IQ MAGAZINE- FIRST EDITION

...infrastructural information redefined Volume 2 No 6 ISSN: 2360-9095

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Environment: Nigeria Signs Paris Agreement on Climate Change

Power & Energy: Consumers Must Not Buy Transformers Again

SOLID MINERALS:

Building & Construction: Contractor Completes Long Bridge Portion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Nigeria’s Untapped Alternative Revenue Source News: Lagos Embarks on “Cleaner Lagos Initiative”

Contents

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5-16. News

14-24. Building & Construction

BEDC, Ondo Govt sign pact

41-46. Energy

Uyo Church had no plan approval -COREN

Consumers must not buy transformers again -Fashola

Bad road takes toll on Nigeria

Contractor completes long bridge portion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Rise in water volume shoots up electricity supply

Lagos embarks on “Cleaner Lagos Initiative”

Asset sales call was dead on arrival -NIESV President

Lagos generates more revenue in 2016 - Ambode

Minister calls for modification of the nation’s housing ventures

Energy firm, Jigawa collaborate on power project

Alaoji power plant comes on stream

Nigeria can earn more revenue from solid minerals - Achor ‘You can start mining business with N100,000’ - Nwoko

FG tasks partners on sustainable housing programme NSIA, South African firm partners on $700m real estate, agric development

Lafarge Africa doles out $2m for competition in construction industry

FG, Lagos unite on affordable housing

Ciments Afrique opens multi-million dollar cement plant in Ghana

Lagos to build 2.5million housing units in five years

Liberian parliament approves $10m water project

Current recession is affecting real estate in Nigeria -Ukpong

Kenya connects Biogas power to Grid

Buildmacex Exhibition promotes green building technology

Tanzanian housing sector growth slows down with high interest rate

25.

Jubail II world’s largest civil engineering project

54.

Governance

34-39. Interview “Solid Minerals sector can sustain Nigeria’s economy”

Stakeholders hail incremental power delivery FG kick-starts solar power investment in Nigeria WAPIC 2016: Experts seek solution on energy constraints

48-52. Transportation Bello hopeful of shoring up GDP through transport sector Fighting corruption in Nigeria Maritime sector NIMASA revenue earnings stir controversy Air transportation of dangerous goods is a sensitive job, says DGM boss Senate summons Amaechi, Fashola, others over plan to close Abuja Airport Blazing the trail: Imo floats first state owned airline

57-58. Health & Safety

Environment

Workers’ health and safety are critical to organizations productivity

Nigeria signs Paris agreement on Climate change Business leaders, scientists, policy makers reflect on environmental sustainability

52

Infrastructure

Fashola calls for national consensus on infrastructure development

Nigeria’s environmental minister, Amina Mohammed appointed UN Deputy Secretary General

55.

FG urges power companies to find solution to liquidity challenges

The hazard and safety measures in welding

60-61. Issues Finding lasting solutions to road failures in Nigeria Sale of Nigeria’s Assets: which way Nigeria?

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SOLID MINERALS: Nigerian Untapped Money Spinner

Buried in the belly of Nigeria’s earth crust across the 36 states, are billions of tonnes of untapped solid minerals. Infrastructure Quarterly (IQ) in this edition, digs them up for the authorities to turn them to viable alternative sources of revenue.

Volume 2 No 6

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Editorial

Funding the Nation's Infrastructural needs One of the greatest needs of Nigeria in the present dispensation is funding of her infrastructure. It is no gainsaying the fact that the infrastructural needs of the country are overwhelming. It cuts across every segment of the economy including roads, electricity, water, drainages, bridges, housing among others.

One of the attributes of good governance is the provision of good, laudable and enduring facilities that make up the needs of the populace. This presents valuable and vital indices that measure the success or otherwise of each succeeding administration. It is, therefore, necessary that every administration goes out to provide for the people facilities which most of the times make the full list of their campaign promises.

Infrastructure are very costly, therefore require smooth low of revenue to ensure procurement. They constitute the capital projects which are always provided for in the budgets of the Federal, State and the Local governments. These three tiers of government are statutorily required to make budgetary allocations that would accommodate enough provisions for these facilities.

In practice, provisions have always been made in annual budgets in these three tiers of government but the people have always been short-changed as the provisions fall short of the expectations of the people. The argument has always been that the lion share of the budgetary allocations has favoured recurrent expenditure while provisions for capital projects come up to a paltry sum. And due to insuf icient funds, some of these projects get abandoned after they have taken o. These projects turn out to become white elephant projects that the initiators become incapable of completing while their successors go on to commence new ones that project their own names and ego.

Currently, the nation is wading through recession and there is a wide excuse of shortage of revenue to execute the budget.

The Federal Government of recent initiated a move to borrow $30 Billion to fund her programmes. This has not gone down well with the people including the National Assembly who refused to accent to this. Majority of the people feel it was not necessary to run a nation on borrowed money. Of course, there would be conditions to be met for any borrowed money no matter how good they may seem.

However, there remains the fact that the government machinery has to run on the engine lubricated by revenue generated within the available means open to her. And since the only available means open to government remains the oil which now has depreciated due to the global down-turn, Nigeria and her various governments must put on their thinking caps to get other sources generating revenue.

What matters to the people is provision of infrastructure. The people want to see these basic social amenities on ground. The government that is real to the ordinary man in the street is that government that is for the people and by the people. They yearn for a government that will provide all the necessities of life including good roads, water, electricity, food, good health among other things.

Our three tiers of government should look inwards for viable alternatives to generate funds that would be put into the reserves of their respective treasuries from which they would fund their infrastructural developments. For them to get o the starting blocks, they must think of how to oil their machinery for Internally Generated Revenue. This does not stop at the door-steps of tax alone. There must be a high level of creativity in governance to know the direction that would lead Volume 2 No 6

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to greater productivity.

In seeking the way forward, they must learn from what is happening in Lagos State whose internally Generated Revenue for 2016 surpassed all other years even in times of recession. The State deserves a lot of kudos and applause for bringing in creativity in governance. There is no wonder that infrastructural development has taken the centre stage in Lagos. Other governments should come to Lagos and learn.

Anambra State deserves commendation for not only the infrastructural developments that are making their rounds in the whole of the state. Of great mention is the new level the state is getting on. It is known that Anambra State now exports agricultural products abroad which have been fetching the state revenue in hard currency.

Who then cannot understand why that state is making continuous progress in infrastructural developments that are opening up the rural areas?

There is no way to circumvent the issue of infrastructure in governance. It is the key to the basic trust and followership needed in this partnership between the government and the people.

Publisher/ Editor-in-chief

Oladapo A. Orelaja Editor/ Consultant

Dachi Maduako Deputy Editor

Peace E. Uzoanya General Manager (Operations)

Adeyinka Adebisi Coordinator Special Project

Amb. Sunny O. A. Nkwor Chairman Editorial Board

Alhaji T. A. Adekanmbi Contributing Writers

Mary Chikezie Loveth Okonoboh Research Analyst/Reporter

Ajibola Olarinoye Marketing & Sales

Design/Graphics

Damilola A. Lawal

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News

BEDC, Ondo Govt. Sign Pact

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ollowing close to two years blackout of towns and communities in the Ondo South senatorial district of Ondo State, who were disconnected from the national power grid, the Ondo State government and the Benin Electricity Distribution Plc (BEDC) have entered into an agreement to reconnect affected communities.

The agreement was signed by the Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG), Dr. Aderotimi Adelola, on behalf of the Ondo State government, while the Chief State head, Ondo and Ekiti States of the BEDC, Mr. Ernest Edgar, signed on behalf of the BEDC at a ceremony held in the of ice of the SSG, Government House, Akure.

-By Dachi Maduako

He expressed satisfaction over the resolution of the problems that led to the disconnection such as a debt o f a b o u t N 1 . 9 b i l l i o n , v a n d a l i s m o f p o w e r installations and nonpayment of bills, assuring that an enduring procedure has been worked out to e n s u r e t h a t b i l l s a r e reconciled and paid.

Speaking shortly before signing the agreement, Adelola said it was the irst step in ensuring that power is restored to hundreds of affected communities in the southern parts of the state, assuring that the state government would ful ill its part of the agreement with the BEDC.

He said parts of the past issues sorted out with the Dr. Aderotimi Adelola Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG) state government included the payment of 50 per cent post privatisation bills by the community, and how to safeguard power installations and safety of BEDC workers operating in the areas.

He described the day as a new dawn in the lives of the people of Ondo South, appealing to the management of the BEDC not to renege on the terms of the agreement by restoring power to the communities as soon as possible.

The chairman of Odigbo Local Government Area, Hon E.O. Oshati, who signed on behalf of the council, said he has talked to members of council and that they were full of expectations and willing to cooperate with the BEDC.

In his remarks, Edgar assured the state government of the preparedness of BEDC to restore power to the area starting with Odigbo Local Government Area while the remaining local government areas would follow suit.

He said, “I want to assure you that our people are ready. They will surprise the BEDC with the way they will pay their bills. They are ready to protect BEDC properties in their domains and are tired of living in darkness.”

Energy Firm, Jigawa Collaborate on Solar Power Project -By Ajibola Olarinoye

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n a b i d t o w a r d s e n s u r i n g s t a b l e p o w e r supply in Nigeria t h r o u g h t h e involvement of p riva te i rm s , Scatec Solar has partnered CDIC, a C a n a d i a n e n e r g y d e v e l o p m e n t irm and BPS, a Alh. Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar N i g e r i a n Governor, Jigawa State consulting irm to secure the 100 MW (DC) Nova Scotia power plant located in Jigawa, northern Nigeria.

With the quality of its site, development standards and equity funded

by Scatec Solar and its partners, the project is ideally positioned to progress rapidly to inancial close,” said Carlsen.

Also speaking, Arif Mohiuddin, President and CEO of CPCS, the parent company of CDIL said, “We recognized the importance of partnering with a sponsor able to bring the project to inancial close and with whom we share a long-term vision. We are proud of teaming up with Scatec Solar, who has demonstrated its unique ability to deliver similar projects in Africa.”

It was gathered that Scatec Solar has an installation track-record of about 60 Mega-Watt. Its solar plant that is being built in Jigawa is expected to commence full commercial operations in 2018.

Shedding more light on the agreement, the C.E.O of Scatec Solar, Raymond Carslen said that solar market in Nigeria has a signi icant long-term potential and a very pro itable market they want to take active part in.

“Solar power in Nigeria has signi icant long-term potential, and we want to take part in the development of this new market. This investment is the culmination of an extensive review during which the Nova Scotia Power project stood out, thanks to its exceptional fundamentals.

Volume 2 No 6

The signing of the contract between Jigawa State and the Company

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News

Bad Road Network takes Toll on Nigeria

-By Ajibola Olarinoye

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f the recent intimation made by the Corps Marshal of the among 193 countries surveyed. Nigerians see this as very Federal Road Safety Commission (F.R.S.C) is to be taken hook, damning and unfortunate, considering the economic and line and sinker, then Nigerian roads require considerable political status of Nigeria in Africa and the world generally. attention by the relevant policy makers.

It is gathered from the global report that 6,450 Nigerians lost According to the FRSC Corps Marshal, road transportation alone their lives on Nigerian roads in 2013 alone. The breakdown of the accounts for 90 percent of the national needs of Nigerians, noting number includes: 4,552 men, 1,398 women and 299 infants. The that about 12 million registered vehicles are plying 204,000 report stated further that 30, 435 people lost their lives in road kilometres of the roads in the country. He added that more road accidents on Nigerian roads between 2009 and 2013. It is also users used the motor park last year 2015. revealed that one in every four road accidents in Africa happens in Nigeria. The report also ranked Nigeria as the most dangerous The FRSC boss while quoting the 2010 draft National Policy on country in Africa with a record of 33.7 deaths per 1,000 Transportation said that Nigeria's road network has experienced population every year. quantum leap since 1960 when there were just 6,500 kilometres to the current 204,000 kilometres road network in recent years.

Poor motor-way designs and maintenance have been attributed He lamented over the quality of roads being constructed by Local as parts of the major factors that contribute to incessant motor Governments, noting that the third tier of government accounts accidents in Nigeria. Apart from the lives that the poor road for the largest chunk of roads in Nigeria. network claims, it is also a cog in the wheel of economic growth.

He also gave the statistics of ownership of road network by the three tiers of government: 34,120km for Federal roads, 34,300km for state roads while the Local Government roads maintain the highest igure with 135, 80 kilometres roads.

Expressing dissatisfaction on the quality of federal roads which are mostly inter-state roads, he disclosed that about 65per cent of these roads are in terrible condition.

Recently, a prominent business mogul in Nigeria, Aliko Dangote disclosed that Nigeria loses $1billion annually due to poor condition of roads in the country. He made this known while he was inaugurating 24km Itori-Ibeshe concrete road in Ogun State.

He emphasized the importance of concrete roads compared to the conventional asphalt roads, stating that concrete roads are of good quality, hinging on the fact that they last longer and do not require constant maintenance like asphalt roads. They are also It is on record that in 2007, the World Bank report states that out 25 per cent cheaper compared to asphalt roads. of the number of vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, Nigeria was ranked 143 with 31 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. This has had Grievous effects of bad road network in Nigeria on human lives serious negative impacts on traf ic safety due to the sorry state of and the nation's economy have been a serious source of concern our roads. for Nigerians over the years. As a result, they have been urging the government, as a matter of urgency to ix the bad roads in the A sizeable number of deaths and several injuries are being country and upgrade them to global standard. They can do this in recorded almost on daily basis in Nigeria. A report by World partnership with the organized private sectors, as Lagos State Health Organization some months ago ranked Nigeria as the Government has been doing and people do appreciate it. second-highest in the world as regards the rate of road accidents

Lagos Embarks on 'Cleaner Lagos Initiative' the private sector to harness international best practices, the Cleaner Lagos Initiative is likewise concerned with addressing the existing challenges in solid waste management in the state.

A dump site in Lagos

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new dawn in waste management copped up in Lagos State with the recent introduction of modern and innovative technology tagged 'Cleaner Lagos Initiative' which would have ive new power stations that would generate power from waste.

According to Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Samuel Adejare, besides creating the enabling environment for infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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He stated that the Lagos State Government decided to take this gallant step with the aim of saving the state from the ineffectiveness of the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators and also to work out suitable environment that would make the private sector thrive with the practice that is of international standard, adding that Lagos generates between 9,000-10,000 metric tons of waste per day.

In his words: “The PSP and LAWMA partnership was quite effective, but is no longer applicable, considering the fact that the population of Lagos has increased several fold (and still increasing) and the over 300 compactors in use are old and in a state of dis-use. Wastes should not bring us hardship and shame, but rather we should make money from it. Emphasis will be on zero-dumping, recycling and generation of power from wastes.”

He further noted that 600 new compactor vehicles would be bought; by doing this, dumpsites would cease to exist and would be replaced with engineering sanitary land ill sites. Government would also introduce about of 25 Material Revolving Facility (MRF) where wastes will be sorted and the existing Transfer Volume 2 No 6

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News Loading Station (TLS) will be transformed.

He said that in the present system, regular waste collection is hindered by a vicious cycle between clients and operators as poor collection service delivery leads to irregular and poor payments.

Adejare noted that in order to solve the problem in which LAWMA plays the role of a regulator by coordinating the activities of 350 individual companies and still carry out its own collection services, the reform would include establishment of ive new power stations – one in each division in the state, which will be built to generate power from wastes, and closure of the Olusosun and Solus dumpsites next year.

who will be engaged mostly as street sweepers. They will be well kitted with decent uniforms, gloves, boots, pickers, brushes, carts as well as mobile phones with which to communicate with the control centre. And they will be well paid.

“Every sanitation worker will reside in the Ward they operate for convenience and to curb high cost of transport to work. They will be well trained and given an attractive welfare package. In all, we hope to generate a total of 46,000 new jobs,” he noted.

The new reform will make Lagos State Government overhaul the existing 350 PSP operators by carrying out their re-certi ication, relicense them and audit the state of their compactors.

It is gathered that the new waste system would also correct some loopholes in the present legislation so as to ensure that Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is capable of generating revenue from waste and also protecting the environment, human health and social living standards of Lagos residents.

According to him, “We plan to regenerate Olusosun and turn it into a park, where intercity buses will end their journey and would no longer be allowed to enter into the city. Passengers will from here now take taxis and intra-city buses to their destinations in town.

“Also, we will have about 25,000 community sanitation workers

Lagos generates more Revenue In 2016 – Ambode

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agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has hailed tax payers in the state for performing their civic obligations faithfully, saying the state recorded more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2016 than what was recorded in 2015 despite economic recession in the country.

As at December 16, 2016 the state had raked in N287billion IGR for the year under review as against N268.2billion generated in 2015.

-By Dachi Maduako

obligations and somehow we have been returning those obligations with the services that we have provided and you found out that this year; we have actually made more IGR than last year under a recession.

“So, somehow, we need to appreciate all the people that have made this happen and then I look at the way I could use Arts, Entertainment, Tourism and Hospitality not only to promote the excellence that Lagos has always been known for but to provide another sector of revenue Speaking at a special evening of music and camaraderie held at the for Lagos State and I felt one of the ways to go about that was to invite Lagos House, Ikeja, to usher in the our old celebrities that we Yuletide season, Governor Ambode seem to have forgotten and said the taxes paid by the people have spend an evening with been judiciously utilized to upgrade them,” Governor Ambode infrastructure and provide various said. services, just as he said that Lagosians deserved to be appreciated for The event was attended by cooperating with government in that to p l e a d e r s i n c l u d i n g regard.

National Leader of All Progressives Congress Speaking on the signi icance of the ( A P C ) , A s i w a j u B o l a event which featured performances by Tinubu; Governor of State array of evergreen musicians and was o f O s u n , O g b e n i R a u f attended by top political leaders, Aregbesola; Lagos State c a p t a i n s o f i n d u s t r i e s , m e d i a Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat executives, professionals in various Oluranti Adebule; Minister ields, members of the diplomatic of Information, Culture and c o r p s , a m o n g o t h e r s , G ove r n o r T o u r i s m , A l h a j i L a i Ambode said the State Government M o h a m m e d ; f o r m e r was greatly appreciative of the Governors of Osun State, contributions of the people to the Chief Bisi Akande and growth of the state in the year under Senator Isiaka Adeleke; review, adding that the event was former Governor of Cross principally to appreciate them.

River State, Donald Duke; Majority Leader of House He said: “You wonder what it is that we of Representatives, Femi Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode are doing? We said it is an evening with Gbajabiamila; Senator Governor, Lagos State the Governor but the truth is I just set representing Lagos West at this up to appreciate all of you and to t h e S e n a t e a n d h i s say a big thank you. Yes, people have been saying that Lagos is predecessor, Solomon Adeola Olamilekan and Ganiyu Olanrewaju working but Lagos is only working because of the people who are Solomon respectively; Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, seated here.

Mudashiru Obasa; Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe; South West APC Women Leader, Chief Kemi Nelson; Iyalode of “The tax payers are the ones giving us the little energy that we have Lagos, Alhaja Binta Tinubu, among others. and even though when they say Nigeria is in recession, but somehow Lagos has been able to do it and it is because people are paying their Some of the legendary musicians that performed at the event included taxes.

Evangelist Ebenezer Obey, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Sir Shina Peters, Lagbaja, Queen Salawa Abeni and Adewale Ayuba.

“The truth is that the people have been carrying out their civic Volume 2 No 6

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News Nigeria Can Earn More Revenue from Solid Minerals - Women “Most women, after in Mining studying Geology -By Ajibola Olarinoye

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he Secretary of Women in Mining organization, Emily Achor has said that Nigeria could earn more income from the solid mineral sector than the earnings from oil.

According to her, many countries that do not have the kind of mineral deposits that Nigeria has have made maximum use of the ones they have to improve their economies. She stated that a situation in which every state of Nigeria has at least one mineral means that the country can do well in the mining sector and it can be used to give a boost to our economy and generate a lot of money.

The WIM scribe who stated this in an interview with IQ correspondent in Abuja said the organization was established to make a difference in the mining profession by promoting the involvement of women in the ield that are predominantly occupied by men.

She disclosed that Women in Mining organization has large membership because its members cut across relevant ields such as geology, mining engineering, soil science, law and so on. She noted that many local and rural women who are engaged in the business of mining one way or the other are also part of the team of Women in Mining.

On how they have been sensitizing and creating awareness on pro itability of mining business, she said they had been visiting several rural communities enlightening people, most especially women about the pro itable nature of mining and how to register with the appropriate organization and be a part in the profession, adding that the results they have been getting from these campaigns have been quite encouraging.

“Mining business has been pro itable and had been in existence even before the oil boom, so people don't understand how valuable and how pro itable it is. That is why we visit mining communities and promote women's involvement in the mining sector.

or mining related courses go to the banking sector and o t h e r s e c t o r s s i m p l y b e c a u s e m i n i n g h a s n o t come into full terms i n N i g e r i a . S o , women in Mining a r e c o n v i n c i n g women that they can also be involved in this sector; it is not just for men. So, we are partnering w i t h m i n i n g communities and Miss Emily Achor mining companies Secretary of Women in Mining Organization so that women will n o t o n l y g e t involved in the mining business, but also reach the peak of their career in the sector, as you know there is value chain in the business,” Achor noted.

She added that a lot of people and organizations they are reaching out to want to work with Women in Mining because the group has penetrated to a certain level where many individuals and groups have known them and what their goals stand for.

The scribe also debunked the widespread claim that government is not responding well to groups and organizations that are related to mining whenever such groups or organizations want to partner them or reach out to them.

In her words: “If someone says that he's not getting response from the government, that doesn't mean that governments are not doing their job.

They are doing their own part. There is a long process and there is always a change in government. People who were there four years ago are not the ones that are there now. As you know, the cadastre of ice is the body charged with the responsibility of issuing license to miners, so there are different departments handling different things, so you should know where you are going to. You should also note that the cadastre of ice works on the normal basis of irst come irst served.”

‘You Can Start Mining Business with N100,000' - Nwoko

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he Managing Director of Seventy One Limited and organizer of SOMEX Mining and Quarry Expo, Mr. Oluchi Nwoko has debunked the myth that a heavy start-up capital running into millions or billions of dollars is required for venturing into mining business. He said that with as little as NI00,000, one can invest in the business.

chains, not only just mining. There is processing, there is exporting, there is mineral sales and so on. There are different investment opportunities in mining business. You must not use N50 million to start up a mining business. You can start up with N200,000 or N100,000 or less. Just choose the value chain you are going to start the mining business with.

“At the entrepreneurship class we had, we made a reference to a youth corps member who started the business of branding garri, sugar and groundnut together with just N3,000 and later boomed to a large scale trading. The same thing applies to mining business; you mustn't have $50 million to venture into According to him, mining business has different areas that people it.” can choose to go into that can be accommodated within their inancial capability, stressing that the entry level could require as Commenting about the neglect of mining sector by the previous governments, he decried the situation where government got low as N1,500 and can also go as high as US $50 million. involved in mining business initially, saying that it has no

In his words: “In extracting these minerals, there are different value business operating a mining business. The duty of government, The mechanical engineer made this known during an interview with Infrastructure Quarterly at the SOMEX annual mining and construction exhibition which held at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, recently.

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News according to him, is to ensure that an enabling environment that will make the business thrive is created and also to carry out proper regulation.

“I look more into the private sector; I don't look at government because government is not supposed to be in the business of mining. That is why government unbundled its former mining companies. They are supposed to be regulating and carrying out oversight functions and also create enabling environment. The major interest for the development of mining in Nigeria is in the hands of the private sectors. Once the private sector can invest and key into this opportunity, it will blossom. So, what we are saying in SOMEX is that there is need to awake the interest of private sector in mining,” he said.

He was optimistic that SOMEX 2016 would have great impact on the development of mining sector in Nigeria saying that, “The people that attended the programme will be the future generations that would go into mining. The same way they do business operations in the petroleum sector and other sectors.

We want people to come and open mining business so that other people will follow them. The problem of mining, I think is not the government's fault; it is private sector issue. When the government provides the enabling environment, we need to step in and take advantage,” Oluchi said.

He also revealed that since SOMEX started organizing the event four years ago, it has successfully played the role of a middleman by relating suggestions and information from the stakeholders to the government through the permanent secretary or minister in the relevant ministry.

“Few Months ago, tariffs were increased in mining annual fees, we

Mr. Oluchi Nwoko MD, Seventy One Limited

had to look into it and had a press conference, so the complaints went to the cadastral of ice. So, SOMEX is feedback machinery where we have to work together with government. We can't work in isolation because we need them to give us the permission to operate. The journey so far has been a good journey. Next year here in Abuja, we will be looking forward for a bigger one than this. It will feature outdoor exhibition, not just by catalogue,” Oluchi assured.

Lafarge Africa doles out $2m for Competition in Construction Industry opportunities for Nigerian professionals in the building sector as it -By Ajibola Olarinoye

would broaden their knowledge in the local and international standards of operations in terms of skills and ethical practice. This, according to him, would improve their exposure and knowledge to help build a stronger Nigeria as regards innovative construction solutions and ethics.

The CEO further urged the relevant stakeholders in the industry such as construction irms, engineers, builders, planners, surveyors, students and other key players to seize the opportunity of the competition to showcase their practical skills so as to make a mark in the global construction space.

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n a bid to ensure standards and sustainable professional practice for professionals in Nigerian construction industry, Lafarge Cement Company has doled out US $2 million for global construction competition.

In an of icial statement released by the company's Group Managing Director Micheal Puncherus, recently, the cement company is interested in showcasing Nigeria's professionals and students globally in the construction sector, which informs the mobilization of professionals in the sector to participate in the upcoming 5th International LarfageHolcim awards.

He also stated that the competition offers a wide range of Volume 2 No 6

Speaking on the registration for the competition, he disclosed that the eligible professionals can apply online, stating that the registration would close on March 21, 2017.

The statement reads: “Participants up to the age of 30 years of age can also submit visionary concepts and bold ideas in the c o m p e t i t i o n , i r re s p e c t ive o f t h e p ro b a b i l i t y o f a c t u a l implementation of the project: the Next Generation category speci ically seeks ‘blue-sky’ solutions by students and young professionals.”

According to the company, the competition will hold in ive different geographical regions in the world where LafargeHolcim is situated.

They are: Asia Paci ic, Europe, North America, LatinAmerica, Middle East and Africa.

Winners who scale through the irst step will get automatic quali ication for global awards in 2018.

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Ciments Afrique opens Multi-Million Dollar Cement Plant He also stated that Ghanaian government is planning to partner with in Ghana the irm to improve Ghana's housing sector apart from its direct -By Ajibola Olarinoye

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new cement plant worth $62.9 million constructed foreign investments.

by Moroccan cement producer, Ciments Afrique (CIMAF) has been opened in Ghana by President John According to the President of Cimaf, Anas Sefrioui, an investment of Dramani Mahama in the free zone of commune, Tema. this kind will allow Ghana to achieve adequacy in cement production, assuring that 95per cent of the company would be coordinated by The plan by the Moroccan irm to also construct an auxiliary Ghanaian human resources. paper factory that will manufacture cement paper bag for cement packaging is in the of ing due to its production “For this reason the company has sent 30 Ghanaian technicians to capacity of 1 million tonnes yearly. When fully completed, it Morocco for a three-month training course to guarantee the is expected to generate over 200 direct jobs and more than permanency of the project in the years to come,” he noted.

5,000 indirect jobs in the area of distribution and transportation.

Cimaf has branches in some parts of Africa such as Angola, Tanzania, and Senegal and it boasts quality equipment like cement grinding, Speaking at the occasion, the Ghanaian Minister of laboratory, packaging units and others.

Employment and Labour Relation, Haruna Iddrisu, gave kudos to the irm, adding that the scheme would contribute tremendously to the construction sector, create massive employment and add to the growth of the economy generally.

In his words, “Ghana is a safe and secure place of investment and the reality of the commissioning remains a sign of the con idence of investors in Ghana's economic headship.”

“It is the hope of the President of Ghana to guarantee that the International Trade Commission will start work in earnest to make certain just and equitable trade and sanction heavily those who will hide behind export subsidizing to undercut local cement manufacture and the local cement industry as a whole,” Iddrisu noted.

Ciments Afrique Cement Plant

Liberian Parliament Approves $10 Million Water Project

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lans to increase access to pipe borne water supply in some urban areas of Liberia has received a boost as the Liberian Parliament has endorsed a $10 million project that will supply stable water services to 12 communities in Monrovia and its environs.

The house eventually decided to ratify the US$10 million project due to a report submitted by the Joint Committee from State Enterprises, Public Autonomous Commissions and Agencies, Ways, Means, Finance and Development Planning, Public Utilities and Judiciary.

