No justification for electricity tariff hike – Stakeholders

NIGERIANS have been thrown into confusion over whose authority supersedes on the issue of electricity tariff increase. No sooner than President Muhammadu Buhari, assured Nigerians that there will be no hike until supply improved significantly, than the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, last week declared a new tariff regime effective from November 1.

Stakeholders note that the new tariff is more than 40 percent higher than the current levels and will be the second time in nine months, even as there has been no significant improvement in the electricity supply situation in the country.

While some consumers admit to better supply in some locations, majority however, insist that the situation is even worse than before, as they enjoy the scarce commodity only for a few hours late into the night, when it is really of no use to them.

No justification: Reacting to the development, an advocacy group, Nigerian Electricity Consumers Advocacy, NECAN, said the recent “consultations” on tariff carried out by electricity distribution companies, DISCOS, were a mere trick to justify tariff hike.

According to NECAN President, Mr. Tomi Akingbogun, “We believe NERC is allowing the public to be over billed by allowing the DISCOs justify the increases. Otherwise, how can it be explained NERC allowed a tariff hike of 12.5 to 48 percent in January, and allowing same percent in October of that same year?

“NERC has allowed the DISCOs to take advantage of everyone and had changed the rules at will thereby breaking all the rules. The condition given to them was to ensure that customers are metered before complaining of losses.” He therefore called on the President Buhari to keep his promises to Nigerians and discourage the exploitation by the DISCos.

Costs evaluation: Also commenting, the Director General, Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said  the proposed upward review in electricity tariff at this time is worrisome, as consumers should not be made to pay for inefficiency or corruption costs.

His words: “It is important to evaluate the elements of the current costs especially the integrity of procurement processes and other operational expenditure under the current dispensation. The risk of bloated costs is typically high with such enterprises, especially as they operate in a monopolistic environment.

“Pricing is only one component (although fundamental) in the power reform process. There are other issues such as the gas availability, security of gas infrastructure, adequacy of investment in gas infrastructure, security and adequacy of the transmission lines, and the general framework to mitigate the risk of investment in the sector.

“The problem of outrageous billing is yet to be addressed. The commitment to the provision of meters for electricity consumers to ensure fair billing is inadequate. A vast majority of consumers still have no meters.

Inadequaciesin billing

Yet this is fundamental to a good relationship between the power firms and their customers. Many consumers feel exploited at this time because of the inadequacies in billing. The contentious fixed charge is still in place. “It is heart rending that the choice of locations of many of the Independent Power Projects, IPPs, was informed more by politics than the economics of power generation.

“Access to a major input in power generation, which is gas, was not sufficiently taken into account.  This reality has badly affected the cost profile of the IPP projects. All these are complications and challenges on the path of the power sector productivity,” he maintained.

Breaking the law:  According to Section. 76 of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act. MYTO 1.0 states that there will be no increase until 2017, and only 5% will be allowed. DISCOs were given two years to meter all customers. But they refused saying there was no money. Grant was given them, they refused to access it.

Alternatively, customers were asked to fund meter purchase and be refunded from their bills. But for three to four years or more down the line, nothing has been done to that effect. The law does not recognise estimated billing. NERC should stop the practice, but instead it allows it on the excuse that DISCOs must make profit.

Presently, only about 40 percent electricity users are metered. How does NERC want the DISCOs to make profit from the 40% customers captured? This is the question begging for answer if the plan is not to allow them make super profits before metering everyone.

No valid basis for hike: Against this backdrop, the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics, NAEE, condemned attempts by the DISCOs and NERC to increase electricity tariffs, saying that there is no valid and empirical basis for any sort of increase.

Marketers give conditions for fuel availability

Oil marketers have given three conditions for continued supply and distribution of petroleum products, as shortages crept in once again with fuel queues noticeable in some parts of Abuja, Lagos and other cities nationwide.

The conditions are that Federal Government pay outstanding subsidy claims by month end, intervene for the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to release foreign exchange to marketers and intervene with commercial banks to grant credit lines to marketers.

It was gathered the conditions were part of the agreements reached yesterday at a crucial meeting in Abuja, with the management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

According to a dependable source, “NNPC simply told the public their own side of the story, without reflecting our own concerns.

“We (marketers— majors, independents and depot operators) met with NNPC management, and we made it clear to the Group Managing Director, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu that nobody has money to import anymore.

“We agreed that marketers will continue to do their best to ensure that products are available, but there is little we can do without money to bring in the products.”

Told that supply had been relatively stable in the last four months, the source said supply came mainly from NNPC.

The source said: “The refineries are bringing in something, NNPC is also importing, while marketers are bringing in only very little because of financial difficulties.”

He insisted that the resurgence of queues less than 24 hours after the agreements to ensure products availability was not sabotage, saying that it was only a matter of time before supplies tightened since marketers were hardly importing.

Effect of CBN policy

Another source, who attended the meeting, hinted that “Kachikwu promised that government will pay us, at least, 50 percent of the outstanding subsidy claims by the end of the month, or before the end of the second week in December.”

He said that marketers’ problems were compounded by the new CBN foreign exchange transaction policy.

According to him, “there are no bank facilities because credit lines are not being raised for marketers. But that is not the worse; right now, even those paying in Naira component for previous import cannot get dollar to pay their foreign suppliers.

“Imagine a situation where you have to pay about $18 million for 33,000 metric tonnes. Where will the money come from? CBN said no dollar cash payment except by wired transfer, and we have written many times to CBN, PPPRA, DPR without results.

