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Nigeria holds great prospects for investors –Chidoka

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/chidoka-new.jpg "> Nigeria holds great opportunities for her citizens who wish to invest in the recent projections that the economy would continue to grow at the rate of over 6 per cent for the next 20 years, Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, has said. Chidoka said there was no need for citizens to be disillusioned but urged them to look inward as the abundant human and natural resources make the country a big market for goods and services, the two key areas that would serve as stimulant for growing the economy. He made this known when he delivered the 44th Convocation Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) entitled, “Rebuilding the Nigerian Dream: Mapping the Building Blocks.” Chidoka said that Nigerians are fastidious and therefore have the tendency to criticise their country even when it is unnecessary, adding that although that attitude is seemingly wrong but it spurs the citizens and government to do things better. “The most virulent critics of Nigeria are Nigerians. A few years ago Nigerians celebrated one year of no blackouts in Ghana. Even though no such celebration took place in Ghana,” he lamented. He noted that Nigerians have inherent elements to succeed in every endeavour and those elements include superiority complex, hard work and the readiness to sacrifice today for better tomorrow. Chidoka said that although the Nigerian education system is severely criticised by her citizens, but Nigerians who studied in Nigerian schools like the UNN have distinguished themselves within and outside the country, particularly in the United States of America (USA) where they remain the most successful professionals among the black population. “The criticism of our education system and the lamentations about the so-called Nigerian Factor notwithstanding, the Nigerian Diaspora has been singled out as one of the most successful black Diasporas in the world. In the United States, Nigerian-Americans dramatically outperform Americans in terms of income. In their book, The Triple Package, Professors Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld explain that Nigerians are over- represented in the field of medicine, higher education, law and investment banking (Chua & Rubenfeld, 2014). “Why are Nigerians so successful? Because of the way we raise our children. According to the authors, we Nigerians possess the three traits that breed success: a superiority complex – an idea that we are special in some way; insecurity – the fear that if we don’t work hard we will fail; and impulse control – the ability to delay gratification in the short term for better outcomes in the future. Even if you had never attended this institution, but by the virtue of being raised as a Nigerian, you already have the tools for success,” the Minister said.

Nigeria holds great prospects for investors –Chidoka

Nigeria holds great opportunities for her citizens who wish to invest in the recent projections that the economy would continue to grow at t...

Blatter gets ‘solid’ African support

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/80548047_186002634.jpg "> African countries have vowed to vote overwhelmingly for Sepp Blatter in this year’s Fifa elections “Africa is solidly behind Blatter.,” said Kwesi Nyantakyi, the president of the Ghana FA. Nyantakyi, who is also a Confederation of African Football executive committee member added: “You will find he is very popular on the continent.” On 29 May, Blatter will seek a fifth term as president that will take him past his 80th birthday. Dutch football association president Michael van Praag announced on Tuesday his intention to run following similar moves by former Fifa deputy secretary general Jerome Champagne and Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan. Former France international David Ginola has also announced his intention to stand but his is widely regarded as being no more than a publicity stunt. But Blatter’s prospective opponents are likely to get little support from the 53 African voters. “The continent is united behind him,” added former South African FA president Molefi Oliphant, who still serves on the Caf executive. “We made a formal endorsement of his candidacy last year at our meeting in Rio de Janeiro already.” Previous endorsements from Caf, however, have not necessarily translated into votes. African football’s controlling body promised Lennart Johansson a block of votes in 1998 but member associations took no heed and helped Blatter to victory. In 2002 Caf president Issa Hayatou failed to muster significant support from his own continent and lost heavily to Blatter. Affection for Blatter stems from the generous financial assistance he has given Africa during his 17-year tenure. “He has done a lot for the continent. It is he who has set up the financial assistance programmes and who through the Goal project has built infra structure in all of the countries,” added Nyantakyi. “The Europeans don’t understand that. They say it is not his own money but Fifa’s but that’s not the point. “He is the one who set up all the assistance programmes that have helped boost African football.” Goal is Blatter’s pet project, inaugurated not long after he came to power in 1998 that has built training centres, accommodation, pitches and offices for cash-strapped associations. Under Fifa’s Financial Assistance Programme, introduced in 2001, each of the ruling body’s 209 member associations receive generous grants with more than $1 billion paid out during Blatter’s tenure. ( BBC )

Blatter gets ‘solid’ African support

African countries have vowed to vote overwhelmingly for Sepp Blatter in this year’s Fifa elections “Africa is solidly behind Blatter.,” said...

AFCON 2015: Equatorial Guinea foresees tough quarter-finals

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/AFCON-2015.jpg "> Equatorial Guinea veteran Juvenal Edjogo-Owono has said he expects the AFCON hosts to come up with a difficult quarterfinal after his team finished second in Group A. On Saturday, Nzalang Nacional will battle the winners of Group B, who are likely to be Tunisia or Cape Verde, in Ebebiyin for a place in the last-four. “We are going to enjoy this qualification with our fans and our people and start to prepare for the quarter-finals. We don’t know our opponents yet, but it will be very tough,” said Juvenal, who also featured when Equatorial Guinea reached the knockout stage in 2012, when they co-hosted the competition with neighbours Gabon. The Andorra-based midfielder said his team deserved 2-0 win over Gabon. “The Gabon players are well known and play for great European teams. It was important for us to reach half-time on a tie, to keep our chances until the end,” he said. “Gabon has a lot of qualities, but so do Equatorial Guinea. We played our match and deserved the victory.” “We approached all three games in the same way, against more fancied opponents, with conviction and humility.” Gabon’s coach slams penalty decision Head coach of Gabon, Jorge Costa has blamed their exit in the on-going 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) to a poor decision by the centre referee. The hosts Equatorial Guinea bundled out Costa’s team 2-0 in a Group A match played at the Bata Stadium on Sunday. “As hosts they only needed a soft penalty to be able to win. That penalty was the turn of the game,” a bitter Costa told AfricanFootball.com after the game. Costa said the referee from Cote d’Ivoire Doue Noumandiez Desire made a wrong call to award the penalty. “Even after watching replays on TV you can tell that there was no penalty,” reasoned the coach. The hosts scored through Javier Angel Balboa’s second half penalty and another goal by substitute Ivan Edu Salvador. Coach Claude Le Roy’s Congo Brazzaville’s team qualified as Group A table leaders after their 2-1 win over Burkina Faso 2-1. Balboa made a driving run before surging into the Gabon penalty area. Gabon defender Lloyd Palun seemed to clip him in the box and the referee awarded a penalty that he confidently converted. But Costa said he will maintain that the referee was wrong. He called upon match officials to handle matches well if the tournament is to move on smoothly for teams to express themselves and better teams to win. “Although we are out, I pray that the best teams win,” he added.

AFCON 2015: Equatorial Guinea foresees tough quarter-finals

Equatorial Guinea veteran Juvenal Edjogo-Owono has said he expects the AFCON hosts to come up with a difficult quarterfinal after his team f...

Venus, Serena romp into Australian Open quarter-finals

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/serena.jpg "> Venus Williams overcame sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska at the Australian Open to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2010. The 34-year-old American, who suffered from Sjogren’s syndrome, a disease that can cause fatigue, won 6-3 2-6 6-1. The seven-time Grand Slam champion will face teenager and fellow American Madison Keys in the last eight. Venus will play sister, Serena, who beat Garbine Muguruza 2-6 6-3 6-2, in the semi-finals, if they both win again. Top seed Serena, who had not advanced past the quarter- finals at Melbourne Park since winning her last Australian Open title in 2010, had trouble breathing at times and coughed throughout her match against Muguruza. She also struggled for form early on, but fought back to avenge her defeat by the Spaniard at last year’s French Open. “I had to play the best match of the tournament or else I was going to be out,” said Serena, who next faces Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova. “She was just hitting winners like left and right. Every shot I hit, she basically hit a winner on. So I had to change my approach.” At 19 years of Madison Keys is 15 years younger than Venus, who won her first Grand Slam title, at Wimbledon in 2000, when Keys was just five. “Apparently she started playing because she watched Serena and I,” said Venus. “She was watching me in diapers.” Venus was pushed hard, too, losing the second set as her level dropped before regrouping and upping the power to clinch the decider. Asked what had inspired her successful run in Melbourne, Venus said: “Definitely my sister Serena, she’s just the ultimate champion. “And definitely a lot of inspiration from all my fans who have stayed behind me through thick and thin.” Venus, whose best performance at the Australian Open was a runner-up finish in 2003, last reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam at the US Open in 2010. Keys is relishing the prospect of facing one of her childhood heroes. “I’m just really excited. It’s a huge opportunity for me,” she said. “I think Venus has helped the sport, especially the women’s side with equal prize money. She was a huge part of that. Just watching her is inspirational.” “She’s had her health battles but she loves tennis. She’s still out there and she’s doing it remarkably well. I hope I can be someone similar to that.”

