THE BIRTH OF A NEW NIGERIA

Nigerian Military Frees 12 Foreign Sailors in Niger Delta

2010-07-05T09:36:00.001-07:00

In Nigeria, a military raid has freed 12 foreign sailors abducted by militants over the weekend in the Niger Delta.

VOA reporter Chinedu Offor, who’s on assignment in Nigeria, says, “The announcement was made by the spokesperson for the Nigerian joint Military Task Force…. He did not release details of how these sailors were freed, but sources told us there was a firefight between the Nigerian military and members of the militant group.”

Reports say a number of militants were killed and their camp destroyed.

After being freed, the sailors were taken to Bonny, where their Antigua-registered ship is anchored. Bonny, located in Rivers State, is the main oil terminal in the Niger Delta.

The sailors, including the captain, were abducted Saturday. However, the captain was able to radio for help before he and the others were taken aboard boats and into the creeks where the militants hide. The sailors include Germans, Filipinos and Africans.

Ships in the Delta sometimes have little room to navigate. If a vessel slows or stops, it becomes vulnerable to attack.

Confusion as Air Nigeria aircraft makes emergency landing in Lagos

2010-07-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

There was palpable confusion at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed Airport , Terminal Two, Lagos , on Sunday morning, as over 40 Abuja-bound passengers of Air Nigeria Airline returned to the airport, barely 30 minutes after take off.

One of our correspondents, who was at the scene, gathered that the aircraft, marked 5NE-VNE, which departed Lagos enroute Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 9:20am suddenly developed technical problems, thereby forcing it make an emergency landing at the Lagos airport at about 10am.

The unexpected arrival of the passengers at the departure hall created confusion among other intending travellers, especially those waiting to board the airline’s next available flight to Abuja (Flight VK 45). Most of them were seen milling around the passengers from the aborted flight in a bid to get detailed information on why their flight was unsuccessful.

The incident also resulted in the delay of Air Nigeria’s next flight from Lagos to Abuja as one of its aircraft, an Embraer 190/195, which was scheduled to depart, Lagos to Abuja by 10: 45am finally left at 11:15 am.

A middle-aged passenger from the aborted flight, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity, said, “The Lagos-Abuja flight was officially scheduled for 8.45am but had to depart a few minutes past nine due to some operational delay. A few minutes after we took off, we noticed there were some technical problems with the aircraft.

Some passengers were very worried but most of them became calm because of the professional way the pilot and crew members handled the situation. Even my son, whom I had expected to panic, was very calm. I thank God that at the end, nothing negative happened.”

As at 11am on Sunday, when one of our correspondents visited the departure hall of MM2, Lagos, many passengers on the aborted flight were still stranded as the airline was making arrangements to provide them with an alternative.

Also as at 11:15 am on Sunday, employees from Nahco Aviance, the cargo handling company at the airport, were still off-loading passengers’ luggage from the Boeing 5NE-VNE aircraft.

However, findings by one of our correspondents revealed that the pilot made the air return because a transponder on the aircraft developed a fault.

A transponder is an electronic device on board an aircraft which sends signals to air traffic controllers, enabling them to determine plane’s location.

Experts who spoke to one our correspondents on condition of anonymity said the plane could still have flown to its destination without the transponder.

According to them, the ATC on duty could have the plane through communications.

“Some aircraft that are in the category of not being compliant with the Reduced Vertica Separation Minima still fly without a transponder,” an expert said.

Reacting to the development via a text message by the Media Relations Manager, Air Nigeria , Mr. Sam Ogbogoro, read, “The pilot of the aircraft made the air return in the interest of safety and in accordance with recommended standards. At no time was safety compromised as the aircraft returned to base safely-Management.”

The General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Mr. Supo Atobatele, said although the agency was conducting training for some of its junior air traffic controllers on how to handle situations where the airport radar breaks down, the development was not responsible for the emergency landing made by the aircraft.

The Media Assistant to the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said since it was an incident, the regulatory agency, by law, was not required to speak publicly on it.

Northern politicians to meet July 15 over zoning

2010-07-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Northern political leaders will on July 15 converge in Kaduna, Kaduna State to discuss an amicable end to the controversy over the zoning of political offices by the Peoples Democratic Party.

An elder statesman and the pioneer National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Solomon Lar, made this known during an interview with journalists in Kaduna on Saturday.

Lar, who recalled the circumstances that gave rise to zoning, reminded all proponents and antagonists of the idea that all agreements, whether written or unwritten, were subject to changes.

He, therefore, advised politicians to be cautious about their comments on zoning, saying that national interest should supersede any individual or sectional interest.

Lar spoke just as South-East governors said none of them was interested in vying for the presidency in 2011.

The elder statesman argued that the zoning agreement was made purely because of the prevailing circumstances of that time.

Noting that in any pact, whether international or national, unforeseen circumstances or situations might arise to necessitate some changes in the spirit and letters of such an agreement.

He said, “So to that effect, you have to look at the agreement in view of the circumstances at hand. How do we do it? I think that was precisely what the governors of Nigeria did. There was a situation which we didn’t foresee. So, politicians have to sit down and negotiate.

“This is why we are planning a northern political summit which is coming up on July 15 in Kaduna. So we will discuss. We will put it open. Let us see which way forward.”

Lar recalled that between 1998 and 1999 when efforts were being made at restoring democracy in Nigeria, a gentleman agreement that power should shift to the South-West was forged to appease the people of the area.

He added that the agreement was also meant to placate other Nigerians who were aggrieved over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the eventual death in detention of the winner of the poll, Chief MKO Abiola.

Lar, who is also a former governor of Plateau State, added that the zoning arrangement was reached to right the wrongs done by the North to the Southern part of the country, particularly the South-West, over the annulment of the June 12 poll.

He said, “Between 1998 and 1999, the South-West said they won an election but it was annulled by the North, so they were not very happy and they felt that Nigerians didn’t like them. So they were sad and aggrieved, so to speak.

“They were not too keen in participating in the political arrangement and you know that time, we were trying to restore democracy from the military and we didn’t want any problem to come our way because we wanted democracy to be restored. So we had to think of a way out.

“We said ok, if that is the case, let us allow power to go to the South, particularly to the South-West because of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections and the subsequent death of the winner of the election, Chief MKO Abiola. So, many Nigerians were not happy over the annulment of June 12 and the death of Abiola. We were boxed into a corner. So we had to sit down with some of my colleagues to see what we will do.

“Mallam Adamu Ciroma was there, Prof. Jerry Gana was there, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu was there and a few others. So we said for the sake of Nigeria and for the sake of unity of the country, let us concede power to the South-West. We felt that it was a demand that would cure the problem and keep this country as one.

“As far as we were concerned, Nigeria’s unity was our ultimate concern. So we could sacrifice any position for the sake of Nigeria and we agreed that power should go to the South. The Southern candidates filed their nomination papers. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Alex Ekwueme who is a very, very prominent Nigerian and respected member of the PDP filed their nominations.

“To cut the story short, we gave Obasanjo the ticket at the convention and the primaries of the PDP which was held in Jos. Of course, there were some Northerners who wanted to contest, but we pleaded with them not to disturb the zoning arrangement. I remember my bosom friend of blessed memory, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, who wanted to contest; it was at the last hour that he agreed to step down.

“So, it is true we had that sympathy for annulment. In fact, it was a peculiar situation. The North had wronged the South and the country was on the verge of collapse.

“They said the North had ruled the country for too long. They said Tafawa Balewa, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Murtala Mohammed, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Maj.-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. Gen. Sani Abacha and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar were Nigerian leaders who came from the North and when the South won the June 12, 1993 election, we (the North) annulled it.

“We said no, we would not sit down and allow things to degenerate. We could do everything to solve the problem. During the second tenure of Obasanjo, we were still looking at the zoning, but it wasn’t too strict because at that time, some people in the North also contested. I remember my good friend, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that contested as a candidate. Chief Barnabas Gemade also contested from the North. But principally, those of us who were the leaders supported the zoning at that time.”

He maintained that politicians should be wary of utterances that could be injurious to the unity of the country.

He said, “We should consider Nigeria above any other interest. Nigeria is more important than any position. Nigeria is more important than the presidency because if there is no Nigeria, there would be no president. Nigeria is more important than any position of power. The beauty of democracy is negotiation. We will sit down and negotiate and discuss. Those issuing such threats are not democrats.

“Nigeria is bigger than a region or state. We are looking at the country. You see, you people (referring to the younger generation) have short sightedness. You talk of north and south. I don’t want to use that, but because of your understanding, I am using the words north and south. Nigeria is very paramount. Mind you, I was at the conference where Nigeria was declared an independent country. So we have been in love with this country for a long time. This is about 50 years.

“What we had was just a gentleman agreement. It was out of sympathy for a situation. I told you that some people complained that they had been hurt so much and that they were feeling the pain and they were not willing to participate in political activities at that time. If the West had boycotted, there would have been a stalemate. So the agreement was not a written document. It was a gentlemen agreement.”

In Enugu, South-East governors rose from a meeting, saying they will back any candidate with the best programme that will address the marginalisation of the geo-political zone.

They said, “On the matter of national politics, the governors have resolved in the interest of the zone, to stand and work together irrespective of party affiliations.

“In that vein, the governors resolved that none of them will vie for the post of the president or vice president of the nation in 2011. We will support for presidency, a candidate with the best programme that will address the marginalisation of the South East zone and political imbalance in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Shinkafi has said that zoning is no longer useful. He told journalists in Lagos on Saturday that there were times and circumstances when zoning was good and bad.