“Also, when you bring in your product, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, issues you certificate, which you use in processing your claims. But these transactions are all paid for in dollars, so we are stuck.”

Staff sacked

He also disclosed that the prolonged situation had attracted some consequences as “some of our members have started laying off staff, thus compounding the already bad unemployment situation.

“Those who are not laying off have started defaulting in salaries.”

Against this backdrop, he urged government to act urgently before the situation got worse.

NNPC raises concerns

NNPC in a statement yesterday, said the meeting was with a view to “ensuring zero fuel queues throughout the country ahead of the forthcoming yuletide and beyond.”

It said the meeting was between Kachikwu and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, and Depot and Petroleum Products Association, DAPPMA, at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.

Kachikwu was quoted as saying the issue of uninterrupted supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country was of utmost importance to the present administration.

He added that government was willing to do everything possible to ensure that members of the public do not go through any form of hardship in accessing petroleum products, particularly premium motor spirit, PMS, also known as petrol.

The NNPC boss had also “promised to work with other relevant Federal Government agencies to fast track the payment of the outstanding numbers, promising in the interim to arrange for a meeting with the relevant creditors (bankers) to ease off pressure on marketers and extend the credit lines.”

Assures of over  927 million litres

Meanwhile, NNPC, yesterday, cautioned Nigerians against panic buying of petrol, saying it had about 23 days of product supply across the country.

NNPC, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said its depots had about 927.461 million litres of PMS.

He said they were enough to serve the country for the next 23 days even if no drop of the product was imported.

NNPC blamed the resurgence of queues at petrol filling stations on rumours of an impending scarcity, and assured that it had enough products to meet the demand of the country.

It warned marketers against sharp practices, stating that anyone found wanting would be dealt with, as there was a team at Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, to monitor the distribution and supply system.

Reduction in petrol pump price from N87 per litre to N57 false – NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has debunked reports of a purported reduction in the current pump price of petrol from N87 per litre to N57. A statement signed by NNPC’s Group General Manger, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ohi Alegbe, in Abuja on Monday described the report as false and misleading.

The statement advised members of the public to ignore such tales, adding that the price of petrol remained N87 per litre. It, however, said that a major step to ensure zero fuel queues throughout the country ahead of the forthcoming yuletide and beyond had begun off on Monday. It said that the steps were between the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Association, (DAPPMA).

The statement said NNPC and the key downstream operators reached a consensus to work together to eliminate all obstacles that could prevent the free flow of petroleum products across the country. It said the issue of uninterrupted supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country was important to the government.

The statement added that government was willing to take measures to ensure that members of the public did not go through any form of hardship in accessing petroleum products. According to the statement, Kachikwu promised to work with other relevant Federal Government agencies to fast track the outstanding payment to oil marketers.

It said Kachikwu promised to arrange for a meeting with the relevant creditors (bankers) to ease off pressure on marketers and extend the credit lines. It said that several financing mechanisms were being explored to offset the commitment to oil marketers. The statement said that the Secretary-General of MOMAN, Mr Femi Olawore, commended the GMD for his support.

It said that Olawore pledged the readiness of the marketers to work assiduously with the government in ensuring zero fuel scarcity across the nation. The statement said Olawore called on NNPC GMD to facilitate the emergence of a special committee to verify and authenticate the current national fuel consumption figure of 40 million litres per day.

The statement also said Chief Dapo Abiodun, Chairman of DAPPMA, commended the NNPC for its improved services at various product loading facilities and urged the management to sustain the tempo

How 2 female suicide bombers struck Damaturu mosque

Two women suicide bombers killed 15 people, including themselves, early Wednesday in northeast Nigeria at a mosque in the compound of a government workers’ housing estate called Buhari Housing Estate, and at another location there.

The blasts came after Boko Haram militants this week claimed to have carried out three suicide attacks on the outskirts of the capital, Abuja, last Friday that left 18 dead and 41 injured.

File photo: Gombe presidential rally Car-Bomb-Blast

However, in a separate attack, the military said Boko Haram Islamic extremists attacked a rural military camp in northeast Yobe state overnight but were repulsed by troops who killed at least 100 insurgents.

Army spokesman Col. Sani Usman in a statement said seven troops died in the fighting and nine were injured in the village of Goniri.

But hours later, around 6 a.m. when mosques are filled with the faithful performing early-morning prayers, the suicide bombers struck in Damaturu, Yobe’s commercial center.

“One of the suicide bombers gained entry into the mosque and detonated explosives and the other bomber was sighted roaming around the compound and (when) asked questions, she too detonated explosives,” a resident Ibrahim Musa told AP.

He said he counted 15 bodies and 12 wounded people rushed to the hospital in Damaturu, which has suffered dozens of attacks during the 6-year-old Islamic uprising.

Residents blamed them for the dawn attack on Buhari Housing Estate, apparently named after President Muhammadu Buhari.

Meanwhile, NEMA coordinator for Yobe state, Bashir Idris Garga said the first blast happened at a small food store at a housing estate, killing four.

Another near a mosque killed one, while nine, including a family, lost their lives when another bomber exploded at a Fulani settlement on the outskirts of the city.

“Total injured 10, seven partially injured and three critically injured,” Garga said.

The insurgents have stepped up attacks since Buhari, briefly a military dictator 30 years ago, took office in May pledging to halt the insurgency.

Most attacks take place in the northeast and have spilled over into neighboring countries that regularly suffer suicide bomb explosions and hit-and-run raids.

