President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has promised that savings from the war against corruption which he hopes to wage, will be ploughed into education with the objective of empowering the citizens. “If you give education to a man or woman, you have empowered them to be productive. There is no better way to empowerment,” Buhari asserted. The President-elect, who exchanged received in audience old schoolmates and kinsmen, among the 130-odd delegation today at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Headquarters in Abuja, made it clear that he would not condone the looting of public funds. Buhari who also spoke about his resolve to work with all Nigerians to pull the citizens out of the current hardships facing them, assured that he would handle state resources with utmost responsibility and honesty. He told the delegation from his home state, Katsina, who came to congratulate him that citizens had been made poorer by the 16 years of PDP maladministration in spite of the fact that the country received more income in that period than at any other time. Buhari expressed his commitment to multi-party democracy as the best system of government and appealed to all citizens to imbibe courage and perseverance. He said that it is such virtues that had seen him to victory, after failing three times in the past presidential elections. The leaders of the delegation, who spoke included the Chairman of the Katsina State chapter of APC, Engineer Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa; a former Governor of the state, Alhaji Saidu Barda, a leading Muslim Cleric, a representative of federal legislators and a representative of the traditional institutions in the state. They all pledged their support and commitment to the in-coming Buhari administration and promised to avoid the mistakes of others by imbibing humility and respect for all sections of the country.
A 19-year old student in Asaba, capital of Delta state, whose name is being withheld, has confessed that he suddenly found that he was making love to his biological mother after taking a love charm given to him by a native doctor.
In his confessional statement to the Police in Asaba, the young man said: “I am deeply sorry for all that has happened. I did not mean to do this. I saw myself falling in love with her after the love charm prepared for me. I have to confess because I know by so doing, God will touch her mind and I know she will forgive me. I suddenly found that I was making love to mum when I thought the charm will not work, and upon the revelation, I threatened to kill her and the matter was reported to the police.”
The young man was alleged to impregnate his mother while testing his love charm.
He was said to have gone to a native doctor, who allegedly prepared a love charm for him to use on his mother and one of the matrons in the college where he is a boarding student.
It was gathered that the husband of the woman, who has been away for some time outside his Port Harcourt operational base, denied being responsible for the pregnancy during interrogation.
But the victim, the suspect’s mother, while speaking to journalists said:“I did not know how it all happened, but all I can say is that a young man who looked like my son suddenly found his way into my room at the wee hours and I was speechless”, adding that the whole exercise had remained inexplicable.
The Delta state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the report, said that the young man has since been arrested over threat to life. [myad]
Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido has admitted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the March 28 Presidential election to Opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party made what he called costly mistakes.
Governor Lamido who fielded questions from newsmen shortly after he had a close door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Aso Villa last night said: “PDP made some mistakes. I have been saying so. It made very very costly mistakes and we have not been able to properly manage our successes. But to me I don’t think quitting PDP is the answer.”
Lamido made it clear that the election showed that Nigerian people have said yes to the APC, adding: “they have spoken in very loud and unmistaken ways. The votes are very very unambiguous and so we respect their choice and their rights and we praise (General Muhammadu) Buhari for being able to take the ticket from the PDP even though I am not happy.”
He said that in the March 28 election, it was Nigeria that won and not Buhari, adding: “none of them lost but Nigeria won and is enough of the anxiety, enough of the worry and the fear in Africa. It was so intense you will not believe it as confirmed by the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and other international friends who have called to thank Nigeria for really saving Nigeria and also saving Africa. So I also say thank to Nigeria for saving Africa and saving Nigeria.”
He said that whoever becomes the president of Nigeria is a Nigerian President and not a president for a particular region, stressing that this is how it should be.
Sule Lamido thanked Nigerians for standing for Nigeria, even as he also admitted that the result of the Presidential election would have a bandwagon effect on the April 11 gubernatorial election in the country.
“There is tendency of bandwagon effect but it is up to us to work very hard.”
The governor gave assurance however that whatever happened, PDP would remain solid and would bounce back.
