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Tag: rebuild

  • Oyo gets fund to rebuild dilapidated schools, others

    Oyo gets fund to rebuild dilapidated schools, others

    The Oyo State government has unfolded a plan to establish its Education Trust Fund (Oyo ETF) for rebuilding schools with dilapidated facilities and training of teachers.

    The chairman of the fund, Mrs Onikepo Akande, told reporters at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism in Ibadan, the state capital, that the fund would be primarily applied to schools with dilapidated buildings and other facilities to complement the job of the School Governing Boards (SGB).

    Mrs Akande said the state of education in Nigeria was appalling, adding that Oyo ETF would revive quality education to meet global standards.

    The agency chief said the fund would assist the state in the financing of education and oversees the prudent management of the fund as well as other related matters.

    According to her, the fund will be applied to education at all levels and ensure completion of intervention projects.

    An amount equivalent to five per cent of the Value Added Tax (VAT) accruing to the state and its local governments would go to the fund.

    One per cent of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of public institutions in the state as well as any other fund appropriated by the House of Assembly would also go into the fund.

    These would be in addition to donations and grants by organisations and charitable individuals, she said.

    Mrs Akande said schools in need of urgent intervention were being collated for consideration, adding that many public and private schools had also been responding positively to the call to pay their statutory dues to the fund.

    She added that the work of the fund would complement those of OYOMESI and SGBs for overall improvement in public education across the state.

  • CCC: ‘Time to rebuild and restore’

    Mother Celestial Victoria Olusola George was the cynosure of all eyes at the 66th Adult Harvest Thanksgiving Service held at the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Makoko, Yaba, Lagos, on August 6. The church at Makoko is the “National Headquarters – The Cradle of Celestial Church of Christ in Nigeria and Overseas.”

    She was celebrated in the event programme under this attention-grabbing heading:  “One of the Miracles performed by Jesus Christ through Rev. S. B.J. Oshoffa – Extract from C.C.C. Constitution Sections 53 – 57.”  Her picture had an equally attention-grabbing caption: “Mother Celestial Victoria Olusola George – Raised from the dead after the third day by Jesus Christ through Rev. Pastor S.B.J. Oshoffa. She is still alive and with us in this Harvest Thanksgiving Service.”

    These striking documented details provided elaboration:

    1. “The miracles performed by our Lord Jesus Christ through me were numerous. I shall now make particular reference to that of the young woman named OLUSOLA who died and whom Jesus raised from the dead after the third day.
    2. “A young member of the Church who was fond of saying ‘Please say Halleluyah with me’ and who, for short, was nicknamed ‘Halleluyah’ came one Sunday morning and reported the death of a woman at 3.00 p.m. the previous day (a Saturday) in a house which belonged to him. He said that in view of the many miracles performed by Jesus through me right there in Makoko, particularly those of IIUNSU and THERESA, he felt sure that OLUSOLA could be raised from the dead. He first spoke to me at ten o’ clock on the Sunday morning as service was about to start. Service finished at three o’clock in the afternoon and he kept on worrying me but I still did not answer him. Owing to his persistence, however, at 4 o’clock that afternoon, I sent Evangelist BADA (then a LEADER) with one of my robes to follow the man called ‘Halleluyah’ to the house and put the robe on the dead body and tell the relatives that if and when the body moved, it should be brought to the Church. On the way there, ‘Halleluyah’ was to go in front and Evangelist to follow behind.
    3. “Evangelist returned and reported that he had carried out my instructions. At about five thirty that afternoon, they brought the dead body in a car because they were amazed to see the body actually turn over although it was still lifeless. I asked that the body be placed in the Church vestry for women.
    4. “Now there was a young man from Ondo who came with them. He belonged to one of the other spiritual Churches, but I do not know which. When he saw that we left OLUSOLA’s dead body in the vestry for hours without bothering to pray or go near it but that we went on talking generally, he came to me and counselled that instead of doing nothing we should pray for the dead body as it was already stinking. I replied that I was not the one going to bring OLUSOLA back to life and that he should be very careful and not go near the dead body. I told him that if he did, he would have to accept responsibility for whatever happened to him. But he would not listen. He continued to pace up and down. Finally at about twelve midnight, he suddenly went to have a look at the dead body. He ran back to me startled, and reported that he had seen a man clad in white with his hair parted into two standing at the head of the corpse. I retorted to him that I had warned him not to go near the dead body. He ran away and I went to bed. OLUSOLA’s mother also went to bed. I did not bother about the dead body. These miracles are not done with my own power I am no more than a servant for HIM that sent me. There was therefore no need for me to go into a bout of prayer or staying up all night or fasting or such flagellation.
    5. “In the morning of the third day of OLUSOLA’s death, her mother, watching the hours go by, became restless. At nine o’clock in the morning she came to me and said in despair that as the body of OLUSOLA was still as dead, stinking and lifeless as ever, and already covered with ants, she should be allowed to take the body home for burial. As she said this her loin cloth fell off her. This aroused my sympathy and I got up and followed her to where the dead body lay. I asked her the name of her daughter and she replied that her name was OLUSOLA. I struck the body and called ‘OLUSOLA’ and the dead girl replied ‘SIR’. I struck her again and said: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk’. She immediately got up and walked. She is still here with you, you all know her. Her younger sister is Sister IPADEOLA-”

    It is interesting that the Celestial Church of Christ, founded by Rev. Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oshoffa on September 29, 1947, will celebrate its 70th anniversary next month. It is said that Nigeria is the country where the church enjoys the highest popularity.  The journey to this milestone has been eventful, and it is worth celebrating as the church marches on.