Amnesty International estimates 20,000 people have died in the insurgency.

Risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft has recorded 3,770 civilian deaths this year linked to Boko Haram’s uprising.

Buhari, Sultan make list of world’s top 50 Muslim leaders

President Muhammadu Buhari, the Sultan of Sokoto, Saád Abubakar, and a Maiduguri-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh are among those listed as the world’s 50 most influential Muslim leaders.

 The Muslim 500, an annual publication of the World’s 500 most influential Muslims, recognised the three Nigerian leaders in its 7th edition published recently.

The publication says there are 1.7 billion Muslims in the world today, making up approximately 23% of the world’s population, or one-fifth of mankind.

It said those recognised have a sense of belonging to Muslim community worldwide, besides being citizens of their respective countries.

The publication measured influence some Muslims have on other Muslims to include: any person who has the power (be it cultural, ideological, financial, political or otherwise) to make a change that will have a significant impact on the Muslim world.

The impact could be either positive or negative, depending on one’s point of view, it said.

It added that the influence could be of a religious scholar directly addressing Muslims and influencing their beliefs, ideas and behaviour, or it could be a ruler shaping the socio-economic factors within which people live their lives, or of artists shaping popular culture.

“The first two examples also point to the fact that the lists, and especially the Top 50, are dominated by religious scholars and heads of state. Their dominant and lasting influence cannot be denied, especially the rulers, who in many cases also appoint religious scholars to their respective positions,” it said.

While the publication listed the top 500 influential Muslim leaders, the first part recognised the top 50 in which Messrs. Buhari, Abubakar and Saleh appear.

President Buhari was listed as the Number 20, while the Sultan and Sheikh Saleh are listed as numbers 24 and 38 respectively.

In a short citation, The Muslim 500 recognised Mr. Buhari’s past military career, his anti-corruption credentials and his promise and subsequent efforts to deal with the insurgent group, Boko Haram.

It also recognised that on economy and infrastructure.

“President Buhari was the first chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and was the mastermind behind the construction of 20 oil depots throughout Nigeria, a project involving over 3200 kilometres of pipelines,” the magazine said. “Both the Warri and Kaduna refineries were built under his leadership. He also established the blueprints for the country’s petro-chemical and liquefied natural gas programmes”.

On environment, it said Mr. Buhari is “an active environmentalist who has drafted several plans to preserve wildlife in Nigeria. He has also exerted great efforts on the conservation of nature in Nigeria; such as controlling the logging industry whereby he has ensured that double the number of trees felled are replaced by loggers. He has also worked on restricting the Ecological Fund Office so it can deliver on environmental challenges”.

As for the Sultan Abubakar, the publication stated that he holds an important administrative influence in Nigerian religious life.

“Abubakar is the titular ruler of Sokoto in northern Nigeria and is also the head of the Nigerian National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. Leadership of this council means that the Sultan of Sokoto remains the only figure that can legitimately claim to speak on behalf of all Nigerian Muslims.

“This role has become increasingly influential over the years with a rise in interreligious tensions between Nigeria’s Muslim majority north and Christian-majority south,” it said.

The Muslim 500 also said the Sultan has started many initiatives to counter and reduce the influence of Boko Haram, including inviting an international joint Muslim/Christian Delegation to visit Nigeria.

As for Sheikh Saleh, the publication recognised him as a lecturer in the fields of Tafsir Al Qur’an (exegesis) and the Hadith as well as Islamic sciences, jurisprudence and ethics.

“He has over 100 written works. He has held and still heads several significant positions, some of which are, founder and mentor of the Islamic renaissance Organization, adviser to the Federal Government on its Islamic Affairs since 1992, Assistant Secretary-general for African Affairs in the World Islamic People’s Leadership 1989 and many more”.

Bomb blast: Pieces of human flesh litter Abuja suburb

Pieces of human flesh were seen on Saturday morning littering the roadside in a suburb of Abuja, Nyanya, where an explosive went off late on Friday.

The explosive was said to have been detonated at the Jikwoyi Park, Nyanya, on the popular Abuja-Keffi Expressway, claiming yet-to-be ascertained number of lives.

The late Friday incident was the third to be recorded in that vicinity.

Two previous incidents with heavy casualties were witnessed there last year.

Our correspondent, who visited the scene as early as 6.30am on Saturday,  reported that the scene of the blast had been cordoned off by security operatives.

A combined team of soldiers, policemen, officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps were seen controlling the crowd of onlookers which kept increasing every minute.

Some policemen wearing black T-shirts marked “EOD” were seen picking pieces of human flesh that still littered the road side.

The pieces of flesh were being packed inside cartons by the security operatives as wailing residents looked on.

Buses and cars that had their windscreens shattered as a result of the impact of the blasts were still at the scene.

An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Aminu, told our correspondent that rescue workers recovered many corpses from the scene of the blast late Friday.

“What you see them packing now are pieces of flesh because many of the victims were torn into pieces. Corpses with several missing parts were taken away last night,” he said.

The incident has caused a serious traffic gridlock on the expressway inwards Abuja as many motorists made attempt to get a glimpse of the scene.

Security operatives were still having difficulties in controlling the surging crowd at the time of filing this report at 7.15am.

Mum gives birth to the biggest baby in India

25 year old Goga Bai and her 28 year old  husband Ravindra Kumar have become proud parents of a boy weighing in at a staggering 5.970kg (13.16 pounds).
The big baby has been confirmed as the heaviest baby born in India to date.
The unnamed baby was born via caesarean section at a government hospital in Sri Ganganagar area of Rajasthan in western India on Wednesday afternoon.
Dr Anamika Aggarwal, who was one of the four doctors who delivered the child, called him a 'miracle baby'.

