Monday, March 31, 2014 NEWS
THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com
Marwa returns to PDP
Rights groups seek information on maintenance of refineries
From Emmanuel Ande, Yola HE crisis in Adamawa State T chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
IVIL society groups, C through the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has requested from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources details of Turn-Around-Maintenance (TAM) of the nation’s refineries. The request, made under the right of access to information guaranteed to all Nigerians by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), was for the period of 10 years. The document, signed by Attorney and Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, specifically requested the amount spent on the turn-aroundmaintenance of Nigeria’s four refineries in the 10 years; name, address and contacts of the contractors who carried out the exercise. Also, copies of the contract evidencing the procurement of the turn-around-maintenance services were requested.
Ondo group lauds Jonathan’s effort to redress imbalance By Abiodun Fanoro OMMENDATIONS are still C pouring in for President Goodluck Jonathan over his appointment of Brig.-Gen. Oladeinde Arogbofa as his new Chief of Staff. The latest appreciation came from industrialists and technocrats under the aegis of the Ondo State Eminent Persons Group (OSEG), who lauded Jonathan for proving wrong critics who had accused him of marginalising the Yoruba people. According to the group, with the appointment of Arogbofa, Musiliu Obanikoro, as well as Jelili Adesiyan as ministers, the President has made a very loud statement that the Yoruba would not be marginalised when appointing qualified and competent Nigerians into position of authority. The group gave the commendation at the end of an emergency Executive Council meeting in Akure, the state capital, where it deliberated on Arogbofa’s appointment.
Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola (middle); National President, the Apostolic Church Nigeria/Territorial Chairman, Pastor Gabriel Olutola (second left), Pastor James Soude (left); Osogbo Area Superintendent, Pastor Paul Usman (second right) and Oke Igboji Area Superintendent Ilesa, Pastor Ogundele Isaac (right), during a courtesy visit to the Government House, Osogbo…at the weekend
farewell memorial rites of its former President-General, Ambassador Raph Uwechue, who died on Thursday, March 13, 2014. The committee has Chief Ejiofor Onyia, vice presentgeneral of the apex Igbo sociocultural organisation (Delta) as chairman, while Ogbuefi Ifeoha Azikiwe, former Special Assistant (Media) to Uwechue will serve as secretary. Members of the committee are drawn from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Imo, and Rivers states. It includes the representatives of the seven state governors, as well as representatives of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom, Aka Ikenga and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos and Abuja branches. Representing the Uwechue family in the committee are
deepened yesterday when former Lagos State military administrator General Mohammed Buba Marwa and thousands of other APC members joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over what they described as impunity and lawlessness of the party’s leadership. While addressing the defected APC members at the Lelewa Hotel in Yola, Marwa said his action was based on the injustice and impunity in the party spearheaded by the national leadership of APC. Marwa, who accused Governor Murtala Nyako of running APC as an extension of his Sebore Farm, pointed out that the party has no prospect to win any election in the state under Nyako’s leadership. He maintained that the national leadership refused to dialogue with the stakeholders of APC in the state to find a lasting solution to crisis, but that the leadership supported Nyako to the disadvantage of the founding members of the party in the state.
