending capital flight in the oil and gas industry. The job creation opportunity and in-country capacity building for the spool yard, he said, was documented and recorded with the training and certification of over 70 Nigerian engineers in the last 24 months. “In the 54 years of oil exploration in Nigeria, if in every 24months we have been training 70 Nigerians, you know how many Nigerian engineers we would have produced today in the oil and gas industry. But this is the beginning, and I am sure with the support of NCDMB and industry operators, Bell Oil and Gas will continue to make us proud,” he said.
Kentebe said restiveness and insecurity issues in the Niger Delta region would have become a thing of the past if each oil and gas company has been training a minimum of 70 Nigerian every 24 months.
This type of facility, according to him, is part of the vision to use Nigerian Content as a platform for industrialisation, creation of more jobs and training opportunities for several Nigerians. “I think we are on the path of eradicating insecurity by measures with such investment made by Bell Oil and Gas.
“This commissioning is a major milestone achievement for Nigerian Content Development because it was achieved on the back of Nigerian Content Act under the leadership of my predecessor and pioneer Executive Secretary of the NCDMB Mr. Ernest Nwapa. I find this initiative and others, which the NCDMB initiated before I came on board as very laudable,” he said.
He assured that the board will continue to implement the framework and support investment in more facilities of this type in Nigeria. “Today, we are celebrating Bell Oil for taking the first practical step to deliver real value to the Nigerian economy. The company has been developing capacity in GRE fabrication and installation for which they have carved a niche for themselves in the last 10 years,” he said.
Bell Oil & Gas Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kayode Thomas, said the journey that led to the commissioning of the GRE spool yard started in 2002 when the company attended Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) for the first time in Houston, Texas, United States (US). “Initially, we thought these were not likely to have much prospects in Nigeria. But upon further digging, we realised that these pipes had huge advantages over carbon steel pipes in that they are corrosion-resistant, light weight (making installation very easy) and require no welding.
“Today, Bell Oil and Gas has now achieved an enviable position in GRE fabrication, installation and maintenance, with a range of completed and ongoing contracts on several floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels and oil & gas facilities in the country,” he said.
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State electoral commissions must be properly constituted
Evidence of Parties
Alhaji Kashim Mohammed Mabo was the only witness called by the claimant. He adopted his two amended statements of witness on oath in which he affirmed the 4th defendant’s membership of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) i.e. the 9th defendant. According to Cw1, the 4th defendant’s membership of the 9thdefendant would not make him to be fair or be seen to be fair in the discharge of his functions as the chairman of the 3rd defendant. He stated further that if the 4th defendant was allowed to conduct the local government elections,the claimant would be highly prejudiced as he said the 4th defendant, as the chairman of the 3rd defendant, was still attending PDP political meetings both in Kabba and Government House, Lokoja. CW1 attested to the fact that the 4th defendant contested the primary election for the Kogi State House of Assembly held on 4/1/2011 on the platform of PDP (9th defendant). He testified to the fact that the 4th defendant flooded his Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area with posters to contest the said primaries which he lost by scoring only ten votes. Notwithstanding these facts, CW1 stated further that the 4th defendant was still re-appointed the chairman of the 3rd defendant as a way of compensating him. He describes the re-appointment of 4th defendant as irregular and unwarranted. He contends that the composition of the 3rd defendant, headed by the 4th defendant, a card-carrying member of the 9th defendant is unconstitutional, null and void.
9. CW1 traced the political antecedent of the 5th defendant (Hon. David Apeh) from 1996 to date. He described him as an experienced, old, astute partisan politician and a card carrying member of the 9th defendant. The 5th defendant’s political exploits, according to CW1 included, chairman, Idah Local Government Council in 1996; chairman Ibaji Local Government Council under the Congress for the National Consensus, (CNC); member ANPP; General Manager, Environmental Protection Board of Kogi State (a reward of his political patronage of Prince Abubakar Audu, the first elected Governor of Kogi State); member PDP, where he was again rewarded with a political position as a member, Federal Hospital Management Board until he was appointed member of the 3rd defendant in 2008. He asserted that the 4th – 8th defendants are members of 9th defendant, who according to him, have interest, inclinations, leanings, preferences and bias for their political associates and therefore, incapable of conducting free and fair elections. CW1 tendered the following documents.