She said:"I have never delivered any new-born this big. He was definitely a surprise for us. He is not only the biggest baby ever born at the hospital but in the whole country.

"His mother tried to give him a normal birth but the baby was too big to come out naturally and got stuck so we had to perform the C-section with utmost care.

"Both the mother and the child are in sound health. Initially he had respiratory trouble but now he is doing absolutely fine and is healthy." 

"The mother is a diabetic patient. In cases where the mother is diabetic, her child develops the risk of obesity."Though no congenital anomaly has been detected in the child, we are keeping both him and his mother under observation and would discharge them after a week."

Goga Bai is diabetic and weighs 100kg (220 pounds).Doctors believe the mother's own weight issues led to the child's obesity. 

The biggest baby born in India before this new-born was a girl from Imphal, Manipur who weighed 5.9 kgs. Clearly, Goga Bai's son has smashed the record.

Coca-cola, Mc Donald's want Sepp Blatter to step down.

 

© Fabrice Coffrini / AFP PHOTO | Sepp Blatter during a FIFA press conference in July 2015

FIFA sponsors Coca-Cola and McDonald's have called on Sepp Blatter to immediately stand down as president of world football's governing body, FIFA.

The intervention from Coca-Cola, which was quickly followed by a similar statement from McDonald's, comes a week after the FIFApresident was placed under criminal investigation by the Swiss authorities.

Coca-Cola says it is "calling for FIFA President Joseph [Sepp] Blatter to step down immediately so that a credible and sustainable reform process can begin in earnest".

The company added: "Every day that passes, the image and reputation of FIFA continues to tarnish. FIFA needs comprehensive and urgent reform, and that can only be accomplished through a truly independent approach."

McDonald's said in a statement that "the events of recent weeks have continued to diminish the reputation of FIFA and public confidence in its leadership".

Blatter won't budge

However, Blatter’s lawyer promptly issued a statement saying that the FIFA president would not resign.

"While Coca-Cola is a valued sponsor of FIFA, Mr Blatter respectfully disagrees with its position... he will not resign," Blatter's New York attorney Richard Cullen said in a statement.

The intervention from the two key FIFA sponsors follows Blatter being placed under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities for alleged financial wrongdoing at FIFA last week. Blatter is accused of "criminal mismanagement" or "misappropriation" over a TV rights deal he signed with former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner in 2005. He is also accused of making an improper payment of £1.3 million to Uefa chief Michel Platini.

The 79-year-old Swiss citizen told FIFA staff earlier this week that he's determined to remain in power until February's emergency presidential election, but pressure from sponsors who fund the organization could force him out before then.

Image in tatters

FIFA’s image is in tatters as it has also seen 14 current or former officials as well as sports marketing executives accused by US prosecutors of taking part in a kickbacks scheme going back 20 years and involving a total of $150 million in bribes.

Potential contenders to replace Blatter as president include UEFA President Michel Platini, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, former Brazil great Zico and Liberia football federation president Musa Bility.

Blatter's position appears untenable, as lawyers now oversee key decisions at scandal-battered FIFA.

14 killed, 39 injured in Maiduguri bomb blast

» more14 killed, 39 injured in Maiduguri bomb blast

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the killing of 14 persons, including four suicide bombers, in a bomb explosion at Sajeri area of Maiduguri inBorno.

The acting Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

Usman said that 39 other persons were injured in the explosion which occurred near the Ajilari railway crossing on Thursday evening.

According to the statement, security operatives and emergency management team have been mobilised to take care of the wounded persons.

"Although details of the attack are still sketchy, suffice it to state that four Boko Haramterrorists detonated their vests simultaneously.

"Three of the terrorists detonated their bombs in the same area while the fourth detonated in front of a mosque.

"It has been confirmed that 14 people have lost their lives, including the suicide bombers while 39 others were wounded,’’ the statement said.

Usman appealed to residents of the metropolis, especially those in the affected areas, to remain calm and continue to be vigilant as security operatives were in control of the situation.

He assured the public that Boko Haram had been decimated and therefore had no capacity to reverse the progress already made in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

In a related development, the Army announced that 80 Boko Haram fighters on Thursday surrendered to troops of the Army 7 Division in Bama Local Government Area of Borno.

The Army said the repentant terrorists comprised commanders, foot soldiers and the terrorists’ food suppliers.

It said that the terrorists surrendered as a result of the intense heat put on them by joint forces operating in different theaters in the North-East.

"The terrorists among whom were commanders, suppliers and foot soldiers confirmed to have taken part in several terrorists attacks especially on Bama town, Borno, surrendered,’’ the statement said.

The army attributed its success to intense heat and the continuous offensive embarked upon by troops.

"It will be recalled that we have repeatedly stated that surrender is the only option available to the insurgents.

"The Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force, in conjunction with other security agencies, are totally committed to the achievement of the 3-month Presidential deadline for the eradication of terrorism in Nigeria.

"Other terrorists are encouraged to also surrender or face total annihilation, as the new name of the operation states 'achievement of total peace is a must',’’ it said.

Jonathan spent N64bn on independence anniversaries –El-Rufai

Former President Goodluck Jonathan

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for budgeting N70m for the Independence Day anniversary.