Recently, the Liberian Government signed the multi-million According to the Chairman of the Committee on State dollar agreement with the International Development Enterprises, Public Autonomous Commissions and Agencies, Association to ameliorate the problem of shortage of water Rep. Garrison Yealue, about 600,000 people would bene it from the Urban Water Supply because more supply in some parts of the country. than 10,000 houses would be connected T h e a g r e e m e n t a l s o c o v e r s and it would also be of great bene it to improvement of service capacity of the socio-economic well-being of the L i b e r i a W a t e r a n d S e w e r society as more than 1,000 youths will Corporation (LWSC). get direct employment from the scheme.

The epoch-making decision was Also, 120 schools and 45 health centres taken recently during the 7th Day will also be connected to the project and Sitting of the 2nd Special Session of this is expected to go a long way in the 53rd House of Representatives reducing the scourge of water-borne of Liberia. Reports indicate that a diseases in some parts of the West majority of thirty seven lawmakers African country. voted in favour of the IDA loan while just 12 voted against the bill.

Yealue said that the project would be in two phases, which It was gathered that arriving at the decision involved intrigues as includes infrastructure development that would focus on 12 lawmakers who stood against the bill are members of the rehabilitation while phase two of the project would deal mainly Coalition Legislative Caucus (Group of opposition parties), with capacity building of the LWSC by strengthening its comprising lawmakers from the Congress for Democratic implementation framework so as to sustain and expand its Change (CDC), the National Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Liberia services.

People's Democratic Party (LPDP). infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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Volume 2 No 6

Continental

News

Kenya Connects Biogas Power to Grid

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commercial biogas farm in Kenya has become Africa's pioneering b i o g a s - p o w e r e d e l e c t r i c i t y producer to sell additional electricity to the national grid, thereby cutting the carbon emissions associated with oilpowered generation.

The Gorge Farm Energy Park in Naivasha generates 2 megawatts (MW) of electricity - more than enough to cultivate its 706 hectares (1,740 acres) of vegetables and lowers, and with adequate surplus to meet the power needs of 5,000 - 6,000 rural households.

The new plant generates not only electricity, but also heat for the farm's greenhouses, with fertilizer as a byproduct.

Gorge Farm, roughly 76km (50 miles) northwest of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is owned by the Vegpro Group, a top East African exporter of fresh vegetables and the second largest exporter of roses.

Biojoule Kenya, the independent power producer that runs the Gorge Farm plant, signed an accord to sell electricity to Kenya

P o w e r & L i g h t i n g C o m p a n y (KPLC) - the nation’s only p o w e r distributor in 2016.

B i o j o u l e Kenya sells the p o w e r t o G o r g e Fa r m and to KPLC for $0.10 per Biogas Plant Gorge kilowatt hour (kWh). Dieselgenerated power, by distinction, costs “The prospective for biogas generated electricity in Kenya is important,” said $0.38 per kWh to generate.

Helen Osiolo, a policy analyst at the Kenya “The Gorge Farm plant is substantial Institute of Public Policy Research and proof that locally produced feedstock can Analysis. She believes biogas could be used to produce clean and less produce around 29 and 131 MW of power, expensive power for Kenyans,” said Mike but said the biggest challenge is that the Nolan, chief operating of icer at Tropical government will not pay adequately for it.

Power, a developer of biogas and solar Even though anaerobic digestion of waste to produce biogas is a recognized plants in Africa. technology in Europe and Asia, the concept It supplied engines for the plant together with Clarke Energy, a UK-based engine is still new in Africa at large scale. The technology had been set up in 45 sites service provider. internationally before debuting at the Gorge Farm plant.

Tanzanian Housing Sector Growth Slows Down With High Interest Rate High interest rates charged by inancial lenders also pose as another challenge to the growth of the mortgage market. The report further states he Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has reported that high that during the third quarter of 2016, interest rates offered by inancial interest rates coupled with low supply of lenders ranged between 16 -19 percent. affordable houses have continued to slow down the growth of Tanzania's housing sector.

The 182 days T Bill rate also remained on a high side at 15. 49 percent towards the end of September,2016 up from 14.68 percent which was The Mortgage Market update by Bank of Tanzania (BoT) recorded by mid-May 2016. The rising trend on the 182 days T Bill rate revealed that the prevailing housing de icit in Tanzania negatively affects all forms of long term debt, including mortgages. stands at about three million housing units with a 200,000 unit annual demand.

The Tanzanian government has expressed its commitment to make sure the loan interest rates are kept in reasonable ranges in order to enable It has been discovered that many lenders offer loans for many people to acquire loans. The government through the National equity release and home purchase while others offer Housing Corporation (NHC) employed several measures in its power to loans for self-construction which in most cases are carry out various projects exclusively meant to resolve the problem. expensive beyond the reach of the average Tanzanian.

National Housing Corporation has been carrying out several projects centering on high, medium and low income earners. These efforts have so far borne positive impact in the mortgage market. According to the BoT mortgage market update report, it has recently completed one of its major projects in Dar es Salaam.

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The NHC's major recently completed projects in Dar es Salaam include Victoria Place, which consists of 16 lats. Moreover, NHC has launched a country-wide project known as 'My Home My Life' offering 5,000 affordable housing units countrywide with prices quoted for the irst and second phases of the project ranging between 43.4m/- to 95.3m/-.

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Continental

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Jubail II World's Largest Civil Engineering Project

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reating one of the world's greatest industrial cities on Jubail, Saudi Arabia is not an easy task. Jubail Industrial City, which was built more than three decades ago will double its size once completed during 2016. A cost of $80 billion for infrastructure works only, Jubail II will be the largest civil engineering project of the world. Jubail Industrial II construction is a multi-billion dollar industrial city aiming to create social bene its and strengthen petrochemical industry.

This project will double the size of the Jubail Industrial City by 6,200 hectares.

World's Largest: Jubail II Construction With more than 20,000 workers during its peak season and investing more that $4 billion in infrastructure, the area will be turned into a large industrial park, larger than what it is right now. The work encompasses miles and miles of roads, utilities, water, wastewater and all required infrastructure. But that's not all, at least $18 billion dollars are being designed to build the industrial city, extending from the existing industrial park to Kuwait-Ras Tanura corridor. The construction process is so large and wide that the project has been broken into four phases. Over 50,000 residential units will be added by 2026 as part of the expansion process. The RCJY has asked Bechtel, which handled Jubail 1, to manage Jubail II. Jubail II Rail and Roads The proposed transportation system consists of a six-lane highway between Jubail and Dammam.

This highway is considered as the main commercial area within the project, creating a strong and ef icient communication systems with all project components. Hundreds of roads and paths have been created leading to smaller towns and areas

within the project. In total, more than 530 miles and 60 bridges were built during the construction phase.

The project has been carefully planned many decades ago and it has been developed taking into consideration the massive oil lines that were installed years before the industrial development started construction. The total project cost can luctuate even higher to accommodate changes and requests to expand its operations.

An Industrial City Over 1,900 hectares will be developed. During the process, a combination of tunnels, highways and superstructures that will create an unobstructed path to development and the mining industry will be created. The earthwork process will require moving more than 30 million cubic meters of aggregates, along with the installation of almost 16 feet diameter pipelines to carry water from the sea into the industrial facilities.

Another one of the amazing structures is the desalination plant that will process 800,000 cubic meters of water for cities in the Eastern Province, as well as generate 2,750 megawatts of electricity. The area also includes two large ports, built on an arti icial harbor protected by 11 miles of breakwater.

Bechtel acting on behalf of the managers of the project indicated that 'The development also comprises a 5.6-mile-by-984-foot (9 kilometer-by-300 meter) causeway, with a four-berth open-sea tank terminal, a dry-bulk terminal with nine berths, a service quay, and a module-import facility―all built under contracts to the Saudi Ports Authority. '

From The State Kano, China Railway Corporation Partner carrying trains that travel at a speed of 100km per hour. for Light Rail System -By Ajibola Olarinoye

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ano State Government's plan to construct a light rail system in partnership with China Railway Corporation has attracted commendations in view of the massive economic bene its such a project offers.

The light rail will cover the following routes: Janguza-Bata, Jogana-Bata, Dawanu-Bata and Kwana Dawaki-Bata. When completed and fully operational, it is expected to boost economic activities in the northern commercial city. It will also ameliorate the plight of motorists as it will improve traf ic situation in the state. “In context, 100 kilometers per hour is Con irming the award of the contract recently, the Chinese as fast as moving from Lagos to Ibadan in 72 minutes”, a senior of icial of the company disclosed that it has Chinese company noted. received an of icial letter from Nigeria, directing it to construct a The role which light rail can play in the light rail of over 70km at a t ra n s p o r t a t i o n s e c t o r a n d t h e completion schedule of four years economy of Nigeria generally cannot at the cost of $1.851 billion. be over emphasized. Experts believe that policy makers in Nigeria are too focused with road transportation and this largely explains why other means of transportation are not given the required attention.

The company pointed out that the light rail project which would be executed using their subsidiaries would be of global standard.

According to the company, the Totota Solar Power Plant Rail Service Light rail system has been viewed as project is designed to be executed one of the best alternatives to road in two phases. The irst phase is transportation in Nigeria. This is what informed the decisions of some state scheduled for completion within two years while the second governments in Nigeria to start embracing the system. one will be completed in another two years.

Describing the nature of the light rail project, the company said that the contract sum of $1.851 billion accounts for two per cent of the corporation's 2015 total revenue earnings.

The Chinese company gave the assurance that the latest transportation technology would be deployed for the rail project which will have four railway lines with the capacity of Volume 2 No 6

Cross Rivers State Government has also constructed an Intamin p8 Electronic Powered Passenger light rail which was completed in 2015 and will soon be inaugurated. The rail routes cover Tinapa Resort to Calabar International Conference Center. It is also planned to cover Studio Tinapa, Tinapa Shopping Center, Tinapa Water Park, and also serves as an avenue to Summit Hills.

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Building and Construction Collapsed Building:

Uyo Church Had No Plan Approval – COREN

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hat could be regarded as the irst technical information regarding the Reigners' Church Building in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, that collapsed on Saturday 10th December killing about 29 persons while leaving about 35 others at different levels of injuries has revealed that the building had no approved plan. Governor Udom Emmanuel of the State who was present when the incident occurred miraculously escaped unhurt.

This revelation was made by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), who said that the preliminary information available to them through the Uyo Capital Development Authority revealed that the structure had no approved plan.

This is coming at the heels o f a c t i o n t a k e n b y G o v e r n o r U d o m Emmanuel, who promptly set up an eight-man panel of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the catastrophic incident and ordered that the building contractor be arrested, which would lead to the arrest of others, including the designer.

-By Dachi Maduako

recommendations within three weeks. Other members of the panel are Engineer James Utiaruk, Arc. Essien Nkanga, Engrs.

Asuquo Okon, James Amiang, ACP Damian Abibo and Barr. Emem Victor Daniel who serves as the secretary.

Speaking while inaugurating the commission, the Governor charged them to probe and investigate the remote and immediate causes of the collapse as well as examine the role played by any person, institution or authorities and the consequences of such roles in the collapse of the building.

The commission was also charged to recommend appropriate sanctions against those found culpable in the collapse incident.

They are to examine generally the circumstances surrounding t h e c o l l a p s e a n d m a k e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s a n d measures to be taken to guard against future occurrence.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has instructed churches in the country to desist from using uncompleted buildings for worship. This is an offshoot of the Uyo collapsed building. It would be recalled that in 2014, a ive-storey church building in Lagos collapsed killing over 100 persons, The body, which regulates mostly foreigners from South The Collapsed Church in Uyo engineering practice in A f r i c a . L a g o s S t a t e Nigeria noted that the construction of the building commenced about 2013 but had the Government has since prosecuted the church. “stop work” mark on different parts of the building which was not heeded at different times.

As usual, the workers at the site have either gone into hiding or are on the run as COREN is now calling for them to show up especially the engineers and other professionals in the building industry, who were involved in one way or the other in the construction of the ill-fated structure to surrender voluntarily or get the arms of the law catch up with them.

The COREN President, Engineer Kashim Ali said the Council has already set up its own team of investigators to ind out what led to the collapse. The team, he said would work in collaboration with the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI).

He stated that the State Government has been asked to provide information on the collapsed structure especially as engineering regulators are yet to get information regarding this including documents such as building plan approval, if there is any.

Ali bemoaned the situation where none of the persons involved has shown up, saying he was not sure professional engineers were involved, adding that any professional engineer involved would have come up to report. He threatened to bring in the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to handle those to be implicated in the process. This, he said, would mean more problems for the culprits. He appealed to those involved to submit themselves.

Meanwhile, the Governor has directed the members of the commission of inquiry headed by a retired judge, Justice Umoekeyo Esang to complete their indings and make infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

In another development, the Governor has said he was happy that he was inside the collapsed church building which claimed many lives and injured several others.

The governor was invited to the Bishopric installation of the Senior Pastor of the Church, Apostle Akan Weeks, as the Special Guest of Honour, said his presence and personal intervention helped in effective rescue operation.

He told thousands of worshippers in the Uyo Township Stadium during the state-sponsored Christmas Carol festival that God took him there to save lives.

“I believe that if I were not there to personally supervise the rescue efforts and mobilise the best possible network of medical experts and rescue workers, the casualties would have been a lot more,” he said.

“I share that grievous pain with everyone on that Black Saturday inside that church. My heart would bleed forever as I recollect t h e h a r r o w i n g s c e n e , ” t h e governor said.

H e t h a n k e d P r e s i d e n t M u h a m m a d u Buhari and other national leaders f o r s h o w i n g solidarity with the state during the incident.

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Volume 2 No 6

Building and Construction

Contractor Completes Long Bridge Portion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway -By Dachi Maduako

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eople who travel the Lagos-Ibadan expressway heaved a sigh of relief as the contractor handling the rehabilitation of the ive-kilometer Long Bridge. Messrs Julius Berger (JB), the contractor completed the repairs and asphalt overlay of the long bridge portion just on time before the Yuletide.

Federal Government under former President Goodluck Jonathan awarded the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The rehabilitation work includes the repair of the bridge and other bridges along the axis and expansion of Lagos-Shagamu interchange road by Julius Berger and Shagamu interchange to Ibadan by Messrs Reynold Construction Company (RCC).

Long Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Express Way under Rehabilitation

movement during the yuletide.

T h e L a g o s - I b a d a n E x p r e s s w a y According to him, he explained that the re h a b i li t a t i o n a n d ex p a n s i o n wa s contractor had to move 35,000 tonnes of awarded to the duo of JB and RCC at a excavated materials from the road and whooping sum of N167 billion two years replaced them with 35,000 tonnes of a g o b y t h e i m m e d i a t e p a s t asphalt from its plant, moving out 25 trailers daily to meet up. administration.

“As the project goes on, the contractor Speaking while inspecting work done at had to move out 1,000 trailers to move the rehabilitation site, Power, Work and aggregates,” he said.

Housing Minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, expressed satisfaction over the project Fashola disclosed that the federal but told the general public that the government has mapped out strategies contractor would still need to install to rebuild the nation's highways in order about 44 joints on both sides of the to move Nigeria's economy out of recession. bridge.

The minister said that Messrs RCC is He commended the contractor for moving on well with the road project c o m p l e t i n g t h e b r i d g e b e fo re t h e between Shagamu Interchange and December 31st deadline to allow ease of Ibadan, and that works have also commenced on other roads across the country.

H e s a i d : “ T h e r e w i l l b e improvement, there will be other diversions. We need to rebuild our highway to move our economy out of recession”.

Commenting on the bridge, Fashola said that as it is open, commuters would have better travelling experience during the Yuletide.

“Change is slow, it is a process.

The journey time will improve as the road gets better,” he said.

Fashola inspecting part of the Long Bridge

Volume 2 No 6

According to the minister, commuters reserved the right to give impression about what they have seen now compared to what they saw before about the bridge.

15

He said: “A few weeks ago, movement was restricted extensively on the long bridge, and people expressed discomfort over the partial closure of one side of the bridge.

Their expression was well understood than to lose the bridge which was constructed over 40 years ago without maintenance.”

Also Speaking during the inspection of the 40-year old bridge by the Minister of Power, Work and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and other of icials of the ministry, the Project Manager, Julius Berger Plc, Mr. Wolfgang Panzer, said that his company has removed the derelict two-layer asphalts of the bridge on both sides and covered them back within the stipulated time.

He told the minister that works are already ongoing on other adjoining bridges on the route.

According to him, the road's work has reached one side of kilometre (km) 46 of the Lagos-Shagamu interchange from 30km.

He hinted that his company would soon commence the second phase of the road between 20km and 50km.

Before now, thousands of Nigerians travelling to and fro Lagos State and Ogun State have suffered consistent terrible gridlock on the road, especially the long bridge portion of the Lagos Ibadan Expressway due to its partial closure by Julius Berger Plc. He appealed to commuters to apply caution as they journey during the New Year celebration, while commending Ogun and Lagos state governments, especially staff of the emergency services, commuters, corporate organizations, and Federal Road Safety Corps for their assistance.

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Building and Construction

Asset Sales call was Dead on Arrival - NIESV President

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r. Bolarinde Patunola Ajayi is the President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and the Principal Partner J. Ajayi Patunola & Co, a irm of Estate surveyors and facility mangers with of ices across major states in the federation. In this interview with MARY CHIKEZIE, he spoke on several issues including how the nation can come out of recession through the harnessing of the construction sector, asset sale, professional practice etc .

take us out of the current challenge.

The Nation is in recession, with several suggestions by experts on how to come out of it, what is the position of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV) on how to exit the recession quickly?

Recession no doubt is affecting all areas of business. All sectors are affected directly as a result of the high cost of materials. For the manufacturing sector it is a sour story especially the high cost of Forex which has affected production lines. The real estate and construction sector can take Nigeria out of the doldrums if we consider it for what it is. The real estate sector should be considered as land resources plus all things above and below it.

If this is replicated in most of the local governments in Lagos for instance, before long, a major social problem would have been taken care of. One can imagine if the Federal Government joins in this housing production and repeat same in all the states of the federation, even if they start with the state or economic capitals of those states. One can imagine the spiral effect of such development in terms of quality of life, job creation and security issues around the country.

What kind of infrastructure construction are you recommending?

At this time, I will not advise that government embark on housing construction in highbrow areas but should rather consider the project in the poor to medium income areas. It should be noted that housing for this layer of people is not what you bring in the private sector that is mainly pro it driven. The project ideally should be driven by the government, and l will recommend that it There has been campaign on sale of national asset, what's should not be made a-pay-and-buy option but rather a-rent- own your take on this? option.

The question is why did the government come up with the idea to sell assets? I can con idently say that as a nation, we don't even In Lagos for instance if the government builds 50 number one and have enough assets, why should we contemplate selling the little two bedroom lats in Agege, under a month, the lats will be we have? I expect the government to ind out ways we can develop taken off the market. Not only will those who are engaged in the the assets and make them work for us as a nation. If the assets are construction be gainfully employed but the government would eventually sold have we thought of what we want to do with the h a v e t a k e n proceeds? In an ideal situation, the government should have said people out of what they want to do with the proceeds irst. It is only then that t h e s t r e e t s they can decide which asset will yield the needed fund. The only with the ugly thing l have heard is that we want to sell to combat recession. e ff e c t s o f After recession, what else? r e c e s s i o n c o n t a i n e d .

The person who brought up the idea should be properly advised Unfortunately, that it is what they call half idea. As a matter of fact, government g ove r n m e n t should be advised before they can bring such to the public court. A m a k e s t h e list of what they want to sell and what they honestly want to use it mistake of not to do should be disclosed. even auditing t h e h o u s i n g Meanwhile, as Estate Surveyors & Valuers, we were not invited to needs of the present our position as those who are professionally trained to do p e o p l e b u t this. A valuer will state how much a particular asset is worth, goes ahead to carry out feasibility and viability study of even surrounding build albeit for Dr. Bolarinde Patunola-Ajayi assets to the one you want to sell or build but unfortunately, none the ' people' in President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors of these was done and the noise is everywhere of the need to raise m o s t c a s e s , and Valuers (NIESV) money through asset sales. This project is dead on arrival and l u xu r y l a t s should be spoken against by all lovers of this country, except the that are out of the reach of those who actually need right things are done. accommodation.

How will government development programmes that will be all-inclusive?

The public will be surprised to learn that agricultural investment If we apply land economics to the management of resources, we is part of real estate because if we evaluate land resources, we will will consider those things that are attached to land that can help discover that products will come to the market, people will have the nation out of recession. For instance, if you look at property enough to eat, and less demand for imported goods. investment, there are some areas of the property industry that if we put money into, it is likely to revitalize the economy. If indeed the current government wants to embark on projects Infrastructure and construction development as a result of its that will affect the majority of the people, they will never do many linkages is a huge employment generator from the anything without considering the real estate. In addition, massive consultants, to artisans, suppliers and food vendors will be provision of infrastructure is also key to tackle recession as positively affected. massive infrastructure upgrade and construction will aid in transforming the nation.

It is therefore, imperative for the government to examine this sector and see how it can use available funds to put infrastructure For instance, if you go to Dubai or Singapore, the major industry in place. Infrastructure provision is very key and that's what can there is real estate. So, why can't we start in Nigeria and see how Volume 2 No 6

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Building and Construction we can use real estate to solve our problems.

problems in future.

Estate Surveyors and Valuers recently joined several International Standards Board, what are the implications?

No nation is an island and non can exist without relationship with others. All professional practices now have a global link where standards are set in terms of principles, practice, control and ethics. Our institution, the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV) has decided to work with international organisations that insist on standards. For instance, currently, we have international ethics standard coalitions. We pride ourselves as the irst African group to be a member of the body. At present we are the only African member on the board of this prestigious body. We are there so that our own practice will be competitive while meeting international practice standards.

Besides, there should be research into materials, design, typology and the type of houses to build. Have we found out how many people we are building for? You would be surprised that in Lagos we don't even know how many people we want to build for. Even nationally we can give the correct igure of those in need of critical accommodation.

We got independence since 1960 but unfortunately we can't still provide National Identity card for all Nigerians. It can be safely said that we may not be sure of our population.

NIESV is also a member of the International Property Measurement Standards and the International Valuation Standard Board. These bodies ensure that our practice is in tandem with global practice. It is gratifying to note also that our member is a member of council of this exclusive body.

It is therefore, very important that we research and ind out how many we are and how many require houses and the types.

Why do we have many ‘to-let houses’ especially in the highbrow areas?

The recession is driving people away from high rentals to low rental and it will continue like that until recession stops. It has always been like that during boom where people move from low rental to high rental. This happens when people get promoted in their of ices and with status change the taste also scales up.

We are also in tandem with the International Financial Reporting Council and locally with the Financial Reporting Council. We Currently, the top in most of ices and businesses are frozen up, believe these are the ways we can maintain national and people are losing their jobs that is why high rentals are receding. international standards in the practice of estate surveying.

Besides, experts are no longer coming in to take up big luxurious houses. So, we will continue to have a lot of empty houses in I must inform too that we are putting together our own standards otherwise upscale areas until the recession recedes. book that will incorporate all the international bodies we have links with, including the practice in United Kingdom, Australia, Can we say the Lagos tenancy law has been a success?

American Society of Appraisal Standards and New Zealand. This When you have a tenancy law, it is to force landlord to accept will enable us spell out how our members should practice the certain amount and at the same time ask tenants to perform their valuation profession in Nigeria. own obligations. When tenants perform their statutory obligations the landlord will not have problem, vice versa for the Federal Government just announced it would build 50,000 landlord. units of housing, how possible is it with the recession?

I believe that idea is laudable; at the same time I would want the The major problem may not really be the rent but whether the government to note that we have the resources in Nigeria to do tenant has the rent to pay because of the current state of his this. We only need to harness our resources and tailor it to deliver business or source of income. Rental payment is the function of on expected targets. For instance, the idle Pension Fund and availability, if the rent is not there, there will always be con lict, unclaimed dividends can be put together and used to invest in and cases in court. In some cases, the landlord is also expecting to real estate but like l advised earlier, it should be invested in real spend that money, which may just be his retirement bene it. It estate that will be taken immediately by the public so that the boils down to the fact that the recession is the major cause of what rental can be reinvested to produce more. This, no doubt, will not we are talking about. only stimulate the sector by creating jobs along the housing linkages but will also provide the needed decent accommodation What is your take on the ight against corruption? in the lower to middle income strata where it is needed most.

Corruption in all rami ications is bad, wherever it is found whether in the Judiciary, Executive, Legislative, places of worship But l must quickly add here that sadly, something very important or indeed in any aspect our public life should be discouraged. has always been absent in our housing productions and that thing Corruption is a major challenge in the country and care should be is nothing else but the maintenance of the houses built. taken to uproot it wherever it is found. Sentiment should be removed if we must exterminate it from our public space.

It is common knowledge that whenever a housing project is conceived we only hear talks of design, contract and construction; nobody seems to be bothered about its management. Therefore, the need to have an estate surveyor and valuer from the inception of any project cannot be over-emphasised.

I’m advising the government that as they initiate the appointment of a contractor to undertake a particular project they should at the same time appoint an estate surveyor and valuer, who will not only manage but also maintain the structure when it is required. Surveyors are trained to handle maintenance and facility m a n a g e m e n t s o w h e n t h e s e t h i n g s a re n o t incorporated from inception, it will always create infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

An estate in a highbrow area of Abuja

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Housing

Building and Construction

Minister Calls for Modi ication of the Nation's Housing Ventures ef iciency in buildings which was launched on June 16, 2016.

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He, also in responding to the need to change the way things were done in the past, the ministry has produced some inspiring results.

He credited the civil servants with the success and for being the solution providers.

The Minister noted the process will among others help to diversify the nation's economy, grow the SME and local capacity, evolve into something that is sustainable in the sense that the majority of Nigerians can bene it from it, by getting them on the housing ladder, and also bene it any of them employed in the process.

Some of the changes envisaged include standardized ittings such as doors, windows, tiles, roof boards and other accessories to be produced by the local manufacturers as support for local industries, SMEs and in pursuit of diversi ication and job creation.

He promised to start with the traditional methods of construction known to the people so that bricklayers, painters, welders, carpenters and other artisans can ind opportunities for inclusion and employment.

he Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has called for the modi ications of the nation's housing initiatives to develop something new and different that will be useful for reducing the country's housing de icit.

Mr. Fashola disclosed that the ministry's appraisal shows different designs of houses originated by different contractors that do not necessarily accord with the market needs and are therefore, not attractive or affordable by the off-taking public.

He also noted that other previous successful housing initiatives showed that they were limited in national acceptability because the single design concept did not take cultural diversity into consideration.

He said that the government was targeting to build for people within the income bracket of those on Level 10 to 15/16 in the public service and those in the private sector such as drivers, farmers, market men and women, artisans and so on, who earn this kind of income.

The government, he noted, was considering prescribing a mortgage of at least 10 to 15 years, with single digit interest and to ensure that the bene iciaries would not spend more than 30 percent of their He pointed out that from the reviews undertaken, emerging contemporary issues of Climate Change, energy conservation income on housing, to enable them meet other needs of their necessities and collaboration with the development partners dependents. such as German Development Corporation (GIZ) necessitate that the nation's building habits and methods must change, for “When all is inally done, we expect to see a private sector involvement that builds to an agreed national design, and a Federal energy ef iciency and sustainability.

The Minister stated that working with GIZ has opened the Government that can utilize incentives, iscal policies to guarantee opportunity for the ministry to develop guidelines for energy off-take, and supply to citizens on mortgage inance,” he said.

FG Tasks Partners on Sustainable Housing Programme

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ederal Government has charged its partners in housing programmes to d o u b l e t h e i r c a p a c i t i e s i n addressing the problem of sustainable housing programme.

out that it was not as if Nigeria lacked the capacity to build houses, but what was lacking at the moment was sustainability of the programme in a way that the country could determine how many houses it could build on a yearly basis.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola threw the challenge Expressing delight at while ielding questions from the efforts of Fuller newsmen after inspecting the Housing at the 400building site of the Millardfuller u n i t G r a n d l u v e r Foundation, an indigenous Affordable Housing estates development company P r o j e c t , F a s h o l a with emphasis on affordable Mr. Babatunde Fashola Minister of Power, Works and Housing declared, “What we housing development for low need to do now is to and middle income class, at M a s s a k a , a b o rd e r t o w n b e t w e e n double the capacities in many multiples Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital and again address the problem of sustainable housing programme”, adding, Territory.

