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Tag: crisis

  • IYC leader lambasts Asari-Dokubo for meddling in crisis

    The outgoing President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, yesterday took a swipe at the Ijaw activist and erstwhile leader of the council, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, for meddling in the transitional crisis rocking the council.

    Eradiri said Asari-Dokubo, without consulting him, called a meeting of past leaders of the council at Patani in Delta State to deliberate on matters affecting the council.

    The IYC boss said he fell apart with the activist after he disagreed with Asari-Dokubo’s position that the Ijaw should go to war if former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the 2015 election.

    The famous youth body has been thrown into crisis as it prepared to elect a new executive council, with factions constituting two electoral committees for the poll.

    Following the impasse, Asari-Dokubo, called for the dissolution of the two electoral bodies and convened a meeting of past leaders to be chaired by the first IYC leader and former Commissioner in Bayelsa State, Mr. Felix Tuodolor.

    Eradiri, whose tenure expires on Friday, formally moved his belongings out of the secretariat of IYC, yesterday.

    But the IYC boss said though the past leaders had the right to meet, such assembly had no bearing with the IYC and the transition convention scheduled to hold in Burutu, Delta State on Thursday (today).

    He also declared vacant the seats of executive members of the council and parliament members, who allegedly ganged up against him and set up a parallel electoral committee.

    He said henceforth any of them involved in IYC business would be arrested and prosecuted, adding that he was not afraid of whatever secret organisations they belonged to.

    He said: “Some people are planning a meeting in Patani. They have the right to meet as leaders and elders, but it has no bearing with the IYC. The highest decision-making organ of the IYC is the national convention.

    “So, anybody that wants anything should come to the convention. I have a constitution that we have followed to set up the electoral committee. But some brigands, who don’t have certificates and who think that they would not pass through the electoral process decided to gang about against me.

    “IYC is not a cult organisation. It is the umbrella body for the Ijaw people. If you belong to any organisation, keep it there and don’t use it to destroy the IYC”.

    On Asari-Dokubo, he said: “I heard that Asari called for the meeting. Asari has no locus standi to talk to me about IYC. I told him that if he mobilised 10,000 people, I will mobilise 20,000.

    “IYC is not about destroying the lives of young people. It is about building and developing young people. Let him show me how many people he had developed. Where is the university he said he opened? Where is the money?

    “What happened to the contract NDDC gave him to train Niger Delta people? He should go and train them. He is now talking about youths. He holds the beef against me that I stood against his statement that there would be war in Niger Delta if former President Jonathan lost the election. Can he go to war?

    “I told him it was not part of our resolutions in that meeting. He is a former president of IYC and his statement cannot be used to judge Niger Delta people. After 48 hours, I will be a former president with value and levels.

    “I am not afraid of Asari-Dokubo. He knows me very well because I added values to his organisation. Has he degenerated to the level of challenging a president? President protects president not  coming to cause confusion”.

  • Crisis looms in Lagos community

    Residents of Ilamose, Oke-Afa community in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have raised the alarm over plans by a Lagos property developer, Alhaji Hakeem Osuolale, to destroy their landed properties.

    Spokesman of the embattled community, Mr Dele Olokobi, said the property developer had started issuing new threats despite a court order suspending the execution of an earlier judgement (Suit No : ID/ 1752/89) in the community.

    In spite of the court order, Osuolale, he said had been going on air and newspapers threatening the residents that by the end of this month, he would bulldoze properties in Ilamose.

    “Despite our law abiding stance and the fact that many pronouncements have been made by the court, Alhaji Osuolale, attorney to the judgment creditors, has continued to harass, intimidate and force residents out of their houses.”

    He enjoined Osuolale to respect the court order, pointing out that at the February 2 court sitting on the case, the judge  advised parties not to resort to any form of self help.

    “Since the matter is still in court, he has no right to carry out the execution,” he said.

    He called on the police to help forestall any acts of hooliganism, malicious damage to property, public disturbance which may result to threat to life and property in the community.

    But Alhaji Osuolale insisted that an agreement was signed between the community and his company in 2016 at the instance of the Ojoun of Ejigbo and Ijanland, Oba Moroof Adekunle Ojoola as the mediator.

    He advised the property owners to honour the agreement to ratify their properties on or before the expiration of the deadline to avoid demolition.

  • Ijaw elders intervene to resolve crisis in IYC

    •245 delegates to elect new president

    Ijaw elders in the Niger Delta region have decried crisis in the vibrant Ijaw youth group, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide.

