Some people are praying for my failure – Uduaghan

Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Wednesday claimed that some unnamed persons in the state were praying for the failure of his administration.

He warned those he described as “perpetually bent on distracting his administration’’ that he would not succumb to any form of intimidation or threat.

Uduaghan, at the inauguration of new commissioners, special advisers and management of the state Direct Labour Agency and Waste Management boards in Asaba, also accused his detractors of employing “diversionary tactics.”

He regretted that some “political jobbers” had consistently threatened the peace and security of the state.

Advising them to stop or be dealt with according to the law, the governor noted that the actions of his
 detractors were capable of undermining the political system in the state.

He also urged them to “direct their energies to meaningful ventures instead of the current efforts to bring the state down.”

Uduaghan said, “Some people have been threatening this administration and they want us to fail.
 But we will not fail and no amount of pressure and threat will make us to lose focus.

“Let me also assure Deltans that we will not betray the social contract we signed with them and that we will
turn the pages of history to favour our people by improving their living standard.”

He called on the new commissioners to be sensitive to the needs of the people, reminding them that they
 were chosen to be part of the team that would transform the state.

He said, “It is my sincere hope that none of you will behave in anyway capable of betraying the
confidence reposed in you. I am sure your wealth of experience will be of immense value in the public service.
You must therefore follow due process, rule of law and accountability.

“Let me inform you that this administration wants to lighten the burden of our people;
alleviate poverty and provide modern educational and health facilities. We must not fail.”

He directed the DLA to rehabilitate roads in Asaba, Warri and other cities in the state and directed
 the WMA to remove all structures blocking the water channels.

punchng

Sale of govt firms: Probe panel split over Obasanjo

More startling revelations emerged yesterday as the Senate continued its probe of Federal Government companies sold by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). The investigation, which began on Monday, has exposed many shady deals involving the sales which were allegedly not authorized by the supervisory agency, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP).

The Senator Ahmed Lawan-led Ad-hoc Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation was yesterday split on whether or not to summon former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose administration witnessed the sales. Obasanjo ruled the country between 1999 and 2007. However, Senator Lawan insisted that no ex-President will be invited.

The committee agreed to summon former Power and Steel Ministers such as ex-Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke and ex-Governor of Gombe State, now Senator Danjuma Goje. The committee was told yesterday how a businessman and Chairman of Global Fleet Limited, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, was indicted in an audit report of KPMG. NICON’s preferred bidder, Assurance Acquisition Limited (AAL) accused him of forging the signature of the MD/CEO of N-Glory Development Nigeria Ltd, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo in the acquisition of NICON in 2005. The audit report indicted Ibrahim of stripping NICON of N6.3billion.

But NICON Managing Director, Dr. Emmanuel Jegede, who stood in for Ibrahim at the committee hearing yesterday, said that the company had been turned around with the acquisition of Air Nigeria, which currently has 11 functional aircraft. Committee members were yesterday divided over a proposal to formally invite Obasanjo over some allegations on his alleged involvement in some of the privatized companies.

It was gathered that after some revelations made before the committee about ‘certain directives’ from the President concerning sales of some privatized companies, some committee members canvassed the proposal that the former President should be “given the opportunity to state his own side of the story.” Although some members said that Obasanjo should be given the opportunity to formally respond to some of the allegations, others insisted that his presence was “an unnecessary distraction.”

Senators who wanted the former President to testify before the committee noted that, “the allegations against him since Monday, when this public hearing started are too weighty to be ignored. “This is the right avenue and the right time for the former President to clear the air on some of these privatized companies, particularly those who have come before us to say that they won the bid for some companies but were denied the right to take up their offers.”

But speaking exclusively to Daily Sun during the panel’s lunch break, Sen. Lawan dismissed insinuations that the former President would be summoned to appear before the committee.
“We are not inviting any former President. We are not for any sensationalism here. We won’t work like that,” Lawan said.