Shinkafi, who was in company with his wife, Hajia Aishat, said, “This zoning sometimes is a political trick to have power; this zoning is only for the PDP. Maybe as at the time PDP opted for zoning, it (zoning) was good for the PDP to get power.

“There are times and circumstances when zoning is good and there are times and circumstances when zoning is not good.”

Nigeria's President Drops Suspension Threat

2010-07-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

ABUJA, Nigeria—Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has dropped a threat to suspend the national football team from playing because of its poor World Cup showing, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement hadn't yet been made on Monday.

FIFA didn't immediately confirm the development, but has set a deadline for the Nigerian government to withdraw the threat by 6 p.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT).

FIFA intended to suspend Nigeria from world football if the threat wasn't revoked because its rules forbid governments to interfere in football's affairs.

A presidential spokesman announced last Wednesday that President Jonathan wanted the Super Eagles team suspended for two years to allow Nigerian football to be restructured, after it left the World Cup with just one point from three matches.

Earlier Monday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said at a news conference that football's governing body has taken "all adequate steps" to resolve the dispute. "We do hope that everything comes back to normal," Mr. Blatter said.

FIFA dispatched Nigeria's most senior football official—Amos Adamu, a member of its 24-man ruling executive—to mediate with the government.

A FIFA suspension would have stopped Nigerian club teams, referees and officials from taking part in international football.

Nigeria is due to send a women's under-20 team to its World Cup, which kicks off next week in Germany.

Nigerian club Heartland also stood to lose its place in the African Champions League if it could not fulfill a home fixture against Egypt's Al-Ahly scheduled next week.

The dispute between Nigeria and FIFA flared last week after the national team returned from South Africa.

Nigeria earned a 2-2 draw with South Korea in its final game. It lost to Argentina 1-0 in its Group B opener and fell to Greece 2-1 in a game that turned on the first-half dismissal of midfielder Sani Kaita.

The suspension threat by Nigeria's government also followed corruption allegations that plagued the team before the World Cup. Presidential spokesman Ima Niboro said last Wednesday that all funds directed toward the Nigeria Football Federation would be examined and "all those found wanting will be sanctioned."

FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot couldn't confirm on Monday if Nigeria's federation had yet been paid any of the $8 million prize money it is due from FIFA for taking part in the World Cup.

On Sunday, the federation fired its president and vice president in an effort to convince the Nigerian state president to drop the suspension threat.

Nigeria has previously drawn the ire of international football authorities. In January 1996, the Confederation of African Football suspended Nigeria from two African Cup of Nation tournaments after military dictator Sani Abacha withdrew the squad from playing. Nigeria had won the 1994 competition.

At the time, Mr. Abacha claimed he pulled the team from the Johannesburg-hosted tournament out of security concerns. However, it likely had more to do with Mr. Abacha's anger over then-South African President Nelson Mandela urging international sanctions be leveled against Nigeria after the dictator's regime executed nine activists from the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Security beefed up in Abuja ahead of Clinton ’s visit

2009-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

SECURITY has been beefed up in and around the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the visit of the United States Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. A check by the Sunday Tribune revealed that the officers from the US Intelligence Unit who have been in the country for days were at their best to ensure that adequate security was provided for Mrs. Clinton.

The strict security being put in place and coordinated by the US Embassy in Abuja has taken the security agencies to many points where Clinton is to visit including the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport , Abuja where she is expected to arrive at 8: 35 pm, tentatively, on Tuesday.

The crisis in the Niger Delta as well as the recent sectarian violence in some parts of the North, though unconfirmed, were believed to have informed the strict security deal especially as there has been sustained fear over a reprisal attacks in the FCT by the Boko Haram sect.

The visit, Sunday Tribune gathered had been shifted a number of time owing to changes in the scheduled of the envoy in some other African countries where she was billed to visit.

As part of the security measures, the airport authorities in conjunction with the US officers have insisted that journalists who would like to cover the arrival at the airport to wear reflective jackets in addition to restricting the number to cover the event.

On Wednesday, Clinton is expected to be hosted to breakfast meeting by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Maduekwe at the minister’s residence where the visitor is to meet with President Yar’Adua at State House at 4 pm.

A town hall meeting has also been scheduled to take place at the Yar’Adua’s Centre on Thursday. However, the authorities of the Nigerian Government have maintained sealed lips over the expectations of the country from the visit.

It was also not clear, at the time of this report, the steps that the opposition would take to press home their displeasure of the pace and achievements of Yar’Adua’s government in addressing the developmental challenges in the country especially as it was being believed that Clinton would dwell more on economy and good governance.

A source told Sunday Tribune in Abuja that the authorities were being careful not to preempt the subjects to be discussed by Clinton after the US President Barak Obama in Accra last month blasted the practice of governance in certain African countries where he believed tyranny instead of democracy was being practiced.

I won’t expose those behind forged police report - Aregbesola

2009-08-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

DETAINED Osun State AC governorship candidate, Rauf Aregbesola, told detectives that he is not under any obligation to tell them who prepared the purported forged police report.

He said that all that was contained in the alleged police document were correct and that he stood by it but will not identify who prepared it. He said he has the right to remain silent and that is the path he has chosen and that any statement he makes will be used against him in court.

He was later taken back to the cell in Force CID Area 10, Abuja. However, reports say he might be charged to court on Monday (tomorrow).

Meanwhile, Honourables Emmanuel Oyeyemi Adedeji and Moroof Akinduro Fatai stood surety for him and was granted bail in the sum of N5m while he is to report to the police on Monday by 9.00a.m.

Yar'Adua says violence under control, to meet Fashola on LCDAs

2009-07-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

THE various crises and controversies raging in the land got the public attention of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. As he prepared to board a plane on his way to Brazil on a three-day visit, the President spoke on the constitutional feud over Lagos local councils, the religious crisis in the north, and the on-going industrial action by university teachers.

According to the President, Nigeria's defence and security forces have been mandated to immediately launch a major operation in a section of the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, to rout out the leader and remaining members of the religious militant group - Boko Haran - which translates as "Western education is prohibited."

The President, who confirmed that the leader of the so-called Taliban group is residing in Maiduguri and that most of the adherents of his version of Islam, have migrated from all the northern states to launch a holy war, said Nigerians should be assured that the situation is "completely under control."

He indeed had just finished a meeting with the nation's security chiefs before his convoy left for the airport.

Yar'Adua noted that it was the security agencies, which first launched a pre-emptive action against the extremists after "tracking them for years," adding that once the operation in Maiduguri was completed, there would be continuous security surveillance all over the northern states to fish out remnants of the group who are to be dealt with "squarely and promptly."

His administration, the President said, "will not tolerate any armed insurrection anywhere and in any part of this country."

According to him, "there has been very serious action. In fact, we have a situation under control now and I believe by the end of today (Tuesday) everything would have taken shape. I have been monitoring this situation in the last few days. By yesterday (Monday), the situation in Bauchi State had been contained completely and the crisis in Kano and Potiskum have also been dealt with. What we have now is a situation in Borno State where the leader of the so-called Taliban group is residing and where most of them have migrated from all the northern states to prepare and declare the holy war. We are going to launch an operation, the main operation with immediate effect. I have just finished a meeting with our Defence chiefs, who have been in constant contact with the Governors of Borno, Bauchi, Kano and other (Northern) states.

"So, this situation is being brought under control and I want to assure the nation. What has happened is that it was the government that moved to nip in the bud the action of a potentially dangerous people. These people have been organising, penetrating our society, procuring arms, learning how to make explosives and bombs to disturb, confuse and force their belief on the rest of Nigerians. Definitely, our security agencies have been tracking them for years and I believe that the operation we have launched now will be an operation that will contain them once and for all. Once the operation in Maiduguri is completed today (Tuesday), we are going to continue with the security surveillance all over the northern states to fish out any remnants of these elements and deal with them squarely and promptly.

"I want to assure that this administration will not tolerate any arms insurrection anywhere and in any part of this country. Anywhere any group of people begin to launch arm insurrection and destruction against their fellow Nigerians, they will be dealt with squarely and promptly." He continued: "I want to emphasise that this is not an inter-religious crisis and it is not the Taliban group that attacked the security agents first. No. It was as a result of a security information gathered on their intention, movement and what they were about to launch by getting all their people to move so that they could launch a major attack. The situation is under control and I want to assure the people of this country that peace and security of life and property will be fully guaranteed."

President Yar'Adua also said he did not see how the issue between the Federal Government and the Lagos State translated to an ultimatum but that it has everything to do with adhering strictly to the Constitution, which must not be violated.

But he said the differences could still be resolved through dialogue, adding that "if at the end of the day, dialogue fails to resolve the situation, then the Federal Government will be forced to take measures that will ensure that the Lagos State Government, State IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) and other agencies are compelled to abide by the Constitution". This however, is a process that will take some months and I hope that we will be able to resolve the issue through constructive dialogue".

The President said: "What happened was that I wrote to the Lagos State Governor, drawing his attention to the fact that both himself and myself have sworn to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of this country and that the action of Lagos State government and the State IEC was unconstitutional because the Constitution provides for only 20 Local Governments in Lagos State. And I advised the Lagos State governor to take steps to rectify this unconstitutional act.