    After S. B. J. Oshoffa’s death in 1985, at the age of 76, the church faced a succession crisis that tested its resilience. Today, under the leadership of Rev. Emmanuel Mobiyina Friday Oshoffa,   there is the calm after a storm. The 68-year-old Pastor is recognised by many members of the church as its Spiritual Head.  He got a master’s degree from the University of Biological Science, Nancy, France, in 1977.

    It is a historic occasion in the history of the church, and a historic stage in the priestly progress of E.M.F. Oshoffa. It is significant that the theme of the celebration of the church’s 70th anniversary is: “Time to Rebuild and Restore.” It is also time to focus on the future, and this requires all hands on deck.

  • Obiano’s quest to rebuild Anambra

    Obiano’s quest to rebuild Anambra

    Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has just marked his third anniversary in office. As part of the activities for the anniversary, he organised a two-day media tour of some of the projects executed by his administration. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, who was on the trip, reports.

    Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State embodies the quest of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to remain relevant in Nigerian politics. As the only governor on the platform of the party, following the exit of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, the November 18 governorship election in the state is crucial not only to secure Obiano’s second-term mandate, but also for the survival of APGA as formidable political platform.

    Obiano rode on former Governor Peter Obi’s back to contest the last governorship in 2013 and no one gave the banker-turned politician much of a chance to make any appreciable impact in governance of the state. The governor’s campaign strategy then was his 4Cs promises of continuity, complete, commission and commence; meaning that he would sustain the Obi legacy, by completing existing projects and initiating new ones. The Aguleri-born Obiano was widely regarded as a greenhorn in politics then.

    But, three years down the line, Obiano has not done badly. The occasion of his third anniversary recently, when he invited journalists on a two-day tour of the state, has afforded him an opportunity to showcase some of his achievements in the last three years. Projects visited on the first day include: the shoe manufacturing cluster situated along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, by Nkwelle-Ezunaka junction; the Lynden Integrated Farms Ltd (integrated poultry farm); the Iyiora Anam Bridge, which links the agrarian communities; the Eziagulu Bridge connecting the oil rig; and the Delfarms Ltd, Igbariam.

    The shoe-manufacturing cluster, which is scheduled for inauguration next month, is expected to manufacture ‘made-in-Anambra’ shoes for export. It was put together, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA), Clement Chukwuka, with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). The cluster has 1,000 shops. Delfarms covers about 300 hectares of land. It produces sweet corn, green pepper, hot pepper, cucumber, among other things.

    Indications are that Obiano has acquitted himself well so far, by drawing extensively from his private sector background. He has been trying to encourage investors to partner with his administration to move the state forward. His administration is hinged on the four pillars of agriculture, trade and commerce, oil and gas and industrialisation.

    In a statewide broadcast to mark his three years in office, he said what his administration has done in the past three years was to aggressively pursue the vision of transforming all sectors of the economy in line with his economic blueprint. He acknowledged that although the dream was seriously threatened by the sudden fall in the global oil prices, which finally plunged the nation into recession, his administration has crafted a way out with its agricultural revolution agenda.

    The governor said through its strategic partnership with the private sector, his administration has transformed agriculture into a viable option for economic prosperity. He thanked the people for giving him their mandate, as well as their support that has provided a solid base for the landmark achievements his government has recorded so far.

    Indeed, the administration has transformed the agricultural sector, by pioneering the generation of foreign exchange from the export of local vegetables. For over a year now, the state Ministry of Agriculture has been assisting local farmers export pumpkin leaves (ugu) and bitter leaves (onugbu), among other things, to the United Kingdom.

    Agriculture is being transformed by commercialisation of the sector at all levels, by involving the small holder, as well as medium and large-scaled enterprises. In this way, the state ventured into large-scale rice production, through collaboration with private sector investors. Governor Obiano said the state was producing 80,000 metric tonnes of rice when he took over in January 2014 and that it currently produces 245,000 metric tonnes of the commodity. This has made ‘Anambra Rice’ – the name given to the brand of rice produced in the state – one of the most sought after in the market.

    On the second day, the group of journalists visited two rice mills in the state: Stine Rice Mill, Nnewi and Josan Ufuma Rice Farm, Ufuma. Most of the equipment used at the Ufuma mill were said to be fabricated locally in the town. The Ufuma rice farm is a $180 million investment, located on a large expanse of land, spanning about 15,000 hectares. The proprietor of Stine Rice Mill, Mr. Akai Egwuonwu, attributed the high cost of local rice to poor electricity supply, high cost of diesel and importation of spare parts, as well as the high cost of fuel used for transportation. He said his operation took off effectively in 2012, after seven years of preparation.

