The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Govt to amend charges against 15 Russians

    •Case transferred to another judge

    The Federal Government yesterday sought to amend its charges against 15 Russians held over alleged unlawful importation of arms and ammunition.

    They were charged before Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, who has transferred the case to Justice James Tsoho for adjudication.

    Justice Okeke will retire on May 18.

    The Navy had, on October 18 last year, seized a foreign-flagged ship carrying the weapons and arrested its 15 mainly Russian crew members.

    The cargo is said to have included 14 AK-47 rifles and 3,643 rounds of ammunition, as well as 22 Benelli MR1 rifles with 4,955 rounds.

    The prosecution said the accused brought in the cache of arms and ammunition without an import licence, which is prohibited under Section 18 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004.

    The defendants are Zhelyazkov Andrey (the vessel’s captain), Savchenko Sergrey, Chichikanov Vasily, Varlygin Igor, Komilov Alexandr, Lopatin Alexey, and Baranovskly Nikolay.

    Others are Mishin Pavel, LLia Shubov, Dmitry Bannyrn, Alexander Tsarikov, Kononov Sergel, Korotchenko Andrey, Vorobev Mikhail and Stepan Oleksuik.

    An official of the Russian Embassy in Nigeria interpreted the charges read to them in English when they were arraigned. They pleaded not guilty.

    During proceedings yesterday, a Director of Public Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Olufemi Fatunde, told the court that some of the 15 may have been wrongly charged.

    She said she needed some time to sort out the names so the court can strike them out.

    “There are some among the 15 who ought not to have been charged. I want to sort out their names so they can be struck out form the charge,” she said.

    Mrs Fatunde applied for an adjournment, and also stated that the prosecution would prefer that the case be transferred to another judge.

    Counsel for the defendants, Chukwuike Okafor, did not oppose the application for an adjournment. He, however, expressed worries that transferring the case would cause delay.

    Justice Okeke said since the defendants were on bail, a transfer would not adversely affect the case.

    “This case is hereby transferred to Honourable Justice Tsoho’s court,” he said, adding that the defendants can apply for their bail terms to continue when they appear before the new judge on the next adjourned date – May 13.

    The prosecution alleged that the ship, MV Myre Seadiver, and its captain, “did unlawfully enter Nigeria’s territorial waters without due clearance and declaration of the goods carried therein on board the ship,” an offence punishable under Sections 1(14) (a)(b), 27 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 LFN 2004.

    The vessel, reportedly intercepted over by patrol boats, was said to belong to Moscow-based security firm Moran.

    Moran said the boat had all the required permissions to carry arms and had stopped in

    Lagos to change crew.

    But Naval Command spokesman Lt Commander Jerry Omodara had said the MV Myre Seadiver and its crew were being detained for further investigation.

    “There is no indication that the vessel was authorised to come into Nigeria and, worse still, to carry arms,” he said.

    The Nigerian navy says the vessel was traveling under a Dutch flag while Moran says the boat had a Cook Islands flag.

     

  • Falana urges Fed Govt to account for N50b vote for jobs

    Falana urges Fed Govt to account for N50b vote for jobs

    Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday urged Labour unions to make the Federal Government account for the jobs it has generated with the N50billion it earmarked for job creation in 2011.

    He said: “In the 2011 budget, the Federal Government earmarked N50billion for job creation. I want to beg the Research Department of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) what has happened to the fund.”

    Speaking at the pre-May Day symposium of Nigerian Centenary May Day Celebration in Abuja, the frontline lawyer urged the unions to protect existing jobs since the government was not creating new ones.

    The theme of the symposium was: 100 Years of Nationhood: The Challenges of National Development.

    Falana decried labour unions’ reticence on Chinese and Indian workers, who he said have taken over their jobs in various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

    He said: “I know one company that has over 5,000 Chinese workers: drivers, cooks and Mai guards (securitymen). Now, I am challenging Labour, and I have done this personally. I have taken it up with the Nigerian Embassy in China. What qualifies these Chinese workers for our visas? I am now challenging Labour to defend Nigerian workers. Nigerians are just sacked because of Chinese and Indians.”

    Also, the Chief Economist of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo Eson, noted that though the Federal Government has always churned out employment policies, it has failed to state how the jobs would be created.

