The Nation Newspaper

Tag: December

  • BPP sets December deadline for e-procurement registration

    BPP sets December deadline for e-procurement registration

    The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on Tuesday directed contractors doing business with the Federal Government to register on the e-procurement database by Decem-ber.

    BPE Public Relations Officers (PRO) Mr. Thomas Odemwingie, who said this in Abuja, noted that the e-procurement platform would help fast-track the procurement process and eliminate fraud.

    “We are trying to register, classify and categorise consultants, service providers and contractors who are doing business with or intend to do business with the government. The whole idea is to ensure that all companies with the same level of competence and also with the same resources are clustered in such a way that they can compete with each other,” he explained.

    Odemwingie said the BPP now has a database, and “we encourage you to register on this database and you will get a code so that when you sign in using that code, people will know about your competencies’’.

    He said with the new process, there would be no need for any physical contact with the procuring entity. The process would also eliminate the whole inter-face that predisposes procurement system to corruption.

  • The Devil’s December

    The Devil’s December

    (Adedibu’s Doctrine revisited)

      It is as if the devil himself decided to pay an unscheduled visit to Nigeria this outgoing December. It has been the Bazaar of Beelzebub himself. The god of Mammon has demanded a walk-on part in the ongoing drama of the children of Barabbas. State larceny has never been more egregious and confounding in the entire history of the nation. The fragile foundation of the nation is itself threatened by the outlandish revelations. This is what happens when a criminal elite captures the levers of power and uses them for the sole purpose of stealing the nation blind.

    No word, or artist however powerfully endowed, can quite capture the scale and magnitude of the heist. The Nigerian Exchequer has been taken to the cleaners. Nothing in history can quite match this in its sheer psychotic daring and mindless bravura. The scale of the heist is mindboggling even by African standards of kleptocracy.

    The office of the National Security Adviser has been turned into a mammoth cash-vending machine with the holder of that office himself nothing more than a voucher-issuing  ledger clerk. Not even Franz  Kafka, the fabled master of dark bureaucratic comedy, would have  imagined this outlandish reality. But this is not horror fiction. It has actually been happening in Nigeria. Welcome to the Penal Colony where actual reality has become unrealistic.

    We must tremble at the implications of this mindless scam for the very notions of national security. A state that cannot secure itself against the fiscal depredations of a predatory elite is a very vulnerable state indeed. This is a nation whose ultimate implosion is maximally guaranteed since it is internally hobbled by elite greed and gluttony rather than by external adversity. Unless a nationalist elite class is forcibly created in these climes, Nigeria is sentenced to the fate of permanent penal colonies.

    It is therefore not enough to insist that those who are responsible for this monumental scam be brought to speedy and expeditious justice. After jailing them and confiscating their ill-gotten loot, the current administration must also take a look at the institutional fragility that has made this possible in the first instance. Jonathan and his compliant National Security Adviser are probably not the only culprits. They have merely driven the logic of a nation built on shaky foundations to its ultimate perdition.

    If he is to make any dent on the nation’s multifarious problems, it should now be obvious to President Mohammadu Buhari that corruption per se is not the nation’s problem but the very system that has made such obscene corruption a troubling and inevitable reality of our national existence. The gung-ho courage and incorruptibility he has so far demonstrated will help. But they are not nearly enough when it comes to the intellectual courage and conceptual wherewithal required to dismantle the rent-seeking nature of the post-colonial state in Nigeria and replace it with a new state architecture.

    There is a perfectly satisfying and even uncanny logic about the turn of events and the strange patchwork of alliances that have brought the retired general to the Nigerian presidency at this very time in the life of the nation. No other Nigerian leader of his type and generation is better positioned historically, experientially and psychologically to deal with the Aegean stable without flinching, and without shying away from the testy implications for his own ascendancy and the untidy affiliations that have brought him to the presidency.