He, however, confirmed that former ministers of power and steel have been formally invited to appear before the committee. “We’ve already written to all the former ministers. I believe the secretariat would have sent their letters…”
Meanwhile, the panel was told how Ibrahim allegedly forged Dr. Okonkwo’s signature to acquire NICON just as an audit report of the KMPG indicted him of stripping the company of N6.3 billion.

Ibrahim, a lawyer, was represented by Dr. Jegede, who told the committee that when Global Fleet took over NICON, the company had acquired Air Nigeria and presently has 11 functional planes. Jegede noted that NICON has 1, 500 workforce with 60 branches across the country.
“NICON is the only insurance company where Nigeria has equity, yet, does not patronize the company. PHCN owes us over N2billion while Ajaokuta owes N763million. I took over in December 2005 with staff strength of about 750, which has increased to 1500.”

The debts owed NICON, he said, “resulted in full provision of N13 billion for loss on receivables who are not paying. This is coupled with the avoidable expenditure of N130 million on insurance levy as the incomes were recognized prior to privatization.” Jegede told the panel that some NICON properties which were tagged as assets have been forcefully taken over. He cited the “adjacent plot to the head office owned by NICON valued at N4 billion (which) was taken over to develop the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The audit report of KPMG Professional Services alleged that Ibrahim stripped NICON of assets worth of N6.37 billion. The report tendered by KPMG before the committee yesterday states that,“ the total assets taken out of the company either directly or through companies of wholly-owned and controlled by Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim and not properly accounted for amounts to N6.3 billion.”

NICON preferred bidder, Assurance Acquisition Limited (AAL) accused Ibrahim of forging the signature with which he bought NICON.

In a petition submitted to the committee by AAL representative, Dickson Osuala, claimed that the preferred bidder for NICON insurance was AAL before Global Feet allegedly took over the company from preferred bidder. Osuala submitted in his petition before the committee that Global Fleet never bidded for NICON but allegedly acquired it through fraud and illegality.
His words: “The paramount and subsistent issue I want to bring to the notice of this committee is that another company bidded for NICON Insurance and by diverse act of illegality, forgery and fraud; it was handed over to another company – Global Fleet”; he alleged.

“You heard BPE say that they handed over the company to the preferred bidder and that they handed it to the AAL. In the paper that we have submitted to the committee, we brought documents to show what happened.“It is AAL, a consortium of about six to seven companies that made a bid and they had technical proposals on what to do with NICON Insurance in order to boost its profitability and make sure that stakeholders benefit from the objective of privatisation.

“Ibrahim came, he did not bid but he was representing the first citizen of Nigeria and he said he should be with them. And we told him we did not know him.“The next thing he did was to bring a letter of Acceptance of Offer and informed them that he was a Director of Oceanic Bank. Oceanic Bank was offering financial advice and we were partnering financially, hoping also to participate in the equity.

“At this point in time, they told him they did not know him and that they know only Oceanic Bank. What happened was that Global Fleet and another consortium of companies that were not assessed, that were not interviewed, processed, that were not tested and hydrated during the time of the consideration of the bid was not given NICON insurance. A consortium of companies that had no plan whatsoever for the insurance company.”

As soon as Osuala finished his submissions, NICON pensioners, represented by Mr. Awa Mmaju, accused Jegede, the NICON MD, of lying before the committee. Mmaju pleaded with the Senate to reverse the sale of NICON and give the company back to Nigerians through government.

“What Jegede has been saying were all lies. When the valuation of the entitlement was made, I told them that what they had done was not correct and I wrote BPE but each time the letter get to them, they will not take any action until recently. The privatisation of NICON is a bigger fraud.
“They are talking of 70 per cent sale and in the document I have here, it is stated that the company is entitled to 61.9 while the government is 39 per cent and they are talking about 17 billion as required by capitalization.

“You will remember sir that the government took over NICON in 2007 when they did that, they appointed the team of foreign auditors – KPMG, which came up with a report that between the time the corporation was taken over by Jimoh Ibrahim and the time government intervened, that they have made a substantial loss of N13billion.