    Aside from the Stine and the Josan mills, the Coscharis Farms Ltd is another large-scale operator involved in rice production. It is a $200-million naira project undertaken in partnership with the state government. It is located in Anaku, Ayamelum Local Government. When it comes fully on stream, Coscharis Farms would embark on a three-planting season operation to produce 90,000 metric tonnes of rice annually and thereby make the state self-sufficient.

    At the outset, the administration established ASBA, which gives single-digit loans to cooperatives, especially those involving youth and women; with special interest for persons or groups within the agro value chain. It also facilitates agribusinesses by giving free improved seedlings to farmers; 50 per cent subsidy on fertilizer; regular trainings on best practices, et cetera.

    Through the one-stop agency set up by the administration – the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) – it is said to have attracted investment commitments worth over three billions of dollars.

    Evidently, the government is also taking giant strides towards making the state an African Dubai, Taiwan and Silicon Valley put together. One of the ways of achieving the above objective, according to the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kate Omenugha, is through human capital development. She said the state has gone far in its implementation of its policy of ‘education for development’. She said: “It is a bridge programme, where we try to bridge the gap between education and industry. What we have done in education has transformed into a lot of good dividends for us in Anambra State.”

    The policy covets entrepreneurship, technical, as well as vocational education. For instance, under this policy, the state has revamped its technical colleges, where is tuition is provided free of charge to all students. The professor of Mass Communication said: “When we came in, we had 11 technical colleges, but none of them had accreditation with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). Now, we have four accredited technical colleges, offering 13 subjects. We have had about 60 per cent increase in the enrolment, because of the free tuition provided by the state government.”

    Vocational training in schools is provided through collaboration with key players in the private sector. The idea is to try to produce the middle-level manpower that will drive the four pillars. For instance, the government signed memorandum of understandings (MOUs) with a number of companies in the state, including Innoson Motors, where school pupils go to acquire hands-on-experience. It also signed MOUs with hospitality industries, construction companies.

    Thus, there are several clusters around the state, where different trades are being learnt. The commissioner explains: “At Aguleri where the oil wells are located, for example, we have set up plumbing and pipe-fitting workshops at the technical college there. In the Nigerian Technical College, Nnewi, we have a vehicle-body building maintenance workshop. Through our partnership with Innoson Motors, we can now maintain vehicles there. At Government Technical College, Nkpor, we set up the catering craft and an electrical installation workshop, to take care of the Onitsha axis. At Umuchu, we also set up a block moulding and laying centre.”

    The overriding vision of the administration is to make Anambra the first choice investment destination and most preferred location to site new industries. To realise this objective, the Obiano administration identified 12 enablers to support the four pillars of development. These include fundamentals such as security, education, healthcare, power generation, the environment, finance, social and civil infrastructure, housing and urban development, hospitality and tourism, transportation, water and sanitation, as well as youth and sports. Against this background, the administration is believed to be laying a solid foundation for future prosperity of the state. For instance, in the period following the return to civil rule in 1999, Anambra used to be notorious for insecurity, all sorts of criminality and bad governance. Over the years, the situation has improved progressively. Under the current administration, the state exudes peace, warmth and an aura of welcome to visitors. The current security situation has impacted on trade, investments, economic growth and prosperity of the state generally, by helping to improve its internally generated revenue.

    The transformation of Awka and other cities in the last three years is also remarkable. The state witnessed massive infrastructural developments,including: the Aguleri-Otu Bridge, leading to the oil fields; the Iyiora Anam Bridge in Anambra West, which links the agrarian communities; and the three flyovers in Awka (with suspension lights) at Kwatta, Arroma and Amawbia junction, which have changed the face of the capital city.

    There appear to be a concerted effort to transform Awka, which was once described as a glorified village, into a tourist haven; through the efforts of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACDA) set up by Governor Obiano at the inception of his administration in 2014. Awka is a sight to behold at night; it may well be Nigeria’s new city of lights, with modern street lights twinkling a thousand sparkles at night. The street-lightening project goes beyond Awka, to other major cities like Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia.

    In recognition of his sterling performance in the last three years, Obiano has been honoured at home and abroad. He has so far received the following awards: the Zik Prize for Good Governance 2015; the Sun Newspapers Man of the Year 2015; the Silverbird Man of the Year 2016; and the Vanguard Newspapers Man of the Year 2016. He is also a winner of the Outstanding Performance Award from New Telegraph Newspaper 2016; the Nigerian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Award of the Ethics and Corporate Compliance Institute of Nigeria; the Award of Excellence on Good Governance and Community Development from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and a Certificate of Recognition from the Institute of Housing and Urban Development from the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for touching lives in many communities.

    Former Central Bank Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who delivered the third anniversary lecture, said Anambra has the potentials to become an industrial/commercial hub and a true 21st century economic miracle. He said the state has a strong economic base and the human and natural resources to accelerate the momentum of transformation.