El-Rufai noted in a Facebook post on Thursday that under former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Federal Government spent billions every year on Independence Day.

He noted that between 2011 and 2014, Jonathan spent over N64bn celebrating Independence Day.

Curiously, in 2010 Jonathan budgeted N10bn for Nigeria’s golden jubilee celebration.

He wrote, “This is the APC/PMB change we voted for. Independence anniversary expenditure for the past five years: 2011 – N13bn; 2012 -N15bn; 2013 – N14bn; 2014 – N22bn; 2015 -N70m

In a separate post titled, ‘Our chance for national rebirth’, el-Rufai urged on the people of Kaduna not to lose hope.

He noted that the nation was not yet where it ought to be but with purposeful leadership, things would get better.

The governor subsequently pardoned some convicted prisoners.

He said, “On this occasion, the Kaduna State government decided to extend mercy to prisoners. Pursuant to Section 212 of the constitution, the prerogative of mercy was exercised in favour of 14 prisoners.

“The government commuted the death sentences of five convicts, who will now serve prison time. Five prisoners serving sentences of three years and above were released on the basis of good behaviour or time served already.

“In addition, three prisoners were released on the basis on age while one person was released due to ill health. In doing our duty to show mercy, the government warns that it will not tolerate crime and threats to security.”

He said one of the highpoints of the last 55 years was the 2015 general elections which saw the defeat of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the victory of the All Progressives Congress which will ensure the needed change.

He thanked Nigerians, specifically the people of Kaduna for voting for change and steering the nation to the path of greatness.

El-Rufai said, “We can celebrate because 2015 is the year that the people of this country decided it was time to begin the rebirth of a nation. Against the most concerted campaign ever mounted by a government to divide the people it was meant to lead, Nigerians refused to be set against one another.

“I pay tribute to the many sacrifices that were made to make the historic elections of this year possible. What the voters of 2015 did was to make democracy a bulwark of patriotism. In other words, the people cast their votes for their country. May we never again be saddled with people who (rated) themselves above the country.”

The former minister said education remained the key to development.

He, therefore, declared a state of emergency in the education sector.

He said, “Education is emancipation! Education is freedom from want and disease! The provision of free basic education in decent schools and with skilled teachers is one of the priorities this government will accomplish in its four-year term.

“We have spent the past few months planning school repairs, the provision of school furniture and the training of teachers. Today, we move to declare a state of emergency in education. We ask for your support as we begin to implement extraordinary measures in the educational sector.”

Contestant for Ooni stool in alleged N400m fraud, forgery

 

Adeyeye Ogunwusi
| credits: http://2.bp.blogspot.com

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun investigation into allegations of forgery, fraudulent conversion and obtaining the sum of N400m by false pretence against Mr. Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his firm, Metropole Interproject Limited.

Ogunwusi is one of the contestants for the vacant stool of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Osun State.

In a petition written by the chambers of Rotimi Jacobs & Co. dated September 7, 2015, Messrs Sijuwade Holdings Limited stated that in 1993, it purchased a parcel of land measuring 30,000 square metres from the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family at the Lekki peninsula, Lagos, and duly obtained the Governor’s Consent to the transaction.

Thereafter, SHL claimed it entered into an agreement with Metropole Interproject Limited for the latter to sand-fill the entire parcel of land, and that upon completion of the sand filling, Metropole would be given 7,500 square metres from the land “to serve as the company’s fees.”

The petition stated that after the completion of the sand-filling, Metropole offered to develop the remaining portion of land for SHL, adding that the offer was accepted on the condition that the development would be in phases.

The responsibilities of Metropole as stated in the Development Mandate Agreement included the funding of the development and procurement of all necessary permits from the federal and Lagos State governments; as well as the funding/construction of 24 duplex units on the 7,500 square metres and this was to form the basis of Metropole’s equity in the project entitling the developer to 16 units out of the 24.

The petition stated, “Our client (Sijuwade Holdings) gave Mr. Ogunwusi the title document (which was in our client’s name), including the tax clearance of two directors to process the necessary permits required for the construction. After the completion of phase 1, our client requested copies of the approvals and consent, but Mr. Ogunwusi refused to provide them.

“Our client engaged the services of a town planner (TG Marchnata) to conduct a search at the offices of the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority. The town planner got copies of all the documents submitted by Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole for the purposes of procuring the building permits for the construction.

“To our client’s surprise, the search revealed that Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole had forged the title documents by superimposing the name of Metropole Interproject Limited as a co-owner of the parcel of land. The signature of Professor Olawoyin, SAN, who prepared the title document was also forged by Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole.

“Mr. Ogunwusi also submitted a forged Certificate of Incorporation with the name: Metropole Interproject & Sijuwade Holdings Limited. He also forged some documents belonging to the Lagos State Government and uttered same to the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority.”

The petition further stated, “Meanwhile, before our client got to know about the fraudulent activities of Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole, our client had, in line with the agreement it had with Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole, issued title in favour of Metropole and its nominees for the units due to the company.

“Apart from the forgery earlier complained about, Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole has also sold the eight duplex units that ought to have accrued to our client and he converted the proceeds, running into N400m, to his personal use.”

The petitioner, therefore, asked the EFCC to investigate the circumstances under which the title documents were allegedly forged.

In a letter with reference CR:3000/LS/EGC-1/VOL. 6/409 and dated September 17, 2015, the EFCC asked the legal firm of Olawoyin & Olawoyin to confirm if the agreement allegedly submitted by Metropole for the building permits was prepared by the firm.