“It was KPMG that recommended the co-investor to put in over N17billion to revive the company and they were directed to pay it into an Excess Crude Account in Central London.
“I want Jegede to confirm that this money was paid into the account. Everything about the sale of NICON was shrouded in doubt and there was no sale of NICON in the first instance.
“I urge that they give back the company to Nigerians. They have reduced the staff strength from 1100 that it was by the time they took over to 200. If you go to NICON plaza, it is in shambles.”

Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has expressed dissatisfaction over the revelations so far, saying, “it is now obvious that those who have been at the helm of affairs since 1999 merely appropriated Nigeria and her commonwealth to themselves through various fronts, including foreigners.”

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Secretary-General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, CNPP described as scandalous and willful, the sale of the nation’s enterprise at ridiculous give-away price when there were higher bidders for such.

“It is scandalous that some of Nigeria’s assets were sold for less than a tenth of what they are actually worth, as was the case of $3.2 billion ALSCON which was sold for $130 million.
“The illegal sale of some of these assets, sold while there was no National Council of Privatization seating, is also a source of concern just like the cases of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) selling off five per cent of the Federal Government shares in the Eleme Petrochemical Company Limited for a paltry N4.3 billion when it did not have the mandate to do so.

“There is also the mind boggling rot in the Nigerian Telecommunication (NITEL), which ‘interests in high place’ will not even allow Nigerians to understand at this point,” Ezugwu said.
In a related development, BPE Director-General, Ms Bola Onagoruwa, was ordered by the Senate Committee yesterday, to submit total earnings from sales of privatized companies from 1999 to date. Sen. Lawan handed down the directive.

sunnewsonline

Forgery: Desperate Former Delta Legislator, Others, On The Run; AIG Detains DPO, DC

A former member of the Delta State House of Assembly representing, Isoko South constituency1, Mr. Benjamin Efekodho, is on the run for allegedly forging a police extract.

Also wanted by the police on the matter are Sunday Sabastine and Monica Efejemue of Ivori-Irri, Isoko South local government area of the state. 
Investigations into the issue have already yielded the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Isoko South, Mr. David Kromda and his deputy three days of detention at the hands fo the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5, Benin City, Mr. Baba Ahmed.
Mr. Efekodho was the PDP candidate in Isoko South constituency 1 in the April 2011 House of Assembly election.  He is currently challenging the victory of Mr. Benjamin Essien Okiemute of the DPP.  Police sources say he connived with the DPO and other officers in the police station to forge the extract which he, Efekodho used to file petition No EPT/DT/HA/17/2011 at the state and National Assembly elections petition tribunal sitting in Asaba the state capital.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the forged police extract, S/No 135, which was obtained by Mr. Efekodho through the DPO on May 15, has the names of  Mr. Sabastine and Ms. Efejemue as PDP members purported to have laid complaints, has the same serial number as an original extract earlier issued on the day of the election to a DPP member, Mr. Ike Christopher.
Mr. Christopher, from Emede ward 05 had laid a complaint of  irregularities against the PDP on the election day which was recorded in the police crime diary.  Unfortunately, the extract obtained by the PDP former lawmaker was not recorded in the crime diary.

It was reliably learnt that huge sums of money were allegedly given to the DPO and others who perpetrated the crime in favour of the PDP former lawmaker.

The forgery, it was gathered was discovered by the DPP lawmaker following a critical study of the PDP petition served on him where he discovered that the police extract attached to the petition carried the same serial number as the one he obtained on the day of the election.  The investigation which followed revealed that the extract was forged.
A furious AIG Ahmed, when the matter reached him, was said to have ordered the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Manman Tsafe, to make the DPO and his deputy available.  They were then said to have been detained for three days by the AIG, who issued a matching order to find the former lawmaker and others linked to the crime.
All effort to speak with Mr. Efekodho on the issue proved abortive.  When contacted, the DPO Mr. Kromda, neither denied nor owned up to the allegations.

By Citizen Reports

Ex-Oyo State Governor, Kolapo Ishola Is Dead-The Nation

Former governor of old Oyo State, Chief Kolapo Ishola, passed away early this morning in Ibadan, the state capital few hours after returning from United Kingdom.

