President Buhari Holds Joint Press Conference With President Deby In Chad
President Muhammadu Buhari and his host, President of Chad, Idris Deby during a joint Press Conference at the State House in N’djamena, Chad today, Thursday. [myad]
At Last, House Of Reps Passes Petroleum Industry Bill
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the lingering Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). The House, after considering an Ad hoc Committee report on 312 sections and 438 clauses, unanimously passed the bill into law.
It would be recalled that the Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee on PIB, Ishaku Bawa (PDP-Taraba), submitted the report of the committee’s assignment to the House in March 2015.
The committee had scrutinised the sections and annexure of the original bill and made some amendments and recommendations.
The public hearings also conducted by the 23-member ad hoc committee in all the geo-political zones provided opportunities for stakeholders to make their contributions to the bill.
The bill, which covered salient areas in the petroleum industry, is to ensure the establishment of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund and incorporation of National Gas Company.
Others are the establishment of the Petroleum Directorate and National Asset Management Company, as well as the imposition of new tax regime such as Nigeria Carbon Tax.
The committee, in its report, recommended the removal of Section 191 of the bill, which gave the president discretionary powers to grant petroleum licences.
Other amended areas included Section 174, which recommended that 30 per cent of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) shares be sold through public offers at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
It further amended Section 185, which proposed that 49 per cent of Nigerian Gas Company shares be sold through public offers at the stock exchange.
Under Section 116, the Petroleum Host Community Fund was created to benefit host communities of oil facilities and installations.
The committee retained environmental remediation funds under Section 203, which obligates petroleum investors to pay adequate compensation for the remediation of environmental damages.
Three conventional licencing systems, namely petroleum exploration licence, petroleum prospecting licence and petroleum mining leases were retained in sections 225 and 229 respectively.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha, said the PIB bill would serve Nigeria a great purpose.
Ihedioha further said that the action taken by the House on the PIB bill was in the best interest of the country.
According to him, the bulk of the work is now left for the Senate to take action on.
“This bill is not political but very vital to the economy of the country,” Ihedioha said.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers adopted a motion by the Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola (Oyo-PDP), for the House to adjourn indefinitely, having concluded its life span.
[myad]
Ghana Mourns Death Of 90 People Killed In Petrol Station Fire Outbreak
Ghana President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday announced three days of national mourning after a deadly petrol station fire killed at least 90 people during heavy flooding in the capital, Accra.
Policemen look at burnt vehicles at the scene where at least 90 people were killed in a petrol station fire in Ghana’s capital, Accra, today. The fire broke out at the filling station in the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area of the city late evening yesterday and is thought to have spread from a nearby residence.
“Rescue operations will continue until the weekend, Sunday. On Monday, we will observe three days of national mourning for the victims of the fire disaster and flooding,” he said.
The fire broke out at the filling station in the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area of the city late on Wednesday night and is thought to have spread from a nearby residence.
Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama described the loss of life as “catastrophic and almost unprecedented”, as he toured the scene of the disaster on Thursday morning.
“A lot of people have lost their lives and I am lost for words,” he told reporters.
“As at now, the confirmed figure is hovering around 90 but I know it will be more than that,” national police spokesman Arthur Cephas said, adding: “the relevant agencies are doing the tally.”
Rescue officials were working to clear the area and bodies were piled onto flat-bed trucks, covered with tarpaulin sheets, as police in high-visibility vests stood guard at the scene.
Ghana National Fire Service spokesman Billy Anaglate said victims were being discovered during the salvage operations, making an exact death toll difficult to establish.
“If we begin taking any of those numbers we have gotten and we are working and we are getting a new one, we’ll begin changing the figures that we are giving,” he added.
Local hospitals said morgues were full and security officials said the death toll was likely to rise, as fire investigators picked through the charred debris to determine what caused the inferno.
Dozens of motorcycles were seen burnt and the fire is also thought to have engulfed a bus full of passengers that was waiting on the forecourt.
Local residents said many people had sought refuge under the filling station canopy from days of heavy rains that have engulfed Accra.
Flood waters had reached knee level on the road beside the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) petrol station before the fire, which caused an explosion at the pumps, according to eye-witnesses.
The explosion was heard and seen across the capital. It was not immediately clear exactly how the victims died, with reports that some had drowned after being knocked unconscious and falling into the flood waters.
Mahama extended his condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones and said “precautionary measures” needed to be taken against flooding that hits the city every year.