Venus, Serena romp into Australian Open quarter-finals

Venus Williams overcame sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska at the Australian Open to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2010. The 34...

Super-four: F/Eagles defender cheats death

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/defender.jpg "> …Enyimba not targeting trophy –Coach …My team did not impress me –Emordi From ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja But for the quick intervention of the medical team at the ongoing Super-four tournament, a Flying Eagles’ defender, Prince Izu Omego, would have gone to the world beyond after a sliding tackle in yesterday’s game against Kano Pillars FC. The medical team battled for more than 10 minutes to revive the defender, who passed out. His situation looked hopeless at a time as many of his teammates grabbed their heads in shock while others helped to pull- out the player’s kits off his seeming lifeless body, leaving both the organizers and some members of the football federation to run helter-skelter, while men of God jumped unto the pitch for divine intervention. However, the stadium erupted in cheers when they saw what looked like a glimpse of body movement but he raised further apprehension when he could not rise to his feet. The game finally resumed when he was stretchered into a waiting ambulance and rushed to the hospital. Although Flying Eagles’ Chief Coach, Garba Manu, noted that he was still awaiting update on his situation, he expressed happiness that he finally regained consciousness. Commenting on the game coach Manu said he was a fulfilled man watching his boys, record victory over two-time Nigeria Premier league champions. According to him; “It is a sweat victory to beat back to back Premier league champions. The good thing is that we won and equally entertained the spectators. If we had converted our penalty and other chances, we would have been talking about massive victory.” Meanwhile, the assistant coach of Enyimba FC of Aba, Friday Christopher, has said that the preoccupation of the team is not to lift the tournament trophy but to be match fit for their CAF Champions League next month. “I made it very clear after our first match that our main target is not to win the tournament trophy. We are more concerned about putting the players in a proper match form for our forthcoming continental championship next month. Our joy is that this match is an improvement from the first one,” he noted.

Super-four: F/Eagles defender cheats death

…Enyimba not targeting trophy –Coach …My team did not impress me –Emordi From ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja But for the quick intervention of the medi...

The attacks on the President

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kano-crowd-4-jonathan.jpg "> dan_onwukwe@yahoo.com NIGERIA’s political history as far as elections are concerned,leaves no crumbs for comfort.At best,it reminds us of how we got here. And this should surprise nobody.Violence,thuggery and rigging are common features that contributed in no small measure to the collapse of past republics.In the words of Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah,these are the “trinity” that have marred our electoral process. It’s in this connection that when the Presidential candidates in next month’s elections signed a peace pact and embraced each other,we all hailed it.That was why the picture of President Goodluck Jonathan and that of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Muhammadu Buhari,made the front page of many newspapers a day after the pact was signed in Abuja. But few weeks after,our worst fears are coming back thick and fast.What we fear most seems to have come upon us.As bad as our past political experience was,one can’t recollect of any incident where an incumbent President seeking re-election has had his convoy attacked,or satchet water thrown at his convoy for no justifiable reason.That’s insane.That’s the dark side of our politics that portends danger to the forthcoming elections. If the life of the President is threatened,who then is safe? In less than three weeks,political thugs have attacked the President’s campaign train in Kano,Katsina,Bauchi and Jos,Plateau State.In the case of Bauchi,where two operatives of the Directorate of State Security were injured and hospitalized,stones and satchets of water were allegedly thrown at the President’s convoy. Who dunnit? While thugs allegedly sponsored by the opposition APC have been fingered in the ugly incidents in Kano,Katsina and Jos,that of Bauchi has a curious ring to it.Was it orchestrated by APC or members of the State PDP operating from far away Abuja as alleged by the State Governor,Alhaji Isa Yuguda? The Governor’s version of the attack in a British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC)Hausa Service over the weekend sounds bizaare and unbelievable.This is what Gov.Yuguda said on BBC two days ago,”I am sure and let the world know that the people who did this thing were PDP members and those politicians in Abuja.They found these youths on the road and gave them brooms and satchets of water and they instructed them that when the President is passing they should raise the brooms and satchets of water at him”.According to Yuguda,a top member of the PDP,the target was to demonize him and pitch him against the President.How true is this? Well,in Nigeria,nothing is beyond our politicians.But,to me,the logic of Alhaji Ibrahim Jalo,deputy National Publicity Secretary of PDP makes better sense.He asks a pertinent question:How can the ruling party be the one organising the stoning? Well,I don’t know! He pushed the question to the State governor to answer. That would amount to a house divided against itself. Or better still,an equivalent of a “Mutually Assured Destruction(MAD). Whichever way,the attacks on the President,by all accounts,is despicable and an affront on democracy.It also negates the peace pact entered into by the Presidential candidates early this month on behalf of their parties.It also raises concerns that the elections might be a “do or die” affair. Beyond that,it does not speak well of the maturity of aspiring political leaders.In short,it offends all known laws meant to bring sanity and decency into our electoral process as the attack contravenes section 227 of the 1999 Constitution(as amended)as well as sections 94 and 95 of the Electoral Act and sections 5-8 of the Public Order Act and Article 3 of the Political parties Code of Conduct freely agreed to,and adopted by all the political parties. Section 7 of the Code states explicitly that during campaigns,no political party or candidate should resort to the use of inflammatory or indecent language,provocative actions, images or manifestations Mthat incite violence,hatred,contempt or intimidation against another party or candidate or any person or group of persons on grounds of ethnicity or gender or for any other reason. Besides,section 14 of the Code is specific that “no political party or candidate shall prevent other parties or candidates from pasting their posters or distributing their leaflets ,handbills or other publicity materials in public places. The Code therefore urges all parties and candidates to give directives to their members or supporters not to remove,deface or destroy the posters of other parties or candidate. In spite of these provisions, President Jonathan has come under a volley of attacks.In many states,such Rivers,Lagos,Kano,Katsina,Kaduna, Plateau ,Abuja, Bauchi,Nasarawa,Adamawa, Borno, several acts of vandalism have been visited on the President’s campaign train.Some of his billboards have been reportedly destroyed and his posters as well. Perhaps this is a torch of provocation by the main opposition party or even some dissidents within the President’s own party. This is why the directive by the Inspector General of Police,Suleiman Abba to all zonal Assistant IGP and command commissioners to crackdown on political thugs and their sponsors is a welcome development.The Police high command,should,as a matter of urgency,fish out those behind the attacks on the President’s convoy.Or will the Police high command wait until something more sinister happens? The President,just like any other politician,should be free to campaign in any part of the country without any molestation.Politicians should take responsibility for any misconduct of their supporters.Much to their frustration,and perhaps sensing defeat, the premeditated attacks on the President could be a way of provoking the PDP into a retaliation that could precipitate crisis. Recall that the President has said many times over that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. That’s how politics ought to be.In other words,there will always be life after politics. Therefore, if the forthcoming elections will be counted a success,this is the time to shake off the past and let the campaigns go on. We need not to be reminded of how we got here.

The attacks on the President

dan_onwukwe@yahoo.com NIGERIA’s political history as far as elections are concerned,leaves no crumbs for comfort.At best,it reminds us of ho...

ASUU, Oshiomhole and UNIBEN properties

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Oshiomhole.jpg "> The Edo State Government has been locked in a war of attrition with the authorities of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) over ownership of some properties located in the Government Reservation Area of the state. The UNIBEN branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has upped the ante by accusing the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, of high handedness and unprovoked attacks on its members in his quest to take possession of the properties in dispute. Although a recent court judgement affirmed that the properties rightly belong to Edo State Government, the haste and indecorum with which the state government attempted to give effect to the judgement is appalling. This is more so as the university was reported to have appealed the judgement. The Edo State authorities had mobilised bulldozers to the site of the properties in question within days of the judgment and pulled them down in a brazen show of power and self-help. Students of the university, in reaction, took to the streets in protest and destroyed at least a vehicle belonging to the state government. They have threatened to return to the streets again if government does not quickly meet their conditions for peace and restore the status quo. It is the dragging of the students into this seemingly avoidable dispute and exposing them to harm’s way that we decry and condemn. Parties in this dispute must realise their responsibilities to the future generation of leaders that these students represent and do everything humanly possible to shield them from exposure to crisis. If we may ask: Why was the Edo State government in such haste to give effect to the court judgment, knowing that the window of 90 days for an appeal had not been exhausted? The argument that it did not receive the appeal notice before the demolition exercise was embarked upon cannot hold water. Neither can the earlier argument that it was UNIBEN that initiated the court process in the first place, and should suffer its consequence. Government, as the father of all, has a higher responsibility to exercise utmost restraint in disputes with its own stakeholders in order not to be seen to be irresponsible in its actions. This is more so when its actions cannot stand the test of time and moral scrutiny. The mills of justice may grind slowly, but they remain sure. The rush by the Edo authorities to take possession of the properties was needless. Restraint, even in the face of provocation, is the minimum expected of all responsible governments. Now that some damage has been done, how does government mitigate it? This is a box government should not have found itself in if it had thought through its action in the first place. Government should not have resorted to the demolition of the contentious properties, especially as they reportedly house very senior members of staff of the university. So, the government should as a first step towards resolving the dispute and avoiding an escalation, take no further action in advancing its claim to ownership of the properties in dispute until the appeal by the university is exhausted. We are in a democratic country where the rule of law must prevail. Let the state government initiate peace moves and wait for the final pronouncement of the courts on the matter. We enjoin Governor Oshiomhole to show leadership in this matter. The UNIBEN authorities should also explore all avenues for an amicable handling of this dispute until the final resolution of the matter by the courts.

