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Tag: Northwest

  • Workers in Northwest, Northeast shun strike

    Workers in Northwest, Northeast shun strike

    Public and private sector workers in the Northwest and Northeast yesterday defied the nationwide strike action ordered by the Ayuba Waba faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over fuel price increase.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that federal and state workers in Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Kebbi and others reported to their duty posts.

    Socio-economic activities went on, with schools, banks, markets, hospitals and other businesses fully opened.

    In Sokoto, some civil servants said they would not join the strike because it would only aggravate the hardship in the country.

    In Kaduna, civil servants and all businesses including motor parks were fully opened, with residents going about their normal business.

    At the Kaduna State University, normal academic activities went on with students taking lectures.

    Workers of the institution   turned out for work, and according to the university’s Public Relations Officer, Adama Jafar, there was no directive from any union to proceed on strike.

    At the Olusegun Obasanjo State Secretariat, some of the workers interviewed said  they were not convinced with the NLC’s argument for the strike.

    One of the workers, Hajiya Lami Bello, said the NLC should respect the decision of the National Industrial Court, which ordered the union not to proceed with the strike.

    At the Barau Dikko General Hospital, health workers including doctors, nurses, laboratory staff were seen attending to out-patients and those on admission.

    A check at the Kaduna Central market indicated that traders have turned out for full business.

    Reports from Kebbi indicated that civil servants also defied the NLC’s call for total strike.

    Government offices, markets, banks and business centres opened for normal business, while civil servants reported to their places of work as early as 8:00am.

    The Chairman of the state NLC, Murtal Usman, told NAN in a telephone interview that he was on his way to Birnin Kebbi from Abuja, and insisted that the strike would hold.

    The State Secretary of Birnin Kebbi Federal Medical Centre of National Association of Nurses and Midwives, Usman Mohammed, said they had not received any signal to embark on the strike.

    “We are waiting for the signal from the national secretariat of our association and until we receive the signal we will not embark on the strike”, he added.

    In Kano, the nationwide strike action called by the organised labour also met a setback, as workers in the state ignored the directive.

    Workers resumed at the Audu Bako Secretariat and  the Federal Government Secretariat at about 8:30 am.

    Commercial banks, markets and motor parks had all opened for business in the state.

    Traders at the two major markets in Sabon Gari and Kantin Kwari opened their shops for business as directed by the National President of the Harmonised Traders Union of Nigeria, Alhaji Bature Abdulaziz.

    Abdulaziz had on Monday called on traders across the country to ignore the planned strike by the labour unions.

    At the First Bank of Nigeria, Kano main branch, workers were also seen going about their normal schedules.

    Primary and secondary schools as well as other higher institutions also opened.

    However, in Bayero University Kano, some lecturers had joined the strike while others were working.

    In Katsina, NAN reports that the workers at the State and Federal Secretariats have reported to their duty posts.

    Jibrin Garkuwo, a middle level worker said that they decided not to join the strike because Katsina was the home state of President Buhari.

    He said they are ready to support the president to achieve his economic policies that will move the country forward.

    The Chairman of NLC in the state, Alhaji Lawal Sandawa, said the union would assess the situation before commenting on the strike.

    Normal activities are continuing in Yobe, Adamawa, and Jigawa states, as residents ignored the call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on strike over the increase in pump price of fuel.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) however reports that there was partial compliance in Gombe State.

    NAN correspondents who monitored the situation in those states report that key institutions like banks, schools, state and federal secretariats, hospitals, markets and all major commercial, centres were open for normal activities.

    Normal activities also went on in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, with banks, schools, hospitals, state and federal secretariats open for business.

    An official of the NLC in the state who did not want his name mentioned, told NAN that they would meet later in the day to decide on their next line of action.

    NAN correspondents in Yola also report that normal activities are going on in Yola and other major towns of Adamawa as schools, banks, markets, as well as the State and Federal secretariats remained open.

    Many people who spoke on the failure of the strike said they were not convinced that the action was the best alternative in the present circumstance.

    Mallam Adamu Danwanzam, the chairman of Yola Perishable Food Items Sellers Association, said his members were not in support of the strike action.

    Also speaking, the state chairman of Private School Proprietors in Adamawa, Hajiya Dijatu Balla, said her members had no business with the strike action.

