Governor El-Rufai Describes NNPC As A Monster

July 14, 2015

Governor Nasiru el-Rufai of Kaduna state has referred to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a monster that must be tamed.
“Something fundamentally decisive must be done to tame this monster and we must have the political will to make all oil industry transactions transparent.”
At the 7th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture series in Abuja entitled “Nigeria and the Oil Fortune,” el-Rufai was sure that no one “can appreciate the gap between the vision of NNPC’s founding fathers, the beautiful baby of 1977 and the 38-year-old monster it has become than President Buhari.”
“The corruption and nonchalance that hobbled the NNPC are symptoms that its best days are over.
“We should give it a deserved funeral so that a new institution, active and nimble, can promptly replace it.”
The governor wanted the NNPC’s subsidiaries and associated companies to be reviewed, restructured and privatised or commercialised as appropriate and consistent with national interest and objectives.
He also wanted the government to review the Joint Venture strategy with the governing principle being to shift the financing and operational risks to the markets and operators respectively.
He asked the government to avoid owing the oil companies, and to proactively review the terms and implementation of the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and concentrate on collecting the royalties and taxes due to it.
“No one is better qualified to do this than the person that formed the NNPC through the merger of the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Petroleum in 1977, President Muhammadu Buhari himself.
The Kaduna Chief Executive said that there should be clear rules and processes for licencing, concessioning, procurement and contracting, adding that the existing systems tend to be corrupt.
El-Rufai is happy however that President Buhari has already taken the commendable step of directing that all revenues be remitted either to the Federation Account or the consolidated revenue fund as required by sections 80 and 162 of the Constitution.
He said that the President was clear that oil industry revenues would no longer be treated as some slush fund of the Federal Government. [myad]

President Buhari To New Service Chiefs: Your Records Gave You The Jobs

Greenbarge Reporters

July 14, 2015

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear to the new service chiefs whom he appointed yesterday got the jobs because of their good records.
“All of you, including the national security adviser, were chosen on merit. Your records gave you the jobs. Save for the new chief of army staff whom I briefly met at his command at the multi-national joint task force, in Chad, I don’t know any of you. Your records recommended you.”
The President spoke yesterday when he briefly met the service chiefs and the National Security Adviser (NSA) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to welcome them on board his government.
He advised them to rebuild the reputation of the armed forces and prove that they were appointed on merit. He asked them to show utmost commitment to their duties.
“Legally, you are in acting capacity until the national assembly accepts you. It is only then that you will take the oath of office. Thereafter, we will sit down and talk in more detail.”
President Buhari assured them that their nominations would soon be forwarded to the National Assembly for confirmation.
Buhari yesterday appointed Abayomi Olonishakin as chief of defence staff; T.Y. Buratai as chief of army staff; Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as chief of naval staff and Sadique Abubakar as chief of air staff.
He also appointed Riku Morgan as chief of defence intelligence and Babagana Monguno as National Security Adviser. [myad]

Muslim Hajj Commission Introduces Cash Awards For Best Air Carriers On Hajj Operations

Greenbarge Reporters

July 14, 2015

Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Abdullahi Muktar has announced the introduction of cash awards to the best air carriers in the hajj operations from this year. The announcement was made at the signing of an agreement between the air carriers and the Commission yesterday.

He advised the air carriers to go into competition by working in the best interest of the pilgrims even as he made it known to them that the Commission is going to have a monitoring team to evaluate performances.

“We are also going to give out prices to the best performed air carriers at the end of the Hajj exercise.’’

Muktar, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Commission in Abuja, advised the selected air carriers to put the interest of the pilgrims above personal and financial aspects of the agreement for successful and fruitful exercise.

He advised them not to compromise standards and quick service delivery like other countries, being the ultimate when it comes to Hajj operations.

This, he said, would move Hajj operations forward “because every year the Saudi Authority always expect the best services, especially in the area of airlift of pilgrims.

“The agreement should not be between the air carriers and the Commission alone, but the target should be the pilgrims, especially their welfare. The agreement is just like taking an oath between the Commission and Allah, the creator.”

Muktar advised them to have the fear of Almighty Allah in whatever they do, as He was always watching us.

He stressed the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari was not only concerned and passionate about Hajj but would do everything possible to put the country at par with international best practice.

He promised to work with the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, especially in the area of visa in order to have a hitch-free Hajj.

The selected carriers are; Top Brass Aviation, MedView Air , Kabo Air, Fly-Nass Air, Skypower Air, among others.