Ishola, who administered the state between 1992 and 1993 marked  his 77 th birthday last June .
The former governor , according to the immediate past chairman of Akinyele local government, Hon. Segun Olayiwola, must have passed on between 6 and 6.30a.m in the morning, after reading a portion of the bible.

“  At 5a.m,a relative called him (the late governor) on phone to inform him about the death of a friend, Alhaji Agba at Moniya.“

"The late Governor expressed shock over the death. He thereafter demanded for a bible. He then read from psalm 101 to 109 . Later he told the family he would like to have some rest, that was about 6a.m in the morning. It was from the sleep he passed on," Olayiwola said .

A source at the University College Hospital { UCH}, Ibadan revealed that the late Ishola was brought to the hospital “already dead" at 8.30am on Tuesday, while his lifeless body was reportedly taken to the Anatomy Department of the hospital .
At his Ikolaba, Ibadan residence throngs of sympathizers besieged the family house to condole with the family .A condolence register has since been opened at the family house.
The state governor, Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, in his condolence lamented the death of the former governor,  stating that he left the scene at a time when his contributions were most needed by the government and people of the state.

By Oseheye Okwuofu

Un To Monitor Ogoni Oil Spill Clean-up

From Laolu Akande, New York

THE United Nations (UN) is said to be planning a close monitoring of the cleanup of Ogoni oil spill recommended by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in its report last week.

According to Martin Nesirky, the spokesperson to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN leader is being briefed about the details of the UNEP report, which called for the biggest oil spill cleanup ever recommended.

Although Nesirky did not state what the initial reaction of the secretary-general was to the report, UN sources say the matter is high up  on  Ban's agenda considering his global concern against pollution generally.
The UN sources added that the entire UN system especially the UNEP and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would be deployed with specific instructions to help Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and the oil companies involved, especially Shell to conduct an acceptable cleanup that is to last several years.

The resolve of the UN to conduct an effective follow-up according to sources is because the UNEP report itself detailed how oil companies and the Nigerian government failed to meet their own standards, and how the stipulated process of investigation, reporting and cleanup was deeply flawed in favour of the oil firms and against the victims.

For instance, while in the United States (U.S.), oil spills get immediate responses in order to avert community and media uproar, in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, where there are far more incidents of pollution, response if it comes at all can take as long as months.

Besides, sources say it would take a concerted effort to ensure that local contaminated areas in Ogoni are cleaned up in as long as five years, and the heavily-impacted mangrove areas and swamplands could even take a much longer number of years  - as much as up to 30 years.

Short of an international focus and monitoring from a credible body like the UN, the cleanup may easily become a mirage, a source stated.

Equally, the report itself asked that all sources of ongoing contamination must be brought to an end before the cleanup of the creeks, sediments and mangroves can begin.

Indeed, western media outlets and non-governmental organisations have since been awash with comments on the findings of the UNEP, which has called for what is deemed as the biggest ever oil cleanup in world record.

For instance, Amnesty International while commenting on the UNEP report said "oil companies have been exploiting Nigeria's weak regulatory system for too long."

According to Audrey Gaughran of Amnesty International, the process of reporting and investigation of spills in Nigeria do not "adequately prevent environmental damage and they frequently fail to properly address the devastating impact that their bad practice has on people's lives."

Regarding follow-up measures, the UNEP report recommends establishing three new institutions in Nigeria to support a comprehensive environmental restoration.

A proposed Ogoniland Environmental Restoration Authority would oversee implementation of the study's recommendations and should be set up during a transition phase, which UNEP suggests should begin as soon as possible.

The authority's activities should be funded by an Environmental Restoration Fund for Ogoniland, to be set up with an initial capital injection of $1 billion contributed by the oil industry and the government, to cover the first five years of the clean-up.

A recommended Integrated Contaminated Soil Management Centre, to be built in Ogoniland and supported by potentially hundreds of mini-treatment centres, would treat contaminated soil and provide hundreds of job opportunities.

The report also recommends creating a Centre of Excellence in Environmental Restoration in Ogoniland to promote learning and benefit other communities impacted by oil contamination in the Niger Delta and elsewhere in the world.