    Malam Husaini Isa, chairman of Commercial Tricycle Association in Adamawa , also distanced his members from the strike, pointing out that for many months ,his members had been buying fuel for N200 per litre, as such the new prize of N145 per litre was a relief.

    When contacted on the development, the state NLC chairman, Comrade Dauda Maina, said he could not comment as he was still in Abuja.

    The situation was the same in Dutse as people went about their normal businesses.

    At the state and federal secretariats, civil servants  attended to their official duties.

    There was, however, a partial compliance in Gombe as the NLC Monitoring Committee went round to ensure compliance.

    Most places of work, schools, banks and the state radio and television stations were closed.

    Malam Haruna Kamara, chairman of NLC in the state, told NAN that a committee was inaugurated and vested with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the NLC directive.

  • Shell’s Bonga Northwest production hits 60,000bopd

    Shell’s Bonga Northwest production hits 60,000bopd

    In its first anniversary, Bonga Northwest, operated by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), has returned a good report card: It reached daily production of 60,000 barrels of oil.

    An excited General Manager, Deepwater Projects, Jerry Jackson, said this was a product of teamwork, adding that the production was a milestone for Bonga Northwest.

    Shell’s Deepwater Project and Technology team officials handed over the Bonga Northwest assets to the Offshore Asset team in March in Lagos.

    On the accomplishment, Jackson said: “Bonga Northwest demonstrates what can be achieved when people work together effectively. Every single team collaborated to enable the SNEPCo organisation deliver on this project in a very challenging environment. Bonga Northwest is showcased by the Shell Production Academy as a ‘Best-in-Class’ project in terms of execution.”

    According to the latest Shell World, a Shell Company’s publication, “Bonga Northwest is a six-well tied in to the main Bonga Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. It produced its first oil on August 5, last year, and all the six wells have been hooked up and are producing an average of 50,000 – 60,000 barrels  daily.

    “In addition to being executed successfully, safely and within budget, Bonga Northwest also met its primary objectives.”

    Jackson also said the team executed the projects that resulted in the huge success because they wanted to fill the tank. He noted that some projects were successful, after some months, they are not able to fill the tanks for various reasons so that at the end of the day, one really doesn’t have a ‘successful’ project.

    Stressing the team spirit shared by the Deepwater Project and Technology team, and other colleagues from Well Engineering and Development, the former Bonga Northwest Project Manager, Joey Uyanwune said: “We had an integrated team. We worked together with a common purpose and focus to deliver this project.’’

    The Head, Deepwater Projects Operations Readiness/Excellence, Obinna Mbonu, said: “Not all projects achieved this milestone and in record time like Bonga Northwest project has done. It is a demonstration of due diligence and excellent collaboration by both teams.”

    The Bonga General Manager, Offshore Assets, Effy Okon and Operations Manager, Theo Ekiyor-Etimi, said the teams learnt many lessons, adding that they expected those learnings to be replicated in future projects.

    The Bonga project is located in oil mining lease (OML) 118 and about 75 miles offshore Nigeria. It is the country’s first deepwater development asset and in water depths of over 1,000 metres.

    It started production in 2005.  So far, it has produced over 500 million barrels of oil.

  • Military to curb rustling in Northwest

    Military to curb rustling in Northwest

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said it is coordinating a joint operation of the Army and Air Force to combat cattle rustling in Kamuku forest.

    Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the joint operation became necessary because “criminals, miscreants and thugs had taken over the forest, thus constituting a nuisance.”

    It said in the course of the operation, a number of rustlers had been routed and many stolen cattle recovered.

    The statement said the operation would be sustained until the forest was free of criminals and miscreants.

    It said the Joint Task Force, code-named ‘Operation Pulo Shield’, in the Niger Delta, had intercepted a large barge conveying about 150,000 litres of illegally-refined petroleum products.

    “The JTF boat was on a routine patrol when it accosted the barge on illegal mission at Frado Oil Company Tank Farm at Oghara in Ethiope Local Government Area of Delta State.

    “The captain of the barge and the crew are in custody and are helping security agencies in their investigation.”

    According to the statement, the Defence Headquarters restated the resolve of the military to guarantee the safety of life and property.