    The youth wing presided over by Mr. Udengs Eradiri, has been enmeshed in transition crisis leading contending forces to hold parallel conventions.

    While Eradiri inaugurated a nine-member electoral committee at one of the conventions in Okirika, Rivers State, another electoral committee, consisting of seven persons, was inaugurated at a separate convention in Toru-Ebeni, Bayelsa State.

    The electoral committee inaugurated by Eradiri to midwife a new executive committee of IYC is chaired by Mr. Oscar Isu.

    But Jeremaiah Owoupele heads the seven-member committee inaugurated by aggrieved members at Toru-Ebeni.

    The Chairman of one of the electoral committees, Mr. Oscar Isu, confirmed yesterday that key Ijaw stakeholders were working to resolve differences in the body.

    Isu said his committee was ready to conduct a free and fair election into the 11 positions in the executive committee.

    He said the process of electing the delegates had started, adding that 245 delegates from various clans would elect a new president.

    He said 18 forms had been collected by aspirants, noting that the submission of forms had been shifted to Tuesday.

    He said all aspirants for various positions would be screened in Port Harcourt, from March 2, adding that the elections would hold on March 11 at Burutu, Delta State.

  • Ondo’s House of crisis

    Ondo’s House of crisis

    The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly has escalated, with two Speakers laying claim to its leadership. Efforts to resolve the logjam by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which controls the majority in the House, have hit the rocks. Correspondent DAMISI OJO examines the implications of the crisis for parliamentary unity and decorum as the state eagerly awaits the inauguration of a new government.

    There is no end in sight to the crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly. The two legislators parading themselves as speakers are flexing muscles. Efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to halt the strife and rancor has failed.

    In the past, particularly during the era of former Olusegun Agagu, the House of Assembly along Igbatoro road, Akure, the state capital, was a beehive of activities.

    The legislators from the respective constituencies were pragmatic and vibrant. Chairmen and members of various House Committees took their oversight functions seriously. The former Parliamentary Liaison Officer (PLO), Hon Ola Oguntimehin, was up to the task.

    Lawmakers engaged in robust debates and arguments on the floor of the House, leading to the passage of useful bills and motions that had positive effects on the lives of the people. Everything was in order. The welfare of the lawmakers was paramount to the executive arm. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case now because of the dormant situation at the Assembly.

    The ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) has 21 members while the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has five members. However, unlike in the past, the Eighth House is in deep slumber. Its leadership has been accused of loyalty to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, which observers said was not good for the House.

    The house is not at peace with itself. Majority of the legislators, even in the ruling PDP, are not happy with way things are going. They have complained that their welfare was not well attended to by the executive; no funds, no official cars, no comfortable offices to enhance better performance of the members.

    The five opposition members are powerless. They could not resist the House’s leadership style. They only grumble in silence.  Their aides complain that their principals are suffering. Observers are of the view that the executive arm had successfully weakened the House and put it in a tight corner.

    Lawmakers could not invoke impeachment against the governor. When it was attempted in the past, the plot collapsed like a park of cards. They were stopped by Mimiko, who deployed his arsenal.

    However, less than a month to the inauguration of the administration of Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), 26 lawmakers met and removed the Speaker, Princess Jumoke Akindele.

    Akindele, a PDP member, is from Okitipupa Constituency, South District. Also, the House impeached the Deputy Speaker, Fatai Olotu from Akoko Division, North District and the Majority leader, Dayo Akinsoyinu, who is the most senior legislator in the House.

    The action was reportedly carried out in the evening of that day. It was learnt that after the swearing in of a new Speaker, Malachi Coker, by the Clerk, Bode Adeyelu, the lawmakers quickly adjourned sitting. They had the mace with them. Twenty of the 26 members allegedly signed the impeachment paper and 14 were present during the impeachment.

    The Assembly had been embroiled in crisis since March, last year when Akindele and Olotu were first impeached over alleged gross misconduct and financial impropriety.

    Some lawmakers alleged that the Speaker withdrew N15m from the House of Assembly’s coffers without the approval of the paymaster, Makanjuola Adesina.

    The aggrieved faction elected Coker from Ilaje Constituency One as Speaker. Ayo Arowele from Owo Constituency One was elected as the Deputy Speaker.

    Now, two factions are laying claim to the leadership of the House.

    The spokesman of the House, Siji Akindiose, dismissed the impeachment, describing it as an exercise in futility. According to him, the faction, led by Coker, needed no fewer than 18 to effect any lawful removal of the Speaker and other principal officers.

