thE GUArDiAN, saturday, March 23, 2013
8
NEWs
FG Explains Power Drop, to Commission 10 NiPP From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja hEfederal government has blamed the ongoing repair at the shiroro Power Plant in Niger state as the main factor responsible for the drop in power supply currently being experienced in the country. however, it assured Nigerians of improved power
t
supply as soon as the repair works are completed. this is even as it re-stated its determination to work towards meeting the projected 10,000 megawatts. Governor Gabriel suswam of Benue state and the Permanent secretary of Ministry of Power, Godknows
igali while addressing state house Press after the 27th Board meeting of the Niger Delta Power holding Company (NDPhC) in Abuja, also unveiled a phased commissioning programme of 10 National integrated Power Projects (NiPP) across the country.
rising from the meeting chaired by the Vice President, Mohammed Namadi sambo, suswam announced that a special committee to embark on a road show before the privatisation of the 10 NiPP projects to foreign nations would be announced at the next board meeting of the NDPhC.
The Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji (right); his predecessors Chief Abu Obe (left), Mallam Yayale Ahmed, Engr. Ebele Okeke, Mr. Stephen Oresanye, Mr. Oladapo Afolabi and Alhaji Isa Bello Sali at the hand over ceremony to Aji at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA
implement Oputa Panel report, Diya Urges Jonathan By Seye Olumide (Lagos) and Anietie Akpan (Calabar)
.Cleric Hails Pardon For Alamieyeseigha
t
his commendation came as former Chief of General staff, Gen. Oladipo Diya (rtd) appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to publish and implement the Oputa Panel report. isong, in an interview with newsmen in Calabar pointed out that, “if we give Mr. President the power to pardon anybody he so wishes, i am wondering why we would
hE Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Cross river chapter, Bishop Emmah isong has commended the amnesty granted the former governor of Bayelsa state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, by President Goodluck Jonathan. he said the gesture was in order as far as the president was acting within the confines of the constitution.
be questioning him over who he pardons. it is like serving me a plate of food on my birthday and telling me to eat meat, but don’t eat fish.” he added: “Let us say we are all wrong to give him the power in the Constitution. if the power is legally given to him, then why are we protesting over what we gave him power to do.” Diya pleaded with President
Jonathan on the need to address the aspect of the report that deals with the phantom coups of 1995 and 1997 where himself other officers and civilians were framed. speaking at a press conference yesterday, Diya expressed gratitude to the President for his kindness and courage in finding it expedient to implement the power vested in him by section 175 of the Constitution to grant him and his colleagues state pardon.
NUJ Condemns Abduction Of NtA Female reporter in Akure From Niyi Bello, Akure hE Nigerian Union of Journalists, Ondo state branch, has condemned the abduction on thursday, a practising journalist and nursing mother, Mrs. Olubunmi Oke, by unknown gunmen as she was driving home from the premises of the Nigerian television Authority (NtA), Akure, Ondo state, where she is a reporter and newscaster. it was gathered that Oke was
t
seized by a four-man gang of kidnappers who used their vehicle to block her side of the road in front of a new popular hotel located along the road to Oba-ile, a suburb of Akure where her office is located. the gunmen, after stopping her, were reported to have ordered her out of the car and drove her away in their own vehicle to an unknown destination, leaving behind her baby and housemaid who
were in the car with her. the NUJ yesterday said the Ondo state Police Command has recovered Oke’s car at igbara-Oke, a border town with Ekiti state. the union in a statement signed by its General secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, appealed to security agencies to ensure that the abducted reporter is freed without harm. According to him, “Mrs. Oke, a nursing mother was abducted
shortly after she read the news on NtA that evening and was with her child and housemaid when she was abducted and driven away in her car, with the baby and maid dropped from the car.” he added: “her car has since been recovered along igbaraOke road at the outskirt of Akure, leading to the suspicion that she may have been taken outside the state to an unknown destination.
Police Deny Knowledge Of Arrest Of Boko Haramsuspects in Lagos By Odita Sunday AGOs state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Umar Manko yesterday said his command was not aware of any arrest of Boko Haram suspects in Lagos. Men and officers of the Operation Mesa (OP Mesa), a joint security outfit comprising members of the armed forces and those of the state security service (sss), had on thursday raided the ijora 7-UP area of the state and arrested some suspected Boko Haram members.