“It is not that we cannot build houses but Fashola, who described the inputs of the can we do this year-on-year. How many of building partners as inspiring, pointing this kind of site can we do every year across Volume 2 No 6

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Nigeria?”

He said the inspection of the site was in ful illment of a commitment by his ministry to go and see what the building partners were doing adding that Fuller Housing was one of the sponsors of and exhibitors at the recent Affordable Housing Summit in Abuja.

The Minister told the newsmen that the ministry made a commitment to oversee what the partners were doing at the recently concluded Housing Summit, adding that partners like the Fuller Group are some of the sponsors and exhibitors who were at that summit and displayed on slide what they were doing on site.

H e re i t e ra t e d t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f g ove r n m e n t t o s u p p o r t e ff o r t s a t developing a sustainable National Housing Programme, promising that after the inspections, and with the knowledge of infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

Housing

Building and Construction what was on the ground, including the problems, the next move was to evolve workable solutions to enhance the a c h i eve m e n t o f t h e o b j e c t ive o f a s u s t a i n a b l e N a t i o n a l H o u s i n g development.

“I am going to see what methods are going on in each site, what materials they are using and what problems they are having and then we can go back to our of ices when we have inished our tour and, knowing now what is on ground as against what we have seen on paper, we can device solutions”, he said.

He said that the site needed a fence and access road, and had asked the partners to supply designs and quantities to the Ministry to see if we can intervene working with the Nasarawa State Government to assist with this road. “That is what government should do now to provide the infrastructure that enables private business to carry on with its life,” he said.

The minister had earlier undertaken a similar working tour of some affordable housing development sites like Lafarge Affordable Housing Solution, in Idu

District, Polysterene Industries Limited also in Idu Distric,t and Urban Shelter Limited in Kubwa and related companies in the Federal Capital Territory where he expressed government's determination to explore all the housing options available across the country to see what was possible with a view to utilizing them to meet the nation's housing need.

Fashola said the Federal Government was determined to make use of locally m a n u fa c t u re d b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s , collaborate with the Private Sector and enhance local industrial capacity in the National Housing Programme. He disclosed that government welcomes foreign partners but is determined to see what is available and what the country could use to solve its problems.

Speaking recently also at a Summit on Affordable Housing held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Fashola had set guidelines for achieving suf iciency and affordability in housing in the country, saying in order to ensure that every Nigerian bene itted from the programme, there was need to produce them en-mass, adding that the only way it could be made affordable for the low income group was

through mortgage inancing.

He stressed the role of the Private Sector as crucial, describing the current building methods in the country as slow. He emphasized that industrialization was the best modality to adopt to achieve mass production, adding that his ministry plans to embrace technology by developing quicker methods of building and training Nigerians to adapt and adopt them.

The Minister said that aside the reviews of b u i l d i n g m e t h o d s , e m e r g i n g contemporary issues of Climate change and energy conservation necessities has made it expedient that the building habits and methods of the country must change “for energy ef iciency and sustainability”.

Also at the 35th AGM of Shelter Afrique held in Abuja, Fashola expressed dismay that many of the Public Private Partnership housing initiatives entered into have either stalled as a result of funding, lack of capacity, land disputes or court cases, adding that it was not the road to sustainability.

NSIA, South African Firm Partner on $700m Real Estate, Agric Development -By Ajibola Olarinoye

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igeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has struck a deal of $700 million (about 224 billion Naira) with South Africa's Old Mutual Investment Group (MOIG) on real estate and agricultural development.

The deal, which was signed by the two parties in Abuja recently, states that it covers $500 million real estate co-investment vehicle and $200 million agriculture co-investment vehicle. It will cover of ice retail assets, especially, of ice buildings.

In a statement, NSIA's Managing Director, Mr. Uche Orji noted, “The objective is to invest $500 million in commercial and retail assets, especially of ice buildings and hospitality facilities. The vehicle is expected to have initial commitments of up to $100 million each from NSIA and Old Mutual and is targeting a total commitment size of $500 million with deal origination and execution to be undertaken jointly by both parties.”

“The real estate and agriculture sectors offer considerable potential for economic growth in Nigeria. Our commitment in these sectors is underpinned by the economic imperatives of urbanization, population growth and enhancement of liquidity for the sectors.”

“The real estate vehicle once created alongside the agriculture vehicle will be con igured to address some of these issues. The NSIA will continue to serve as a catalyst for private sector involvement in key sectors of the economy by exploring partnerships with credible entities such as Old Mutual Investment Group and UFF Agri-Fund,” he assured.

In her remark, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun described the deal as a historic milestone because it would enable NSIA to deliver its broader mandate to invest heavily in the key sectors of the economy such as real estate and agriculture. She commended the two parties for initiating the deal at this particular period when the Federal Government is currently making a good ist of diversifying Nigerian economy to other viable sectors that have the great potential of stimulating sustainable growth other than oil and gas.

Clarifying more on the terms of the agreement and the aim of the project, he said: “(For that of agriculture), both parties will make commitments for an initial vehicle size of $50 million ahead of the targeted size of up to $200 million, with deal origination and execution to be undertaken jointly by NSIA and UFF Agri-Fund.

The aim of the agreement is to improve Nigeria's food security and promote rural economic development to capitalize on the growing opportunities that the Nigerian agricultural industry provides.”

According to the agreement of the deal, each party is expected to commit an initial $50 million which provides opportunity to increase the inancial commitment to $100million each when more funding is needed.

Orji expressed optimism that the projects would play a tremendous role towards reviving the agricultural sector and will also aid the development of real estate as both sectors serve as catalysts and potential elements for the growth of Nigerian economy.

The deal, if well implemented will have immense developmental impact in many ways. For instance, it will boost rapid urbanization and population growth. It will also accelerate the growth of commerce and economy of major cities that the project will be situated.

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Housing

Building and Construction

FG, Lagos Unite on Affordable Housing

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ederal Government and Lagos State Government have opened discussions on how to jointly make provision of affordable housing for Federal and Lagos State civil servants residing in Lagos.

This was made known recently by the Head of Service of The Federation (HOSOF), Mrs. Winfred Oyor Ita, when she and her technical team paid a visit to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode in Lagos.

addressing the problem of housing for civil servants in Nigeria, the Federal Government of Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China's Nangtong Sanjian Construction company to build 1,000 houses for federal civil servants in Nigeria. This is a pointer to the fact that private irms, both local and international, should be involved by the present government

According to her, the scheme of the partnership is known as the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH). Under the plan, the Lagos State Government will shoulder the responsibility of providing enough land for the affordable housing scheme for federal civil servants while Lagos State civil servants would bene it from about 10-15 percent of the scheme. She further disclosed that the scheme is a timely one, as lots of Federal and State civil servants have the interest of owning landed properties in Lagos due to its status as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria.

The Head of Service of the Federation in a meeting with Lagos Of icials

“We are here today to introduce to you Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) Programme which is a welfare programme for federal civil servants that aspires to provide affordable housing for civil servants.

Lagos State is critical to this scheme and it is so because Lagos is the commercial capital of Nigeria and apart from the fact that quite a number of Lagos State indigenes who are federal civil servants would want to own their homes here in Lagos State, there is a cross-section of Nigerians like me who grew up in Lagos who will like to have homes in Lagos State,” Oyor Ita stated.

It will be recalled that in June this year, as part of plans towards

in its plan to provide 500,000 housing units as part of its change agenda.

A cursory look at the activities of governments in the past indicates that they have not fared well as they should in the area of provision of housing. For instance, in the 1975-1980 National Development plan, government only achieved 15 per cent out of the 202,000 housing units it targeted. Also, in 1979-1983 plan, only 20 percent was achieved out of the 40,000 units it planned to construct. Thus, private sector involvement is imperative.

Lagos to Build 2.5 Million Housing Units in Five Years

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ue to considerable housing de icit in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, the state government has come up with a policy geared towards addressing the state's 2.5 million housing units de icit within the next ive years.

formulated people-oriented policies that will ensure the supply of 187,000 housing units yearly to address the state's 2.5 million housing de icit over the next ive years.” He added that the state Ministry of Housing would fashion its housing scheme after the British affordable housing system.

The plan was revealed recently by the Lagos State Commissioner For Housing, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal when he visited the of ice of the Acting Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ahmmed Bashir in Lagos.

The commissioner further disclosed that Lagos State would explore the vertical style of building with the intention of making housing units available for the lower and middle income earners, and also to ameliorate the problem of skilled workers in the construction industry.

He disclosed that through a plan called “Master Craftsman Project”, the state government plans to address the issue of shortage of skilled professionals in the building sector such as carpenters, masons, steel fabricators, electricians, jointers, and painters.

Lawal gave the assurance that the state government takes the issue of housing de icit as one of its priorities, stating that the state government is working relentlessly to f o r m u l a t e policies that w o u l d quicken the p ro c e s s to achieve the p l a n i n a v e r y s u c c e s s f u l way.

Mr. Gbolahan Lawal Lagos State Commissioner for Housing

Volume 2 No 6

According to h i m : “ G o v e r n o r A k i n w u m i Ambode has

He also revealed other bene its of the Master Craftsman Project, stating that it would help in attracting the younger generation to the construction industry because the older builders are getting old and the younger ones need to be trained to replace them.

It will be recalled that the former Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Bosun Jeje, said last year that the state government had not been able to tackle the problems of housing de icit effectively due to high cost of building and non-availability of funds.

Experts believe that if the present Government of Lagos State delivers its promise of providing 2.5 million housing units within the next ive years, it would go a long way in addressing the enormous housing de icit being experienced in the state.

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Building and Construction

Current Recession is Affecting Real Estate in Nigeria - Ukpong Speaking further, Ukpong noted that going by the Central -By Mary Chikezie

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he Chairman of Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Real Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Samuel Of iong Ukpong has decried the effect of the current recession in the country saying it is affecting virtually every segment of real estate business saying that the effect is hitting hard in the area of commercial property, r e s i d e n t i a l o r i n d u s t r i a l properties. He explained that that it is so because in property development, which is an aspect of real estate, there is no fund for p e o p l e t o c o n t i n u e w i t h development, so, projects are being abandoned here and there.

Bank's analysis of Nigerians manipulating the currency, friends of Nigerians manipulated the currency with the hope that they will bring their money, and Nigeria lost her sovereignty. “It is the loss of sovereignty that is causing the recession,” he said.

He was of the opinion that the level of depreciation of the Naira was part of the manipulation. “It is the manipulation because the people do not want you to have your sovereignty and we have lost that for a long time.

Tomorrow, if those people tell Nigeria or CBN to depreciate your naira to one thousand, they will do. In other climes, you don't tell anybody to depreciate his or her currency. If manufacturers want to produce and do what they are s u p p o s e d t o d o , t h e r e w o n' t b e recession”, the NIESV helmsman said.

He observed that it is only state governments that have money to do property on a large scale.

He state that the properties in Ikoyi, However, he pointed out that now Asokoro and Maitama that are begging the state governments have for occupants are not meant for abandoned their projects because Nigerians but for expatriates. He added they are looking for money to pay Mr, Samuel Of iong Ukpong t h a t i f y o u s a y y o u r c o u n t r y i s Chairman, NIESV (Lagos Chapter salaries of workers. He added that fantastically corrupt, everybody in the even individuals are looking for street is corrupt, the expatriates will not what to eat and not to go into real estate development now. come. And this forms the basis for his position that recession is Also, completed products have remained vacant all over man-made. including Ikoyi, Abuja and some state capitals.

Ukpong explained that most of those properties in highbrow According to him, the level of vacant properties is quite high. areas can only be afforded by expatriates because of the power “And a lot of people are even staying in properties they cannot of their currency. “This is because the rate at which you are afford to pay. The cost of living is high and the cost of going to pay for those property is higher than what Nigerians maintaining the property is also high. You have properties that can afford. Therefore, when they bring their currency - their are neglected in terms of maintenance. The recession, if you income overseas and translate it to naira equivalent, it could be ask me is man-made,” he said. so high. So they can afford those properties,” he said.

Buildmacex Exhibition Promotes Green Building The Managing Director of Atlantic Exhibition, organizers of the Technology -By Peace Uzoanya

he Buildmacex Nigeria Exhibition 2016 which held recently at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos was an impressive turnout of various professionals in the building and construction industry, and policy makers united in the cause of seeking solutions to challenges of provision of housing.

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event, Mr. Ayo Olugbade, in his opening speech remarked that Buildmacex building and machinery exhibition was unique because it ranked among the most effective marketing rallying points where the manufacturers (exhibitors), visitors and stakeholders in the industry could meet and interact.

The event, which showcased equipment on building, construction, machinery and interior designs also featured inspiring and educative lectures that bordered on 'Green Building Technology and Innovation.’

Olugbade noted that a focus on green building technology will consider affordability and availability of resources which can be seen in certain traditional forms of architecture to help provide comfortable shelter for the people, adding that economists are needed to bring in economic models and right inancing structure for such projects on a large scale.

According to him, green building technology will have to consider ambient temperature such that one can work in comfort, knowledge of the location where the building will be sited, what to apply, for example, shedding to promote ventilation, reduce heat gain and keep the interior cool.

Prominent stakeholders present at the event included the National President, Nigerian Institute of Builders(NIOB), Mr. Tijani Shuaib; National President, Nigeria Institute of Architect, Oliver Braide; President, Interior Designs Association of Nigeria (IDAN), Mrs. Titi Ogunfere; former National President, Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyor (NIQS), Murtala Aliyu; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development who was represented by Mr. Adedolapo Ajayi; and Commissioner The Chief Executive Of icer (CEO) of Stucturacasa Nig. Ltd., Mr. of Works and Infrastructure in Lagos State, represented by Akin Jide Alade, while speaking on 'Innovative Housing Solutions,' noted that there are major hindrances to housing ownership in Francisco.

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Building and Construction Nigeria which include the Land Use Decree, lack of infrastructure shapes, minimizing circulation spaces, standardizing in communities, especially in new developing areas, and components and parts, and employing ef icient building systems mortgage inancing. in plumbing and electricity.

To bring the cost of housing down, Alade called on the g o v e r n m e n t t o b r i n g infrastructure, like road to the people for easy access to places that are far; consider rural/urban migration in h o u s e d e s i g n b y h a v i n g smaller lower cost home schemes and remove fees that make transfer of property dif icult.

For the National President, Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIOB), Mr. Tijani Shuaib, green technology is the new way to go. It reduces toxic s u b s t a n c e s a n d c a r b o n dioxide. It should be embraced because houses made of green materials like timber are safer, easier to build, and cheaper.

He called on them to come together to share ideas at the beginning of a project and apply aordable housing design principles of creating simple

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The participants had the o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x p l o r e b u i l d i n g , i n te r i o r d e s i g n materials and machinery on display.

Volume 2 No 6

Infrastructure

Fashola Calls for National Consensus on Infrastructure Investment not afford the luxury of waiting for the -By Dachi Maduako

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he state of infrastructure in the country and the need to ind a lasting solution to it has led the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola into advocating a national cultural consensus as a way out of the current quagmire. This, he believes when adopted will open up the country to having private sector investments in her infrastructure development.

conclusion of long and sometimes tedious concession agreements before tackling her infrastructure needs.

“ H a v i n g n e g o t i a t e d c o n c e s s i o n agreements, I know how long it takes and there are long terms that inish between 18 and 36 months. In our current situation, we don't have the luxury of 12 months. You want roads like yesterday; that was the point I was seeking to make.

Fashola, who spoke at the recent Nigerian But we can't have a law and everybody is Economic Summit Group (NESG) meeting saying we are waiting for concession. That in Abuja, stated that infrastructural is not the way to govern,” he said. development was key to quick economic recovery for the country. He pointed out On borrowing as a way out of the present that to attract private sector investment recession, the Minister, who maintained into the sector, Nigeria must have a that it is a global model in times of cultural consensus, as a nation and as a economic downturn, said what was people, that will ensure contractual required was for the borrowing nation to obligations and business agreements deploy the fund to viable projects that would engender quick economic recovery. remain sacrosanct.

“It is a model that has worked; it will work The Minister insisted that the consensus again if we apply it diligently. There is must come as an unequivocal commitment nothing Nigerian about it, it is a global devoid of partisan politics, adding that as a model that requires discipline, focus and nation and as a people, Nigeria must agree consistency to build ourselves out of two never to cancel contractual obligations or consecutive gutters of negative growth agreements midway. He said was the only and build ourselves through to stability way to show readiness for investment and and out of recession”, he said. business.

Arguing further in favour of borrowing, He told NESG, “We must send out an Fashola declared, “In spite of all of the laws unequivocal commitment; it must be that we have put in place to avoid waste unequivocal; it must, therefore, work and losses and all of that, see where we are. across partisan political divides that we We have legislated development to the must never have debates again in an ground” adding that in spite of her $19 election that I will cancel a concession trillion public debt, the United States of when I am elected. It must never happen America was today a jurisdiction that again. That is the kind of consensus I will could determine the politics of any part of the world like us to have”.

“We may disagree about the cost but there must be no campaign about cancellation. He reiterated the urgent need for We must form a consensus also that we infrastructure development as the will not stop a business undertaking with quickest way out of recession, adding that court injunctions; that whatever disputes the only way to go about it was to borrow we have we will pursue arbitration. Those to fund the venture. “We should have are the cultural changes that must take clarity about this; if we don't want debt, place and then we send a global message how do we inance ourselves out of this that we are ready for business and we are dif icult situation? Our revenue has dipped,” he said. ready for investment”, he said.

The Minister also argued in favour of sale of public assets, saying it was also a global model for getting out of recession. He compared it to what could happen in a home that experienced inancial dif iculty, saying such a family would have to choose Explaining further, he said given the between selling off assets, acquired in time nation's realities, one of the irst things the of prosperity to meet its immediate needs. country must begin to do was to use government spending irst to bridge the Fashola assured that government was infrastructure gap because of the near determined to invest in coal as a source of urgent situation at hand, the nation could power, saying the fact that Nigeria was a The Minister pointed out that rather than wait for concession agreements which sometimes take so long to conclude, government spending should be used irst to bridge the existing infrastructure gap.

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Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola Minister of Power, Works and housing

signatory to the global policy framework for clean energy did not mean that the country would not invest in coal adding, “We will do coal, let me be very clear about that”.

He pointed out that the United Kingdom and the United States still have about 30 per cent coal in their energy mix while the commodity energy is still the major source o f S o u t h A f r i c a' s p o w e r. H e s a i d international obligations should not reduce the ability of the nation to survive, adding, “Let's be strong at home before we can be respected abroad. So, it is a journey but we must survive irst”.

On the update in the roadmap to power supply, the Minister said progress was b e i n g r e c o r d e d i n t h e q u e s t f o r incremental power, the irst leg of the roadmap, pointing out that at the moment there were no less than six power plants nearing completion that would add to the stock of electricity in the Grid.

He listed them to include the 215MW Kaduna Power Plant, the Azura Power Plant in Edo State, the Gurara and others which, according to him, need just loose ends to tie adding that in the area of transmission, work had since resumed at the projects that were stopped earlier because of some local issues, noting that the ministry has mapped out a clear programme to synchronise power generation with transmission.

“It is not even correct to say that the t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e s a r e t h e m o s t vulnerable. It is not; because if we are not generating 5,000MW today, for example, w hy a r e w e ke e p i n g 7 , 0 0 0 M W o f transmission capacity; because it is a capacity that must be paid for; who is going to bear the cost if we are not using it?”, he asked.

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Cover

Solid Minerals: Nigeria’s Untapped Alternative Revenue Source

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uried beneath the nation's earth crust across the vast land mass covering the 36 states of the Federation called Nigeria are vast natural mineral endowments the country is blessed with such that the sovereign nation would not for any reason lack in inancial resources. The mineral resources are the reservoir of the much needed revenue begging to be tapped, yet the country wallows in penury in the midst of plenty.

For long, these solid mineral resources have existed along with the nation Nigeria but have remained untapped even when the government is aware of the bene its derived from exploring them. Prior to the discovery oil which came with a boom, the country had enjoyed the wealth from a few of these solid minerals like tin, coal among others. Today, the country is in dire straits because of its inability to fuel its engines.

So, industries are running aground and where production goes on, it is on very high cost. This was not the case with our locomotive engines that ran on coal. There was no day they stopped working because of high cost of coal. But today our coal mines have for decades packed up due to neglect.

What has happened to our Itape Iron Ore mines and the large iron deposits that Nigeria is blessed with which is the hope of industrial revolution being expected to transform this nation into a major economic power among the committee of nations? No wonder, the wealth of the nation expended at Ajaokuta Steel Complex, the steel rolling mills here and there including the Aladja Steel complex have all become homes for rodents and lying as complete waste empires.

Many ask if there is any hope for Nigeria outside oil and gas. For decades, Nigerians have been made to believe is that oil and gas are the only sources of revenue that can move the country forward. There is no doubt that there is serious money in the sector. Let us give it to that sector which has sustained the economy of a highly populated nation as Nigeria whose annual budgets have consistently been predicated on income from oil and the pricing at any given time. However, notwithstanding the prevailing circumstances, there is hope outside oil and gas because much more mineral resources dot every landscape of the country to the point that virtually every state of the federation has one solid mineral or the other to boast of. A lot of them have been dormant from year to year despite the knowledge that they can shore up the country's income.

In fact, the dependence on oil has almost enslaved Nigeria to the wealth of the black liquid gold over the years to the point that those other solid minerals that were being tapped in the past have for sometime been neglected and relegated to the background.

And whereas illegal activities in the oil rich areas of the Niger Delta are met with raw force and military might, a lot of solid minerals in other parts of the country are illegally mined by the people while the Federal Government turns a blind eye to it.

Authorities after authorities look the other way while illegal mining is taking place. They look the other way whereas all such minerals belong to the Government at the centre.

Some have reasoned that government's nonchalant attitude is because the country has not realized that it can make more Volume 2 No 6

revenue from solid minerals than it makes from oil. Some even query why Federal Government has instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to continue prospecting for oil in the Chad Basin troughs nonstop till oil is struck there, a situation that has continued over the years yet without success. Nigerians feel that if the amount of money spent on this venture is sunk into the solid mineral sector, Nigeria's story will be different.

A lot of people feel that Government is not responding well to the yearnings of the people to do more for the solid minerals sector.

But the Secretary of Women in Mining organisation, Mrs. Emily Achor dismissed the idea, saying that the fact that some people are not getting response from the government, does not mean that governments are not doing their job. They are doing their own part, she explained, saying it is a long process and there is always a change in government in the country. “People who were there four years ago are not the ones that are there now. As you know, the cadastre of ice is the body charged with the responsibility of issuing license to miners, so, there are different departments handling different things, so you should know where you are going to. You should also note that the cadastre of ice works on the normal basis of irst come irst served.”

Achor admitted that Nigeria could earn more income from the solid mineral sector than the earnings from oil. According to her, many countries that do not have the kind of mineral deposits that Nigeria has have made maximum use of the ones they have to improve their economies. She stated that a situation in which every state of Nigeria has at least one mineral means that the country can do well in the mining sector and it can be used to give a boost to our economy and generate a lot of money.

She stated that mining business has been a pro itable venture and was in existence even before the oil boom, so people don't understand how valuable and how pro itable it is.

Managing Director of Seventy One Limited, Mr. Oluchi Nwoko said that despite the pro itable nature of solid minerals venture, one does not need to go into it with very huge capital. He debunked the myth that a heavy start-up capital running into millions or billions of dollars is required for venturing into mining business. He said that with as little as NI00,000, one can

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Cover invest in the business.

City. So, it was coal that really sustained the economy of Enugu, same with Jos.

According to him, mining business has different areas that people can choose to go into that can be accommodated within their inancial capability, stressing that the entry level could require as low as N1,500 but can also go as high as $50 million.

In his words: “In extracting these minerals, there are different value chains, not only just mining. There is processing, exporting, mineral sales and so on. There are different investment opportunities in mining business. You must not use N50 million to start up a mining business. You can start up with N200,000 or N100,000 or less. It only requires choosing the value chain you are going to start the mining business with.

Commenting about the neglect of mining sector by the previous governments, he decried the situation where government got involved in mining business in the irst place, saying that it has no business operating a mining business. The duty of government, according to him, is to ensure that an enabling environment that will make the business thrive is created and also carry out proper regulation.

Therefore, from a historical point of view, solid mineral has been contributing to the economy. And up till 1975 more than 44 companies existing in Nigeria were as a result of mining activities. He still recalled with regret that before Nigeria began to make mistakes and concentrated on oil, there were not less than ive or six steel plants in Nigeria – the Aladja, Katsina, Osogbo and the other steel plants. It had the largest smelting company in the whole of Africa that was smelting Tin in Jos - the Makeri Smelting Company. Therefore, Nigeria had a robust history of mining and contribution of solid mineral to the economy.

He noted that there were mainly three main products – tin, columbite and coal then but people are now talking about 44 different types of solid minerals. He also pointed out that all of them might not be of the so called commercial quantity which he does not agree with because commercialization is at different scales. He explained that what is not commercial at a large scale may be commercial at artisanal scale as people may not be able to set up a large gypsum plant.

“I look more into the private sector; I don't look at government because government is not supposed to be in the business of mining. That is why government unbundled its former mining companies. They are supposed to be regulating and carrying out oversight functions and also create enabling environment. The major interest for the development of mining in Nigeria is in the hands of the private sectors. Once the private sector can invest and key into this opportunity, it will blossom,” he said.

Between 1930 and 1960, Nigeria produced not less than 30 tonnes of gold and that was when it had not even de ined most of our gold bearing belts. “We were not even talking about the Zamfara, Kebbi and Birnin Gwari belts that are coming up now that if you do proper exploration can increase the tonnage to a lot of resources. So, it can still sustain the economy.”

He decried the recent increase in the tariffs of annual mining fees.

He stated that they have made their position known to the cadastral of ice but assured that they would continue to work together with Government since they cannot work in isolation because we need them to give us the permission to operate.

Some people have argued that if the country is so blessed with all these minerals and the potentials exist some of which are mere mirage now, then there must be some explosive problems that have been pulling the country back from making it economically.

One wonders why the country should be bleeding economically while these resources would be lying untapped while the country goes abroad cap in hand begging for loans to borrow.

But Prof. Olugbenga Okunlola, the President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) took a cursory look back at what was the picture when there was no oil and gas and the role solid minerals played in the economy of the country. He disclosed that solid mineral sector at that time sustained the economy of the nation, saying that up till about 1975, the solid mineral sector was contributing up to 12 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He recalled that the port in Port Harcourt was actually built to carry solid mineral products from the hinterland to outside the country, adding that the Nigerian rail system was designed speci ically with the aim of carrying mine products down to the sea. He revealed that three major towns grew as a result of mining - Jos, Enugu and Port Harcourt.

Prof. Okunola who is also a lecturer at the Department of Geology, University of Ibadan, observed with hindsight that Jos was an agrarian town that evolved as a result of mining; the same with Port Harcourt because all the products were going from Enugu to the port in Port Harcourt. So, all the activities in Enugu became more enhanced.

Recently, the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development announced that the 44 solid minerals found in Nigeria are naturally located in 500 locations throughout the country. The solid mineral deposits is in billions of metric tonnes. Nigeria has no reason to be poor. For instance, there is an estimated iron ore deposit of over 3 billion tonnes located in Kogi, Enugu, Niger, Zamfara and Kaduna States. With this, Nigeria ranks 12th largest country with iron ore reserves in the world. It is believed that with the number of solid mineral deposits in the country, their development would mean creation of millions of jobs and generate more revenue than oil.

A list of the solid minerals and where they are situated naturally shows that they cut across the belts from one state to another.

The list shows the minerals and locations: Abia State: Glass sand, Limestone, salt, shale, ball clay, galena, granite, marble, laterite, bentonite, phosphate, kaoline, pyrite,

According to him, it was not until 1916 that the irst set of coal product of about 25, 000 tonnes was exported out of this country from Port Harcourt. There were three main things that made the port to really boom. That was what gave rise to the cities. Enugu was largely built because of coal mining activity and it became a capital of Eastern Region a long time ago but it was known as Coal infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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Cover feldspar, lignite, gypsium, sphalerite and clay.

Adamawa State: Granite, clay, gypsium, limestone, uranium, kaoline, coal, trona, barite, salt, marble, magnesite and laterite.

Akwa Ibom State: Clay, glass sand, salt, silica sand, granite, coal, kaoline, limestone and lignite.

Anambra State: Clay, iron ore, sand stone, koaline, pyrite and lignite.

