The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Experts

  • How to grow cities, by experts

    TO promote development, all tiers of government must ensure “full” implementation of planning regulations, professionals in the construction sector have said.

    Speaking at a workshop on “Land administration and management in the emerging Lagos Megacity,” former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Francisco Bolaji Abosede and two university teachers Prof Modupe Omirin and Prof Bioye Tajudeen Aluko said that was the only way to meaningful development of cities.

    The workshop was organised by the Faculty of Land Administration and Land Information System of the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIEVS), Lagos State branch.

    Abosede, who spoke on “Land use development and control in Lagos megacity,” said indiscriminate physical development and the government’s land acquisition without following appropriate legal channels through which people could buy land and develop in compliance led to the springing up of illegal structures and encroachment of open spaces in Lagos.

    He said competition for land got hotter as urbanisation and development raised the demand for land. This, he said, made new and more promising uses for land to replace original and older ones. Land went to the highest bidders as their demand for different uses lead to changes in their capacities, he added.

    Zoning, he explained, is the reservation of certain specific areas within a community for specific use with buildings and structures for certain reasons, limited in height, plot coverage and other stipulated requirements. He said it is a preconceived instrument for arranging the use and allocation of land for competing uses to attain optimal and efficient use for the community.

    He cited the rezoning of public facilities to residential plots as being done in Ilupeju Estate, an estate planned in the 60s by Ikeja Area Planning Authority as a self-sufficient industrial/residential estate.

    But over the years, Abosede said the central commercial area at Coker Road was re-zoned into residential plots by the government. “Now, almost 50 years later, there is a need for commercial zone in the estate and residential houses are being reconverted to offices, shops and even schools,” he said.

    Another example, according to Abosede, is Ikoyi Park, which for decades served the recreational needs of residents of Lagos Island and Ikoyi. But suddenly, the state government subdivided it into high-income residential plots and it became Park View Estate.

    Speaking on “Contemporary urban economic challenges in the emerging Lagos megacity”, Prof Omirin of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) said though Lagos contributes 30 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it lacks infrastructure provision against other mega cities in the world.

    She said like most mega cities, Lagos is experiencing serious infrastructure and amenity deficits, such as poor roads, inadequate access to electricity, potable water and sanitation.

    Vast settlements, she said, lack amenities, such as schools, hospitals, fire stations and police stations.

    Omirin said the magnitude of the problems in mega cities is partly because planners and urban managers respond in tandem to the needs for planning and development control. The don regretted that often responsible agencies lack the necessary tools, manpower and finance to keep up the necessary services. Even where master plans and development schemes are made, the logistics of monitoring what actually happens on ground renders them redundant, she lamented.

    Prof Aluko of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, who spoke on “Legal framework for land market regulation in an emerging megacity”, said the methods and instruments of legislative intervention in the real estate market depend on the ideology, which is more of a capitalist economy. He called for the repeal of the Land Use Act, 1978 that superficially touches land tenure problem.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Pilots can make air returns, say experts

    Should pilots make air returns mid-flight? Yes, thay can, say experts to save passengers.

    Accrding to them, returning a plane to the airport, from where it took off, if there is any problem mid-air, is better than subjecting the passengers to the danger of a crash.

    The respondents are Dr Harold Demuren, the Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA); Captain Dele Ore,President, Aviation Roundtable; Mr Chris Aligbe, an aviation consultant and Mr David Babatunde, General Manager, Medview Airlines.

    They said passengers should not be disturbed over the matter, because a pilot takes charge of what happens during a flight.

    The experts spoke against the background of a recent air return by the pilot of Medview Airlines Boeing 737-400 on its Lagos-Abuja-Yola flight 15 minutes after it took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Demuren said air return is a standard industry practice that pilots embark upon, at any point in a flight, they realise that during either due to weather, mechanical for safety reasons. Such return may be informed by weather or mechanical reasons, he said.

    Pilots, he said, should be praised for such an action, because failure to take act could have adverse effects on the aircraft.

    The NCAA boss said it was wrong for people to suggest that the rising incidence of air returns by some airlines, is evidence of lack of safety.

    Aligbe said: “Air return is a normal development in the aviation sector. Travellers should not be afraid; it should not create unnecessary panic in the sector. It should not be viewed as a sign of lowering standards of air safety.

