THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
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NEWS
$40m paid to ex-militants illegal, says ACN
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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday described as illegal, unconstitutional and indefensible the $40 million being paid yearly to some exmilitants to guard the country’s pipelines. In a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said one of the main causes of the over heating of the polity today is the reckless manner political power is exercised and monopolised by a few individuals. Regretably, some actions and inaction of this administration have lent credence to the widely held belief that this administration is waging and exerting power only for the benefits of a section of the country, the party said. The party recalled that on January 22, this year, it issued
a statement in which it queried the rationale behind the memo that was presented to the Federal Executive Council that month, seeking the Council’s approval for a so-called strategic concessioning partnership between NIMASA and Global West to enforce regulatory compliance and surveillance of the entire Nigerian Maritime domain. “In the same statement, the party expressed serious concerns, particularly because the Federal Government actually withdrew a bill before the National Assembly that would have carried out the same functions now being outsourced to a private firm. “We state again emphatically that it is totally unacceptable and unconscionable - even unprecedented especially in a fragile federation like ours -
for any government to hand over the security of its entire maritime domain to a private firm of a group of ex - militants for that matter given the far reaching implications of such a decision for trade, security, ports and shipping of the country. “What is the agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in allowing this to happen? Why would a government so willingly abdicate its responsibility of ensuring the security of its maritime domain? What were the ministers thinking when they approved this dangerous memo, the party asked. “The ACN has dismissed as self serving, irresponsible , untenable and illogical attempts to defend this outrageous decision to hand over the security of not only our entire maritime domain but also the responsibility of
protecting our pipelines to exmilitants. “In the first instance, a decision as momentous as this ought to have been a subject of rigorous national debate. The entire transaction lacks transparency and due process and finally it passes a vote of no confidence in our armed forces and security agencies who are constitutionally mandated to provide these services. According to the party, those who sought to justify the payments on the grounds that since the militants took over security of our pipelines oil theft has been on the decline ( an entirely false claim) and that production has gone up have completely missed the point. The real issues at stake apart from those raised above are as aptly put by the spokesman for the Arewa Consultative
Forum, Anthony Sanni , that it is the inalienable right of Nigerians to know how they are governed and how their resources are allocated and that the Federal Government must at all times conduct its affairs in conformity with the Constitution to ensure that no individual or section of the country dominate access to natural resources. “In conclusion the party calls on the National Assembly to immediately wade into this matter with a view to reversing this dangerous development in view of its national security implications. We also once again call on all Nigerians to show interest in this matter which has farreaching implications for the country’s continued existence as one entity,” the party added.
Minister seeks paradigm shift in agriculture
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INISTER of Agriculture Dr. A k i n w u n m i Adesina, has advocated a paradigm shift in the agriculture sector. He said agriculture must be run as a business and not as a development programme, if Nigeria must regain its lost glory as a major world producer and exporter of farm produce. The Minister spoke yesterday while delivering the 11th Public Lecture Series of Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko, Ondo State. The lecture was titled: “Unlocking the Potential of Nigerian Agriculture”. Adesina said the focus of the lecture was to get Nigerians to understand that the days of treating agriculture like a Father Christmas sector were over. “Nigeria must learn from Asian countries. We must tap into all the resources of our farmers across our nation and deliver a green revolution that will make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production. We must turn Nigeria into a breadbasket - a power house for food production. To do so, we must make a fundamental paradigm shift: Agriculture should be seen as a business, not a development programme.” The Minister, who regretted that Nigeria’s agricultural potential remained untapped, said the report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation on Competitive Commercial Agriculture for Africa, indicated that Africa, especially Nigeria and Mozambique, have vast areas of savannah that could become the breadbasket for the rest of the world, if properly harnessed. He added, “According to the International Food National Research Institute, the value of Agriculture in Nigeria at constant 2010 dollars was 99 billion dollars. This is projected to grow to 256 billion dollars by 2030.”
MTN slashes tariff
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TN yesterday announced a tariff scheme that will ensure that Nigerians can “stay connected to family and friends a lot more.” The company’s General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Kola Oyeyemi, spoke in Lagos while launching the company’s Ultimate Wonder Draw, which will see a Nigerian winning a brand new 2012 Cessna 182T aircraft. Oyeyemi said: “For many people, it’s so hard to believe that we are giving out an aeroplane which for me is understandable because no other brand has done it. This is what makes us the market leader.” “Remember the N1billion promo where we shelled out N1billion to 100 lucky winners? It looked impossible until we made it happen. The automania game is ongoing, so far we have given out over 86 Hyundai ix35 SUVs,” he said reiterating MTN’s commitment to the continuous engagement of the market through exciting and innovative promos. He advised Nigerians to ensure they “recharge up to N3, 000 in the next 90 days of this promo to qualify for the star prize and other mouth-watering cash prizes.”