The GOIL filling station is next to a large open drain that carries water from surrounding areas to the sea.
But like many gutters in the city, it was blocked with rubbish, causing water to spill onto the streets. Flooding is exacerbated by construction work in the city.
One witness, Edgar Wiredu, told GTV 24 television: “Because of the construction work, the whole of (Kwame Nkrumah) Circle was flooded.
“When the fire service got to the scene, they got stuck. They struggled to gain access to the scene.”
At least two days of rains have caused chaos in Accra, leaving many suburbs submerged and people stranded, as roads were blocked and cars were carried away in or upturned by the flood waters.
Already sketchy power supplies had been cut to some communities as electricity sub-stations were under water, said communications minister Edward Omane Boamah.
Boamah, who called the situation a “national emergency”, said the armed forces, police, fire and the National Disaster Management Organisation have been deployed to help those affected.
“The general public is kindly advised to avoid fast-moving rainwater and areas they know have big drains. Stay on higher ground, where necessary, to prevent loss of life,” he added.
More rains are forecast on Thursday and Friday, with storms coming in from the east.
Accra receives its heaviest rainfall in May and June, according to the Ghana Meteorological Agency, with a mean total rainfall of 131.2 millimetres (5.2 inches) and 221.0 mm respectively.[myad]
Angry Workers Shut Down AIT, RayPower Over 17 Months Unpaid Salaries
The Benin studio of the African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower FM Radio were shut down yesterday by workers who were protesting of over 17 months unpaid salaries.
The workers blocked the main entrance to the station located along the Benin/Lagos bypass, halting all operations of the broadcast media.
The management, however, invited anti-riot policemen to the station to forestall any break down of law and order.
The protesting workers, numbering about 50, were said to have been owed salaries for between 12 and 17 months.
One of the workers told newsmen that newly employed staff of AIT were owed 12 months, while old staff were owed 13 months even as staff of the Raypower FM were owed 17 months.
He lamented that the stations generated millions of Naira on a daily basis and yet, the salaries were not paid.
“It is sheer wickedness and man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. We have families to care for and children to pay their school fees. Many of our children have stopped going to school. But their own attend schools abroad,” he lamented.
The Chairman of the organisation, Raymond Dokpesi (Jnr.), was said to have appealed to the protesters, assuring that the management would within one week, pay part of the salary arrears.
He was said to have threatened to pay off any staff that decides to resign from the establishment. [myad]
Senator David Mark Indicates PDP Won’t Contest Senate Presidency
The outgoing Senate President, David Mark has ruled out the possibility of senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contesting for Senate presidency in the 8th Senate which President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to inaugurate on Tuesday.Senator Mark made it clear that the contest for presiding officers in the 8th Senate was not for the PDP senators-elect but that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he said, would have majority of its members in the Red Chamber.
Senator Mark, spoke while responding to a campaign carried out on the floor of the Senate by the outgoing Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, seeking his (Mark) support for his ambition to become the next deputy senate president.
Akume, while extolling Mark’s leadership qualities, had publicly asked that he should be supported, given that they were not just brothers but from the same Benue State, even as he was in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Akume enjoined him to make the people of Benue proud by supporting and helping to actualize the aspiration of Senator Ahmad Lawan as Senate President and himself as the Deputy Senate President respectively in the 8th Senate.
In his response, Mark said: “Finally, because Senator Akume also thanked me, let me thank him and remind him that we are in PDP and election of any coming member is the matter for APC not for PDP.”
[myad]
Firm Drags PDP To Court Over N70 Million Campaign Debt
A firm, Silon Concepts Limited, has dragged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and two officials of its Presidential campaign organisation for their alleged refusal to pay an outstanding N70m balance for a campaign contract.
The suit marked CV/2017/15 was filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday whereupon the plaintiff is demanding full payment for the ‘voice SMS campaign broadcast’ it sent to eligible voters on behalf of the PDP’s Presidential candidate, former President Goodluck Jonathan, before the March 28, 2015 Presidential poll.
The two other members of the campaign organisation who are defendants are the chairman, Ahmadu Ali, and director of finance, Senator Nenadi Usman.
In addition to the demand for the N70m balance, the plaintiff asks the court to compel the defendants to pay to it the sum of N15m as the cost of the suit.
The plaintiff’s prayers read: “An order compelling the defendants to pay the plaintiff the sum of N70m being the outstanding balance for the contract executed by the plaintiff for the defendants.