    He said even in the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) document, the government fails to identify sectors from which it could generate employment.

    Eson added: “If more than a quarter of the active workforce of a nation is idle or unemployed; and if you add that to the rate of under-employment, then clearly that nation has failed.”

    Profferring solutions to the economic malaise, the Labour leader urged the government to refocus its educational policy on skill acquisition instead of mere accumulation of certificates.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Govt loses N9.7b to rice smuggling’

    The Project Manager of Cassava: Adding Value for Africa(C:AVA) Dr Kola Adebayo, has   asked  the government to stop the smuggling of cheap rice, estimated at 80,000 metric tonnes into the country.

    Adebayo said government was losing about N9.7 billion monthly to the illegal trade, warnibg that government’s goal for self-sufficiency in rice may be threatened if the practice was not arrested.

    He said rampant rice smuggling was occurring at the ports, particularly in Seme where shipments come  from other countries.

    He  urged  the  Customs  to rise  to the challenge  and curb the rampant entry of smuggled grains.

    He  urged  the government  to help farmers and other allied sectors by  supporting them with direct credit, sustained subsidy for production inputs, development of irrigation systems and post-harvest facilities, extension services, and research and development  to improve local  production.

    He warned that if the trade continues and farmers and millers close shop since they could not compete with smuggled rice, then the government’s desire for the country to be self-sufficiency in rice production, will remain a mirage.

    Because of the entry of smuggled rice into the country,local  rice millers  are not  selling  their  products as do  importers  of  foreign  rice, Adebayo, said.

    Farmers fear that prices for locally produced grains would drop further. Millers are not buying because they cannot compete with the sheer volume of smuggled rice that has been flooding the market.

    Farmers  warned that the country was drowning in smuggled rice

    Warehouses nationwide were filled with  local  rice  are not  empty   since the markets were flooded with smuggled rice.

    Farmers  continue to bear the brunt of depressed farm gate prices, wallowing in debt. The influx of cheap smuggled rice would surely kill the livelihood of thousands of local  rice  farmers.

    Agriculture and Rural Development Minister,Dr Akinwumi Adesina said the nation would no longer import rice  in the  approaching  years  as  government is working  to empower  the local  farmers to export long grain aromatic rice.

    He said   the major agenda is to make the country an exporter of rice once it attain self-sufficiency of the national staple. He however, warned that this objective might not be achieved if smuggling continues to hurt the local industry.

    Reports said  the   North is majorly flooded with Smuggled rice. Almost 45,000 mts is entering north from Niger and Cameroun. The major routes used for North is Maradi and Zinder.

    A lot of warehouses in Katsina state are used for smuggling operation of rice. In south west, apart from Seme, the major route used is Shaki.

  • Fed Govt targets 10,000 megawatts by December

    The Federal Government is targeting 10,000 megawatts of electricity supply by December, presidential aide Dr Doyin Okupe said yesterday in Lagos. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, who visited the corporate headquarters of Vintage Press, publishers of The Nation, was answering questions from some top journalists.

    Okupe said the 10 national Independent Power Plants (IPP) are 90 to 95 per cent completed and that when they come on stream, they will generate additional 5,000 megawatts.

    He explained that with the current capacity, which he puts at 4,500 megawatts, the target would be realised.

    “There is some work that needs to be done. All the power plants, as of today, are 90 to 95 per cent completed. There is every assurance that by December 2013, all the NIP projects would have been completed. When they are completed, they will bring in additional 5,000 megawatts. So, we are looking at 10,000 megawatts by December,” he said.

    Okupe argued that President Goodluck Jonathan could have performed better if there was no Boko Haram to tackle in the last two years. The President, he said, is not a miracle worker.

    According to him, Jonathan has been very sure and steady in the implementation of his Transformation Agenda.

    Okupe said: “Dr Jonathan is not a miracle worker. He is a sure and steady master technician. He is doing the work slowly, diligently and steadily. Jonathan would have done better were it not for the Boko Haram crisis.

    “No matter how good your plans are, if your wife comes up with a major crisis, that programme would be derailed. But this is more than a wife’s tantrums. It is a national crisis, a major phenomenon that occupies one’s time 24/7. He is human too. Jonathan can insist that he hasn’t had the template that other Presidents have had. This is a daily war for two years now.”