“I’m sure if you know the party’s history, what it went through in the last 16 years, it has the capacity to bounce back.” [myad]
Former Nigeria Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made it clear that under no circumstance would he canvass for vote for any candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), much less its Adamawa state gubernatorial candidate, Nuhu Ribadu as was shown in media recently by those he called fraud stars. In a statement in Abuja, Atiku said that the photograph being circulated, showing him carrying a banner asking for votes for Ribadu is the work of fraud stars and is done out of malice. According to him, the banner in question was the banner he held in canvassing for votes for the Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, during the last governorship election in Osun State last year. Atiku said that the imperative of voting for the APC in the next line of elections in the country on April 11 is a virtue that he is firmly committed to, and to which he will urge all Nigerians to give unwavering support. “The purported photograph of me canvassing for votes for the PDP in the Adamawa governorship election is a fraud and done out of outright malice. “I did not and will never call for support for any candidate of the PDP. The photograph that is being circulated is the Photoshop copy of my photograph that called for votes for the Osun State governor in the 2014 gubernatorial election in that state. “My commitment to support and canvass for votes for the APC, not only in Adamawa State, but in all strata of elections across the country is a virtue that I will urge all Nigerians to follow.” [myad]
A US based Non Governmental Organization, Socio Political Forum, USA has sent a congratulatory message to Nigeria’s President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory at the just concluded polls. Speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, the chairman of the Forum, Chief Richard Nwabuzor, said that Buhari’s victory indicates that a new dawn had began for Nigeria. Chief Richard asked the President-elect to be courageous, even as he advised All Progressives Congress (APC) which floated Buhari to fulfill it’s campaign manifesto and agenda. He stressed the need for the party to move fast to tackle the insecurity, corruption and extensive socio-economic reforms that will strengthen Nigeria’s economic viability. “I and my Forum are looking forward to a more prosperous Nigeria, and the return of Nigeria to the global stage as the giant of Africa.” [myad]
Alhaji Mujahideen Asari Dokubo was and, indeed, is still the leader of one of the fierce Niger Delta Forces fighting against the government of Nigeria for the possession of the Niger Delta oil wealth. Obviously, he became the leader of this militant group from the point of view of the fact that he conceptualised it, formed it and even finances it. That is the long and short of it. And unfortunately, that is the myopic way in which Asari Dokubo views leadership, especially in the context of democracy, at the universal level. This is where the danger, of having a half-literate person assailing a fast developing democratic ethos like Nigeria, lies. There is an obvious danger of having an already over-bloated egocentric being fixated on the nation’s march to greatness. I began to respect Asari Dokubo, away from my former posture of askance, when on Tuesday this week, he twitted that the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan lost the March 28 election did not make any different from the way he has been and will be. My respect for him on this statement was not hinged on the surface meaning of his thought, but the implication that President Jonathan is a son of Nigeria who was democratically voted out in 2015 as, of course, he was democratically voted-in in 2011. Asari Dokubo cannot deny the fact that almost all Nigerians welcome Jonathan with excitement and hope in 2011. That Nigerians in all regions, religions, ethnic divides and genders voted massively for him in 2011 without anybody raising a question as to what part of the country he came from. That was even when General Muhammadu Buhari, from the North, went down on his knees, begging his kits and kins to give him a chance. In fact, Jonathan got more than the required 25 percent of the votes cast in Katsina state, the home base of General Buhari. He got more than 25 percent of the votes cast from nearly all the states in the North, and even beating Buhari on number of votes cast. Jonathan also thrashed Buhari in the South West; Buhari hardly got 25 percent of the votes cast in the South West region. With the South East and South South block votes, Jonathan coasted home with resounding victory, democratically in 2011. No one from the North or South West talked then about conspiracy to rob Buhari of the victory that he didn’t have. As a matter of fact, Buhari has been winning the election since he began to contest in 2003, but after every trial which was obviously short-changed by the then cohesive but marauding PDP, no one talked about conspiracy except his die-hard street supporters who, in 2011, took to the streets for what was clearly a robbery. Yes, if the die-hard supporters of Jonathan had had cause to take to the streets after the announcement of the March 28 election, they would have been forgiven for the fact that they knew not what they were doing, but for Asari Dokubo, who is supposed to be fairly enlightened by virtue of being a militant leader to still be talking about conspiracy beats one’s imagination. At any rate, what is conspiracy? Conspiracy is when two or more people meet at a point to plan evil against fellow human being or the society. And so when Asari Dokubo talked glibly about South West and North conspiring to rob President Jonathan of the second term victory in the March 28, in a democratic environment, he obviously was mixing up the ideals of democracy with militancy. For, in democratic leadership/election, it is not conceivable for people in the North to meet the people in the South West to plan on how to vote out Jonathan. As a matter of fact, even if such meeting took place, the act of voting is purely individualistic, such that no one can determine whom the next person voted for at any given time. What happened on March 28 was the nation’s recourse to the true form of democracy. It was a situation in which bonafinde registered and accredited Nigerians voted freely for whom they thought, in the circumstance they found themselves, can serve them better. Jonathan was given the mandate in 2011, he tried his best to correct the wrongs in the socio-economic and political systems, but in 2015, majority of Nigerians said, through their votes that his best was not enough. That is the beauty of democracy. If after four years, General Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC), who has just been given the same mandate performs below the expectations of majority of Nigerians, they will vote him out, irrespective of where he comes from. It would amount to dishonesty to lean on the outdated regional campaign of calumny as basis for him and his fellow militants to go back to the Creeks – war against Nigerian government. If Asari Dokubo wants to take his team of criminals back to the Creeks, he is free to do so. But, he should remember that he is not above the law of this country.