Bauchi State: Kaolin, trona, gypsium, cassiterite, mica, clay, tantalite, galena, iron ore, gemstone, sphalerites, silica sand, barite, columbite, lead/zinc, muscovite, quartz, columbite, tin, glass sand, salt, monalizite, feldspar, graphite, wolfram, coal, agate, tantalum, rutile, tangsten, copper, talc, ilmenite, zircon.

Bayelsa State: Salt, silica sand.

Benue: Bentonite, crude salt, limestone, glass sand, gemstone, barite, feldspar, marble, mica, silica sand, clay, coal, gypsium, kaolin, anlaydrite, calcium, sulphate, brick, crushed and dimension stone, luorspar, wolframite, bauxite, magnetite, ilmenite, brenite.

Bornu: Silica sand, natural salt, sappire, topaz, mica, quartz, gypsium, uranium, iron o r e , m a g n e s i t e , f e l d s p a r, g r a n i t e , aquamarine, nephaline, limestone, kaolin, bentonite, laterite, clay, refractory clay, trona, gold, tin, potash.

C ro s s R ive r : S a l t , l i m e s to n e , c o a l , manganese, mica, ilmenite, gold, quartz, glass sand, tourmaline, kaolin, tin ore, mica, sharp sand, clay, salt deposits, talc, granite, galena, lead/zinc, tin ore, goethite, muscovite, uranium, barites.

Delta State: Kaolin, laterite, clay, gravel, silica sand, ball clay, bauxite, granite, river sand, lead/zinc ore, salt, limestone, refractory clay, gypsium.

E d o S t a t e : C o p p e r, g o l d , m a r b l e , charnockite, granite, gypsium, diorite, lignite, limestone, ceramic clay.

Ekiti State: Clay, charnockite, quartzite, lignite, limestone, granite, gemstone, bauxite, cassiterite, columbite, tantalite, columbite, feldspar, kaoline.

Enugu State: Coal, limestone, lead/zinc Gombe State: Gemstone, gypsium Imo State: Limestone, salt, lead/zinc, lignite, phosphate, marcasite, gypsium, Jigawa State: Butytes Kaduna State: Saphire, kaolin, gold, clay, surpentinite, asbestos, amethyst, kyanite, graphite (partially investigated), sihnite, mica, (traces), aquamarine, ruby, rock, crystal, topez, losper, tourmaline, gemstone, tentalime Kano State: Prochinre, cassiterite, copper, glass sand, gemstone, lead/zinc, tantalite.

Katsina State: Kaolin, marble, salt Kebbi State: Gold Kogi State: Iron ore, kaolin, gypsium, feldspar, coal, marble, dolomite, talc, tantalite Kwara State: Gold, marble, iron ore, cassiterite, columbite, tantalite, feldspar (traces), mica (traces).

Lagos State: Glass sand, clay, bitumen Nassarawa State: Beryl (emerald), asquamirine, heliodor, dolomite/marble, sapphire, tourmaline, quartz-amethyst (topaz, gamet), zireon, tantalite, casseterite, columbite, limonite, galena, iron ore, barites, feldspar, limestone, mica, cooking coal, talc, clay salt, chalcopyrite, Niger State: Gold, talc, lead/zinc Ogun State: Phosphate, clay, feldspar, (traces), kaoline, limestone, gemstone, bitumen.

Ondo State: Bitumen, kaolin, gemstone, gypsium, feldspar, Volume 2 No 6

granite, clay, glass sand, dimesion stones, limestone and coal.

Osun State: Gold, talc, tourmaline, columbite, granite.

Oyo State: Kaoline, marble, clay, sillimnote, talc, gold, cassiterite, aquamarine, dolomite, gemstone, tantalite.

P l a t e a u S t a t e : E m e r a l d , t i n , m a r b l e , g r a n i t e , tantalite/columbite, lead/zinc, baryites, iron ore, kaoline, belonite, cassiterite, phrochlore, clay, coal, wolfam, salt, salt, bismuth, luoride, molybdenite, gemstone, bauxite.

Rivers State: Glass sand, clay, marble, lignite (traces).

Sokoto State: Kaolin,gold, limestone, phosphate gypsium, silica sand, clay, laterite, potash, lakes, granite, salt.

Taraba State: Kaoline, lead/zinc Yobe State: Tintomite, soda ash (partially investigated).

Zamfara State: Coal, cotton, gold.

Federal Capital Territory: Marble, clay, tantalite, cassiterite, gold (partially investigated), lead/zinc (traces), dolomite.

With this wide distribution of these solid minerals across Nigeria, a United Nations Industrial Development Council (UNIDO) commissioned study on solid minerals deposit in the country headed by Prof. Femi Bamiro, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan showed that each of the 774 Local Governments of the country has one mineral resource or the other deposited in its locality.

Under normal circumstances, the solid mineral sector of the nation should form the main line strata of the country's economic base from which the treasury would consistently be fueled and refueled to generate the Gold capacity to fund all economic activities including generating employment for Nigeria's teeming young population. This is a critical area that must be taken into consideration in the scheme of economic policies if we hope to go beyond rhetorics.

For instance, while the solid mineral sector remains dormant and huge resources lie buried underneath the ground, this sector is said to be capable of accommodating over 500, 000 jobs directly or indirectly. This is considering the fact that recent igures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) put youth unemployment/underemployment at 49.9 per cent while unemployment is 13.3 per cent. When this number of people is taken care of in this sector alone, millions of dependants would have been covered and much of the hunger in the land would not be there.

Moreover, revenue generation from this sector would have been running to trillions of Naira yearly if these solid minerals have been properly tapped and allowed to contribute to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Nigerian Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) had stated that if over 44 are duly exploited, the commercial value should be running to hundreds of trillions of dollars. The performance of the sector regarding the GDP has been dismal as it has contributed only 0.3 per cent GDP. If there are so much prospects in the industry to the point that solid minerals held sway in the nation's economy before the advent of oil, why then did we go down in this sector especially when there would have been opportunities for the country to earn enormous wealth to run its aairs. Could this sector not have performed competitively with the oil and gas sector?

Where did Nigeria get it wrong?

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Cover Also reacting to the situation, a professor of Geology at the University of Lagos, Professor Samuel Olobaniyi blamed the government involvement in running the mining corporation as being responsible for running down the sector.

Olobaniyi, who is also a member of Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists, said, “The companies that government had run, like the Nigeria Mining Corporation died. It was this company that was mining some of the solid minerals, but later went moribund because government was not taking good care of it and also, people cannot manage government property very well. So, until we have private bodies to come into it, we may not record much success. That is what we need now,” he said.

He bemoaned the situation whereby before the discovery of oil, mining was a major mainstay of Nigeria's economy, because at that time, Nigeria used to be one of the largest producers in the world, just like agriculture but had to izzle out as a result of neglect.

“But when oil came, everybody diverted to oil; not because the solid minerals were exhausted, but because of the easier money from oil. We left the hard work for an easier one. This made Nigeria become a mono-economy, that is, oil based economy. So, to revive the sector, we need to do some more work, gather the necessary information, because those solid minerals are still there in abundance,” Olobaniyi stated.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi Minister of Solid Minerals Development

Prof. Okunola traced the problem back to 1975 when the indigenization decree which came into effect and showed the foreign companies who operated in the country the way out. The University of Ibadan don explained that mining is international and not local. The decree, he said led to mass withdrawal of the main foreign operators and the consequence was dearth in skills and development of the sector.

Again, the involvement of government then in Mining Corporation was another issue which was as a result of bureaucracy and corruption. The corporation then was into several things including gold, leases in quarrying, brick making and other things but the capacity which at some level was okay could not be sustained.

“If we had gold exploration and the other areas sustained, and we have expertise coming in developing our people, we would have evolved. What we are talking about is about 40 years. It (40 years) is a long time in the life of a mine. We would have evolved; we would have had more gold ields coming up now. We would have had more of the international people getting more interested,” he said.

He explained further that the concept of nationalism does not matter to some extent when it comes to international commodities. “You are not going to use your tin, columbite and iron ore only in Nigeria; you are going to export. So, all these things come in. If the Rio Tintos had come in and seen that your law is sustainable; you won't come tomorrow to change the law, they would have stayed. They were waiting for us since that time and we have not got it right. We have been having military governments and decrees and changes, and we have not de ined the law. What even determines the mining industry is not just the availability of deposits but the assurance that I'm going to be here for good business for about 50 to 60 years. Mining is not a one or two year thing; it must be sustained. These are the areas we missed it,” Okunola said.

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Experts believe that government should do something especially in the area of exploration. This, they say, has become necessary if it hopes to tap from this sector which they say holds the wand that would spell hope and alternative to the source of revenue generation for the country. They argue that the government has to create an enabling environment for business to thrive in this sector, including revisiting the set of laws controlling operations in the sector.

The roadmap The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi whose responsibility it is to call the shots in this sector at a time like this when all eyes are turning to his direction for an alternative to the nation's main source of revenue generation said recently that there was need to conduct an effective collation of artisan miners along areas of exploration to enhance Federal Government's diversi ication plans on solid minerals in the country.

The Minister's call was part of the recent roadmap on solid minerals development which he said depended on concrete database of existing solid minerals and miners, especially those that are not organised. He explained the Federal Government's readiness to legalise activities of artisan miners.

Illegal Miners at work

He called on the legislature to review the current laws to enable increased participation of states and host communities in exploration of solid minerals. He said this against the backdrop

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Cover o f t h e o b s o l e t e n a t u re o f the nation's l a w s , p o i n t i n g out that the rev i e w o f t h e o b s o l e t e laws would a d d r e s s i s s u e s o f i l l e g a l mining and t h e r e s u l t a n t environme ntal effects.

According Prof. Gbenga Okunlola to him, the President, Nigerian Mining & Geosciences Society r e l e v a n t laws on solid minerals mining need to be reviewed to allow states participate in exploration so that everyone involved would have something to offer.

“If we are to really make headway to aid mining, states and host communities must become much more active than they are now.

They don't have to be spectators, they should be central actors in the process and it will also help the Federal Government to monitor closely what is being done, and reduce the level of illegal activities taking place if states are involved,” he said.

But in the view of Prof Olobaniyi, he does not see this as the solution to the problem posed by illegal miners. He said, “Legalizing them is like you are saying that government should give license to the village herbalists to be performing surgical operations on human beings. That is what we are saying.

Knowledge makes the difference. The illegal miners don't know the value of what they are mining, because they are illiterates and semi-illiterates, the same in agriculture. For instance, in America, one man will feed a whole state because of his education and level of training. The same farmer in Nigeria, even if you give him the money, he will not be able to perform because of lack of knowledge”.

Some other Nigerians query the rationale behind this level of permissiveness in the proposal as it runs against the laws guiding the oil industry where illegal operators are hunted and are not given this kind of opportunity to team up in both prospecting and production of the black gold. Many others impute their own interpretations to it, saying that government might have arrived at this conclusion because close to 70 per cent of the solid minerals are found in the Northern parts of the country. They impute dichotomy in this policy, saying what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Another school of thought states that the government at the centre might have learnt very fast from the Niger Delta experience where the indigenous people are clamouring every day on giving them equal opportunity to operate in the oil business within their back yard.

the old roadmap, seeks to grow the contribution of mining to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) in line with the Federal Government's determination to further diversify the nation's economy.

He said that under the new roadmap, there would be an independent regulatory agency for the mining industry as being advocated for by the operators in the mining sector.

“What it seeks to do is to grow the contribution of mining to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in line with the president's vision to diversify our revenue base in the country.

“What distinguishes this roadmap, which builds on the old roadmap that was approved by the council in 2012, is its determination to set up an independent regulatory agency, which investors have been insisting on that the ministry which has been serving as facilitator should also not be the one that regulates them,'' he said.

The new roadmap encourages partnership between the federal and state governments and this would address the persistent misunderstanding and con licts between the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and States' Ministries for Mines.

Illegal Mining Illegal mining has prevailed in the country for ages and has posed a major problem in the society as governments have been deprived the needed resources that ought to have accrued to it to utilize in executing its budgets annually. Rather than reaping from these resources that it has been endowed with, it is going cap in hand seeking where to borrow from.

Worried by this scenario, the President, Muhammadu Buhari has risen stoutly against the activities of illegal miners in the country, revealing that special security team has been set up to check the menace. The security team, he stated, has been saddled with the task of protecting the nation's mining asset.

According to him, special measures would be in place to protect miners in their work environment.

He disclosed that the new roadmap ensured that the country would work closely with the World Bank and major international investors to ensure best practices and due diligence in the mining sector.

“With respect to solid minerals, the minister has produced a roadmap where we will work closely with the world bank and major international investors to ensure, through best practices and due diligence, that we choose the right partners.

“Illegal mining remains a problem and we have set up a special security team to protect our assets. Special measures will be in place to protect miners in their work environment,'' he added.

The contribution of a meager 0.3 per cent to the GDP cannot be

Meanwhile, the Federal Executive Council has approved a new roadmap for the growth and development of the nation's mining sector and the renaming of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals to the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

According to the Minister, the new roadmap, which is built on Volume 2 No 6

Illegal Miners at another location

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Cover too far removed or unconnected with the activities of illegal miners in the solid minerals sector of the economy. This area presents a watershed for illegalities. Here, they operate with impunity where no law enforcement is at zero and even below zero level. This is even with the hazards that accompany such operation. For instance, a few years ago, a lot of people died as a result of lead poisoning from illegal mining of lead in Zamfara State. It was a big shame that they died even though government was well aware that illegal mining operations were going on there. They only woke up from slumber when disaster struck.

The activities of Illegal miners have been very disastrous to the economy of this nation. It has deprived the country of not only revenue but of the human resources that would have bene itted hundreds of thousands of people. Experts have put the estimated job loss at 500,000. This has not only given operators and major functionaries in the sector concern but also legislators especially, the House of Representatives who have stressed the need to curb the activities of illegal miners in the country. They agreed that the mining and solid mineral sector was a multi-billion naira sector that was being undermined by the activities of illegal miners.

With the expectation that the revival of the solid minerals sector will lead to improved contribution to the economy especially now that the government is looking for other ways to diversify the economy following the downturn in the oil sector, Nigerians feel that with the solid minerals in place and regulated, industries are bound to spring up across the country, particularly the places and states where these minerals are located.

One of the companies that the nation might want to see come back to life is the Ajaokuta Steel Project. The massive steel company is located on 24,000 hectares of sprawling green- ield land-mass. The Steel Plant itself is built on 800-hectares of land with the chosen Technology for Steel Production which is the time tested Blast-Furnace – Basic Oxygen Furnace route for Steel Production.

The Ajaokuta integrated steel complex was conceived and steadily developed with the vision of erecting a Metallurgical Process Plant cum Engineering Complex with other auxiliaries and facilities. The complex is meant to be used to generate important upstream and downstream industrial and economic activities that are critical to the diversi ication of the nation's economy into an industrial one.

Ajaokuta Steel Plant is, therefore, aptly tagged as the “Bedrock of Nigeria's industrialization”.

They explained that the illegal miners do not contribute to the development of host communities as part of corporate social responsibility. A member of the House, Hon. Solomon Maren from Plateau State pointed out that the activities of illegal miners also expose Ajaokuta Steel Company is Nigeria's host communities to hazardous leading steel company. Guided by a environmental conditions. They, philosophy to produce safe, sustainable t h e r e f o r e , u r g e d t h e F e d e r a l steel, it is the leading supplier of quality Government to declare a state of steel products in all the major economic emergency in the solid minerals sector sectors including construction, packaging to help diversify from oil to non-oil and wire drawing/nail making industry.

Prof. Samuel Olobaniyi sources of revenue for the country. The ASCL operates in all the major markets in Lecturer, UNILAG (Dept. of Geoscience) House also mandated the Committee Nigeria and employs about 3000 people. on Solid Minerals Development to investigate the activities of miners, their collaborators and Ajaokuta is expected to take full advantage of the ECOWAS treaty sponsors as well as the extent of involvement of foreign and local and the Export Expansion Scheme of the Federal Government of irms and report back to the House.

Nigeria to expand its market base to the whole of the West African Sub-region and beyond.

Reports, however, are pointing to the activities of Chinese and Apart from Ajaokuta Steel company, other steel companies in the Indian irms in this direction as being involved in this illegal country that have packed up or on the route to die must be activity in mining business in the country. This illegal mining of revived if we expect this sector to contribute to the economy.

Nigeria's solid mineral deposits cuts across the country. It is also These include the Delta Steel Company (DSC) Aladja Delta State, thought that it is either that the government probably is unaware the Steel Rolling Mills Jos, Oshogbo among others. of their actions or they are pretending not to know.

The Chairman of the National Stakeholders Working Group Following closely to this is the Iron Ore Company at Itape which is (NSWG) of The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency to form the main supply chain of the raw materials that will feed Initiative (NEITI) Mr. Ledum Mitee, pointed out that the brain the steel companies. Nigeria indeed spent fortunes when the oil behind several illegal artisanal operations in Nigeria's solid boom was lowing in building these steel complexes. A lot of mineral sector are the Chinese and Indian companies who have them have packed up or operating at very insigni icant level. But the serious support of local authorities. with the revitalization of this sector, it is hoped that Nigeria will The illegal miners “engage local artisans and government pick up again. authorities to do this at ridiculously low rates and export to make With every state boasting of one form of mineral resource or the extreme pro its but NEITI will provide all the required other, both foreign and local investors would be attracted to the information to law enforcement agencies with which they can states. Industrialisation would spread across the country with use to hunt down such irms in the sector,” Mitee said. possibility of employment creation. If much of the youth in particular states are kept busy due to employment, there would Mitee also noted that base-line information gathered from be a reduction in youth restiveness and the revenue generation scoping studies that were conducted earlier in the sector, would rise. revealed discrepancies in government receipts and operating companies' payments within the periods.

He expressed regrets that illegal mining has continued to thrive -By Dachi Maduako, Peace Uzoanya in the sector as a result of an apparent lack of regulation.

Ajibola Olarinoye

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Interview

‘Solid Minerals sector can Sustain Nigeria’s Economy’ Prof. Gbenga Okunlola is 28th President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS). He is also a lecturer at the Department of Geology, University of Ibadan. In this Interview with Peace Uzoanya, he takes a look at Nigeria's mining sector – its present state, challenges, prospects and the way forward, especially in the face of the current recession.

IQ People generally point to the solid mineral sector as one that holds a lot of promise in terms of generating revenue for the Nigerian economy if it is properly managed, especially in the face of the current recession. What is the actual picture of this sector?

ANS: What we need to do is just to look back at what was the picture when there was no oil and gas. Did solid minerals play a big role? The answer is 'Yes.' The solid mineral sector at that time sustained the economy of the nation. We should not forget that up till about 1975, the solid mineral sector was contributing up to 12 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Port Harcourt was actually built to carry solid mineral p r o d u c t s f r o m t h e hinterland to outside the country. Nigerian rail s y s t e m w a s d e s i g n e d speci ically with the aim of carrying mine products down to the sea. Don't also let us forget that there were three major towns that grew as a result of mining – Jos, Enugu and Port Harcourt.

three main products – tin, columbite and coal. People are talking about 44 different types, even if all of them are not so called commercial, which I don't agree with because commercialization is at different scales; what is not commercial at a large scale may be commercial at artisanal scale. Go to Lagos, for example, you will see that the contribution of sand as a mineral to the economy of Lagos is enormous, especially to the construction industry. If you notice how much the tipper people are making from quarrying sand from the river beds, even in the hinterland, then you will know how much contribution that it is also making that is unrecorded within the Nigerian GDP system. People may not be able to set up a large gypsum plant but, of course, it is still sustaining some people at a commercial level. Between 1930 and 1960, we produced not less than 30 tons of gold in this country and that was when we had not even de ined most of our gold bearing belts. We were not even talking about the Zamfara, Kebbi and Birnin Gwari belts that are coming up now, that if you do proper exploration can increase the tonnage to a lot of resources.

So, it can still sustain the economy.

IQ: At what point did we miss it with solid minerals as a major revenue earner for the country?

ANS: I will say that we missed it in 1975 when the Indigenization Decree chased away the Europeans. You see, mining is international; it is not local. We had not developed enough skills in 1975, and that led to a kind of dearth in the development of skill. Most of them left and when they left, the local people could not continue. The government then was involved in Mining Corporation but that corporation is now dead. At a point, they were doing well but bureaucracy and corruption killed it. They were into Jos was an agrarian town diverse things – gold, leases in quarrying, that evolved as a result of brick making and other things but the mining; the same with Port capacity, which at some level was okay Harcourt because all the could not be sustained. If we had gold products were going from ex p l o ra t i o n a n d t h e o t h e r a re a s Enugu to the port in Port sustained, and we have expertise coming Prof. Gbenga Okunlola H a r c o u r t . S o , a l l t h e President, Nigerian Mining & Geosciences Society in developing our people, we would have activities in Enugu became evolved. What we are talking about is more enhanced. In 1916, the irst set of coal product of about 25, 000 tons was exported about 40 years. It (40 years) is a long time in the life of a mine. We out of this country from Port Harcourt. There were three main would have evolved; we would have had more gold ields coming things that made the port to really boom. That was what gave rise up now. We would have had more of the international people to the cities. Enugu was largely built because of coal mining getting more interested. activity and it became a capital of Eastern Region a long time ago but it was known as Coal City. So, it was coal that really sustained But you see, this concept of nationalism does not matter to some extent when it comes to international commodities. You are not the economy of Enugu, same with Jos. going to use your tin, columbite and iron ore only in Nigeria; you Therefore, from a historical point of view, solid mineral has been are going to export. So, all these things come in. If the Rio Tintos contributing to the economy. Don't let us forget that up to 1975 had come in and seen that your law is sustainable; you won't come more than 44 companies existing in Nigeria were as a result of tomorrow to change the law, they would have stayed. They were mining activities. Before we began to make mistakes and waiting for us since that time and we have not got it right. We have concentrated on oil, we had not less than ive or six steel plants in been having military governments and decrees and changes, and Nigeria – the Aladja, Katsina, Osogbo and the other steel plants. we have not de ined the law. What even determines the mining We had the largest smelting company in the whole of Africa that industry is not just the availability of deposits but the assurance was smelting Tin in Jos – the Makeri Smelting Company. So, we that I'm going to be here for good business for about 50 to 60 had a robust history of mining and contribution of solid mineral years. Mining is not a one or two-year thing; it must be sustained.

These are the areas we missed it. to the economy.

Can it now sustain the economy? We were then talking about Again, we concentrated on oil and gas, and just like the other infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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Volume 2 No 6

Interview commodities, we 'killed' all the other commodities. Agriculture, initiative, education, trade, manufacturing were 'killed'; we did a lot of damage. Then again, we did not have a sustainable legislation. The mining law that we used at that time even up to 1990s was 1946 mining law. It was archaic; it could serve for colonial time but international economics evolves, so, it was not just sustainable. At some point there was the 1999 Decree, which was something else and we now have the 2007 mining law which was well thought out and world standard, and really took care of global best practices.

will come in. There is no need pretending to be nationalistic. You still need international funding for mining. When three respectable international companies come into your country and sustain for ive to six years, others will come. It's simple; once they

IQ: What has happened since the 2007 mining law came into existence?

ANS: Since that 2007, there has been efforts to revive the sector. We have had one or two ministers who have tried to introduce a lot of government reforms in mining. The Nigerian Geological Survey became a juristic body; that is it became an agency and so didn't have to rely on government bureaucracy, almost semi-autonomous. There was the Mining Cadastre Of ice, where mining licensing regime was changed and became more transparent. We have had some things done but we have not moved far enough. We have not attracted those who should be involved in mining.

Then the psyche and orientation of our people – businessmen, private sector, has not been favourable towards mining. Mining is not like importing rice that you can do today, make your money tomorrow; it's a technical, professional and scienti ic area. You have to do exploration, get people who understand it, move from exploration even to development. International pricing comes in. Expert surveyors, accountants, geologists, mining engineers are involved. It's a chain, so all these things must be involved for us to have a sustainable exploration and then productivity in that industry.

A section of Ajaokuta Steel Complex

see a safe place for investment, they'll come. People are locking to Tanzania. The gold mines in Cote d'Ivoire have opened up.

IQ: How many minerals do we have in Nigeria, and where are they located?

ANS: We have about 44 mineral types. You can ind gold in pockets of places in an area that is about 400 kilometres stretch within the western half of Nigeria in different ields. For example, around Osun, we have about six to seven places where you have gold. In Iperilo area, they have proven that there is about 100,000 ounces of gold waiting to be tapped. You have Iregun, Itagunmoji IQ: You have pointed to the private sector as not having and about three other places in Osun. In Zamfara, you have it in the right orientation towards mining and on the part of Birnin Gwari, Kebbi ields. The western half of Nigeria, where we government, not much meaningful result has been achieved, call the shield belt is a gold potential area. who then will drive the needed change?

ANS: The private sector does not understand the sector.

Mining is not like agriculture, where you can predict the seasons and you plant and harvest. The inancial system does not understand the mining sector; they loan for short term like two years and expect after that period to begin to see their money. It's not like that; sometimes six years you are still exploring.

Government still has to drive it, not fund it.

Government has to be careful about funding the sector. It can fund it to some extent but not mine. You still have to encourage the private sector, enlighten them; the inancial sector has to understand the mining industry, you have to bring in people from outside the country. It's not government business. We've done it before and we ran it down. The Coal Corporation is run down; the Nigerian Mining Corporation is virtually run down, Itakpe iron ore Mining Corporation is virtually run down. If you look at the history of mining all over the world or go to advanced countries, where is government's company in mining? You privatize.

Government can have shares, holdings. It can have special purpose vehicles; it can go into joint ventures. Government must create the enabling environment but the laws must be seen to be good. Tax holiday must be seen to be sincere. The conditions in terms of security must be there. Then you have to be able to assure the protection of their investment. Then the big players Volume 2 No 6

You have not less than about 10 world class iron deposits in the country. The Koton Kar i iron ore deposit is there. Within the Lokoja-Okene axis alone, you have not less than two to three billion tons of iron ore that could be tapped. You have coal of different shapes and sizes in about 16 states of the federation.

About 200 kilometres from Ekpoma down to Aba in Abia State is a major lignite belt of varying thicknesses in the Nigerian geological terrain. You have iron ore in Jos Plateau. There are not less than 14 different types of gemstones. There is bitumen in the coastal area of the South West, between Ogun and Ondo states, and parts of Lagos State. You have well over 17 barrels of bitumen sands that are there. You have lignite, clay. So, the potential is not the issue.

The availability and distribution of these mineral resources is not the issue.

IQ:

Do we have diamond anywhere in the country?

ANS: NO! I can tell you that Nigeria does not have diamond.

Any mineral deposit is controlled by the geology. If you don't have the appropriate rock to host the mineral, it's not just there. You need what we call kimberlite pipes and then most of them are occurring in what we call cratons, and Nigeria is not in a craton. We are in a mobile belt. Even, not all kimberlite pipes are diamond deferous (contain diamond). So, we don't have diamond for now.

I'm not saying tomorrow we cannot ind kimberlite but for now, anybody who says I've got diamond in this place, investigate it very well.

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Interview levels.

IQ: Are all the minerals found in the country strategic to Let me tell you a short story. I was in my home town and there's a our development? friend of mine who wanted to drill a borehole. I told him, 'Why do ANS: Let me use limestone as example. Thank God Nigeria is you need a borehole? You come in here three or four times a year. no longer importing cement. You remember the time we had the From the nature of the place, you are going to have problems cement armada; when the entire port was clogged with cement. servicing a borehole. Why don't you drill a good well, which won't Thank God we have enough limestone to produce cement in give you problems and there will be no pollution.' He started Nigeria for the next 100 years because you have limestone in digging the well and they were bringing out good red laterite, diverse places. In Ondo State, you have not less than 120 what we call brick clay. Then I told him, 'You are trying to build kilometre belt of continuous limestone. You have the largest your out house, why are you using cement? This is a good cement companies in Africa – Dangote in Ibeshe and Obajana material.' He just brought a compactor and made bricks, and that that are built on limestone and marble. You have Nkalagu sector, is what he used to build his boys' quarters. When he saw that it Sokoto and even in the North East in Gombe and Ashaka. You succeeded, he is building a school using the brick clay because have one of the inest in Calabar in the South-South. So, you can there is lateritic horizon in that place. He didn't use sand crete. see that limestone is being mined. That is what is feeding all the I tell people that we have more than 44 minerals and they say I'm cement industries in Nigeria. Nobody is importing raw material exaggerating. There is mineral deposit in your backyard if you for cement except may be some quarried gypsum that cannot be know what you are doing. That laterite, if it is a good material is enough for building. In all our supplied here locally. From villages, even storey buildings the cement story, except may that our fathers built 60 to 70 be for the cost of fuel that has years ago, did they build them taken the price higher, you can with sand crete? They utilized see that it's been stabilized for what they had at that time. And some time. That is an example these things have even been of having a raw material that d e v e l o p e d ; t h e r e a r e n e w you can utilize in the industry. scienti ic methods to compact There is marble for paint, t h e m . We s e e t h e m b e i n g illers, feed stuff for poultry, advertized all the time. These are higher manufacturing and so things we now need to start on. There are quite a lot of looking at as a country. We cannot t h e m . N i g e r i a c o u l d b e sell ourselves outside only to be industrialized via the solid bringing things that you have; it's m i n e ra l s e c t o r, a n d t h e a disease and we need to heal cement story is a clear one. ourselves. Solid minerals can help us to heal it.