    “In the last instance, when Medview Airlines had an air return, the industry reacted appropriately. The reaction from the Federal Ministry of Aviation was spontaneous. Even the airline involved – Medview Airlines – also responded to the issue. Rather, I think the pilot should be commended for his professionalism. It was caused by power surge in one of the engines, which resulted in a bang. The pilot shut down the affected engine and initiated an air return. That is enough evidence of a knowledgeable and professional pilot.

    Ore said: “First, we commend the professionalism and airmanship exhibited by the crew of aircraft. The capable handling of the situation makes the crew members to be an asset to the industry. When an engine aircraft has lost the only engine, then there could be cause for concern, but if one engine fails on a twin-engine aircraft, there should be no alarm if the crew members have been well- trained. An air return could be as a result of any one or combination of the following as highlighted in Part 5:5:1:4 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2006 entitled: “Reporting of failures, malfunctions and defects which may occur after the aircraft must have been airborne.”

    Ore listed some of the conditions that could lead to air return to include fires during flight and whether the related fire-warning system properly operated; fires during flight not protected by a related fire-warning system; false fire warning during flight and an engine exhaust system that causes damage during flight to the engine, structure, equipment, or components.”

    The General Manager, Medview Airlines, Mr David Babatunde, said: “The professional decision, which is in consonance with global practice, is a demonstration of our commitment to safety of flights and passengers. We give kudos to the passengers on board the flight, who remained undaunted and waited for the airline to provide an alternative aircraft to fly them to their various destinations – Abuja and Yola.”

    The Chief Pilot of Aero Airlines, Captain Russell Leefoon, described air return as a challenge that calls to test the competence of the pilot in command of the flight.

    Leefoon said: “My word of assurance is that air return does not really matter. Passengers should not panic. It does not mean that the aircraft is bad. It is for the competency of the pilot. Is not that the engine has failed.?The engine has not failed, but we return for maintenance, to make sure that everything is put in place. Air return is not necessarily something that should cause panic, but something that should be corrected and get thing right.”

  • Experts seek help for courier business

    Dearth of loanable funds, perception and the problems in the capital market have been identified as the major challenges affecting the courier industry.

    Stakeholders in the business said if these factors were addressed, the industry would not only create more job opportunities to absorb the growing army of the unemployed, it would also grow the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    During separate interviews with The Nation, the Secretary, Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (Anco), Siyanbola Oladapo, and the Head, Operations and Logistics, Bestlink Express Limited, Luke Nwalor, lamented that the activities of illegal operators were also taking a toll on their business.

    “The greatest asset the (big operators) have is access to capital which we do not have. A typical bank in Nigeria is ready to give FedEx N1 billion (as loan), but they cannot give that kind of money to any indigenous operator,”Oladapo said.

    He said another challenge is perception. He claimed that some people prefer foreign operators. He said though foreign operators charge exhorbitant fees for the same service, some Nigerians still patronise them, adding that it was high time the perception was changed.

    Nwalor said the capital market crunch has added to the woes of the indigenous opertors, because frims no longer go to the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) to raise funds as they did in the past. This development, he said, had taken toll on the profit margin of the operators.

    “The capital market crunch has affected the industry adversely. In the past, so many companies gave us their annual report, dividend warrant, public offers but since the crisis began in the last three or four years, no company has gone to the capital market to raise funds. That means we have lost a substantial amount of revenue. So many companies have also not hold their annual general meeting (AGM) in the last three years. This also translates to loss of revenue to the courier sector. The companies are not oing well, that is why they cannot hold their AGMs while we too that would have carried their annual reports are losing too,” Nwalor lamented.

    He said because of the harsh economic climate, some people too started cutting corners by giving out businesses that ought to have gone to courier firms to bus conductors.

     

     

     

     

     

  • How to achieve ‘balanced’ education, by experts

    How to achieve ‘balanced’ education, by experts

    What system of education is best for the country? Secular or religious? At an Academic Counselling Seminar at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), experts write off the present system. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.

     

    TO many, something is wrong with the education system. When they talk like this, they do so with anger because, according to them, “ the system we are operating is defective and breeds corruption”.

    This was the thrust of discussion at the 9th annual academic seminar of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter.