Reforms of environmental government regulation, monitoring and enforcement, and improved practices by the oil industry are also recommended in the report.

The UNEP report stated already that the environmental restoration of Ogoniland oil region could prove to be the world's most wide-ranging and long-term oil clean-up ever, if contaminated drinking water, land, creeks and other ecosystems are to be brought back to full health, according to a UN report.

It could take 25 years to 30 years, with an initial investment of $1 billion just for the first five years, to clean up pollution from more than 50 years of oil operations in the Niger Delta, ranging from the "disastrous" impact on mangrove vegetation to the contamination of wells with potentially cancer-causing chemicals in a region that is home to some one million people.

The independent scientific assessment, carried out by the UNEP over a 14-month period, showed greater and deeper pollution than previously thought after an agency team examined more than 200 locations, surveyed 122 kilometres of pipeline rights of way, analyzed 4,000 soil and water samples, reviewed more than 5,000 medical records and engaged over 23,000 people at local community meetings

Nigeria To Import Fuel From Niger Republic

Government of Niger Republic would begin exportation of refined petroleum products to Nigeria by the end of this year, the country’s leader, President Mahamadou Issoufou, has said.

Speaking Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, Issoufou explained that the planned export of products to Nigeria would be aimed at bringing succour to residents of Northern Nigeria, whom he said would be getting supplies of the products from Zinder Refinery in Niger Republic.
 The Nigerien president was in the country to hold bilateral discussions with President Goodluck Jonathan on matters of common security especially trans-border crimes, which have negatively impacted on the sub-region.
Speaking earlier, President Jonathan told the Nigerien leader that Nigeria was prepared to cooperate with her neighbours to tighten security and to check crime and terrorism.
 He said: “Terrorism and trans-border crimes pose a serious security threat to all our countries.  So, we will strengthen border patrols and other areas of cooperation with our neighbours to ensure the safety of our citizens.”
On food security, Jonathan said Nigeria had plans to exploit its gas resources to further agricultural activities through production of power and fertiliser that would best suit the soil of the sub region.


Jonathan assured Issoufou that Niger Republic would be readmitted into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the community’s next summit.He also said the readmission of the country had become imperative in the light of the “full democracy” that had been restored in Niger Republic.


He warned against reported attempts at unconstitutional change of government, which he said would not be tolerated.
 Jonathan assured his Nigerien counterpart that he would work with the country in the areas of power, agriculture, rail transport and water supply and re-invigoration of the Nigeria- Niger Joint Commission.


Responding, Issoufou said he was equally worried by the proliferation of small arms in the region and expressed fears of security challenge.
 He said he was looking forward to agreements between Nigeria and Niger on how to achieve results in the listed areas of cooperation and called for immediate joint patrols between both countries.


He expressed gratitude to Nigeria over her role in the restoration of democratic rule in his country and assured Jonathan of Niger’s cooperation in the attainment of the joint goal of common security.


source

Demons on our expressways

If anyone has entertained doubts, up till now, about insecurity on the nation’s expressways, the recent brutal crushing of no fewer them 14 passengers to death at Kabba, along the Okene – Abuja expressway should bring out that fact in bold relief.

The passengers, with their different life stories, concerns and aspirations, were first victims of vicious armed robbers who made them lie flat on the expressway as they were robbed. An unsuspecting, on-coming articulated vehicle thereafter ran over them, killing 14 and injuring many more. Initial reports had earlier put the number of the dead at 50.
The different stories of the passengers that have been splashed across many national newspapers are touching. There is the story of the man who lost a wife and child who travelled to Owerri to see aged parents she had not seen for five years, and never returned to her husband and other children in Abuja. There is that of the pensioner called Pa Ezirim on the way to Abuja for a pensioners’ verification exercise, accompanied his son who just got married last year. The son died in the incident.