    Soludo said there is no vacancy in the Anambra State Government House for now, because Obiano has demonstrated that he is a business-friendly governor who is walking the talk on job creation. He advised those who intend to contest the November 18 governorship to rather invest the billions they plan to waste in the local Anambra economy.

    In the lecture titled, Anambra: An emerging start-Up state and our collective challenge, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2010 governorship election said no governor of Anambra State has been so widely recognised in his first three years since 1999 more than Obiano.

    He added: “This is what Anambra expects and deserves: that every governor should build upon and probably surpass his/her predecessor.”

    He added: “The automation/computerisation/modernisation of processes in government and institutionalisation of change are commendable. I am particularly impressed by the effort to collect and process basic statistics: if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it!”

    In a strong endorsement for Obiano’s second term ambition, he said this is a time of crisis and that “you do not change a general in the middle of a war, especially one that has successfully led you through many battles”. He therefore urged the people of Anambra, otherwise known as ndi Anambra, to rally behind their governor, because he has done well in the last three years.

    He said the argument of aligning the government at the state level with the government at the centre is a weak one and an elitist argument meant only to serve a few politicians and their few friends and families.

  • Rebuild Northeast, farmers urged

    Rebuild Northeast, farmers urged

    •AgroNigeria berths in Zaria

    Farmers and agro-allied practitioners have been urged to channel  their energies towards  reviving the dwindling fortunes of agriculture in the North.

    A Professor of Agricultural Extension, Emmanuel Ikani, made  the call in Zaria while talking to  farmers and research experts at the opening of the Northwest branch of AgroNigeria in Kaduna State.

    As the special guest, Ikani lamented the impact of the insurgency across the region, noting that  it has taken a toll on the output of crops.

    He said: ”We have watched helplessly as farms turn battlefields, farmers chased away and produce destroyed. This is due to the terror acts then prevalent in the north. Thankfully, the military has recorded commendable progress in terms of addressing this scourge. As stakeholders, we cannot fold our hands and wait until everything is done for us by the government. We need to rise and strive to start all over again. The government is ready to support farmers with loans and incentives to go into production of crops and rearing of animals. Researchers here present, I urge you to please join hands with farmers in introducing new and profit oriented ideas that would help the sector grow.”

    He continued: “The farmers here represent the national farm community and so whatever we collectively come up in research with a feedback from the farmers will help the sector grow. The presence of AgroNigeria in Zaria is to bridge the information gap while bringing interpretation of policies to the tables of the farmers. Let us join our hands together with AgroNigeria as a veritable media platform to preach the agriculture story,” the university don further enjoined.

    A crop protection expert, Prof Isa Onu of  the Institute of Agriculture Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria urged AgroNigeria not to relent in the pursuit of the growth of the sector while applauding the editorial depth of the magazine and quality of production.

    “I have held magazines and flipped through many of them. I can proudly tell you that there are no magazines now on the stands with the quality of AgroNigeria both in print and content,’’ Ikani said.

    The  Chief Executive Officer and Editor-In-Chief, AgroNigeria, Mr. Richard-Mark Mbaram, reiterated the dream of the company in ensuring that the agricultural sector gets the desired media mileage necessary for its continued recovery and viability. “We are committed to ensuring that no effort by anyone in achieving the agricultural dream goes unnoticed,”he said.

  • ‘Sylva’s returning to rebuild Bayelsa’

    ‘Sylva’s returning to rebuild Bayelsa’

    Nathan Egba is the Director of Media and Publicity, Timipre Sylva Campaign Organisation and the former Commissioner for Information and Strategy under the Sylva administration. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, he argues that the Bayelsa All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate is unstoppable in the December 5 governorship election because of his achievements.   

    Can you give us a background to Sylva’s first coming under the PDP?

    He was in office as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor, as you rightly pointed out and the party at that time had a tradition and a way of doing things, which he keyed into. So, there was a sense of impunity and because the state was a PDP state, you could do whatever you wanted and get away with it. As a candidate of the PDP, you are sure you will win the election; there was a certain degree of lack of accountability to the people. So, what matters to those in power was how to get the PDP ticket. But, today, because of the coming of the APC, that situation has changed totally. Again, because of what has happened to Sylva, how he was made to leave office and all the things he experienced while out of office, he has been sufficiently prepared morally, psychologically, mentally and even academically — because he has also used that period to upgrade himself academically — for office than he was previously when he was in office.

    What would you say is Timipre Sylva strongest point?