Senior Special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on communications, Dr. Doyin Okupe has made it clear that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might have been defeated in 2015 but that it would come back stronger in four years to come. “Certainly, we will be back. We will overcome this defeat and rise again to power and glory in a twinkle of an eye.” Dr. Okupe said on his facebook wall that it has pleased the Almighty God to give victory to General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential candidate of the APC and the President elect, adding: “we accept this as the Will of God and I personally congratulate the general for his success. “We have ran a good race and fought a gallant battle. We are bowed but not cowed. We lost the crown but we gained a trophy. “The PDP family must not despair; If it took general Buhari 30 yrs to come back to power, it should take us much less.” Dr. Okupe gave glory to God for the opportunities the PDP family had had in the last 16 years, adding: “to millions of our supporters, we say thanks. To those who are our adversaries, the battle has been fought, and it has been won & lost. The strife is over for the next 4 yrs ONLY.” The Presidential communications master planner rejoiced with APC and the people of Nigeria on the progress that has been jointly made in the nation’s democratic journey. “For our democracy to endure, it is important that the winner clearly emerges while the loser concedes with equanimity.”
The President–elect, General Muhammadu Buhari has called on all Nigerians to embrace peace this Easter and celebrate our nation’s rebirth as they commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In an Easter message to Nigerians and the Christian world, personally signed by him, in-coming Nigeria’s leader, urged all citizens of Nigeria to unite and use the season of Easter to celebrate both the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the rebirth of the Nigerian nation. He said that having overcome the anxiety and fear that tended to overshadow the efforts and commitments towards free and peaceful Presidential and National Assembly elections, it was time for the citizens to move forward in the spirit of the resurrection to rebuild the country with the values of peace and love for one another. “Our Country depends on you – the Nigerian people to make Nigeria safe for all citizens and foreigners alike. I pledge that our administration shall strengthen all national institutions to promote harmony and national unity. As we do our best to heal our land, God, the most powerful will be on our side to rescue Nigeria from corruption, evil and anti-democratic forces that are pulling Nigeria down.”
Now that the APC has won the March 28 Presidential elections, one of the Major concerns is how the new government will deliver affordable uninterrupted Power to Nigerians. Recall that the then Minister of Power under the Obasanjo government, the late Bola Ige, promised Nigerians that the challenges over power supply would become history within six months of his assumption of duty. At the end of the day, he could not deliver on his promise. Former President Obasanjo, in a recent reaction, blamed Ige for ‘his’ failed promises and exonerated himself from the decision to solve the problem in the power industry in six months; Obasanjo eventually also found the power deficit difficult to overcome in his eight years in office. Ige’s Promise was however naïve at best. According to Obasanjo, “If you will remember, when I came back in 1999, my first Minister of Power was late Bola Ige. I won’t say Bola didn’t know what he was doing and he said publicly that he would fix the power problems in six months. “After one year, Bola with his capacity couldn’t fathom what was wrong with power. It was riddled with corruption. Then we had no money, people have forgotten that in 1999/2000, the price of crude oil was $9 per barrel.” he said. Obasanjo further expressed his disappointment in the late President Yar’Adua because, according to him, he failed to understand what to do at the right time. In the reports presented before the House of Representatives in 2009, it was later established that Obasanjo had expended $3.08 billion on Power Generation. So why didn’t Power generation improve? Well, actually it did. Senator Ngige, in November 2012 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, was quoted as saying all the Power Plants Obasanjo built were located based on Political calculations and they were not close to transmission lines or Gas lines. This has been shown not to be true, details as follows: 1) The Papalanto and Omotosho plants were located less than five kilometres to the existing Escravos – Lagos Gas Pipeline making the cost of connecting them to gas about $4m each. 2) The Geregu plant was located less than eight kilometres from the existing Pipeline that takes gas to the Ajaokuta Steel plant. 3) The AfamV Plant was located within the existing Afam Power Plant and therefore did not need any special pipe laying. 4) The distance of all the four power plants from existing major transmission lines is less than two kilometres making the cost of connection to the National Grid infinitesimal. 