    He added: “To orchestrate such illegality, they blatantly took recourse to the travesty to the known rules and convention of the House.

    “Expecting it to stand shows clearly that some people are either power drunk or they are incapable of understanding or appreciating the fine ethos of the rules of the House and the rule of law. To even attempt to enforce their ill-advised will on the majority of the House in such a callous manner is a pointer to the kind of leadership style they plan to provide”.

    Akindiose said the fund being paraded by the aggrieved lawmakers as fraud was meant for the project execution, adding that they were properly appropriated for and approved by the leadership of the house.

    The spokesman for Coker faction, Ogundeji Iroju, said the impeachment was legitimate because of the gross misconduct of Princess Akindele. He alleged that N15m was found with the paymaster of the House, Makanju Adesina.

    He said an emergency plenary session was convened after the paymaster was arrested with the money, leading to the impeachment of Akindele and the swearing in of Coker by the Clerk.

    Iroju said there was no going back on the impeachment of Akindele and other principal officers.

    The impeachment was reminiscent of last year’s plot against the principal officers, an action that was reversed 24 hours after the intervention of Mimiko and other PDP leaders.

    The paymaster, Adesina, said he was issued a cheque of N15m by his boss, the Director of Accounts (DA), to cash the money at Stanbic Bank. He said after collecting the money from the bank, the DA instructed him to move the cash to the Assembly’s Complex as usual for further directive on how to disburse it through his office as slated in his official schedule of duty.

    However, Adesina said the moment he left the bank, he noticed a car trailing him while he made a frantic effort to get the House of Assembly to avoid being robbed. But, he said he later discovered that they were lawmakers.

    He said before I could move the cash into his office, about 13 members of the House bombarded his car and ordered him to carry the bag containing the cash from his car.

    Adesina said they took his pictures and treated him like a common criminal for doing his lawful duties.

    The paymaster urged the police, rights activists and other relevant bodies to rise up to condemn the act and assist in bringing restoring his dignity.

    Sources said the governor had intervened into the crisis, but no without success.

    The APC, which was accused of being the brain behind the crisis, debunked the claim through its spokesman, Abayomi Adesanya, saying the development was an attestation of the looting spree by the state government and its agencies.

  • Avoidable energy crisis

    •With adequate planning and more seriousness, there should be no shortage of kerosene and gas  

    An acute shortage of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), otherwise known as cooking gas, that hit the country about a month ago, has further compounded Nigerians’ hardship. This has invariably led to the prices of both products skyrocketing. For instance, the four-litre gallon of kerosene, which sold for N1,200 about three weeks ago, now sells for N1,600;  while a 12.5kg cylinder of gas is now sold for between N4,000 and N5,000, from the previous N3,200.

    We do not understand why the Federal Government allowed this to occur in the first place; to allow it linger is beyond comprehension. Kerosene is the common man’s energy, in which case it should be affordable and available. As for cooking gas, its scarcity should be an abomination in a country trying to discourage the use of dirty fuel and protecting the environment.

    The incessant scarcity of these products is an indication that the government is yet to overcome the challenges bedevilling their supply. Kerosene is scarce because our refineries are not producing at optimal level. Even the importation that the government resorted to has not guaranteed steady supply. Before the present scarcity, both the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and major oil marketers had been importing kerosene.

    However, for some time, the marketers have not been able to get forex and therefore have to patronise the black market with its outrageous exchange rates. Only a few weeks ago, the marketers complained that the Federal Government was owing them about $1billion, mainly bank loans.

    Of course the inability of the marketers to import as they used to will naturally tell on supply. All we need to prove the supply shortfall is the statistics from NNPC’s monthly financial and operations report for last November, which revealed that in September 2016 (the last time it imported the product) it brought in 33,662,899.42 litres while total production from the three refineries was a paltry 42,313,316 litres as against 84,153,826 litres in October. In line with the natural law of demand and supply, prices will jump in a situation where demand exceeds supply.

    The problem with gas appears hydra-headed. One is inadequate infrastructure. Mr. Basil Ogbuanu, President of the Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM), gave a distressing example. He said for about a week, a vessel laden with aviation fuel occupied the jetty waiting to discharge even as other petroleum products cargoes queued up, unsure of when they would be allowed to discharge their products. Meanwhile, there was also an LPG vessel (a product that is sorely needed) that had been at the anchor point for weeks, incurring demurrage.

    It is becoming obvious that we need more than the two terminals that can take LPG in Lagos. The government should build terminals in Port Harcourt and Calabar, for instance.