ASUU, Oshiomhole and UNIBEN properties

The Edo State Government has been locked in a war of attrition with the authorities of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) over ownership of so...

Tambuwal To Politicians – Stop This Violence Now

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Aminu-Tambuwal.jpg "> Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal has said that the current scale of violence introduced by politicians in the country must stop. He stated this at an interactive session with the leadership of students of all tertiary institutions in Sokoto State on Monday. “The culture of violence that is tradition. I don’t believe in violence and those who are into it should reconsider their steps. “What you should do as politicians is to convince people on what you intend to do for them. Tell them why you should be elected. You must not lead unscrupulous people to unleash mayhem on people you perceive as not your supporters”, Tambuwal said. Tambuwal, who is the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state, stressed further that it is only when politicians imbibed the culture of electioneering that is devoid of violence, that the youths would take a cue of issue-based politicking. He also pleaded with the people of Sokoto State to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) because according to him, “Obtaining PVCs is the only by which you can elect the candidates of your choice”. He also called on government at all levels to invest in the youth so that the country would have vibrant future. “We must invest in the youths for a better tomorrow because they represent today and the future”. Tambuwal said that his number one priority if elected as governor of Sokoto state would be education in which majority of beneficiaries are the youths. ( INFORMATION NIGERIA )

Tambuwal To Politicians – Stop This Violence Now

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal has said that the current scale of violence introduced by politicians in the country...

Tambuwal To Politicians – Stop This Violence Now

Tambuwal To Politicians – Stop This Violence Now

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal has said that the current scale of violence introduced by politicians in the country...

Jonathan in Warri, explains suspension of gas city project

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/President-Goodluck-Jonathan-at-Kwara-PDP-rally-e1420706447653.jpg "> President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend paid an unscheduled visit to Warri, Delta State, where he explained why the ground breaking ceremony for the Delta Gas City Project and the Export Free Zone was aborted. Jonathan who had a private audience with the President of the Christian Association of Nigera (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and in company of the Delta State Governor, Em manuel Uduaghan, paid courtesy call on the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II. The President told the Olu of Warri in the presence of his chiefs that he had to put-off the ground breaking because of the fear of outbreak of violence during the ceremony, which would have frightened investors. He said it was not put-off because he was afraid anything was going to happen to him, adding that as a son of the Niger Delta region, he can move freely in the zone without mo lestation. Explaining that the ground breaking ceremony will not be done before the elections next month, President Jonathan stated that investors would have to be around for the ceremony, noting that the concerned companies would be given enough notice. He, therefore, mandated the Delta State Governor to work closely with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Presidency to get a suitable date before May 29, 2015. Reacting to the President’s visit, the state Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeah commended the President for coming personally to explain the circumstances that led to the suspension of the ceremony. Ogeah in a statement said the “state government is also appreciative of the Olu’s understanding of the President’s explanation and commitment to the project.

Jonathan in Warri, explains suspension of gas city project

President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend paid an unscheduled visit to Warri, Delta State, where he explained why the ground breaking cerem...

Oshiomhole to Jonathan: Don’t expect Edo people’s votes

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Adams-Oshiomhole.jpg "> Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has advised the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, against banking on the votes of people of the state. He stressed that Edo people will not re- elect the President in next month’s presidential election owing to his abandonment of the state. According to Oshiomhole, President Jonathan did not fulfill his promise to contribute to the development of the South-South state, despite enjoying 95 per cent of votes of Edo people for his election in 2011. Speaking separately at the All Progressives Congress (APC) rallies in Ehor and Igueben towns in Uhunmwode Igueben Local Government Area on Saturday, the governor explained that in spite of several letters to the Federal Government to assist the state on erosion challenges, the Jonathan administration neglected Edo after persuading them to vote for him as their brother in 2011. Stressing that the people of the state are wiser now and would “vote the President out on February 14 for abandoning them,” he recalled that “The last time we voted for President Jonathan, He got 95 per cent of the total votes in Edo State. Yet, I cannot think of any meaningful thing he has done in the state. “Last year, President Jonathan gave N2bn each to some PDP states even where he lost election to deal with erosion. Those that don’t have flood erosion were given money for desertification but we in Edo State that voted for him got nothing. I am not lamenting this. We have learnt from it and are determined not to repeat our mistakes,” he said. Oshiomhole accused the federal government of insensitivity by failing to prosecute “those indicted” in the ill-fated immigration recruitment exercise in 2014, adding that it “is a clear indication that President Goodluck Jonathan did not care about the welfare of the Nigerian youths. “People lost their lives. Last week, the relatives of those who died in Benin were protesting to us that the Federal Government has not given them even the jobs they promised.” Expressing confidence that Nigerians will vote for change at all levels in next month’s elections, the Governor assured that “I believe that with Maj. Gen. Buhari, Nigeria will be in a safer hand beginning with security.” ( DAILY POST )

Oshiomhole to Jonathan: Don’t expect Edo people’s votes

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has advised the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jona...