    The presidential aide defended the state pardon granted former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. He said after conviction as a criminal, going to prison and suffering loss of dignity and assets, we should not begrudge him for the pardon.

    Okupe also spoke on a report by the United States on sundry issues in Nigeria.

    He argued that contrary to some people’s views, the report did not indict Jonathan.

    Describing the report as “crap”, Okupe said there was nothing new in it.

    The General Manager (Training and Development), Mr Soji Omotunde, welcomed Okupe to the company.

    The senior journalist said it was good he found the time to explain issues at close range.

    Omotunde assured him that The Nation would always uphold the sacred tenets of fairness and balance in its reportage of events.

    Okupe was accompanied by Dr Olusanya Awosan, the Director (Media) in his office; Bamidele Salam and the Director of Strategy, Mr Jackson Ude.

    Among those who received him were the Chairman, Editorial Board, Mr. Sam Omatseye, Omotunde and the Editorial Page Editor, Sanya Oni.

     

  • Fed Govt launches online portal

    Fed Govt launches online portal

    Determined to enthrone transparency and make governance more effective, the Federal Government yesterday launched a government services portal www.services.gov.ng as part of the initiatives for ‘’getting government online.’’

    Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, who launched the portal in Abuja, said it was in line with the mandate to deploy ICT to drive transparency in governance and improve the quality of public service delivery.

    In a statement, the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister, Mrs Efem Nkanga, quoted Mrs Johnson as saying the benefits of the portal are many, adding that the portal can be assessed in English, French and Spanish.

    She added that it is one of the flagship projects of the Ministry aimed at enabling Nigerians to access government services.

    She said the project is in line with the outcome of the survey which the United Nations carried out on Innovative E-Government Practices among nations, adding that the result of the survey showed that citizen service delivery is topmost on the government innovative technology adoption, all over the world.

    Thus, governments’ use of the Internet to deliver government services has revolutionised the speed and effectiveness of government service delivery and public administration across the world, she said.

    Mrs Johnson emphasised that governments recognise that e-government offers, not just a new technology, but also a mechanism of transforming the way the government operates.

    She gave examples of nations that have taken this route of creating government service portal to include the United States, Britain, Canada, India, Singapore, South Africa and Kenya.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Fed Govt delegation for Oluwole Awolowo’s funeral

    Fed Govt delegation for Oluwole Awolowo’s funeral

    The Federal Government yesterday named a delegation to the funeral of the publisher of Nigerian Tribune titles, Chief Oluwole Awolowo, in Ikenne, Ogun State.

    The delegation will be led by Information Minister Labaran Maku.

    The funeral will hold on Friday.

    A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said other members of the delegation are: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru and the Minister of State, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide; Dr. Abati and the Special Adviser to the President on Research and Strategy, Mr. Oronto Douglas.

    The statement reads: “It will be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan paid a personal condolence visit to the Awolowo family in Ikenne soon after Chief Awolowo’s death last month.”

    “The President had, while condoling Mrs. H.I.D Awolowo, urged her to accept her son’s passage as the unquestionable will of God Almighty.

    “He assured her that he would continue to support and assist the Awolowo family in every possible way.”

  • Fed Govt arraigns Leadership reporters

    The Federal Government yesterday filed a 10-count charge against two journalists with Abuja-based Leadership Newspapers and the paper’s parent organisation, Leadership Group Limited.

    Group News Editor Tony Amokeodo, and Political Correspondent Chibuzor Ukaibe were charged with conspiracy, forgery, uttering a false document and publishing same.

    Amokeodo and Ukaibe were brought to the court by policemen from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, where they had been detained since Monday.

    The journalists were arraigned before Justice Ademola Adeniyi, who ordered their conditional release on the grounds that they were not properly brought before the court.

    When the case was called, the prosecution lawyer, Joseph Nwadike, insisted that the charge be read to the two, even when the third person named in the charge, Taiwo Ogunmola Omilani, was absent.

    The defence objected to the move, prompting the prosecution to amend its charge by deleting Omilani’s name.

