from George Oraeki
A chieftain of the Arewa consultative forum ACF,in the south/south Alhaji musa saidu has decried the huge Indebtedness of N1.6billin owed him by the dredging International company,operating in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
Alhaji saidu who is the chairman of Arewa consultative forum in the region,in an interview with newsmen in Abuja revealed how the dredging company milkes Nigerian resources of 65million dollars on every seven months.
He said his romance with dredging International dates back 20 years ago,in the Niger delta.he is a scrap dealer who patronizes the company.
His commitments to the fortunes of the company,earned him admiration from the belgium Ambassador,especially when he was able to secure the release of four expatriates kidnapped by militants in 2007,without paying a dime to the militants.
following the services he rendered to the company,the Belgian Ambassador and its government opened a dommicilliary account for him in Belgium,and also secured him a six months visa,in addition to a memorandum of understanding MOU,was reached between him and the company to pay him 2 percent of 65 million dollars on every seven months.
Alhaji saidu explained that at the wake of late president musa umaru yarAduas administration,he met the late president at katsina,he approved a huge sum for dredging International.their first payment was paid to them by Alhaji hassan Dankwambo,the then Accountant General of the Federation.
Trouble started,when one of the official of the dredging International stephen pope told him to tell lie,to the Belgium Government that the Nigerian authorities demanded for a bribe of 500million naira.
Alhaji saidu as a patriotic Nigerian told stephen pope that he can not do such an evil to tarnish and bring the high reputation of the Nigerian government to the mud.
Stephen pope on taking over the dredging International management as its General Manager,stopped his monthly allowance of 200,000 naira.his 2 percent of 65million dollars,cut off,he boasted to him to go to court.that afterall Nigerian judiciary are corrupt entity.
Alhaji saidu is calling on the federal government of Nigeria to assist him,using diplomatic means to get his legitimate money from the belgium company.
Dredging International,is on the business of dredging,sandfilling,overhauling of pipelines.their sister company Bonny channels company BCC,clears the rubble in front of the Liquified Natural gas bonny Island.
The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Abdulahi Inde Dikko has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to come to the aid of his Service in tackling the rising tide of smuggling in the country. He said this on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 during a courtesy call on the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde at the Headquarters of the Commission in Abuja. Dikko said smuggling of vehicles should no longer be blamed on innocent buyers but on the dealers. He threatened that Customs officers found harassing motorists over smuggling will henceforth be arrested. “Innocent people are harassed along the road while driving their vehicles which they bought legitimately from car dealers. The dealers that really smuggled these cars are left displaying the vehicles along the road with impunity. I will like to seek the assistance of the EFCC to attack the disease rather than the symptoms. The person who bought such cars innocently does not deserve the harassment being meted out to him by our officers. Honestly, such harassment is illegal. I have sent a message to officers harassing innocent persons on this issue that they will also be arrested”, he promised.In his response, Lamorde expressed appreciation to Dikko over his visit and promised stronger inter-agency collaboration and support between the Customs and the EFCC. He commended the Customs boss over visible improvement in revenue collection by his officers across the country and noted the cooperation extended to the Commission by Customs officers at various airports in checking the smuggling of counterfeit financial instruments to Europe and America. The EFCC boss urged Dikko to be more proactive in making his officers check bulk cash shipment out of the country stressing that the practice was becoming embarrassing. “We have made some few observations of recent, especially in the area of bulk cash shipment out of Nigeria. It is becoming a huge embarrassment for the country. I know that no single security arrangements in the airports can handle such situation. We have to come together in order to handle such embarrassing situation which is the affecting the image of Nigeria”, he said. Lamorde also urged Dikko to do something drastic about overtime cargo. He explained that there are rising complaints by members of the public about the auction. “The complaints are becoming embarrassing. Letters of allocation people are parading some dated 2007, 2008 and 2009 are quite embarrassing. I think we should form a team to look at where the allocations are coming from. Are the money paid into the coffers of the government? Are the allocations receipted? Or are they forged documents being paraded?” He suggested the designation of desk officers to handle relations between the two agencies, as their chief executives might be too busy to respond speedily to request for assistance.Dikko was accompanied on the visit by Mr. Musa Tahir, Assistant Comptroller General, Headquarters; Barrister Mohammed Umar, legal adviser and Joseph Attah, Public Relations Officer.
Delta State Governmentis to establish ten (10) industries this year to promote Medium and Small ScaleEnterprises in the state.