Abia Central seat: Gov Orji is easiest person to beat –APCcandidate

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ta-orji.jpg "> Honourable Iheanacho Obioma, a two-time member of the House of Representatives, has said that nobody should worry about the candidature of Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, in next month’s senatorial election, as he’s easy to beat. Oioma, who represented Umuahia Federal Constituency between 1999 and 2007, during which time he was chairman of a committee., in an interactive session with newsmen, revealed why he is challenging Governor Orji for the Abia Central Senate seat, while expressing optimism he will beat the governor at the polls. Excerpts: T he PDP says there is no opposition in Abia State. What do you thinks? If you follow what had happened over time, whatever members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state say is always far from the truth. Saying that there is no opposition in Abia is laughable. I don’t know if any of you was at the rally All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Aba and that was just an ad hoc rally hurriedly put together. It’s like a sensitisation rally and a kind of unity rally after all the problems we have gone through and you saw the response. The number of persons who wanted to attend that rally was so many, but because of bad roads in Aba, more than half of those who set out to attend that rally could not get to the venue. So if anybody, a responsible government or party tells you there is no opposition in Abia, wouldn’t you just laugh? So there is very strong opposition in the state and we have a whole lot to get the people appreciate that we need a change in Abia this month. There is no way we can continue like this. Everybody is crying; people are dying in silence; people are being intimidated; people are being humiliated and you say there is no opposition. Why wouldn’t there be opposition? Even if there is no political party you call opposition party, the people themselves are opposed to the way the government is run; everybody is opposed to that; so there is no way anybody will say there is no opposition in Abia; it’s not possible; there is very strong opposition in the state. Maybe they were expecting us to start reacting to them. We have our programme. They can’t drive our programme. We need to drive our own programme. We have our plans, when to come out and when to strike. The one we have just done in Aba is a tip of the iceberg. So we are not going to allow, maybe somebody using us to go to Abuja, to get some glory or get some money from the Federal Government or you make some noise so that the government will allow you to do what you want to do. Let them come and see the way things are, and I can tell you, next month’s election will so embarrass the government of the day. You are running for the Abia Central senatorial seat against the incumbent governor of the state. What are your chances of winning the election? What is difficult about that? There is nothing difficult about it. I can tell you, yes, he is a two-time governor, but he has never ran any election. This is going to be the first time he is going to contest an election and test his popularity and test his person, his acceptance. The first tenure he had, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu ran the election for him when he was in detention. Kalu did the magic for him. The second one was an agreement when he said that it was Kalu that made him not to perform and that he was then ready to give Abians dividends of democracy. All of us joined hands and say let’s give him another chance; so there was no competitive election in the state in 2011. He has been in the saddle of the state for over seven years and people are now able to judge him. There’s no more Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu or whatever stories he’s going to give anybody that made him not to perform. People have given you opportunity. You see how Aba is? You see how Umuahia is? Go to the expressway; everywhere is just filled with filths and all that. There’s no road. Everywhere you go to, it’s the same thing. So, I think he is the easiest person to defeat in the election, because, one, people know him, his ability and capability, in terms of delivery. If you watch most of the governors, who went to the Senate, some of them don’t do anything, in terms of representing the people. They are just there as shield; they think that going to the Senate is a status symbol to make them continue to feel that they are still at the corridors of power. Our people know that electing him to represent them will not be in their interest. I have elected into the House of Representatives twice. They know me. . If the APC wins next month’s election in the state, as you are envisaging, what is it going to do differently to better the lot of the people? There is a whole lot to do differently. First of all, you have to provide the conducive environment. APC cannot put in place a government that would promote hatred, a government that would promote and be happy to see people quarrelling among themselves. There should be an environment where everybody is happy with each other. That we disagree politically does not make us enemies; there are issues that make us disagree; this government promotes hatred, I can assure you that. In terms of infrastructure, you see there is nothing on ground. You can see, maybe very few buildings and they will orchestrate they are doing this or doing that, but I assure you they are doing nothing tangible. They are more interested in the proceeds that come in building those a few structures. Our education is in disarray; look at the state polytechnic, no salaries are paid workers; students hardly go to school. You go to ABSU, it’s like another breeding place for criminals; nothing is happening there; no real education is going on; people are taxed heavily; parents sweat to pay school fees, while in our neighbouring state, Imo, the story is by far different. Imo State is a model of what APC can do in Abia. Everybody is on free education, both natives and non-natives. In Imo State also, there is road construction going on in every village; people can access their areas; people can live in their villages and access the town. If you are talking about building, you see modern buildings; people’s psyche is being changed; civil servants are happy, as they now dress like human beings, not the ones you see in Abia, frowning their faces, hunger all over the places. You don’t see Gov. Okorocha going on the road throwing money to people as if they are baggers. Here they are making our people look as if they are valueless. Money that will be used to do something beneficial to everybody is being thrown around and people will be killing themselves to get N200 out of a hundred thousand naira you are throwing to multitude. That’s an example of poverty, which the government has created. If not, there is no human being that can see somebody throwing money on the road and be pursuing that person; it is poverty because government has failed. Infrastructure wise, look at Aba; when I went to the city and saw how bad it was, I wept. Is Aba not a sign of a failed government? All these things I said the PDP government in Abia has failed to do, we will do them if APC wins the next election. We are doing to give quality and free education; we must give infrastructure that everybody will be happy and I’m also praying that the APC will control the centre from where we will be able to tackle the problem of light. As the 2015 elections are around the corner. What advise do you have for Abians? Abians are angry. We are angry because government has failed. Everyone, including you pressmen. know that Abia is not working and you have to join us, let’s sensitise the people, let’s tell them the truth; let’s give them courage to come out. It’s not a question of what you are. Whether you are a governor or president, people can vote them out and defend it. The issue of relying on armed forces to intimidate and write result for you is no longer going to happen. If you vote, you defend the vote. Even the army, everybody, they are all part of the society; they know that what we are saying is absolutely correct. Nobody should be used to intimidate your own people because at the end of the day, it comes back to all of us. So, what we are saying is that the PDP has failed in Abia. Therefore, people should join hands with APC government, which is now out to make sure we change the government and particularly to make sure that this governor, who has failed Abia, should not be rewarded with any one single vote in his senatorial contest.

Abia Central seat: Gov Orji is easiest person to beat –APCcandidate

Honourable Iheanacho Obioma, a two-time member of the House of Representatives, has said that nobody should worry about the candidature of A...

I can still be Speaker if God says so–Mulikat Akande

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Mulikat-Akande.jpg "> Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, lawmaker representing Og bomoso North/South/Orire Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has been in the lower chamber since 2007. Having been elected twice by her people in 2007 and 2011 to represent them, the House Majority Leader, who is gunning for a record third term, said she still needs to be in the House to enable her complete all outstanding projects and make her constituency the envy of all. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker urged Nigerians to vote back the PDP because the opposition has got nothing to offer. You’re a second term member of the House of Representatives; why are you seeking a third term in the House? I think the reasons are not farfetched because the issue of ranking is very important in the House of Representatives, and right now the people of Ogbomoso do not have people at the top except me, and if, assuming somebody else goes to represent them, he or she will have to start from the scratch, that is from the bottom of the ladder. I have been in the House since 2003. In fact, some of my colleagues will even say they didn’t know me at that time and this is because when you just come to the House, you cannot hold any important position in the House; therefore, there is nothing really you can do for your people. But as a second timer, you know that I was supposed to be the speaker but I’m sure it wasn’t the time for me then. Going there now as a third timer, I don’t think there will be any reason for anyone to say I cannot hold any post or she will not be a ranking member any more. So, it is very important and my people feel that they need to be part of government to be able to get whatever they want from government and if they have a daughter up there, why remove her and bring somebody new. So, that is one of the key reasons I am going back for a third time. And also, projects that I have attracted to this community, some of them I am yet to complete and you know the status of the budget this year. Last year, it was just 45 per cent realised; so these projects will be at a standstill because when a member does a project, a new member will not be willing to complete your own projects and they become abandoned. And there are other things that my people are looking forward to and apart from even Ogbomoso, talk of the South West, you can see that in this present administration, the South West did not really get much and we hope to really get back to our place in governance in this country and I am sure between me and my other colleagues, we are very hopeful that the PDP will have a larger number from the South West this time around so we can be able to get our rightful place. Could you give us examples of the ongoing projects that you wish to complete and those things you said your people are looking forward to? State creation is uppermost in my people’s minds. My people really wish that Ogbomoso will be able to become a state capital and if the government, I know in the parliament, nothing about state creation came in during the constitution amendment but at the National Conference, which we are yet to get the report, are very much in support of that. Whatever happens, if states are going to be created, at least Oyo State will not be left out in the scheme of things. Also, the Ogbomoso / Oyo axis of Ilorin express road is also something that we need the government to complete because it is causing a lot of problems and havoc to our people and movement from Lagos to Ilorin is not as smooth as is supposed to be because of this road and that road needs to be completed and they all feel that with me there, the road should be completed even though the road was started in 2001 and you know, they have been going back and forth on it because the amount of money required to complete the road is huge. Within Ogbomoso itself, we have a lot of projects such as erosion control because we have a lot of erosion problem here; we have been able to get the government to start working on it. All of these projects may be left uncompleted, if an old legislator from the axis does not return. Definitely, those who are vying against me are not from the PDP, they are from other parties, which these projects may not be of interest to. And you know the way Nigerians behave, instead of working on continuity, they want to start on something different and that does not allow for progress, as far as I am concerned. We also need a federal institution in my con stituency, which I have promised my people they will get in the next dispensation. As a member of the legislature, you do not have executive powers to execute projects, which is one of the reasons it is important that you become a principal officer of the House. What do you think your chances are this time around, to be the Speaker of the House if elected? I believe in only what God says it’s possible. If God had wanted me to be a speaker at that time, I don’t think there was anything anyone could have done to stop it. So, we can only hope for the best and wait for the best. And I am sure you know that why I did not become speaker then was partly because my fellow legislators from the South West, who were in another party did not support me and that a lot of people were not happy about it. If south west has to get anything at all, I think we should all work together, irrespective of the parties because they too will have something to benefit, whether they are from the ruling party or not, the fact that you have someone from the south west in that position, things can be achieved for the zone. So, to what extend will you say that incident has affected the fortunes of the South West? It has affected it a lot because all the positions or appointments that were supposed to come to the south west, of course, majority of them were not achievable because there was nobody from the zone within the top six in the country to fight for the South West. Usually, the way it is done is for these positions to be shared according to geo-political zones, but we didn’t get anything. The North-West took two slots and so the positions were going to the northwest. If you look at positions in the country and how they are filled, you will see that the south west really did not get what they were supposed to get and these positions could have spread to anybody in the south west as long as it is being held by somebody from the south west, then it will benefit the people of this zone. So, it is very necessary that in the next dispensation, we get our rightful position and whatever the position is allocated to the south west must be filled by somebody from the south west. If at federal level the PDP wins and you also win, there will be an opening for the Speakership of the House. Is this something you are working towards? First of all, I am working now on my winning the elections. The issue of becoming speaker, I leave that to God. So, are you sure of your chances of winning this election? Sure, I am very confident of winning this election with the support of God and the support of my people, except if hard work is not being rewarded. But if my people are going to reward hard work, then I don’t have a problem. You speak so much about your conviction in your people and your relationship with them. Why should they give you another term? What exactly have you done for them? I am sure I have touched the lives of my people in so many ways. I am not representing any other place and myself or any other person; I am basically there to represent them. People in the community can testify to that, I can testify to that. For instance, I have a foundation that is basically in line with poverty alleviation, scholarship programme and lots more. We also have associations too where we put our money into for the people to be happy. I don’t believe in giving people money because I want you to vote for me, I believe in doing things that will make the people happy and this will make them vote for you willingly. In this regard, I have done a lot like giving the community boreholes, schools, and getting involved in erosion control projects which we are focusing on and this project is worth N67 million and the work is on going. I believe in projects that will impact the society, not giving money. People who are against politicians and other big people out there are people who have asked of money or material things from these people and they were not given, and because of this, they decided in their hearts and minds that the person is bad, hence won’t get their votes. Or maybe you might have been giving them, and they are always coming and I say to them that I can’t give them anymore and they take you as an enemy. People will tell you that I have done a lot for the community. Speaking specifically on the youth programme, what should the youths of the community expect from you? We have been doing skills acquisition programme like Cocoa research, fishery, baking, snailry, fashion designing, amongst others. The same programmes are going on in my Foundation now where we have 50 people. In earlier programmes, we gave N100, 000 each to the participants to start the business they have been taught. Presently, we intend giving each participant N50, 000 to start business and certificates will also be given to them at the end of their training. If you go to the Foundation now, you will see them and by the time they finish their training we are going to empower them to start a business. We also have a computer centre in town and also in my Foundation, where we train 20 students in ICT to help them understand computers; these people are either undergraduates or just youths. And we do that twice in a year. Widows are not left out. We work with a Micro-finance bank, through which we give them interest free loans- they pay back the loan while I pay the bank the interest on the loan. We teach them how to trade and accounts is opened for them so that they can save the money they have traded with. I am sure they are all happy about what we are doing for them. We also train the aged, train people in tailoring, and give money to them to start their business. How do you raise funds for the foundation? Do you borrow or seek grants from organisations to fund these programmes? For my Foundation, I set aside N10 million every year, and that is paid into the Foundation’s account to fund the programmes that we do. We are also trying to work with other Foundations to partner with us in our programmes, but since I have started, I have been the one funding the Foundation with my personal money. If you go to the Foundation’s secretariat, you will see a lot we have done for people to help them earn decent living, because before now, some of them cannot even afford to eat three square meals daily, and we are trying to help them make money to help them provide for their families. Some come back to complain that some of the things we gave to them got spoilt and some other heart-breaking things like that, it doesn’t really make me happy when they say such things. It is not only in Ogbomoso that I have impacted. At Orire local government, we have done about 80 boreholes. The town has 700 villages and the problem they have is water. What are your principles in the politics? My principle in politics is to put smiles on the faces of my people. That is my main ambition,. I also want to ensure the standard of people is improved. That is the bottom line. That was why I set up my Foundation which we started with N30 million, and our work or ambition is to help the less privileged, give scholarship to children, give employments to people who don’t have jobs, and by God’s grace, I have given 120 federal jobs to people in my constituency. And we are working on more job opportunities for them. We work with the motherless homes, blind and host of the others. We touch every aspect in the community. PDP has not been communicating with the people, what is the problem? From my point of view, I think it is the media themselves that is the problem. PDP thinks the opposition has bought or let me say has hijacked the media. People tell me that I don’t advertise my good works or projects publicly. One of my cousins has even taken it upon his head to go and print a report on my achievements to get people updated about the works we have done in this constituency. We Nigerians are never truthful to ourselves. And what people don’t know is that APC cannot do what PDP has done in Nigeria, if you have the interest of the people in your heart or mind, then you will surely get there to serve the people. And not because you want to get there to show the people that you can do better than those who are there. And if you will investigate things, you will see that those who are the corrupt people are part of the opposition party disturbing the peace of the nation. What APC is doing, they cannot give the people anything. If you look at Lagos, if APC wins again, I tell you that they won’t do anything, because they will say the people do not want anything again, and they will also say the people have everything they want. But if PDP wins, I tell you that Mr. Jimi Agbaje will do a lot for the people and change things. What can you say about Akala’s defection? Former Governor Akala is a very influential figure in our community, we respect him a lot. His leaving the party means that we will have to work twice as hard as we would have. I believe that every individual is working for the interest of his or her party.