    Defence counsel Samuel Ogala from Femi Falana law chambers, also objected to the journalists’ pleas to the amended charge on the grounds that they were not properly served the charge and that they required time to study it and prepare their defence.

    Ogala told the court that Amokeodo and Ukaibe were only served with the charge in court yesterday, adding that the service was incomplete without the journalists being served with the evidence and other required processes.

    The lawyer sought more time to enable his clients prepare for the case.

    He made an oral application for a conditional release of the accused because the prosecution had asked for time to regularise its process.

    Justice Adeniyi held that the argument of both counsel on bail application was premature because there had been no formal arraignment.

    He released the accused conditionally to the Company Secretary of Leadership Group Limited, Umaru Jubril, who was in court.

    The judge ordered him to produce the accused at the next adjourned date on April 23.

  • Govt to pay PHCN workers’ benefits with investors’ $2.237b

    Govt to pay PHCN workers’ benefits with investors’ $2.237b

    The Federal Government plans to pay severance benefits of workers of the sold successor companies unbundled from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) with the $2.237billion proceeds from investors who bought the assets.

    Although payment of the severance package is expected to start immediately the government concludes discussion on the issue with the electricity workers, the eventual handover process will still await the final payment by the successor firms for the assets they bought, a top official of Ministry of Power, said.

    The government and the workers are still discussing. The result of the biometric exercise carried out on the PHCN staff last year to determine genuine staff members that deserve benefits is being collated. After the collation and settlement of other outstanding issues with the labour group, the payment of the workers’ benefits will commence, but the exact number of PHCN staff that will benefit from the severance package is unknown, The Nation learnt.

    The preferred bidders for five generation and 10 distribution companies, according to the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), have paid 25 per cent value of the bids they made, which totalled $559,445,573.96. The process of selling the remaining generation company – Afam Generation Company and (Genco) and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (Disco) – is on-going. The bids initially submitted by the investors didn’t meet the required criteria and were quashed.

    It was gathered that after the government and the workers have reached a consensus, the government will start the first payment with N50 billion and will continue the payment with the 75 per cent final proceeds expected from payments of the preferred bidders.

    The Federal Government has agreed to earmark N384 billion as severance package for the PHCN workers, while the labour union is demanding N700 billion. But an official confirmed that the power assets will not be handed over to the preferred bidders until they complete payment.

    However, the non-conclusion of issues in the power industry has grossly affected electricity supply. Power supply in most areas across the country has dropped by over 70 per cent from what it used to be last year.

    The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, promised that power generation would rise to 4000 megawatts (MW) by weekend, which is much less than the 4,425MW generated last year.

    The 15 assets sold and the preferred bidders include Vigeo Consortium, Benin Distribution Company ($32.25million); Transcorp/Woodrock Consortium, Ughelli Power Plc ($75 million); CMEC/EUAFRIC Energy JV, Sapele Power Plc ($50,249,965); Kann Consortium, Abuja Distribution Company ($41 million); Aura Energy, Jos DistributionCompany ($20,464,968.15); Mainstream Energy Limited, Kainji Power Plc ($59,467,500); and Sahelian Power SPV, Kano Distribution Company ($34.25million).

    Other are Amperion Power Company Limited, Geregu Power Plc ($33 million); Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing Company, Ibadan and Yola Distribution Companies ($42.25 million and $14.75 million ); NEDC/KEPCO, Ikeja Distribution Company ($32.75 million); and West Power & Gas, Eko Distribution Company ($33.75 million); 4Power Consortium, Port-Harcourt Distribution Company ($31million); Interstate Electrics Limited for Enugu Distribution Company ($31.5 million); and Northsouth Power Company, Shiroro Power Plc ($27,913,633.50).

     

  • Nigerian hotels, govt and road safety

    Nigerian hotels, govt and road safety

    In the course of my business, I have touched every state in Nigeria and I have lodged in several hotels including five star hotels.

    In virtually all the hotels that I have used at one time or the other, I noticed one common factor, “the waiting game.”

    By “waiting game”, I mean a situation where hotel managements wait until customers complain before they put some faulty facilities right if at all they put them right.

    There is a particular hotel in Abuja that I used thrice within a period of two months. As at the third time, I deliberately requested for that same room only to discover that the same faulty facility had not been fixed after several complaints from me and several other clients. Why on earth must they wait for customers to complain?