Announcing this duringa Town Hall Meeting with owners of SME’s in Asaba, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan listedthe industries to include four Fish Feed Mills and six Cassava ProcessingPlants.
He said governmentwould establish the industries but they would be managed by private investorsto make them viable and ensure efficient management.
Dr. Uduaghan who alsoannounced that the state government would set up Small Industrial Parks inurban centers in the state with emphasis on the establishment of IndustrialParks for shoe manufacturers in the state.
He disclosed that hisadministration has made adequate arrangement to partner with Germany on YouthDevelopment Program where the youths would acquire technical skills on variousfields of endeavour.
He therefore gaveassurance that infrastructures would be provided at various Industrial Parks toencourage investors to establish Industries.
The Governor said thatthe state has acquired 130 transformers and expressed the hope that whendistributed the current epileptic supply of power would be checked.
Dr. Uduaghan asked thebusiness community to invest and take risk explaining that the state has a lotof potentials which they could explore.
In an opening address,the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Mr. Kingsley Emu explained that theOne Billion Naira Loan to SME’s in the state was provided for by the stategovernment and the Bank of Industry (BOI)
He stated that theMinistry recorded about 80% default after the disbursement of 20% of the Onebillion naira loan noting that the Ministry had stopped further disbursement tomap out strategies on how to improve on the process.
Mr. Emu highlightedthe reasons for the default by Co-operative Societies to include lack ofability to appropriately manage the loan and lack of adequate monitoring andsupervision by the Financial Institutions.
Speaking further, heobserved that strategies have been put in place to ensure that the process ofdisbursement and refunding of the loan was improved upon to benefit moreDeltans.
“One of thestrategies, we have put in place is to encourage banks to assist SMEs withfunds and reduce their interest rate to enable them pay back within thestipulated period of two years.
One of theparticipants enumerated the problems they are facing as Small & MediumScale Entrepreneurs to include epileptic power supply, high interest ratecharged on the loan by Banks and equipping Vocational Centers in the state.
Another participant pleadedwith the governor to ensure that these loans are given to genuine SME’s ratherthan politicians usurping the available spaces for their candidates.
Gen Mohammad Buhari and Nasarawa Governor, Al Makura
The coming of the Congress for Progressive Change [CPC] governor of Nasarawa State came as nirvana to the people of Nasarawa State and to the members of the newly formed political party led by the former military leader of Nigeria, General Muhammad Buhari. The feeling on the day of swearing-in of the CPC governor on May 29, 2011 spelt nostalgia amidst the heavy turnout of the people of the State to witness a history in the making. To many, it was a euphoric dream come true. And to many, it dried teary eyes for the simple ejection of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] out of the governor’s seat.
But with nearly one year having gone by, the nostalgia appears to have begun a quick dissipation to give way for the realities of the newly sworn-in governor’s inabilities and/or probable in-capabilities in administrating the state affairs. The CPC governor who rode on the goodwill of the leader of the CPC, General Mohammad Buhari to gain his way into the hearts of Nasarawa people, made many promises to the people of what he will deliver within his first year in office. Like a trusting sheep of the shepherd, the people of Nasarawa accepted the governor’s promises. Unfortunately, after one year in office as the governor, Al-Makura found difficulty fulfilling any of his lofty promises.
Cursory examination of the activities within the various ministries reveals plenty.
Education Ministry –
Activity at the education ministry appeared null. The governor’s office exhibits acute symptoms of maladministration at this ministry. Independent investigation conducted by 247ureports.com showed limited activity at the ministry. On the first level, there appear no infrastructural projects on ground. There were no evidences of infrastructural development at the primary school level, secondary school or tertiary level. At the Nasarawa polytechnic, the workers and students have been on strike over nonpayment salaries. At the Science Secondary school in Lafia [the governor’s hometown] where 2,000 students attend school, only two Science teachers are on staff to handle the 2,000 students. To add muster, the Governor stopped the awards of scholarships to indigenes to study abroad or at foreign institutions.
Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives Ministry –
One of the governor’s promises was to revamp commerce and industry in Nasarawa State. In particular, he promised to build an airstrip in Lafia and cargo airport in Karu – but the promises lost its way to fruition. Cursory inquiry showed that there are no technical designs for the development to date and no readily available evidence that work has begun or that work will begin. Gov Al Makura promised to fix the fertilizer blending plant located in Lafia – that was built by former Gov A. Adamu – but the plant has yet to receive the promised attention. The said scenario plays out with the soap industry in Agwanga and the Karu International market. The Farin-Ruwa Hydro power project was one of the well received promises of upgrade and/or rehabilitation. The governor acted to appoint a company to rehabilitate the plant – but to date; there remains no activity resembling the start of work. The plant remains shut as a result.
Water Resources and Rural Development Ministry –
Financial handicapped farmers and residents of the rural communities Nasarawa State were promised rural electrification and a 33KVA extension to the national grid for all the Local Government Areas [LGA] headquarters. Cursory investigation shows that none of the LGAs has received the said 33KVA. Rural electrification has yet to commence at Duduguru and Igga. The water problem in Nasarawa State has been near epidemic, particularly the towns of Lafia, Nasarawa Eggon, and Nasarawa. In an effort to remedy the water shortage problem, the governor ordered for the overhauling of the piping system – guided by the belief that the problem was with the piping system. After the completion of the overhaul, the water shortage continued.
Finance Ministry –
The “state is bankrupt” exclaimed staff attached with the State Finance Ministry. Prior to arrival of Governor Al Makura, the State Finance ministry, according to official State figures, collected N250million monthly of Internally Generated Revenue [IGR] but with the arrival of the Al Makura, the IGR collection have averaged N600milion monthly – an increase over 130% revenue. In addition, the state, according to official state figures, received N97billion from a combined federal allocation, excess crude, NNPC differential bonus, dollar excess crude, VAT, etc. The supplementary budget of 2011, the year before his arrived, had a surplus of N12billion. In summation the governor, for his first year in office received in excess of N116.2billion. But salaries in the State remain unpaid – as the governor engages in a mass sack of workers [7,000] – through the guise of a worker’s screening exercise. For two months, there has been no disbursement of monies to the LGAs.
The Judiciary –
The judiciary receives the worst assault. A Court in Doma LGA in Nasarawa State operates under a tree [a cowshed] because they were evicted from their official court premises due to lack of rent payment. In Karu, Nasarawa State, a grade ‘A’ area court also operates under a tree [a cowshed].
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Interestingly, the governor who is reportedly prepping for an elaborate festive occasion to celebrate his first year in office has earmarked the sum of N915million for the event amidst a litany of promises lingering unfulfilled.
The governor promises failed him at the sport stadium which he told he told his people he will upgrade. The sport stadium at Lafia, Agwanga, Keffi – till date – bares no evidence of work being done. The sports academy at Agwanga is reportedly under decay.
Few months of assumption to the governor’s office, the governor shared 10 brand new Toyota Camry vehicles to friends and supporters [cronies]. Some of the recipients of the vehicles include – Attajiyah Rikiyah, Commissioner for Sport, and Youth [Daniel Ogazi], SA media’s dad and others. The cronyism of the governor was not limited to the bazaar of cars. He took daughter-in-law and placed her at the position of Executive Secretary of State Universal Basic Education Board [SUBEB]. He also took his sister-in-law and placed her at the position of Commissioner for woman affairs.
It begs the question where the N116.2billion has gone? With General Buhari preparing for the presidential contest of 2015 against the PDP, how much of the Nasarawa State’s funds [N116.2billion] may have found its way to the Buhari Campaign treasury?
Today, the House of Representatives announced it will summon the Honorable Federal Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji and the Chairman, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission [NERC], Sam Amadi to appear before the House Committee on Power to explain the rationale behind the planned increase in the electricity tariff. According to information available to 247ureports.com, both men were summoned today.
As gathered, the House committee on Power reached the decision to summon the power Minister and the NERC chairman following a motion moved by Yakub Balogun [ACN, Lagos] citing a planned increase in electricity tariff. As Hon. Yakub Balogun explained, the increase in electricity will cause “untold hardship on consumers in Nigeria” The Speaker of the House of Representative, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal agreed that there was a need to invite the minister and the chairman to the house committee on power to brief them on why the increase in electricity tariff.
Official reports indicate that the electricity tariff is scheduled to increase starting from June1, 2012. The chairman of NERC, in a recent public address to private investors reechoed the need for the tariffs to be adjusted to accommodate the increased cost of producing electricity in present day Nigeria.