    “While the military will continue to work hard to fight  piracy, bunkering and operation of illegal refinery, it will also prevent economic saboteurs from doing further damage to the economy.

    “The DHQ warns perpetrators of illegalities in the maritime domain and those engaging in cattle rustling to desist from before  the law catches up with them,” it said.

    The statement said the DHQ reassured the public to go about their normal and legitimate businesses without fear of harassment or molestation.

  • Eclipse of PDP in Northwest

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has gained control of the seven states in the Northwest geo-political zone, thereby halting the influence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the region. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the tragic transition of the ruling party into an opposition in the most populous zone. 

    President Goodluck Jonathan’s loss in the Northwest geo-political zone is Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s gain. The most populous region is now  dominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC). The turn of events is tragic for the ruling party. Before the election, only Sokoto, Kano and Zamfara were under the firm grip of the APC. But, at the close of the presidential and governorship polls, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa and Kebbi had fallen to the APC. Whatever gains recorded by the PDP in the Southeast were neutralised by the Northwest bloc votes.

    Like other zones in the North, the Northwest’s power shift  battle was interesting. It was the project of the Northern political class, the royalty and aristocrats. To them, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has violated the zoning principle by using the weight of his office to press for a second term. If the President had stepped down his second term ambition, the PDP would have zone the presidency to the North. It would have been a tough battle between the ruling and the main opposition party.

    The crisis that consumed the PDP began from the Northwest. The Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, was suspended. Although the suspension was lifted, the damage had already been done. When the suspension was lifted, his Rivers State colleague Governor Rotimi Amaechi accused the national leadership of the party of being partial because his own suspension was not lifted.

    The zonal leader, Alhaji Ibrahim Kazaure, was also suspended. His suspension was not lifted by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the former National Chairman. In protest, the zone, which was united behind Kazaure, demanded for the removal of the embattle chairman. An aggrieved Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso decried the injustice meted to the zonal leader. Warning about the danger of inflexibility on the part of the National Leader and the National Chairman, he said aggrieved chieftains had an alternative to seek political fortune outside the PDP.

    When the New PDP broke away from the ruling party, Wamakko and Kwakwanso led the aggrieved Northwest chieftains to its inaugural meeting in Abuja. The New PDP was an integral part of the ruling party, which did not foreclose the opportunity for reconciliation. But, the party failed to grab the chance to reconcile. The conditions of the leading lights were simple: Let Tukur take the back seat, lift the suspension on protesting members and reinstate the National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a retired brigadier-general and former Osun State governor, whose election as the party’s national secretary was not faulted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The conditions for a truce were ignored by the President.

    During the crisis, the aggrieved governors did not leave their followers in the dark. They were carried along during their face-off with the national leadership. Their supporters therefore, believed that the attack on the governors was an attack on them. They resolved to either survive or sink with them.

    In Katsina, nobody was in doubt about the soaring profile of the APC. The governor, Ibrahim Shema, knew it would be difficult to stop the Buhari train. The President-elect is from the state. During the campaigns, the people had demonstrated their love for him by trooping out. Even, at the PDP campaigns in Katsina, the state capital, the people were shouting Sai baba, Sai Buhari (only Buhari). Although Shema is popular, there was no way he could have convinced his people to reject the former military leader, who was perceived as the symbol of the popular clamour for power shift to the North.

    The perception of the Buhari candidacy was the same in Zamfara State. Since 1999, the progressives have dominated the politics of the state. The PDP was kept at an arm’s length by the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) for 16 years. Even, when former Governor Sani Yerima’s successor, Memuda Shinkafi, dumped the ANPP for the PDP, he lost his seat in the next election to incumbent Governor Abdulazeez Yari.

    Governor has been adjudged as a performer. As a silent worker, the former House of Representatives member has successfully built on the achievement of the ANPP administrations and carved a niche for himself in governance. The progressive bloc in Zamfara is a united fold. When the APC was weaned by the leaders of the legacy parties, it quickly enlarged its coast. There was no succession struggle as party members were unanimous that Yari deserved a second term.  When the APC presidential campaign train rolled into Gusau, the state capital, the crowd was unprecedented. Since that day, it was clear that the APC had grown in leaps and bounds in the state. On poll day, it was a clean sweep.