    It is expected that every hotel management should have a system whereby routine inspection is carried out on all the rooms and facilities with the goal of fixing the faulty ones without waiting for customers to complain first.

    Now relating this experience to Nigerian roads and road furniture, a trip to several roads in all the states will bring up a question which the passenger of a commercial bus once asked, “are government officials not plying this road?”

    It is expected that the Federal, state and local governments should institute a system whereby a particular department in the Ministry of works or other relevant organs will be responsible for carrying out a routine inspection of all the roads (trunk A, trunk B and trunk C as the case may be) with the aim of identifying the failed portions so that immediate action can be taken to prevent more damage to the road as well as prevent the loss of lives and properties.

    Why on earth should any well-meaning government wait for public outcry on any road before taking palliative measures?

    Let us come to the home front. Is there any responsible father that waits for his children to start crying for food before he makes provision for their feeding? The difference here is that the father knows that it is his responsibility to supply the needs of his children. The opposite is, however, the case in governance.

    The government does not believe that it owes Nigerians any obligation. The government believes that whatever they do for the citizens is a privilege to them and not a right or obligation. Whose money is being used to repair the roads?

    It is time now for governments at all levels to wake up to their responsibilities of paying more attention to the conditions of all the roads with the goal of making provisions for temporary and lasting solution to the roads. There are some road conditions that just one bag of cement with a little gravel can put right and thereby save the lives and properties that would have been wasted in such places.

    My question again, “why wait till the people cry out before you perform your responsibilities as the government?”

  • Fed Govt, Boko Haram to resume talks

    Fed Govt, Boko Haram to resume talks

    The Islamic sect, Boko Haram, seems set to resume peace talks with the federal government after months of a stalemate, The Nation has gathered.

    The talks are expected to facilitate the proposed amnesty for members of the sect.

    A reliable source familiar with the development said the decision to discuss with the federal government followed an appeal to the group by northern elders to embrace President Goodluck Jonathan’s amnesty offer.

    The Nation also learnt that the federal government is willing to discuss with the sect.

    “In fact, the government has encouraged all efforts to facilitate the talks. Specifically, the government has saddled a group of northern elders with the responsibility of bringing the militants to the table once again,” our source said.

    “The latest decision by the sect to dialogue with the federal government is hinged on the planned amnesty offer. The last time the sect embraced dialogue was about seven months ago when it gave a group led by Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser, its listening ear.

    “That process failed because the group felt the government was insincere. This time, following an appeal by northern elders to it to embrace the amnesty offer in the interest of peace, Boko Haram is willing to discuss the modalities of the offer with the federal government.

    “The government is willing to discuss with them and has saddled some northern elders who are in touch with the leadership of the sect with the responsibility of ensuring that talks resume as soon as possible.

    “Given the current situation of things and the willingness of both parties to dialogue, talks between federal government and Boko Haram may kick off in a matter of days.”

    However, The Nation learnt the sect is coming back to the negotiation table on conditions, one of which is that it will choose the venue of the talks.

    “The sect wants to be allowed to choose the venue of the talks as a condition for its participation. It is also demanding that the federal government delegation must be made up of prominent northerners. Another demand by the group is that agreements at the talks must be kept away from the public until the end of the process.

    “I think the sect is just trying to take precautionary measures with these demands. In choosing the venue, the militants are being careful. By demanding for respectable northerners on the federal government delegation, they merely want to have people to hold responsible if government reneges on its promises after the talks.”

     

    Efforts to get an official position from the Presidency on the planned resumption of talks with Boko Haram proved abortive as calls made to their phone numbers of Mr. Ahmed Gulak, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters went unanswered. Text messages sent to him were also unanswered at press time.

    However, a Presidency source told The Nation that the Presidency is aware of efforts being made by a group of northern governors to bring the Islamic militants to the negotiation table.

    “I suspect that the said resumption of talks is as a result of the efforts of some northern governors. They have been discussing with the sect for a while now. Maybe this is the outcome of their labour. If the militants are ready to talk, I can say without fear of any contradiction that the President is open to the idea especially now that he is offering them amnesty,” he said.