    This past week a security gnome from the Jonathan camp has hinted rather darkly that the office of National Security Adviser also handles the overhead costs for retired heads of state and regular largesse to needy friendly countries. If Buhari were to probe deeper, it is going to be a nation-destabilizing Pandora Box indeed with the multitude braying for blood. But like a fatally afflicted patient that has shied away from radical surgery for so long, the moment of truth has finally arrived for Nigeria.

    In the light of the ongoing revelations, perhaps it is time to revisit the Adedibu Doctrine of State Security if only for the light it throws on the absurdities of the Nigerian state, and the way forward. In a fabled confrontation with the then governor of Oyo state, Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, the late primogenitor of amala politics had clairvoyantly warned the naïve fellow that since state security is no more than the containment of elite destabilization and disaffection, Ladoja should turn over a huge chunk of his security vote to him since he was already doing that with aplomb. Ladoja’s refusal led to mayhem and his eventual impeachment.

    The greatest security problem amalgamated Nigeria has faced is elite destabilization. It has led to a civil war, coups, religious upheavals, electoral heists and the current separatist agitations. It is a momentous irony that Sambo Dasuki, a prince of the last empire in Nigeria, continued to dispense from his vending machine long after the presidential election ought to have put him out of business. It speaks to a shambolic state structure.

    Mohammadu Buhari has his work cut out for him. This nation-disabling ailment must be tackled with a combination of drastic proactive measures and radical structural surgery. At the very least and from now on, security votes must be publicly appropriated and sternly audited. Erring culprits must be swiftly brought to justice.

    This morning, we bring you a piece published five years ago which reads like the chronicle of state implosion foretold.

  • Lagos to rehabilitate 471 roads by December

    Lagos to rehabilitate 471 roads by December

    Lagos state Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) has promised to rehabilitate 471 roads by the end of next month.

    About 282 of the roads, LSPWC General Manager Ayo Shodeinde said, had been completed, adding that work has begun on 189 roads which will be completed by next month.

    He said 117 of the roads belong to the Federal Government.

    Some of the roads being rehabilitated had been bad for up to 10 years, he said, adding: “When the governor came in, based on his promises to the people during the campaigns, he said the situation was unacceptable and we have been able to put many roads in shape.

    “We have done 282 roads since June 2015 till date. Anytime from now, we would start work on the 189 listed. We would work every day and night to ensure life is more comfortable for residents in the state.”

    He listed some of the roads rehabilitated as Metal Box Road, Acme Road inward Akilo, Ejigbo-Ikotun road, among others while some potholes were also fixed.

    Shodeinde said Alfa Nla/Capitol road in Agege, Brown Street in Oshodi, Okota road in Isolo, among others were being constructed.

    “We are doing the second asphalting on Ejigbo; the place is quite motorable now. The Ikotun-Ijegun road is 85 per cent completed because of the drainage system,” he said.

    Shodeinde said the exercise has reduced traffic congestion, pointing out that the public works gangs were on the road day and night.

    “The Governor is not sitting down; he wants all the roads in Lagos to be motorable. He wants the hard life that Lagosians are going through to be alleviated. He cannot stand Lagosians going through hardship.

    “People are testifying now that the traffic is moving. You know when the roads are good, it means economic growth, people will be able to move from one part of the state to another, transport their goods without stress, you will notice that even the hoodlums and pickpockets, they operate when there is gridlock, as far as gridlock that is being caused by potholes are concerned, we are on our feet to ensure that we put the road in order to reduce the traffic,” he said.

    He assured that by the end of December, the LSPWC would have rehabilitated more roads across the state.

    He urged the public to call 07098107021; 08023131820 and send also send enquiries@LSPWC-NG.com to draw attention to any bad road.

  • December deadline: Axe dangles on unprofitable refineries

    December deadline: Axe dangles on unprofitable refineries

     The presidential mandate is for the refineries to work optimally by the end of this year. Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who has been tasked to revitalise the refineries, says any unprofitable refinery would be up for grabs next month. JOHN OFIKHENUA examines the issues at stake.