(1) Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) 2013 Local Government Election Time Table – Exhibit P1.
(2) Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission Press Release dated 10th April 2012 – Exhibit P2
(3) Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission Press Briefing dated 18/6/2012 – Exhibit P3
Minutes of meeting at KOGSIEC held on 24/1/2012 – Exhibit P4
Minutes of meeting of KOGSIEC held on 10/4/2012 – Exhibit P5
Document titled; Adjustment of Local Government Council Election Date: A shift from December 8th 2012 – May 4th 2013 – Exhibit P6
Peoples Democratic Party Result of State House of Assembly Primary Election 2010 – Exhibit P7
Independent National Electoral Commission Report on PDP Primary for Kabba/Bunu House of Assembly Election dated 7/01/2011 Exhibit P8
Letter of Resignation of Party Membership by Alhaji Adamu Ahmed Samari – Exhibit P9
Letter of acceptance of Alhaji Adamu Ahmed’s resignation of Party membership of the 9th defendant dated 30/3/2010 – Exhibit P10
Notice of Appeal in Motion KG/KK/17m/2013 dated 25th April 2013 – Exhibit P11
Counter Affidavit of the 1st – 8th Defendants/Respondents dated 20th March 2013 – Exhibit 12.
Solicitors’ Letter from Ocholi James (SAN) & Associates dated 26th April 2013 – Exhibit P13.
Certified True Copy of Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction filed at the Court of Appeal Abuja, No CA/A 197/M/2013c – Exhibit P14.
Notice of Withdrawal of Party membership of Barr. Abraham Ayo Olaniran dated 6/1/2011 Exhibit P15
And PDP Letter of Acceptance of Withdrawal of Membership – Exhibit P16.
10. When cross-examined, Cw1 could not remember the date APC was registered. He, however, insisted that the merger of ACN, CPC and ANPP had materialised and that from the day APC was registered the three parties no longer existed as individual parties. His attention was, however, drawn to paragraph 18 of his 2nd witness statement on oath of 28th October 2013 where he stated that the merger of the three political parties was yet to materialise and that the right and liabilities of the claimants still subsisted. In answer to another question CW1 stated that the original claimants came to court in respect of the 4th May 2013 local government election. He stated further that the parties presented the names of their candidates to KOGSIEC for the election with the hope that the government would be sensitive enough to re-constitute it (KOGSIEC).
11. At the commencement of the defence, Mr. P.A. Akubo, SAN, learned counsel for the 1st – 8thdefendants applied to tender some documents from the Bar, without any objection from Mr.Ocholi, SAN, learned counsel for the claimant and Mr.EmejeAruwa Esq., learned counsel for the 9th defendant. Other documents were also tendered. The documents are: Certified Trued Copy of Judgment of Hon. Justice N.A. Ajanah in suit No HCL/57/2011 – Exhibit D1
From 49 initiating contempt proceedings in Suit No HCL/57/2011 – Exhibit D2
Counter Affidavit in opposition to contempt proceedings dated 25th July 2012 – Exhibit D3
Prerogative Writs for orders of Prohibition, Mandams
AndCertiorari dated 24th October 2012 Motion No HCL/303m/2012 – Exhibit D4
Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission Results of May 4th 2013 Local Government Elections – Exhibit D5
Letter dated 26th March 2013 from Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) submitting list of candidates for local government election -Exhibit D6
Thirteen Separate Letters dated 28th March 2013 from Action Congress of Nigeria addressed to Chairman, Kogi SIEC
submitting in respect of Ibaji, Lokoja, Omala, Ofu, Bassa, Yagba West, Igalamela/Odolu, Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu,
Okene, Yagba East, Olamaboro and Ajaokuta form 002 admitted and marked -Exhibit D7AM
Letter dated 25th March 2013 from ACN submitting names of the party’s chairmanship and councillorship candidates to the Chairman, Kogi SIEC with the attached lists.