I can still be Speaker if God says so–Mulikat Akande

Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, lawmaker representing Og bomoso North/South/Orire Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has been in the lower cham...

Nigerians have hundreds of reasons to re-elect Jonathan

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Ibadan-Jonathan-PDP.jpg "> The February 14, 2015 presidential and National Assembly elections are thick in the air. Unlike the previous polls under the present democratic dispensation, it has stirred up much passion and seized the attention of the populace, because for the first time two dominant and almost equally spread parties, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) are set to slug it out for the votes of the electorate. As the clock ticks, Chancellor of the Akpabiosm Centre for Leadership Development, Pastor Bassey, who is leading the Akpabiosm Ambassadors for Jonathan and canvassing for votes for Goodluck Jonathan, makes a case for the re-election, saying it would represent a demonstration of justice, equity and fairness. Excerpts: W e are a few weeks from the 2015 election. Looking at the political environment, where do you stand? My stand on the 2015 election is very clear. We stand for justice, equity and fairness. We stand for unity and the totality of peace in this country. Nigeria is a great nation, and that greatness cannot be destroyed by politics or any issue. We are the giant of Africa and we believe very strongly that Nigeria is a gift from God to humanity, to Africa and to the world. We will continue to pray for the unity of the Nigeria and for oneness. We also believe that President Goodluck Jonathan must be able to complete what he has started. It was said some years ago that one good turn deserves another. The performance of Jonathan in the last few years has placed him in the pinnacle and given Nigerians hope that things can be better in this country. Jonathan’s presidency has transformed Nigeria and given us leverage over other African countries. Today, Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa. We believe that under Jonathan’s presidency Nigeria will be one of the top 20 economies in the world in the next four years. But there are many people who hold the contrary view that it is not enough to bandy about this claim that Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa, when we have massive unemployment and there are deficiencies in different sectors of the economy. What is your response to these misgivings? First, let us recognise that Jonathan took office a little over three and half years ago and vigorously began to tackle the multifarious problems he met on ground. And he has made enormous progress. A fact anybody can accept is that Rome was not built in a day. You have seen the pattern of his administration and the Transformation Agenda that he initiated which has resulted in the massive transformation recorded in agriculture, the influx of foreign direct investment – far higher than what was recorded during former President Obasanjo’s tenure; the YouWIN programme that has been providing capital for small-to-medium scale enterprises. The Bank of Industry has made huge investments to grow SMEs; we have seen the reconstruction of the Benin-Ore Road and the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, both of which had been death traps. Everybody in Nigeria knows how much people used to suffer on the Benin-Ore Road, where travelers would sleep on the road because of the horrible traffic logjam that that kept them stuck, motionless and in agony. You have seen the reconstruction of several airport terminals and complete renovation of others. The Federal Government under Jonathan has energetically pursued the power sector reform agenda, and in the process invested heavily in both power generation and transmission infrastructure. That is why we are witnessing real improve ment in power supply. Just the other day, the sixth turbine of the Egbin Power Plc, which was damaged and left unrepaired for several years, was completely refurbished and reactivated. This resulted in the injection of 220MW of electricity into the national grid for distribution in Lagos State through Eko Electricity Distribution Plc and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Plc. In the next few years, almost every state in the country would be able to generate electricity when the various independent power projects they have embarked on with the participation of foreign investors become operational. All these things have been made possible by the economic policies of the Jonathan administration, which are conducive. We know that the government did not deal with the issue of unpaid pension of old civil servants that retired some years ago. They were made to go for verification exercise several times, some even died without getting their pensions. There was also the issue of massive corruption in the fuel subsidy programme. Given this background, why should people go out to vote for Jonathan on February 14, 2015? First, let me state categorically that Nigerians have hundreds of reasons to re-elect Jonathan as President. But you only asked for three reasons, and I will oblige you. But let me address the issue of pension first. We all know that when the PHCN was unbundled, the qualified workers were all paid off before the entities were handed over to the new owners. Many junior workers received as much as N10 million and a good number of them were retained by the new owners of the generation and distribution companies. Why was it so? The reason is simple: there was proper documentation of the qualified personnel laid off after privatisation. In the case of the core civil service, the digital documentation ran into hitches because of the issue of ghost pensioners that had to be removed from the pension list first and foremost. It was necessary to conduct proper verification exercise to determine the number of retired workers qualified to receive pension. I believe that this has been done, and the qualified pensioners would be paid. Where there are still cases of pensioners wrongly removed from the list, I believe the government will make necessary amendments. Now to your main question about why people should vote for Jonathan, I have previously reeled out several of the achievements of the administration. We should not belabour that because Jonathan has delivered on the mandate given to him, and I think the majority of Nigerians agree with that and would willingly and happily renew his mandate on February 14, 2015. Nigerians know the truth; it’s not propaganda that the Jonathan administration has put down concrete, verifiable evidence of its achievements in the three-and-half-years-plus it has been in office. There is clear evidence that the Jonathan administration has delivered good governance. The facts are incontestable because any honest person can see them spread across the country. His second coming is meant to consolidate on what he has achieved and complete the Transformation Agenda.