    But how can the nation get out of the rot? The seminar provided some workable solutions to what it termed “unbalanced secular education.”

    UNILAG’s main auditorium where the event was held, was filled to capacity. In attendance were Muslim students from within and outside the campus.

    In line with Islamic tenets, male and female participants sat separately.

    Among the guests were the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, who was father of the day. He was represented by a group of imams from the Lagos State Central Mosque. Others included the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, represented by Mr F.A. Raji, and UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rahman Bello, represented by the Registrar, Mr Olurotimi Shodimu.

    Speaking on the theme Balanced education: An agenda for Nigeria, the guest lecturer, Prof Dawud Noibi, Executive Secretary, Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), said the lecture was about how spirituality and morality could sustain a nation and how balanced system of education could be used to achieve a progressive nation.

    Noibi said breaking the barrier between religious values and modernity would channel the energy of the youth away from destructive tendencies and promote national development.

    Man, he said, was not created to worship God alone, but also to seek knowledge. He said God was the source of knowledge, quoting from Qur’an 2: 31. He said any learning not in consonant with the divine guideline was bound to be defective and unbalanced.

    Noibi said: “It is the proper development of the soul alongside that of the mind and the body that is a balanced education in the true sense of the term. Any education that lacks the development of any of them is unbalanced and therefore inadequate.

    “Sadly, modern Western education falls in that category; while excelling in the development of the material components of human existence, it ignores the need for development of the soul. This form of education is defective as it ignores the true source of real knowledge.”

    Such a flawed system, he argued, could only breed corruption, favouristism, clientelism, nepotism and bribery. Quoting the former Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Peter Okebukola, Noibi defined corruption in the education system as “the systematic use of public office for private benefit, whose impact is significant on the availability and quality of educational goods and services, and, as a consequence on access, quality or equity in the education.”

    Corruption, he noted, manifests from school management to students, who are involved in falsification of results for easy admission, forging of transcript, plagiarism, cheating in examination, alcoholism, prostitution, computer crime and indecent dressing, among others.

    Noibi said the solution does not lie in civic studies and moral education nor faith because the method is not sustainable due to lack of incentive and sanction of ultimate recompense.

    The scholar said Nigeria must make religious education core subject in all level of education. He said inculcating in young learners sound orientation in God-consciousness (Taqwa) would steer them away from crime.

    “There must be good intention for going to school and students or learners must be committed to the intention. There must be multiple rewards for good leadership, while learners must also eschew greed,” Noibi said, quoting Qur’an, “whoever is saved from his own greed, such are the successful.”

    In a lecture entitled You and socialisation, Dr S. O. Sadiku said lack of balanced education was taking Nigeria backwards because people have a way of turning good intentions to bad.

    He said there was nothing wrong with the social media, but “what people deploy the invention to do is the outcome we are witnessing in our national life today.” Sadku cited the celebrated murder of Cynthia Osokogu as an example, noting that social media remained the home of uncensored videos and files, which, he said, are not good for the youth.

    Parents know, he said, must know what their children are doing on social media, noting that just as there are killers on the internet, there are also perverts, whose views may change users’ worldview to something bad.

    The Director of Vanguards Academy, Ogun State, Dr Zarafan Adeniyi, urged students to reflect on the theme of the lecture, saying “a man that gets education through an unbalanced education system will be corrupt because he has not acquired such knowledge through the guideline set by God.”

    Other guests at the event included Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof Muritador Bidmus, LASU Registrar, Mr Abdul-Lateef Animashaun and Amir, Lagos State chapter of MSSN, Alhaji Qossim Badrudeen among others.

  • Experts canvass mass screening, treatment for Hepatitis B

    Nofewer than 20 million Nigerians are infected with Hepatitis B, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

    This was made known by the Society of Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists in Nigeria (SOGHIN) in Lagos.

    The group said the figure is high because people are unaware of its mode of transmission, prevention and treatment.

    The body of experts is calling for collaboration to raise awareness and treatment/vaccination on the disease, which they said is more infectious and common than the human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

    The doctors who specialised in hepatitis treatment defined it as an inflammation of the liver caused by an immune response to the presence of Hepatitis virus in the liver cells. More than 350 million people globally are infected with chronic Hepatitis B and C, which are the most common causes of liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. That is, one in 12 people worldwide is living with either HBV or HCV.