    In another 60 days, the fate of local refineries would be decided. The downstream sub-sector of the petroleum industry is counting down to the December deadline for the refineries to justify why the Federal Government should continue to invest in their Turn Around Maintenance (TAM).

    The government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is sinking fortune into the reactivation of the refineries to boost domestic production of refineries before deciding what to do with fuel subsidy.  The petroleum industry is mainstay of the nation’s economy. But as part of ways to develop other sources of income, the government is considering the development mining, agriculture and other sectors to diversify the economy.

    Minister designate and the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, told the Senate during his screening that any non-performing refinery would be shut down by December. Issues bothering on subsidy and the state of the refineries formed the planks of interaction between Kachikwu and the senate.

    Should the NNPC exhaust all maintenance options on any of the refineries without attaining optimum refining capacity, the corporation will shut it down and offer such sale, he told the senators.

    In his clarification on the durability of the refineries, he said that they have a life- span of 50 to 60 years with regular maintenance. But he told the Senate that the refineries have been denied necessary routine maintenance for 10 year, a negligence he blamed for their collapse.

    Ironically, managers of the refineries hid under the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) programme to secure approval and release of funds from successive administrations without having anything to show for the billions of naira they got for the maintenance of the facilities.

    In the twilight of its tenure, the last administration kicked off the maintenance of the refineries. Not a few Nigerians dismissed the effort, saying the move was to score a political goal. Although the previous management gave the impression that the facilities attained 65 per cent operating capacities, Kachikwu  told President Muhammadu Buhari that the refineries cannot perform above 27 per cent production capacity. The NNPC helmsman said the “refineries are operating today at about 25, 27 per cent capacity”, stressing that “I know that there had been this whole number bandied around to the fact that we are at 65 per cent performance level; that is not true and I have advised His Excellency as such.”

    According to him, the global practice indicates that refineries have 90 per cent performing capacity. At that stage, Kachikwu told senators, the refineries are depicted as profitable. He said the four refineries – at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Warri, Delta State and Kaduna, Kaduna State – operate below 60 per cent of their nameplate capacities.

    His words:  “If any refinery produces below 60 per cent, then it is not production. Because the performing capacities of refineries worldwide are in the 90 per cent and above categories and that is when you begin to make yields.  That is when it can be said to be a profitable refinery.”

    Having adopted a 90-day rehabilitation programme, which elapses in December, the corporation is sweating to turn around the refineries for optimum utilisation. Should the efforts failed by December, the government would be left with the privatisation option.

    Kachikwu said: “Their (refineries) performance levels were between 25 and 28 per cent. When I joined, the first thing I did was to put a clarion call to all the managers of our refineries. I said the success of your job depended on these refineries and how they work. If we can’t run them then we need to make adequate arrangement and sell them out.”

    He said the NNPC has a plan to raise production capacity of the Port Harcourt Refinery from 67 per cent to about 75 per cent by December, adding that the refinery has recorded significant level of progress in terms of performance.

    The NNPC chief has also expressed the hope that the Warri Refinery would come on stream.

    “I’ve given a 90-day programme which is working and I’m glad that over the last few weeks, Port Harcourt, for example, has come out of the albatross and is producing right now about 67 per cent capacity. Our target is to grow Port Harcourt to between 70 and 75 per cent capacity by the end of the year. Warri is beginning to signal that there is a likelihood that they will come on stream.”

    In terms of capacity, the four refineries have a combined capacity of 445,000 barrel per stream day (bpsd). The Federal Government acquired the 60,000 (bpsd) name template in 1983 from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) which established it in 1965. In 1989, it commissioned 150,000 bpsd export refinery, bringing the total installed capacity of the Port Harcourt Refinery to 210,000 bpsd.