Nigerians have hundreds of reasons to re-elect Jonathan

The February 14, 2015 presidential and National Assembly elections are thick in the air. Unlike the previous polls under the present democra...

Buhari: Change Nigeria needs

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Nwagwu-kelechi.jpg "> A medical practitioner, Kelechi Nwagwu, is the Convener and National Coordinator, South-East Professionals for Buhari. In an interview with RAZAQ BAMIDELE in Lagos, the vocal pro- Buhari campaigner stated reasons he, a south eastern Christian, is campaigning for a Muslim candidate from the north. Excerpts: Why are you supporting Buhari? You know General Buhari has been terribly misrepresented to Nigerians, especially, in the South-east. A lot of our young people who never had the opportunity of knowing Buhari when he ruled this country for the first time, really do not understand who the man, General Muhammadu Buhari, is. I am into this organisation to help, especially the people from the South-east know who the man, Muhammadu Buhari, really is. A gentleman, an officer, a patriot, a good Muslim who people keep misrepresenting as an Islamic bigot. I have had several opportunities to interact with the man one on one, from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), time. I did several articles in my own little way to get the people to know who the man really is. With your knowledge of General Buhari, is he a hater of Igbo? Is he a hater of Christians? The answer is no. A lot of his actions would let you understand that this man is not what they portray him to be. Who are the people who portray him in bad light? They are those who are scared of Buhari, becoming the elected President of this great country. Why are you supporting his aspiration to become president? We are out to support him and portray him appropriately as a patriot, as a man who has this burning desire to put things right in Nigeria. We are supporting him because he is one fellow we believe has the will, the desire and the wherewithal to fight the monster called corruption. We all know that corrup tion has practically crippled and destroyed this country. If you fight corruption, you would have succeeded in freeing loads of cash that could be deployed to develop the infrastructure that has practically decayed in this country. People built the Expressway. We cannot be talking of repairing it. We should be talking about building new ones. Somebody built the rail lines that we are putting locomotive engines on. Why can’t we see someone else that would say I am building north-east, north-west rail lines? Like Enugu to Sokoto. Lagos-Port Harcourt. Lagos-Calabar rail lines. During Chrismas, Chritian easterners like us struggle to drive thousands of kilometers home. And in the process you witness a lot of multiple acci dents on the road. During the last trip, I saw several auto crashes on the road claiming my people’s lives! If it were to be a rail line from Lagos to the east, an electric train that will take you two hours to the east, would we need to drive from Lagos? A lot of our people in the East are hoodwinked to take decision out of sentiment. If a man has ruled Nigeria for about six years, and the first time he came to Imo State was when he wanted to receive the defectors to his party and the second time was when he came to campaign for a second term in office; he made the same promise he made when he came last time to campaign for election. He promised a second Niger Bridge. I used to tell friends that this second Niger Bridge we are talking about is just 1.7 kilometre long. Should that take more than four years to build? Would it take up to four years to build? Not a single project was commissioned by this government in his six years in office in Imo State. Not one. I don’t know of other states. But to the best of my knowledge, I don’t see this president visiting any of the eastern states to commission a single project. Why are you not supporting somebody from the South like you? Must we continue to support him based on geography of where he hails from? This is Bayelsa State beside Imo State. Right. Common, we should grow beyond that sentiment. We want a leadership that will free funds being stolen on daily basis, direct the funds to develop infrastructure. We need a man that will change Nigeria so much that our children wouldn’t need to know any minister, Permanent Secretary or top government officials to get jobs. So that our children will get job, get admission because it is their right. We want a country where you will be happy to park your car and join public transport. We want a country where things are done purely on merit. That is what we want. We want a country where there will be a real fight against corruption. We don’t want to hide under any excuses on how corruption is being fought through the ICT. We don’t want excuses that you don’t want to jail anybody. We are living in a country where, if you steal a goat, you will go for ten years imprisonment, while those who steal billions will get two years and presidential pardon later. You cannot say you are fighting corruption with that process. How long have you been in this group? The group first came up before 2011 election. I worked as an individual then, trying to project the General. But I felt that was not enough for me alone to do what is needed to get the man properly into the South-east. So, I called some like minds to penetrate the interlands, communities, everywhere in that region to project the man in the real colour that he is. It is not about your opinion about General Buhari. It is about what General Buhari is, really. So, the organization is not very old. It was specifically founded and packaged to project General Muhammadu Buhari in the right image to our people. If you don’t know me, and somebody told you that I am an armed robber. Until you know me, you would still have the perception that I am an armed robber. That is how the case looks like. South easterners are predominantly catholic. So, Rev. Father Mbaka in his new year sermon shocked the easterners when he made them understand that this man does not hate us. That was the first incidence that happened. Again some other things have been going on Imo State. The Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okoroha, his performance as APC governor has endeared him so much to the people of Imo State. And for the fact that Okorocha is also projecting Buhari to his people that, this man will work for us, as I am working for you, is making a lot of sense to them. During his campaign in the state, our group was well represented. So, we are doing our job at the level of the grassroots. One-on-one discussions going on, through which we tell the grassroots people why the General is the right candidate for 2015. And interestingly, the perception is changing. As I am talking to you, I am not the only one in the group, I have friends and colleagues that are equally working. What we do is because we have better access to information, we make sure the information sink through, so that those at the grassroots levels-our fathers, mothers, uncle and others, get the truth. Geographical factors will not develop the villages. Geographical factors will not guarantee your pension. Reasons of geography will not make your children get jobs. If it would take somebody from far away Daura in Katsina State to rule the country and rule it well, if it would take somebody, who is a Muslim to rule this country and rule it well, so be it. China is developing and Chinese are Buddhists. I have a lot of people working for me in my clinic -Yoruba, Igbo, Edo. I look at competence. I won’t just hire you simply because you answer Chukwuemeka. I will hire you because you would be able to deliver on the job. We want a man that has demonstrated the zeal and capacity to put things in order in this country. And we are working and doing the more we can, and by the time you see the south- east result where Jonathan had once scored 100 per cent, you will know how far we have gone. Have you not been challenged over Buhari’s age? We have severally handled that question. As a medical doctor, I can tell you that there are some diseases with age-senility. But we should equally realise that not long ago, Tunisia elected a new president, who is 88 years old. And these same PDP people that criticise Buhari for being too old, were all over the place, struggling to get former President Olusegun Obasnjo third term in office at 70. Age was not a factor then because it was at their advantage. You see, death never comes with age. Babies die in the womb. Babies die right after delivery. People who are 100 years die so also people who are ten years. That was why the adverts we saw in the papers were disgusting. The man has been campaigning, traversing the country, addressing the nation. Sometimes, he addresses gathering in three different states every day at 72. I don’t think we have any issue with that. His competence, passion, zeal and desire are not in doubt. If you are doing a job and you are doing it well, it means you have a passion for it. The man demonstrated the first time he came that he could put things right. We know about his anticorruption drive when he bundled some people to jail. We know the issue in fighting indiscipline. Our position is this, if it will take a 72- year old man to put things right in Nigeria, so be it. What are your expectations on February 14? What goes on in the country now is a movement. I had told people before June 12, 1993 happened, they said it was not possible. On February 14, this year, what will happen will make what happened on June 12, 1993 a child’s play. It is a move ment. You can see the likes of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Rochas Okorocha. Those are the APC governors that have demonstrated that it is not rocket science to deliver infrastructure, build schools and hospitals and roads. I have an experience to share. I had a wedding in Owerri. When I could not get a flight to Owerri, I flew to Port Harcourt from where I took a cab to Owerri. I wondered how smooth the road was. The road belongs to the Federal Government but was rebuilt by Rivers State Government of Amaechi. These people have demonstrated that things can work in Nigeria. They are immensely popular governors with a lot of followership. South-west governors, we know where they are. The APC governors in the North are fantastic. You saw the rallies in Bayelsa and Rivers. It is a movement. You can see that the panic button has been pressed and that is why you are getting Greek gift of petroleum price reduction. Later, they said the man was diagnosed of cancer by the Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital. The hospital has to come out to say he had not visited the hospital in five years. They leave the substance and chase the shadow by attacking Buhari’s personality. This simply means that they have lost the plot. What is going on now is a mass movement that will take flesh on February 14. And that is why we have tagged it ‘FeBuhari.’ That day, you will see that Nigerians truly desire a better country.

Buhari: Change Nigeria needs

A medical practitioner, Kelechi Nwagwu, is the Convener and National Coordinator, South-East Professionals for Buhari. In an interview with ...