“An order compelling the defendants to pay N15m being the cost of the suit.
“An order compelling the defendants to pay the bank an annual interest rate of 10 per cent on the sum of N70m until the said sum is fully liquidated.”
The plaintiff claimed that PDP, through Ali, agreed to pay it N100m for a contract of sending ‘Voice SMS campaign broadcast’ to eligible voters as part of the campaign for the party’s Presidential candidate.
The PDP and its candidate eventually lost the March Presidential election to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Both the statement of claim filed by Mr. B.I Dakum of the Festus Keyamo Chambers, on behalf of the plaintiff and a supporting affidavit deposed to by the Managing Director of Silon Concepts Limited, Mr. Sylvester Odion, stated that the PDP only paid N20m as initial payment instead of N30m as agreed.
They stated that the said N20m was paid to the plaintiff by Usman through a cheque of a company, Joint Dimension Nigeria Limited, whose account, Usman is the sole signatory to.
Odion said that the PDP had agreed to pay the full balance for the contract to his company before the election.
He said however that following a demand for the money through Keyamo’s law firm, the party only issued a cheque of N10m to his company on May 19, 2015, remaining a balance of N70m.
Odion’s affidavit read in part: “That I know the plaintiff’s offer was accepted by the defendants on March 5, 2015 wherein it agreed to pay the plaintiff the sum of N100m only for the project.
“That I know that the terms of its engagement as clearly highlighted in the defendants letter of engagement, the approved sum of N100m only was to be paid before the kick-off of the project but only the sum of N20m was released to it for the take off with the promise to pay the balance before the 2015 Presidential election.
“That I know the said sum of N20m was paid to the plaintiff by 3rd defendant (Usman) through a cheque of a company known as Jointrust Dimension Nig. Ltd of which the 3rd defendant is the sole signatory.
“That considering the caliber of the persons involved the plaintiff had no cause to doubt the credibility of the offer.
“That the plaintiff went ahead and executed the project successfully with continued assurance from the defendants that the balance will be made available in no distant time.
“That the defendants failed to honour their words and could not pay the balance and the plaintiff made demand (letter dated March 26, 2015) for payment of the balance through the office of the then 1st defendant’s chairman Board of Trustees and adviser, Presidential campaign organisation (Chief Tony Anenih).
“That the defendant could not pay the balance notwithstanding the said demand but only issued another cheque of N10m to the plaintiff on May 19, 2015.
“That I know the plaintiff held series of meetings with the defendants before and after the issuance of the last cheque demanding the payment of the balance but the defendants remained adamant.”
The case has not been assigned to a judge even as the defendants have yet to file their responses. [myad]
U-21 World Cup: Flying Eagles Wallop North Korea 4-0, Back Into Reckoning
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles bounced back into reckoning today by trouncing North Korea 4-0 in the on-going FIFA Under-21 World Youth Championship taking place in New Zealand.
The Flying Eagles had lost their opening match 2-4 to Brazil, leaving them at the bottom of Group E.
They desperately needed redemption and Godwin Saviour helped produce it with a quick double in the second half after the first period ended goalless. His goals came in the 48th and 51st minutes.
Kinglsey Sokari and Isaac Success completed the menace with goals in the 71st and 80th minutes respectively.
Coach Manu Garba had rung changes after the first match loss to Brazil by making the big decision to bench the two most well-known stars of the team, Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Udinese’s Isaac Success.
The gamble paid off handsomely with this win. Nonetheless, despite starting the North Korea game as a sub, Success is the Flying Eagles Joint leading scorer (alongside Saviour) with two goals.
The other Group E encounter between Brazil and Hungary was yet to be played as at press time. [myad]
96 People Take Refuge From Rain In Petrol Station In Ghana But Get Killed By Explosion
No fewer than 96 people died in an explosion at a petrol station in Ghana’s capital, Accra when they ran to take cover from torrential rain, on Wednesday night.
According to Ghana’s fire brigade, the explosion also left several people with various degrees of injury.
The blast was said to have been caused by a fire that erupted at a nearby lorry terminal and then spread to the petrol station as well as other buildings.
6ire brigade spokesman Prince Billy Anaglate explained that the fire ripped through the filling station, operated by GOIL , shattering windows and walls and reducing the station to rubble.
“It was an explosive fire and so the people sheltering at the filling station did not have an opportunity to escape.”