IQ: Can we con idently say that the sector is capable Coal Miners at Enugu IQ: Can you quantify the gains of bailing us out of the from solid minerals in monetary economic quagmire being terms? experienced currently?

ANS: It will not just bail us out; it will sustain us if it's properly developed. Look at Norway; we miss so many things in this country because we've been practising fake economy. Norway is a good example of an oil producing country that was not af licted by the Dutch disease. Dutch disease is once you have money, you keep importing everything. I was in a supermarket a few days ago and I just looked round and discovered that there was no single local product; disinfectants, soap, corn lakes, everything was imported. What is the problem with us? If we have all these things, it can not only bail us out but sustain. You can see that in the cement story. There is no need to import it because we have the raw materials.

ANS: I can't quantify it in monetary terms because it is not something that is just for one year but something that can go on for tens of years. But I can tell you that it is huge and can sustain for a long time. I gave an example of Norway; when they had boom they saved. They diversi ied to other areas. That is why they supplied us ish. The Minister of Agriculture was saying the other day that Norway has led many delegations for us to start buying ish again and he said No, that we can produce ish here. They also have good tax regime; they were not just giving their people everything free.

I was in UK recently, and I wanted to buy fuel at the station and it was £1:29, and my Nigerian sense converted it, and it was almost N600. They have more oil than we do and they are not frittering it away. I just came back from Ghana and they are selling their fuel at 3 Ghana cedis, 75 pesewas. At N117 to a dollar gives you almost N500 per litre, and yet they also have oil that they are developing.

So, we need to start thinking about utilizing what we have. We are sitting on money. I'm a Christian, I like to pray but I think sometimes God gets tired when we pray because he'll say, 'Look, I've given you everything, now run with it.’

IQ: Since there's a legal framework that vests ownership of solid minerals on the Federal Government, why are solid minerals still being mined illegally?

I want to congratulate the government for getting Ajaokuta back.

We need now to look for money and get Ajaokuta completed.

Most of the raw materials needed to produce iron and steel are available in this country. We have iron ore, marble and silica that can be used in the refractories. We just need to start producing.

When you start producing, you will have a sustained economy.

It's not a matter of looking at it short term; saying let's quickly get out of it. Yes, you can get out but after you've done that, are you going to go back again? So, we must sustain, and solid mineral is one area that can help us do that. Agriculture is also another area.

Of course, the oil and gas will still be there if the problem in that area is solved. But in the next 40 or 50 years, the reserve may go down. We have diverse minerals that could be used at different ANS: infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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Monitoring is the issue. You have to strengthen the Volume 2 No 6

Interview institutions that can monitor. Let me give an example of NAFDAC. When it was a weak structure, there were lots of fake drugs but when they strengthened the structure, people are afraid at least to a large extent to bring in fake drugs because they have strengthened the agencies that should be involved.

IQ: Did your organization – the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society make input to past administrations' efforts on the way forward in the sector?

So for mining, strengthen the agencies in the public sector that should be involved. Do they have vehicles in the mines inspectorate? I doubt if they have up to six or seven vehicles now to monitor over 3000 locations where you have illegal mining going on. So, get more capacity, give them more logistics and I think the government is thinking about that, and very soon hopefully they will have that because that's what they say and I believe them and hope it will be done. Get more vehicles and let them monitor these people just like Customs people who are virtually everywhere. Now, smugglers are a little bit afraid. When these things are done, then you can plan extension services for them.

ANS: Yes, we made inputs. We were always shouting at our conferences. We were always writing communiqué s. Not much came out of them. But I think now we are talking and they are listening. To a great extent, we do not complain now. There is the tendency for us to criticize as professionals but this time around, we are engaging and I think they are listening, and I hope they will continue to listen.

I am not a politician but a professional. I want to congratulate Mr. President. This is the irst time you see a president in almost all his speeches saying we must diversify the solid sector. I think he should be encouraged to do it.

IQ: How will you react to the notion held by some people that locally trained geoscientists are not good enough to You cannot wipe it out but let them also have what is called confront the task of developing mining? artisanal licenses, which they have done. Monitor them; teach them how to mine effectively. Let them also be able to contribute ANS: How can we say that locally trained geoscientists are not to the economy by paying royalty and teach them best practices good enough? I will give you an example. I got employed in of artisanal methods of mining for some of these smaller Geological Survey in 1983 as a young geoscientist. By that time, I minerals. It is not by force or bringing soldiers. Yes, you can bring had the privilege of working in the main headquarters in Kaduna. soldiers but you have to be able to monitor them. For those doing Lagos was just the administrative headquarters, and the ield the legal work, an agency like the NSCDC can move in with mine headquarters was Kaduna. The number of minerals discovered of icers and enforce the law. Within a short time, it will reduce. then was less than 15 but we had 44.Which foreigner had come to discover them? All the limestone being used today for cement IQ: What is your view on the mining roadmap that was manufacturing, which foreigner came to discover it? The banded approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently? iron formation after the Russians left in the 1970s, you had the steel raw materials exploration agency, they discovered more ANS: It is fantastic. In fairness to the minister, he involved all than 15 after that; which foreigner did it? For the mapping of this of us in the industry. For example, all the professionals in the country, the Europeans mapped may be up to 100,000 sheets – government and private sector were well represented. The about 10 to 30 percent, who did it? So, some times when we begin chairman was not only an academic but had also been in the to condemn what we have, then it is unfortunate. ministry as the Director of Mines, Cadastre Of ice. The cochairman, Prof. Malomo was the Director General. There were people from the private sector – the president of the miners association representing mostly the artisanal miners, people from the inance sector.

I think it is a good thing and if it is properly followed and implemented, then it's going to fast-track development of the mining sector. It is a good thing because it involved those that should really plan the road map; it wasn't just a ministry thing.

So, I think that the government is on the right track. I think we professionals in the mining sector really don't have a cause to complain now because as we are seeing everything we are asking them to do within the constraints of the economy, they are doing it.

On Ajaokuta, we advised them that they cannot keep putting it on concession because it won't work. And of course, it was a legal problem because they were in arbitration for seven years in London and nothing happened. Now that government has got back Ajaokuta, all they need to do is look for funds, bring Ajaokuta to 100 percent completion, and then decide what you want to do with it. And if they inish Ajaokuta, I don't think there's any reason for any engineer to be jobless in Nigeria. It is not a complex; it is a city, and I think that if all the infrastructures are completed, there will be primary and secondary jobs. So, let government look for money anywhere because it will pay itself.

That's the bedrock of industrialization. Two things that make a country are the steel sector and energy sector. Get these two areas going and your construction is okay.

Volume 2 No 6

Illegal Gold Miners

Who is even to blame, if we say we are not good enough? Who abandoned the mining sector? In the last ive years we have about 34 universities in Nigeria that are producing geoscientists, none of them graduates less than 50 in a year. So, every year you have not less than 1500 geoscientists. If you calculate what you have in the last 20 years, you have over 20, 000 geoscientists. Where are they?

They are either in the banks, riding “okada” or teaching in secondary schools. For the few that have been practising in the sector, you can't just write them off because it is like they are

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Interview catching a lion with bare hands. That there is even what is called solid mineral sector; kudos should go to the Nigerian

Nickel

Volume 2 No 6

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Power & Energy

Energy

Consumers Must Not Buy Transformers Again – Fashola Orders DISCOS people understand what we are doing, the more they take -By Dachi Maduako

M

inister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Raji Fashola, has frowned at the complaints from consumers that they are made to buy transformers, saying it is the responsibility of Distribution Companies(DISCOS) to buy and install transformers for their clients wherever they are needed.

“You must continue to make distribution assets investments in transformers”, he said.

Fashola stated this when the Chief Executive Of icer (CEO) of the Abuja Distribution Company paid him a courtesy call in his of ice in Abuja. He urged them to continue to m a k e d i s t r i b u t i o n a s s e t investments in transformers available to the customers to s h o re u p t h e c u s to m e r s ' con idence. He restated that some of the complaints getting t o t h e m i n t h e m i n i s t r y indicate that people are buying transformers for themselves. “ S u c h t h i n g s m u s t s t o p because those are the things t h a t h e l p t o e n g e n d e r con idence that the system will work,” he said. “ S o , p r iva t e p u rc h a s e o f transformers must stop. That is the responsibility of the DISCOS. And each consumer must have a reasonable expectation of when he must get a meter so that he will be able to plan his life. That is what brings con idence in the system that it is working”, he said.

Also expressing delight at the meter roll-out plan of the company, Fashola, advised him, “Every day you install a meter, I think in order to build hope, you must also explain the challenges of meter installations; and every day you install a meter, you said you install 15 per day for customers, put them online let people see that it is done”.

ownership,” he said.

He pointed out that the con idence built through customer relationship would assure consumers that the industry would work, adding that the areas where the companies could build customer relationships include establishing customer help-lines to enable customers reach them when they need help or to clarify issues in the sector.

He said that it would also be necessary for the companies to put it out each time they install meters to make it real and give hope to other customers still expecting meters that they would eventually get.

The Minister also urged the CEOs to also put the help-lines on their c u s t o m e r s ' i n f o r m a t i o n a n d communications platforms. These include such platforms as cell phones, WhatsApp chat lines, Twitter handles and others while making themselves available to enable customers talk to them when necessary.

“You are the ones who collect their money so they must be able to reach you when there is a problem. That is what builds con idence in the system”, the Minister said adding, “If I know that my neighbour has got a meter, it gives me hope that it will get to me”.

He also urged the DisCos to assist government in the advocacy on Energy conservation, which he described as a big issue, adding, “Whatever each DisCos can do among the customers too in helping us improve our advocacy will ultimately take us to steady and uninterrupted power.

FG, Ezektech Sign MoU for 250kW

“There will be challenges in the value chain from time to time, some of which we have heard, some of which after we have solved them others will manifest. But let us understand that the problems we have in electricity is not technical problem. They are all man- made issues and it is just going to take men and women to solve them”, he said.

-By Dachi Maduako

“So you must send out your patrol cars and drive around to see what lights are on. Most of the illing stations switch on all their lights during the day. The question to ask is; are they paying commercial prices for that energy? If they are paying for it clearly the need to conserve it becomes stronger”, he said.

According to him, “Customers who waste energy need to be educated that somebody needs that energy desperately at the time they are wasting it. That power may be needed more urgently in the hospital for surgery”

Stressing the importance of con idence building, the Minister told his guests, “So if I were you, I would focus my energies and my attention on customer relationship and con idence building.

Those Stakeholders' Summits are good but it is also even better when the customers know that if they send you a text message something will be done”.

Fashola said Nigerians were wise enough to understand any issues when properly enlightened, pointing out that electricity issues were not as complicated as they seemed.

“There is nothing wrong with our people in terms of knowledge; electricity is not such a mysterious science, the more we make it elementary, the more we make it simple, the more we make infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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Power & Energy

Energy

Rise in Water Volume Shoots Up Electricity Supply

-By Peace Uzoanya

T

he increase in rainfall last year which caused havoc in some areas of the country due to looding had its own good side that is making people smile as it has affected one of the essential sectors of the economy – the Power sector.

power becomes unreliable. Now w e h a v e m o r e r a i n a n d t h e hydro plant has b e c o m e m o r e r e l i a b l e ,” t h e Power, Works and Housing Minister, Mr. minister said.

Babatunde Fashola, while revealing this recently, said that the improvement in H e a d d e d , power supply across the country was h o w e v e r, t h a t attributable to the large volume of water what has changed feeding the nation's hydro power plants. i s t h a t The increase in the water body, he maintenance and explained was due to increased rainfall and t h e w o r k t h a t the maintenance work on the plants which government started last year on the plant has reactivated more turbines that were has enabled the country get more power. previously inactive due to lack of “We now have more turbines working to maintenance over the years. produce more power. It wouldn't have mattered whether we have abundant rain Fashola, said as a result of the combined if the turbines were not working. We have effect of the large body of water feeding the gained about 400 extra Megawatts on what plant and the additional turbines that have we used to get from the same hydro plan been reactivated, the plant was now last year,” he said. producing additional 400MW more than its capacity last year adding, however, that Fashola recalled that the country attained the increase in volume of water would not 5,000MW of power for the irst time in have made any difference if the turbines February this year, Fashola, who noted that were not reactivated. the power dropped to about 3,000MW because of gas outages, added that the “The power you see is coming from hydro Ministry of Petroleum were working hard power because we now have more rain. to put the gas pipelines back.

Just like when you have broken pipeline, the power becomes unreliable, so also “But roughly from about 2,000MW of when you have low rainfall, the hydro

Shiroro Dam

power which we were left with from 5,000MW we have climbed now to 3,000MW, averaging about 3,4000MW to 3,5000MW in the last ive weeks. It is still mixed blessings here and there. Some people have power while some people still don't have. So that is incremental power that we have talked of the irst time”, he said.

Describing the phenomenon as “touch wood”, the Minister, who said people should just hold their breath yet, added, “We are not out of the corner yet until we get stable power, then maybe we can be thinking of consistency. But right now, at least, the hydro power is at peak; just like solar power, its ef iciency during the day is not its ef iciency at night”.

FG Urges Power companies to Find Solution to Liquidity Challenges vigorous pursuit of metering initiatives by the distribution companies across the country whom he said should also shore up their capacity to collect bills.

He noted that liquidity was the biggest problem in the sector, adding that the inability of the DisCos to collect bills also came with some consumers utilizing energy not measured, thereby creating waste in the sector, adding that addressing these problems. as well as the volatility of foreign exchange would bring relief to the sector.

The Minister urged the operators to look beyond the present challenges in the sector in order to see the vast opportunities that they offer for investments and job creation. He declared, “Problems must not de ine us. It is our response to problems that must de ine us,” adding that there are always inherent opportunities in existing challenges.”

Babatunde Fashola meeting with Power Sector Operators

G

He noted that liquidity problems in the sector manifest themselves in some diverse forms, which include the inability of Distribution Companies to collect bills for energy consumed and their inability to reduce their losses as well as in the way some subscribers continue to use electricity that is not measured, thereby increasing waste.

overnment has urged operators in the nation's power sector to look inwards for possible solutions to the prevailing liquidity challenges facing the power sector. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola threw the challenge to them at a meeting in Sokoto, where he identi ied sectorial challenges that could bring Other ways the liquidity problem manifest itself in the sector are the quick solution to the liquidity problem currently plaguing diverse and volatile foreign exchange market now making it quite chall dif icult for business planning as well as debts owed to utilities by the sector.

Fashola said the answer to the liquidity problem lay in the Volume 2 No 6

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Power & Energy

Energy government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

ultimately consummated by a fair billing system that consumers ultimately believe that they have been fairly billed for what they have Elaborating on the commitment of government to pay the used”. debts owed utilities, Fashola declared government would pay all debts that are duly veri ied and payable adding, He commended the Kaduna DisCos for looking inwards to see how to however, that debt payment and tariff adjustment alone manufacture the meters here instead of importing metres from would not solve the current liquidity problem in the power Thailand. “The difference in metres being made here is that it helps to sector. keep the jobs at home,” he said.

According to the Minister, maximum and optimum collection of bills is another critical leg in reducing the losses in the Power sector, He added that this was where the Metering Initiative became very important as it represents the interface between the consumers who pay the bills and DisCos, who are the collectors of the bills.

Also commending all other discos and persons that have taken the initiative to look inwards, Fashola, said it was only by looking inwards that the inherent opportunities in the sector could be identi ied, pointing out that such opportunities include those for job creation where companies manufacturing metres would employ Nigerians and make pro it in the country.

Commending the Kaduna DisCos for the roll out of meters, He expressed joy that the Kaduna Disco was joining Sokoto in making which was the highpoint of the meeting, Fashola declared, metres, noting that the opportunities in the sector were continuous “The Metering Initiative which we are celebrating here today and almost endless. is further represented by regular power supply and

Alaoji Power Plant Comes on Stream

H

ope is rising with the additional 450 mw power generation from the Alaoji power plant in Abia State. The Alaoji power plant is one of the 10 National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) in the portfolio of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

-By Dachi Maduako

attainment of the aims of the Federal Government. The NOPL has the capacity of up to 300 million cubic feet of gas to the Eastern Grid Domestic Gas Market. Out of this, the Alaoji Power Plant is expected to use 100MMscf/d for electricity generation while other users will consume the remaining.

He maintained that the two projects are part of the OML 58

The ray of hope arose as a result of supply of gas to the Alaoji power plant by the joint venture of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Total E&P Limited (TEPNG).

The Alaoji power plant is expected to boost the eastern grid domestic gas market.

The Alaoji power plant received a boost with the completion of the Obite- Ubete-Rumuji pipeline (O-U-R pipeline) which has commenced gas supply to the plant alongside with the Northern Option Pipeline projects (NOPL). Both of them are NNPC/TEPNG Joint Venture projects.

Details of both pipelines indicate that the O-U-R pipeline consists of 42-inch gas pipeline that runs through 45 kilometres from Obite to Rumuji both in Rivers State. This carries both domestic and export gas. On the other hand, the NOPL is a 24-inch gas pipeline that also has two above ground installations covering a distance of 50 kilometres from Oil Mining Lease (OML) 58 in Rivers State to Owaza node in Abia State.

Alaoji Power Plant

upgrade initiative to increase oil and gas production as well as improve the facilities and eliminate gas laring from the onshore ields.

Other completed projects by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company are the Olorunsogo 11 in Ogun State (750 mw), Calabar (563 mw), Gbarin in Bayelsa Stat (255 mw), Alaoji in Abia State (450 mw), Ihevbor in Edo State (450 mw), Sapele in Delta State Speaking on the importance of the completed project, the (450 mw), Omotosho 11 in Ondo State (450 mw), and Geregu 11 Managing Director of Total E&P Nigeria Limited Mr Nicholas in Kogi State (434 mw).

Terraz said it was an important milestone towards the

Stakeholders Hail Incremental Power Delivery

P

ower operators in the country have acknowledged the incremental power delivery being recorded, saying the National Grid is consistently delivering an estimated 4,200 Megawatts of electricity following progress being made in delivering Incremental Power. This is as a result of strategies put in place by the Federal Government which have boosted gas supply and strengthened transmission lines across the country.

National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) showed that power supply had increased from 3,500MW to 4,200MW as delivered by the National Grid which represents steady increment in power over the past few months.

The Meeting was presided over by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola noted that NNPC also reported an average of 3,166MW of power Rising from their ninth Monthly Meeting in Sokoto recently, Power currently unavailable in the Grid due to pipeline vandalism Sector Operators acknowledged progress in delivery of incremental and the promise by the Corporation that the remaining power, noting that a current performance report by the Nigerian vandalized pipelines would soon be repaired.

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Power & Energy

Energy NNPC had, in its report, which formed part of the Communiqué of the Meeting, announced a lourishing outlook on gas supply at the third quarter of this year as a result of the completion of repairs on a H-24 inch supply pipeline by November, in addition to incremental supply expected from various gas projects being undertaken by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation's gas projects to ensure consistent supply of gas which would translate to increase in gas supply.

In addition, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced the completion of the Alaoji-Ikot-Ekpene 330 KVDC Line and the CalabarIkot-Ekpene 330KVDC Line, as well as the Ikot-Ekpene Switching Station which was expected to be commissioned at the end of October, adding that the lines would greatly boost the carrying capacity of the Grid.

problem and put the industry on a robust and sustainable foundation.

On concrete steps being taken to address the liquidity problem, the Meeting, which was briefed about the plans of government to repay MDA debts, requested the DisCos to submit details of customers and also furnish their audited accounts while also charging them to reduce their own losses by increasing metering.

Government, according to the Communiqué , was doing all that was necessary within the limits of available resources to address the issue of MDA debts t h r o u g h a p p r o v a l s a n d payments, as well as organizing the billings and payments and continuing expansion in the business.

I n t h e a r e a o f m e t e r i n g , however, the Meeting, noted with delight that DisCos were making efforts to meet the Metering rollouts committed to b y t h e m a n d e x p r e s s e d a n t i c i p a t i o n o f f u r t h e r improvement in metering before the end of the year, as it would help reduce losses by the

TCN also announced the progress being made in the extension of Transmission Power Sub Station Grid across the country i n c l u d i n g s u c h l i n e s a s Maiduguri-Damaturu-Mai-Berua-Damboa Line, which falls DisCos. within limits of the Yola DisCo as well as extension programmes on-going in Sokoto-Kaduna-Funtua-Zaria- The Meeting reiterated the various targets committed to by the DisCos Guzau Line within the Kaduna Electricity Distribution for various months this year ending in December, pointing out that Company adding that these would improve to DisCos. the targets which are in three streams including targets for June and December with the actual for October 2016 should result in According to the Communiqué , the completion of the Alaoji- impressive metering by the end of the year.

Ikot-Ekpene 330KVDC Line as well as Calabar-Ikot Ekpene 330KV Line was made possible following the resolution of In its report, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) the community issues in Itu and Oranta, adding that the lines announced the sanction of the Port Harcourt DisCo and the were expected to be energized following the quality Commission's intention to also sanction the Benin, Kano and Enugu assessment by the Nigerian Electricity Management Service DisCos for not complying with the instructions regarding the Agency (NEMSA). submission of audited accounts.

Acknowledging progress in delivery of incremental power, the Meeting expressed delight over the improvement in response by Distribution Companies to customer complaints especially in the area of resolving issues between them and their host communities, citing as example the resolution of issues between Odo community in Delta State and the Benin DisCo and between Rainbow College and River Dam DisCo, as well as other locations and other distribution companies.

The Meeting commended the DisCos for this improvement in relationship and expressed the hope of continued improvement procedures while also recognising the need for all distribution systems and Transmission companies to ensure that the incremental power added to the National Grid would be evaluated by degrees and delivered to customers.

Describing the liquidity problem facing the industry as multi-dimensional and central to the survival and sustainability of the industry, the Meeting noted that solving the problem required more intensive accessibility and payment of bills owed operators by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government adding, however, that the industry was devising far-reaching measures to solve the infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

The Commission consequently directed that DisCos would henceforth be required to submit the inancial statements of their companies in accordance with the provisions of their license.

The Meeting, which was hosted by the Kaduna Distribution Company, as usual, focused on identifying, discussing and inding practical solutions to critical issues plaguing the Nigerian Electricity supply industry.

The operators were fully represented at the highest Management levels including Managing Directors and CEOs of distribution companies (DisCos) and Transmission Companies, as well as various government agencies such as the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, The Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET), The Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC), the Nigerian Liability Management Company (NLMCO) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA). These Agencies are responsible for the regulation and development of electricity in Nigeria. Various distribution companies also outlined plans towards improving metering across the country even as they committed themselves to various target installation plans that would ensure the metering of no less than 200,000 consumers nationwide by October this year.

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Power & Energy

Energy

FG kick-starts Solar Power Investment in Nigeria

· Signs First Power Purchase Agreement -By Peace Uzoanya “because the parameters and the indices of

I

n pursuance of its commitment to the stabilisation of the nation's electricity supply, the Federal Government in Abuja signed a Solar Power Purchase Agreement with a group of investors, saying the need has become expedient, as the country invests in renewable energy whose technologies were still being imported.

the Money Market have changed”.

regulator.

“And therefore all of the things cannot remain the same even though economics will always expect them to remain the same. I think this is an opportunity for us to ensure that our people get the best power the sector has to offer by taking the electricity sector to the real and the responsive economy; because I think it is the basis of privatization in the irst place, The agreement was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Power, Works Describing the judicial intervention as one to take it away from government and put in and Housing Minister, Mr Babatunde of the unusual things happening in the the real economy”, he said.

Fashola. Speaking while signing the power sector, the Minister declared, “Let agreement, the Minister, recalled the me say the judiciary is blameless, it has the Fashola also stressed the need for the recent judgement that set aside the constitutional responsibility to hear people to understand that investments in electricity tariff earlier introduced by the matters brought before it and to determine the sector such as solar and other renewable energy, take time to Government. He said there was m a t u r e , s a y i n g t h a t s u c h need for Nigerians to see electricity impressions laid in the past had as a product that has to be made caused agitations and loss of from raw materials that have to be con idence among the citizenry as bought; a product that has to be public expectations appeared transported and the transporter has largely unful illed. to be paid and the transport cost indexed into the cost of the inal According to the Minister, “Power product just as it is done with other Purchase Agreements are the products. heart and souls of inancing Power Projects. They do not He urged the investors to see their automatically on their own mean investment as an opportunity to that you will have electricity join in this public education, saying, tomorrow; but they indicate that “Let us explain to our people that in the next few months, 6, 9, 12, you came in as business men, not as 14, 18 months, depending on the social interventionists and you speed of each promoter and come into an environment of pro it Solar Energy Plant developer, you will begin to see and loss, and while our duty is to incremental delivery of electricity protect consumers, we also owe an them in the way that the arguments have into the Grid and into your communities obligation to enable you run your business. been canvassed and the way that the and I think this is important to manage We can do that if we work together. You judgment may appear to represent”. expectation. must be as interested to educate as we are”.

According to the Minister, it is also Fashola commended the investors for their important to understand what constitutes resolution to go ahead and invest even “I also think our partners must understand adequate consultation and to understand, after the court judgement on Tariff this as well; and that on their of ice and for example, whether in setting tariff, describing it as a demonstration of their home pages, on their sites, they must N a t i o n a l E l e c t r i c i t y R e g u l a t o r y commitment to the development of the contribute to educate the public about Commission (NERC) must speak to every nation's power sector and their con idence w h a t t h ey s h o u l d re a s o n a b ly a n d rationally expect so that when delivery is Nigerian before it has complied with the in the future of the sector. made it is against a measured expectation.” l a w a d d i n g , “ S o t h e s e a r e t h e responsibilities that today's partnership “Clearly your position on tariff now seems imposes on us to ind solutions where none somewhat in doubt, but in spite of that, you “I think there was a perception that was allowed to linger that immediately the may readily appear.” remain committed, you remain resolute to privatization process was completed, proceed. This is the role of pioneers to see “Let us also use the opportunity to where the path has never been charted and everything was solved. But it was just a irst enlighten the public that tariff can never be I am sure, working with you we will ind a step in the process”, the Minister said, permanently ixed because it will always way””, he said adding, “For me, I think that pointing out that although the sun is free be subject to the dynamics of economics; we must also see the opportunities that are the processes required to harness the energy and convert it to electric current and therefore, if cost of raw materials go up inherent in what appears to be a setback”. tariff must follow some time in a way that if Fashola said there was need also to make are not free.” they come down tariff should also come comparisons where they exist about how down”, he said adding, “I think in this way other sectors have reacted to the realities He added, “Photo-voltic cells are not made we will build more understanding, we will of the economy, adding that sectors like the in Nigeria yet. If we are lucky, the panels, see less excitement to approach the courts P e t r o l e u m a n d m e d i a a n d some of the aluminum ittings are being and more willingness to work with the communications have reacted accordingly p u t t o g e t h e r h e r e . B u t w e d o n ' t Volume 2 No 6

Exonerating the judiciary from blame in its Judgement on the Tariff issue, Fashola a rg u e d t h a t t h e J u d i c i a r y h a s t h e constitutional responsibility to hear matters brought before it and to determine such matters in the way that the arguments have been canvassed and the way the judgement may appear to represent.

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Power & Energy

Energy manufacture the cells, they have to be imported, they are subject to exchange rate vagaries”.

The Minister described the Power Purchase Agreement as “a document that clearly shows that the Consumer is being put irst”, because it determines how much of the energy ultimately gets to the consumer adding, “And this is the good job that government, through its agency –EMBET- has done.”

He recalled that on assumption of of ice what he met was a bounty of about 17 cents, which at N200.00 to a dollar translated to a N34.00 per unit of solar energy that would be transferred to consumers and added that he didn't feel comfortable to pass this onto consumers.