The EFCC’s letter was signed by one Abubakar R. Madaki on behalf of the Head of Operations, and stated that the request was made pursuant to Section 38 (1) (2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004; and Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012.

While responding to the EFCC request, Olawoyin & Olawoyin stated in a letter dated September 23, 2015, “We wish to state that the agreement (a copy of which was attached to your letter under reference) was NOT prepared by our firm. We have taken the liberty to attach to this letter a copy of the actual document that was prepared by our firm and draw your attention to the following differing aspects of the agreement:

(a)   The front page of the agreement attached to your letter contains Metropole Interproject Limited as a party to the agreement of sale, while in the actual document prepared by our firm, Metropole Interproject Limited is not a party.

(b) The signature on the front page of the actual document prepared by our firm is that of the undersigned, Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin, SAN, while the signature attached to the front page of the document attached to your letter is NOT that of Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin.

(c)   Page 1 of the agreement prepared by our firm does NOT make any reference to Metropole Interproject Limited, while the document attached to your letter makes reference to Metropole Interproject Limited.”

When contacted to authenticate the content of the petition, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs of Rotimi Jacobs & Co. confirmed that his firm sent the petition to the EFCC on behalf of Sijuwade Holdings, but refused to comment further.

Similarly, Olawoyin confirmed his firm’s response to the request by the EFCC but declined further comments.

Ogunwusi, on his part, denied the allegations levied against him and Metropole Interproject Limited, saying he was being maliciously targeted for negative press because of his interest in the vacant stool of the Ooni.

He said, “Why are they trying to write damaging reports about me now and why not two, three years ago? The heart of man is full of wickedness. What they are saying is a lie; we have resolved it. They are using it to smear my name.

“Oba Akiolu (of Lagos) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu are aware of the issue. We have resolved it and I don’t know why they are doing this. It is a lie that I put Metropole Interproject Limited as a co-owner of the land; they are trying to expose what they are not; if they chose to fight dirty, I will meet them.”

Ogunwusi later made a conference call to a man purported to be Prince Deremi Sijuwade, who said, “I heard something about the petition and I will say it should be discountenanced. I am not sure those things written in the petition are correct; we will come up with an official statement in that regard.”

The head of the kingmakers and the Obalufe of Iremo quarter, Ile-Ife, Oba Solomon Omisakin, when contacted on the telephone by one of our correspondents, said he was not aware that a petition had been written to the EFCC against Ogunwusi or any of the contestants for the throne.

“I am not aware of such a petition. It is not to my knowledge,” he said.

Asked if the kingmakers could use such a petition to screen out the contestant, Omisakin stated, “Until I get to know, I won’t make any comment.”

Ogunwusi had on September 19 distributed transformers worth N250m to some communities in Ile-Ife, which had been in darkness for a long period due to faulty transformers.

Mr. Leke Ijiyode, who represented him at the ceremony, said Ogunwusi did not distribute the transformers in order to be selected as the next Ooni, but because he had been involved in philanthropic gestures in the community before now.

He said the contestant had been involved in assisting indigenes of Ile-Ife in tertiary institutions and other forms of humanitarian services long before the demise of Oba Okunade Sijuwade.

Estelle says: Now the fight starts, at least they are not killing each other. They are fighting like educated people, let the drama begin.

Flights disrupted as power firm disconnects Abuja airport

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has disconnected the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from its network due to the failure of the airport’s management to pay electricity bills for about three months.

It was gathered that although the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, which is in charge of the facility, had switched on its generators, the disconnection of grid power supply by the AEDC resulted in some disruptions to flight activities around 7pm on Wednesday.

Impeccable sources at the NAIA and AEDC told our correspondent on Thursday that the generators at the airport might have been overworked as they were servicing the various terminals and the FAAN staff quarters on the airport premises, a development that led to Wednesday’s outage.

An official at the airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment officially on the matter, stated, “The airport has been disconnected by the power distribution company. As a result, the terminals have been running on generators since they were disconnected last Monday. The generators supply power to the airport and the FAAN staff quarters.

“Maybe the load on them was too much on Wednesday evening and this resulted in power outage at the runway. Of course, the power outage made it impossible for flights to take off or land on the runway during the brief period that it lasted. This interruption was due to the disconnection of the airport’s power by the Abuja power company since Monday.”

When contacted, a senior official of the AEDC confirmed to our correspondent that the airport was disconnected because it was indebted to the Disco for about three months.

Although the official could not state the amount owed by the NAIA, he stated that the FAAN management in charge of the facility had contacted the AEDC.

The official said, “I can confirm to you that we have disconnected them. They owe us up to three months. They have come to our office and there is the likelihood that we are going to reconnect them back. But they must bring a letter of commitment that they are going to pay, even if it is part of the amount.

“But it must be paid at a particular point in time. They have come to our office for discussion and there is the likelihood that by tomorrow (Friday) they will bring the letter. Once they bring the letter, we are likely to reconnect them. But they must make a firm commitment on when they will pay us.”

When contacted, the Head, Public Relations and Media, AEDC, Mr. Ahmed Shekarau, told our correspondent that he had yet to be briefed on the matter.

However, the Deputy General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN Abuja, Mrs. Henriatta Yakubu, explained that the management of the airport had always ensured that there was constant power to ensure smooth operations at the facility at every point in time.

She dismissed claims that flights were interrupted, stressing that the airport was always lit by standby generators whenever there was power failure from the Abuja Disco.