Firefighters battled the blaze into the early hours of today even as police and soldiers joined emergency crews helping rescue people trapped in the wreckage.
Charred corpses and wreckage of about a dozen cars and mini buses littered the forecourt of the station, where security forces kept an anxious crowd behind a police cordon. [myad]
Young Nollywood Actor Sold His Kid For N300,000, Blames It On Poverty
A 29-year-old young Nollywood actor , Kanayo Awurum, who was arrested by the Operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), of the Lagos State Command for selling his two-year-old baby for N300,000 has blamed it on poverty.
The suspect who has featured in seven Nollywood movies also complained that he has not been given roles to play in movies in recent time after he said that he recuperated from an auto crash.
Kanayo Awurum said that a friend whose identity he gave simply as Emmanuel, sold the idea to him when he approached him for financial assistance.
According to the young actor, Emmanuel also introduced him to the buyers; Nkechi Obi and Gladys Nwobodo who came all the way from Port Harcourt to Owerri, Imo state , where the transaction took place.
[myad]
Nigeria, Chad Renew Commitment To Joint Battle Against Boko Haram
President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chadian counterpart, President Idriss Deby Itno, Thursday in N’Djamena reaffirmed the commitment of their countries to greater cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram.
According to a communiqué issued at the end of President Buhari’s one-day official visit to Chad, both leaders agreed on the need to quickly make the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) fully operational to effectively combat terrorism in North-East Nigeria and “everywhere” that Boko Haram operates.
President Buhari and President Deby called on the international community to provide the Lake Chad Basin Commission and neigbouring countries with all necessary support to combat terrorism and insurgency
“Both Heads of State agreed that the war on Boko Haram should be supported by emergency development initiatives in areas affected by this insurgency group.
“This will help to overcome the harmful effects faced by local populations,’’ the communiqué said.
President Buhari paid tribute to the gallantry of Chadian soldiers who have engaged in operations against Boko Haram and condoled the families of their comrades who were killed in action.
While in the Chadian capital, President Buhari also held a closed-door meeting with Major-General Tukur Buratai of Nigeria, who was recently appointed Force Commander of the MNJTF, with headquarters in N’Djamena.
Earlier on his arrival, President Buhari had stressed the need for member-countries of the Lake Chad Commission to redouble their efforts and intensify the operations of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) established to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.
President Buhari said that the security of Nigeria and her neighbours are intrinsically linked and that this makes it very essential that they cooperate on security issues in a robust and sustained manner.
The President said that he was quite certain that when it becomes fully deployed and functional, the MNJTF, which comprises Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon will be able to secure and stabilize all the areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
President Buhari reaffirmed his conviction that with greater cooperation among Nigeria and neighbouring countries, the Boko Haram insurgency will be brought to an end very soon.
His remarks came on the heels of Wednesday’s appointment of Major-General Tukur Buratai of Nigeria as the Force Commander of the reorganised MNJTF, which also has Benin Republic as honorary member.
The President thanked Chad for her invaluable support in the fight against insurgency and terrorism.
“Your troops have stood shoulder to shoulder and fought gallantly with ours in the fight against the forces of evil.
“This is a remarkable show of good neighbourliness, which we must reinforce in the years ahead,’’ he told President Idriss Deby Itno.
President Buhari, who is on his first visit to Chad, after assuming office as President of Nigeria, expressed concern that the insurgency has taken a huge toll on citizens of both countries, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes.
The President said that the harrowing images of displaced citizens of both countries, in search of safety and succour, must spur their governments and others in the sub-region to do more “to restore their dignity and give them the relief they need”.
On the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Chad, President Buhari noted that both countries were bound by “nature’’, adding that they must therefore work together to find lasting solutions to issues of border management, migration and movement of goods and services.
The President, who had earlier thanked President Deby for attending his inauguration ceremony on May 29 in Abuja, said that he would return to Nigeria with the assurance that Nigeria and Chad are poised to intensify their cooperation.
In his remarks, President Deby commended Buhari for his “wise decision’’ to relocate the Nigerian Military Command center from Abuja to Maiduguri.
The Chadian President said that the decision, which was announced in President Buhari’s inaugural address, was a right step towards restoring peace and security to states affected by terrorism, and the sub-region.
He assured President Buhari that Chad will continue to work with Nigeria to achieve lasting peace and security in the sub-region, given their historic, cultural and economic ties. [myad]