    The Warri Refinery, the first government-owned refinery, was commissioned in 1978. It was built to process 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day but was later de-bottlenecked to process 125,000 barrels per day in 1987. The Kaduna refinery which was commissioned in 1980 has 110, 000 barrel per day installed capacity.

    The lack of transparency in the administration of Petroleum Support Fund (PSF), known in the oil sector parlance as oil subsidy has heightened the debate on the fate of the fuel subsidy regime. This, in recent time, has triggered strict monitoring of the consumption of petroleum products in the country.

    Through observation and monitoring, according to Kachikwu, the NNPC has discovered a flaw in the consumption claim. According to him, Nigeria’s daily consumption of petrol is between 25 to 30 million litres as against the 40 million-litre claims by the immediate past administration.

    However, it is obvious that if all the refineries attain optimum performance, their output would still be a far-cry from the daily requirement of the country.  So, Nigeria would still have to rely on importation to make up for the deficit. The total output of the four national refineries is about 19 million litres when they operate at installed capacity.

    In a bid to curtail sharp practices in the management of the subsidy regime and reduce the foreign exchange differential, the corporation assumed the sole importer of refined products. It has adopted the Offshore Petroleum Agreement (OPA) in the interim. Under the new arrangement, the NNPC exchanges crude oil for refined products.  Besides, it recently opened the bids from 101 oil firms that are competing to engage in the offshore processing of crude for Nigeria.

    The government has scheduled the conclusion of the bidding process for next January, if the words of the Managing Director, Pipelines & Products Marketing Company (PPPMC) Limited, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, are anything to go by.

    According to her, it would be a temporary measure for fuel importation for twelve months during which the country would have boosted the domestic refining capacity through rehabilitation of existing facilities and adoption of other measures.

    “When we look at what the refineries are doing currently, we have 210 going to OPAs. The intention is that our refineries would work better and are hoping that the 210 will currently be used in the OPA arrangements. We are hoping that this arrangement comes in place in January,” Mrs. Nnamdi-Ogbue said.

     

    Why Buhari is opposed

    to subsidy removal

     

    To the President, removing fuel subsidy without first putting the palliative in place would amount to putting the cart before the horse.

    “He is opposed to the removal of oil subsidy because of the pains it would inflict on the masses. He has therefore insisted on putting necessary palliatives in place before considering oil subsidy removal,” Kachikwu said of the President, adding that without the palliative measures, “you cannot just remove subsidy.”

    “The NNPC is working to establish the actual volume of PMS the country consumes monthly and the actual amount the country spends on subsidy to determine the direction to go. If you don’t handle it with palliatives, you create problems,” he said.

    The consensus is that the debate on the propriety of retaining or removing fuel subsidy may be needless when domestic refineries meet the nation’s demand. Already, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is applauding the plans for adequate provision of petroleum products locally.

    Sharing the same view with the NLC are IPMAN and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). They all lauded the Buhari-led administration on its management of the oil and gas sector, especially its arrangement on fuel supply.

    PENGASSAN is insisting that the government should exit from fuel importation before removing subsidy. It said oil workers are not opposed to the deregulation of the downstream sector of the industry but that fuel supply must not be import-based.

    Its spokesman Emmanuel Ojugbana said: “The NNPC is trying to ensure that it rehabilitates the four refineries in the country for optimal utilisation that would reduce importation of petroleum products. This was one of the conditions that the labour leaders asked the Federal Government to meet before the sale of refineries or removal of subsidy.”

    Speaking in the same vein, NLC’s General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozon-Esson, also described the plan and implementation of the fuel supply measures as positives steps that could boost income generation and create employment opportunities.

    Commenting on the measures that NNPC has adopted on the supply of petroleum products, he described the measures as laudable as they would attract local operators to invest in domestic refineries. He said the country would become self-sufficient in fuel supply on the long run.