    The strongest point as a matter of fact is the people of Bayelsa. This is because the man in office today has governed the state so badly that he has singled-handedly popularized Sylva. Indeed, his actions in office are the biggest campaign for Sylva. Let’s be honest, about a year ago, nobody in Bayelsa would have thought of the possibility of a Sylva candidacy or his coming back to govern the state again. Cumulatively, the activities of the present governor have gotten to a point where people have said, look, there is no way we can continue with this man. He is so bad that anybody presented by a major party stands the chance of defeating him. That’s the reason why you have so many contenders for the APC ticket. It is that bad. So, the fact that he has been in office and the things he did while in office, compared to what Governor Seriake Dickson has not been able to do with all the money available to him, people have suddenly discovered that this man they have been vilifying all this while is not as bad as he has been painted. The fact that he was able to do all that he did at the time he was in office, with the little money available to him, suggests that he did well. For instance, he constructed 58 internal roads in the capital; all the roads crisscrossing Yenogoa. There are two parallel roads in Yenogoa. Before Sylva came to power, there are no connecting roads. It was Chief Timipre Sylva’s administration that constructed a network of 52 roads within the capital. With that people can now move freely within Yenogoa. He also did a major waterworks in Yenogoa, but you can’t believe it the present governor came in and, in the name of expanding roads within the capital, dug up the pipes that were to distribute water across the metropolis and threw them away. There is no neighbourhood in Yenogoa today that is enjoying pipe-borne water. This kind of thing is replicated across various sectors. For instance, there is this hospital that was started by the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, continued by Goodluck Jonathan and finished by Sylva. As we speak, everything you need to run the hospital is in place; in fact, Chief Sylva was arranging for the commissioning of the hospital before he was kicked off from office. The hospital today is exactly the way Sylva left it. Just because Sylva’s name is associated with the hospital, what did the governor do? He went to the same hospital complex and built another structure, which he called a diagnostic centre and another called doctors’ quarters. Meanwhile, the hospital that the diagnostic centre and the doctors’ quarters are supposed to serve is not functioning yet. His preoccupation is to put up something to overshadow the main project, so that he can then take the glory.

    When Sylva was in office, he came up with the idea of building one or two industries, which would eventually transferred to the private sector. He came up with a plastic industry, which was fully operational. In fact, I don’t have the figures, but I was told that in the first three months, it would have broken even. But, as we speak, the place is locked up and whatever equipment that is inside is rotting away. So, sector by sector, that is the situation. He came into office, instead of building on what is on the ground, he decided to look the other way and allow what others have done to rot away. And because he wanted to impress the people of Bayelsa, he decided to do so many things, but he eventually ended up not being able to commission any of them. The only thing he keeps talking about is one fly-over, which leads to nowhere because the end of the fly-over is the waterside. But, Sylva was able to commission projects under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Jonathan.

    But, the allegation is that Sylva did not do anything….

    That’s exactly what I’m telling you; that’s his approach to govern

    ance and it is a wrong approach to governance. There is a library as we speak, the Bayelsa State Library, it was started by Alamieyeseigha, continued again by Jonathan and finished by Sylva. As we speak, the doors of that library have not been opened since he got to office. But, the question is, what is the project that he did that one can mention? If you ask him, he will say: I have built bridges upon bridges; schools upon schools; hospitals upon hospitals. But, he would mention one specifically. Talking of hospitals, there is a state-of–the–art medical centre in Yenogoa called Diette Koki Memorial Hospital. It was started by Sylva and completed by him. It was former President Jonathan that commissioned it. I recall that he lauded the project, saying it is the type of project he would encourage other governors to emulate. There is also a Law School in Bayelsa. It was started by Sylva, completed and commissioned by him. There is also a school that was supposed to be a skills acquisition centre, but when Dickson took over, he turned it into Bayelsa State College of Education and named it after himself, even though he did not build it. You may recall that there is a hotel, which the former President said Sylva was chased out of office because he failed to complete it. It’s a 20-floor hotel. Sylva took it from the second to the 18th floor. Today, the project is exactly where Sylva left it; the man that benefitted because Sylva didn’t complete it did not touch it himself.

    How united is Bayelsa APC; there are reports of some groups going back to the PDP?

    Two gentlemen, Senator John Brambaifa and Alex Ekiotenne, are behind the defection back to the PDP. Two men rather; I don’t think I can call them gentlemen. They came into the APC in August this year and returned back to the fold October of the same year. This obviously tells you that they came into the APC for a mission, which is to destabilize the party. Two of them, I understand, have been given appointments; one of them as the chairman of the Bayelsa Geographic Information Systems. So, to answer your question, the APC family is united. The two men behind this are interlopers who came into the APC for a mission and they have failed in that mission; that is why they quickly scurried back to the PDP. This does not in any way suggest that the APC family is divided.

    How cordial is the relationship between Alaibe and Sylva after the primaries?

    The relationship between Alaibe and Sylva is very cordial. Why I’m I saying so? This is because I’m very close to Alaibe and I’m Sylva’s spokesman. I can tell you that Alaibe is supposed to have been in this programme, but he went to Abuja for the swearing-in of the ministers and he also has an appointment abroad and is flying out tomorrow. I spoke with him yesterday; he told me that Sylva was at his house here in Lagos four days ago. Don’t forget that Alaibe has issued two statements, declaring support for Sylva. Beyond being a mind-reader, we can only judge with what we see and what we hear.

    In your view, what impact would Jonathan make in the election as former President?