    In Jigawa State, the people were also rooting for the APC because of the Gen. Buhari factor. Although Governor Sule Lamido understood the implications, his fanatical loyalty to the PDP as a founding father was legendary. He knew that Gen. Buhari was unstoppable but he rejected the entreaties to jump ship, saying that the PDP can still overcome its problems. On the eve of the general elections, Lamido, the last man standing in the Northwest PDP was a lone voice in the wilderness. It was evident that he has lost control. When the results of the poll got to him, he was said to have maintained his calmness. Sources said that Lamido reflected on his failed efforts to save the sinking ship. Accepting defeat, he acknowledged that the outcome was not beyond expectation.

    In the last eight years, the governor has tried for his people. He will be leaving behind legacy projects. In fact, the in-coming APC governor has a lot to learn from his style of governance. But, it was not about him. It was about the performance of his party at the centre.

    But in Kebbi State, former Governor Adamu Aliero was sensitive to the wind of change. He refuted the allegation of defection to the PDP, saying that it was incongruent with the mood of the region.

    As it turned out, the second term ambition of Kaduna State Governor Mukthar Yero also hit the rock. The casualty was heavy in the state, with former Governor Ahmed Markafi also losing his senatorial seat. In the previous dispensation, what usually shaped the elections in Kaduna was the acrimony between the Muslims and the Christians. That gave way in the last election. The only factor was Buhari.

    But, two states – Sokoto and Kano – spearheaded the crusade in the Northeast. Wammako had put his house in order, ahead of the election. Following his defection to the APC, his former supervisor and rival, Attahiru Bafarawa, defected to the PDP when it became obvious that the progressives have the tradition of making the governors the state party leaders. But, the party in Sokoto also moved swiftly by nominating House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal for the governorship. Thus, there was no succession crisis as no eyebrow was raised over the legislator’s aspiration. Unlike the PDP, which went to the polls as a divided house, APC maintained a united front.

    In the PDP, members loyal to the deputy governor, Alhaji Mukthar Shagari, were bitter over his exclusion from the exercise. Since 2007, the former Minister of Water Resources has been on the queue. He stepped down for Wamakko in 2007. When the governor also left the PDP for the APC, he waited behind as the arrowhead of the decimated chapter. However, during the primaries, Senator Abdallah Wali surfaced. With the backing of the party machinery, he displaced Shagari. Thus, there was a repressed post-primary crisis in the Sokoto PDP. The ruptured confidence was not rebuilt. Genuine reconciliation did not take place.

    As it was in Sokoto, so also was it in Kano. Kwankwaso has a solid base. He is very popular. In fact, he has a large following as shown in Lagos during the APC presidential convention when he came second. Since he lost power in 2007, he has vowed never to allow the mistake to repeat itself. Eight years after, he regained the lost seat and became a towering figure. His Kwankwasia movement attests to his soaring profile. Thus, right from the onset, he has been an asset to the APC.

    When the governor became the APC leader, his predecessor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, hurriedly left for the PDP. He was rewarded with an appointment as the Minister of Education. That was not what the North wanted. The zone had its eye on the Presidency. When Shekarau pleaded with the people of Kano to vote for the President, his pleading was turned down. The Kano rally of the APC said it all. On the Election Day, commoners mobilised themselves under the leadership of Kwakwanso to vote for their idol, Gen. Buhari.

    What is the future of the PDP in the zone? From May 29, opposition leaders in the Northwest zone will include Lamido, Bafarawa, Shekarau, Shema, Makarfi, and Shagari. One of the challenges that will face them is the proper coordination of the zonal chapter. Another challenge is funding of the party structures. ‘However, the greatest challenge is how to adjust to the role of the opposition, which the AD, AC, ACN, ANPP, CPC and APC exemplified before power shifted on April 11.

     

  • Northwest PDP leaders endorse Jonathan for 2015

    Northwest PDP leaders endorse Jonathan for 2015

    •Lamido, Shema absent
    •Jonathan/Shema poster floods venue

    Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Northwest geo-political zone yesterday endorsed the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 election.

    They affirmed their support at a meeting attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo in Kaduna.

    Party Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, National Organising Secretary Abubakar Mustapha, Zonal Chairman Amb. Adamu Kazaure, Senator Magoro and Sokoto State Deputy Governor Mukhtar Shagari, all attended the meeting.