    A member, Dr.Hameed Oladipupo, said Hepatitis virus is transmitted through contact with body fluids e.g. unprotected sex with an infected person and sharing of infected needles or other sharp objects that can break the skin. In addition, babies born to an infected mother have a 90 to 95 percent chance of contracting Hepatitis B virus (HBV) during childbirth. Fortunately, babies born in Nigeria receive Hepatitis vaccines that protect them from developing full-blown Hepatitis as adults.

    Dr Oladipupo said, yet, the biggest obstacle confronting Hepatitis treatment in Nigeria is not the virulence of the disease virus or even the spread of the disease but a lack of awareness among Nigerians, of the importance of discovering their Hepatitis status. There is also the issue of not knowing what to do, where to go to and who to see when it comes to hepatitis. These anomalies are worrisome even though they are the least government could do in ensuring effective Hepatitis B control.

    “When patients come to the hospital with yellow eyes, most of the time; that is advanced stage where the situation cannot be salvaged. The best way to know if one has the hepatitis virus is to go for screening and if confirmed obtain treatment.”

    The experts said hepatitis B is a common disease in Nigeria that affects at least 19 million or one in five Nigerians. They called on Nigerians to take steps to prevent contracting the disease, as there are vaccines to prevent its occurrence, instead of coming late to the hospital with advanced stages of hepatitis.

    The Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists said only by increasing awareness of different forms of hepatitis and how the same can be prevented and treated, would not only check the spread of the disease but thousands of lives would also be saved.

    They said types B and C are of significant concern in Nigeria since a high proportion of people infected with these viruses may not experience symptoms at the early stage of the disease, and only become aware of their infection when they are chronically ill.

    According to another member, Dr Charles Onyekwere, consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), even though one out of every five Nigerians has Hepatitis B virus (HBV), which attacks the liver, local and foreign agencies pay more attention to HIV, which affects one out of every 400 Nigerians. “At one time HIV and AIDS had a prevalence rate of six per cent but local and foreign intervention brought it down to 3.8 per cent today. The Nigerian government should be critical about the state of Hepatitis B management and the need to declare the disease a national emergency just like HIV was declared in 2001 by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration,” said Dr. Onyekwere.

    Another member, consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Remi Oluyemi said, “Hepatitis is an entirely preventable disease if detected early.  Just as people want to discover their HIV status, they should also try to know their Hepatitis status. The screening costs about N1, 000 and is available at most hospitals.”

    “Without this first-line screening, doctors cannot move to the next stage of treatment which is determining the quantity of the virus in the blood and prescribing drugs before patients develop full-blown liver cancer or liver cirrhosis. If people don’t get screened, when they come for treatment after symptoms have developed, their liver already has cancer. It’s like medicine after death,” Dr. Oluyemi said.

    Another member, Dr Olufunmilayo Lesi, Consultant, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said, Nigeria needs not wait for 28, July of each year before raising awareness on hepatitis. For, HBV is highly contagious – between 50 and 100 times more infectious than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) – and can survive outside the body for at least seven days. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not infected. “The virus incubation period is 90 days on average, but can vary from about 30 days to 180 days. HBV may be detected in the body 30 to 60 days after infection and persists for widely variable periods of time.

    “Chronic carriers constitute an enormous reservoir of the virus and are a source of infection for others. Have high morbidity and mortality from chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We see 20 cases of liver failure in Clinics who are mostly patients with Hepatitis B, who did not show up for test or check up until it is too late. The number to call for screening, vaccine and treatment is 08058206916.”

  • Experts enjoin Fed Govt to be committed to transformation

    Federal Government has been enjoined to show commitment to the transformation of the country, rather than aiming to rank among the top 20 richest and leading nations in the world.

    The Director, Monitoring and Research Division, United Nations-Habitat, Prof. Banji Oyeyinka-Oyelaran, gave the advice yesterday in a lecture entitled: “The praxis and perils of the oil economy: A proposal for equitable development in Nigeria”, at the monthly lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan.

    Oyeyinka-Oyelaran lamented that “every political arrangement and all manners of electoral system have been shaped around oil discovery. If you don’t detach the emphasis on oil, it will determine everything we do, including our pace of development.”