    That’s a very interesting question because there has been a debate whether or not he can sway the votes. I don’t want to criticize Jonathan’s tenure in office, but for Bayelsans to be able to say they will go along with him, they ask themselves what he did for them when he was in office. As we speak, the East-West Road is about 70/75 completed. The only bad portion is the stretch from Bayelsa; if you get into Bayelsa, you will encounter the bad portion; as you leave Bayelsa, the bad portion ends. So, that is all I can say. The only other thing that came into Bayelsa during his tenure is the new federal university, which of course is located in his community.

  • I want to rebuild Nigeria, says Buhari

    I want to rebuild Nigeria, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has told civil servants, who are in the habit of abandoning their duties, to shape in or shape out.

    He said his administration would not tolerate indiscipline.

    The President, who spoke at the 2015 National Productivity Day and conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit award, said he had resolved to lead the productivity crusade  and directed the National Productivity Centre to put in place machinery for him to launch the Productivity Movement in Nigeria.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, the President also directed the establishment of  productivity and efficiency units in Ministries, Departments and Agencies to drive the change agenda in the public sector.

    He assured that the centre would be encouraged and empowered to ensure the implementation of this directive as well carry out its mandate of ensuring a productive nation.

    Buhari said: “We shall dedicate ourselves to the ideals of resilience, integrity, excellence, standards, goodwill, accountability, good governance, patriotism and productivity. The time has come for all hands to be on deck to work towards a new improved, recharged and productive Nigeria”.

    According to him, “…we are capable of accepting the challenges of nation-building by demonstrating that given the opportunities, we can be as efficient and effective as any group in the world.

    “This administration assumed office at a time morale was at its lowest in all strata of the society and the nation was functioning as a rudderless ship. There was a clear evidence that the system was not working the way it should and the people had lost confidence and hope in the government hence the inevitable clamour for change.

    “I wish to commend the  resilience of our people and the speed at which they respond to the realities of our time. Given the right political leadership and judicious management of human and material resources, the Nigeria dream can still be attained.

    “This is the onerous task that this administration has taken upon itself and we shall not rest in the quest to achieve this objective. All we need is your support patience, loyalty, patriotism and perseverance.

    “The mission of this administration is to make Nigeria a strong, strategic and proactive state through a deliberate, pragmatic and productivity-conscious programme of action. We want to rebuild Nigeria into a competitive, virile productive economy; a state whose citizens are creative, innovative, responsive, accountable, incorruptible, patriotic and diligent.

    “The society recognises that while inadequacy of resources is one of our problems, mismanagement of the little we have through corruption and impunity is the most impactful. To get to the promised land we must leave take the battle to the doorstep of corruption. “Corruption is dangerous and cancerous to the nation, and this administration is prepared to stay in bed with it. We are resolute in our commitment to fight corruption .

    “In consonance with our resolve to chart a new course for good governance, a great deal of premium is placed on making change a reality, especially through productivity improvement initiatives.

    “Our concern is to build a productivity culture. A culture that will not only think of a measure of production or amount produced, but how good the resources had been combined and used to achieve specific-designed results, in this regard. I shall personally lead the productivity crusade.

    “The National Productivity Centre is directed to put in place a machinery for my formal launching of the productivity movement. I will expect the governors to do the same in their states.

    “We have just started a race of four years. It is not a race that you run in one day and it ends there. It requires planning patience, tact and constant review so that we do not lose steam and begin to retrogress. We need to take one step at a time.

    “The public service, as the organ of government responsible for the formulation and implementation of government policies has a critical role to play in this new dispensation. It is my intention to hold the public servants collectively and individually responsible for the planning and implementation of the change contemplated by this administration. From now, it will no longer be business as usual. Excellence will be rewarded and mediocrity will not be tolerated.

    “Consequently, I wish to direct the establishment of productivity and efficiency units in all ministries, departments and agencies to drive the change agenda. The National Productivity Centre shall be encouraged and empowered to ensure the implementation of this directive as well as carry out its mandate of ensuring a productive nation”.

    In his address, Dr. Illoh said  increased productivity remained the key towards the realisation of the country of our dream, adding that there was need to demonstrate productivity improvement in our national life.

    Dr. Illoh, who was represented by the Director of Productivity Measurement, Mrs. Theresa Briamoh, said the history of Nigeria was replete with several missed opportunities from low productivity preventing the country from taking its rightful place as an economic giant in the comity of nations.

    He added that in the spirit of change for positive development, it was apt that Nigerians exploit the vast natural resources and other economic opportunities the country was endowed with.

    Those honoured on the occasion include Corps Marshall, Federal Road Safety Commission, Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication Technology, Dr. Tunji  Olaopa, Mrs. Uwemedimo Edet Asomugha, Saleh Dunoma, Ajibola Olasehinde Olabode, Marcus Danladi, Ijeomah Azubuike, Danliti Yahaya Isah, Comrade Lateef Idowu Oyelekun, Boboye Olayemi Oyeyemi, Anthony Chinwuba Ani, and Dr. John Alfa.

    Organisations honoured were Lubcon Limited and Artee Group.

  • Kwara community raises N13m to rebuild market

    •Saraki sends delegation to monarch

    Offa community in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State has raised N13 million to rebuild its burnt Owode Market, which was razed last week.

    Offa monarch, Oba Mufutau Gbadamo, spoke on the raised fund when he hosted a delegation from Senator Bukola Saraki, led by the Director-General of his ABS Constituency Office, Musa Ayinla Yeketi.

    The monarch expressed appreciation to Saraki for sending the high-powered team.

    He said: “Our community is deeply touched and we believe that all of us must stand up in our usual communal collaboration to come to the aid of the victims because there is no compound that does not have a person among them.

    “Besides it’s painful that people who fend for themselves now sit at home doing nothing.”

    The monarch added: “I had to quickly rush home from Umrah (lesser Hajj) to personally oversee the repair works and bring succour to the people.

    “We are aware that due to the economic downturn, the government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility. Therefore, we call on all and sundry to assist us. In fact, I have also decided not to go on Umrah during Ramadan because I cannot see myself out of the community when my people are in pains.”

    Oba Gbadamosi assured that Offa residents were praying for Saraki to emerge the next Senate President “because we are absolutely convinced that his choice will benefit the state and other part of Nigeria”.

    Yeketi’s team visited the victims and inspected the damage to the market.

    The team leader said Saraki was deeply touched because he considers himself a son of the town because of the love the people have always shown to him.

  • Help rebuild our library, Iguobazuwa residents beg govt

    Help rebuild our library, Iguobazuwa residents beg govt

    Presidents of Iguobazuwa in Ovia South West Local Government have appealed to the Edo State Government to help renovate and rehabilitate the only library building in the community.

    The library located at the community public field is a shadow of its former self. The roofs have been blown opened while the doors are destroyed and hanging loosely. A handful of books could still be found on some shelves. Rodents and termites have since taken abode in the library building whose surrounding is unkempt.

    It could not be ascertained when the library was built but Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, said he used to study in the library when he was in secondary school.

    The residents expressed their concern about the library at a stakeholders meeting organised by the League of Awareness in collaboration with Edo Study Groups (ESP).

    Rev. Ugolor in his speech recalled how he used to go to the library after school hours to read before joining his parents at the farm. He said it was the books he read at the library that helped to shape his present status.

    Ugolor who lamented the absence of a community bank at Iguobazuwa community despite it being a local government headquarters ascribed the situation to lack of unity among the people.

    He said the essence of the meeting was to educate the people on the wind of change blowing across the country to enable them key into it and warned against collecting money to vote during election.

    Rev. Ugolor said the meeting was for the people to cross check the development strides of Governor Oshiomhole with a view to knowing which political party meant well for the people.

    According to him, “Edo need a steady political system that would join forces with Iguobazuwa to ensure that the community is not forgotton by Oshiomhole’s administration”.

    “What is happening in Igoubazuwa cannot continue, we need change. I am not a member of any political party but I know Oshiomhole meant well for the people.”

    Former Commissioner for Investment, Public and Private Partnership, Dennis Idahosa, urged the people to work together for the purpose of developing the community.

    Idahosa said the community need industries, soft loans for farmers as well as a tertiary institution.

    Chairman of Iguobazuwa Development Association, Joseph Ohonbamu, said the money used to bribe voters during the general elections should have been used to create jobs for youths in the communities.

    In his speech, Chairman of Ovia South West local government council, Morris Ogunrobo-Ovia, described the meeting as the beginning for a better tomorrow for the community

    Lamenting the under-development of Iguobazuwa in spite of array of personalities from the community, the council boss revealed that his administration has taken deliberate steps to redress the situation by embarking on several developmental projects across the locality.

    The theme of the meeting was “ From Stomach Infrastructure to Sustainable Development,’’ in Edo State.

     

  • Urgent need to rebuild

    Sir: I was going on the road recently when some ‘boys’ repairing a fictitious pot-hole stopped the guy carrying me. They requested money from the innocent guy and when he couldn’t give them, I gave them N100. When they collected the money, come and see how they started hailing me. One of them even prostrated, and they continued like that till I left.

    I felt very sad. Is this what Nigerians have been reduced to? That moment, I felt a raw hatred for the Nigerian ruling class. In a nation of plenty, people of the same nation are living in abject poverty.

    It is sad that the same people that feel the effects of mismanagement and blue-black looting will still continue to harbour hope in this failed system.

    This nation has failed so many people. The growth of the economy happens in worlds they don’t belong to. The steady developmental rise is bookish and has no place in their own reality. Yet these same people continue to expect things to get better. These same people continue to hope that at 40 and earning N10, 000, the future is bright. These same people continue to believe the false hope sold to them by religion and its agents. These same people continue to ‘sow bountifully’ to maintain their preachers’ jets, while waiting endlessly for a bountiful harvest that will never come.