Sources within the National Assembly [NASS] tell our correspondent that the invitation sought by the Action Congress of Nigeria [CAN] legislator from Lagos State, Hon Balogun may have not been in true faith. It is understood that the invitation is laced in political undertones tuned a possible macabre dance. The lawmaker is said to be in preps to attempt to soil the “clean integrity” of the Power Minister and the Chairman as they face the house committee on power. “Their target is the President’s agenda on power”, said the source who serves as an aide to one of the North East legislators.
Independent inquiry by 247ureports.com into the pending increase in electricity tariff revealed the power generation in Nigeria has been in the ‘red’ for a longtime. Power has been generated at a huge financial lose to the country. Official figures show that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria [PHCN] generated monthly revenue [through electricity tariffs] of N14billion to N18billion.
In December of 2011, it recorded a high of N18billion but in January of 2012 it recorded a low of N14billion owing partially to the oil subsidy strikes and internal transfer of workers from within the PHCN to other place – resulting to an internal strike at the PHCN.
At peak performance, PHCN generates monthly revenue of N18billion. But an official source within the Ministry revealed to 247ureports.co that PHCN “cannot meet her obligations” even at sustained peak performance. “PHCN needs to generate a minimum N22.5billion monthly to break even”. Presently, the PHCN owes debts to energy companies that will require repayment.
A few of the companies which the PHCN owes include –
Shell – $78million
AGIP – N50billion
Nigeria Gas Company [subsidiary of NNPC] – N10billion
Niger Delta Power Holding Company – N6billion
Ibom Power – N300million
The debt profile is reported to be on a steady increase according to experts at the Ministry of Power. They indicate that the debt will continue to increase until the monthly revenue is increased through either hiking the electricity tariff or clogging the uncontrolled loss in revenue to recipients of electric power without a metering device. It is estimate that the PHCN loses over 40% of its revenue to non-metered electric supply.
Acting on consultative capacity, the Ministry of Power detailed to the NERC chairman of the numbers involved in the production of electricity. It is gathered that the Power Ministry does not have the constitutional powers to increase electricity tariff –according to the 2005 Power Reform Act. The power rests with the NERC which operates as an independent entity. The Chairman is appointed by the Presidency along with the 5 Commissioners of the NERC which are selected from the various geo-political zones.
The invitation to the house committee on power may not serve the two men the opportunity to express themselves – as to the need to revise the tariff charges. His is because of the growing frustration within the residents of Nigeria who is yet to see the transformation of the power sector in real terms. It is believed that the opposition within the NASS are cognizant of the frustration – and so would pander to the frustration when the two men show up.
Sudan Council of Churches, Sudan Aid in South Darfur state shuttered without explanation
SOUTH DARFUR, SUDAN – (ANS)– Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that security agents in Sudan’s South Darfur state have closed down the Nyala offices of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) and relief group Sudan Aid, sources said.
CDN says that agents from the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrived at the organizations’ compound in Nyala at 8 a.m. on April 22, ordered SCC staff members to hand over keys of offices and vehicles and, without explanation, ordered them to leave immediately, an SCC staff worker said.
“Three staff members from Sudan Aid were arrested in the course of the closure and were taken to an undisclosed location, the source said,” the CDN story went on to say. “NISS agents also closed down a church clinic that was serving the needy in the area.
“The actions came as Christianity is increasingly regarded as a foreign faith to be excised from Sudan, which has begun transporting ethnic South Sudanese to South Sudan following the latter’s secession last year.”
An estimated 350,000 ethnic South Sudanese, many of them Christian, remain in the Islamic north, with many having never lived anywhere else. Sources told Compass the incident left churches in South Darfur, one of five states that makes up the Darfur region, deeply disturbed and frightened.
Sudanese aerial forces bombed a Sudanese Church of Christ building on March 28 in the al-Buram area of South Kordofan state, eyewitnesses from the area told Compass by phone. The sources added that life is becoming more difficult for Christians in South Kordofan as the Sudan government mobilizes Arab tribes, arming them with guns to kill the ethnic Nuba people.
When Abdulrasheed Maina was given the saddle to handle the pension task force team in the Head of Service pension office and that of the Police Pension Office, he was not aware of what he was getting into, but things began to unfold when the began. However, Abdulrasheed proper job Maina Pension Reform Task Team so far had made an immeasurable and remarkable success in their given task.