"He replied me, quoting the state statutes and putting forward his legal position that they did not violate the constitution. I have referred his reply to the AGF (Attorney-General of the Federation) to study the reply and advise me. What I am determined to do is that what is constitutional must be adhered to. So, if the argument put forward cannot stand on the violation of the constitution, I will invite him to discuss further with him and dialogue so that this can be resolved peacefully.

"But the bottom line is that the constitution cannot be compromised. The constitution must not be violated. If at the end of the day, dialogue fails to resolve the situation, then the Federal Government will be forced to take measures that will ensure that the Lagos State Government, its IEC and other agencies are compelled to abide by the Constitution. This is a process that will take a few months and I hope that we would be able to resolve the issue through constructive dialogue. Our democracy is still young. We are bound to make mistakes here and there. But the important thing is that we must work hard to ensure the rule of law in this country. We know it is not easy but it is important to our survival."

On the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, Yar'Adua said his government has "been doing everything possible to stop the crisis. I have met with their officials and the Vice President too, to re-assess to see what step the government can take to bring it to an end. We are anxious, we are disturbed that we should keep our students in the universities at home for a very long period of time. One central issue of the disagreement is not even that of negotiation of salaries but the issue of signing an agreement with ASUU. It is that this collective bargaining and signing agreement with ASUU is against our laws and legal system.

"ASUU is an organisation with membership cutting across federal and state governments. The Federal Government cannot sign an agreement on behalf for instance, of Lagos State or Kano State to direct what they are going to pay to lecturers in their own universities. The laws of this country provide for separation of powers. The Lagos State University or Kano State University belongs to the states. They employ the lecturers there. They pay them. They discipline them. They promote them. They also pay their salaries, allowances and everything. And we don't have control of their funds. Their funds are appropriated by their various houses of Assembly. We can't direct them by law to say that they should pay their lecturers so amount of money. This is what we are telling them, that let us have your agreement. We are not opposed to it but we will not sign a collective agreement to cut across all tiers of government because we don't have the constitutional power to do that.

"This is very clear. In this nation, we must respect our laws. And this is one of the main points of contention. We told them that for Federal universities, the federal government will provide the money but for the state governments, let them go and negotiate with

State Governments. If Rivers State can pay the members of staff of Rivers State University that amount, may be Kano cannot afford to pay the same amount. We discussed these issues. Where we disagreed and again I asked the minister and other senior government officials to explain to the nation through the media what the situation is and also to ask the Vice President to again invite ASUU and other operators of our educational system to see how we can resolve the disagreement so that the students can return to schools," he said

Meanwhile, rulers in Lagos have said the ultimatum given by Yar'Adua to Fashola was provocative. They faulted the President in asking the state government to revert to the 20 council structure or risk sanctions.

Fashola's predecessor, Bola Tinubu, who joined the rulers to condemn the presidential directive, asked Yar'Adua to put pressure on the National Assembly to add the names of the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to the constitution so that they could carry out the roles expected of them.

At the meeting were all the Obas and chiefs in the state, led by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu 1.

Akiolu said the Supreme Court had ruled that the creation of the LCDAs was in order. He added that the order, which came barely 24 hours after the Atlas Cove jetty was bombed in Lagos, was an indication that he (the President) was not sympathetic to the people of the state as a result of that attack.

The statement issued by the obas read in part: "The meeting viewed the ultimatum to the state Government as uncalled for and provocative in view of the fact that the Supreme Court had long ruled that the creation of the LCDAs was in order;

* that the ultimatum coming barely 24 hours after a bomb attack on the Atlas Cove in Lagos without any sympathy from the Presidency to the people of the state, was quite disturbing;

* that the issues involved were purely a matter of law and not raw display of power as the ultimatum portends;

* any attempt at frustrating the existence of the 37 LCDAs would amount to slowing down the socio economic development of the state and a negation of the wishes and aspirations of the good people of Lagos;

* that the Presidency is advised to seek redress in the court rather than unilaterally employ coercive means in resolving a purely legal matter against the law and the wishes of the people of the state;

* the meeting frowned at the use of the word 'ultimatum' under a civilian democracy and noted that such action portends a dictatorship in all ramifications."

House asks Yar’Adua to Stop Further Foreign Loans

2009-07-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

The House of Represen-tatives yesterday urged President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to order an immediate halt to further foreign loans until the circumstances leading to Nigeria’s current debt burden of $3.6 billion was made clear to the nation.
The House also mandated its Joint Committee on Justice, Aids, Loans and Debt Management to, as a matter of urgency, investigate under what platform and approval these foreign loans had been sought, processed, drawn, utilised and their relevance to the needs of Nigerians.
These were part of resolutions that emanated from a motion brought to the floor on Nigeria’s feared return to a debtor nation.
The Joint Committee has also been mandated to investigate and ascertain the actual debt owed by the country since 2007 and determine the legality of the loans.
Chairman House Committee on Air Force, Hon. John Halims Agoda, who sponsored the motion, acknowledged that Nigeria’s exit from the burden of foreign debt a few years ago was made possible through the concerted efforts of the Federal Government, the National Ass-embly and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Agoda (PDP Delta), however, expressed worries that soon after that exit, Nigeria’s debt burden had suddenly risen to the tune of $3.6 billion and the funds were being deployed to finance projects of questionable relevance to the populace.
He lamented that the process of securing these loans had not only been shrouded in secrecy but the constitutional imperative that requires the Executive to brief and seek the consent of the National Assembly before sourcing, drawing and utilising foreign loans under whatever description had been breached.
According to him, the Debt Management Act states that when the Executive seeks to borrow money for whatever reason, it should seek the consent of the National Assembly.
The emerging scenario, Agoda said, could worsen the plight of Nigerians who have had to make sacrifices and bear the pains of hunger and underdevelopment, underscored by collapsing and deteriorating public infrastructure in virtually every sector of the economy.
He took exception to media reports that the country secured about $100 million loan to combat malaria, arguing that if loans must be taken, they must be taken following due process and funds deployed in productive sectors that could improve the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The motion before us calls on all of us to see this issue as highly emotive. The issue classifies our nation as a country of contrast distinctions. Are we experiencing policy reversal or policy summersault or have we forgotten our past? By October, Nigeria will be 49. Are we saying that at this stage of our nationhood we should be taking loan to combat malaria? I think that if we must take loans it should be for the productive sectors that could add to our gross domestic product,” he said.
Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Loans and Debt Management, Hon. Friday Itulah (PDP Edo), said what the Federal Government had been doing in respect of foreign loans was a gross violation of the laws of the land.
According to Itulah, the Debt Management Act states that when the Executive seeks to borrow money for whatever reason, it should seek the consent of the National Assembly.
Also supporting the motion, Hon. Samson Osagie (PDP Edo) said the procurement of foreign loans for frivolous reasons and questionable programmes was a direct result of misplacement of priorities.
He lamented that the loans had neither translated to better healthcare facilities nor better road infrastructure in the country, adding that the funds were most likely to be squandered while the projects and programmes for which they were supposedly meant to improve would remain in their deplorable states.
The House unanimously adopted all the prayers of the motion including that the Joint Committee on Justice, Aids, Loans and Debt Management and urged it to conclude its investigations on the debt profile and report back to the House within two weeks.
The House of Represen-tatives had on Wednesday raised an alarm over Nigeria’s rising debt profile, warning that the country was drifting back into debt enslavement in the hands of international financial institutions.
The alarm followed media reports in which the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, was said to have put the country’s current portfolio at $3.6 billion.
A member of the House Committee on Debt Manage-ment, Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji, who addressed newsmen on the issue, lamented that whereas the Debt Management Office (DMO) painstakingly extricated Nigeria from the grip of international financial institutions, events in recent times had shown that the country had plunged head on into the debt trap set by developed nations to keep underdeveloped countries perpetually poor.
He warned that if Nigeria continued on the current trend, the country could become one of the most indebted nations in the world by 2020.
The present generation of Nigerians, Umeoji said, appears bent on squandering the available resources and desperately mortgaging the future of the country through theses loans at this period of global economic meltdown.
He alleged that there appears to be more efforts towards negotiating foreign loans due to the selfish interests of those seeking the loans on behalf of government than in paying local debts owed local contractors. According to him, the only way to stimulate the domestic economy if for the Federal Government to release the funds provided in the budget for domestic debt servicing as this will inject liquidity into the system and improve retail economic activities. He warned that Nigerian government should resist the current temptation to be dragged into another round of economic slavery by advanced countries, adding that only prudent management of resources and strict implementation of the budget could save the Nigerian economy.
“Mortgaging the future generation of Nigerians through loans at this period of global economic meltdown is wrong in view of the revenue profile of the nation. What we derive from oil even in the face of the Niger Delta crisis is adequate to move Nigeria forward because it is far above the budget benchmark. There is no argument advanced that will justify this type of debt profile. Nigeria should avoid loans especially at this period of global recession. There is this tendency to lend as a way of helping developing economies. Objectively speaking, loans will perpetually mortgage our economy to the dictates of external forces. The Nigerian economy will never grow if we continue to move in a vicious cycle from a debtor nation to free nation and back to a debtor nation.
“It is difficult to understand the gain in borrowing to finance projects which were provided for in the budget of ministries. The loans at the end of the day will end up being invested in the economies of the countries controlling the lending financial institutions through the importation of equipment, administrative and sundry expenses abroad,” Umeoji said.

OPEC: Angola edges past oil giant Nigeria

2009-07-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

OPEC says Nigeria has lost its spot as Africa's top oil producer.

Nigeria's oil minister blames militants who have increased attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta.