5) The turnkey costs of all the four power plants were less than $500 per megawatt which was verified by the Due Process Office to be globally very competitive. The benchmark price used for the NIPP projects which came up later was more than $1000 per megawatt. 6) All the four plants were completed within 24 months from contractors’ mobilisation, making them the fastest of deliveries in the history of Nigeria. AfamV was commissioned within 12 months! 7) A concessionary funding programme was negotiated with the Chinese Exim Bank for the Papalanto and Omotosho power plants through which Nigerian government paid only 35 per cent of their cost for the plants to be delivered. The balance of 65 per cent was supposed to be paid over a seven year period at six per cent interest rate and two years moratorium. The idea was that after paying 35 per cent and the plant was completed within two years, the income from generated power would be used to pay up the balance of 65 per cent without recourse to the Nigerian treasury!. Sounds like a plan doesn’t it? The truth is that Power generation improved significantly under The Obasanjo government, between June 2000 and December 2002, our electricity generation capacity increased from 1425 to 4300 megawatts. Both the transmission and distribution subsections were strengthened such that peak load (delivered) for the first time in the history of Nigeria surpassed the 2400 megawatts maximum in 2002. The establishment of the Papalanto (335MW), Omotosho (335MW), Geregu (410MW), Afam V (276MW), Enron IPP(280MW) andKwale IPP (450MW) were added during the same period with the view of increasing the 4300MW generation capacity to about 6000MW. That was also the period when the Power Sector Reform Bill was crafted and submitted to the National Assembly to pave way for a more efficient deregulated power sector which we now have today. The major reason why Nigeria has not achieved the 6,000mw goal is vandalism of gas pipelines. In this regard, the Buhari/Osinbajo government will have to tackle this gas pipeline vandalism problem head on. There is no other way on the Long term. Technically, Nigeria doesn’t have a Power Generation Problem per se; it has a gas distribution problem. In this regard, the Lagos government and many private estates in Lagos have been able to identify the problem and switch to off grid captive power generation powered by Compressed Natural Gas /Diesel, enabling them enjoy 24hrs Electricity. The Buhari/Osinbajo government will in the short term need to replicate this in industrial clusters, thereby freeing up more capacity for the grid. To do this, the power sector laws need to be relaxed as presently, only the licensed distribution companies are allowed to trade in power, Presently, such off grid power generating plants can only be used by the generating entity. Once this is achieved, focus must be shift to improving the capacity of the grid. Presently the National grid can only transmit about 7200mw while analysts have said Nigeria needs at least 40,000mw to achieve stable electricity.
Muyiwa Abiodun is a Board Member of Energy savers Nigeria, he is a Utility engineer who has designed and built over 40mw of off grid Power.
Nigeria’s President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to confront members of the deadly Boko Haram as soon as he formally assumed office, even as he made it clear that he does not believe in timing when his government would cleanse Nigerian of the sect. A statement from All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation, signed by its Director of media and publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted General Buhari as saying that as soon as he assumed office, he would consult with all the security chiefs to map out new strategies. Describing reports in some media organisations that he promised to end the scourge of Boko Haram insurgency in the country, within two months as misleading and unfounded, the President-Elect said that he is still waiting to be sworn in on May 29. “After the ceremony, I would need time to study the security situation and plan strategically with the security chiefs as to the way forward. Time is of essence here. Therefore,I didn’t and wouldn’t peg the decimation of terrorism from the country’s territories to just two months. I was unequivocal about cleansing Boko Haram from our land; I would do a good job of it by giving a final permanent push to rid Nigeria of unscrupulous elements. I said that much to the world media including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Cable News Network (CNN). I never put a time-frame to when I would eliminate terrorists, and it would be unfair and mischievous for someone to ascribe to me what I haven’t said.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has promised that savings from the war against corruption which he hopes to wage, will be ploughed into education with the objective of empowering the citizens.
How General Buhari’s Government Can Improve Power Supply, By Muyiwa Abiodun
Recall that the then Minister of Power under the Obasanjo government, the late Bola Ige, promised Nigerians that the challenges over power supply would become history within six months of his assumption of duty. At the end of the day, he could not deliver on his promise.