In an exclusive chat with the Chairman, Maina told this paper that so far a whooping N182 billion fraud had been uncovered with the assistance of the EFCC in pension offices across the country. The ongoing reform is yielding results according to Maina, as he said of the “N182 billion the task team in conjunction with the EFCC traced and recovered a total of about N24billion and N15 billion worth of property from some corrupt government officials in the Office of the Head of Service Pension Department. Sixty six illegal bank accounts with N180million were also discovered.”
While commending the EFCC and ICPC for their roles in achieving the feat, Maina decried the plight of pensioners before his team was inaugurated in June 2010, noting that such plight was brought about not by paucity of funds “but due to large scale corruption through diversion and mismanagement of pension fund, manipulation and falsification of data, non-improvement in the pension administrative structure, bureaucracy with poor, unreliable and inefficient accounting system.”
Among the great things done by Maina was his successful conduct of the nationwide biometric verification of pensioners and in the process detecting 71, 133 fake pensioners.
According to Maina “It’s as a result of the work carried out by the pensions reform task team that we were able to recover such colossal funds; about N182 billion. Mr. President instructed that all pensioners must be paid their benefits, the beneficiaries of those that have died must be paid their death benefits while those who have never been paid must be paid their accumulated pensions.”
“Definitely in doing that, we will step on so many toes and in trying to cleanse the system, you will have resistance. We have had this issue for over 44 years. The President has delivered on pensions and we are going to accomplish more tasks in sanitizing the pensions system in Nigeria. Pensioners from other pensions departments such as Nigerian Railways, Nigerian Airways are calling us to come and cleanse their offices. We will wait for the President’s directive as per that.”
The task team, he continued, “is a creation of the Executive arm of government and the President has not wound up the pensions reform task team yet. We have information going round that the task team has been disbanded. It has not been disbanded. We are working as directed by the President and he has ordered us to ensure that pensioners are paid as at when due.”
He said the team had built an institution, which would continue to function even if he (Maina) left office. “It’s not only if I’m here that things will work. We have developed an e-pension solution. In the past, we have seen how pensioners were dying in the office of the Head of Service (HOS) and how they used to live under the bridges in Abuja.”’
In the executive summary given to the this paper, Maina highlighted a lot of things in their 19 months of operation which the Team has achieved, this includes recovered and saved over N182bn for the FG, mopping up N74 bn from the PRTT recovered funds for 2012 budget and this was attested to during the senate hearing. Other successes recorded include deletion of 71,135 Ghost/under aged pensioners from the office of the Head of Service Pension office, stopped monthly stealing of N4.25b from the OHCSF Pension office and also cut off N1 billion Police Pension Monthly releases from N1.59 billion to N500 million. Moreover more successes include the N19.3 billion police pension scam that led to arrest of a permanent Secretary and five others.
In their continuing effort report from Maina indicates it was not easy, but a lot was achieved as a total of 44,320 pensioners that had never been enrolled for pension most of them retired for over 35 years and the task team paid all their entitlements including accrued arrears. Other successes recorded include traced and cracked down on pension cartel and getting to the root of the pension scam in the country, while many properties belonging to pension syndicates seized by the EFCC were followed with their prosecution.
In the reformation of pension in the country, Maina said that “128,000 hard copies of OHCSF pensioners’ files had been put into electronic format, even as they detected a fraud of over N2.7b perpetrated by the National Union of Pensioners.”
“There has been also the e-pension Management System platform (e-pms) with 4 pension offices on the platform now, simplified the procession period of getting pension entitlements from 3 months in the past to now 24 hours and creating a system that will put a stop to reoccurring verification of pension which has created undue suffering to the pensioners. This was made possible through the use of Smart Card,” Maina said in his report.
Meanwhile the Senate Committee on Pension headed by Senator Aloysius and Gaya respectively has been fighting the Maina Team. DESERT HERALD’s findings revealed that part of the reasons why the Senate was fighting Maina is that when they went to the Office of the Head of Service Pension office and Police pension office and even several pension offices in the country demanding hundreds of millions of Naira to facilitate their hearing and met a brick wall as the pension offices they visited told them no as they were informed that Maina Task Force Team had blocked all accounts of the various pension offices. So with the release not given, they sought and threatened to deal with Maina and no wonder they were calling for his head rather than appreciating what he has done, like their counterparts in the House of Representatives.