“Today, as we come to 11.5 cents at N200.00 to a dollar, I think we are probably at about N23.00 which is in the region of even the disputed tariff”, he said, adding, “But we feel this is a good place to begin.

We expect that these pioneers have opened the door for other players to come in. And

as it is in other jurisdictions, we expect that were either built with poor quality the prices will further drop down as the materials such as poles, with poor wood or metals that have corroded. technology gets better and cheaper.”

Fashola, described the nation's electricity s e c t o r a s t r a n s i t i n g f r o m b e i n g government-led and government-run, for many decades, to now being government regulated and private sector run, pointing o u t t h a t i t w a s c r e a t i n g s o m e misunderstandings and novelties.

Such misunderstandings and novelties, he explained, come from people who have not had to pay for power now inding it dif icult to migrate to the culture of paid power and people who had never bothered about c o n s e r v i n g e l e c t r i c i t y n o w b e i n g “We must stop managing and we must ask conscious because their pockets are and insist on the best”, the Minister said, responding to a private sector led adding that it had become expedient to electricity. make such statement because some of the investments that have been made in the He described the occasion as a very p a s t i n b u i l d i n g p o w e r l i n e s a n d important milestone which has signalled distribution facilities “could have been the nation's commitment to walk through better delivered”. He expressed regrets the door into the Global Comity of nations that some of the facilities may have to be that commit to renewable energy. replaced, reconstructed or rebuilt as they The Minister thanked the pioneer investors, most of whom were youths, for their commitment and con idence in the nation's Power Sector. He praised their perceived energy and enterprise, saying, “This is understandable because solar is emerging and evolving technology and no generation of people has shown a greater commitment to it than young people; and I am sure with their energy, with their enterprise and with their fearlessness, we will deliver this commitment.

WAPIC 2016: Experts Seek Solution on Energy Constraints -By Peace Uzoanya

T

he West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC) 2016 provided a platform for professionals, experts and industry stalwarts to deliberate on the power challenges of the region and create opportunities for networking.

Chairman / CEO, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Anthony Akah.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Enyinnaya Abaribe asked Nigerians to do away with the thought that power is a free commodity. He said that metre bypass, power The conference which was the 13th edition had the theme: theft and non-payment of electricity bills were huge problems 'The 4Ps of a Healthy West African Power Industry – Politics, that should be addressed as soon as possible in the country.

Policy, Pricing and Partnerships' was held in Lagos recently. It featured among other activities the 'Innovation Hub,' the third According to him, Nigerians needed to be told the truth that edition of West Africa Power Industry Awards, exhibitions by subsidizing or making electricity free would require massive both local and international power companies, West Africa funding from government, which, however, cannot be done Women in Power luncheon, roundtable think tank exercise, because it has been privatized. and the Gas to Power conference track and training.

Among the exhibitors was Eko Electricity Distribution Yolisa Nkoya, the Innovation Hub progranne director, said it Company (EKEDC) which campaigned for the use of energy was an opportunity for innovators, start-ups and Small and saving bulbs. Hauwei promoted green energy in its data centre Medium Enterprises in the power industry to showcase their for the installation of software for career and inancial systems inventions, solutions and power solving technologies to like banks and tax of ices. Omicron, a Swedish company industry stakeholders and investors who will make use of showcased testing equipment for sub-station such as power them to take their projects to the next level and out into the transformer, voltage transformer, current transformer, socket breaker and relays needed by utilities and big industries. world where they can make a real difference.

It identi ied problem sets in the power sector where innovation and new technologies can turn things around for the better. Such problems include using applications and technology for increased revenue collection, winning the consumer market, rethinking supply chain management and innovation for renewable energy.

Speakers at the convention included the organizing company, Spintelligent, South Africa, Managing Director, David Ashdown; Chief Architect, Huawei Nigeria, Olayemi Joseph; C h a i r m a n , H o u s e C o m m i t t e e o n Po we r, H o u s e o f Representatives, Hon. Ef iong Asuquo Daniel; and Acting

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Discussants at the WAPIC Conference

Volume 2 No 6

Maritime

Transportation

Bello hopeful of Shoring up GDP through Transport Sector he Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr. Hassan Bello has revealed that Nigeria's t ra n s p o r t a t i o n s e c to r h a s t h e p o te n t i a l o f contributing 10 per cent to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) if its potential is fully tapped and utilized.

Singapore have built their economies around a vibrant transportation sector. Although Nigeria is blessed with multiple modes of transportation that is the envy of many, these potentials have largely remained untapped. Our air transport and railways sub-sectors hold the key to unlocking the vast potentials in our cities and rural areas.

The President Muhammadu Buhari administration is determined to fully exploit the potentials in the transportation sector.”

Receiving the of icials of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology in his of ice, Bello emphasized the enormous economic potentials of the Nigerian marine transportation system, noting that marine transportation and shipping are parts of the key elements that Nigeria must put in place in order to achieve its present economic diversi ication policy.

Lots of pundits have been harping on the need for the wonks in Nigeria's transportation sector to take urgent steps in drawing the necessary policy framework to unlock the vast potentials of the transport sector.

-By Ajibola Olarinoye

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According to him, massive investments in infrastructure and in-depth training for the operators and regulators on modern global trends have to be the highest priorities of the policy makers if they really want the sector to contribute higher quota to the country's GDP. In his words: “There is need for investment to get the sector to be properly linked to the Nigerian economy. The shippers' Council is interested in developing policies that are aimed at growing the transportation sector. There is a gap in the industry today. The industry is knowledge driven, hence, the need for training and retraining.”

He stated that the sector is a signi icant aspect of Nigerian economy, saying that the time was ripe for its potentials to be fully tapped so as to make remarkable impact on the Nigerian economy. “So many mistakes have been made in the industry as a result of the huge knowledge gap. We cannot afford to make any mistakes this time that we have limited opportunity in the sector. Transportation is a signi icant aspect of the Nigerian economy. The time has come for the sector to mean something and contribute a huge portion of the nation's GDP,” Hassan noted.

According to a research work published by un.edu.ng titled, “Economic Side Effects of Government Spending on Road Infrastructure in N i g e r i a” w r i t t e n by Sanni Ishaq: “Investments in road and highways enhance the distribution of goods and services through n a t i o n a l a n d international markets.

Good transport linkages reduce transport cost and promote industrial d e v e l o p m e n t throughout the country.

G o v e r n m e n t i s c a l p o l i c i e s i n t h e transportation sector should be made to link all the regions in Nigeria t h r o u g h t h e r o a d Mr. Hassan Bello Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council n e t w o r k ; t h i s w i l l reduce road congestion and other negative side effects of poor road network. Evidence abounds that economic growth has always been dependent on trade and transport. This simply implies that 'The Better the Infrastructure, the More Successful the Economic Policies.”

Earlier this year, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi admitted that much of the potentials of the transportation sector has not been tapped, lamenting that 1.41 percent aggregate contribution of the sector to Nigeria's Gross The contribution of the transportation sector to Nigeria's GDP has been experiencing downward trajectory despite the fact that Domestic Product is worrisome and unfortunate. budgetary allocation is being given to road projects at state and federal According to the minister, "Countries like South Korea and level has been high.

Fighting Corruption in Nigerian Maritime Sector

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ecently, the issue of high level of corrupt practices in the maritime sector of the nation's economy has raised much eyebrow from various quarters, leading to attempts to quell the malady and tame it to the lowest ebb. All the key players in the sector have been put at alert and informed of the no none sense stance of the administration whose policy tilts towards zero tolerance to corruption. Both government and non-governmental organisations are open to the issues at stake and are therefore, ready to go the extra mile to ensure that it is completely wiped out.

Reacting to the phenomenon, the Founder of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Nwachukwu bemoaned the level of corruption in Nigerian ports, saying it is extremely high, even higher than before.

Lamenting about the level of corruption in our ports and maritime sector generally, he stated unequivocally that corruption in Nigeria has reached its peak. infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

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He said “The corruption at the port is more now than before.

If you know the enormity of corrupt behaviours that go on in Nigerian ports, then you will appreciate the fact that things are not going well as expected. It is sad when you see agencies of government no longer respecting the rules of engagement in terms of their oath of of ice.”

He noted that, “In the matter of corruption in Nigeria, the giver and the taker are culpable and this is one major reason why we have not won the war. It's because both parties are involved. But my own opinion about the whole thing is that somebody should be held responsible, the agencies of government are under oath to serve the constitution of Nigeria and they should not connive with the port users whose intention is to maximize pro it.”

No vestige of doubt can disprove the fact that the maritime sector generally is marred by monumental corruption and Volume 2 No 6

Maritime

Transportation sharp practices; this ugly phenomenon is not hidden to the public as stories that border on inancial misdeeds in the sector appear almost every day in the media.

In 2013, a report titled, “Corruption Risk Assessment in Nigeria Ports”, was presented to the public in Abuja by the Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences (ICPC), where Mr. Ekpo Nta gave a damning report on how corruption and all forms of sharp practices are crippling Nigerian ports.

According to the ICPC Chairman, the international business community, clients and other stakeholders want to see transparent and clean corruption-prone free processes, noting that the commission would not hesitate to prosecute corrupt persons.

The Chairman said: “While all is being done to eliminate corruption, the commission will not hesitate to prosecute corrupt persons. In addition, we shall continue to deny the corrupt persons the enjoyment of the proceeds of their crime through assets seizure and forfeiture.”

He stressed further: “Nigeria, the international business community, clients and other stakeholders want to see transparent and clean corruption-prone clean processes at the ports.”

The study was carried out in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme, Technical Unit on Governance and Anticorruption Reforms, the Bureau of Public Procurement, The Nigeria Ports Authority, The Maritime Anti-corruption network and other stakeholders.

According to a consultant to CRA, Constatine Paliscarsky who delivered the report, people rationalize corrupt practices, giving excuses why they should not be held responsible. He added that if rationalization could not be addressed, then, the issue of corruption could not be addressed. He said further that ineffective administration and weak institutions are parts of the factors that ignite corruption in Nigerian ports.

Few months ago, in a two-day workshop on “Corruption Risk Assessment and Implementation of Integrity Plan in the Port Sector,” the Director, Consumers Affairs of The Nigerian Shippers Council, Azuba Ogo said the council has equally held series of roundtable conferences to proffer lasting solutions to the problems facing ports users.

She said: “The NSC has been taking note of the outcome of a survey which shows that a large number of government of icials request facilitation of payments in the ports. The request varies from port to port and the survey also shows refusals to pay, delays and allegations of irregularities of d o c u m e n t a t i o n o r o p e ra t i o n s between 2014 and 2015.”

Speaking at the workshop, the Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is not left Lamin Beyai, who was represented out in the rot bedevilling the maritime by the Programme Associate of industry. The of icers and men of the service UNDP, Segun Olusola said UNDP had have been accused of illegal auctioning and trained and certi icated 67 Nigerian other illegal deals in the discharge of their “Risk Assessors” at the request of duties. For example, they allegedly cultivate Maritime Anti-Corruption Network the habit of sharing seized goods among (MACN). He added that UNDP has themselves and their acolytes, some of whom c o n d u c t e d C o r r u p t i o n R i s k they use as decoy to perpetrate the acts.

Hon. Rotimi Amaechi Minister for Transportation Assessment on six Nigerian ports such as Tin-can Island, Apapa, According to the Nigeria Association of Auctioneers (NAA), Nigeria lost about N200 billion between 2011 and Calabar, Onne, Warri and Port Harcourt.

2015 via this villainous act, attributing it to lack of transparency on Since her appointment as the Managing Director of The Nigerian Ports Authority on July 11, 2016, some the part of the previous administrations. stakeholders in the industry are optimistic that Ms Hadiza The NAA General Secretary, Isibor Abhulien accused the custom Usman will chart a new dimension in the maritime sector of icers of selling those products at very ridiculous low prices to their due to her vast experience in the public service. friends and families who will appear as genuine buyers, ostensibly for the bene it of the custom of icers. He said the custom of icers would Usman described Nigeria ports as the artery of Nigerian economy, adding that her administration would brighten the later meet those acolytes and take the possessions of the goods. entire space of their commercial operations. She assured The auctioneer said: “An item worth N2 million, for instance, is seized, that she would run an open door policy that would but the customs will value it at N100, 000 and sell to their cronies and accommodate listening ears to customer, importers, this is costing the government huge revenue and robbing other exporters and other relevant agencies so as to ensure Nigerians equal opportunity to bid for these items. It is our ef iciency and transparency in the day-to-day activities of the prerogative to bring this glaring anomaly to the attention of Nigerians ports. and President Muhammadu Buhari's administration, especially now that the revenues to the federal government coffers have dwindled.”

Lamenting about the level of corruption in the ports, she noted that every stakeholder in NPA has a role to play in A Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) that was recently released by the promoting best practices, in upholding the accepted ICPC and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on Nigeria ports standards and in the delivery of quality services, adding that shows that not less than 79 signatures of government of icials must be they would all work hard with integrity and with zero appended to papers in order for someone to have his goods cleared at tolerance to corruption. the national ports. Apart from the fact that it greatly breeds “Everyone at the NPA has a role to play in promoting best corruption; this situation is a wedge to business development in practice, upholding governance, standards and in delivering Nigeria in the sense that it adds to the cost of doing business in quality services. We will work hard, with integrity and with Nigerian seaports. zero-tolerance for corruption. We will strive for enhanced operating ef iciencies to facilitate improved revenue Volume 2 No 6

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Maritime

Transportation generation and in lows into the national treasury.”

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hammed Alli (rtd) has also been emphasizing on zero-tolerance to corruption since his appointment in 2015. He has been using every medium to talk tough against the menace and all forms of sharp practices that have bedevilled commercial operations at the Nigerian ports. It is even reliably gathered that his reforms have sent shivers down the spine of some workers at the ports as he has been seen matching his words with actions in his bid to reorganize and restructure the operational activities of custom at the ports and borders.

Roro Port, Tin-Can Island

NIMASA Revenue Earnings Stir Controversy

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he recent report showing the revenue earnings of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for the past seven years has set tongues wagging among many stakeholders and experts in the maritime sector.

According to of icial revenue document, the country's maritime regulatory body raked in N285.8 billion within seven years.

The breakdown of the revenue analysis shows that the agency earmarked $1.77 billion between 2009 and 2014 and also generated additional revenue of N70.8 billion in 2015, totaling N285.8 billion (using the rate of 160 Naira per dollar as a benchmark).

A new dimension was added to the revenue base of the agency in 2013 when the Nigeria Lique ied Natural Gas (NLNG) began the payment of the three per cent statutory fee after several years of nonpayment. The NLNG's statutory levy jacked up NIMASA's revenue from $226.6 million in 2012 to $288.1million in 2014.

Within these periods, according to the report, the revenue earnings of the agency were augmented as it raked in additional revenue from dry cargoes which comprise imported and exported goods. In 2014 alone, the agency's earning from dry cargoes was $148million while $139 million was received from wet cargoes, totaling $288 million.

corruption acts while he was the head of the body could signal a new dawn for the the agency. esteemed agency if he matches his words with actions. Judging by his pro ile, some A maritime expert, Kabiru Issa rapped the experts believe that he is professionally past Directors-General of the regulatory and technically quali ied to pilot the affairs agency over the knuckles, accusing them of of the agency. He is a graduate of Medical ineptitude and lack of capacity to lead and Laboratory Science from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology and supervise such a strategic agency. also holds post graduate degree in According to Issa: “It is worthy of note that Management from the University of Port since NIMASA was created, the agency has Harcourt. been led by incompetent directors who f a i l e d t o m a k e a n y s i g n i i c a n t Dr.Peterside openly acknowledged improvement in the agency, largely due to recently that the agency is yet to cut the their ineptitude and lack of capacity to lead mustard, assuring that he is committed to revamping the sector towards making it a such an agency. productive element to the Nigerian “For instance under the cabotage, fees economy. “We are championing a massive were being collected but have never been repositioning, reform and restructuring used for what it is supposed to be for, programme, and of course all those that which is to promote indigenous ship have ideas that will help us are welcome on ownership. In 2013, Engr. Vincent Udoye, a board,” Peterside noted. director of NIMASA claimed seafarers documents can be veri ied through an e- NIMASA was created in August 2006 and portal and postulated that NIMASA was was charged with the of icial onus of one of the leading agencies to have e n s u r i n g s h i p p i n g d e v e l o p m e n t , achieved this feat and recognized by protection and safety of the shipping International Maritime Organisation industry, shipping regulations and ( I M O ) . T h e y p r o v i d e d manpower safety. NIMASA was created www.nimasaseafarers.com as the portal. To after the merging of National Maritime date, this portal is not functional,” Issa Authority and National Labour Industrial Council. noted.

Another stakeholder who preferred a n o n y m i t y s a i d : “ I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the report.

You mean a single agency receives such an amount of money as just part of the overall money that it collects monthly? This is i n t r i g u i n g a n d y e t majority of Nigerians are suffering. It is a case of water everywhere and yet there is no water,” he lamented.

Some analysts have begun to zinger the maritime regulatory body, accusing it of mismanaging such huge amount of funds without having a tangible and direct impact on Nigerian economy. Some are of the view that the past administrations that led the agency managed it poorly as their tenures were fraught with inancial wastage and massive corruption. It will be recalled that the former Director-General of the agency, Mr.Raymond Omatseye was T h e a p p o i n t m e n t o f sentenced to ive years imprisonment Dakuku Peterside as the recently after he was found guilty of new Director-General of infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

-By Ajibola Olarinoye

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Dakuku Peterside Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)

Volume 2 No 6

Aviation

Transportation

Air Transportation of Dangerous Goods is a Sensitive Job, says DGM Boss moulds, depending on what you want to transport. There are some DGM Support and Allied Services International Limited, a global player in the management of dangerous goods with headquarters in the Netherland made its entry into the Nigerian business environment known when it was launched in Lagos, recently. The Country Manager, Mr. Bankole Peters spoke with Peace Uzoanya about the company and its activities at the event.

IQ:

What is the company DGM all about?

things you cannot transport on passenger aircraft; they have to go on cargo aircraft only. And there are some things you cannot even transport by air. For instance, you cannot transport explosives by air but we can actually transport explosives by air for clients. We have equipment called Explosafe that is used to transport explosives. You put the explosives inside that explosafe, and there is a maximum amount you put inside such that even if it should explode, it does not affect the package. There are some companies that ran foul of the law and were ined heavily. You know there is no excuse for ignorance of the law. That is where we come in basically.

ANS: DGM in full is Dangerous Goods Management. DGM Also, we have a global insurance in place. No insurance company started in 1989 in Netherland. The founder, Frank Petillon, wants to give any company handling dangerous goods a cover now late started it when he found a because of the sensitive nature. niche that people needed guidance Imagine a dg blows up in a plane and when it comes to packing and the plane goes up in lames and transportation of dangerous goods everybody dies. You know how much because the regulations can be the insurance company will cough very confusing. The regulations are out on a daily basis. So, we have a done by the United Nations, and if global insurance in place covered by you miss it, you are ined. So, you the insurance company because we have a sub-committee that comes frown heavily at non compliance of up with the manuals that guide the the rules because it can cause a lot of operations. damage and lives can be lost in the You have the International Civil process and they are able to cover us.

Aviation Organization (ICAO), who We've not had such issues and we comes up with the regulations. pray we don't have. Batteries, T h e r e i s I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r chemicals, and different other things Transport Association (IATA) that that are part of dangerous goods are also makes the regulations on transported daily around the world. dangerous goods transportation If you don't have things in place to b y a i r. T h e n y o u h a v e t h e transport them safely, imagine how Bankole Peters International Maritime Dangerous Country Manager, DGM Support & Allied Services many lives that would be lost.

Goods (IMDG) regulation for transportation of the goods by sea.

IQ: How has it been starting out in Nigeria and at a critical There is ACR which is for Europe transportation by road; 49 time in the business climate?

Code of Federal Regulations, which is for United States of America and some countries, and regulations concerning the ANS: We are just starting, though we've been registered but we International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID). just didn't want to come out until we have some facilities in place. We There are different regulations that guide different modes of don't have everything yet but as time goes on we will be getting them transportation. All is controlled from the umbrella of a sub- in place with DGM Support, which serves as head for all the DGMs committee of the United Nations (UN) on transportation of across the world and renders assistance. We have expertise that dangerous goods (Dgs). covers the various areas. We are looking at having clients who will For a lot of people, handling transportation of dangerous goods is not easy except when you come into it with experience along the line. DGM irst started helping its clients in Holland and gradually started spreading around the world.

Now we are in about 32countries in 52 locations across the world. So basically, we cover the whole world. The interesting thing about DGM when it comes to transportation of dangerous goods is that we work with a lot of clients – multinationals, chemical companies, oil and gas, government, even the ministries.

IQ: Having said that handling dangerous goods is not easy, how are you able to succeed in the business and stand out?

ANS: We have been able to manage it optimally very well without having an issue. A lot of people get sceptical when it comes to handling dangerous goods (dgs); nobody wants to run foul of the law. You have ways to pack the dangerous goods. There is ibre board box, drums, different kinds of Volume 2 No 6

make sure they are compliant with the rules. We started working with some multinationals already. We are more or less like a baby in Nigeria but a baby with a difference.

With this of icial opening, we are letting Nigerians or our clients know what dangerous good management is all about. We found out a lot times when companies need to train their members of staff, they send them outside the country or they look for a company that can bring in these people to do the training. It costs a lot of money. That's what motivated us to bring DGM to Nigeria. We also found out that the packing materials we have in this country when it comes to dg is nothing to write home about. It is very dif icult for companies to get the packing materials. The UN has to approve the companies that will make those materials. You have to have a testing facility to check those materials. These things are very expensive to come by and you need people who are experienced also. We don't have that in the country and that made us to start it here because we have the experience. To show you how compliant we are, there is a CCTV directly monitoring who is doing the packing. It records each stage as the person is doing the packing to show that there is compliance.

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Aviation

Transportation

Senate Summons Amaechi, Fashola, Others Over Plan To Close Abuja Airport a n d l o c a l a i r -By Peace Uzoanya

A

travellers, who will be forced to travel by land from Kaduna to Abuja.”

Uzodinma said the Senate was sure that all the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja options had not been exhausted to avoid the shutdown of the only airport in the capital for six weeks, “including the option of a technical package to allow skeletal air operations at the airport while most repair Also, the motion was co-sponsored by other senators such as Ike work on the runway is executed at night.”

Ekweremadu (Enugu West), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South); Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa North-West); Fatima Raji-Rasaki (Ekiti According to him, the Senate was aware that major repairs had been done in the past without the closure of the airport, noting Central); and Baba Garbai (Borno Central). that one more major repair that would not lead to closure give the In moving the motion, Uzodinma said the Senate noted that the government the needed time to construct a second runway as a Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria planned to close the Abuja permanent solution. airport for six weeks, starting from March 6, 2017, to carry out He noted that the Senate was determined to explore all other repairs on the only runway at the airport. possible options that could avert the planned total closure of a He said: “The Senate is worried that a six-week outright closure of strategic national port as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International a major and the only airport in the nation's federal capital can Airport for six weeks with all its attendant consequences, trigger untold hardship on international and local air travellers including the breach of international conventions and treaties.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, who presided over the plenary, and consequently dent the nation's image. criticized the planned closure.

“It is concerned that a complete shutdown of the airport will impact negatively on international trade and related activities, He said: “Where else in the world are things done this way? The with a multiplier effect that can exert further pressure on an idea of total closure of the Abuja airport is not the best option.

Therefore, the Senate Aviation Committee should meet with the already recessed national economy.

“The Senate is aware of the logistics and security challenges the relevant ministers and heads of aviation agencies within the next diversion of Abuja-bound lights to Kaduna will throw up, two days for an alternative option and report back to the Senate including endangering the lives and properties of international within a week for inal decision over the matter.” gainst the backdrop of the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, Abuja for the repairs of its runways and the diversion of lights to Kaduna airport, the Senate has summoned the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amechi; Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola; Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, and heads of aviation agencies.

The Senate acted on a motion titled, 'The planned closure of the Abuja airport,' which was moved by Senator Hope Uzodinma (lmo West).

Blazing the Trail: Imo Floats First State Owned Airline -By Ajibola Olarinoye

I

mo State Government and Dana Airline have concluded arrangements to partner to loat what promises to be the irst State Government owned airline - the “Imo Air”. The airline when functional will be operated by Dana Airline.

Disclosing the trail-blazing step, Dana airline Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa said that Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State had agreed to loat Imo Air Line with Dana through a contract that would last for ten years.

approached one of the leading airlines in Nigeria to manage this service for us. We believe that our partnership with Dana Air to operate Imo Air is a step in the right direction to open Imo State to the world.

This initiative is no doubt a boost for the Southeast economic liberation struggle.''

Okorocha also said in the statement that efforts were on top gear to actualize the dream of having Imo State International Cargo as part of the initiatives to open up S o u t h e a s t t o i m p o r t e r s a n d exporters around the world, adding that it would reduce the overreliance on Lagos, Kano and other international airports for the export and import of goods into the country.

Speaking during the launch of the 10-year partnership contract at Sam Mbakwe Airport, Governor Okorocha stated that it is borne out of his desire to increase business activities in Imo, improve tourism drive, diversify its economy and provide employment opportunities for our In his words, the Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo, citizens. noted that the step is a well thoughtAccording to the Governor, “We have no Air o u t d e c i s i o n b y t h e s t a t e Operator Certi icate and that is why we government. He also boasted about the operational capabilities of Dana infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

52

Air to handle the project.

“As you may be aware, Dana Air is the only domestic airline to have undergone an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and its foreign partners – The Flight Safety Group.

Also, in our determination to meet the highest global aviation safety standards, Dana Air recently concluded its IATA Operational Safety Audit with a strong desire to move on to the next stage soon.”

Imo Air

Volume 2 No 6

Governance

Nigeria's Environment Minister, Amina Mohammed appointed UN Deputy Secretary General -By Dachi Maduako

N

igeria's Environment Minister, Amina J. Mohammed was on December 15, appointed Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. The appointment was announced by the new UN Secretary General designate, Antonio Guterres along other members of his team.

2017, Mohammed was appointed Minister of the Environment by President Buhari on 11th November 2015. She served meritoriously in this position until she was announced by the UN Secretary General-designate. Under her, the historic Ogoniland cleanup project was lagged off by the Federal Government.

Amina Mohammed, one of the few female members of the cabinet of the country's president, Mohammadu Buhari was a key player of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's Post-2015 development process as she served as his Special Adviser on Post-2015 development planning. As the Special Adviser, she acted as the link between the Secretary-General, his High Level Panel of Eminent Persons (HLP), and the General Assembly's Open Working Group (OWG), among other stakeholders.

She had earlier appeared conspicuously in the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo where she worked as senior adviser to the President of Nigeria on Millennium Development Goals for six years.

In this position, she was in charge of designing and developing government projects to reduce poverty around the country.

Between 2002 and 2005, she worked in the United Nations Millennium Project as a coordinator of the Task Force on Gender and Education.

A woman of many parts, Amina Mohammed has been working in the area of development for over three decades both in the public and the private sectors. Before her recent appointment, she was the Chief Executive Of icer and founder of the Center for Development Policy Solutions.

She also served as an Adjunct P ro fe s s o r fo r t h e M a s t e r ' s i n Development Practice program at Columbia University. In 2005, she was charged with the coordination of Nigeria's debt relief funds toward the achievement of the MDGs.

Amina Mohammed was born in 1961 by a British mother to a Nigerian father in Kaduna. She is from Gombe State in the North Eastern zone of the country and has played major roles in both public and private sectors of the economy.

The of ice of the Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations is the deputy to the Secretary-General of the United Nation. The of ice was created to handle many of the administrative responsibilities of t h e S e c re t a r y- G e n e ra l , h e l p In 1991, Amina Mohammed founded manage Secretariat operations, A f r i - P r o j e c t s C o n s o r t i u m , a and ensure coherence of activities multidisciplinary irm of Engineers and programmes. The post was Amina Mohammed and Quantity Surveyors, and from formally established by the General Minister of Environment 1991 to 2001 she was its Executive Assembly at the end of 1997.

Director. Between 1981 and 1991,

Among the duties assigned to the of ice of the Deputy Secretary she worked with Archcon Nigeria in association with Norman and General include such duties delegated by the Secretary-General Dawbarn United Kingdom. to the Deputy Secretary-General. Others are: · To assist the Secretary-General in managing the operations of Mohammed has also served on many international advisory boards and panels such as the Gates Foundation and the UN Secretary the Secretariat; · To act for the Secretary-General at United Nations General’s Global Sustainability Panel. Since April 5, 2016, Headquarters in the absence of the Secretary-General and in Mohammed has served as Chair of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). other cases as may be decided by the Secretary-General; · To support the Secretary-General in ensuring inter-sectoral and inter-institutional coherence of activities and programmes When she assumed of ice on 1st January, 2017, Amina Mohammed and to support the Secretary-General in elevating the pro ile became the 5th person to occupy that position, the 3rd woman on and leadership of the United Nations in the economic and social the seat, 2nd African and 1st Nigerian woman to rise to that spheres, including further efforts to strengthen the United position.