L
the raid was conducted barely weeks after the state government stormed the area with a contingent of riot policemen and bulldozers to demolish many homes and shanties suspected to be harbouring criminals. Although there were varying reports on the number of persons arrested, sources said devices suspected to be explosives were recovered during the raid. the suspects were said to have concealed some devices sus-
pected to be explosives in boxes, which were stacked in the ceiling of a house they were occupying. Also recovered alongside the suspected explosives were two AK47 rifles. the spokesperson, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, had confirmed the raid although he could not confirm if the suspects were Boko Haram members as speculated. the police boss, who spoke with The Guardian on telephone noted: “i was not informed of any-
thing like that, my command was not involved so i don’t know what happened.” On why the Commissioner of Police was allegedly not carried along in the raid, Umoh told The Guardian that he was not in a position to comment on that. “OP Messa is a joint operation of all the security agencies. if the police was not aware of the raid, i am not in a position to comment on that, probably this particular operation does not have police component involved,” he said.
he said the meeting focused on the commissioning of NiPP projects, the privatisation of the companies for efficient management of the company and the road show to market the companies in various countries before the privatisation. suswam said: “We want to embark on a road show before the privatisation proper will commence. We want to generate interest and find very competent companies or enterprises that can manage these companies properly. With that, there will be a committee that will be set up for that purpose. “it is not going to be done by the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), it is going to be done by a special committee that we will be set up by the NDPhC Board. At the next meeting of the board, we will probably be able to have the people that will constitute the committee for the purpose of these companies.” On why there was drop in power supply, suswam said, “i think that happened because shiroro plant was off for quite sometime and that also accounted for the drop. We need to engage in maintenance and that is back on track now. i think that the drop has been addressed.” igali, who also shed more light on the development, said: “i don’t think it will be completely fair to say that we have witnessed a considerable drop. We are on track; we are ensuring that we have appropriate generation level, distribution level and transmission level on track.”
tambuwal Calls For special Prayers Over insecurity From Isah Ibrahim, Gusau PEAKEr of the house of representatives, Aminu Waziri tambuwal has called on Nigerians to embark on special prayers with a view to seek for Allah’s intervention over the persistent upsurge of insecurity in the country, saying that Nigeria is in dire need of prayers from citizens. speaking yesterday in Gusau, Zamfara state, at the opening ceremony of the 27th National Qur’anic recitation competition organised by Centre for islamic research, Usman Danfodio University sokoto, hosted by the Zamfara state Government, tambuwal said the state of insecurity being experienced in the country was a sad development for democracy in the country. According to him, none of the religions being practised in the country encourages its believers to be violent, and therefore appealed to the their leaders to continue to teach their followers the importance of living in peace with one another for the development of the country. the speaker expressed happiness with the effort of the organisers of the programme, particularly their commitment to make it a reality annually, adding that it will encourage Muslim children to show more commitment in memorising the holy Qur’an. in his address, the state governor, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar, said the state had made adequate arrangement for the states delegates to have conducive atmosphere and security throughout their staying in the state.
s
NCC slams N90m Fine On MtN, to Flag Off Mobile Number Portability in April From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja hE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again placed a N90 million sanction on MtN Nigeria for poor quality of service. Director, Public Affairs of the Commission, Mr. tony Ojobo who disclosed this while briefing journalists in Abuja said the sanction became necessary following a drive text carried out in December 2012 in which MtN failed to meet the minimum standard of quality of service including the Key Performance indicators (KPi) set out by the commission. he noted that the amount is expected to be paid latest on April 3, 2013. Meanwhile, the Commission has concluded plans to launch the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) regime by April 2013.
t
Doctors Endorse herbal Drugs At Lecture By Joseph Okoghenun hAt seemed like a tacit endorsement for herbal medicine by medical doctors came yesterday when some medical doctors, including consultants, purchased en masse some herbal medications—taccumi, nutri-max and bask maca supreme herbal products—after a public lecture on erectile dysfunction organsised by Bask Nutrition and herbs Limited in Lagos. Medical doctors have been at the forefront in the war against herbal medicine for reasons bordering on safety and measurements. But that skepticism disappeared at the occasion as soon as a renowned professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from the College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL) said the herbal products have been in his medical practice for the past three years with positive response from patients.
W
Alamieyeseigha: Don Berates Jonathan Over Pardon From Emmanuel Ande, Yola rENOWNED Professor of Mathematics and controversial social critic at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, Prof. Leonard Karshima shilgba, has said the presidential pardon granted to former Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, by President Goodluck Jonathan, was not only a disgrace to Nigeria, but also a confirmation that the country was a breeding zone for merciless criminals.
A
Church Dedicates Auditorium hrist the King’s Glorious C Church (the City of the Lord) willtodayandtomorrowdedicate its auditorium at 3, Ayelabowo street,offGovernor’sroad,ikotun, Lagos at 11 am. According to a statement, the General Overseer, Pastor s.O Omojola, will lead other anointed men of God to perform the ceremony which is expected to be attended by eminent citizens, including religious leaders. Guests will be entertained at the same venue.