It will be recalled that the House of Representatives has called for the Pension Reform Task Team to be retained as a “Standing Pension Reform Task Team” which President Goodluck Jonathan could deploy at any given moment to solve peculiar “knotty” cases across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
This statement was contained in a letter presented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Pensions, Hon. Ibrahim Bawa Kamba, to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali.
Kamba, who commended President Jonathan’s Pension Reforms through the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, described the Pension Reform Task Team as “a credible vehicle” for the pension reform agenda.
He said: “This is the resultant effect of the follow-up to the just concluded on-the-spot assessment of the Pension Reform Task Team both at home and in the Diaspora, which took the House Committee delegation to Nigerian Consulate at New York on April 5, 2012, to verify the Diaspora biometrics data-capturing efforts of the Pension Task Team and for confirmation of records.”
Moreover in the report this paper gathered that these syndicates useed Primary School teachers, Minors, Secondary school teachers, farmers, underage; they recruit like in a state one thousand, two thousand, and five thousand and so on. “So they will go in and open bank accounts for them and they channeled these funds into their accounts and at the end of the month each person will take ten percent of that money and they return the rest to the people. They also have connivance with the banks. Another method they used was when a pensioner is alive the colour of his file is green, when he dies it is now red, now Guarantee period is five years because we are operating pay as you go scheme until the last pensioner dies. So what they do is they will take file and say this pensioner dies in active service, he has not collected his pension, so they will now calculate the death gratuity and five years pension in block maybe say eight million and they will pay and then they will take that same file and remove the cover and make it green, the person is now alive again and they put him on pay roll. And they will start collecting money and after collecting money they will put him on pay roll that he has just retired, so they will collect gratuity again, and enroll him on pension and after sometimes they will take the file and put it on red and now they say the man is dead.
Another issue which was also said to have been dismissed by Maina was also the rumours making rounds that the team has been disbanded by President Goodluck Jonathan. Maina said the committee was still intact carrying out its responsibilities.
Benue State Governor, Right Honourable Gabriel Torwua Suswam has commissioned the State Command office complex of the anti-drug Agency renovated by the State government. The Governor and Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade also led other stakeholders in the public destruction of 4,730.085kg of cannabis in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital.
Suswam said that the State Government renovated the dilapidated office to provide a befitting work environment for an effective war on narcotics. “ We must stem the drift of youths in drug abuse because it is depleting our farming population. The link between drug control and a secured society is very crucial that the responsibility should not be left to the NDLEA alone. The federal government and relevant authorities must see to the proper funding of the NDLEA” Suswam stated.
The NDLEA boss who was overwhelmed by the new face of the renovated office thanked the governor for his intervention. “Let me express my heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency, Governor Suswam for his sterling role in the drug war. The high level support the Agency enjoys from the State is nonpareil and commendable. Providing a suitable work environment for the officers will further enhance their capacity”.
officials setting drugs ablaze in makurdi
Giade urged other governors to partner with the Agency because the NDLEA cannot win the battle alone. He stressed the importance of surveillance aircrafts to effectively monitor cannabis cultivation in the country. According to Giade,“if drug syndicates are adamant, we must sustain our counter measures at all times. The Agency requires surveillance aircrafts to halt cannabis cultivation”.
Giade noted that Benue State is known as the food basket of the nation but some few criminally minded persons are diverting arable land into cannabis cultivation. “The Agency will resist any attempt to derail the enviable agricultural status of the State. The Agency looks forward to the acquisition of surveillance aircrafts to detect cannabis plantations in virgin forests across the country”.
NDLEA Benue State Commander, Mrs Chinyere Obijuru in her welcome address stated that the command is saddled with enormous responsibility of controlling the huge appetite of youths in the State for illicit drugs. According to Obijuru, “a major drug challenge for the Agency in the State is how to control the huge appetite for the consumption of cannabis and alcohol by the teeming youth population. The renovated office will encourage us to work harder”.
Illicit drug control programmes are significant to avert damage to the image of the country, prevent food insecurity, unemployment, poor health conditions resulting from drug use, school dropout, broken marriages, laundering of proceeds of drug sales, violent crimes, general insecurity as well as loss of lives and property.
In line with the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP), the Agency promised to engage stakeholders particularly the judiciary in drug control programmes geared towards the enforcement of stipulated punishment as contained in the NDLEA Act. It however warned the general public that unlawful possession of narcotics attracts 15 years minimum imprisonment.