-Exhibit D8
Letter dated 25th March 2013 from ACN submitting names of the Party’s chairmanship and councillorship
candidates to the Chairman, Kogi SIEC with the
attached lists – Exhibit D9
Mr.Amoka Suberu the 8th defendant gave evidence for the 1st – 8th defendants. He adopted his witness statement on oath dated 4/2/2014 as his evidence. He denied ever being a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) at Lafia/Obessa ward, Okene Local Government Area. He also denied ever contesting election into the House of Assembly in respect of Okeneconstituency or any constituency for that matter under the platform of any political party. He further denied ever having any election case or cases at any election tribunal or Court of Appeal, Abuja as PDP candidate at all.
12. The 8th defendant was aware that Kogi State Government invested enormous time and resources in order to see that the local government election conducted on4th May, 2013 succeeded. According to him; the 3rd- 8th defendants made adequate preparations to guarantee a free and fair local government election on 4th May, 2013. He stated that the 3rd – 8thdefendants were not interested in who won or which political party would win the election. The interest of the 3rd – 8th defendants,according to him,was to create an enabling environment for equal participation in the process by various political parties and their candidates. The 8th defendant denied the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7thdefendants membership of the 3rddefendant or any political party since becoming chairman and members of the commission.
13. The original claimants, according to the 8th defendant, actively participated in the 4th May 2013 local government election. He stated further that the original claimants conducted their primaries, screened their various candidates and forwarded lists of their chairmanship and councillorship candidates to the 3rd defendant in respect of the 21 local government areas in Kogi State.
14. The 8th defendant asserted that his appointment and that of the 4th 5th, 6th and 7th defendants were tenured and as such, none of them can be disqualified from holding offices as chairman and members of the 3rd defendant having not violated the terms of their engagement. He described the local government election of 4th May 2013 as the direct obedience to the judgment delivered on 20th December 2011 by the Chief Judge of Kogi State in suit No HCL/57/2011 (Exhibit D1) directing the 3rd defendant to fix a date for the local government election. He also referred to Motion No HCL/151M/2012 in which Isaac E. Ekpa Esq initiated contempt proceedings and even applied for bench warrant repeatedly against the 2nd – 4thdefendants in this case for failing to conduct local government election as directed in Exhibit D1. He also referred to Exhibit D4 in which the Action Congress of Nigeria, the original 1st claimant, and its chairman sought to compel the 3rd and 4th defendants to conduct local government election in Kogi State by way of judicial review or through prerogative order of Mandamus.
15. The 8th defendant stated that the present claimant did not sponsor any candidate for the local government election which took place on 4th May 2013. He identified the 4th – 8th defendants as public officers whose appointments were made by the 1st defendant as part of official act in their normal course of duty and that a period of three months had elapsed between the times of the appointment of the 4th – 8th defendants and the time this case was instituted.
16. When cross-examined by Mr.Aruwa, learned counsel for the 9th defendant, the 8th defendant stated that he was appointed a member of KOGSIEC in November 2008 and by 26th February 2014, other defendants and himself ceased from being members of the 3rd defendant. He described the ascription of membership of a political party to him by the claimant as a mix-up as, according to him, it was his cousin, Hon. AmokaIsah, who contested election into Kogi state House of Assembly in 2007 under the platform of ACN. According to him, his case went before election tribunal and the Court of Appeal. He stated further that it was that same Hon. AmokaIsah who was Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Idris, as he later decamped to PDP from ACN. At the 4th may 2013 local government election, which the 8th defendant described as the best election ever held, the 8th defendant stated that he was in-charge of Yagba West, Yagba East and Mopa/Amuro Local Government Areas where ACN and CPC won some councillorship seats.
