National Honours as Chieftaincy Titles

The Verdict  According to Olusegun Adeniyi.

Sometime in 1996, then Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha, was said to have been handed a list of nominees for National Honours, subject to the approval of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) which he chaired. After going through the names, Abacha reportedly looked straight at the official who gave him the paper and remarked: “These are the Nigerians you think merit National Honours? More than half of the people on this list are crooks!” That year, no Nigerian was bestowed a national honour and I really cannot recall if Abacha ever conferred any until he died.

Incidentally, before I joined government at the end of May 2007, one of the issues I had been very critical of on this page was the debasement of National Honours. Every year, especially since 1999, the story was the same with national honours given mostly to government officials to whom you could not credit with any achievement. This is usually capped with some other characters--who, in another country, would be in jail--being conferred national honours. There was also the issue of category. While respected people in the society who are known to have made (and who are still making) invaluable contributions are usually given what the Yoruba people would call “gba je n sinmi” (just take this and let me have peace), some unworthy people receive higher honours.

Given the way I had felt about the issue, it was understandable that I would pay serious attention to the first conferment of such honours by my late boss, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2008. What transpired was to a great extent a reflection of the degeneration of our society that we now see in all facets. To put it mildly, I saw a bastardised process reeking with corruption and cronyism and I decided to intervene. So on December 30, 2008, I sent my late boss this memo:

“According to Section 4 (1a) of the National Honours Act, Nigeria’s honours are to be awarded ‘for distinguished public service’. Over the years, however, the high regard and esteem with which the National Honours have been held has degenerated so much that today many Nigerians question its value and the integrity of the entire process. It is indeed worrisome that questionable names find their way into the Honours’ roll and no one is sure of the criteria for their selection. The most recent exercise was particularly abused as can be affirmed by...who was a member of the selection committee. I believe that the time has come for a comprehensive review of the process of selection; standards of the recipients vis-a-vis the quality of their contributions to national growth and development; number of beneficiaries and all other related matters.

“Given Your Excellency’s avowed commitment to upholding integrity in the public space, the value of the Honours need to be restored to encourage hard work and commitment to the nation, so that recipients can feel a genuine sense of self-worth and recognition from a grateful nation. As a first step, I recommend that Your Excellency should appoint a committee to totally review the National Honours Award Act as well as the selection procedures and make appropriate recommendations to government on how to restore its lost glory. Some credible and respected Nigerians are listed below for Your Excellency’s consideration as members of the committee...”

Although the late President did not work with my list of nominees for the exercise, he indeed constituted the Justice Alfa Belgore committee to examine the National Honours. I cannot now remember whether they completed their assignment before he died but if they did, I am yet to see any impact from their task given the current list of those to be honoured next week. It is still a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly. Aside the fact that you really cannot understand what qualifies some people, about 90 percent of those to be honoured have held, or are holding, certain public offices, some through rigging! In fact, going by this year’s list, it would seem that the main qualification is the appointive or elective office that the recipient currently occupies or had occupied in the past.

For instance, of the 11 persons in the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) category, seven are serving public officials, three are retired, with only one businessman to complete the list. Of the 25 Commander of the Order of Niger (CON), there are only three private persons while the remaining 22 people comprise serving and former ministers, current and former Governors as well as serving and former Senators. And down go the categories and the nominees such that the whole idea of national honour is today no different from the conferment of chieftaincy titles by traditional rulers.

But as it also happens every year, even when you question the rationale for some of the names, there are usually credible people on the list, accomplished men and women who add value to our society but whose achievements are degraded by the company of those they are lumped with. This fact also accounts for the rejection of the honours by some awardees who fear a possible association with those they feel should not be on the Honours’ List.

However, given that the problem did not start today, one cannot blame President Goodluck Jonathan although we will expect him to restore credibility to the process in the coming years. Instructively, last year, he did borrow from the book of Second Republic President Shehu Shagari by bestowing the second highest honour on industrialist Alhaji Aliko Dangote. This year, it is the turn of Dr. Mike Adenuga (Jrn) and even while we may deplore the politics of quota that seems to be so apparent, I believe it is a worthy recognition.

For me, what sets Adenuga apart is not because he is into several businesses hence a big employer of labour in a nation where we need people who can create wealth and generate employment. Adenuga is up there because of what he has been able to achieve with Globacom. Anybody familiar with the story of Nigeria’s telecoms industry cannot but salute his doggedness even when only few people gave him a chance at the beginning of his adventure. By stepping up to be bold and daring in the sector, he has been able to restore our national pride, especially given the shame that NITEL has become. But let’s recap the story first.

At the 2000 GSM licence auction, Adenuga’s company, Communications Investment Limited (CIL), had won the same frequency that Motophone had earlier been given and for which the Chagouris were then still in court. But Adenuga, (whose audacity actually helped to push up the price in the course of a globally monitored transparent bidding for which the Olusegun Obasanjo administration deserves eternal commendation), could not muster the requisite licence fee within the stipulated time of 14 days. At that period, international investors were not sure of the Nigerian market so Adenuga quite naturally had difficulty in putting together the requisite finances. Aside the South African MTN which took a big gamble that has today paid off for the company big time, another company called ECONET was cobbled together to secure a licence while NITEL was given a free one. With Adenuga edged out, ECONET in perpetual disarray and NITEL clueless as to what to do with its licence, MTN ran a virtual monopoly.