We’ll roll out 1m free prepaid meters –Nebo

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nebo-new.jpg "> The current state of electricity supply in the country can be described as abysmally poor, where households cannot boast of having uninterrupted power supply for 24 hours. Despite moving from a paltry 2,800 megawatts in 2007 to about 4,500 megawatts in 2015, Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of the growth in power generation. But in all of this, government said it is working hard to ensure that power is delivered to Nigerian homes through alternatives platforms. Fielding questions from senior editors of The Sun Publishing Limited, led by its Managing Director and Editor in Chief, Mr. Femi Adesina, last week, Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, explained that the era of estimated billing would soon be a thing of the past as government had concluded plans to roll out one million free prepaid meters for electricity consumers across the country. The Minister, while soliciting the support of the media in the coverage of Ministry’s activities, commended The Sun for taking the lead in online news reportage and putting itself ahead of its peers. However, the Minister lamented that despite government’s efforts to realise stable power supply, the activities of vandals have continued to frustrate these initiatives. He therefore called on The Sun to help project the ills of pipeline vandalism which, he said has consistently led to shortage of gas for power generation. He also spoke of his Ministry’s effort to complete the NIPP projects and its efforts to improve transmission infrastructure across the country. Excerpts. Current state of power sector When the current administration came on board, the power facilities were delivering barely 2,800MW. In fact, the actual daily average did not reach 2,500MW. But today, we have hit 4500MW and I think it is a milestone by any standard. Electricity is not something you just can do overnight. It takes time for any of the projects to really mature. On a daily average, because of all kinds of downtime, load- shedding, among others, we have exceeded 3,500MW, which is well in excess of 1,000MW over what Mr. President inherited. But we have been picking up, at least for now. Apart from vandalism, we have picked up to 4,500MW and we have the capacity to do more than that. NIPP projects The National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), which President Goodluck Jonathan inherited, was virtually moribund. It was when he became the Vice President that he started wooing and encouraging the states to come on board to ensure that the NIPP didn’t quite die completely. When completed, all of the 10 plants under NIPP will supply to the grid approximately 4,500MW. Two of the plants (Geregu and Omotosho) have already been commissioned while others are on board and will be inaugurated within this year, by the grace of God. Also, when the NIPP was conceived, there was no concomitant development and deployment of gas infrastructure to supply gas to the plants to power the turbines. They are all gas-fired turbines. But working with this administration’s Gas Master Plan, we can comfortably say that essentially all the NIPP plants now have gas infrastructure. In other words, once gas is available, we can power all of them. But that was not the case a few years ago. In the past, there was no mention of connecting those plants to gas. Efforts to improve transmission infrastructure In this first tranche, we are training 200 technicians, including line climbers, sub-station operators and other experts in the field from generation, transmission to distribution. We will be absorbing 200 from each state, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which means we will be having about 7,400 across the country. The Federal Government is to sponsor 100 from each state while the respective state governments are expected to sponsor an additional 100 from their states. So the kind of workforce we are trying to create can be said to be geographically correct because all parts of Nigeria will be part of it. Next is the infrastructure for transmission that Mr. President inherited. Apart from being an obsolete workforce, they are also ageing, ailing and dying professionals. He is revamping that now. But for the physical infrastructure, you go through Nigeria and take a look at the transformers we have around. They are overloaded. And overloaded transformers will always trip off and there are no two ways about it. They will not serve the intended purpose. At the moment, we are gradually and systematically replacing a lot of them. In fact, the Vice President called me last week requesting for more transformers that have been abandoned at the port for many years now. So, we are doing everything possible to ensure that this is taken care of. Virtually every commercial city you go to, there are overloaded transformers. Thousands have been replaced but thousands won’t do the job. We are talking about hundreds of thousands eventually to make sure everyone is covered. Again, government has also provided a lot of leverage for transmission infrastructure. Ideally, transmission capacity should be 150 per cent of generation capacity in any country. But in Nigeria, it is the reverse. We have more generation capacity than transmission but government is trying to reverse that and put it in the proper way so that we will have enough capacity to wheel out all the energy coming from the generation plants. Impact of privatisation I am sure that Nigerians will all agree with me that the privatisation exercise is one thing that the whole world has been amazed at because everybody thought it was impos sible. They said we were embarking on a white elephant project that will never be realised. But when it eventually happened, one of our international development agencies described it as “simultaneous sequentially” and that they haven’t seen that level of utility privatisation anywhere in the world in recent history and that countries that had tried to privatise always failed. But in the case of Nigeria, we are trying to sustain that tempo. And that took the dexterity of purpose of Mr. President alongside his courage and boldness to make sure that the exercise was carried to a logical end. Many people don’t realise that already we are beginning to see some results of the privatisation exercise. For instance, the Azura Power Plant in Edo State that was flagged off two months ago would never have happened without privatisation. Many of these other Independent Power Projects (IPPs) would never have happened without privatisation. The Qua ExxonMobil 500 megawatts power plant in Akwa Ibom State that is coming on board would not have happened without privatisation. And so many of its kind scattered across the country would not have been possible without privatisation. Even solar power licences have been issued by the regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), to ensure that we have diversity of sources of energy in Nigeria. Again, Ughelli Power Plant in Delta State, at handover had less than 200 megawatts but they have beefed this up by repairing and revamping the turbines and now, they generate about 400 megawatts. They are also planning an additional 1,000 megawatts after all the revamping they have just done. That would have been impossible under the old Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) because there would not have been enough money to improve on all the abandoned power plants across the country. Let’s also take Egbin in Ikorodu, Lagos, as another example. Egbin is the largest power generating plant in West Africa. Again, Mr. President in the next couple of days will commission the revamped, reconstructed and overhauled 6th turbine that was blown up nine years ago. For nine years, government could not find the resources to fix it. But because we now have a private operator, they have not only fixed it, they tested it the whole of last week and it is now working. That alone will add an additional 220 megawatts of electricity to the national grid and they are even planning for more. So, we can all see that privatisation as regards generation is working very well. And that is why we are even thinking of the possible privatisation of the transmission infrastructure in phases. For the distribution companies (Discos), they totally underrated what the commercial losses would be because we worked very hard to reduce technical losses substantially. So, technical losses are not really a major problem with regards to tariff recovery as compared to commercial losses. Some Discos experience as much as 55 per cent commercial losses because Nigerians enjoy stealing electricity by not paying for it. Some people even brag that they are not paying for power. People have been found to have dug holes under the ground to connect electricit from their neighbours and they are not paying. We have a lot of energy theft in Nigeria because consumers are not metered. More than 50 per cent of electricity consumers in Nigeria are not metered and that is why government is working very hard to help the Discos provide meters to Nigerians. Right now, government has approved about one million meters that will go round the country. And some people say it is not enough but when the other governments didn’t do anything, nobody complained. Zero is not enough; if zero is not enough, what is one million? One million is more than what people ever envisaged was possible. And government is going to ensure that it gets to people free of charge. At the end of the day government is striving to ensure that things are taken care of. Impact of vandalism on set targets In all of this success stories I have reeled out, one major problem we have always had and still having is vandalism. And that is one area we would appreciate the help of the media, especially The Sun Publishing Limited. Many years ago, The Sun Publishing Limited took up the task of showcasing horrible roads, abandoned projects and infrastructure across the country. And when the company started publishing this in its newspaper and showing the public, it led many governments to sit up. I think The Sun can do that again. In this regard, we would appreciate The Sun taking up that task again but now in the area of vandalism. We would want your newspaper to champion that cause and tell members of the public and those involved in this act of sabotage of vandalism to our oil and gas pipelines are doing something that affects all of us. I think this will go a long way in helping us realise our vision to provide steady power supply to Nigerians. But to remedy the situation, government is putting a lot more efforts in hydro power facilities. Remember that these big good hydro plants we have – Kainji, Jebbba and Shiroro – are all doing well. But it came to a time that both Kainji and Jebba couldn’t deliver half of their capacity because the turbines had not been overhauled for many years. In more than 30 years of Kainji’s operation, it was never overhauled. But it is this same government that attracted the resources needed from World Bank and Japan, among others, to maintain Kainji and Jebba. And very soon both plants will be able to deliver at full capacity. Shiroro is doing well except where we have water management problems. But in addition to that, President Goodluck Jonathan flagged off the Zungeru Hydro Power Project on May 28, 2013. When completed, the plant will give Nigeria about 700 megawatts of power. But remember also that for over 30 years that had been on the drawing board and it had been stories, dreams and visions. No government took the bull by the horn until Jonathan flagged it off. A lot of civil works are going on now at the site in Zungeru. Also, the President will soon flag off Mambilla in Taraba State. That project will give us 3,050 meggawatts of power when completed. With all these efforts and projects, Nigerians should know that government is not sleeping neither is it resting on its oars. We also have Kashimbilla in Taraba State, that will be commis sioned in early February by President Jonathan, God willing. The beauty of Kashimbilla the last time I was there with the Ministers of Water Resources and Culture and Tourism is that the place is so beautiful for tourism. One of the largest hydro power plants in United States makes more money from tourism than it makes from power generation. And there is no reason we cannot replicate same at Kashimbilla and Mambilla and that was why the Minister of Culture and Tourism went with us on that trip. Alternative means of power generation Other means of generating of power, which we have neglected for a long time but which this administration is working very hard on is coal. There was a time coal gave all the power that old Eastern Nigeria needed but that eventually fizzled out. But right now government is determined to bring coal to power back to the mainstream. Government is determined and the President has authorised and given licences for mining of coal to only companies that indicate that they will use the coal to generate electricity. So government is working very hard to ensure that coal resources that Nigeria has is utilised. And I think this is a very positive development because we can at full production get as much as 10 per cent of all our power needs from coal fired turbines. In addition to that, we have renewables. It is only in this administration that the Ministry of Power has come to utilise renewable energy to power rural communities that are not connected to the national grid. The ones we did at Durumi, Sape and Waru communities in Abuja got us to celebrate on January 13, 2015, one year of uninterrupted electricity supply using solar panels. The reason people complain so much about solar power is due to abandonment, especially the ones used for streetlighting. Nobody maintains them by cleaning the panels. People don’t realise that once dust and rain settle on the panel and they are not cleaned for a long time, the clogs on the panels prevent irradiation from the sun to penetrate the surface of the solar panel. So at the end of the day, it lasts for only few months and it’s dead. So it’s not true that solar panels are not good or don’t last. It’s because of this attitude of our people about poor maintenance culture. And for one year now, these communities have been enjoying unhindered access to power through solar energy alone. And I think this is a positive thing that this administration has achieved and Mr. President on the same day, last year, flagged off ‘‘Operation Light Up Rural Nigeria’’ because we intend to replicate this in every state of Nigeria and then invite them when we have in place the financial and legal structure to make sure that private enterprises can utilise this. In fact, many of our young men and women can choose to take power to small villages and set up solar plants for them because right now in homes, if they are not going to switch on refrigerators or air conditioners, solar panels can be used to generate light just with battery storage, solar panels can generate all the lightening needed. So,we can encourage our young people to create jobs for themselves by doing this in rural communities wherever they can agree with the people on the kind of tariffs they can recover from that. Nigeria is so blessed because every part of the country is amenable to solar power but it is not so with wind power. With wind, you need a certain minimum of wind velocity. For some, it’s five meter per second and in many parts of Nigeria, you cannot get that at ordinary height of 10 meters from the ground five meters per second of wind. You have to go as high as 50 meters and 100 meters to get five to 10 meters and so on. And some of the turbines designed for wind power generation need 10 meters per second. If they are installed in areas that have three meters per second, you won’t get up to one megawatt if it is a 10 megawatts plant. So that is why we are not emphasising wind energy so much, until we have done a national survey and audit of wind velocity all over the country. But we are doing that for solar because every part of Nigeria is amenable to solar power supply. Challenges of meeting targets It is a complex situation. For instance, if you look at what we are doing alongside deliverables and you measure the performance of those who are doing those deliverables, you can project. For instance, by December 2014, we were sure that we will hit 5,000 megawatts not the 4,500 that we got. But we had no gas. And like I said earlier, with most of these new NIPP projects, nobody thought about giving them gas when they started the construction. It is this administration that has not only gone to design but to work such that by last week, we could really say that we have connected all of them. But connecting them to gas is not the same as getting the gas available because you must get the gas producing companies incentivised. That was the reason we had to synergise with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the regulator, NERC, to make sure they raise the price of gas from lower than $1.50 cents to $ 2.50 cents plus additional 80 cents for transportation. That is in all $3.30 cents. That has never happened before. There was a time it was 10 cents, then up to 50 cents for a long time. So nobody was incentivised. The International Oil Companies (IOCs) don’t care about gas. Their sole interest is in crude oil. They only produce gas because government has compelled them to do so. Otherwise, they would prefer to flare the gas. It is much easier for them to flare the gas than to start channelling it to the power generating companies to generate electricity. Having said that, we now set this target, knowing fully well that by December we had the capacity to generate 5,000 megawatts but there was no gas. And we could not do that. But when we sustained 4,300 to 5,500 for weeks, they vandalised in both axis; Trans Niger and Trans Forcados. And then we shut down again to less than 4,000 and even got as low as 3,400 megawatts. So, these things are very complex. And that was the reason I started telling people at a point, that there is no point predicting. Bridging huge metering gap The issue about metering now is that government is embarking on a special intervention by mopping up as much as possible most of the meters produced by local manufacturers and give them to Discos to supply without any payment by consumers. Well, it is very likely that these Discos have bought their own. But I tell you, it is impossible to meter all Nigerians within the next two years. It is not going to work, considering the fact that more than 50 per cent of Nigerians are not metered so the logistics needed to meter everybody will not be possible in the next couple of years. So, government is acting as a catalyst by going ahead to use its lean resources to procure one million meters so that more Nigerians will break away from estimated billing.