17. When cross-examined by Mr. James Ocholi, SAN, learned counsel for the claimant, he stated that he was appointed a member of the 3rd defendant commission on 26th November 2008 for a five-year tenure. In answer to a question, he stated that he did not know when the 4th defendant was appointed the chairman of the 3rd defendant as he said he didn’t go through his letter of appointment. He would also not know if the 4th defendant left office in 2011 to contest primaries in his constituency under the platform of the 9th defendant. In answer to another question, he stated that he left office along with the 4th – 7th defendants and handed over to their successors. He added that between 2008 and 2014, there was never a time the 3rd defendant had an acting chairman but he would not know if the 4th defendant maintained an unbroken chain of tenure as chairman of the 3rd defendant. While denying his membership of PDP, he said he could not speak for other members of the commission. The 9th defendant relied on the evidence of the 8th defendant and therefore called no witness.
Written Addresses of Learned Counsel for the Defendants
18. At the end of the oral evidence presented, learned counsel for the parties filed and exchanged written addresses on the order of this court. Mr. P.A. Akubo, SAN, formulates seven issues for determination.
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OPM commissions free ICT-based school
•Offers free meals, textbooks, others
Omega Power Ministries (OPM) upped its novel humanitarian activities last week with the commissioning of a free ICT-based free nursery and primary school in Port-Harcourt.
The school situated at the church’s headquarters on Olusegun Obasanjo airport road, Port-Harcourt boasts of state-of-the-art facilities such as well-equipped scientific laboratories, basket ball court, internet-ready computers and a department of phonetics.
The commissioning also coincided with the graduation of 20 pupils from the school.
General overseer of OPM, Apostle (Dr.) Chibuzor Chinyere, said the school was conceived to offer free, qualitative education to children from the slums.
Chinyere recalled how his parents could not afford his educational needs owing to abject poverty, pointing out there are many of such children on the streets as against classrooms today.
He stated that the modern facilities in the school are to expose pupils from poor background to contemporary knowledge so that they will not keep lagging behind.
Aside the free tuition in the school, he announced that pupils will also be offered daily lunch packs to enhance learning.
He assured that only pupils from poor homes drawn from across religious and ethnic groups will attend the school.
The cleric also promised that free text books, school bags and other writing materials will be provided to the pupils entirely free of charge.
He appealed to other churches and religious organisations to consider the plight of the less-privileged in their activities.
Parents at the graduation praised the church for the gesture.
Mrs. Chinasa Alozie said she could not imagine her child would ever learn in such a conducive environment.
Madam Favour Chukwudi thanked Chinyere and the church for taking her child through such a wonderful learning experience.
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How truly independent are states’ independent Electoral Commissions?
Going by newspaper reports on the local council election held in Kogi State on Saturday, 4th May, 2013, as published in Sunday Tribune and The Nation on Sunday under the titles: “3 Killed During Kogi Council Poll” and “Kogi LG Poll: Ex-Governor Audu’s brother, 3 Others Killed” respectively, well-meaning and patriotic citizens and stakeholders in Kogi State would begin to wonder on the adequacy of the preparations, laid-down processes and the readiness of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) in the manner of handling of the election which according to reports led to the killing of three people and burning of houses in the East Senatorial District , hospitalisation of five people at the Mopa General Hospital in West Senatorial District, total boycott of the election by the opposition parties and apathy of the electorate towards the council poll across the three Senatorial Districts in the state.
There is no gainsaying that election in Nigeria is often being approached as a do-or-die affair and the recent council poll in Kogi State is by no means not an exception going by developments during the election. It is also a known fact that untoward acts and rigging tactics such as stage-managed party primaries, imposition of party candidates, voters intimidation by overzealous law enforcement agents designed to cause fear and ultimate disenfranchisement of the electorate, undue delay in availability of voting materials is no longer a new thing during election in our country.