Another strategy to reduce the drug problem is to improve capacity in the area of drug demand reduction. “We hope to intensify advocacy programmes aimed at addressing predisposing factors like ignorance, greed and peer influence among others. Our target groups include school students, commercial transport workers, unemployed youths and farmers association” the NDLEA boss stressed.
Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has approved an additional N100 million naira for the state Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to enable it pursue vigorously its micro credit programme.
Dr. Uduaghan who made the announcement during the inauguration of the newly elected chairman and members of CAN in Asaba said by this development the association would have a total of N150 million to work with.
He explained that he took this step because of the impressive progress recorded by the body when it disbursed the N50million loan granted it by the state government.
He also said that his administration decided to assist the body with more funds to enable it improve on its empowerment scheme and improve the living standard of more Deltans.
“The Christian body is trusted and this is why I agreed to assist their micro credit scheme with 50 million naira loan and I am increasing it now by 100 million to enable them empower more people, ”Governor Uduaghan said.
The governor also approved additional 100 pilgrimage slots for CAN thereby making the number of slots reserved for the body to be150 explaining that the gesture was to appreciate the importance of spiritual pilgrimage in the scheme of things.
Governor Uduaghan recalled the role CAN played in the return of peace to the state and advised Deltans to eschew ethnic hatred and live peacefully with their neighbours.
“We live in a very sensitive state as such we should be mindful of what we say to avoid sensitizing Deltans on ethnic hatred, ”he said, adding, “We must be conscious of ethnic hatred and hatred for each other. We must pray against the spirit of hatred”.
Speaking after administrating the relevant oath of office on the newly elected Delta state chairman and members of CAN, the South-South chairman of CAN, Apostle Godfrey Numbere urged them to improve on the achievements of the out going executive led by Arch-Bishop God do-well Awomakpa.
He advised CAN leadership in the state to be loyal, maintain their dignity in the society and relate mutually with government saying “if you go cap in hand to government, you will lose your respect”.
Explaining further, he reminded CAN that their first responsibility was to win souls for Christ and advised those saddled with leadership to emulate biblical leaders by consulting God through the Church before taking critical decisions.
Apostle Numbere charged CAN to inspire Christians and lead them rightly so that they can make heaven saying, “You should not teach Christians to be dependent on money but on the Gospel of the kingdom of God”.
In his acceptance speech the new CAN chairman in the state Rev. Gideon Oyibo thanked the national and South-South executive council of CAN for ensuring a transparent election which led to his emergence as chairman.
He promised that the new executive will do its best to build on the foundation laid by the out-going state executive.
Rev. Oyibo charged Christians to look beyond their different denominations and focus on God to build a united CAN in the state.
“We should not be sectional centered, let us look beyond our denomination and focus on God to build a united CAN in the State,” he said.
He pledged his exco’s commitment in partnering with the state government, traditional institution, security operatives and other stakeholders to ensure peace and security and build a better state.
The people of Bayelsa state who were affected as a result of Gas
explosion, oil spill and fire at K.S. Endeavor Rig between 16th
January and March 2, 2012 in some communities have demanded N3 billion
each from Chevron Nigeria Limited.
The Managing Partner of Lex Juris LP Barristers, Solicitors,
Arbitrators and Legal consultants , Jide Okunoye Esq. said in view of
monumental losses Chevron activities have caused his clients demand
for immediate clean up of the entire waterways, creeks and rivers
adjoining his clients’ communities in an environmentally friendly way
to free it of any trace of crude oil.
According to Barrister Jide Okunoye, Chevron Nigeria Limited,
should affect the payment of sum of 2 Billion Naira to each of the effected community for the untold damages – and an additional the sum of 1 Billion naira for inconveniences, injurious affection and loss
of income.
On economic consequences of the spill on the communities, the law firm
averred that since the incidence of 16th January 2012, fish catch has
reduced dramatically leading to unemployment and loss of income,
stressing that nets and fishing gear worth billions of naira were
damaged beyond repairs by the crude oil.
It will be recalled that on Monday 27th February 2012, President
Goodluck Jonathan visited the scene of the explosion and ordered
immediate compensation to affected communities.
Due to negligence, seventeen [17] executives of Chevron in Brazil were
charged to court over the spill in 2011. Prosecutors
accused the executives of environmental crimes, of misleading Brazil’s
oil regulator about safety plans and providing inaccurate
information in the wake of the spill. In addition to the charges, an
addition fine of $32.4 million was slapped on the company.