We’ll roll out 1m free prepaid meters –Nebo

The current state of electricity supply in the country can be described as abysmally poor, where households cannot boast of having uninterru...

How Nigeria’s 774 LGAs squander N1.5trn allocation–Chidoka

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/chidoka-new.jpg "> Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has described the local government administration as a cesspit of corruption through which an estimated N1.5 trillion of the na tion’s statutory allocations are drained annually. He said this phenomenon has left majority of citizens living at the grassroots in abject poverty. Chidoka, who delivered the 44th Convocation Lecture at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) on Thursday said the foundation and building blocks for a vibrant Nigerian economy and citizens was to be found in local councils but this has often been wasted under the Nigerian system. He however, stunned the audience when he said there was the total absence of valid data capturing or storage of information for the public to access in any of the contemporary Information Communication and Technology (ICT) mediums in almost all of Nigeria’s 774 local government councils. In a paper entitled, “Rebuilding the Nigerian Dream: Mapping the Building Blocks”, the Nigerian Minister of Aviation said it was most shocking to discover that except for Yewa South Local Government in Ogun State, no other local government council in Nigeria has a functional website. He described the absence of these websites as “the black hole” through which massive fraud is carried out in the country. According to him, about N1.5 trillion is mismanaged annually by local government councils in Nigeria. “Looking at the amount devoted to ICT, a cursory web search for local governments in Nigeria produced no results. In fact, the Yewa South Local Government in Ogun State is the only one that has a website and even that lacks quality information about the activities of that local council as neither its annual budget nor any of the services it provides are online,” said Chidoka. “Managing a transparent public institution requires making information readily available. We met a black hole; that black hole can only be a cover for the mismanagement of over N1.5 trillion sent to local governments annually,” he lamented. According to Chidoka, Nigeria’s 774 local government councils are all well funded through statutory monthly allocations from the federation account and even generate their own internal revenues. He said it was important all tiers of government are brought together and information about them digitalised. “The absence of records has made it difficult for Nigeria to build social trust and modern infrastructure. We need to digitalise information and make records available to all citizens,” said Chidoka. “Digitalising public records will accelerate our economic growth and facilitate job creation. The proper collection and digitalising of records at the local government level will open up new avenues for generating revenues from taxes and will combat corruption,” he added.

How Nigeria’s 774 LGAs squander N1.5trn allocation–Chidoka

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has described the local government administration as a cesspit of corruption through whic...

Jonathan releases N26bn for 2015 dry season farming

<img src=" http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/President-Goodluck-Jonathan.jpg "> To further boost the government’s efforts at producing more food for the nation, President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the release of another N26 billion towards the 2015 dry season farming programme. The president noted that for too long Nigeria has depended on crude oil and neglected agriculture, which has created much suffering and poverty in the rural communities. The president who revealed this last week in Abuja at the AGRIFEST workshop, noted that the progress in agriculture must continue to move forward. With respect to cocoa farming, Jonathan said a distribution of over 45 million seedling of higher yielding cocoa varieties all free of charge has been made, adding that “cocoa farmers are not left out as they are also witnessing great boom.” To further restore the traditional fishing competition and promote fishing tourism, Jonathan urged the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide an annual financial support for the Argungu Fishing Festival. “We are providing nine million high yielding oil palm seedlings for farmers across the South East, South West, South South and the North Central parts of the country,” said the president. Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, commended the president for his great support for agriculture. According to him, agriculture has become the new oil for Nigeria, adding that the president’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) has inspired the youths. “Billionaires and millionaires will emerge from agriculture. Mr President, the farmers are solidly behind you, even the youths,” the minister stated.

Jonathan releases N26bn for 2015 dry season farming

To further boost the government’s efforts at producing more food for the nation, President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the release of ano...