    He went on: “Except in countries where oil is sufficiently available and the left over is sufficient to keep the citizens silent, there will always be crisis and developmental challenges.

    “In Nigeria, there is a diagnosis of helplessness and prognosis of optimism. We have to find a new trajectory for development. Government should provide the right environment for advancement.”

    Prof. Oyeyinka-Oyelaran said the political elite are partly responsible for the myriads of problems confronting the nation.

    Said he: “We have a huge level of unemployment and inequality. In Germany, youth employment is around four per cent because of the structure, which ensures training system for the youth. Even now that there is economic recession, you can work and go to school in Germany.”

    He said the political elite in the country enjoyed privileges and access to decision-making at the expense of the masses.

    Added he: “The bureaucracy, political elite and private vested interest are factors affecting the nation.

    “In Nigeria, when people get to power, they take the money and emoluments attached to the offices as their own. It is not new to Nigerians that people regard state allocation as their money and believe that it should be plundered.”

    The lecturer, who said there was hope on the horizon, referred to the experience in China where 100 million people were bailed out of poverty through industrialisation and exportation.

    The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, who was the chairman of the occasion, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, said the recommendation made by the lecturer should be considered, “if Nigeria will not relapse into a failed state.”

    The Director-General, NISER, Prof. Olufemi Taiwo, recalled that the nation’s oil boom emerged in the early ‘70s.

  • Oritsejafor: involve experts in crash’s investigation

    Oritsejafor: involve experts in crash’s investigation

    The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday expressed worry over the frequent crash of aircrafts and helicopters in Nigeria.

    Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoye Azazi, Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa and four others died in the crash of a Navy helicopter on Saturday at Okoroba Village in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

    Oritsajafor advised the Federal Government to involve aircraft investigation specialists in order to ensure that such panels come up with recommendations that would forestall future occurrences and avert rumour being peddled.

    In a statement issued in Abuja, he said: “Pastor Oritsejafor commiserates with the families of those who lost their loved ones, the Nigerian Navy authority, government and people of the states from where those who died hailed. He prays that the Almighty God will grant those who died eternal rest and their families the fortitude to bear the loss of their loved ones.

    “The CAN President backs the Federal Government, the Nigerian Navy and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s plan to investigate the mishap. He is also satisfied with the decision of the Governors Forum to engage a consultant to serve as an observer in the investigation.

    “Pastor Oritsejafor urges those planning the investigations to involve aircraft investigation specialists in order to ensure that such panels come up with recommendations that would forestall future occurrences and avert rumour being peddled.

    “He says that this time the outcome of such investigations must be made public and their recommendations implemented after the due process must have been followed. We do not need investigation panels whose reports would gather dust while on the shelves long after concluding investigations.”

    Service Chiefs and Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar yesterday paid a condolence visit to the family of Gen. Azazi, in Lagos.

    The Service Chiefs, who were led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, included Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihiejirika, Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Vice-Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS); and Air Vice Mashal (AVM) Kas Gbadi, Chief of Air Staff (CAS)

    They were received by the wife of the late Azazi, children and family members at their Ikoyi residence in Lagos.

    No members of the family made any comment during the visit.

    Ibrahim described the late Azazi as a brilliant soldier, whose wealth of experience would be greatly missed.

    He said: “We will miss him a lot. We will miss his counsel. He was so simple. He presided over the National Security of this country at a time, when we are most challenged and he did his best.

    “Accident could happen anywhere, any time. The pilots were some of the best in the military’s air fleet. The helicopter was regularly maintained as requested by the manufacturer. We don’t take things for granted in the military.

    “We maintained all our pieces of armed hardware regularly because we will always need to use them.”

     

  • How Nigeria can use DNA testing to curb crimes,by experts

    How Nigeria can use DNA testing to curb crimes,by experts

    INSPECTOR Charles Odigwe and Corporal Felix Egbosun were policemen attached to Ogidi Divisional Police Station in Anambra State.

    The two officers were dismissed from the Police Force in September 2010 for torturing 45-year-old Osita Okafor to death in a police cell.

    Okafor was away when his neighbour, Hyacinth Agbo, was arrested by some policemen for an alleged armed robbery offence.

    The policemen confiscated some property of Okafor, alleging that he was fingered in the robbery incident.

    When Okafor returned, he later went to the police station with his friend to reclaim his property but both of them were detained.