    The general secretary described the current importation regime as a burden on the nation’s economy, noting that it has pushed up the demand for foreign currency, thus putting pressure on the naira.

    According to him, the success of the NNPC on its plans for the refineries, will not only translate to job creation but accelerate economic growth.

    Ozon-Esson said: “These are correct measures. If we get the domestic refineries to work, and we expand the capacity of domestic refining, by building new refineries and using incentives to make private investors to also build refineries.

    “With time, we will become self-sufficient in petroleum products so that we do not need to continue to import. The current importation of petroleum products heavily weighs down the economy. On one hand, it’ll lead to a huge demand for foreign currency, which then acts as pressure on the value of the naira.

    “But apart from that, if we refine domestically, we’ll create jobs. Because when we continue to import, we are exporting jobs-other people are doing the jobs. One, we have the raw materials that we can send abroad for other people to benefit from the process of refining.

    “We can reap those benefits and they will assist our economy to do better- to become more stable and to become more resilient.  So, these are laudable decisions of government on policy. Nigerians should rally round the government for support.”

    Dankingari said IPMAN has no grouse with the removal of subsidy in as much as the local refineries function.

    His words: “The removal of subsidy is a welcome idea but it has to be in phases. In phases in the sense that if you look now all our refineries are not functional.  Even if they are functioning, the capacity at which they are functioning is too low. And we really rely on importation.

    “So, if the Federal Government can try as much as possible within the shortest possible time and see that they put these four refineries in order, I think if it removes subsidy, it will not affect the entire citizens.”

    Going by NNPC’s disposition to work, especially its determination to ensure self-sufficiency in domestic production of petroleum products, the hopes are high Kachikwu, expected to double Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, could attain optimum utilisation of the four nation’s refineries.

    Time will also tell how far the private investors would go with plans to build modular refineries as ways to boosting domestic fuel supply.

    But promoters of fuel subsidy withdrawal should at least for now, perish the idea as President Buhari appears not to be in haste to approve such measure without accomplishing surplus in local production of products.

  • Military: no amount of distractions ‘ll deter us from ending terrorism by December

    The military yesterday said no amount of distractions would deter it from ending terrorism by December.

    The Theatre Commander, Operation “Lafiya Dole”, Maj.-Gen. Yushau Abubakar, gave this assurance while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    Abubakar was reacting to the recent spate of suicide bombings by suspected insurgents in some parts of the country.

    He pointed out that the bombings were aimed at diverting the attention of the military from achieving its target in the anti-terrorism war.

    “I want to assure all that for every second that passes, we get more committed to fighting the insurgents; we cannot be deterred.

    “We are doing as much as we could to ensure that we completely eradicate the insurgents as quickly as possible because we are aware of the timeline within which to complete the task,” he said.

    He said the military had already gotten clues about those involved in the recent suicide bombings in Maiduguri.

    “We searched the houses and certain items that we recovered at the vicinity, gave us some clues,” Abubakar said.

    He said although investigations had commenced on the clues, it would take time before reaching a conclusion.

    “Investigation on those that we suspect are either participating or hiding, fuelling or conniving with those that carried out those acts, is ongoing.

    “They will be exposed in due course,” Abubakar assured Nigerians.

    He appealed to Nigerians to be security conscious to avoid future reccurrence.

    “The citizens need to know that security is their personal responsibility as individuals.

    “They must be able to secure themselves and doing so means they need to be security conscious.

    “Any suspicious movement within the environment should be reported to security agents immediately,” he advised

    Abubakar said the military was working on a strategy that would enable individuals pass vital information to security agents without being noticed.