The oil cartel's July report says Nigeria's production dropped 2.46 percent in June to 1.746 million barrels per day. In June Angola ramped up production to grow by 2.92 percent to 1.796 million barrels per day.

Nigerian Oil Minister Rilwanu Lukman says output is falling because of attacks by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. Fighters have been attacking oil installations, kidnapping workers and fighting government troops since 2006 in what it calls a protest against poverty in the Niger Delta.

Nigeria is usually Africa's top oil producer.

Angola's output last topped Nigeria's in April 2008.

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Nigerian Police Deny Amnesty Claims of Torture and Illegal Killings in Niger Delta

2009-04-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

Nigerian police are denying reports that they are using increasingly violent means, including torture and illegal killings in their fight against militants in the volatile Niger Delta region. Amnesty International reported Thursday it has seen an upsurge of disappearances and violence in the oil-rich region.

But a Nigeria national police spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu said torture and illegal killings are not official Nigerian government policies.

Aster van Kregten, Amnesty International researcher on Nigeria told VOA her organization wants to know the whereabouts of four unarmed men and a former gang member in the Niger Delta.

"We recently received reports about the case of Mr. Chika Ibeku who was arrested last week by the Nigerian police in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. His family visited him and saw him while he was in police detention, and then after…he was transferred to another police station. From that point, the police have denied that he was in their detention. This is extremely concerning. We don't know about his whereabouts and we don't know what happened to him. We do know that along with him there were three other men, and we don't know what happened to them," she said.

Nigeria national police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu told VOA that torture and illegal killings are not official Nigerian government policies. He said the Niger Delta militants have not only been at war with themselves but unleashed violence against the police.

"The last part talked about torture and illegal killings. Those are not the hallmarks of Nigerian police. We do not normally tolerate nor compromise such. But talking about violence in Niger Delta, there has been a lot of unrest in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Nigerian police and the security forces have been contending with that development. But one thing is that there are many cult groups, rival gangs who are at war between themselves and among themselves. So they are the ones that unleash violence not only on themselves but also on the security forces, including Nigerian police," he said.

Ojukwu said a few months back Niger Delta militants killed about 17 police officers, burnt down a police station and destroyed government property.

"That is violence on the part of militants, and of course nobody will expect the Nigerian police to full its arms and allow the militants to overrun the place, otherwise Nigeria will become ungovernable. The Nigerian police are rising to the situation in accordance with laws of Nigeria," he said.

Van Kregten said Amnesty knew that Chika Ibeku was supposed to be a member of one of the criminal gangs in the Niger Delta and reportedly he had gone to the police station to hand over his guns in line with the government's recent offer of amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta.

Van Kregten said the Nigerian government has a duty to abide by its own constitution and international obligations.

"I would like to reiterate that under the Nigerian constitution and also under Nigerian international obligations, all suspects of any crime should be brought before a court within reasonable time, and reasonable time is 48 hours. And we know that Mr. Chika Ibeku was arrested in the seventh of April 2009 and until now he has not been brought before a court. So we really want to know did the Nigerian police arrest him, is he in their detention and what happened to him?" she said.

Van Kregten said Amnesty wrote to the police commissioner of Rivers State this month about the whereabouts of Ibeku, but she said the police did not respond to Amnesty's inquiry.

"We really want to know what happened to Mr. Ibeku. I think it's extremely important that the Nigerian police is clear about what they do. If they arrest people then they should bring them to the court, and the Nigerian constitution is very clear on that. They should suspects to the court within 48 hours. We really want to know what happened to Mr. Ibeku, and we really want to see him in court," Van Kregten said.

Police spokesman Ojukwu said he did not know about the detention of Ibeku and others whom Amnesty claimed have not been heard from.

"I do not know about the gang members or their leaders if they are held in detention. Normally most of them who are held in detention are out of speculation. But they do have contacts with their love ones in accordance with the law. So I am not aware that they have not been heard from for quite some time," Ojukwu said.

Nigeria Sets Up Halliburton Bribery Panel, but Analyst Says All a Publicity Stunt

2009-04-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

The Nigerian government announced Wednesday it has set up a board of inquiry to investigate a multi-million dollar bribery scandal involving American company Halliburton and allegedly implicating two former Nigerian presidents.

Earlier this year Halliburton reportedly admitted that it had paid 182 million dollars to Nigerian government officials over a 10-year period to win a six-billion dollar contract to build a natural gas plant on Bonny Island in southern Nigeria.

U.S. officials announced in February this year that Halliburton had paid 579 million dollars in fine related to the case.

In a statement Wednesday, the Nigerian government reportedly said the panel was being set up in line with President Umaru Yar'Adua's determination to ensure zero tolerance for corruption.

Usman Mohamed, professor of political science at the University of Abuja told VOA the Nigerian government is only trying to improve its negative image abroad.

"Of late we have had the privilege of reading about the Halliburton crisis, and of late we have also learned that the bribery scandal has been traced to a Swiss account of about 166 million U.S. dollars," he said.

Nigerian Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa, who was in Washington last month, has reportedly written to the U.S. justice ministry to make available the names of Nigerians implicated in the Halliburton bribery scandal.

Some reports attributed to the Nigerian media and NGOs said former Nigerian presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar and the late Sani Abacha are among those who accepted bribes.

Mohamed said while the names of the three former presidents have not been made known in Nigeria, nevertheless there have been speculations to that effect.

"Most people have shoved with the wave of a hand that once it involves Olusegun Obasanjo, there is nothing that is going to be done. The present government is a stooge of the former president," Mohamed said.

But he said the chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities of Nigeria has warned the federal government against selective justice in the Halliburton bribery scandal.

"We have seen the investigation that has been done by the House of Representatives on the question of the energy crisis here in Nigeria. We have seen Obasanjo fully involved in the scandal and the bribery and how much Nigerians have paid to be in darkness and nothing has been done about that. So the selective justice here is the fact that big names have been dropped before and probably it will end up with the little boys and then it will fizzle out," Mohamed said.

Mohamed reiterated that the Nigerian government's announcement that it has set up a panel to investigate the Halliburton bribery scandal is an attempt to improve its image.

"Let me tell you something! Of recent, there have been delegations that went to the United States so that the ratings of the present president can be up and high with him sitting close to Barack Obama, the president of the United States. And then that delegation has been turned by the State Department, and that has not gone down well with the government. And then of course of recent, the government has never been invited to any serious international engagement or meeting such as the G-20 summit in Britain. And that also is a negative on the part of the government," he said.

Mohamed said nothing significant is likely to come out of the probe.

"That is it and nothing more, and by the end of the day believe you me there will be nothing that will come out of it because the process here is not legal, and even if it is legal, it would follow to a certain extent and it would be dropped because of those big men that they have just mentioned," Mohamed said.

He said President Umaru Yar'Adua's government is having an image problem because of domestic and international negative perceptions.

"We lack good governance, we lack transparency, and Nigeria is still muddled in corruption. And we lack leadership, and the government lacks legitimacy both at home and abroad. That's the bottom line," Mohamed said.

Nigeria president mulls $500 mln economic stimulus plan

2009-04-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

ABUJA, April 20 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua is considering a $500 million economic stimulus package for Africa's most populous country, a government spokesman said on Monday.

A presidential-appointed committee last weekend sought Yar'Adua's approval to withdraw the money from the OPEC member's windfall oil savings to help fund various infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa's second biggest economy.

"We are aware that the committee has made these suggestions to the government. It's before the president," said Yar'Adua spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi. Nigeria is the world's eighth-biggest crude oil exporter and its economic outlook has been clouded by falling global energy prices, which have eaten into earnings and risk eroding its foreign reserves. More than 80 percent of government revenue comes from the oil and gas sector.

If approved, the $500 million stimulus package is expected to help fill some of the budgetary shortfalls expected this year. Details of the proposed plan were not immediately available.

Yar'Adua last month signed into law a 3.1 trillion naira ($21 billion) budget for 2009, estimating the deficit to reach 3.02 percent of gross domestic product.

Analysts predict the deficit could rise to 5-6 percent if oil prices decline further.

Nigeria saves any oil revenue above a certain price into an excess crude account, a pillar of IMF-backed reforms launched in 2003 to guard against price volatility on world markets and to help it save money. About $13.5 billion is available in the account.

Yar'Adua's convoy stoned in Jos

2009-03-10T05:26:00.001-07:00

JOS — THE convoy of President Umaru Yar’Adua was pelted with stones and bottles by youths around the Masalacin Juma’at area of Jos, the Plateau State capital, yesterday.

CONDOLENCE VISIT: President Umaru Yar’Adua (right); Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State (middle) and widow of the late Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Victor Dung Pam, during the President's condolence visit to the family of the late Gbong Gwom in Jos, yesterday.
Governor Jonah Jang rode in the same car with President Yar'Adua in the long convoy.
The President was in Jos to commiserate with the people of the state on the transition of the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Victor Dung Pam who passed on last Saturday at the age of 73.

Although the vehicle which conveyed the President and Governor Jang escaped the rain of missiles as they got to a point along Enugu Road, some vehicles in the convoy including that of former PDP National Chairman, Chief Solomon Lar and an ambulance were damaged.

Drivers in the convoy were said to have had a tough time as they continually swerved left and right trying to avoid being hit by the missiles which came sporadically from a side of the road as they passed.

The convoy of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was similarly pelted by anti-third term protesters in Kano on April 25, 2006.