    Okafor later died from injuries inflicted on him by the two police officers in their attempt to extract information from him about the robbery.

    Observers maintain that stories like that of Okafor are commonplace in the country, as torture has somewhat become an acceptable means of extracting information from suspects.

    However, experts in cell biology and genetics insist that this should not be so since there are innovative methods of extracting information from suspects.

    The experts, at a recent DNA (deoxyribonucleic) forensics colloquium entitled “From Crime Scene to Courtroom: The DNA Evidence”, held at the University of Lagos, underscored the usefulness of DNA analysis in efforts to track down criminals.

    Prof. Bode Gbenle, who spoke on “DNA Fingerprinting in Forensic Science” noted that that DNA fingerprinting in forensic science, which started in the 19th Century in a laborious manual style, had now been made easier via the use of computers.

    “The advent of computers in the 1970s has made fingerprinting much easier, as the electronic process takes less time and produces more accurate matches.

    “The production of patterns of DNA bands that are unique to individuals make them useful in forensic examinations,” he said.

    Gbenle added: “What differentiates the chemical structure of everyone’s DNA from another is the order of the base pairs contained therein.”

    The professor stressed that it was the difference in the sequence of millions of base pairs in each person’s DNA that was unique, adding that it could also be used to distinguish one individual from another.

    “Scientists use a small number of sequences of DNA that are known to be different among individuals in a very clear manner; they analyse them to get a certain probability of a match,” he said.

    Prof. Oluseso Omidiji, who delivered a lecture on “DNA: The Molecule of Life”, said the human DNA was one part of the human life that remained for a long time.

    Omidiji, who is from the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Lagos, said contemporary crime detection procedures involved using some elements in human life, like the DNA.

    He underscored the need for such activities due to the fact that only living things could commit crimes.

    Omidiji said the DNA samples could be used in tracing criminals because they constituted an element in human life left at crime scenes.

    He said research had shown that the DNA contained materials that were very reliable in determining their sources of origin; adding, therefore, that the use of DNA analysis in crime investigations could exonerate or confirm the complicity of a suspect.

    Dr Mathias Okoye, the Director of Nebraska Forensic Medical Services in the U.S., stressed that Nigeria should not be left behind in the global efforts to acquire the DNA analysis technology.

    He noted that some smaller African countries had acquired the technology.

    “Laboratory procedures are very important in finding criminals because its results are usually more accurate. However, before you can use the technology effectively, you must have trained hands and relevant equipment to do quality forensic examination. To conduct quality forensic analysis, you need well-trained biochemists, who have expertise in protein biochemistry,” he said.

    Okoye, who is a medical doctor and forensic pathologist, warned that those who were not competent enough in carrying out DNA analysis should not be pushed into it so as to avoid any temptation to “cook up results”.

    He noted that before examining crime scenes for samples, investigators should first get preliminary information from callers and persons around the crime scene.

    Okoye, nonetheless, stressed that the investigators should be methodical in their documentation, adding that they should “examine blood stain patterns at the crime scene”.

    He emphasised that proper documentation would help the investigators to reconstruct the scene “in order to verify or contradict an alibi or testimony”.

    Okoye advised that before scaling up the practice of DNA analysis, the country should enact a “DNA Evidence and Allied Matters” legislation to take care of certain issues regarding human rights and standards which might crop up.

    The Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Rahaman Bello, underscored the need for the establishment of a forensic institute in the university to train more experts in forensic biology.

    He also stressed the need to advance the knowledge of security agencies in forensic technology in order to boost crime detection in the country.

    The Executive Director, Inquaba Biotec of South Africa, Mr Oliver Preisig, said his company’s interest in co-sponsoring the colloquium was hinged on the need to expand knowledge of Nigerians in DNA analysis as this could help the country in crimes’ detection.

    All the same, stakeholders agree that Nigeria should commence extensive use of DNA analysis in its crime investigation efforts.

    They, however, stress the need for a proper legislation to take care of possible abuses.

  • Experts differ on re-award of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    …As Works Minister blames infrastructure deficit on past governments

     

    THE re-award of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and RCC Limited has continued to elicit reactions with many expressing divergent views on the propriety or otherwise of the new cost of the project.