NIIA tasks China on trade, technology By Olalekan Okusan HE need to deepen ties T came to the fore at the Nigeria-China Dialogue hosted by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) at the weekend in Lagos where the Director General of NIIA, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, said the Chinese government must be ready to strengthen trade relationship with Nigeria. Specifically, Akinterinwa challenged the Chinese delegation to be willing to assist Nigeria in areas like business and capacity building, as well as knowledge-based society with emphasis on technology. He described the forum as the first dialogue between the two institutes, which was meant to exchange ideas on issues involving the two nations. Particularly, he said just like Nigeria supported China in its quest to become permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China must
also back Nigeria in its ambition to secure permanent seat in the UN. The Chinese team was led by the Director of The Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University (IASZNU), Professor Liu Hongwu, who admitted that Nigeria remains a regional emerging power in Africa and world, as well as the continent’s most important nation with a long history and rich culture. He added that Nigeria and China are very important countries in the globe. He explained that the potentials possessed by the two nations could help them to collaborate in promoting the development of Africa. “With a population of 168 million in 2011 to become Africa’s most populous nation, with over 719 million barrels of crude oil exports in 2013, Africa’s first big oil producers and one of the fastest growing economies in the world,
Nigeria is very important to China. “In 2013, Africa’s first big economies with foreign direct investment (FDI) of $7.03 billion in 2012, accounting for 14 per cent of the total FDI in Africa and the first in Africa, while the trade volume between China and Nigeria in 2010 was $7.7 billion, and in 2013, it has improved to $13.5 billion,” he said. He added: “In 2009, China’s investment in Nigeria totaled $7.24 billion and this investment involves infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, agriculture and mining and other fields. Chinese investments in Nigeria have already created at least 30,000 jobs, while Chinese government provide more than 200 training opportunities to Nigeria every year.” In his submission, areas that the two nations can deepen their relationships include infrastructure, agriculture,
Ohanaeze raises Uwechue burial committee
THIRTY-MAN committee A has been set up by Ohanaeze Ndigbo to organise
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• Funeral rites for ex-diplomat begin May 5
Chief George Uwechue (SAN), Okechukwu (son of Ambassador Uwechue) and Paul Uwechue. Also in the team are Sir Emma Okafor, president-general of OgwashiUku Development Union, retired Permanent Secretary and former director of the Delta State Liaison Office, Abuja. Other members include Professor Sylvester Monye, Special Assistant to the President on Project Monitoring and Evaluation; Dr. Paddy Njoku, Chairman, NECO, Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, Secretary SURE-P, Chief Gerry Ossai, Elder Ifeanyichukwu Onwukamike, Emeka Mbagha, Ogbueshi Val Ogosi, and Sir Tony Ibekwe, Chief Tonnie Oganah, Chiedu Ashibuogwu, Samuel Obanya, Chuks Iloegbunam, Daniel Egwudobi, Onwu Arua, Abraham Nmalagwu and
Tonnie Eluemunor, among others. Uwechue’s farewell journey will begin on May 5, 2014, with various activities, including a memorial mass, public lecture and social wake in Abuja. On May 8, the corpse leaves for Enugu where it will lie in state at the headquarters of the panIgbo organisation. The body departs Enugu on the same day to Asaba for onward journey to his residence, Africa House, Ogwshi-Uku. An all-night vigil will hold in his honour while his body lies in state at the Africa House, his final resting place, before interment. The Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, His Lordship Michael Odogwu Elue, will conduct the memorial mass before Uwechue will be buried on Friday, May 9, 2014. Meanwhile, a former member
of the House of Representatives, Pascal Adigwe, has said that “Uwechue’s exit is a big loss to Delta-North as he was an avid protagonist and defender of the Anioma cause, a diplomat per excellence, an unbeatable leader with eminence and industry, our alter ego, an advisor and mentor.” In a statement, he added: “We have lost a gem. We shall take solace in the fact that life is a race. Where you stop, others will continue but this shoe is too big to imagine. Let’s take heart my beloved Ogwashi Uku and Anioma people.....for yes, our Great Ogwuluzeme is gone; we shall all mourn and miss him for a long time but God will grant us the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss and the strength to celebrate and sustain his legacy. His dreams live on....”
transportation, education, science and technology. With its potentials in oil, he said Nigeria is not only the most important oil production and export region in Africa, but also a major energy partner for China in the future. Despite the huge potentials
possessed by the two countries, Hongwu said there was need to establish strategic mutual trust, respect and winwin cooperation to ensure mutual benefit. Among speakers at the oneday roundtable discussion was Prof. Alaba Ogunsanwo of Lead City University, Ibadan.