In his remarks, Alhaji Nura Harazimi, the Executive Director, Top Brass Aviation, who spoke on behalf of others, expressed gratitude to the Commission for the confidence reposed in them.

He promised that they would give their best, particularly in the area of service delivery to the pilgrims.

“We will work as partners in progress to give this year’s Hajj a befitting success. We are also going to comply strictly with the rules and regulations guiding Hajj operations.” [myad]

Most Boko Haram Members Are Christians – Report

Greenbarge Reporters

July 13, 2015

Shocking revelation has emerged that most members of the Boko Haram insurgents are Christians.
The insurgents have attacked many churches in the country, killing several worshipers.
According to a report obtained by Radio France International, Nigerian researchers met in Paris this week at the European Conference on African Studies and took part in a round table, entitled: “Within and around Boko Haram in Nigeria” where it was revealed that most people terrorizing the continent are from the Christian community.
The report authored by a certain Daniel Finnan claimed that, their decision to join the violent group was due to lack of jobs and the money involved.
According to the report, “The real problem of Boko Haram is that no one has actually infiltrated them or if they have, they haven’t come out, or they’ve joined them. So the level of knowledge about the insides of Boko Haram is remarkedly small.”
On how many Christians that were forced to join the bloodthirsty group, the report claimed, “It’s almost certainly bound to be about 5,000, but some people put the numbers up way higher. The other problem is that of course as far as we know it’s quite a good job, at one point you could be paid 400 dollars a month for just simply joining them, you wouldn’t have to go fighting, you would spend your first months doing logistics or training. It’s quite profitable joining Boko Haram because you not only loot places, but you share the loot out at the end. And the third point that I think is important to realise is that there are plenty of Christians who are part of Boko Haram because it’s a job” [myad]

Literature On Fuel Subsidy Removal Shallow – President Buhari

Greenbarge Reporters

July 13, 2015

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will handle the issue of subsidies on petroleum products with care because the literature he had received on the need to remove subsidies has been shallow.
Speaking after receiving a briefing from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other agencies in the oil sector, President Buhari said that he will carefully review all the submissions he had received on the need to remove the subsidies.
“I have received many literature on the need to remove subsidies, but much of it has no depth.
“When you touch the price of petroleum products, that has the effect of triggering price rises on transportation, food and rents. That is for those who earn salaries, but there are many who are jobless and will be affected by it.”
President Buhari said that the lack of security, sabotage, vandalism, corruption and mismanagement, not necessarily subsidies, are the most serious problems of Nigeria’s oil sector.
He promised to deal decisively with all identified problems of the oil and gas sector.
“We have to go back to the good old days of transparency and accountability,” the President said even as he directed the NNPC to review existing agreements for the swapping of crude oil for refined products with a view to injecting more honesty and transparency into the process to reduce costs.
The President also asked the NNPC management to do more to improve the supply of liquefied petroleum Gas (cooking gas). [myad]

We’ll Reform Oil Sector To Boost Accountability – President Buhari

Greenbarge Reporters

July 13, 2015

File Photo: President Muhammadu Buhari, Signing Bilateral Agreement in Germany

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured investors that his administration will implement far-reaching reforms to boost accountability and transparency in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Speaking at a meeting with senior officials of Chevron led by the company’s President for Africa and Latin America, Mr. Ali Moshiri, President Buhari declared that his administration is ready to effectively address the myriad of challenges in the sector.
“We understand the situation in the industry and we will do our best to address the challenges affecting exploration, production and distribution of oil products in the country.”
President Buhari acknowledged the merits of the Amnesty Programme initiated by President Umar Yar’Adua to reduce violence in the Niger Delta region, even as he said that his administration will build on good aspects of the programme.
The President added that his administration will also implement other measures to enhance security in the Niger Delta and optimize investments in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Mr. Moshiri had called on President Buhari to restore the confidence of international investors in the industry.
He identified improved security in the Niger Delta as key to increased investment in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.
Mr. Moshiri said that Chevron which has 36.7 per cent interest in the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited, is keen to support Nigeria’s gas sector and bring more electricity to Nigerian consumers. [myad]

President Buhari Assembles His Service Chiefs, Securithy Adviser

Greenbarge Reporters

July 13, 2015

The-New-Service-Chiefs1 — The New Appointed Service Chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally dispensed with the Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser (NSA) who he inherited from the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
In their places were the appointment of new set of security chiefs today. They are Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General T.Y. Buratai as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff.
Others are Air Vice Marshal Monday Riku Morgan as Chief of Defence Intelligence; Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) As National Security Adviser
A statement by special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said tht the new Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Olonishakin hails from Ekiti State.
Until his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff today, he was the Head of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State.
The statement also said that the new Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Buratai hails from Borno State and that until his new appointment, he was the Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force which has its headquarters in Ndjamena.
Maj-Gen. Buratai was said to have previously served as Commander of the Nigerian Army’s 2nd Brigade in Port Harcourt and Commander of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna State.
The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibas hails from Cross River State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 26th Regular Course in 1979 and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983. His previous appointments include: Naval Provost Marshal, Chief Staff Officer, Naval Training Command, Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command and Chief of Logistics, Naval Headquarters. Until his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Navy Holdings Limited.
The new Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar hails from Bauchi State. His previous appointments include: Chief of Standards and Evaluation, NAF Headquarters; Chief of Defence Communications and Air Officer Commanding, NAF Training Command. Until his new appointment today as Chief of Air Staff, he was the Chief of Administration, NAF Headquarters.
The new Service Chiefs will hold their appointments in an acting capacity until confirmed by the Senate.
The statement quoted President Buhari as expressing appreciation to the outgoing Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser for their services to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours. [myad]

Sule Lamido: Failed Aminu Kano’s Political Student? By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Greenbarge Reporters

July 12, 2015

The last time I checked, I understood that the former two-term governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Sule Lamido used to be one of the political students of the late Northern political sage, Mallam Aminu Kano.
Late Aminu Kano it was who led the Northern Element Pepoles Union (NEPU) in the first Republic and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the Second Republic. As a matter of fact, Aminu Kano was not only the leader and defender of Talakawa (common men and women), but also an epitome of honesty both in public and private.
It was under Aminu Kano that late Abubakar Rimi who governed Kano state (from where Jigasa state was cerved out) cut his political tooth: and from where Sule Lamido also cut his. That means that while late Rimi was the direct political son to Aminu Kano, Lamido was political son to late Rimi. Aminu Kano could therefore be termed the political grand father of Sule Lamido.
Indeed, down the line, the catch word has been socialism as a political identity, though there was a slight modification from Aminu Kano’s democratic humanism. It became so practical that the ‘father’ was never found to have touched a cent of the public fund when he was serving, either within the political circle or in government.
Of course, that is the socialist mould: they are supposed to be the direct anathema to capitalists. The two are supposed to be at poles apart. That while capitalists amass wealth, even the ones that may not be of immediate use to them, socialists distribute wealth, even the one that are supposed to be their personal possessions.
That is why one was shocked beyond speech when the news hit the town that Sule Lamido, of all people was involved in alleged corruption or diversion of public funds or money laundering or other dirty game, whatever you call it, when he was in office as governor. More disturbing is the information that he even brought his two children up under such disposition.

One of the counts in the charge brought to court by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) against the supposedly clean Sule Lamido reads, “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), Aminu Sule Lamido, Mustapha Sule Lamido, Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited and Speeds International Limited between 15th October and 18th December, 2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did convert an aggregate sum of N124, 649, 915 (One Hundred and Twenty Four Million, Six Hundred and Forty Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifteen Naira) paid by Dantata & Sawoe Limited into the account of Speeds International Limited domiciled with an old generation Bank at Kano which fund you reasonably ought to have known to be proceeds of an unlawful act of Alhaji Sule Lamido who was a Public Officer within the meaning of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers as prescribed under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 ( as amended ) to wit; engaging in private business by a public officer, using the said company in which he is a director and a shareholder, and to whose account he is a signatory; with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said sum and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (A) of the Money Laundering Act, 2004.”

As a matter of fact, Sule Lamido’s trouble began in 2012 when one of his sons, Aminu was arrested by Operatives of the EFCC at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano for failing to declare a sum of forty thousand United States Dollars ($40,000).
He was prosecuted and convicted with 50 percent of the undeclared sum forfeited to the Federal Government.
But the enquiries into the source of the funds led investigators into the closely guarded web of corruption and money laundering involving members of the former first family of Jigawa State and their cronies.

The failure of Sule Lamido to come out of office clean, has brought a different perception into the minds of the lovers of progressive politicking, that it is being used by some people as a façade to get into power.

Even if at the end of the day he is found not guilty of the offences he is being charged and for which he and his two sons have been thrown into detention in prison, there would still be vestiges of doubt in the minds of those who have come to regard him as a model for the type of cleanness they have yearned for in the nation’s politics. That his children are neck-deep in it is a different source of shame and embarrassment to the youth of this country.

This is clearly unforgivable. [myad]

Saving Lives Beyond Razzmatazz, A Book Reviewed By Ibrahim Ramalan

Greenbarge Reporters

July 12, 2015

The book, Saving Lives and Securing the Environment: Chronicle of Federal Government’s Ecological Intervention, is a painstaking effort by the Ecological Fund Office to document some of the life saving efforts and activities aimed at taming our environment and ecosystem as well as the appreciable level of success recorded by the Federal Government which could have escaped public notice by a mere straight news of media reportage.
The book is chaptered one to six and is written in a simple language and clear expressions. The book is also generously adorned with a lot of pictorial illustrations and diagrams that show some of the testimonials of the ecological interventions across the country by the Federal Government through the Ecological Fund Office within the last few years.
While the first and preceding chapters of the book dwelled on identifying Nigeria’s serious ecological problems which include soil erosion, floods, oil pollution, water and air pollutions, waste mismanagement, drought, desertification and afforestation, and the consequent establishment of Ecological Fund Office under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and supervised by the National Committee on Ecological Problems (NCEP), the main thrust of the book kicks up at the third chapter when it notes that the Fund had over the years been battling with series of irregularities, mismanagement and money been diverted to private use.
However, chapter four discusses the timely intervention of the Federal Government to reinvigorate the leadership of Ecological Fund Office and National Committee on Ecological Problems (NCEP) to fight and restore order in the system that was once riddled with irregularities.
At present, according to the expositions of the book, a culture of corruption, red tapism, and official indifference has clearly given way for transparency, accountability and the Fund has become like never before more proactive in terms of ecological interventions.
Ecological Fund Office, borrowing from the book, has been nudged from the slumbering giant it used to be, into the fleet-footing, proactive and responsive outfit.
More so, the work process of the Ecological Fund Office has not only been automated, but periodic capacity building of its staff through training and retraining is now a recurring decimal.
Chapter five, which is the second to the last chapter of the book, overviewed some of the ecological interventions undertaken by the Federal Government through the Ecological Fund Office. This chapter generously makes use of beautiful pictorial illustrations presenting how the Ecological Fund Office has come to the rescue of a large number of communities under varying degrees of environmental threats across the nooks and crannies of the country.
These pictorial presentations clearly show how the men of the Ecological Fund Office closely monitor contractors by ensuring that standards are being followed. This, according to the book has been the constant practice.
Finally, in the last chapter, chapter six, the book took time to appreciate the varying degrees of Nigeria’s complex and pervasive ecological problems that exist in different shapes and sizes across the country and the corresponding efforts of the Ecological Fund Office in taming these challenges.
The chapter, however, states that we are not there yet as a lot needs to be done to improve the environmental conditions of the rural dwellers because they are mostly the worst hit by these environmental hazards. The chapter reads in part: “City dwellers hardly appreciate ecological problems beyond the occasional floods they experience during rainy season when many houses built in flood plains and gutters filled with refuse dumps, causes flooding. They hardly appreciate that many villagers in the countryside are almost regularly cut off from the main communities when their link roads and make-shift bridges get washed away, their crops and farmlands submerged and even their residence lost to erosions.”
The book will not only be an interesting reading, it will also be a veritable document for researchers and other government agencies and policy makers, especially as there is dearth of literatures on ecology.

Book Reviewer: Ibrahim Ramalan
Title: Saving Lives and Securing the Environment: Chronicle of Federal Government’s Ecological Interventions
Author: Ecological Fund Office
Publisher: Thinkers Communications Limited
Year: 2014
Pages: 212 [myad]

Nigeria Wallops Liberia 7 -1 In FIFA Female Under 20 World Cup Tourney

Greenbarge Reporters

July 12, 2015

The Nigerian national under-20 female football team, the Falconets has thrashed their Liberian counterparts 7-1 in the first leg game of their qualifier at the 2016 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. The game was played today at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia.

The game saw Yetunde Adeboyejo scoring a hat-trick, with Amarachi Ojinma also scoring a brace, as Nigeria put the game into a no-contest.

Adeboyejo started the goal rush, scoring the first of her three goals in the 15th minute, before Chinwendu Ihezuo added a second on the half hour mark.

Adeboyejo netted her second and Nigeria’s third nine minutes before half time, while the Liberians got a goal four minutes later, to end the first half 3-1.

Adeboyejo made sure of her hat-trick early in the second half, before Juliet Sunday netted the fifth goal in the 70th minute.

There was no road for the Liberians into the game again, and Amarachi Ojinma scored two late goals in the 78th and 87th minutes to make it 7-1 to the Falconets.

The second leg of the fixture comes up in Nigeria in two weeks’ time. [myad]

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