100,000 pilgrims for Hajj
T •Category Business Manager, Dairy, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr. Arikawe Adewale (left); Director, Federal Ministry of Health (representing Health Minister), Mr. George Chidi; Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nestle Plc Mr. Martin Woolnough; President, Dietetic Association, Lagos, Mrs. Omoise Enabulele and Corporate Affairs Manager, Nestle Plc Mr. Samuel Adenekan at the launch of iron-fortified Golden Morn in Lagos. PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA
14 years on, PDP awards self pass mark
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ESPITE the poor rating from the opposition camp, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday awarded itself a pass mark. Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, who did the appraisal as part of activities marking the 14-year anniversary of the PDP said the party has steered the affairs of the country well. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, Aliyu declared that the country has fared well under the party, despite unending criticisms and hurtful remarks from the civil society groups and opposition parties. Aliyu said since the PDP came into power against the background of a turbulent period of military rule which reached its heights in 1998 ,the party has made significant progress in returning the country to the path of sustainable development and steady economic growth. He said in the last 13 years, the PDP officials (both elected
and appointed) at the various levels of government have worked tirelessly to inject fresh ideas into all sectors of the economy. The statement said members of the PDP and indeed Nigerians have every cause to celebrate, emphasising that under the PDP, the nation has for the first time witnessed 13 years of an uninterrupted journey to the proverbial Promised Land. It said: “Although we are not there yet, the journey is no longer as far as it used to be.” The governor thanked the founding fathers of the party and supporters across the country for their continued belief in the PDP and its leadership, urging them to continue to keep faith with the party. He called on Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliation to support the agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan led administration.
Protesting lawyers shut NBA conference entrance
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ROTESTING lawyers yesterday shut the main gate of the Abuja International Conference Centre, venue of the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for two hours. There were protesting against the 500 per cent hike in conference fees. The event began on Sunday. Lawyers who did not register and who had no tags were prevented from entering the hall. But they insisted they had a right to attend the meeting, where the outgoing
From Joseph Jibueze, Abuja
administration-led by Joseph Daudu (SAN) will render account of its twoyear stewardship. The meeting ends today. The protesting lawyers were eventually allowed in. Daudu admitted that the AGM is “an open meeting for all lawyers and all lawyers are welcome.” “The fee-paying part of the Annual General Conference ended with the annual bar dinner on Wednesday night,” he said.
Among those who were shut out are NBA Third Vice-President, Dr Ogugua Ikpeze, General Secretary Muyiwa Akinboro and Chairman of Council, National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu. The lawyers barricaded the gate, preventing those who registered from going in. They also prevented other people from coming out as they engaged security agents in arguments. They pushed and shove one another.
They insisted that they had a right to attend the Annual General Meeting as feepaying NBA member, whether or not they registered for the conference. “A lot of things are going wrong in NBA and if we keep quiet, things will spoil totally,” a lawyer said. There was gridlock around the venue and adjoining streets as the crowd increased. Security agents said they were instructed to allow in only accredited lawyers, but the lawyers insisted NBA President must address them.
HE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) yesterday said that 100,000 pilgrims would be transported to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for this year’s Hajj. NCAA’s Director-General Dr. Harold Demuren, made the disclosure in Lagos in an interactive session with reporters. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Demuren had earlier in the day held a closed door meeting with airline operators, security agencies and fuel marketers toward ensuring a hitch-free Hajj. He said that the transportation of intending pilgrims would begin on September 17 in 12 airports located in Abuja, Katsina, Gombe, Yola, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Lagos, Kaduna, Jos, Sokoto and Kano. The director general said that four major airlines would be involved in the exercise. “The four airlines shortlisted are: Max, Kabo, Meridian, Med-View. “They will be making use of bigger aircraft like the Boeing 747- 400 series and Boeing 767 – 500 series,” he said. The NCAA boss said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) would be in-charge of creating dedicated Hajj routes for the operation without interfering with the normal international flight operations. He promised that the authority would ensure that intending pilgrims are adequately educated about the exercise. “We shall transport all the intending pilgrims before the close of Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia.