Abuja — The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, COAS, General Azubuike Ihejirika, has accused some northern elders of insensitivity to the sacrifice being made by the country’s armed forces and disseminating misleading information on the fight against terrorism.
Reacting to a statement credited to some Northern elders that he should be dragged before the International Criminal Court, ICC, for crimes committed by soldiers prosecuting the war against terrorism, the retired Army chief said such a call was misconceived and capable of demoralising soldiers making huge sacrifices for the nation, as well as jeopardising the war against terrorism.
*Ihejirika
Speaking with journalists at the State House, Abuja, after attending service at Aso Villa Chapel, Gen. Ihejirika accused the northern elders of not even bothering to send condolence messages to the military which had lost personnel fight terrorists in the North.
He said the elders should instead be thanking the military for making the sacrifices to keep the North safe, a situation the same elders stood to benefit more from.
He said: “My reaction to that is that their statement is ill-conceived, perhaps based on some misinformation.
“The northern elders should be thanking the service chiefs, my officers and myself for making huge sacrifices, first, to see that Nigeria is safe and the north in particular, since they are the first beneficiaries of the sacrifices being made.
“There is no senatorial zone in this country that has not lost a personnel of the armed forces. It is unfortunate that the same elders, if they are really elders, have not cared to send a single condolence message to the military.”
“I think that their statement is discouraging and it impacts negatively on the counter-terrorist efforts because as we speak, there are soldiers that have not had a meal since yesterday because of the peculiarity of where they are at the moment.”
General Ihejirika, however, expressed optimism that the fight against terrorism, which had been boosted by recent strategic measures, would very soon be over as the terrorists would be wiped out.
“It has been very busy thing. I believe that very soon Nigerians will be very happy because we have put quite a number of structures in place.
“I want to say that with some equipment and training that were carried out in recent days, there will be little or no hiding place for the insurgents,” he said.
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ABUJA—Former President of Ijaw Youth Congress, IYC, and leader of Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Dokubo Asari, has said that those scheming to remove President Goodluck Jonathan from office were fanning the embers of war in Nigeria.
He also accused Northern leaders of creating the atmosphere of insecurity in the country.
Asari, who addressed newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, recalled that the Isa Kaita, who he said represented a collection of Northern oligarchy, had prior to 2011 general elections, declared that they will make Nigeria ungovernable for Jonathan should he eventually emerged as President, pointing out that incessant bombings and killings credited to the North-based Boko Haram was the manifestation of the threat by Kaita.
Asari also said the North will be the greatest losers should the war begin. He said: “On Boko Haram, the North will lose. We are just waiting; they will push us to an extent where we will tell Goodluck Jonathan that he is on his own. But what will happen will be one that will be unimaginable in the history of the world.
“We will cut them (the Northerners) off from the world. We are capable of doing that. There will be no food and they will pay dearly for their actions. This war will be no joke. There will be no army to prosecute the war for them. When the war starts, other ethnic groups like the Yoruba will tell the North ‘you are on your own.’
“We are saying that nothing must happen to Jonathan because if anything happens to him, the world will know. The arrogance of Boko Haram is un-Islamic. The type of bomb they are using is small. If we begin to throw bombs, nobody will stay in Abuja.
“We don’t manufacture bomb but we will buy them and dynamites. I started armed struggle in the Niger Delta. It is because of Goodluck Jonathan that we kept quiet.
“But soon, we will not be able to guarantee our patience any more. If Ijaw people should retaliate, every household in the North will cry. It is the North that needs peace more than us. Everybody must impress it on them that they should sheathe their swords and drop their arrogance.â€
Asari said it was an insult on President Jonathan for him to be asked by Boko Haram to convert to Islam or resign his position. He warned that the Ijaw nation will retaliate should anything happen to Jonathan.
He urged President Jonathan to urgently convene a Sovereign National Conference, SNC, which he said was long overdue, to determine the future of Nigeria amidst the ethnic nationalities.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Canadian government has denied cancelling President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to the country.
Canada through its embassy in Abuja debunked media reports that it cancelled a scheduled visit of the president because he signed the anti-gay law.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, the Canadian Counselor in Abuja, Ms. Alexandra Mackenzie said there was no scheduled visit of Jonathan to the country.
Responding to an inquiry from our correspondent, Mackenzie said, “Canada and Nigeria enjoy shared interest in expanding opportunities for economic, social and security cooperation between our two countries.
“No visit is scheduled. However, we look forward to the opportunities of welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan to Canada at a future date.â€
Our correspondent, however, gathered that the two countries had for some time been exploring diplomatic channels to arrange a visit for President Jonathan to Canada before he signed the anti-gay law.
A source in government, who confided in our correspondent said, “It is true that the two countries are working towards the visit of President Jonathan to Canada, but the arrangement has not been concluded. You cannot cancel a visit that has not been scheduled. The arrangement is still on but no date has been fixed.â€
Jonathan on January 7 assented to the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2013 which criminalises same-sex relationships in the country.
On January 14 when it became public that the president had signed the bill into law, the Canadian government openly expressed concerns over the law.
In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja by the Canadian embassy, Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, said the country would continue to speak against the criminalisation of gay marriage.
“We call on Nigeria to repeal this law and to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Nigerians regardless of their sexual orientation,†Baird said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
As part of its continuous quest to curb fraud, the Commissioner of Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Tunde Ogunsakin, has said the unit succeeded in recovering the sum of N6.5 billion from suspected fraudsters last year. Ogunsakin, who made this disclosure Monday at the unit’s headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos, during an interactive session with journalists, said 13 exotic cars were also recovered from different parts of the country. He also said the money recovered were from a total of 1,142 cases including fuel subsidy, bank frauds and other fraud-related incidents, which were reported to the unit from January to December 2013. “We also recovered the sum of $931,069, and out of the 1,142 cases, we have about 600 cases under going prosecution. The unit recorded four convictions and five judgments in all,” the commissioner said. He lamented that although the judiciary made it difficult for fraud and corruption cases to be prosecuted, a substantial part of the recovered money was from the fuel subsidy fraud cases. Ogunsakin said the unit tackled different subsidy fraud cases based on referral from the Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payment. He said the different cases of criminal diversion of subsidy funds against about 11 major oil marketers were referred to the unit by the federal government for investigation and subsequent prosecution in court of law. Armed with the petition, the police commissioner said detectives from the unit swung into action and investigated regulatory agencies in the maritime sector such as NPA, DPR, Navy, NIMASA, Customs, CBN, commercial banks, shipping companies and depot operators. He noted that from the findings and investigations conducted so far, substantial evidence of criminal infractions was adduced against some of the oil marketers. “A good number of those indicted have been arraigned in the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, for prosecution while investigation on other cases is still ongoing. “Our challenge in this guise is that most cases related to subsidy are crimes committed outside the shores of Nigeria, hence, it requires international contact and investigation to conclude most of the case,” he said. However, Ogunsakin said worthy of mentioning was the fraud allegedly carried out by management of companies like Stonebridge Oil Limited, Eurafric Oil and Coastal Services Limited, Geacan Energy Limited, Capital Oil and Gas Industry Limited and Gulf bank which accounted of N15 billion. “Stonebridge Oil Limited received the sum of N1, 784,715,258.14 as subsidy under the guise that he discharged 20,187,353.00 litres of petrol on July 29, 2011, which it claimed to have imported into the country via vessel MT Brave Ex, MT Starling Ex and MT Pyxis Delta. “Further investigation by the unit revealed that vessel Pyxis Delta did not carry petrol on the date claimed and never discharged any product into MT Brave through MT starling as claimed by the marketer. “Also, investigations revealed that MT Brave was in Port Harcourt waters during the period and was never anywhere near offshore Cotonou where the marketer alleged that the ship to ship transfer took place,” he disclosed. On its part, Ogunshakin said Eurafric Oil and Coastal Service Limited received the sum of N1, 306,170,995.88 as subsidy money from the federal government under the guise that it discharged 17,836,556 litres of petrol on December 21, 2011, which it claimed to have imported via vessel MT Dani Ex, MT Hellenic Blue. The SFU boss revealed that investigations also conducted by the unit revealed that MT Dani was nowhere near offshore Lome and did not have any ship to ship transfer from MT Hellenic Blue on the alleged date. Ogunshakin said most intriguing in all the cases investigated so far is that of the defunct Gulf bank where about N15 billion was fraudulently diverted by some senior management staff of the bank which represents about two percent. He said: “Our experience on bank fraud cases reveals the insider’s factor in the crime, and this is the most delicate and slippery part of investigation of bank frauds. Huge funds are lost to bank fraud. “80 per cent of which are conceived and perpetrated by top executives of the banks in collaboration with outsiders. In order to conceal the frauds, top executives deliberately manipulate records to deceive inspectors, internal and external supervisors and investigators.”
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In addition to the bid price, which is presently fixed at a minimum of N3.6 billion, the eventual winner of the wholesale frequency spectrum licence in the 2.3GHz band on auction by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will pay N374.6 million, according to sources at NCC. THISDAY gathered that President Goodluck Jonathan has already approved the extra payment. According to the pre-auction clarifications obtained from NCC, the winner of the spectrum will also be required to obtain a Unified Access Service License (UASL), which the telecoms regulator has valued at N374.6 million, as a precondition to becoming the wholesale broadband service provider, reports Technology Times. “A successful bidder without a UASL licence will be issued a WWASL licence upon payment of the specified fees,” said NCC, underscoring that it will also not allow the eventual winner to forge an alliance with an existing unified access licensee, a development that would mean not shelling out the N374.6m licence fee. However, if the winner currently has a UASL, it will be able to save the extra N374.6 million. If it does not, it would not be allowed to piggyback on any existing holder of the same licence, according to the telecoms regulator, which has thrown the bids open to existing telecoms licensees and new entrant companies that were duly registered under Nigerian laws. According to Technology Times, 16 companies have so far been issued unified access licences, including three of the big four GSM networks as well as companies linked with big businessmen like Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group; Visafone Communications owned by Jim Ovia as well as Smile Communications jointly-owned by Irene Charnley, former Director of MTN Group and Arab investors. The NCC said the joint bouquet of the N374.6 million Unified Access Licence (UASL) and the Wireless Wholesale Access Service Licensee (WWASL), which would be sold in the bids would speed up broadband development for the country. The telecoms industry regulator recently pegged a N3.6billion ($23million) reserve price for the single spectrum being offered for sale as part of a Presidential Broadband Plan to promote diffusion of high-speed Internet services across the country. The NCC, which is presently receiving reactions from bidders who have applied, said that with the emergence of the wholesale broadband provider, undersea cable companies that currently provide both wholesale and retail broadband services in the market would be made to adhere to licence restrictions. “The submarine cable infrastructure and landing station licensees will continue to provide their services based on their license conditions. The WWASL licensee may be a subscriber of the submarine cable infrastructure and landing station licensees for bulk International bandwidth. They are playing in different segments of the market,” the NCC said. NCC also conceded that bidders could pay in Naira in the dollar-denominated frequency spectrum sale. The regulator provided two accounts, one in Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc, where bidders hoping to pay in Naira can deposit their funds while adding that, “companies that wish to pay in Naira should pay the naira equivalent of the designated amount at the prevailing exchange rate for the date of payment.” “Presently we are receiving reactions from bidders that have applied and after that, we will begin receiving the initial bid deposit that will allow the bidders enter for the auction. What the NCC has done is to fix a minimum bidding price of $23 million and from this point, bidders can fix what they think they can pay and the highest bidder wins at the end of the day,” the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Mr. Eugene Juwah, said in an interview with THISDAY. The economic importance of the auction, according to the NCC boss, is that it would open business opportunities for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), that are on the verge of collapse. “The 2.3 GHz frequency spectrum is a wholesale spectrum, and what this means is that the operator who will eventually win it, will not retail it, and compete with end users, but will be bound by law to sell wholesale to smaller operators like ISPs. It also means that the ISPs will be able to buy little wholesale quantity to service their customers and in the process, remain in business of providing affordable internet service to end users,” he pointed out, adding that “frequency is like a rare commodity and the best way to sell it is to auction it and that is what the NCC is doing.” This auction process, therefore, underscores the plans by the industry regulator to foster penetration of high speed Internet services across the country. The licence on offer, in the upcoming bids, is the last 2.3GHz as three other companies had hitherto been awarded similar spectrum to deliver Internet services only to end users. The auctions would be an all-comers affair as companies that were duly registered in Nigeria could participate once they could shell out the stipulated funds and meet other pre-qualification requirements. THISDAY gathered that though existing telecoms companies were not excluded from the auctions, they were expected to scale stiffer pre-qualification.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The federal government Monday reassured Nigerians that the improved power situation across the country could only get better in 2014 as it moves to finalise repair works on the vandalised major gas pipelines, which had affected electricity supply to many consumers. Itthe nightmare associated with power supply. Nebo, who decried the nefarious activities of pipelines vandals, described them as worse than armed robbers, observing that the situation was more critical in Lagos State. On transmission, the minister said a transmission capacity of about 150 per cent was required to transmit what is generated, adding that a $4 billion funding was being put together by export-import banks from Europe and elsewhere to upgrade the transmission infrastructure in the country. On his part, Onolememen said the vast road rehabilitation efforts of the federal government was paying off as attested to by road users, including some lawmakers in the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), who travelled by road during the recent Yuletide. He promised that the Abuja-Lokoja and Benin-Ore roads would be completed by April while the Kano-Maiduguri, Lagos-Ibadan roads as well as the Second Niger Bridge, among others would be priority projects this year. Onolememen applauded the support of the Finance Ministry in the release of funds to enable his ministry achieve its mandate on roads. The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who aggregated the sector-by-sector strides of the federal in 2013, said the 2014 budget was anchored on inclusive growth and job creation, and would aggressively drive growth in all sectors of the economy. Okonjo-Iweala said contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the current administration had created over 1.6 million jobs with major impact in agriculture, road construction, aviation, and rail, among others. The minister said about N600 billion of the N1.1 trillion capital budget was utilised to execute projects across the country, assuring that 2014 would witness an even greater impact of the government. She, however, lamented the structure of government with the attendant huge recurrent expenditure, saying she had on assumption of office tried to bring this down in 2012 and 2013. She expressed regret that it had again risen to 74 per cent due to avoidable awards, military pension and arrears, among others. She said one of the ways of reducing the recurrent bill was through the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, which recommended the rationalisation of agencies with duplicative functions. But she said the snag was that such agencies were underpinned by legal framework, which required a repeal by the National Assembly. The minister appealed to the lawmakers to collaborate with the executive arm of government to actualise this. She stated the government had introduced reforms in its financial management system to check leakages via the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Management System (IPPIS) and the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS), and Treasury Single Account. On the unremitted $10.8 billion fund, the minister said efforts were still on to ensure that anything that was not spent accordingly is returned government’s coffers. Also giving breakdown of the 2014 Budget, Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr. Bright Okogu, decried the incessant demand of labour unions for increased pay, which had shot the federal government wage bills from N857 billion in 2009 to N1.72 trillion in 2013 Okogu said a situation where about one million federal government workers accounted for 37 per cent of the budget was not good for national development. He appealed to workers to consider other sectors of the economy.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
President Goodluck Jonathan has approved N14 billion to support dry season farming in 2014. This marks a measured increment in the support for the scheme, as the president had approved N9 billion for the same scheme last year. Jonathan disclosed this yesterday, while launching the Dry Season Farm Support Programme at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said his administration was poised to diversify the nation’s economy from over reliance on hydrocarbon resources to harnessing the potentials of agriculture. “We all know that Agriculture is the largest contributor to our gross domestic product (GDP) and is the largest employer of labour in our country. As a government, we are committed to diversify our economy from sole reliance on hydro carbon resource, our drive to unlock the huge agriculture potential in our country so as to assure food security and create wealth for our people,†the president said. According to him, it had become imperative for all Nigerians to have food on their tables. His said: “As a nation, we must feed ourselves. A giant that cannot feed himself or herself …, of course the weight of the giant will crush the weak legs if there is no food. It was in this regard that we launch the agricultural transformation agenda in 2011, with the hope of adding an additional 20 million metric tonnes of food to our domestic food supply to change their approach to agriculture. “We no longer treat agriculture as a development programme, we now talk about wealth creation not poverty alleviation.
The various states have testified and almost all the states are now involved in this agricultural transformation agenda. We have heard from the fertilizer producers, we have fixed that sector. “Before now, fertilizers were not getting to the farmers, sometimes the fertilizers that gets to them are adulterated with about 50 per cent of them filled up with bags and that will not encourage yield but government has been able to fix these lapses. Now farmers get the fertilizers through the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES).†Jonathan commended the relationship between Kebbi and Lagos State, saying, “while Kebbi State produces the raw materials, Lagos State buys the raw materials from Kebbi and goes ahead to process it.’ He noted that such a relationship should be encouraged, because “that is how it should be.†The president noted that from the brief he received from the Ministry of Agriculture, about six million farmers had within two years that the programme started, received their farms inputs via the mobile phone. “I am pleased that our nation is the first in Africa to launch this electronic wallet system (e-wallet) to enable farmers to receive subsidised farm inputs via the mobile phone.
We have had our challenges no doubt about that. In 2012, we witnessed a devastating flood, the worst in recent memory. “To me, it is the worst I have ever witnessed. Many predicted that we will have serious food crisis but when I interacted with the minister of agriculture, he assured me that we don’t need to worry that there will be food in the country. “What many did not know was that the GES had earlier reached over one million genuine farmers directly with high-yield seeds and fertilizers and a significant share of them had already harvested their crops before the flood. And more so, a great percentage of them farm in areas that were not affected by the flood†the president explained.
He noted that to further ensure that there was no crisis, he had directed that 40,000 metric tonnes of food from the nation’s strategic reserve be released to the country. Jonathan said the directive paid off, as it stabilised the country within that period, and there was no price increase in food stuff. “We provided a special fund of N9 billion to support our farmers to recover from the impact of the 2012 flood especially for rice production for which government is committed to achieving self sufficiency hopefully. High yielding seeds of rice including those that would tolerate flood as well as fertilizers that are provided free of charge to over 257,000 farmers in 10 leading rice producing states in the north, namely Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kogi and Niger States. “We want to thank our state governors for their strong support as they joined hands with the federal government to achieve this historic feat, together we can always achieve more.
Food is a primary vehicle to survival and we believe it is the right of every Nigerian,†he said. Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Mohammed Monguno, noted that after hearing the testimonies of the beneficiaries “it has spurred us to want to present a growth enhancement support scheme bill to ensure it becomes a law so as to prevent policy somersault by successive governments.†The Senate Committee Chairman on Agriculture, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, also noted that when his committee investigated the petitions against the fertiliser GES and e-Wallet process it was discovered that the noise was being made by those who had been thrown out of the fertiliser racketeering business. He added the e-Wallet had used one stone to kill two birds as it had increased the literacy of farmers and that for the first time Agriculture instead of oil was occupying priority in the country. The Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adeshina, told journalists that the N14billion approved by the president would be used to support the dry season procurement and cultivation of rice, wheat, sorghum, millet and groundnut in the North.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Joint military Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta Monday said it had impounded 20 barges and five boats laden with 1,348 barrel of crude oil suspected to have been stolen in Bayelsa State. The JTF said this in a statement signed by the the Media Coordinator, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, in Yenagoa. It said the barges and boats were arrested between January 9 and 19 by the anti-illegal oil bunkering patrol squads. Nwachukwu said the boats were intercepted in Bodo West River and Azagbene creek in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he said the troops also discovered two illegal oil refining sites concealed in Biara farmland in Akpor Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State and at Ajudaigbo in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. He said the illegal refineries were destroyed by the patrol team, adding that 18 surface tanks, 11 drums, four plastic tanks, two pumping machines and hoses were also recovered in the clamp down. Nwachukwu also disclosed that troops of 222 Battalion of Sector 1 of the task force , deployed in Kokori flow station in Delta, had arrested three suspects for allegedly syphoning crude oil from a flow station. He said the suspects had already loaded the stolen crude in 20 drums into a truck before they were intercepted. “The suspects are currently in the custody of 222 Battalion assisting in preliminary investigations before they will be transferred to a relevant agency for prosecution,” he said. He said the task force also carried out cordon and search operation at the hideouts of suspected illegal oil bunkering camps in Igbematoru community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa following intelligent reports. “The cordon and search operation which was successfully executed has so far yielded positive results as our troops have recovered several tools used for illegal bunkering. “The items include 103 pumping machines, 32 hoses of various lengths and diameters, 17 hard saw machines and eight adjustable spanners. “The troops also destroyed three illegal refineries and recovered a large wooden boat, 178 drums, 86 Jerry cans and several polythene bags concealed in sacks, all laden with stolen crude oil. “Four suspects arrested in the cordon and search operation are currently being processed for handing over to appropriate prosecuting agency,” he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
President Goodluck Jonathan will today leave Abuja, for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. At the forum, the president is expected to lead efforts aimed at attracting beneficial global participation in this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa, which would be hosted by Nigeria in Abuja from May 7 to 9. Jonathan will be accompanied and supported by key members of the federal government’s Economic Management Team from the public and private sectors, as well as the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). The president is scheduled to host special events in Davos aimed at boosting attendance at the economic forum in Abuja by leading players in the world’s political and economic affairs who meet in the Swiss winter resort annually. This was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati. The events, which would include an African soiree for participants, and an interactive session with financiers and industrialists, according to the statement, would also seek to further promote Nigeria’s immense economic potentials with a view to attracting more employment generating investments to the country. The theme of the WEF on Africa in Abuja – “Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs” is very much in tandem with the federal government’s economic priorities for this year as enunciated in this year’s national budget proposals. “It is expected that the forum will bring regional, continental and global leaders together in Abuja to discuss innovative structural reforms and investments which Nigeria and other African nations can buy into to sustain their economic growth, create more productive jobs for their youthful populations and greater prosperity for all their citizens. “While in Davos for the 2014 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum which has “Reshaping of the World” as its theme, President Jonathan will also participate in a televised session focused on actions needed to ensure that the currently positive economic growth trends in Africa endure and yield greater benefits for all stakeholders in the well-being and development of the continent. “The president will have bilateral meetings with other participating heads of state and government including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and also receive the chief executives of leading international conglomerates with interest in Nigeria before returning to Abuja on Friday,” the statement read.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Monday disclosed that it would commit about N800 million of its funds to offset the cost of repairing ruptured points on about 110 kilometres of its pipelines that convey gas and crude oil condensates. While briefing journalists on the status of gas supply to Nigeria’s power sector vis-à-vis the effects of vandalism on crucial pipeline networks that transport gas to existing
hermal power plants in the country, the corporation stated that about 480 metric million standard cubic feet of gas supply per day (mmsf/d), which is equivalent to 1600 megawatts (MW) of power, was currently lost to acts of vandalism on these pipelines. The Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, told journalists in Abuja, that majority of the gas supply shortfalls were traceable to the Escravos-Warri ELPS A pipeline which loses about 190mmcf/d and Trans-Forcados crude pipeline losing 230mmcf/d; both pipelines are approximately 60 kilometres and 50 kilometres long respectively. He noted that the remaining supply shortfall was due to maintenance issues at Utorogu gas plant and that contributes to a loss of 60mmcf/d. Also for Escravos-Warri ELPS A pipeline, Yakubu explained that about 20 different ruptured points were discovered with various magnitudes of damages, adding that ongoing repair works on the pipelines were due for completion. Flanked by the corporation’s Group Executive Director Gas and Power, Dr. David Ige, amongst others, Yakubu said: “When the initial assessment was done before we realised that there were many other points, the assessment was pegged at about N200 million for the interventions. “But as we speak today because of the multiple segments that were discovered later we are as at today about N800 million and that is exactly the situation as I speak today and before the close of the contract if we pressure test and the lines are certified ok and we are able to flow gas then we will sit down and assess the total cost of repair and then we will now demobilise the contractor.” Yakubu had before handing over proceeding to Ige to make further clarification on status of gas supply, explained that the corporation now considers such acts of vandalism on its gas pipelines as sabotage, adding that its perpetrators have now taken to wilful vandalisation of its gas pipelines. Ige on his part stated that: “The gas sector has been faced with a major challenge in pipeline vandalism and this has significantly eroded available gas supply to the power plants. The consequence of this was the current situation of sub-optimal supply of electricity to Nigerians. As at the last weekend, over 30 per cent (480MMsf/d) of the installed gas supply capacity was out due mainly to vandalism. This is equivalent to the gas requirement to generate about 1,600MW of electricity.” “The pipelines involved are the Escravos-Warri ELPS A pipeline (190mmcf/d), the Trans-Forcados crude pipeline (230mmcf/d). The remaining supply shortfall is due to maintenance issues at Utorogu gas plant (60mmcf/d). The outage of the ELPS A pipeline has been on for over 6 months due to a wilful act of vandalism at various locations between Escravos and Egwa location,” he added. He however assured that with its ongoing test-run on the repaired pipelines, gas supply through them will be restored to connected thermal plants within the next five weeks. “At the last count, 20 ruptured points have been identified, all due to deliberate dynamite explosion. NGC completed repairs in November and on commissioning in December, rapid pressure loss was experienced indicating further rupture in weakened locations. We have since effected repair of these new points and re-commenced commissioning activities. It is expected that, all things being equal, gas supply will be reinstated in the next three to five weeks,” Ige said. He added that: “It is important to explain to Nigerians the complexity of effecting repairs when a pipeline is ruptured in the swamp. It is a complex, expensive and time consuming process but we will start seeing improvements in gas supply to power between three to five weeks, following the interventions. “Sabotage is suspected in the matter because when dynamites are used there is no other thing to suspect but sabotage. Unlike crude oil theft where the money making is the motive, gas pipeline rupture is sabotage.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
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