    Just as with kerosene, forex remains a serious challenge in the gas supply chain. This is because the product is priced locally at international rates. The problem is exacerbated by the weak exchange rate of the naira that has further increased the price of LPG. We also have to factor in the cost of diesel to power the generators when the gas gets to the plants. A litre of diesel now sells for N250. “All these costs eventually lead to increase in retail price of gas. Even if the vessels are allowed to discharge now, the cost of 12.5kg from a reasonable wholesale plant cannot be less than N4,000.’’ Ogbuanu lamented.

    The government must address these challenges as well as the security concerns that led to the abandonment of the NOJ and POP terminals. It should also be ready to “invest in transportation of LPG from those terminals into the country either by rail or by trucks. We have to get all of that done. We have to make sure that we have enough distribution centres across the country,’’ as suggested by the NLNG.

    And, as the National Chairman, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) branch of NUPENG, Mr. Chika Michael Umudu said, the government may have to revitalise the 2007 Obasanjo LP Gas policy that helped to generate some improvements in the sector.

  • How to resolve Niger Delta crisis, by Dickson

    How to resolve Niger Delta crisis, by Dickson

    Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has an answer to the Niger Delta crisis – if the Federal Government should engage in more confidence building.

    In his view, Nigeria would not have been in recession but for the crisis.

    Dickson, who spoke with reporters in Abuja warned the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) against muzzling the opposition Peoples Democratic Party( PDP).

    Among others, the governor spoke on his plans to provide water for more than 200 communities, said it was possible to resolve the crisis with “better tact.”

    He said: “If you are talking of raising several trillions of naira to fund the federal budget, and the state budget which are also predicated on oil revenue, then we must be concerned about what happens from the source of that money. So it is an issue that everybody must be concerned. We in the Niger Delta, my colleagues and I; we are all trying our best.

    “But you see all of these takes some level of partnership and collaboration; so while we governors try our best and while leaders like Edwin Clark and others are trying their best and security agents are doing their best, community leaders are doing their best, we also expect the political leadership at the centre to also appreciate these challenges and then follow up and encourage and build understanding and promote dialogue and peace building.

    “Unfortunately, like Chief Edwin Clark said, not much is happening from the federal side, I am not saying that they are not concerned. They are because they also know the implications. Part of the reasons our country went into recession is because of the crisis in the Niger Delta. And so they are all concerned and I am aware that the Vice President would be visiting the region very soon and we are supporting that endeavour for people to go and see the real situation of the Niger Delta.

    “All in all, we will like to see more commitment and more proactive engagement by the Federal Government and their agencies.

    The issues in the Niger Delta revolve around security and stability and development and the need to expand economic opportunities. These are the challenges that I see. And, for me, we will continue to keep Bayelsa safe and protect strategic assets to enable production take place and I know that colleagues are also doing the same. All we ask is that the federal agencies should be more sensitive, should show greater commitment and be more proactive and engage.”

    Dickson spoke of past effort to ensure peace. He said: “I cannot recount how many times ex- President Obasanjo and his national security team led by Gen. Aliyu Gusau and others. They convened conferences and meetings at different levels. You remember immediately after his election, the first place Obasanjo went to was Warri, Port Harcourt and at every major development, the President would be calling the governors to direct, also the National Security Advisers would be calling. Even though there were challenges, there was a concerted  meeting of minds by the leadership.

    “But I think in the end we are going to work to address most of it because these are long standing challenges and issues;  they are not issues that started with this government; the issues of lack of development, the issues of environment, the issues of economic exclusion, these are long-standing things.

    “But the important thing is confidence-building and keeping hope alive and making concrete efforts and I think more of that should go on.”

    Dickson believes that President Muhammadu Buhari should be respected because difference in parties should not affect governance.

    He said: “I  believe essentially that difference in party should not affect governance and there should be respect for leadership and leadership begets leadership. Nigerian leaders should respect themselves, I mean those in government and those out of government, because in the end, everybody has made contribution to national development which should be acknowledged, which should be respected. And I feel whoever is the President of this country should be respected.

    “Although let me add that the APC didn’t accord the former President that respect when he was in office. APC played politics when they were in opposition with anything and everything. They played politics with Boko Haram, played politics with the economy, and played politics with fuel subsidy. And now they came and reversed fuel subsidy. So, they played politics with anything and everything.

    “I don’t think that to be in opposition I have to be abusing the President or  I have to be attacking his wife.