Reacting to the development, the Plateau State Government last night described the incident as unfortunate.

A statement issued by Mr Dan Manjang, Governor Jang’s Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs said the “Plateau State Government will investigate and get to the root of it to determine perpetrators of the act.”

Some security men manning the road were said to have been hit by the missiles and had to be rushed for medical attention after the convoy passed. A policeman was seen drenched as blood gushed from his head from injury sustained.

Speaking at the Gbong Gwom’s palace, President Yar’Adua described the death of Da Victor Pam as a loss not only to Plateau State, but the nation as a whole.

He said the late Gbong Gwom served the nation well having risen to the position of Deputy Inspector-General in the Police Force and commiserated with the government and people of the state over the loss.

Governor Jang who thanked the President said his condolence visit was a testimony to his being a father of all.

President Yar’Adua had suffered a similar fate in 2007 while on a campaign visit to the state when his convoy was stoned by some youths believed to be sympathetic to the presidential candidate of the ANPP.

But reacting to yesterday’s incident, a leader of the Hausa Community in Jos and former Minister of State for Information and Communication, Alhaji Ibrahim Salisu Nakande distanced his people from what happened.

He said in a telephone chat that the Maulud Nabiy which he chaired had defined routes for their procession at the end of the celebration adding “if it is true, it must have been the handiwork of some miscreants trying to create trouble, but they definitely couldn’t have been our people.”

In Abuja, President of the Senate, Chief David Mark described the demise of the late Gbong Gwon Jos, as a great loss to the nation.

Senator Mark in a condolence message to the people and government of Plateau state said the death of the paramount ruler has created a vacuum in the cultural heritage of the people, which cannot be easily filled.

In a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate, Mr. Paul Mumeh, Senator Mark said Nigeria has lost one of her outstanding traditional rulers and a bridge builder.

In part, the statement reads: “He demonstrated total commitment to the ideals of nationhood. He was a patriot and a fine gentleman. He was blunt with the truth no matter the circumstances.”

Noting his contribution to the sustenance of peace and unity in the state and Nigeria, Mark said the late Gbong Gwom Jos not only distinguished himself as a fine Police officer while in active service, but was able to bring his wealth of experience to bear as a traditional ruler.

The statement further reads, “Death is an inevitable end that must come when it shall. The experience and services of the late monarch would always be remembered at all times.”

Warning the state government and the people to be wary of divisive tendencies in deciding his successor, he prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and urged the bereaved to take solace in the fact that he lived a good and worthy life.

Nigerian scientists discover baseline test for HIV/AIDS

2009-03-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

ABUJA—A team of Nigerian scientists led by Dr. Dauda Oladepo of the International Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), has discovered CD4 Lymphocyte baseline for testing HIV/AIDS patients in Nigeria.

CD4 is used for monitoring and enrolling HIV patients for retroviral therapy, but before the discovery, scientists had argued that the CD4 baseline currently in use since the outbreak of HIV infection worldwide is meant for the whites and not the blacks.

Speaking over the weekend in Abuja when he led his team to visit Minister of Health Professor Babatunde Oshotimehi, Dr. Oladepo said, CD4 Lymphocyte baseline is very vital in monitoring and managing the disease progression of HIV infected persons.

“Therefore, it is imperative to determine local baseline CD4 count and also provide National data for reference values for Nigeria.

“Nigeria did not have a National CD4 counts baseline which could be used in enrolling HIV patients and other clinical decisions. Before now, CD4 counts is very important for every nation since all races have their different genetic make up,” he noted.

Dr. Oladepo, however, disclosed that proposal for research into CD production in Nigeria started in 2006, adding that the fund was approved and released by the Federal Ministry of Health’s national HIV/AIDS and STI control pro gramme (NASCP) through the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria.

Responding, Oshotimehin commended the efforts of the scientists and the Director-General of NIPRID, Dr, Uford Inyang for his support and creating enabling environment for the study to take place.

He however, acknowledged the support of NACA, and NASCP for the funding of the project through the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The Minister therefore challenged all persons, organizations and stakeholders to renew their commitment to the cause of HIV/AIDS and recommended that the result of the study should be used as a basis for making decisions in clinical practice in Nigeria.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

2009-03-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

A man named William Wordsworth said, ‘the best portion of a good man’s life is his little, anonymous acts of kindness and of love.’ The truth is that human beings are God’s best assets on this planet and relationships are central to our lives. The quality of your relationships with other people will determine your success, much more than any other factor. Ultimately, the way you relate with people will count for something in your life and contributes, to a large extent, toward the success of those around you. If we fail in relationships, we fail; if we succeed with relationships, we succeed.

In the Biblical account of creation; after God created the first man, He said, ‘it is not good for man to be alone.’ We are created for connection, not isolation. The more people who know you and think of you in a positive way, the more opportunities you will have to achieve your goals.

You will succeed.

Yar’Adua Approves Duty Removal on Beverages, Noodles

2009-02-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has approved the removal of the five per cent excise duty on non-alcoholic beverages, juices, and instant noodles.
This, according to a Presidency source, is geared towards lessening the burden on local manufacturers in the country and assuaging the suffering of ordinary Nigerians in the face of the worsening global economic crisis that has led governments of the developed countries to pump several billions of dollars into their economy to safe their financial system from collapse.
The source said President Yar’Adua actually agreed in principle with the excise duty removal proposal a week ago but finally approved it last Friday night.
The source further said a circular to this effect would be out this week. Since the world is a global village, Nigeria like the rest of the world has also been feeling the effect of the global financial meltdown that has led to the fall in the price of oil at the international market. This has not triggered a reduction in government revenue but also necessitated the weakening of the naira that has depreciated from N118 to one United States dollar in November 27 last year to N150 per dollar today.
The removal of the excise duty by the Federal Government would go a long way in helping local manufacturers since some of the inputs into their products have some foreign content.
Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, had dropped the hint about the excise duty removal about three weeks ago while meeting with chairmen and managing directors of over 25 manufacturing companies under the aegis of Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) in Abuja.
He however, pointed out that the importation ban on biscuits, flour and confectionery would remain.
"We have to find a way by which we have to remove the five per cent excise duty. The excise duty is going to be revisited and reconsidered. We are going to make recommendation to Mr. President on the need to remove the five per cent excise duty," Babalola had said.
"No department is established to earn revenue for the government. It is to facilitate trade, and it is only through facilitating trade that revenue will come,” the minister noted.
The Federal Government had last October introduced the five per cent excise duty on non-alcoholic beverages, juices and instant noodles and lifted the importation ban on biscuits, flour and confectionery.
Earlier at the meeting with Babalola, AFBTE had through its President, Chief Emmanuel Ukpabi, urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene on the excise duty and the lifting of importation ban.
He said the imposition of such duty would worsen the effect of the current global crisis on the local producers.
Responding, Babalola had told members of the association present that the Federal Govern-ment's policy direction was designed to boost investment and reduce the impact of the global crisis on the local industrialists.

Enyimba lose Tyavkase

2009-02-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

Enyimba’s midfielder, David Tyavkase, has been ruled out for at least six months after a horrific training ground injury.
Tyavkase, who only returned to the club during the transfer window, broke his tibia after a tackle from team mate, Francis Okammor last Friday.

According to the club's website, a scan confirmed the severity of the situation.
“Unfortunately, it’s not good news. It is his right tibia bone that has been fractured and such an injury takes time to heal. He will be closely monitored and will be given the best treatment possible,” Ferdinand Ajere, the club’s physiotherapist told the club’s website.

“It will take at least six months for him to recover fully, that is essentially for the rest of the season, but he will recover. These are some of the unfortunate issues players deal with; however, the most important thing is for us to make sure he regains full fitness.”
Tyavkase was a part of the ‘Golden Generation’ of Enyimba players, who won two CAF Champions League trophies in 2003 and 2004.

Why Yar’Adua can’t declare emergency now

2009-02-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Nigerians awaiting the declaration of emergency in the power sector by President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua have to wait longer as the Federal Government said the president was not in a hurry to do so. The Minister for Power, Dr. Rilwan Olanrewaju Babalola, who disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja said the country needs between 30,000 and 40,000 megawatts to combat darkness in the country.

His explanation came as President Yar’ Adua has approved the appointment of Mr. Imamuddeen A. Talba to oversee the affairs of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) pending the outcome of the on-going probe into the affairs of the Commission by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Also appointed is Engineer Alex Amakon, who will assist in running the affairs of the Commission.

President Yar’ Adua, it would be recalled, had in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2007 promised to declare a state of emergency in the power sector.
Explaining the delay in the declaration of emergency in the power sector by the president, the minister said: “On the issue of emergency, we’ve been in crisis for a very long time. That is why we cannot apply the normal day-to-day approach to solving this crisis. In terms of an emergency for the power sector, the president has made that very clear and I actually believe it should be declared as quickly as possible.

“When we are talking about declaration of emergency, what exactly do you mean? First of all, most of the equipment we use in the power sector are not produced in Nigeria. So, I cannot rush GE to produce a turbine faster than it can produce one. When you look at emergency in that regard, these are the sorts of issues that you need to address and there are so many little bits of it, which is actually delaying the declaration.

“It’s something that you need to approach very carefully because once you declare an emergency, you have to declare your goals clearly, you have to declare what objectives are, how you intend to achieve this and a very clear administrative arrangement should be put in place so that you can come out at the end of that period and say this is what we said we will achieve and this is what we have achieved.
“Unless you do that, you would just be playing to the gallery and I think the president is extremely cautious in that regard. But one thing I can tell you is that the president’s commitment to this power sector is not ambiguous. It is very clear.”