“We make sure there is always power supply as our generators are switched on anytime there is power failure. The generators are put on as from 6pm, whether there is supply from the power firm or not, and this is to ensure that there is no interruption of flight activities in the evening and at night. This is a standard practice acceptable globally,” Yakubu explained.

How Fulani herdsmen kill, rape Ogun residents, farmers

Farmers and residents of agrarian communities in some local government areas of Ogun State have some gory tales to tell on the menace of Fulani cattle rearers, otherwise known as Fulani herdsmen.

Fulani-herdsman

So many lives have been lost while property worth millions of Naira has been destroyed allegedly by these Fulani marauders .

It was gathered that, the Fulani herdsmen move with their cattle from one of these agrarian communities to the other wreaking havoc.

Further findings have also shown that worse still, they do not respect the borders of the state. They did not only seek pasture they inflict deaths and mayhem.

Records have shown that, not quiet long ago, the border town of Oja-Odan in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State was invaded by some Fulani herdsmen who killed a farmer and injured dozens of others.

The farmer, identified as Agbaose Sewotan, was killed because he complained against the invasion of his farm.

It was learnt that his elder brother, Mr. Oluwole Sewontan,while narrating their ordeal, said; “this is not the first time that our people were slaughtered like cows on our own soil with impunity. My dear brother was killed simply because he protested the invasion of his farmland by the herdsmen.”

Also, a mother of three, Mrs Ayesi Balogun, was allegedly raped and killed   by some suspected Fulani herdsmen at Asa village, in the Oja Odan area,Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Balogun, was said to have been killed after being raped on her farm.This damning revelation was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent by the Ketu Advancement Front.

The statement which was signed by its Coordinator and Secretary, Kunle Abiose and Joseph Bankole respectively, read thus, “For the umpteenth time, we, members of Ketu Advancement Front want to register our strong protest with the Government of Senator Ibikunle Amosun over its callous abdication of its constitutional responsibility of ensuring the security of lives of Ketu People from wanton killing by marauding herdsmen.

“We are sad to announce that Mrs Ayesi Balogun, a poor mother of three, was raped and hacked to death on her farm in Asa, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State over the weekend by Fulani herdsmen.

“On sighting her entering the farm, the killer-herdsmen, who had taken over her farm, pounced on her, probably gang raped her, before hacking her to death.”

According to the statement, Balogun’s case brought to 25, the number of innocent and poor people, who had been sent to their early graves in agonising and dehumanising circumstances.

It said, “the latest in the series of the ceaseless murder cases had been reported at the Oja-Odan Police Station for anybody to confirm.

“The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, confirmed that the corpse of Balogun was found in the bush, adding that it had not been established that she was killed by Fulani herdsmen.

He argued that it might be a reprisal killing by the Fulani herdsmen.”A few days ago, the corpse of a Fulani man was found in the bush in the same axis,” he said.

Earlier, a septuagenarian, Pa Mathew Olukogun had narrated how a newly wedded lady in Asa Village, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, (name withheld) was allegedly raped by armed nomadic Fulani herdsmen.

Speaking on behalf of hundreds of farmers in the area, Olukogun said these marauders have been terrorizing more than 30 communities in the Council Area.

He said the immoral acts by the normal Fulani had instilled fears into the communities, saying, fears of being attacked by the herdsmen had gripped the villagers who were appealing to the state government to come to their aid

He said “aside from this immoral act by the intruders, many of our sons and daughters have been gruesomely murdered in a way that appears as if we don’t have government.

“Our brilliant ones including our wives have been raped, assaulted and even killed by the strangers.” He said many of their wives and ladies that had been raped were either on their way to the market or river to fetch water.

“How would you feel if I mention your wife’s name as one of those that have been raped by the cattle rearers?,” the old man replied in an answer to a question on the need for him to mention names. Olukogun said those who had been raped by the marauders knew themselves.

“Many of our wives , ladies and daughter who have been raped were largely taken to the hospital in Abeokuta, the state capital.”We are losing people as well as being prevented from doing what we know how to do best because of the grazing of our farms by the herdsmen’s cattle.

‘’With the terrible experience of the raping of our daughters and ones, including newly wedded wives, living in our communities is no longer safe, hence, we have deserted the communities in hundreds, praying that the state government would urgently come to our aid.

‘’The worst of the action of the marauders was the raping of many newly wedded wives in our communities and we are bitter about this.”

“In a matter of days, they enter the country through our communities and destroy our farmlands with the indiscriminate grazing of their cattle. We are helpless and that’s why we are appealing to the state government to urgently checkmate them.”

Reacting to the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi said that the Ketu people were only crying wolf where none existed.

While warning the Ketu people not to drag the Police into the matter, he stressed that ‘’the Police could only ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order rather than stopping the Fulani herdsmen from coming into the area.

Meanwhile, a coalition of socio-cultural groups from the area, including Ketu Advancement Front, Ketu South People’s Assembly and Ketu Alliance have alleged that about 21 innocent residents of the area have allegedly been killed by the Fulani herdsmen since 2000.

The representative   of the socio-cultural groups, Mr. Lasisi Adewole, said three residents of the area, including Phillip Akanan from Owode-Ketu, Amosu Olofinjin and Akinola Tunde from Agbon-Ojodu have been killed this year alone by the Fulani herdsmen.

Adewole also lamented that all efforts to ensure that the police, the State Security Service and the state government put in place adequate security measures to protect the people, particularly during dry season when the Fulani herdsmen usually encroached and destroyed their farms by the indiscriminate grazing of their cattle had yielded no fruits.