    The situation of this nation has never been clearer than it is now. Recycling leaders, changing party names and supervising mergers, perpetuating religious differences and championing regional sentiments will take us nowhere. Post-2015 polls will make it even clearer that the problems of this nation goes beyond individual failures and inabilities; you don’t patch up systemic failures this pronounced, neither do you repair it; you either overturn the system or you continue in the four-year national delusion that we have been practising for the past 16 years.

    Nigerians will have started on the journey to a genuine national liberation when they lose hope in this system and begin to organise to take the nation back from the thieving ruling class and inconsiderate ruling elites who are bent on not just looting the nation dry but also giving their children and friends the go-ahead to run the nation down.

    Our salvation lies solely in our hands; not in the hands of any party or any political aspirant. The day we discover that is the day we take the first step in the long and tedious road to a genuine peoples’ national liberation.

    James Ogunjimi

     

    Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State

  • Arik Air to rebuild hangar

    Arik Air to rebuild hangar

    Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Arumemi Ikhide, has said the airline plans to rebuild its an aircraft maintenance hangar in Lagos in partnership with Lufthansa Technik, the Boeing Company and Bombardier, the Canafian aircraft manufacturer.

    Ikhide explained that this month, Arik Air will sign an agreement with Lufthansa on the deal.

    He explained that when completed, the hangar will not only carry out major repairs of Arik Air aircraft, but other new generation aircraft in the fleet of other domestic airlines in the country.

    Speaking in an interview, after receiving the President/Chief Executive Officer of Canadian aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier, Mr Pierre Beaudoin, who visited the airline in a facility tour, Ikhide explained that the relation between Arik Air and the company could best be described as the greatest assistance from multiple lateral organisations.

    He explained further that at inception, Arik Air got the first set of Bombardier Aircraft the CRJ from the company, which is the best regional aircraft that Nigerian passengers are excited over.

    He spoke of plans to consolidate the relationship between the airline and Bombardier to involve other areas of airline operations, not limited to aircraft acquisition.

    He said very soon, when the number of aircraft type manufactured by Bombardier increases In the fleet of the airline, discussions on maintenance facility could be explored .

    Ikhide called on the Federal Government consider as priority acquiring the Bombardier aircraft type for domestic operators, in the window of purchase it is facilitating, as the aircraft type of better for the Nigerian environment in terms of cost, and other factors.

    The Arik Air boss expressed gratitude to the Bombardier President for his support to the airline, affirming that the robust engagement with the airline has accelerated its growth and development despite the inherent challenges of the Nigerian environment.

     

     

     

    Ikhide said that the utilisation of Bombardier aircraft, has assisted Arik Air in the development of new routes, even as he said the aircraft type is loved by many Nigerians.

    He said :” We are very happy that the president of Bombardier is visiting Arik Air, the company are the initiator of Arik Air, they gave us the opportunity to bring in the first set of brand new airplanes into the Nigerian airspace after almost 25 years by any domestic airline,.

    They have helped to create a new model of how to get new airplanes for the Nigerian market.

    Like I told the minister of aviation, what Bombardier has done through the government if Canada is the better than any foreign aid you can get from any government of the world.

    The aircraft type has been a forerunner for our business in the area of route development.

    Bombardier products are very good, that is why we have told the Nigerian government not to look the other way, but to acquire Bombardier aircraft for domestic airlines.”

    He further said :” We are on the last lap of signing an agreement on Match ,19, 2013 with Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, this is to enable us rebuild our maintenance hangar, that will take care of the repairs of our Bombardier aircraft, the company is buying into it, even, Boeing is buying into it.

    The hangar is going to be rebuilt, and it will take care of major repairs of aircraft, manned by Lufthansa personnel for the repairs of new generation aircraft of all airlines.

    This will be affordable for everybody.”

    In his comments, the Bombardier , President said :” This is a good visit to Arik Air, we started the partnership from the very beginning, and we helped to realise the vision of Arik Air of providing aircraft for safe flying in Africa.

    The airline has done very well, and we are very proud of Arik Air to partner with them.

    The African market is very interesting for us, what we see, is the need for Arik Air to lead other airlines to develop the regional network. In Africa there exists the challenge of regional connection, we are convinced that Arik Air as a regional leader, it could do much more.

    I am very impressed with the quality of work st Arik Air, the safety procedures , this is key to our partnership.”

    as worked tirelessly to strengthen the relations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone. He stated that the award ceremony was established in line with the directive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Receiving the merit award from the Sierra Leone High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Henry Macauley, Arik Air’s Freetown Manager, Mr. Femi Asun, said the honour would spur the airline to do even more to promote relations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

    Arik Air started operations toFreetown in June 2009 following the demand from both communities for direct air links between Sierra Leone and Nigeria ending years of limited access between the two countries. The airline now operates three weekly flights between Lagos, Nigeria and Freetown, Sierra Leone on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

    Arik Air’s Executive Vice President/Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue said of the new award:

    “We are extremely pleased with this merit award by the Nigeria High Commission in Sierra Leone. It is recognition of our effort to stimulate travel, ease the movement of goods and personnel, and provide affordable air travel between Nigeria and Sierra Leone is appreciated by the government and by the people of the two nations.”