    “I think that certain things should be off limit but that does not mean that we should not disagree. And that is why I said we should carry on our politics in this country with respect for one another knowing that whether we agree or disagree we are Nigerians and we have our country to work for.”

  • Brad Pitt still troubled over paternity crisis

    Brad Pitt still troubled over paternity crisis

    Hollywood actor Brad Pitt is still having visitation issues with his kids after separation from spouse Angelina Jolie.

    Reports say the actor was recently heartbroken as Jolie ‘cuts him’ out of children’s life against his wish to visit constantly and be active in the lives of the kids.

    The couple’s split in September last year, after 12 years of marriage shocked the world. Jolie, 41, who cited irreconcilable differences, decided to end their marriage because she was “extremely upset” with the way the 53-year-old star was parenting the kids. Thus, she decided to seek joint legal custody, but not joint physical custody.

    While the father-of-six continues weekly supervised visits of 5-hour with his children, he is worried that Jolie could be cutting him out of their children’s lives.

    The estranged couple had agreed to a temporary custody agreement according to which, the Allied actor will be visiting his children in the presence of a therapist, but reports suggest that there has been some conflict regarding the frequency of the visits.

    “As far as Brad is concerned, Angelina is doing everything in her power to keep the kids away from him, and it’s breaking his heart. Brad’s really concerned Angelina is poisoning the boys against him, and they are becoming more and more distant towards him with each passing day,” a source told HollywoodLife.

    Meanwhile, as the couple is still finalizing their divorce, there are rumors that the actress plans to involve the actor’s ex, Jennifer Aniston, in court hearings.

    Since Pitt and Aniston were in a relationship for quite some time, Jolie allegedly wants to ask the actress to testify against Pitt and to expose his history with drugs and alcohol.

    A celebrity divorce attorney, Raoul Felder, who recently weighed in on Pitt and Jolie’s ongoing divorce told Radar Online that Pitt is at the losing end. “Brad was in an impossible situation. No matter what happened, there was nothing positive in it for him. The charges that have been made against him may or may not be based on facts. We still don’t know – and Angelina’s played him like a violin,” he said.

    In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Jolie’s lawyer Laura Wasser says Pitt has seen his younger kids at least once a week since Oct. 8. And per their voluntary custody agreement, a therapist has been present at each visit.

    “The frequency and duration of these visits have been determined by the minor children’s therapist, who were put in place jointly by parties immediately after the Sept. 14 incident.”

    The papers also state that weekly visits of “five hours each” have been scheduled through the end of January.

    “His visits may increase at any time based on the therapists’ evaluation of each child’s feelings and progress,” state the documents.

  • Still on the Southern Kaduna crisis

    SIR: We are watching with breath taking amazement the level of reported destruction of lives and properties going on in the Southern Kaduna which has claimed about 808 lives while about 57 others suffered life-threatening injuries as at the last count in the hands of some suspected heartless Fulani herdsmen. And more surprising was the body language from the Presidency in which the President has not uttered any word of condemnation on the reported mass killing that can be likened to genocide.

    However, it was the Sultan of Sokoto who has reportedly frowned at the wanton destruction of lives and properties in the area. The respected traditional ruler and head of the Muslim community in Nigeria –Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III has even advised President Mohammed Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai to put an end to the crisis in the area.

    Presidential Spokesperson Femi Adesina was quoted as saying that there is no need for the President to speak on the matter since the Governor, El-Rufai is on top of the matter as the Chief Security officer (CSO) of the state. This is a governor that Rev. Father Paul Jatau has accused of being complacent in the handling of the contentious matter. In fact, the Rev. Father went ahead to allege that it was the refusal of the Southern Kaduna residents to turn their lands into grazing reserves of the Fulani herdsmen that is the bedrock of the crisis.

    About 808 human lives reportedly lost in a particular section of a Federating Unit within the Federal Republic of Nigeria and yet the Presidency has not deemed it fit to utter a single word or condemnation whether it means it or not! We are talking of human lives here and not those of livestock or chickens. And even if such lives belong to other animals other than humans, what does it cost the authorities concerned to condemn  such unwarranted destruction in unmistaken terms before going ahead to investigate the matter with a view to getting to the roots of the matter and put a final step to such ugly occurrences? Since the Sultan and the President of the NSCIA has strongly condemned the destruction and went ahead to advise both the President and the governor on what to do, there is no need to further over flog the matter since the concerned authorities have their own living consciences too.