India police charge toddler with 'theft and trespassing'

Image copyrightZeeshan QadeerImage captionTwo-year-old Ravi was brought to the court by his father

Police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have been left red-faced after charging a toddler with theft.

Two-year-old Ravi had been named in a police complaint along with three men, one of whom was his relative.

Police attempted to arrest the toddler on Tuesday - causing his alarmed father to take Ravi to the district court, where he explained the situation to senior police officers, reports said.

Ravi's name was taken off the complaint after the senior officers intervened.

A theft had been reported from Bajehra village in Sitapur district on 20 September, police said.

On the basis of a complaint by the victim and other villagers, police registered a case against four men, including the boy, the Press Trust of India reported.

All four were accused of "theft", "trespassing at night" and "dishonestly receiving stolen property". It is not clear why Ravi's name was included in the initial complaint.

The three accused adults have already been arrested and lodged in jail.

Under Indian law, police cannot file a criminal case against a child below seven years of age, but there have been several instances in the past when police have done so.

Last year, two policemen were suspended for charging a one-year-old child with "coercion" ahead of a by-election, also in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

In 2011, a five-year-old boy in Bihar state was charged with disrupting the peace during village council elections. Police later said it was a case of mistaken identity and they meant to charge his elder brother with disorderly conduct.

In 2006, the Bihar police charged a six-year-old girl with attacking them and helping her father escape from police custody.

And in neighbouring Pakistan, a nine-month-old boy was accused of planning a murder, threatening police and interfering in state affairs.

Another college shooting in US: Nine dead in Roseburg attack

Nine people have been killed and seven injured in a shooting at a college in the US state of Oregon, say police.

The gunman, 26, opened fire at Umpqua Community College on Thursday morning and was killed in a police shootout.

There were conflicting reports on casualties but Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said 10 dead, including the gunman, was "the best" figure.

Police have not identified the attacker but un-named officers have told US media his name is Chris Harper Mercer.

Mr Hanlin said he would not confirm the name, adding: "I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act."

The killer's motive is not known, although police said they were investigating reports that he had warned of his intentions on social media.

Hours after the attack, in which seven were also injured, a visibly frustrated President Barack Obama demanded tighter gun laws, saying prayers are "no longer enough".

Media captionUS President Obama: "Somehow shootings have become routine"

Such shootings - and his own response - had become routine, he said, barely concealing his exasperation.

"We are not the only country on Earth that has people with mental illnesses or want to do harm to other people.

"But we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees these mass shootings every few months."

he said countries like the UK and Australia showed that effective legislation was possible.

Media caption"The suspect is down" - exchange between the emergency services

Image copyrightAPImage captionStudents were reunited with their families at a nearby fairground

Lorie Andrews, who lives opposite the campus, said she heard what sounded like fireworks and when she came out of her home she saw students streaming out.

"One girl came out wrapped in a blanket with blood on her," she said.

Hannah Miles, 19, said that she and fellow students were led to a nearby book shop, where they hid in a back room.

"No-one really was sure what was going on," she said. "The next thing we knew, there were three or four more gun shots and everybody just looked at each other - and we knew."

The 3,000-student school is located in Roseburg, Oregon, a rural area about 175 miles (280 km) south of Portland.

Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil in a Roseburg park in the evening.

Image copyrightAPImage captionPolice searched students and their bags after the shootingImage copyrightAPImage captionMore than 100 police officers responded to the scene of the shootingImage copyrightAPImage captionPolice said they killed the gunmanImage copyrightGetty ImagesImage captionA vigil was held in a Roseburg park on Thursday evening

In audio from police radio channels an officer can be heard saying the suspect was down and that there were "multiple gunshot wounds" and calling for multiple ambulances to the scene.

The suspect supposedly used a "long gun".

Students were transported by bus to a local fairground to be reunited with their loved ones.

According to Umpqua Community College's website, the average age of students is about 38.

Microsoft releases Office 2016

Microsoft Corporation has begun the worldwide release of Office 2016. The apps are the latest addition to Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based subscription service that helps people do their best work, together.

The company also announced new and enhanced Office 365 services, built for team productivity.

“The way people work has changed dramatically, and that is why Microsoft is focused on reinventing productivity and business processes for the mobile-first, cloud-first world,” the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, said.

“These latest innovations take another big step forward in transforming Office from a familiar set of individual productivity apps to a connected set of apps and services designed for modern working, collaboration and teamwork.”

Nadella further wrote about the new Office on the official Microsoft blog. The Corporate Vice President for the Office Client Applications and Services team, Kirk Koenigsbauer, provided more insights into Office 2016 on the Office blog.

According to Koenigsbauer, Office 2016 delivers new versions of the Office desktop apps for Windows, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Project, Visio and Access.

He said that by subscribing to Office 365, customers could get always-up-to-date fully installed apps for use across their devices, combined with a continually evolving set of consumer and commercial services, such as One Drive online storage, Skype for Business, Delve, Yammer and enterprise-grade security features.

“Together, the new Office and Windows 10 are the most complete solution for doing any work. The Office 2016 apps run beautifully on the best Windows ever, including the new Sway for Windows 10 to create shareable, interactive stories that look great on any screen,” he said.

He added, “Windows Hello logs you into Windows and Office 365 in one simple step. Office Mobile apps on Windows 10 empower on-the-go productivity, and work with Continuum so you can use your phone like a PC.Cortana connects with Office 365 to help with tasks such as meeting preparation, with Outlook integration coming in November.”