  • Fed Govt targets 5,000 megawatts by December

    The Federal Government is targeting generation and distribution of 5,000 megawatts of electricity by December.
    The plan was part of the outcome of the 60th National Economic Council (NEC) meeting presided by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday.
    Four state governors including Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Willie Obiano (Anambra), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Mohammed Badero (Jigawa) briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.
    The Jigawa State governor, who said that the council was briefed on developments in the power sector, said that it was informed that there is overall increase in power supply by 29% as at the first 6-weeks of the new Administration, compared to the last weeks of the previous administration.
    According to him, power generation reached 4.662MW by July 29, 2015, as the administration targets 5,000MW by December.
    He said that the Council has urged State Governments to ensure payments of electricity bills by their vendors MDA, stressing that the Council was informed that at the moment there is a 45% default rate.
    The governors, he said, were also urged to assist with provision of security to reduce vandalization of power distribution assets.
    He said that they were also urged to encourage embedded generation for State owned facilities.
    According to him, the TCN management contract has been extended for another one year.

    He said that the Council was also informed that some of the next top priorities for the next two months in the power sector included repair of stranded hydro capacity, reduce load rejection by Discos, stop haemonhage of gas from power plants to industrial off-takers and fix major transmission and transformation constraints.

  • Boko Haram will be defeated before December, Buhari vows

    Boko Haram will be defeated before December, Buhari vows

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday declared that the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) of the Lake Chad Commission will defeat the Boko Haram terrorists by the end of this year.

    He made the remark in Cotonou during the gala lunch held in his honour by the President of Benin Republic, Boni Yayi.

    Buhari, who was on a one-day visit to Cotonou as the special guest of honor at the 55th independence anniversary of Benin Republic, commended Yayi for increasing the number of Benin troops to 800 for the MNJTF.

    He stated, “And I assure you that we will defeat Boko Haram by the end of this year.”

    Noting that he was overwhelmed by the honour of inviting him for the independence anniversary, and by bestowing the national honour of the Republic of Benin on him, he noted that even when he was a military head of state, Nigeria has always learnt to live peacefully with her neighbours.

    He said: “I am impressed by your concern and critical approaches by increasing your contributions to the multinational task force of the Lake Chad Commission. This is a great sacrifice on the part of the Benin Republic….

    “Even in my first coming into office under a different arrangement, we have learnt to live in peace with our neighbours. Within the week I was sworn in, I went to Niger, Chad. I was supposed to go to Cameroon but I was summoned by the G7 leaders to brief them about the security situation in Nigeria concerning Boko Haram which declared allegiance to ISIS which gives it international dimension”.

    Speaking earlier, Yayi had pledged that his country was ready to send about 800 troops as part of its contributions to the fight against terrorism.

    He promised that his country would collaborate with Nigeria in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.

    “Your Excellency, I am by your side. You are not alone. We are ready to send about 800 men,” he stated

    According to him, the Republic of Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria as he described Buhari as a man of integrity who was concerned about the integration of the sub-region.

    He said: “You are a man of integrity. The integration of the sub-region is your concern. Your coming here brings our two countries together. Our customs services should meet about economy. Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria.”

     

  • Reject December salary, NLC tells Kogi workers

    The Kogi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed civil servants in the state to reject their December salaries to protect the jobs of over 6,000 workers slated for sack by the government.

    The NLC gave the directive yesterday in Lokoja, the state capital, in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of its executive committee.

    The communiqué was signed by James Odaodu (Chairman) and John Kolawole (Secretary).

    It noted that the leadership of the NLC was piqued by the arbitrary removal of the names of over 6,000 workers from December pay roll.

    The NLC added that the only way to protect the interest of the affected workers was for the entire workforce to reject this month’s salaries.

    Congress accused the Commissioners for Finance, Budget and Planning and the Accountant-General of ‘hijacking’ the job of the committee constituted by government to implement the report of the recent screening of the state work force.

    It urged the officials to ‘hands-off’ to ensure “thorough implementation” of the report of the exercise.

    While appreciating the government for involving labour in efforts to sanitise the state civil service, the NLC frowned at what it called “selective” implementation of the report of the screening.

    “We condemn the plan by government to implement part of the report.”