Nations as a leading centre for development policy and Other Deputy Secretary Generals in the history of United Nations include: Canadian Louise Frechette (2nd March 1998 to 1st April development assistance; · To represent the Secretary-General at conferences, of icial 2006 ) under Ko i Annan as well as British-born Mark Malloch functions and ceremonial and other occasions as may be Brown (1st April 2006 to31st December, 2006).

Under Ban Ki-Moon, the Tanzanian and irst African woman, Asha- decided by the Secretary-General; · To undertake such assignments as may be determined by the Rose Migiro, assumed the of ice on 5th February 2007 to 1st July, 2012. Jan Eliasson of Sweden took over from her from 1st July 2012 Secretary-General; to 31st December 2016.

The Director in the Of ice of the Deputy Secretary-General is a As Antonio Guterres came on board on 1st January 2017, Amina J. sitting observer of the United Nations Development Group.

Mohammed of Nigeria also assumed of ice to make history.

Prior to her appointment which takes effect from 1st January, Volume 2 No 6

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Environment

Nigeria signs Paris Agreement on Climate Change

-By Dachi Maduako

N

igeria has joined other countries of the world to sign the pact on Climate Change. The signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was d o n e b y t h e P r e s i d e n t , Mohammadu Buhari in the full glare of world leaders during the 2016 United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States.

The signing of the Climate Change agreement was during a meeting on “Taking Climate Action for Sustainable Development” at the Side Events of the 71st Session of t h e U n i te d N a t i o n s G e n e ra l Assembly (UNGA71) which was co-hosted by Nigeria and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

President Muhammadu Buhari signing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change

poverty and many decades of oil pollution leading to loss of livelihoods and ecosystems.

Speaking after the signing of the agreement, the president said that his signing of the Agreement demonstrated Nigeria's commitment to a global effort to reverse the negative trends of the effects of the dangerous phenomenon called Climate Change. He also solicited for collective aid and action to revive the Lake Chad basin.

He disclosed the nation's efforts to revitalize the region through an integrated approach, implementation of the NDCs, and the efforts to clean up Ogoniland. These, he said, would improve livelihoods, protect the environment and take climate action, and ensure the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The President stressed Nigeria's commitment to the Paris Agreement saying this was articulated through its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) “that strive to build a climate resilient society across the diverse terrain of Nigeria”, adding “we have instituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change to govern the implementation of my country's NDCs, thereby ensuring a strong cross-sectoral approach, coherence and synergy for Climate Action.”

Shortly before the event, President Buhari signed the Paris Agreement, restating Nigeria's commitment to reducing “Green House Gas Emissions unconditionally by 20 per cent and conditionally by 45 per cent”.

According to him, this was in line with Nigeria's “Nationally Determined Contributions.” He described the signing as historic and expressed con idence that with support from development partners, Nigeria would meet the above targets. The President pledged to ensure the rati ication of the Paris Agreement before the recently concluded 22nd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, Morocco that held in November 2016.

President Buhari noted that the co-hosting of the event by Nigeria was a demonstration of his personal dedication to the process of implementing the Agreement, adding that he was privileged to have been part of the Paris Agreement.

He expressed appreciation to what he called “the genuine efforts

by President Francois Hollande of France in drawing global attention to reviving the Lake Chad Basin,''. He also lauded him for galvanising the political will that led to the global consensus in reaching the Paris Agreement.

He called on the international community to “give special recognition to the plight of Lake Chad and support the country's effort to resuscitate the livelihoods of over ive million people in the region. “This will reinforce our efforts to reintegrate the thousands of Boko Haram victims and returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).”

The President also made a case for the country's Niger Delta region which he said was a unique biodiversity rich in coastal environment that is highly prone to adverse environmental changes. He said these changes were occasioned by climate change, such as sea level rise, coastal erosion, exacerbated by infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

He said that the implementation of the Roadmap would not be easy in the face of dwindling national revenues, however, promised that both internal and external resources would be mobilized to meet Nigeria's targets.

He added that the country's 2017 Budget would re lect Nigeria's efforts to accord priority to realizing its NDCs. “In addition, we are set to launch our irst ever Green Bonds in the irst quarter of 2017 to fund a pipeline of projects all targeted at reducing emissions towards a greener economy,” he said.

He, therefore, called for global support to transit to a low-carbon climate resilient economy. He called on the industrialised nations “to play their role and deliver on their commitments on access to climate inance and technology transfer and help with capacity-building, saying, “Expectations are high for their leaders to deliver $100 billion per year by 2020 in support of developing countries to take climate action, thus keeping the promise to billions of people.”

The Agreement will enter into force 30 days after 55 countries, representing 55 per cent global emissions, deposit their instruments of rati ication, acceptance or accession with the Secretary-General. One of the two thresholds for entry into force has now been met. There are now 60 countries that have joined the agreement – one more than the required 55 needed.

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Volume 2 No 6

Environment

Business leaders, Scientists, Policy-Makers Re lect on Environmental Sustainability

S

c i e n t i s t s , industryleaders and p o l i c y - m a k e r s gathered in Paris in N o v e m b e r t o d i s c u s s t h e economic potential o f r e s o u r c e ef iciency, as well as its role in limiting global warming and putting the world o n a m o r e s u s t a i n a b l e , Erik Solheim e q u i t a b l e Head of UN Environment development track.

The event was part of UN Environment's ongoing dialogue with businessmen to address environmental sustainability.

In his opening remarks, Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment, said the world had shown that it was able to solve environmental issues, but it could not do this without business. "All the practical solutions will happen in business," he said.

"There is universal recipe for success with three elements - citizen engagement, government engagement and the enormous ability of the private sector to turn around, ind new products and innovate. We need to unleash these qualities of the private sector - and let's do this together."

John Danilovich, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, said ICC was committed to responsible business conduct. He said the business vision for progress comprised three key concepts: innovation, collaboration and regulation.

"Businesses are already innovating to develop the technological, organizational and inancial solutions needed to achieve resource ef iciency but to scale up these solutions we need enhanced collaboration between business and, just as importantly, between the public and private sectors," he said.

collaborate directly on the ground, but also with suppliers, NGOs, local communities, and with global organizations, like UN or EU - because without that collaboration we will not move the needle in a way that is ef icient enough.”

The 120-strong gathering heard that a recent report of the International Resource Panel, an eminent group of resource experts hosted by UN Environment, found that sustainable management of the planet's natural resources made sound business sense.

The report, Resource Ef iciency: Potential and Economic Implications, put the estimated potential savings from increased resource ef iciency at about US$ 2.9 trillion a year for private investors. In 70 per cent of the cases, the required investment would offer a rate of return greater than 10 per cent a year.

The International Resource Panel, launched by UN Environment in 2007, was created to support science-based policy-making on the sustainable management of natural resources. Its work has noted, for example, that: · Annual global extraction of materials grew from 22 billion tonnes in 1970 to around 70 billion tonnes in 2010. For example, China used more cement in the three years 2011-13 than the United States used in the whole of the 20th century. · The richest countries consume on average 10 times as many materials as the poorest countries. · A third of the world's soils are degraded due to erosion, nutrient depletion, acidi ication, salinization, compaction and chemical pollution. · Some 60 per cent of global terrestrial biodiversity loss is related to food production. · Effective resource ef iciency policies could increase global economic activity by around 6 per cent by 2050, compared to existing trends, as well as increase employment.

The event titled, "Sustainable Resource Management: Business Opportunities and Economic Potential", was organized by the International Resource Panel, UN Environment and the International Chamber of Commerce, and was hosted by the French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea, and the Laurent Tapadinhas, Deputy Commissioner General, Ministry of French Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Acadé mie Environment, Energy and the Sea, said France was very receptive Diplomatique Internationale. to the messages of the International Resource Panel. He said France wanted to be a laboratory for "decoupling", a term used by the International Resource Panel to describe the breaking of the link between rising economic growth and harmful environmental impacts.

But he said, "Support is needed to bring science into the design of policies, and support to explain to stakeholders the challenges ahead and how they can be handled in the best possible way.”

“Science, working together with population, businesses and government creating enabling environment, can achieve greater resource ef iciency, to the bene it of all," said Emmanuel Normant, Vice President for Sustainable Development, at French multinational manufacturer Saint-Gobain.

Pascal De Petrini, Executive Vice-President, Strategic Resource Cycles at the French food products multinational Danone, said the company wanted to work in a circular economy way to manage milk, water, and plastics.

He also supported greater collaboration. "It makes sense to Volume 2 No 6

55

Ibrahim Jibrin Minister of State for Environment

infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

Economy

Finance

Minister calls for Preference for Local Goods

I

n an attempt to improve the well-being of the citizenry, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has challenged the citizenry for a change of attitude towards the preference for local goods as opposed to the current dependence on import. This, he said, would among other things provide opportunity for inclusion, which would lead to economic growth. It would also translate to employment and provide incomes for ordinary and hard-working people to be able to put food on their tables and participate in the building of Nigeria.

-By Dachi Maduako

that government was being meticulous in its planning to ensure that the National Housing Programme meets national acceptability in terms of diversity of design in response to cultural and climatic diversities.

Fashola, recalled that the Empire State Building, a 102-storey building, was built in the time of the great Economic Depression by 3,400, in only 13 months , declaring, “This is the type of capacity and inclusion we seek to develop to inspire hope”.

The Minister reiterated the decision of the Ministry to ban the He recalled that the present administration allocated 30 percent importation of ten building materials in preference for locally of its N6.06 trillion 2016 Budget to Capital Expenditure as a made ones. The materials include doors, windows, tiles, ceilings, radical departure from the past administrations. This new plumbing accessories, cables, paint and iron–mongery. practice, he reiterated, was a means to get the economy back to growth but insisted that this would not happen unless Nigerians “This is where we hope to receive the support of local builders, abandon their penchant for foreign made goods. artisans and tradesmen in capacity building. There will be no He declared, “The Federal Government has committed to spend capacity without opportunity. We are offering the opportunity”, the Minister said, adding that what was relevant for the Built Industry was that hundreds of thousands of doors, windows, roo ing materials, gallons of paint, plumbing materials and other accessories would be required and would be produced by Nigerians.

He declared, “Therefore as a government, the Buhari administration has provided the opportunity for the professionals, artisans and tradesmen in the built environment to show what they can do and build capacity, while building Nigeria.”

Production Line of a shoe factory in Nigeria

more in spite of earning less, in order to provide inclusion, and create jobs. This is change for some of those who ask what has changed. But I must also advise that inclusion and employment will not happen, if the people for whom the budget is made, abdicate the responsibility for building, to foreigners, or prefer foreign goods to locally made ones”.

In the event of continued preference for foreign goods, Fashola again declared, “What will happen is that the budget will work, the money will be spent, and the bene it will be transferred to foreign countries and factories where the professionals reside or where their imported goods are made”.

The Minister said the only way the nation could bene it from the huge budget was for all Nigerians, including those in the built industry, to be ready to embrace the home-grown solution to the country's problems by sourcing homemade materials for building, construction and maintenance in the various sectors of the economy.

He told the Council, “So one objective of this council meeting and its theme is to emphasize to all members of the built environment that it is only those who are willing to act, who are willing to work, and who are willing to get their hands dirty, by blasting rocks, moving sand, cement, iron rods, making doors, molding blocks, pouring concrete and so on that will readily ind inclusion in this economic process”.

On capacity building, in the Power and Works sections of his Ministry, Fashola, said the attitude was the same. “Not only are we aggressively pursuing our roadmap of incremental to stable and ultimately uninterrupted power, the Ministry has encouraged the use of locally made meters, wires and galvanized sheets for transmission equipment and we are seeing some positive if not yet suf icient responses”, pointing out that this was the way to keep jobs at home and build capacity for inclusion.

Speaking on road construction which is another aspect of the ministry's core area of operation, Fashola said this was also based on achieving the same economic objectives of growth through critical sectors in the short term, pointing out that with limited resources, the administration “has chosen roads that connect states, roads that evacuate goods from Sea and Airports, roads that transport agricultural produce and roads that bear very heavy traf ic.”

He noted that the ministry could not cover all the roads across the country at the same time. He however, listed the roads that fall into the above category to include roads like Sokoto-KotangoraMakera Highway, Kano-Maiduguri, Jebba-Ilorin – Bode-Sadu, Ogbomoso- Oyo; Lagos – Ibadan; Loko- Oweto, 2nd Niger Bridge and Enugu - Port Harcourt Roads.

He stated that the nation's Housing Policy is critical to drive the economy in the envisaged direction, adding that “It is from agriculture that we will get wood and timber to build, and from mining we will get sand, rocks, cement and tiles to furnish our houses”.

On the Roadmap for Housing, Fashola, said progress had been made, and that steps were being taken to complete the remaining programme. He pointed out infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

Local Products on display

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Volume 2 No 6

Health & Safety

Workers' Health and Safety are Critical to Organizations' Does it mean that you did not make any input?

Productivity Our input was not considered. The bill is back now; it

R

ecently, the Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEPHON) held its annual conference at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event which attracted members from different organizations in the country and the Diaspora, the President of the organization, Dr. Okon Akiba shared insights with Peace Uzoanya on the conference and other sundry issues in this interview.

was not signed. They wanted us to do harmonization before it goes back. So, it is with the National Assembly.

How will you explain occupational health and safety to a layman who is likely to view it just from the prism of accident and injuries sustained in the course discharging occupational duties?

What informed the choice of the theme, “Occupational Health and I don't even blame the layman. Even some of our Safety: A Tool for Enhanced Productivity” for this year's conference? doctor colleagues don't even know what it means. It's The theme for this year is actually not only in Nigeria you see that. Even in is a follow-up to last year's theme, A m e r i c a wh e n I we n t we we n t fo r which was promoting occupational occupational health conference; in the hotel health legislations in Nigeria, and it where we were staying they called us is about the challenges that we occupational therapists. We said 'no' we are h a v e . We s a i d i f w e ' v e g o t not therapists, therapists are different; we legislation, which is the main are physicians, doctors. We ensure that the driver as far as occupational health work place is healthy and then put is concerned, we will go a long way. programmes in place to prevent illnesses For the normal employer of labour, and also for surveillance and early all he wants is productivity, bottom detection. But the simple way of knowing is line pro its and life goes on. But that everybody wants employment and the they don't know that the health of work we do - even you as a journalist, you the work force, for example, are exposed to health and safety risks. The mentally even indirectly affects the one thing people understand easily is safety. p r o d u c t i v i t y t h e y w a n t .

For example, if you tell someone that if you Sometimes, they even go ahead don't watch the traf ic light or you cross the and do things that affect the image motor way without looking, the risk is of the company. So, we decided that immediate, and they understand that. But Dr. Okon Akiba we will have a win-win situation; what about if you are in a place where there President, Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEPHON) we don't want anything that will is asbestos and in the process of destroying look like confrontation. We wanted the asbestos you inhale the dust, and you do something that will sort of be a balancing act. We chose “Occupational Health this over time and within 30 years you come down and Safety: A Tool for Enhanced Productivity.” That means provide a good w i t h c a n c e r o f t h e l u n g s , wh i c h i s c a l l e d occupational health and safety in your work place and there will be enhanced mesothelioma. You won't understand that because productivity. the impact is not immediate and it is a chronic thing.

If there is enhanced productivity in your work place, the company itself will They don't understand health but we will continue to be economically healthy, and it will be a win-win situation – health of the educate. worker and health of the corporation or organization. And of course, we have Ebola was the irst thing that made them to know the various sub-roles because when it comes to this business there is a role for what occupational health means. Dr. Ameyo everybody involved. Government has its own role which is to provide the Adedavoh was treating a man who had Ebola and she enabling laws, the employer has a role to comply with government law, and got the disease. She did not get it from her house, but the employee has the role to comply with the organizational policy. And of was doing her duty as a doctor. She has treated so course, we have a role to ensure that we practice our profession. many patients but this time around, in the course of her work, she contacted the disease and died. Would In terms of legislation on occupational health and safety, how has she have died if she was not a doctor? So, every job Nigeria fared? has its health and safety risks. As a journalist, you That is the issue. We have laws scattered here and there. They are not effective don't sleep on time, you have mental stress. All of and when you talk about legislation they must be effective; it must be compact these impact on your health because it can lead to and that is not what we have now. That is why we are pushing for the hypertension and mental fatigue. You run around, occupational health, welfare and safety bill. The bill was passed somehow in travel a lot which can expose you to accident, which is 2014; it went to the President but there were contentious issues. W e went for about safety. the public hearing and they said they couldn't do much about the bill because When we identify all these, what then can we do? You it was brought in by a ministry (Federal Ministry of Labour) but we wanted an must recognize a thing before you identify, then agency which is inter-disciplinary – where doctors hygienists etc. will come evaluate and then control. That is our work on the together as it is done anywhere in the world and that will bring everybody health side. The safety people do it on the physical together for effectiveness because we know that if occupational health side. When we talk of food for instance, the balancing resides with Ministry of Labour nothing happens, if it resides with Ministry of act is that the organization should provide healthy Health nothing happens; there will be rivalry. Rather it should be handled by food. Here we eat for energy. It's all calorie, fat and an agency where doctors, hygienists, safety professionals are all in one place high protein which elderly people don't need any drawing up policies and ensuring compliance and all that. We wanted it like more. But in developed countries you see them that but they said it was government bill, and we couldn't do much. provide balanced meal.

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infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

Health & Safety What challenges do your members encounter in the course of performing their duties in their respective organizations?

The problem is that employers of labour do not really want to listen to all these points because it affects the bottom line; they want to get the money but they do not want to spend the money.

So, you have to use empirical statistics to convince them that if you do this, this is what it will cost you. In countries where they succeed, where the challenges are mitigated, there are enabling

legislations and policies telling the employer that you must do this, and if you don't do it, this is what will happen. Then it becomes easy. But here, you have to lobby them, be friendly with the heads of the concerned organizations because you must have top management commitment in providing occupational health and safety. A policy must be drawn up. So, you have to guide them to draw up the policy and go by it.

The Hazards and Safety Measures in Welding

-By Ajibola Olarinoye

W

area illing with lammable gas and creating an explosive environment. (Repairs on equipment should be performed only by q u a l i i e d p e r s o n s a n d e q u i p m e n t s h o u l d b e controlled/recon igured to prevent unintentional operation.) · Sparks have travelled through openings between building levels and ignited combustible products and, in one case, even paint can.

Experts have proved that providing health and safety (Control areas with hot work permits, remove combustibles from information for workers who engage in welding and cutting the area, cover openings, use ire blankets if appropriate, and activities can be complex to some extent; therefore, the job can ensure appropriate ire extinguishing equipment and ire expose the inexperienced and careless workers to some certain watches.) traps and dangers. That is why frequent series of training and · Some welding requires work with very limited space and updated knowledge are very essential for those who take awkward postures, creating ergonomic-related injuries. (Plan for welding as a profession because the hazards involved could be assistance where possible, use holding devices where possible, and fatal if proper safety measure is not taken, either by the consider alternate work that could accomplish the same end result.) company or the workers. · Welding processes can involve signi icant grinding associated with surface preparation and post-welding Some of the hazards/harmful work that have created tiny lying metal elements that welding workers particles that can cause eye injury. (Wear proper can be expose to are: burns, eye protection and account for the potential for fumes, electric shock, and lying particles and outdoor wind patterns. compressed gases, dangerous Some hard hats are made with "wiper"-like substances, radiation, heat attachments that can help keep particles out of stress, suffocation (caused by the eye when lifting face shields. Some inert gases which lowers the companies have placed magnetic tape strips on oxygen content of a place) dust parts of hard hats to try to capture lying and vibration/noise. materials.) · Assess potential risks in advance of doing work With a view to ensuring proper Welders at work on a site and have controls in place to prevent bad things we l d i n g e nv i ro n m e n t , t h e from happening installation of primary and secondary voltage lines and proper grounding connections should be adequately put into · It is suggested that you have an EHS Management System with consideration. Others are right selection of welding rods, clip corresponding procedures in place that provide for weldingand cable insulation as well as the immediate environment, related risk assessment and control. Review available guidelines proper valve opening, gas distribution and regulation, and literature for some very helpful information. · Strategies for reducing exposures to welding fume can be found in protection of valves and storage and proper fuel-gas selection. the OSHA website (an OSHA Fact Sheet), as well as other The type of material to work on also goes a long way in publications. This can include cleaning of surfaces prior to work, determining the safety of the working environment. For ensuring there are no toxic residues/solvents, body positioning, instance, welding on painted surfaces should be avoided due to general and local exhaust ventilation, the substitution of welding materials to less toxic types, and respiratory protection if some materials that can be in coating. necessary based upon ventilation and work practices.

In an article titled “Welding Safety and Health Considerations”, · Regarding respiratory protection—it's always nice to be able to published by ohsonline in December 2015, it highlighted some help welders ind appropriate respiratory protection where it is useful snapshot on safety measures as regards welding necessary or desired. Yes, you can ind air purifying respirators that will it under welding hoods, and there are some great welding operations, they are: · Welders should keep dry insulation between their body and hoods integrated with Powered Air Purifying Respirators. · Having an EHS Management System in place can include having the metal being welded.) · Welders doing hot work on special Te lon-like coatings on welding safety checklists that can be of great help. That can include, snow removal equipment need to get medical treatment of course, hot work permits where an organization requires them because of the fumes of decomposition. (Welders should know or feels they are necessary. Most of the time, everyone wants to be what they are working on and ensure proper ventilation and safe, but not everyone knows how and not everyone can easily access regulations and guidelines with the same ease. Making it PPE, including respiratory protection.) · In a large multi-story plant environment, a torch was found cut easy for the welder, assistants, and others helping to identify off from oxy-fuel lines. A person on another level did not know hazards can help make the workplace safer processes in a safe and this since the welding apparatus was not controlled and turned healthful manner. on compressed gases. This could have resulted in a con ined elding according to ohsonline is a process that joins materials along with a feeler to form a strong joint.

Among the types of welding, the most common and the most used ones are electric welding and oxygen-fuelled welding.

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Volume 2 No 6

Urban Planning

Taming the Menace of Lagos Slums

were relocated. They were provided with relocation assistance pending the rer. Lateef Sholebo is the General road, water, and adequate housing. He development of the site whereby they will Manager of Lagos State Urban revealed that 42 slum areas were identi ied be able to come back to some of those Renewal Authority (LASURA), an and gazetted by the government. Outside of buildings.” agency under the Ministry of Urban and that number, more areas have been Physical Planning. He worked as a town identi ied, even rounding off to 100.

Another measure put in place is the planner in New York, United States of concept of urban growth boundary, which America before his present appointment He said: “This agency is responsible for restricts development of structures on

by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in late identifying the slum areas and coming out m a p p e d o u t a re a s . “ U rb a n g row t h 2015. He shared insights with Peace w i t h d e v e l o p m e n t s t r a t e g i e s a n d boundary is a delineation of an area Uzoanya on how the agency is grappling programmes in order to make the places wh e re by a ny t h i n g o u t s i d e o f t h a t with its functions of curbing the existence m o re h a b i t a b l e . A s yo u k n ow, t h e boundary will be designated for very low responsibilities of any government is for of slums. density; in other words, we try to the general welfare of the people, and discourage people from building in those if you look at the reason why areas to stop sprawling. So, everything government has to intervene in this inside the boundary is where we curtail all kind of area, it will come from the the development. In that regard, the health and safety code because it is government will be able to leverage its the health of the people that matters, infrastructure for provision of adequate and people live in an environment necessary infrastructure for the people in that is not conducive. It is necessary the community. for any government to be able to intervene and bring a better way of “Right now, since we don't have that living like good sanitation.” control, people keep on building where there are no infrastructures and eventually, The General Manager noted that this those communities that were built without assignment to contain slum areas is p r o p e r g u i d e a n d i n f r a s t r u c t u r e fraught with challenges, ranging degenerated into slums and this is how it from inadequate funding to daily has continuously been done in all areas of low of people into the state. the state. Lagos State always tries to pay H o weve r, t h e g ove r n m e n t , h e compensation to people that are displaced assured, is living up to its billing in as a result of taking their land or for the Mr. Lateef Sholebo this regard.

General Manager of Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority (LASURA) bene it of the public such as road constructions,” he explained.

“So far, I think Lagos State is probably the leading state in the whole country that Lagos State stands out in the scheme of In addition, government is coming up with things in Nigeria. It hosted the federal is trying to address this urban sprawl loan packages for home improvement in capital of the country for many years. It has problem. When you look at the slums that those communities. This involves taking airport , seaport , railway and road we have, some of them have so degenerated inventories of all the houses in that n e t w o r k s . I t b o a s t s m a s s i v e to the extent that if development does not community. “Once we do the assessment of industrialization and infrastructural take the necessary action to start those houses, we will be able to know what development. As such, it has remained a addressing this problem, it is the beginning kind of things they need to make them melting pot of economic activities, of spreading of germs and diseases within more habitable and we will be able to help attracting a huge population over 20 the state. That is why our agency is saddled them package a loan, either through other m i l l i o n p e o p l e o f d i v e r s e e t h n i c w i t h t h a t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o s t a r t organizations such as Shelter Afrique backgrounds. The result is that new i n te r ve n t i o n s i n t h e va r i o u s s l u m which we have been talking to and they are settlements keep springing up and old ones communities,” he said. willing to partner with us to provide the get run down over time. loans to the community. That is one way we He explained that government has wa n t to e n ga g e t h e c o m m u n i t y to e To stem the growth of slums in the state, x t e n d e d i n t e r v e n t i o n t o s o m e participate. And of course, we will continue the Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority communities in the form of outright to use the strategy of PPP programme to (LASURA), an agency under the Ministry of demolition and rebuilding of structures. encourage private and government Urban and Physical Planning, has evolved “In the past, we have tried to rebuild some involvement.” strategies to achieve the dream, which will of these areas, for example, the Isale make for improved health and wellbeing of Gangan project, where the houses are substandard and have decayed, the people. and government intervened by According to the General Manager of organizing some families together LASURA, Mr. Lateef Sholebo, the agency is to pull all their lands together, saddled with the responsibility of demolish the houses and build identifying, delineating and developing modern houses for them. In that improvement programmes for all the slum regard, we have two structures; one places. This involves all the slums in the is a 13-storey building and the other state or areas, which are lacking the one is 11-storey building, whereby necessary urban infrastructure such as these families that were displaced A Slum in Lagos were paid compensation and they

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Issues Finding Lasting Solutions to Road Failures In Nigeria

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lthough the sum of N529 billion has been allocated to Power, Works and Housing sectors in the year 2017 budget, the major concerns in the country right now is whether it will translate to good and durable roads, given increasing rate of road failures in the country immediately after they are commissioned .

Roads like other infrastructure have life span but the Nigeria experience has proven to be different. From federal to state roads, it has been discovered that roads constructed with tax payers money fail , months after they are commissioned.

The most worrisome part of the menace is that the whooping amounts being quoted for the construction of the roads that barely last for a year in Nigeria triples that used for the construction roads that last decades in other jurisdictions.

While some experts blame the menace on elite Nigerians still pursuing self interest in the governance of the country, cutting corners and colluding with dubious contractors to defraud the country, others say the right road construction materials were not being used in right terrains.

Statistics shows an unexplainable high cost of road construction in Nigeria. The way things are, the nation is believed to have the highest cost of constructing roads, globally. Investigation shows that the high cost does not come from the materials used alone but also that there is a human component.

The high cost of construction and maintenance, as well as the seemingly short service life of highway infrastructure in Nigeria's road and transportation sector had since become topics of interest to everyone.

A civil engineer, Afolabi O. Adedeji, who as a young graduate from the university, took part in the construction of the LagosIbadan Expressway, in addition to some other important federal highways tried to explain the cocktail of issues that add needless cost to road construction in the country.

Adedeji, in his helpline, 'Suggested Ways and Means by Which Road (Highway & Bridge) Construction Costs can be Reduced in Nigeria' said, “Many of the materials used in road construction works are imported and the luctuating foreign exchange rates can have devastating effect on contract sums.”

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H e r e a s o n e d t h a t application of studies on asphalt as well as other i n d i n g s f r o m construction materials research must be taken seriously to built roads that will last in Nigeria.