This is the third time that passengers are being crushed to death after being made to lie down on an expressway by armed robbers. The first incident reportedly occured in July 2009. In February, last year, many luxury bus passengers were again crushed by oncoming vehicles on Ore-Benin highway when they were forced to lie down by robbers who used them as human shields to stop other on-coming vehicles. These gory incidents have once again brought to the fore the dangers of travelling on our expressways for many years now, especially at night. Yet, night travelling is preferred by many Nigerians.

The dilapidation of many of the nation’s expressways has been a major cause of road accidents claiming lives of travellers. From the Apapa-Oshodi expressway to Ibadan- Lagos expressway, Shagamu-Ore-Benin, Owerri-Onitsha and the Kogi-Abuja route, poor state of roads has been contributing to road accidents, causing loss of lives and property.
Armed robbers who seize the opportunity of failed sections of these roads to attack innocent citizens have been having a field day, making travelling a nightmare. In spite of all efforts, potholes on expressways have become a veritable menace to road travel.

This situation is worsened by the soaring cost of air travel occasioned by the rise in price of aviation fuel. For some weeks now, the cost of a one-hour flight by air has skyrocketed from about N14, 000 last year to between N28,000 and N32,000 today, further taking air travel out of the reach of the average Nigerian.

Transportation by rail and water are not developed to support massive movement of the people. The net effect is that with only a limited number of Nigerians financially buoyant enough to afford air travel, the majority of the people have to travel by road whether they like it or not.
The challenge before the government, therefore, is to make road travel safe. The way to do this is to first make the roads motorable. Even if whole length of dilapidated expressways cannot be reconstructed, failed portions should be repaired immediately.

It is disgraceful that huge potholes remain unfilled for so long. In the case of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, it took a major outcry to move the government to begin repair of the failed section around Rainbow Bus Stop.
Before the repairs began, vehicles, including articulated vehicles, had been falling into the deep hole in the centre of the road virtually every single day, for about ten days.

Again, growing insecurity makes our roads even more dangerous. Armed robbers often operate without hindrance on bad portions of expressways as happened in the latest incident.
There is also no provision for security on most of the expressways. There is neither lighting nor security patrols at night. As a matter of fact, many of the most vicious attacks on travellers happen in the night, when Nigerian policemen can hardly be found on patrols, even within cities and towns. Provision of good roads is one of the responsibilities of the government. To secure the people against human and physical “demons” on our roads, they need to be made motorable and secure.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), sometime ago, identified failed portions of expressways nationwide. The Federal Ministry of Works should fish out the document on this and effect repairs on them.
Safe and efficient transportation is critical to economic development. Easy movement of people and goods will boost business and social relations. The government has a responsibility to meet this basic social need in the interest of the people.
I sympathise with the families that lost loved ones in this incident. Improving the condition and security of our expressways is a must if Nigerians are to be saved from recurrence of such sad incidents in future. Let everything possible be done to keep “demons” off our expressways.
Mailbox
What the president is doing right now reminds me of that greedy proverbial hunter that killed an elephant but was scrambling to pick a snail on his way home. I was shell-shocked when I heard about that proposal. Roughly four months after the president got a mandate to serve the country for the next four years, it’s too early to start bothering anyone with six-year single term proposal. I think Mr. President should apologise to Nigerians and quickly send those advisers that sent him to go town with the proposal packing.
Ifeanyi O. Ifeanyichukwu
Abuja, 07030981551
You should know that since the PDP came to power in 1999, it has had no agenda for the country, so, even if another person comes in 2015, he will not know what to do.
08033566878
Please tell the president to focus on governance, not tenure elongation. He should not use diversionary tactics for his non-performance. Concerning Rotimi Amaechi, he was saying he can’t pay minimum wage, but he can buy private jet of about 8.7 billion for himself. So, you can see how selfish our so-called leaders are.
Tayo Tola Agbaje
Garki, Abuja 08056373583
The issue of six-years single tenure is a distraction. It is not necessary. Nigerians are yearning for good governance.
Gordon Nnorom, Abia State
08062887535
Your piece on ghost workers and the national minimum wage refers. Your write ups which plead the cause of the common man are appreciated, not only by the people, but also their creator. Bravo, for one reaps what he/she sows.
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