    Fulani herdsmen again? Their issue has become a recurrent decimal in our National Security discourse and it has even become a national phenomenon. It is either they are involved in human lives and properties destruction or destruction of farmers’ crops kidnapping for ransom and sometimes armed robbery.  We thank God that the Sultan of Sokoto- himself a foremost   Fulani man and scion of Othman Dan Fodio has used several forums to condemn and distance himself from the activities of these rampaging Fulani herdsmen. It was revealed that these culprits are foreigners and not Nigerians. And if indeed they are itinerant / migrant Fulani Herdsmen from foreign lands, should the government at whatever levels continue to watch as they systematically disrupt the peace of our nation or any part thereof? This should be a food for thought for those that are concerned.

    The year 2016 might be a wailing year with a lot of gory tales for the people of Southern Kaduna as their loud cries and agonies were not considered loud enough to attract an appropriate response from those that should be concerned, but they should be rest assured that the Heavens have noted their plight and will intervene on their behalf by moving the hearts of those in authority to render the respective justices due to them and their assailants.

     

    • Gbemiga Olakunle, JP,

    gbemigaolakunle@yahoo.co.uk

  • The unending metering crisis

    The unending metering crisis

    Metering customers remains a challenge for distribution companies (Dis Cos). Will this be addressed in 2017? AKINOLA AJIBADE asks.

    When in November 2013 the Federal Government privatised the Power Holding Company (PHCN), the buyers did not envisage problems.

    The problems include gas shortage, low power generation, irregular supply and metering.

    The 11 distribution companies (Dis Cos) are struggling to meet the metering deadline of five years, as contained in their Purchasing Agreements (PAs) with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    The Dis Cos, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), local manufacturers of meters and others have been trading words over metering.

    Penultimate week, NERC absolved itself of blame, saying it has done all it could to make the power firms supply their customers enough meters.

    Its Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr Anthony Akan, said NERC should not be blamed for the problem since it has directed the DisCos to provide their customers meters.

    In a statement, Akan advised DisCos to invest more in metering, by partnering institutions, which can either produce or provide meters.

    Akan said: ‘’NERC, in line with the provisions of the constitution, made the power firms understand the necessity of reducing the burdens of paying estimated bills on consumers, by providing meters as at when due. The Commission has directed DisCos to issue meters to customers, and also threaten to sanction firms, which fail obey its directives on the issue.

    ‘’NERC introduced and implemented a scheme known as Credit Advanced Metering Implementation Initiative (CAPMI) to hasten the process of providing meters to consumers by the DisCos. We, at NERC, believed that CAPMI would assist in providing meters to consumers, who cannot wait for long to get meters from the power firms.”

    According to Akan, many customers got their meters easily through this means, while others went through the hog of waiting for  their service providers.

    Also, NERC’s Head of Consumer Unit Mr Blue Jack said the commission never shirked its responsibilities of ensuring that consumers get meters.

    He attributed the success recorded in metering to NERC’s oversight functions, adding that the agency has been monitoring the firms approved to distribute electricity.

    NERC, he said, visited the distribution firms in Port Harcourt, Benin, Ibadan, Eko and Ikeja, adding that the commission is satisfied with their performance, especially in meters provision.

    Jack said: ‘’To protect the interest of customers, NERC has started compiling the list of subscribers of the outlawed scheme known as Credit Advance Metering Implementation Initiative. We know that many subscribers were unable to get meters before the idea was scrapped by the Federal Government on November 1, 2015, for not being well implemented by the DisCos.”

    But, the Discos cited weak capital as the major reason for not metering their customers. They said illiquidity, caused by banks’ failure  to provide them credits and customers to pay their bills, are affecting their operation.

    The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) Executive Director, Mr Sunday Oduntan, said the liquidity gap of over N900 billion and the N100 billion debt of the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were inhibiting the  sector’s growth.

    He said the government should also be blamed for the low output recorded in the sector.

    Oduntan said: “If the DisCos are unable to meter their customers and, in return, generate revenue through them, Whose fault is that? The answer is simple: It is the fault of the consumers, who refused to pay their bills, and others. I’m telling you, once the firms are able to recover their debts, they would, without doubt, have enough money for their operation. When this happens, the issue of shortage of meters would no longer be there.”

    He said the metering gap would be closed, when power firms get funds to improve their operation.

    Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) Chief Executive Officer Ademola Amoda said the DisCos were doing their best to procure meters for their customers, despite financial constraints.

    He said the liquidity gap was widening, arguing that it is affecting the firms’ capacity  to meet their obligations to customers.