Disclosing that the amount of money presently on the table was not enough to solve the power problem, the Minister said: “On the issue of N100 billion dollars, it’s a very rough and really back of envelope calculation.
“If as a nation we want to join the top 20 economies in the world and we are looking at the average size of the power sector of those countries, then we are talking about between 30,000 and 40,000 megawatts. There is a rough rule thumb for calculation how much each megawatts costs.

“So, if we’re serious about a million dollars per megawatts or $1.5 million since the price changes and you also do some estimation for transmission of gas supply, then you can see how quickly that figures goes up.
“Right now, we know the amount of money that government has put into the power sector and this, again, is a conviction that I personally have that if we have to address this problem, we need to think out of the box. The amount of money on the table is not enough to solve the problem. So, we need to think out of the box.”

courtsy www. thesunonline.com

•It’s immoral – Musa, David-West, Ikedife, Adebayo

2009-02-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

While most Nigerians are wrapped up in their confusing bottom lines and balance sheets that simply won’t add up, political speculators and juggernauts are already holding nocturnal meetings to facilitate the return of President Umar Yar’Adua to Aso Rock in 2011. High-tech permutations and manipulations are in top gear to ensure the sitting President sails smoothly back into the saddle.

•Yar’Adua
Photo: Sun News Publishing

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The NPA, Anenih angle

According to highly placed sources, one of such smart moves is the appointment of Chief Tony Anenih as the Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). NPA is arguably the richest government agency in Nigeria. It is believed to be an octopus money machine, with intractable accounting system.

The NPA, in time past, had been used by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to oil its electioneering process. The cash cow operates in a maze that has confounded even the finest of auditing agencies.

Its immediate past chairman, Chief Olabode George, is standing trial for a cocktail of charges that has opened a can of worms. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the PDP chieftain, whose members on every court day turn the Lagos High Court premises into carnival ground.

It is believed that the chair of NPA is strictly for high-ranking party members who can deliver the goods.

“The NPA chairman has an unwritten mandate to source and provide funds for the PDP and that is why Chief Tony Anenih got the job. The way the parastatal works, it is difficult to prove a case of corrupt enrichment against the chairman, but we all know that the NPA is the party’s cash cow. It is the unofficial fund raising body,” our source confirmed.

Sunday Sun also learnt that between now an August, all kinds of groups will spring up to call on Yar’Adua to run for another four years. Funding will come from NPA’s voodoo accounting maze.

The choice of Anenih, a former PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) chairman, is not also unconnected with the disconnect between him and immediate President Olusegun Obasanjo, for whom he was Mr Fix-It for eight years. The current battle for the soul and spirit of the acclaimed biggest party in Africa has pitted the two powerful men against each other and split the party.

A house divided against itself

Party members loyal to the former president are hatching plans to unseat the PDP chairman, Sir Vincent Ogbulafor, using a weapon called ‘internal democracy’ in the running of the party.

But the Yar’Adua men are not sitting on their hands. They are also burning their candles at both ends to ensure that the new bond between the former president and his erstwhile deputy, Atiku Abubakar, comes to nothing.

The game plan is to drive a wedge between the two once most powerful Nigerians, recruit Atiku and leave Obasanjo in the cold.

“The Ota meeting has actually exposed the split in the party. Baba is not as powerless as a lot of people think and that is why Yar’Adua’s men are not taking anything for granted. They are moving from zone to zone to recruit support for this second term bid. They are especially looking at the stronghold of the former President. They are also looking outside the party and considering getting stalwarts of opposition parties to join the PDP, anything to shore up the political base of the President.”

One of the politicians Yar’Adua’s men have actively courted is former Zamfara governor, Ahmed Sani Yerima.

Governors for second term

Furthermore, a list of nine amendments to the PDP constitution ratified and submitted by the Governors’ Forum is angling for automatic second term tickets for the President and all first-term governors.

The amendment to Article 9.2 (iv) reads: “ The party shall issue automatic tickets to any first term serving president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all first term serving governors who have expressed interest to re-contest for a second term without going through the party.”

The current chairman of PDP did not emerge through a democratic process and pro-Obasanjo elements are planning to start an advocacy that would weaken the base of Yar’Adua. From the outside, the PDP looks like a monolithic party that can actually bulldoze its way into realizing its dream of ruling Nigeria for another 60 years but insiders confirmed that there are in fact five factions in the ruling party.

“There are five factions in the PDP - Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Adamu Ciroma, Atiku and IBB groups. Though IBB claims he is not in PDP, he is a member of G-21, and G-21 is in PDP. And IBB is not a fan of Ogbulafor, the sitting party chairman The Ciroma group is made up of the old conservatives and (the defunct) NPN (National Party of Nigeria) elements. So PDP is not a one-house affair. It is a divided house and all that an adversary needs is the ability to locate an opportunistic chink in the armour of the party,” revealed our source.

Atiku, Kalu as strong alternatives to Yar’Adua

The two strongest contenders are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Orji Uzor Kalu, chairman Board of Trustees of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and former Abia State governor.

If the new elements in PDP will not listen to Anenih, if Atiku returns to PDP and IBB and Obasanjo’s elements succeed in ousting Ogbulafor, the former VP becomes an issue. And Sunday Sun findings reveal that the North sees Atiku as a veritable replacement in case Yar’Adua decides not to seek a second term.

In addition, in the face of a public uproar against the president seeking re-election and general perception that he has not given a good account of himself in his first term, an Atiku Presidency becomes an issue.

Orji Uzor Kalu was the first to blow the whistle on Obasanjo’s third term bid, a bid he fought courageously to a standstill. He is believed to have lost more to that fight than any Nigerian: an oil block, N4.5bn worth of shares in Hallmark Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licence for a new bank for which he had acquired property and recruited staff.

Kalu is believed to have tremendous international connection, uncommon courage and his party, PPA, has two states, Abia and Imo. PPA is seeking to merge with APGA, a factionalised one-party state with a shaky hold on Anambra. Plans are also under way to play for former Anambra State Governor, Chris Ngige, in the event that the alliance does not work.

In all, the intrigues, tricks and horse-trading that will shape who gets the nation’s number one seat in 2011 will cut across party lines and spring unusual surprises. Neither the PDP old war horses nor the new voices are ready to give an inch, a situation that may provide the chink in the ruling party’s armour that the opposition has been waiting for.

Immoral plot

Some prominent Nigerians have, however, reacted angrily to attempts by a segment of the political class to hand Yar’Adua a second term in office. In one words, they described the plot as immoral.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday Sun, the former governor of the old Western Region, General Adeyinka Adebayo; National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh; former Petroleum Minister, Prof Tam David-West; immediate past president of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Dozie Ikedife; erstwhile Oyo State governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina; and Second Republic governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa as well as former Deputy Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Niyi Akintola (SAN), all said the move was also ill-timed and unmeritorious.

Adebayo, who said he would not want to be drawn into the propriety or otherwise of the president preparing for a second term, however pointed out that any failure ascribed to Yar’Adua should be shared by his party.

According to him, “it depends on his party, but the country belongs to everybody and he is free to aspire to any position he wants. I think he has done his best. His best might not be enough but that is debatable. It will be difficult for me to say that he does not deserve a second term because I am a statesman and won’t be expected to say things like that. But I think his party carries a lot of the blame for all this criticism. They picked him and they have a manifesto, which I believe he is trying to implement. If people say he doesn’t deserve a second term, then it means his party does not also deserve a second term presidency.”

David-West, on his part, knocks proponents of such a proposal as enemies of the president.

His words: “Anybody who is telling Yar’Adua to go for a second term is his enemy. He has a terrible health condition and has been limping throughout his first tenure. So far he has no credential for a second term. He should rather pray that he completes his first term in office.

“I will advise him never, never to think of a second term. He has not performed well. He has practically failed and that is why the country is in a state of suspended animation. He too should analyze that based on his health condition and how he came to power. He was imposed on Nigerians by (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo. But if anybody thinks that 2011 will be like 2007, such person will be joking.”

Balarabe Musa, who is chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), urged Nigerians to be alert to the antics of the PDP.

“The PDP is a desperate party; there is nothing it cannot do. Nigerians should think of removing the PDP and Yar’Adua for us to make progress as a country. The talk of Yar’Adua going for another term should not arise because it is obvious it is not the wish of Nigerians for him to continue beyond 2011.

‘‘Yar’Adua is worse than the PDP because he was not elected but imposed on us by the court and not through the votes of the people. He is like a military man that shot his way to power. We are all praying for his reign to end after the first term,” he said.

Lam Adesina spoke in similar vein. According to him, those pushing the idea are insulting the sensibility of Nigerians, who he said are unhappy with Yar’Adua’s performance as president.

“I really don’t know what parameters they will use in telling us that he deserves a second term. We are anxiously waiting for them to tell us what he has done that they are asking him to continue.

“This is a man they should ordinarily advise to go and look after his health but all they are scheming is another term for him. We will wait and see what they will tell us qualified him for another term,” the Action Congress chieftain noted.

Dozie Ikedife was also not convinced that Yar’Adua deserves a second term. He noted that until recently, the president was battling to legitimize his election.

“He had a lot of distractions because of that. Now that he has settled down, let us see what he will be able to do. I need to say it is his performance that will determine whether he is qualified for a second term, but he has not been convincing.”