In fairness to some states’ electoral commissions such as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the commission’s effective handling of its duties is commendable going by the large population of the electorate in the state and the existence of strong opposition parties in the state. Though apathy has continued to rear its ugly head in some instances, the manner of handling of the election process beginning with voters registration, accreditation of the voters on day of voting and the eventual release of results by the electoral commission is not only commendable but worthy of emulation by other states’ electoral commissions in the country.
In a situation where a council election organised by a state electoral body is characterised by violence, killing and maiming of people and boycott by the opposition, such election should not only be cancelled but be re-conducted by INEC, the national body that is charged with the conduct of the presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives elections in Nigeria.
The fact remains that more of the states’ independent electoral commissions in Nigeria remain loyal and solely committed to the whims and caprices of the political party to which the governor in the state belongs and not to the electorate as the case should be and so long as this situation is being allowed, out of ignorance and the high illiteracy level in the society, to be accepted as a norm in our politics, the possibility of peaceful and credible council poll will continue to elude the political terrain in our country.
The need for credible and acceptable poll at the local government level in any part of the country cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand, considering the fact that the closest government to the people at the grassroots is that of the local government. The advice of the ex- Ebonyi Deputy Governor, Chigozie Ogbu, given during a national workshop on budget implementation and price monitoring in Enugu as reported in the P.M News of Thursday, 17 November, 2005 on the need for and efficient an service-oriented local government system as opposed to “most public officers, especially politicians, who see their positions not only as an opportunity to serve the public but as a God-given opportunity for personal aggrandisement” should be the watchword of all the local councils in Nigeria and this is only achievable when true representatives of the people are allowed unfettered access to governance at our local government level nationwide.
Without mincing words, there is need for level-playing field to be the watchword of all electoral bodies whether at federal or state level in our country as this is the only way by which unnecessary animosity and bad blood can be eschewed before, during and after election in our country.
Odunayo joseph
Publicity Secretary
South West Zone of Okun Dev. Association
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Agents bicker over commissions, fees
A CRISIS is brewing between underwriters and insurance intermediaries over commissions and fees.
The Nation gathered that they are quarelling over what should be their ‘’appropriate” commissions and fees.
Investigation revealed that the intermediaries – brokers, loss adjusters, agents and risk surveyors – are not happy with their remuneration. It was also gathered that most of the intermediaries’ entitlements are not paid by underwriters.
It was learnt that the brokers early this year took their complaints on group life commissions to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), demanding an increase.
NAICOM asked them to agree on a fixed rate and get back to it.
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) and Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) were mandated to use a single letter-head to inform NAICOM on the agreed rate.
It was learnt that the parties’ efforts were unproductive as NIA shunned the meetings. The development compelled NAICOM to peg the commission at eight per cent and mandated the operators to comply.But this is not go down well with brokers.
President, Risk Surveyors Association of Nigeria (RISAN), Jacob Adeosun, called for a resolution, adding that the inappropriate remuneration of surveyors would lead to exit of experienced practitioners from the industry.
He noted that survey fees are not paid promptly by underwriters, stressing that the arrears of unpaid fees was capable of affecting the efficiency of surveyors’ service delivery.
Chairman,Technical Committee of the NCRIB on Market Development and Restructuring Initiatives (MDRI), Siyan Oyebadejo, said poor remuneration of agents by underwriters is threatening the MDRI, a project which is meant to drive insurance penetration.
He noted that unless something drastic was done, the initiative would fail to meet the industry’s expectations, adding that the committee had recommended to NAICOM, the need to increase the remuneration paid to agents who are the drivers of the initiative.
He said it was worrisome that graduates engaged as agents were paid pittance, an amount, which could not move them around the market and win businesses, noting that the initiative would only succeed if the agents were well motivated.