    The Northwest comprising seven states Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Jigawa states has the largest population of voters among the six geo-political zones.

    Yesterday’s meeting is believed to be the zone’s response to the ongoing activities orchestrated around President Jonathan’s undisguised but yet to declared bid for re-election.

    The PDP through the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Transformation Ambassador of Nigeria (TAN) has been holding rallies in geo-political zones in support of the President’s candidature.

    The rallies have been held in the Southeast, Southwest and Southsouth zones.

    Governors in the Northwest zone attended are ex-Capt. Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina).

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal also did not attaend.

    Though absent, posters of Jonathan/Shema for President/Vice President in 2015 flooded the venue, leading speculation to the rumour that some forces within the party were rooting for dropping of Sambo from the ticket.

    Speaking on behalf of the governors from the zone, Kebbi State Governor Usman Dankingari, the governors would ensure that they deliver the zone which he described as the most sophisticated ad most populous in terms of voting size in the country to President Jonathan.

    National Chairman Mu’azu said the party which is as “constant as the northern star”, remain a party to beat and urged members in the zone to remain united so as to deliver the zone in 2015.

    A communique issued at the end of the meeting read by Ambassador Aminu Wali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the president had done a lot to deserve a second term.

    He said the region would remain grateful to the Jonathan administration, especially in terms of infrastructural upliftment, good governance and the promotion of democracy.

    “Several beneficial projects have been sited in the northwest for the rapid socio-economic transformation of the region.”

    The communiqué added: “Having carefully considered the steady and stable progress of our nation under the able leadership of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the stakeholders of the PDP in the northwest zone, having in mind the monumental strides attained by this administration, have resolved to endorse Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to declare for president in the forthcoming 2015 elections so as to continue the good work he started in nation building. We ask for nothing less.

    “Consequently, we respectfully call on the National  Chairman of our party to convey this resolution and unanimous declaration of the entire leadership and membership of the PDP in the Northwest zone to His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to surrender  himself for the continued service to the nation.”

  • Cholera kills 50 in Northwest

    •Five dead in Sokoto  

    •Fed Govt probes suspected outbreak in Plateau

    Cholera has killed 50 people in the Northwest, health officials said yesterday.

    This is the latest outbreak of the disease, which has claimed thousands of lives across the country since 2010.

    The latest infections struck in Zamfara State, where residents began drinking water directly from streams and untreated wells after a main water pipeline was forced to shut.

    “We have recorded an outbreak of cholera in the past one week in six local government areas of the state which has resulted in the death of 50 people while several others have been hospitalised,” Zamfara State Health Commissioner Kabiru Janyau told AFP.

    Road construction in Gusau, the state capital, forced officials to close a main pump, leading to water shortage in parts of the state, Janyau said.

    “People have turned to streams and open wells for drinking water which led to the outbreak,” he said.

    Also, Alhaji Bala Oroji, the Deputy Director of Health of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, has said five persons died of suspected cholera at Barkeji village in the local government.

    Oroji spoke yesterday in Tambuwal an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    He said the deceased were between 27 and 30 years.

    The deputy director said three persons, a female and two males, died on October 14, of the nine infected.

    “Also, a male and female died on October 19 due to the epidemic, of the remaining infected persons,” he said.

    He said 11 infected persons were hospitalised on Sunday at the Barkeji community’s dispensary.

    According to him, four of the affected persons were discharged yesterday, while the remaining seven on admission at the health centre are still receiving treatment.

    Oroji said adequate drugs and medicaments had been supplied to the dispensary by the local government.

    “We thank God that the situation is under control and we are even expecting to discharge the remaining infected persons either today or tomorrow,” he added.

    The deputy director said the local government had embarked on massive public enlightenment campaign to educate the people on the need to maintain good sanitary environment.

    “The campaign is to sensitise the people to the need to keep their environment clean, drink clean water and also ensure personal hygiene.

    “We have reported the incident to the state Ministry of Health and it had assisted the community with additional drugs,” Oroji said.

    The Federal Ministry of Health will investigate a suspected outbreak of cholera in Namu village in Qua’pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, an official of the ministry has said.

    Dr Akin Oyemakinde, the chief consultant epidemiologist in the ministry, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja that the investigation would determine the kind of intervention to be deployed to the community.