For legal luminary, Niyi Akintola, the PDP could scheme all they want but he believes the choice ultimately lies with Nigerians to decide whether they want Yar’Adua or not.

Like other respondents, the APGA leader, Victor Umeh, pooh-poohed the proposal, saying the president was yet to make a success of the task before him.

He said those planning for a new term for Yar’Adua were simply mischievous because the country was yet to record any significant achievement since he came to power.

Umeh added that the problems on the desk of the president have enveloped him and Nigerians should be allowed to wait till 2011 to determine whether he deserves a second term or not.

“I don’t understand where those asking for new term got their facts from,” he said.

According to Umeh, the president was yet to touch the electoral reform, which he said was very critical to Nigeria’s democracy, while the National Assembly was yet to review the 1999 Constitution.

Abacha loses ownership of multi-million naira estate in Port Harcourt

2009-02-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

ABUJA—The Supreme Court, last Friday, dismissed an appeal by the Administrator of the Estate of late Head of State, General Mohammed Sani Abacha, challenging the judicial annulment of the deceased’s right of occupancy to a piece of land in Port-Harcourt on which he built a multi-million naira edifice.

Late General Mohammed Sani Abacha

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That was after the five-member panel of the Supreme Court had restored the disputed land to its original owner, Mr Samuel David Eke-Spiff. The land is located on Plot 228 Diobu, GRA, Phase 11 in Port-Harcourt. Eke-Spiff was a Permanent Secretary in the Rivers State Government before he retired from service.

He was granted the right of occupancy to the disputed land in 1975 for a period of 99 years, before same was taken away from him under the guise of overriding public interest.

Specifically, he lost his right of occupancy to the land as far back as January 1, 1977 but without his knowledge.

According to Eke-Spiff, he said all he knew was that on June 24, 1976, he said the Military Administrator of Rivers State published a list of properties whose instrument of titles he had revoked but that his property was not listed. He said it was sometimes in 1981 that he discovered some persons had entered the land.

He said he raised a protest to the Military Administrator who according to him raised a panel of inquiry into allocation of plots and sale of abandoned houses in Port-Harcourt between October 1, 1979 and December 31, 1983.

He said though the property allocated to him was outside the terms of reference of the panel, the panel recommended that it be forfeited to the government even though the recommendation was rejected.

He said in April 1986, he noticed some trespass on the said property and that he quickly lodged a protest to the governor and warned the trespassers in writing.

He said nothing happened on the land until when Edict No 86 dated April 30th, 1986 was promulgated by the same governor who had earlier rejected the recommendation for revocation of his plot made to him by the panel he set up, revoking his allocation.

He said assuming without conceding that the revocation was proper having been allegedly done in the overriding public interest, he said instead of using the land for the public interest, it was re-allocated by Rivers Government to Abacha who was then the Chief of Army Staff.

Eke-Spiff was neither given any notice of revocation nor was compensated for the loss by the authorities. He was shocked however to discover a company operating under the name of C & C Construction Company Limited building a gigantic edifice on the plot.

He said he managed to absorb the shock but that he failed as he was struck down by stroke.

He said he however battled with the consequential ill-health for a long time and could not do anything perhaps because of his condition and the powers and influence wielded by the military general in the Government of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria at the time.

On November 30, 1998, after the demise of the Military Head of State, Maj.-Gen Abacha, Eke-Spiff suddenly found his strength and voice and went to court to challenge the revocation of his land and its re-allocation to Abacha.

He came to court with his daughter, Nine, perhaps to ensure the continuity of the suit should he die of the ailment while the case is still on-going. Eke Spiff sued both the Military Administrator of the state then and the Attorney-General of the state with Abacha Estate. Eke-Spiff won at the trial high court.

The Rivers State Government and the state Attorney-General did not appeal against the findings of the trial court except the Administrator/ Executors of the Estate of General Sani Abacha.

After the review of the appeal, the Court of Appeal also entered verdict in favour of Eke-Spiff, although it was a split judgment.

Abacha Estate also came before the Supreme Court asking that the matter be struck out on account of want of jurisdiction. The Administrator of Abacha Estate contended that he was not a juristic person and could not sue or be sued.

Although the full panel of the Supreme Court agreed with the Abacha Estate Administrator, it however said that its finding, did not, in any way, vitiate the judgment of the lower court.

In fact, in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Pius Aderemi, the apex court struck out the name of the Abacha Estate Administrator from the suit and the name of Eke-Spiff’s daughter, Nine, which it described as a busybody.

But the court held that since Rivers state government which revoked the rights of occupancy on the said plot and re-allocated it to Abacha did not appeal, it said the verdict of the lower court must not be disturbed. The court said that assuming the state government had even appealed, it said the weight of evidence in the case tilted in favour of Eke-Spiff

The court therefore held specifically in its lead judgment thus: “The Military Administrator of Rivers State and the state Attorney-General, the allocating authority, failed to comply with the provisions of section 28(2) and (6) of the Land Use Act which enjoins that revocation of land by the Government must be for nothing other than for the overriding public interest and that the notice of revocation served in accordance with the provisions of subsection 6 of the Act

“Certainly, the re-allocation of the land to General Sani Abacha cannot be assimilated to an action taken in the overall public interest.

“General Sani Abacha in this context was an ordinary citizen.

“I repeat, the revocation was not carried out in the overall interest of the public

“Let me say it loud. It is not only unconscionable to take away a piece of land already allocated and now re-allocate same to someone else without serving a notice of revocation on the earlier allottee and not paying that person any compensation. It is also very unlawful and unconstitutional to so do.

“The court always has an undoubted jurisdiction to relief against every specie of fraud.

“The fraud here is an unconscientious use of powers arising from the circumstance or condition of the parties

“Eke-Spiff, a former Permanent Secretary of the Government of Rivers State had since retired, no longer at the corridor of powers.

“The person to whom the plot was later re-allocated was a weighty man of authourity,” the judgment said.

Fergie backs Man Utd's strength for title battle

2008-12-29T04:25:00.000-08:00

Manchester United have the strength required to overhaul Liverpool and Chelsea and land a third successive Premier League title, according to Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson with the World Club Cup

United entertain Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Monday night knowing the first two months of 2009 not only bring action on four fronts but also the games in hand that could see them close in on current pacesetters Liverpool and Chelsea.

How the Red Devils emerge from such a packed programme will determine their chances of emulating last term's success.

And, while Ferguson accepts his side are facing a tough task, he is sure United will not fail for lack of available bodies.

''There is an interesting challenge facing us but I am confident we can cope,'' said the United manager.

''We have not taken this on blindly. I have been planning for this pressure by creating a squad that gives me options and the manpower to make changes without weakening the team.

''Our pool of players is getting stronger, as the younger lads mature and come into the squad at a level where I can play them, knowing they will perform. We have a good strong squad and if we can go into the new year only a handful of points behind the leaders then we have a good chance of winning the Premier League again.''

Ferguson might test that strength in depth for his side's second game in three days following United's return to the Far East after being crowned World Club champions.

Brazilian full-back Rafael may be introduced into a youthful defence missing both Rio Ferdinand, who is resting a worrying back problem, and Patrice Evra, who serves the second game of a four-match ban.

Changes are almost certain in midfield, so the main interest will surround the possible return of record signing Dimitar Berbatov, who travelled to Japan but picked up a virus en-route that ensured he played no part in the tournament itself.

Ferguson has already expressed his hope the game is completed free of controversy after a number of spats in recent years.

Midfielder Paul Scholes endorses that opinion, even if he is not sure his manager's wishes will come true.

With United battling at the top and Boro equally desperate for points at the bottom, the need to get a result might take over once the action starts.

''There is a bit of needle in every game these days because the teams are so desperate to win,'' said Scholes.

''(Boro boss) Gareth Southgate is a winner by nature. He will want his team to win every game they play and to perform well. Our manager is the same - it is just the way it is.''

2008-07-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

SUCCESS POWER INTERNATIONAL

This week, we are discussing the topic DECISION

This week, we are discussing the topic DECISION (5)

Dear friend, making up your mind tunes your faculty to open up to ideas that can make impossible things possible. Some people want to know how to achieve a goal before they make up their minds. Sometimes we need to make up our minds to know how to achieve that goal.

I remember how Napoleon Hill in his book ‘Think and grow rich’ shares the story of a Reverend gentleman Dr Frank Gonzalez who was not happy with the state of education in Illinois State in the United States of America. And for two years Dr. Gonzalez spoke about how he will build a school if only he had a million dollars. And then, one Saturday morning the question just popped up in his mind, ‘when are you going to get this one million dollars?’ Then he decided, ‘I’m going to raise one million dollars in the next one week’.

It was as if his whole faculty had been waiting for him to make that decision because instantly an idea occurred to him. ‘Why don’t you preach in church tomorrow on the topic; ‘what I will do if I have a million dollars.’ He sent a notice to the newspaper so they could carry the advert.

On Sunday morning he preached the message and as soon as he sat down, somebody came from the back of the church, said to him, “Dr. Gonzalez, I believe you will do what you said you would if you have a million dollars. If you don’t mind coming to my office on Monday morning, I’ll give you a cheque for one million dollars.” The name of his beneficiary was Philip D. Almond. The next morning Dr. Gonzalez got the cheque for one million dollars. The one million dollars and the idea that will bring it had been waiting for him to make up his mind.

Friend, breakthrough ideas are waiting to come into your mind if only you would make up your mind never to be poor again the rest of your life. Whatever you will make up your mind on, you can have success in it.