He explained that in a situation where there is a shortage of local skills for c o n s t r u c t i o n s i t e supervision, expatriates are brought in by foreign construction companies and multinational players in the construction industry often have to be provided with living conditions (including compensation packages), which they are normally accustomed to in their home countries many not yield the desired results.

N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e p r e v a i l i n g circumstances, experts in the nation's built environment have advocated for the use of composite pavement, an admixture of the we l l k n o w n a s p h a l t a n d c o n c re t e pavements for road construction in the country.

The professionals noted that the problem of road failures is taking its tolls on the nation's economy, af irming that such practice can no longer be condoned at a time the country is grappling with the problem of economic recession.

The Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Highway & Transportation Engineers (NIHTE) Dr. Isa Usman Emoabino, explained that the primary structural difference between a rigid and lexible pavement is the manner in which each type of pavement distributes traf ic loads over the sub grade.

Emoabino noted that rigid pavement has a very high stiffness and distributes loads over a relatively wide area of sub-grade, where a major portion of the structural capacity is contributed by the concrete slab itself.

The frontline engineer who listed the advantages of asphalt (bitumen) said it is still less costly compared to concrete and it takes less time to build an asphalt road than a concrete road.

He said,” Asphalt dries faster, freshly laid asphalt can carry load immediately.

Recyclable: Asphalt is a recyclable material. It can be used again and again by melting it. Asphalt is easy for maintenance.

Repairing just a part of the asphalt road is easily possible. Asphalt roads even can be

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-By Loveth Okunoboh

relayed over the old layer; asphalt roads provide better traction and skid resistance for vehicles and tends to help keep roads free from ice and snow.

On its disadvantages, he pointed out that in the context of durability, heavy rain and other extreme weather conditions damage the asphalt road, and they need frequent repairs.

"Excess axle load causes de lection and deformation on the road including weather pollution. Melting asphalt produces lots of harmful greenhouse gases. Asphalt is a costly petroleum product", Emoabino said.

On the other hand, he explained that rigid pavement structure which is composed of a hydraulic cement concrete surface course, underlying base and sub-base courses is very durable.

He said, "Concrete roads are durable and safe; less prone to wear and tear; low maintenance requirements; long-term performance (40years) of rigid pavement.

Although, all depends on proper pavement design, materials selection and good construction practices.

According to him, rigid pavement concrete road is resistant to automobile fuel spillage and extreme weather, adding that unlike asphalt roads, concrete roads do not get damaged by the leaking oils from the vehicles or by the extreme weather conditions like excess rain or extreme heat.

He said on issue of greener process: Asphalt (bitumen) produces lots of highly polluting gases at the time of melting it for paving.

Emoabino counseled that, ”For economic bene it on Nigeria roads, composite Pavement structure should be considered.

Composite pavement is an overlay of asphalt on concrete road. The asphalt overlay may have been placed as the inal stage of initial construction, or as part of a rehabilitation or safety treatment.

Volume 2 No 6

Issues Sale of Nigeria's Assets: Which way Nigeria?

T

he desire of Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, to put the economy back on track having been hit by a recession is not in doubt. However, if the proposed sale of some national assets is his idea of revamping an economy severely battered by recession, it is doubtful if he will get a smooth sail.

Since the Federal Government, through the minister, announced the proposal, a groundswell of opposition has continued to trail it, with many Nigerians arguing that the proposed sale was wrongly-headed and will not be in the interest of Nigerians.

Others, however, argue that the move will help raise capital and consequently improve the nation's foreign reserves, calm investors and in the long run, stabilise the economy.

Apparently to calm the controversy generated by the proposal, Udoma, r e c e n t l y i n L a g o s , c l a r i i e d t h a t government was considering selling only some non-critical assets to raise fund.

Apart from plans to generate immediate larger injection of funds into the economy through assets sale, the minister also said “The President's Economic Management Team was working on advance payment of licences renewal, infrastructural concession, use of recovered funds among others to reduce funding gaps and implementation of iscal stimulus/budget priorities.”

However, not a few Nigerians have refused to be swayed by Udoma's explanations. For instance, the organised labour not only rejected the move, but also warned the Federal Government against yielding to calls to sale some national assets. Labour even vowed to resist the move.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said for instance, that an asset such as the Nigeria Lique ied Natural Gas (NLNG), which yields over $1 billion to the nation every year, was a valuable asset, which should be treasured.

U n d e r t h e p r o p o s e d s a l e , w h i c h government said was aimed at bridging the funding gap in the budget and also boost the nation's dwindling foreign reserves, it planned to dispose part of its 49 per cent shareholding in NLNG, including some aircraft in the presidential leet, as well as four re ineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.

Frontline industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was one of those who advocated the sale of national assets to cushion the biting effects of recession on the economy, including NNLG, which is believed to be the Volume 2 No 6

nation's cash cow. But the idea particularly, the sale of NLNG did not go down well with many Nigerians.

Fo r i n s t a n c e , Wa b b a a r g u e d t h a t embarking on such venture would be fruitless. He recalled how sale of national assets in the past failed to add value to Nigerians because it was skewed in favour of only few individuals at the expense of the citizenry.

“It is on record that dividends in excess of $1billion have been accruing to the national coffers annually from the gas company over the past 12 years. These calls are more worrisome when one considers the history of sovereign assets divestiture in the past.

“Where are the proceeds from sale of assets in the power sector for instance? With the bene it of hindsight, it is obvious that these assets were distributed to favoured individuals and surrogates of the ruling elite without any appreciable bene its to Nigerians,” Wabba said.

The labour unionist has an ally in Dr. Dan Nkwocha, a lecturer at the Department of

Sociology, Imo State University, Owerri.

Describing the proposed sale as “wronglyheaded,” he said it would not bene it Nigerians, because government does not have the necessary policing structures and mechanism to ensure that the assets to be s o d i s p o s e d a re m a n a g e d a n d ru n ef iciently for the bene it of Nigerians.

D r. N k wo c h a p o i n te d o u t t h a t t h e experience of Nigerians with the sale of state-owned assets such as Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), and National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria ( NA FCO N ) a m o n g o t h e r s d o e s n o t encourage Nigerians to support the proposed sale of more national assets.

“Where are PHCN and NITEL?”, the university don asked, accusing investors who bought over the assets of “reaping from where they did not sow.” According to him, the new owners took advantage of government's lack of effective policing agents to deny Nigerians the bene its of ef icient and cost-effective services postprivatisation.

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-By Mary Chikezie

He said, for instance, that despite the sale of the assets of the defunct PHCN a few years ago, Nigerians are yet to breathe a sigh of relief by way of improved electricity supply.

He lamented that rather than enjoy improved electricity supply, “Nigerians have become victims of the rapacious pro iteering antics of the new core investors who daily leece electricity consumers for services not rendered.”

While admitting that the economy is currently in dire straits, requiring measures to pull it out of recession, Nkwocha said rather than sale national assets, government should commence aggressive diversi ication of the economy by exploiting opportunities in the agric and s o l i d m i n e r a l s e c t o r s , a s w e l l a s encouraging manufacturing.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) also condemned the proposal to sale the assets, saying that the Federal Government should prepare for civil turbulence if it proceeds to sell the assets. According to the Congress, proponents of the idea are Nigeria's enemies.

“The TUC warns those calling for the sale of national shareholdings in N L N G a n d c o n c e s s i o n o f t h e country's airports to drop the idea if they do not want to incur the wrath of workers. Those suggestions are disgraceful and portray them as enemies of the state,” its President, Mr. Bala Kaigama, and Acting Secretary-General, Mr. Simeso Amachree, said.

Before Udoma made his clari ication, the Senate had unanimously rejected calls for the sale of strategic assets.

Some of the senators alleged that it would impoverish the majority of Nigerians that are already traumatized by the parlous state of the economy.

Speci ically, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said only nonperforming assets should be sold.

According to him, selling productive assets will be unfair to the next generation, pointing out that countries such as United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia guard their assets jealously.

Some of the non-performing assets, which Nigerians wanted sold, are aircraft in the presidential leet. There have been reports, for instance, that in the past 15 months since President Muhammadu Buhari came into the saddle, government had spent a huge sum of N5 billion to maintain nine aircraft in the presidential leet.

Opponents of the proposed sale of assets argued that selling income yielding assets will be counter-productive. To them, it makes greater sense to sale the nonperforming assets, which require a huge infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

Project

The Eko Atlantic City: Citadel of Economic Opportunities -By Ajibola Olarinoye

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n its unswerving determination to shore up Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to N50 billion monthly by 2018, the Lagos state government is not leaving any stone unturned to ensure the full and perfect completion of the multi-billion dollar Eko Atlantic Project.

The successful pace and manner in which the project work is being done speaks volumes about the economic viability of the project.

While touring the project site recently, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode was upbeat about the economic prospects of the Atlantic city, assuring that it would prop up the economy of the state and increase its IGR. “I would like to express the total support of this government to this project because, at the end of the day, we need to grow the economy of Lagos and this, obviously, is going to have multiplier effect on our IGR. We promise that we are going to grow our IGR to N30bn by 2017 and N50bn by 2018 and this project is a sure outlet in achieving that goal, the governor said.

The Governor also expressed con idence about the investment opportunities in Lagos, stating that the shakeup that Nigeria is currently experiencing has little or no effect on the progress of business activities that is going on in Lagos.

T h e G o v e r n o r a l s o disclosed his plan to transform Victoria Island into a new and bigger Island that would be operated under a Free Trade Zone. He stressed t h a t t h e q u a l i t y infrastructural facilities that will be put in place would catapult Lagos to an enviable status of an economic leader in Africa

in one of the world's fastest growing cities. The Atlantic City offers great opportunities for investors that want to bank on great development that will trigger massive market demands. It will also create over 150,000-200,000 jobs when fully completed. The city is designed to have modern and the-state-ofart infrastructural facilities. The city is uniquely built in the sense that: 1. It will have effective electricity that will not experience power outage. This will go a long way to act as a boom to economic and trading activities in the city.

2. State-of-heart communication systems that will ensure ef icient communication locally and internationally. This is quite obvious because Nigeria boasts one of the fastest emerging telecoms markets in the world.

3. The city will have its own water treatment plants and distribution system.

The project which started in 2003 was lagged off of icially in 2013 by the former president Goodluck Jonathan. He commended the Lagos State Government for embarking on such a lofty project, describing it as a vista to economic and tourism development.

The former president said: “When completed, the Atlantic City will not only bene it the promoters of this project, but it will be an important addition to our nation's strive to promote tourism and g o o d l i v i n g . T h e p r o j e c t i s a g r e a t e x a m p l e o f partnership, for it b r i n g s p r i v a t e i n d i v i d u a l s a n d companies who have the knowledge and requisite expertise to transform land lost to e r o s i o n i n t o a delightful Ocean City.”

Also speaking at the e v e n t , t h e f o r m e r President of the United States, Mr. Bill Clinton The project is being built g a v e p r o p s t o t h e on the land reclaimed L a g o s S t a t e from the Atlantic Ocean Government towards and it is located in Lagos Eko Atlantic City under Construction making the vision of B a r B e a c h , V i c t o r i a the mega city project a Island. Based on the plan, the city stands on 10 million Square meters of land reclaimed reality. He was upbeat about the ample opportunities the city will from the ocean and it has about 8.5 kilometers long sea wall. The offer, noting that it would make Lagos a tourist haven where government plans to restore the coast to its previous positions in tourists from all over the world would be visiting Lagos to behold the amazing great wall constructed to checkmate ocean surge. the 1950s and the 1960s.

The Eko Atlantic City is uniquely designed with the necessary The Atlantic City project is privately funded by South Energyx infrastructure and facilities to accommodate 250,000 people Nigeria Limited. This company is the developer and city planners. It is a subsidiary of the Nigerian based Chagoury Group and to further serve as a work place for about 150,00 people. of Companies.

Since 2003, lands that have been lost to the incessant ocean surge Due to the economic bene its of the project, three banks namely: in the past 100 years have been reclaimed by the contractors First Bank, FCMB and Guaranty Trust Bank decided to make a handling the project. Experts believe that the design and the capital out of the considerable opportunities the project offers. construction of this noble project will help in curbing the issue of land disappearing from Nigeria’s coastline in the swathes of Bar The Eko Atlantic City project is a paradigm of modern innovation and excellence that investors should tap into because of the Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos. market of one of Africa's largest economy and the vast economic The multi-billion dollar project has a lot of economic bene its as it potential of Africa generally which is reputed as the world's most would be as it will bring boom to trading and economic activities promising growth zone.

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Innovation

Science & Technology

Onu seeks improvement in Nigeria's Technology Sector

T

he Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, recently described Nigeria's position in the recent Global Competitiveness Report for 2015/2016 in the area of technology as a very impressive one considering the top countries Nigeria is ranked with.

The Minister gave details on this while engaging in dialogue with some key actors in the private sector during a forum organized by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), noting that Nigerian is ranked among the top 20 in the latest global rankings as regards technological readiness.

currently making use of full repositories of Ubuntu and CentOs. The project also makes use of Python Package Index.

The project attracted torrent of commendations from stakeholders.

For instance, the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) expressed profound delight on the project.

According to the Managing Director of IXPN, Mohammed Rudman: “IXPN, are delighted by this initiative from Web4Africa to localize popular open-source content. It is the irst of its kind in Nigeria. We commend them in their effort toward local Internet data hosting, which is the best way to drop the cost of Internet access while improving user experience.

In his words: “It is worth pointing out that 13 of the countries that ranked among t h e to p 2 0 i n t h e G l o b a l Competitive Index also ranked a m o n g t h e to p 2 0 i n t h e rankings of the Technological Readiness and Innovation Pillars. They are Switzerland, Singapore, United States of A m e r i c a , G e r m a n y , Netherlands, Japan, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg.”

He stated further: “When we look at the MINT countries of Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey, apart from the fact that the other three are doing much b e t t e r t h a n u s i n competitiveness, they rank far above Nigeria in the rankings on Technological Readiness and Innovation.

Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu Minister of Science and Technology

“We should aim to be the best for only the best is good enough for Nigeria. We can no longer continue to depend on others. The time has come for us to be self-reliant and also be competitive enough for others to depend on us at least in some areas. This will nourish our national pride,” he asserted.

In a related development, a Web Hosting Company, Web4Africa recently disclosed its plan to launch “The Nigeria Mirror Project,” that is aimed at boosting Internet download speed in Nigeria.

In a statement issued recently by the Managing Director of Web4Africa, Oluniyi Ajao, the project offers wide range of bene its to the Internet ecosystem in Nigeria, adding that it is one of the means they had devised to give back to the local internet community.

He disclosed further that the aim of the project is to save Internet cost through the advent of open-source content closer to end-users in Nigeria.

According to the company, those who will enjoy direct bene its from this project are developers that are using open-source programming languages and those who make use of Linoux Operating Systems, noting that the mirror is infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

“IXPN totally aligns with the Nigeria Mirror Project and we call on other organizations to emulate this kind of project, so as to build a better Internet ecosystem for our country,” Rudman noted.

Investments in technology advancement have played pivotal roles in driving the economy of many countries.

There is ample evidence that all the countries that have reached the stage of developed status in t h e w o r l d a n d t h e f a s t developing ones like India are giving the needed attention to t h e i r t e c h n o l o g y s e c t o r.

Technology improvement is one of the yardsticks used in d e t e r m i n i n g a g r o w i n g economy. The asymmetric investment in technology sector largely explains why there is a yawning gap between developed economies and third world countries.

Scholars were not left out of this thinking. Highlighting the attributes of a technologically backward country, an article titled “Technology and Development in Nigeria: The Missing Link” by V.O.U Uwaifo and P.S.O Uddin, reads: “A county is said to be technologically backward when (i) It cannot produce capital goods such as tractors, lathe machines, drilling machines, cars, trains, and other earth moving equipment. (ii) It is unable to exploit her natural resources except with the help of foreigners who will normally provide the technology and expertise to undertake the exploitation of her natural resources. (iii) It is unable to mechanize her agriculture i.e. crude implements are still used for agricultural production activities by a large percentage of those who are involved in agricultural production. (iv) It depends on other countries for the supply of its spare parts for industrial machinery.”

The scholars noted in the research journal that Nigeria as a nation can leave the group of technologically backward nation if they pay the needed attention and invest heavily in technology. It has been proved that the role of technological improvement is very crucial to the diversi ication policy of the present government of Nigeria to bring the country out of the logjam it found itself through over-reliance on oil.

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Volume 2 No 6

Equipment Review Vermeer Terrain Leveler® SEM can help address drill and blast, air quality restrictions

Solution to help mines extract reserves that may be left behind

O

ne solution is the Vermeer T1255III Terrain Leveler® surface excavation machine (SEM).

The Terrain Leveler SEM features an optional dust suppression system, GPS steering and grade control, as well as a cutting head attachment that can create an 80-degree high wall.

This technology is ideal for use in surface mine applications – especially those faced with drill and blast restrictions or urban encroachment. The advantages of the Vermeer technology are numerous: · Access areas of surface mines where drilling and blastingcannot be done because of physical or permit limitations. · See a reduction in noise, dust and vibration compared to drilland blast. · Produce smaller, more consistent particle size, helping toeliminate the primary crusher step. · Use the Terrain Leveler SEM for haul road construction and maintenance.

Vermeer T1255III Terrain Leveler®

human error for cutting head overlap and maximizing ef iciency of the machine,” says Robinson. “The GPS system “The surface excavation machine allows mines to excavate reserves they provides an overlap cutting of only 6 inches (15.2 cm). couldn't otherwise get to due to drill and blast restrictions or air quality regulations,” says Patrick Robinson, senior commercialization manager for A patented tilt cutting head tied to GPS technology allows the mining at Vermeer. “Mines have already spend considerable time and operator to control the cutting head depth and pitch. This money on permitting. By integrating our surface excavation technology feature allows the operator to cut to the mine plan – producing with their drill and blast program the mines have the ability to extract a lat, almost road-smooth surface; a grade for drainage; or a those reserves that otherwise may be left behind.” sloped haul road. The technology also eliminates rapid changes in cutting depth, which can impact productivity, and can How it works provide more precision cutting than an operator-controlled The Terrain Leveler SEM features a patented tilt-head milling attachment system. with top-down cutting action that can dig up to 21 inches (53.3 cm) deep and 144 inches (365.8 cm) wide in a single pass. As the unit travels forward Performance monitoring and the drum rotates, the teeth on top of the drum advance over the top of The T1255III is equipped with Vermeer SmartTEC control the mineral surface. Operators can also control material sizing by software that assists operators with adjustments to machine increasing or decreasing the tooth penetration to produce an 8-inch (20.3 operation to help maximize machine performance. cm) minus product. Uniform product size also allows more ef icient settings on secondary and tertiary crushing systems.

“Our smartTEC system displays the status of the many critical elements of machine performance, with prompts providing Enhanced ef iciency and dust suppression visual cues to the operator for recommended control The Vermeer T1255III direct drive Terrain Leveler SEM features a fully adjustment,” says Robinson. “The software also monitors and hydrostatic motor mounted to the side of the cutting head providing direct records various machine operation attributes for future drive power to the cutting drum. The direct drive drum design delivers analysis by the machine owner or leet manager.” more horsepower to the cutting drum, resulting in enhanced ef iciency when working in hard rock conditions. In addition, the direct drive drum Operator safety allows the quarry operator to cut an 80-degree high wall providing slope The cab features an operator presence system that disengages stability that is desired in high-wall mining applications. Vermeer also the ground drive and cutting attachment if the operator leaves offers a chain drive drum which allows the quarry operator to cut a 90- the seat. The machines are available with rollover protective degree high wall, and is also designed to work in hard rock conditions. module (ROPM) and falling object protective structure (FOPS) for working near a high pit wall. The machine's low center of On many sites, dust is a challenge due to urban encroachment and air gravity helps maintain machine stability. quality concerns. An optional dust suppression system on the Vermeer Terrain Leveler SEM features an enclosed cutting head with two large Other features vacuums pulling dust from the enclosed cutting head into baghouses. The In addition, the Terrain Leveler SEM has a pressurized cab with collected dust is dropped beneath the machine, helping to reduce the iltered air system to provide an increased level of operator amount of dust entering the air. This also diminishes the need to source comfort. The SEM can also be equipped with an optional fullwater to control dust during the mining process. function wireless remote, which allows the operator to run the machine from a safe distance if the project requires the GPS technology and autonomous control machine to cut against a high wall.

The T1255III Terrain Leveler SEM also features an optional GPS technology that can also be used to create a mine-by-line plan. A mine plan For more information on Vermeer products and services, visit can be uploaded to the GPS system and the machine will automatically cut the company's website at www.vermeer.com or email Vermeer to the plan. at sales - EMEA@vermeer.com “Machine steering is controlled by the GPS technology, helping remove infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

66

Volume 2 No 6

Equipment Review Unleash the full Potential of your Operations with the Ch540

T

he CH540 is the second step in a new generation of cone crushers from Sandvik Construction. It´s capacity, low e nv i ro n m e n t a l i m p a c t a n d h i gh q u a l i t y a re groundbreaking. These features make it a perfect match for any quarry or aggregate plant looking to increase production c a p a c i t y, e l i m i n a t e bottlenecks , r e d u c e cost per ton produced, or improve the quality of the end p r o d u c t .

C o m b i n e d with other S a n d v i k c r u s h e r s , such as the CH550, customers are presented with the possibilities to develop their business even further.

From perfecting crusher settings to extending equipment lifetime, and selecting the right tools for the conditions, our experience has enabled customers throughout the world to make the right choices. Our CH540 and CH550 cone crushers are set to continue this work. The development of CH540 and CH550 con irm Sandvik's market leading position in cone crushers. The wide performance range provides customers with adaptability and lexibility, with the crushers being easily con igured for either secondary or tertiary applications.

In order to deliver greater reduction ratios and productivity than previously possible, the new CH500-series provides many leading features delivering real bene its.

Key bene its: · High capacity in relation to size. · Comes with our new automation and c o n t r o l s y s t e m , S a n R e m o f o r Crushers, itted as standard. · A dump valve ensures quick, safe tramp relief if something unbreakable gets into the crusher. · The wear parts have been adapted, ensuring more ton produced per set. · Does not use plastic backing compound to attach the manganese, allowing fast change of manganese to maximize uptime and making the work environment safer. · Reduced noise emissions. · Minimum use of welding in the crusher. · Maintenance friendly with 'smart' spare part kits, ensuring you have all the necessary spare parts in place.

Key Speci ications of the CH540: Equipment

Ch540 Cone CrusherTotal weight-crusher 12,500 kg / 27,500 lbs Total weight-crusher on sub frame 15,900 kg / 35,000 lbs Height-foot to top feed hopper 2135 mm / 84’ Max permitted power 250 kW / 335 hp Capacity

39 - 295 tph CSS range

4 - 38 mm / 2” - 1' 5” Max feed size

44 - 185 mm / 1' 7” - 7' 3” Trow range

24 - 52 mm / 1' - 2’ Several standard crushing chambers are available for the CH540 and the crusher can easily be matched to changes in production by selecting the right chamber and eccentric throw.

The chambers available are: (EF) Extra Fine; (F) Fine; (M) Medium; (C) Coarse; (EC) Extra coarse.

Almix Travel Pack – “The True Mobile Asphalt Mixing Plants”

T

he ALmix's Travel Pack range of truly mobile Batch Mix and Drum Mix Asphalt Plants features the latest technologies in mixing plant with a production capacity ranging from 40 to 220 tph. The design of the plant is simple, compact with mobility in mind. The ALmix Travel Pack asphalt plants can be dismantled and towed by standard prime movers and set up at new site within three days, thus providing a great lexibility to move between job sites. It is ideal for project work that has short working period and requiring large amount of hot mix ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 tons of hot mix. The ALmix Travel Pack is also suitable for minor works and seasonal works requiring 5,000 to 50,000 tons of hot mix.

cabin. They are 'containerf r i e n d l y ' d e s i g n e d i n o r d e r t o r e d u c e t h e shipping cost.

A n d n o foundation is required, except a clearing with the soil compacted. The Travel Pack's “Plug-In & Play” concept is incorporated into each module facilitates quick and easy set-up anywhere and anytime it is needed.

The Travel Pack is designed with low maintenance and ef iciency in mind. It features a full modulating multi-fuel burner with a high turndown ratio of 1:10, specially laid Herringbone veiling drum lights which provides maximum heating ef iciency for drying of aggregates, direct shaft mounted gear motor eliminating the need for v-belts and timing gears.

s t a r t - u p a n d monitoring of the plant as well as to control the blending of hot mix. A wealth of functions provides the users with immediate monitoring and remote diagnostics of the plant status, thus it helps minimising downtime and enhancing equipment availability. Visit our website at www.almixasia.com.sg Enquiry: stewart@asphaltquarryservices.com Mobile: +44 (0) 7914 798782

+ 30 6987 466581

E s s e n t i a l equipment of the Travel Pack a r e t h e c o l d f e e d s y s t e m , d r y e r, d r u m m i x e r , Almix plants come with an advanced inscreening-weighing-mixing tower, pollution h o u s e d e ve l o p e d u s e r - f r i e n d ly control unit, asphalt tank, iller silo and control Window-based control system for Volume 2 No 6

67

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Events

Date: 16th - 18th February, 2016 Venue: Landmark Centre, Lagos, Nigeria

Date: 26th Sept. - 1st Oct., 2016 Venue: Eko Atlantic City

infrastructural information, Re-de ined www.woodxtrass.com

68

Volume 2 No 6

Events Date: 18th - 20th October, 2016 Venue: Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel & Suites.

Date: 21st - 23rd November, 2016 Venue: Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

Volume 2 No 6

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Volume 2 No 6

PROFILE

M

i k a n o H e a v y C o n s t r u c t i o n Equipment & Forklifts is a d i v i s i o n u n d e r M i k a n o I n t e r n a t i o n a l L i m i t e d ; distributing/servicing the full range of Hyundai construction equipment and other Material Handling Products as the distributor of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Nigeria.

Mikano deliver services and support infrastructure t o e n s u r e m a x i m u m product ef iciency and optimization to both Industries and stake holders.

Our full range of products includes: Hyundai Construction Equipment- Hyundai Hydraulic Excavators Wheel Loader Skid Steer Loader Backhoe Loader Forklifts Diesel Battery LPG/Petrol A l l o u r m a c h i n e r i e s a r e economically and ergonomically designed to deliver a successful and superior performance, quality and consideration of operator's comfort-level under various working conditions.

The company prides itself in delivering, not j u s t t h e H y u n d a i Construction Equipment & forklifts to the Nigerian m a r k e t , b u t a l s o t o satisfy its customers by b r i n g i n g i n d u s t r y leading parts, services a n d s u p p o r t infrastructure; ensuring lasting relationship with customers and industry stakeholders alike; Mikano maintains the highest stock Our unique selling points include: level in this market category.

E x c e l l e n t Our Hyundai heavy equipment and forklifts incorporate the p e r f o r m a n c e a t latest technologies, safety features and ef iciency in operation. Competitive Price Whilst being manufactured under stringent quality control Stock availability of standards, it has been recognized and awarded around the world a l l m o d e l s f o r immediate delivery f o r o u t s t a n d i n g 2 4 / 7 p r o d u c t s p e r f o r m a n c e a n d s u p p o r t a n d value for money. customer service Genuine spare parts available in stock At Mikano Hyundai Up to 24 Months comprehensive warranty for Construction H e a v y E q u i p m e n t Equipment & 36 Months for Forklifts Division, we cultivate Free training for end user's sta lasting relationships Special Technology to comply with Nigerian Climate Market with both customers

a n d i n d u s t r i a l

An ideal partner for your success! stakeholders alike.

ADVERTISERS I NDEX COMPANY

PAGE

WEBSITE

Duo Africa

Front Inner Cover

www.duoafrica.com.gh/www.duoplc.com

Coleman Wires & Cables

P2

www.colemancables.com

Mikano

P4

www.mikano-intl.com

Manal Nigeria Limited

P12

www.manal-group.com

Panafrican Equipment Nig. Ltd.

P16

www.panafricangroup.com

Jafep Paints

P22

www.jafep.com

West African Ceramics Limited

P26

www.royal-ceramic.com

Almix

P32

www.almixasia.com.sg

Mantrac

P38

www.mantracnigeria.com

Wichtech Industries Limited

P42

www.wichtech.com

Vurmak

P47

www.vurmak.com.tr

Transynics Energy Limited

P62

www.transynicsenergy.com

Sandvik

Back Inner Cover

www.construction.sandvik.com

Vermeer

Back Cover

www.vermeer.co.za

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