Former President Obasanjo, in a recent reaction, blamed Ige for ‘his’ failed promises and exonerated himself from the decision to solve the problem in the power industry in six months; Obasanjo eventually also found the power deficit difficult to overcome in his eight years in office.
Ige’s Promise was however naïve at best.
According to Obasanjo, “If you will remember, when I came back in 1999, my first Minister of Power was late Bola Ige. I won’t say Bola didn’t know what he was doing and he said publicly that he would fix the power problems in six months.
“After one year, Bola with his capacity couldn’t fathom what was wrong with power. It was riddled with corruption. Then we had no money, people have forgotten that in 1999/2000, the price of crude oil was $9 per barrel.” he said.
Obasanjo further expressed his disappointment in the late President Yar’Adua because, according to him, he failed to understand what to do at the right time.
In the reports presented before the House of Representatives in 2009, it was later established that Obasanjo had expended $3.08 billion on Power Generation.
So why didn’t Power generation improve? Well, actually it did.
Senator Ngige, in November 2012 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, was quoted as saying all the Power Plants Obasanjo built were located based on Political calculations and they were not close to transmission lines or Gas lines.
This has been shown not to be true, details as follows:
1) The Papalanto and Omotosho plants were located less than five kilometres to the existing Escravos – Lagos Gas Pipeline making the cost of connecting them to gas about $4m each.
2) The Geregu plant was located less than eight kilometres from the existing Pipeline that takes gas to the Ajaokuta Steel plant.
3) The AfamV Plant was located within the existing Afam Power Plant and therefore did not need any special pipe laying.
4) The distance of all the four power plants from existing major transmission lines is less than two kilometres making the cost of connection to the National Grid infinitesimal.
5) The turnkey costs of all the four power plants were less than $500 per megawatt which was verified by the Due Process Office to be globally very competitive. The benchmark price used for the NIPP projects which came up later was more than $1000 per megawatt.
6) All the four plants were completed within 24 months from contractors’ mobilisation, making them the fastest of deliveries in the history of Nigeria. AfamV was commissioned within 12 months!
7) A concessionary funding programme was negotiated with the Chinese Exim Bank for the Papalanto and Omotosho power plants through which Nigerian government paid only 35 per cent of their cost for the plants to be delivered. The balance of 65 per cent was supposed to be paid over a seven year period at six per cent interest rate and two years moratorium. The idea was that after paying 35 per cent and the plant was completed within two years, the income from generated power would be used to pay up the balance of 65 per cent without recourse to the Nigerian treasury!. Sounds like a plan doesn’t it?
The truth is that Power generation improved significantly under The Obasanjo government, between June 2000 and December 2002, our electricity generation capacity increased from 1425 to 4300 megawatts. Both the transmission and distribution subsections were strengthened such that peak load (delivered) for the first time in the history of Nigeria surpassed the 2400 megawatts maximum in 2002. The establishment of the Papalanto (335MW), Omotosho (335MW), Geregu (410MW), Afam V (276MW), Enron IPP(280MW) andKwale IPP (450MW) were added during the same period with the view of increasing the 4300MW generation capacity to about 6000MW. That was also the period when the Power Sector Reform Bill was crafted and submitted to the National Assembly to pave way for a more efficient deregulated power sector which we now have today.
The major reason why Nigeria has not achieved the 6,000mw goal is vandalism of gas pipelines. In this regard, the Buhari/Osinbajo government will have to tackle this gas pipeline vandalism problem head on.
There is no other way on the Long term.
Technically, Nigeria doesn’t have a Power Generation Problem per se; it has a gas distribution problem.
In this regard, the Lagos government and many private estates in Lagos have been able to identify the problem and switch to off grid captive power generation powered by Compressed Natural Gas /Diesel, enabling them enjoy 24hrs Electricity.
The Buhari/Osinbajo government will in the short term need to replicate this in industrial clusters, thereby freeing up more capacity for the grid. To do this, the power sector laws need to be relaxed as presently, only the licensed distribution companies are allowed to trade in power, Presently, such off grid power generating plants can only be used by the generating entity.
Once this is achieved, focus must be shift to improving the capacity of the grid. Presently the National grid can only transmit about 7200mw while analysts have said Nigeria needs at least 40,000mw to achieve stable electricity.
Muyiwa Abiodun is a Board Member of Energy savers Nigeria, he is a Utility engineer who has designed and built over 40mw of off grid Power.
[myad]