  • Invasion 1897 hits cinemas December 5

    Invasion 1897 hits cinemas December 5

    Come Friday, December 5, celebrated Nollywood flick, Invasion 1897, will hit cinemas across the West African sub region. This, according to the producer and director of the flick, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, is in furtherance of its three core objectives; history, entertainment and education.

    Making the revelation at a press parley in his Surulere office, Lagos, Imasuen who lauded the distributors of the movie, Silverbird Distribution, noted that it will be the first time they would be releasing a film simultaneously in two different countries.

    “As far as they are concerned, this is their centenary film. They have assured me that they are giving it full Hollywood ratings in terms of presentation in the cinema and they are releasing simultaneously in Nigeria and Ghana at the same time,” he said.

    Imasuen thanked the Nigerian media for their support, while sharing his experience on the production of the film. “The support of the press has been enormous. People believe that the change Nollywood has been craving for has come. When we premiered at the Abuja International Film Festival, majority of our industry personnel were all there and they saw this work. It is a pointer to the fact that the capacity is there to put up works of this magnitude but sometimes the resources and the environment are not favourable,” he added.

    According to the award-winning director, the December date is timely, owing to the historical perspective of the storyline, saying that the invasion of the Benin Empire by the British army was brought about by what he termed a sacred misunderstanding.

    “It was that misunderstanding that led to the first set of deaths in 1897. More deaths followed and the people were left without their king. So, December is actually a significant period because it was during the Igue Festival that the British came and wanted to see the Oba and the law of the land forbade them from seeing him during that period,” the filmmaker explained.

    Imasuen also stressed on the need for Nollywood practitioners to support one another in their desire to better the Nigerian movie industry. He cited an example of how he had to delay the cinema release of Invasion 1897 to give room for another highly-rated Nollywood production, October 1.

    “I believe that at this stage, we should encourage ourselves. It was deliberate that this film was made to be ready during the Nigerian centenary celebration which also marks the centenary of the death of the principal character, Oba Ovonramwen. Somewhere along the line, we heard the movie, October 1 was coming up and we decided to wait. We want to begin to align with international best practices. We did not withdraw our film because of fear of anything, but I feel that we should give room because we are all fighting for a soul, not two,” Imasuen stated.

    He further revealed that by the end of November, there will be a star-studded release party for the movie in conjunction with City People Magazine, while December 10 will witness a special Igue screening nationwide.

  • East West road to be ready by December, says Onolememen

    East West road to be ready by December, says Onolememen

    Minister of Works Mike Onolememen has said the East-West road will be completed by December.

    He said the road was 85 per cent completed.

    Onolememen, who spoke to reporters at his Benin City home, said 25,000km of roads belonging to the Federal Government were now in good condition.

    He said only 4,000km of the nation’s roads were in fair condition as at 2010, according to a study by the Department of International Development in the United Kingdom (UK).

    The minister said the East-West road was delayed because of funds and militants’ activities in the Niger Delta.

    Onolememen, who debunked insinuations that the Federal Government was playing politics with road development, said many things happened with the East West road that Nigerians were not aware about.

    He said: “The Ministry of Works initially awarded that contract in four sections in 2006. In the wisdom of then President Musa Yar Adua, he transferred that road to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. The funding challenge on that road started in 2006.

    “When that project was awarded, the mobilisation was not paid until 2008. Many Nigerians will not know this. When the mobilisation was paid, you recalled that the level of militancy was high and that drove Julius Berger out of site. They lost some workers.

    “Before the section where the company was doing could be rewarded, it took a long time and it was re-awarded to Sectraco. That is the only section that is outstanding as we speak. Niger Delta is one of the most difficult areas to build a road.”

    “What is more important is that it took Mr. President enough time to raise the kind of money needed to drive construction work on the East West road. Starting from October, the road will pick up and not because of electioneering. We have completed 62 roads. We want to create an unbroken chain of dual carriageways across the country.”