Make up your mind now!

You will succeed!

This week we are discussing the topic: PLAN FOR SUCCESS

2008-04-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

SUCCESS POWER INTERNATIONAL
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According to Robert Schuller ” If we fail to plan , we are planning to fail “.
We must decide our destination before we start the journey. And like the saying goes, if you don’t have a target, you cannot hit one.
What are your targets for this month, year, or next year?
We must have goals. Goals are powerful. They make the difference between success and failure, between wealth and poverty, and between happiness and frustration.

Without specific goals, success is impossible, because success is simply the accomplishment of goals. Without goals therefore, frustration, depression and discouragement set in. But do not be discouraged. You will not fail. You will succeed. God will help you to breakthrough, but first, here now; I challenge you to set definite goals for this month or year. Crystallize your dreams on paper. Set goals for your family, your finances, your health, your relationships and most of all, your spiritual life.

The renowned Paul J. Meyer, who became a millionaire at twenty six, in discussion with another Mack R. Douglass, shared the following formula for his success;

1. Crystallize your thinking. Determine what specific goal you want to achieve.
2 Develop a plan for achieving your goal and a deadline for its attainment.
3. Develop a sincere desire for the things you want in life. A Burning desire is the greatest motivator for every action.
4. Develop supreme confidence in yourself and your own abilities. Enter every activity without giving recognition to the possibility of defeat.
5. Develop a dogged determination to follow through on your plan regardless of obstacles, criticisms or circumstances.

Now that you know the formula as articulated by one who has Lived by it, let me throw in this challenge, sit down to set your goals and plan for this month year, or next year, it is not too early to plan for next year. Then take action immediately.

In a research carried out in the United States several years ago. It was discovered that only 13 percent of the respondents has goals. The remaining 87 percent were drifting aimlessly through life waiting for some favorable breaks that would never come. Now of the 13% that had goals, only 3% had goals that were written down.

Over a time period of 25 years, it was discovered that the 3% who had goals had accomplished fifty to one hundred times more than the 10 % that had goals but did not write them down. Goals are powerful. Proverbs 29:18 says; “where there is no vision, the people perish “.

As you set goals for the new month or year, make use of the following tips. They are the ABC of goals:-
A. Achievable: - Your goals should be achievable. They should not overwhelm and confuse you.
B. Believable: - let them be goals that inspire faith and not doubt in your mind. Goals that create excitement in your heart and cause the blood to flow in your reins.
C. Concrete: - your goals should be specific. They should be specific. They should be measurable. And they must have deadlines for their attainment.

As you set goals for this year, let me encourage you to go for all around success. Don’t set goals only for finances or career. God wants us to succeed spiritually, mentally, physically and maritally.

So I ask you, set specific goals for your spiritual life. What will your relationship with God be like this month or year? Then set goals for your family. Set goals for your family altar, your children‘s education, birthdays and special outings. Also set your career goals. Will you write an exam? Will you start a new line of business? Then set your financial goals. Set goals for everything you have to do. As you set your goals and take actions towards achieving them, God will cause unseen forces to come to your aid.

You will succeed!

plan for success [2]

2008-04-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

SUCCESS POWER INTERNATIONAL

his week, we are discussing the topic PLAN FOR SUCCESS (2)

The renowned Paul J. Meyer, who became a millionaire at twenty six, in discussion with Mack R. Douglass, shared the following formula for his success;

1. Crystallize your thinking. Determine what specific goal you want to achieve.
2 Develop a plan for achieving your goal and a deadline for its attainment.
3. Develop a sincere desire for the things you want in life. A Burning desire is the greatest motivator for every action.
4. Develop supreme confidence in yourself and your own abilities. Enter every activity without giving recognition to the possibility of defeat.
5. Develop a dogged determination to follow through on your plan regardless of obstacles, criticisms or circumstances.

Now that you know the formula as articulated by one who has lived by it, let me throw in this challenge; sit down to set your goals and plan for this year. Then take action immediately.

Whatever you desire this week, I believe with you that it will be well.

You will succeed!

plan for success

2008-04-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

SUCCESS POWER INTERNATIONAL

N.B: Please note that you are getting an abridged version of our transcripts, you can only enjoy the full version if you are a financial partner. If you want to become a partner, please indicate by sending a mail to info@successpower.org

This week, we are discussing the topic PLAN FOR SUCCESS (I)

According to Robert Schuller ”If we fail to plan, we are planning to fail. “

We must decide our destination before we start the journey. And like the saying goes, if you don’t have a target, you cannot hit one.

What are your targets for this year or for this month, week or day?
We must have goals. Goals are powerful. They make the difference between success and failure, between wealth and poverty, and between happiness and frustration.

Without specific goals, success is impossible. Because success is simply the accomplishment of goals, without goals therefore, frustration, depression and discouragement set in. But do not be discouraged, you will not fail, you will succeed. God will help you to breakthrough. But first, I challenge you to set definite goals for this year, month, week and this day. Crystallize your dreams on paper.

Set goals for your family, your finances, your health, your relationships and most of all, your spiritual life.

Is this an important day or week for you? Is it your deadline for an important assignment? Are you traveling? Do you need a job? Or are you expecting a miracle of financial supply? I believe with you that it will be well.

You will succeed!

YOUR COMPETITIVE EDGE 1

2007-09-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

In my book, Parable of Dollars, I shared the story of a young man in the United States who started business with the assistance of his grandfather who happened to be a multi-millionaire. His grandfather gave him some money to start his business with. After three months the grandfather invited him out to lunch and enquired about the business, and he replied, “Well, we got an office in Manhattan , New York ’s high brow business district and everything is looking beautiful, I have hired staff, got the computers and all the other equipment we need. Everything is set the only problem is we have not made any sales in three months”. So the grandfather said, “Son what are you doing in the office, you don’t really need an office, you need customers”. The young man got so radical with it that he decided not to have an office anymore. He has an office quite alright but decided not to stay there. He focused more on marketing, on getting new prospects, checking up on the old ones and that exactly what kept the business going.

Don’t just try to meet your customers’ expectations exceed them. In business the customer is king. You have to understand this basic principle whatever it is you are doing in life. If you expect to get some money in return for the products and services you offer, then you must understand that the money you are looking for is in people’s pockets. Money follows human beings. It flows and if you want to be able to detect its directions, watch human beings - wherever they go money goes there. How you treat people therefore determines to what extent you will be able to secure the flow of money towards you. In business, your commitment to customer satisfaction is the only thing you are going to do to have an edge over your competition. Just keep on giving the customer much more than they really expect.

Human beings are more important than structures and systems. Everything here revolves around human beings. So it is very vital to learn how to treat people well. You may have the best quality product in town but nobody is going to take your best quality product by force if they have a choice and if you treat them shabbily. Treat your customers as kings and queens.

You will succeed!

info@successpower.org

DREAM AND SUCCEED

2007-06-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

To dream is to see the future in your imagination before it happens. The ability to dream is the greatest power in the world and being deprived of this ability is the greatest injustice in the world. It is in your dreams that you have the opportunity to break free from your present limitations. In your dreams, in your imaginations you can break free from failure, you can break free from poverty, you can break free from bondage and you know what? as a man thinketh in his heart so is he, which mean your dreams are coming to pass.

If your tomorrow will be better than your today, you must learn to dream. You may not be able to do much about your today because your today was created yesterday but you have the opportunity to do something about your tomorrow because your tomorrow is being formed today. There are several benefits to having a dream; a dream gives you direction once you see yourself in a new you; you know exactly where to go with your life; a dream reveals your potentials or your past mistakes may have told you, you are a failure but in your dreams you see a new you doing things you could never do before. The dream motivate you, gives you hope, gives you a reason to live.

A dream also brings discipline into your life because you now know that not any road will take you to the destination you are seeing in your dream. It determines your associations and it determines how much effort you will put into your education and the things you want to do. A dream makes you a magnet; you begin to attract the people and the resources that will make that dream come to pass. Friend, get a dream, pray, meditate, get close to successful people your dreams are coming to pass.

A man by the name El Paul Ove once said a blind’s man world is bounded by the limit of his touch. An ignorant man’s world by the limit of his knowledge, a great man’s world by the limits of his vision. In order word, what you see on the inside today is what you will see on the outside tomorrow. You must not allow your past experiences to limit your dreams concerning tomorrow. If you allow your experience today to limit the size of your dream you have cheated your tomorrow. Don’t let your history become your prophesy. I know that it is not easy to break free from our past experiences, our experiences stamp pictures on our hearts, create barricades in our minds; make it look difficult for us to succeed. However, it’s a fight, it’s a war we must not allow our past failures to predict future failure for us. We must choose to believe that our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday.

I believe by now you have a dream; a dream that causes the blood to flow in you veins, dreams that inspires you, that motivates you I believe that you are seeing a great future for yourself. Now you can turn your dream to reality by doing the following things: first develop a plan, calculate from where you are to where you want to go, give it a time limit, set specific goals; step by step goals that will take you to where you want to go and fix a time frame for each of those goals.

Secondly, you must develop your skills. Promotion is only a reward for problems that you solve. Give the small opportunities that you have now your best shot; you must work hard and develop expertise. When a man is an expert on his job he will stand before kings he will not stand before ordinary men. Next, take action you have got to make a move. Things don’t move by themselves in our world. Those dreams won’t turn themselves into a reality you have to turn them to reality.

You will succeed!