    The Federal Government had revoked the contract to the concessionaire, Bi-Courtney Consortium, last month for failure to deliver on the project.

    According to the terms of reference, the new contractors are expected to carry out repairs on the road in phases with reconstruction from Sagamu to Ibadan end within the next eight weeks ahead of the yuletide.

    The cost allocated for the exercise is N52billion, a cost, which has raised eyebrows in some quarters.

    But a cross-section of experts who spoke with The Nation at the weekend said a number of factors determine the cost and valuation of turnkey project of such nature.

    Firing the first salvo, Mr. Yusuf Sagaya, Chairman, Yolas Construction Limited, an indigenous construction firm, who would not be drawn into the controversy surrounding the revocation of the contract to Bi-Courtney, said a lot of factors such as terrain, topography, among others, are what determine the cost allotted to a road contract.

    “You can’t weigh cost in isolation. Several factors such as engineering details, design are what determine how and what it would cost to carry out a project, especially road,” he said.

    Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Toke Olaniyan, a Civil Engineer and member of the Institute of Facility Management (IFMA) Nigeria, said, “There are many parameters you have to consider before you give a cost,” he said. “One would want to know the existing condition of that road, what are the preparatory works to do on the existing road surface before you can talk of a patch work? And patch works are of many types. So it’s important one knows the parameters, one knows exactly what the client wants before one can arrive at an estimate.”

    Corroborating Olaniyan, Engr. Tony Nzeaku, the president of IFMA, while commenting on the cost and time-frame of the project said, “The scope of a project determines the timeline. If you have a project that should take two weeks, and you have the machinery, manpower, materials, and you have the window of opportunity whereby you can close the road, or you work only at night, it’s all feasible. It depends on the scope.”

    Meanwhile, Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen has blamed previous administrations for deplorable situation of roads in many part of the country.

    Onolememen expressed the disgust at the Academy of Entrepreneurial Studies (AES) Excellence Club 3rd Annual CEO’s Dinner/Awards Night in Lagos over the weekend.

    The minister said the poor state of the roads was inimical to the nation’s development.

    According to him, the development in America is due to the county’s success in the management of its roads.

    He stressed the need for greater investments in the construction and maintenance of good road network to enhance the nation’s economy.

    The minister said that investments in road infrastructure were needed to achieve the transformation agenda of the government for Nigeria to be among the top 20 economies of the world by 2020.

    He said Nigeria’s road infrastructure had to grow from the current 194,000 Km to about 300,000.

     

  • How PIB can transform oil sector, by experts

    How PIB can transform oil sector, by experts

    Experts have drawn out 10 things that must be included in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for it to turn around the oil and gas sector.

    They spoke at a one-day Stakeholders Forum on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2012 organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) on Monday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

    In a communiqué issued after the summit signed by Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, the experts drawn from labour unions, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministries of Health and Trade and Investment, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), among others, said the Bill must ensure the power vested on the Minister of Petroleum in the Bill is reviewed.

    The recommendations are: “Federal Government divest its interest in the refineries in the country to competent and resourceful investors with the requisite expertise; deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector is critical to ensure the sustainability of the sector and availability of products; a transition schedule defining the sequence and timing of deregulation of the downstream sector should be annexed to the Bill; the protection of products and pipelines, the provisions in the Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences) Act Cap 410 LFN 1990 should be reviewed and included in the PIB; the transparency provisions in the draft PIB relating to the downstream sector should be strengthened particularly in the areas of award of licenses; voiding contract confidentiality and publication of licensing information; amendment of Section 360 to maintain BPE’s statutory authority to oversee the sale of NNPC’s assets, or include provisions to specify how sales will be undertaken. Government should retain only 49 percent and divest the rest of the shares; conduct a regulatory gap analysis and streamline all existing laws; ensure the PIB takes cognisance of current trends and best practices around the world; the powers granted to the minister need to be reviewed; to derive the full benefit of the structural changes in the PIB, there is a need for an attitudinal change in the operation and running of the organisations.”

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), in a memorandum presented at the summit, said the draft PIB 2012 “is very thin on clear provisions for the downstream sector, especially as relates to the issues of workers; job security, job placement as well as incentives to the players in the industries. This can only be explained by the general migration of downstream operations to full privatisation of the sector. The big question then becomes what will happen to the labour force of this sector.”