    ‘’If consumers are paying their bills and banks  are providing loans to the DisCos, it would be easier to provide meters to consumers. By so doing, power firms would be able to recoup money on investment. Estimated billing does not pay. The DisCos made more money from metering their customers, because they are able to monitor their consumption and also charge them accordingly,” he added.

    But the Electricity Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (EMMAN) blamed the metering problems on the power firms.

    The umbrella body for manufacturers of meters in the country said the DisCos were not procuring enough meters.

    Its Secretary, Muhideen Ibrahim, said meters were in short supply because the DisCos were not buying the product from local manufacturers.

    He said the firms would meet the metering needs of their customers, if they were buying meters from the indigenous manufacturers.

    Ibrahim said: “There is no way the DisCos can absolve themselves of the blame on shortage of meters. The meters, which the DisCos are importing into the country, cannot meet the needs of their customers, yet they refused to patronise the local producers of the product.’’

    The DisCos, Muhideen said, know that when they buy meters from local manufacturers, they would have enough to supply. This, he added, will end.

    According to him, the Federal Government approved five firms to produce meters, adding that they have the capacity to produce enough meters.

    He said the firms would help close the metering gap by supplying an average of 50,000 meters monthly.

    MEMCOL Nigeria Limited Chairman Mr Kola Balogun said each firm could manufacture 50,000 meters, while some can produce more.

    MEMCOL, he said, could produce 200,000 meters, arguing that the Dis Cos’ allegation that local meter’manufacturers do not have enough stocks is unfounded.

    “Local companies are producing smart meters and pre-paid meters, which in all ramifications, are comparable to those that are  produced abroad. The allegation by the DisCos that local firms are producing sub-standard meters, the DisCos is not plausible. It is just a way of giving a dog a bad name to hang it,’’ he said.

    In a related development, the Technical Adviser to South African Revenue Protection Association (SARPA), Rene Bindeman, urged  the DisCos to find a way of providing their customers meters.

    He said lack of meters was affecting revenues in the market.

    Speaking at a workshop on data management and revenue recovery, organised by Abuja ElectricityDistribution Company (AEDC), Bindeman urged the DisCos to  install and protect their meters, because it is the only way they could boost their revenue.

    Explaining that meters are expensive to procure and install, he called for the manufacturing of meters in the country in order to make it cheaper for the Discos. He said: “If you do not have the money, there is no way you can meter customers because what will happen is that you need to be able to have meters in the field but meters cost a lot of money.’’

  • Kaduna: Understaning the crisis

    The good news is that communities in southern parts of Kaduna State that were recently embroiled in very unfortunate, albeit bloody clashes now enjoy relative peace, safety and security. Deft moves by the Governor, Mallam Nasir el Rufai, community and religious leaders as well as the efforts of security agents have yielded profound results. However, in spite of the best efforts of the governor and millions of peace-loving people of Kaduna to stem the ugly tide of communal clashes in the state, there are glaring pointers to the fact that a few, influential and politically connected persons are bent on reigniting the conflagrations at all costs. Their mission is clear: distract and defocus the El Rufai administration.

    Like most knowledgeable adults in Nigeria are well aware, Kaduna State has its ethno-religious peculiarities. These peculiarities that ordinarily ought to be harnessed as strength have over the years been the state’s albatross of sorts. Interestingly however, the latest round of crises in southern parts of Kaduna State has very little to do with religion or even ethnicity. The crises, as we have since learnt, were ignited by acts of banditry and criminality that were either not nipped in the bud or poorly managed by community and local leaders. Worse still, the downturn in the nation’s economy may well be stretching the tolerance level of the average Nigerian. And this is where crisis profiteers, political jobbers and queer puritans are seeking a window of opportunity to keep Kaduna State in perpetual crisis and possibly make it ungovernable.

    Persons fanning the embers of discord in Kaduna State are cashing in on the aforementioned historical ethno-religious peculiarities in the state and are creating false impression that the recent crises were induced by religious or ethnic differences. It has become compelling and imperative to clarify, once again, that the very unfortunate and extremely condemnable incidents that have occurred were largely as a result of inherited problems that are steeped in the failure of successive past administrations to decisively punish previous grievous acts of impunity and lawlessness. The El Rufai administration has severally explained that since 1980, Kaduna State has had about 12 major ethnic and religious conflicts and each time a crisis occurred, a commission or panel of inquiry to find out what happened and to recommend measures or ways to avoid or stem recurrence, was usually instituted. Curiously however, no sitting government has ever fully implemented the recommendations of any of these panels or commissions. The latest round of crises in some communities is clearly a fall-out of the failure of the previous administrations in the state to decisively tackle security problems when they occurred. It is therefore unfortunate and patently mischievous for a prominent political leader in Kaduna State to suggest in a recent article that “Governor el-Rufai’s personality and brand of politics have not prepared him well to deal with the daunting cumulative legacy in Southern Kaduna State.”  What personality or brand of politics is he speaking of?

    To be clear, Mallam El Rufai understands the sensitive ethno-religious dynamics in Kaduna State and remains resolute about preventing situations like the ones that have unfortunately played out in the southern parts of the state. On assumption of office in May 2015, the governor was quick to put in place a high-level committee under the globally acclaimed Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), to review the reports of previous panels of inquiries with a view to recommending measures that would help stem recurrences. As expected, the Gen. Agwai Committee made critical observations and far-reaching recommendations. One of the observations made by the committee was that recent flare-ups in some communities in southern parts of Kaduna State were traceable to the 2011 post-election violence. The committee in its report said that a number of Fulani herdsmen lost their cattle around southern parts of the state during the crisis and as a result, continue to carry out sporadic raids in these communities in their supposed bid to avenge the loss of their cattle. In fact, it is not a secret that a former Governor of the State, the late Governor Patrick Yakowa, who had this fact, constituted a team that was going round Fulani communities to preach peace and reconciliation. Following Governor Yakowa’s unfortunate death in an air crash, this outreach was stopped. This is exactly what Governor El Rufai inherited and the General Agwai committee established this fact.

    The truth is that the recommendations of all the committees and commissions of inquiries set up from 1980 to date on communal clashes in Kaduna State were never implemented. This failure of previous administrations to implement the far-reaching recommendations is to blame for the latest flare-ups. Following Governor El Rufai’s dogged insistence, several persons involved in the recent incidents have since been apprehended by security agencies and are now being subjected to the full weight of the law.

    However, the greatest challenge to peace in Kaduna State now is the antics of political jobbers and opportunists who have gone as low as spreading hate speeches; telling communities in Kaduna State to “defend themselves”. This, is of course is an unmistakable call on the people of Kaduna State to procure arms and ammunitions and start killing themselves. This is not just very low but extremely dangerous. This call on the citizenry to take the laws into their own hands totally undermines all on-going efforts to achieve lasting peace in Kaduna State.

    In their haste to malign the Kaduna State Governor and create a fertile ground for their malicious intentions, the politically connected persons stoking the embers of war in Kaduna State have shamelessly resorted to falsehood, particularly quoting Mallam El Rufai out of contest with a view to creating the very wrong impression that the governor may well be taking sides in the conflicts. What will it benefit a governor who is working round the clock to fix the economy and speedily redress the inherited decayed infrastructure in Kaduna State, to have his people fight each other or side any group against another at a time of unfortunate and highly condemnable conflict.

    On the contrary, Governor El Rufai and members of his team are tenaciously restoring order, brotherhood and solidarity in communities in the southern parts of the state where conflicts were recorded. For the umpteenth time, let it be clarified that the recent conflagrations in southern parts of Kaduna State were not induced by either religion or ethnicity. In his bid to accelerate the peace and reconciliation processes, Governor El Rufai during one of his several visits to violence impacted communities said: “Anyone that feels he has been grieved because his relations were killed or has lost anything, he should come out and complain and we will compensate him if that is what it will take but no one should resort to killing because of anything. We appeal to you to be patient and allow authorities to bring justice”.

    Persons who do not wish Kaduna State well have now made the twisting of this olive branch waved by the governor their latest occupation. “Oh! El Rufai is paying Fulani herdsmen money to stop killing!” Well, if only they bothered to seek information, we would have rightly informed them that the Kaduna State government is not paying any money to herdsmen or anyone for that matter to embrace peace and that several aggrieved persons have indeed embraced peace without seeking any form of monetary compensation. Virtually all of them have seen the sincerity and transparency of Governor El Rufai and have embraced peace unconditionally. So, the stories that are making the rounds in both the social and mainstream media about El Rufai paying some Fulani herdsmen is just a figment of the imagination of unrelenting political jobbers and crisis profiteers in league with their paid agents outside the state. Our worry really is the destructive antics of political actors and jingoists as well as queer puritans who are bent on seeing Kaduna State go up in flames. Our passionate appeal to them is to allow our people to continue to leave in peace. We are however confident that ultimately, truth, sincerity and good works will triumph over the evil intentions of proponents of discord in our dear state.

     

    • Sani is Political Adviser to the Governor of Kaduna State.