The story, however, changed when Globacom eventually entered the market after winning the bid for the second national operator licence in August 2002. Prior to that time, MTN that was making a kill had told Nigerians that it was impossible to do per second billing for subscribers. Adenuga put a lie to all that. Indeed, Globacom became the game changer in the industry with stiff competition which eventually proved that what some white South Africans can do, a black Nigerian can also do, if not better!

Between then and now, Adenuga has grown Globacom into a big national brand, a dominant player in the Nigerian market and the network of choice for many countries within the West African sub-region. He has also made invaluable contributions to the development of our football. And by using Nigerian actors and actresses for endorsement, Globacom has gradually helped to promote what has become our biggest cultural export to the world: Nollywood! Against the background of what Multichoice (or DSTV as most people know it) is doing in our country, one can only imagine a GSM market with only MTN running the show.

Regardless of how we may feel about Nigerian businessmen like Aliko Dangote and Adenuga, one thing stands to their credit: they are investors who plough all their resources into this economy, and even borrow from outside our shores to do so. That is a big risk under the kind of political system we run and people who can do that deserve not only our respect but also, indeed, our encouragement.

All said, there is no doubt that the national honour needs to be reviewed, for greater credibility. The Act should be revisited and the membership of the selection committee re-evaluated. The criteria for entitlement should be upgraded, so that the odour of un-holiness currently surrounding the processes (and even the actual award ceremony itself) should be eliminated. Unless these are done, the nation will not be able to use the Honours’ List to make a roll call of role models for national development as it is done in other climes.

The current abuse notwithstanding, I remain a firm believer in the essence of the conferment of national honours which is to celebrate the accomplishments of citizens who contribute, in one way or another, to the shaping of their society; men and women whose courage help them to overcome difficult obstacles in pursuit of noble goals. I hope that one day, our government will recognise the true meaning of national honours by making the right calls. For instance, I would have been delighted if the president had accommodated on the list for this year some of the Paralympics Gold medallists, especially the man who broke a World Record. By bestowing national honours on such distinguished athletes we challenge other Nigerians that they also could be heroes even in the simple but important things they do every day.

To Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr) and other worthy national honours nominees, my congratulations.

ACN Deplores Smear Campaign against Tinubu

Bola Ahmed Tinubu


Onyebuchi Ezigbo

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described the reaction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to  Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s attendance of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA as symptom of an indolent and frightened people.

The party said PDP’s unwarranted criticism over Tinubu’s trip is a testimony of an intimidated organisation  suffering from misplaced priorities and  whose past time is peddling  rumours, half truths and disinformation.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said if anyone was guilty of mischief, falsehood and deliberate attempt at disinformation on this matter it is the PDP-led Federal Government.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, had described as  farce ACN’s claim of being specially recognised in the international circle as leaders of opposition for attending the Democratic Party Convention in the US.

Metuh said the claim is deceitful following a  revelation that the ACN and its national leader “actually laboured vigorously to purchase his invitation.”
However,  ACN said the  controversy  over Tinubu’s attendance of the convention was needless since the former governor of Lagos State was invited to join the American President and  leaders of the Democratic Party at the convention to herald President Barack Obama’s nomination as candidate for the November presidential polls.

ACN insisted that Tinubu was given a gold card and a privilege to attend the ceremony  with three other eminent personalities - Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mr Dele Alake and Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

“Where except in the jaundiced mind of the Peoples Democratic Party can anyone infer from this statement that Bola Tinubu claimed that he was personally invited by President Barrack Obama or  that Obama signed gold card for him as being peddled by the PDP and agents of the Federal Government.

“Is it not clear now to all people of goodwill that the PDP and the Federal Government twisted this innocuous statement to serve the agenda of persons who at all cost want to smear Tinubu and the Action Congress of Nigeria? the party asked.

ACN accused the Federal Government and its agents of orchestrating the controversy  to score cheap political points, adding that it is nothing but a smear campaign and a panic response by a government in dire search for relevance.

The party said it was not surprised that PDP is feeling intimidated by the towering figure and influence of Tinubu and the unstoppable  growing popularity of the ACN.

“Should anyone be surprised why the Peoples  Democratic Party would  be ever so willing to latch onto anything however tenuous, ridiculous or illogical to discredit him and the party?
“How does Tinubu’s  attendance of or manner of invitation  to the Democratic National Convention in faraway North Carolina affect the governing of Nigeria which should be the priority of the Federal Government  and  the PDP?”

ACN demanded to know what bearing Tinubu’s  attendance of  or manner of invitation to the Democratic National Convention have with the Federal Government’s inability to confront insecurity, unemployment, epileptic power supply, corruption and the myriad of other problems facing the country today.

“How is Tinubu’s attendance of and  manner of invitation to the Democratic National Convention become a matter of  such urgent national importance  as to warrant a  morally damaged Presidential aide through his office to be shopping the unsubstantiated and utterly baseless story from one media house to the other at the expense of tax payers’ money?, the party queried.

“Is it anyone’s fault that the PDP lacked the presence of mind and foresight to know that they should have been present at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina? Why must Tinubu and the Action Congress be pilloried simply because of its national leader’s international exposure and strategic thinking reasons for him  making the right decision to attend the Democratic National Convention ?

ACN advised the PDP led-Federal Government “to busy itself with improving the economy and the lives of millions of Nigerians rather than lecturing Nigerians on the rules of attending party conventions”.

Meanwhile, the PDP in  the South-west has said Tinubu must apologise to Nigerians for bringing the country to disrepute with his lie that he was specially invited to attend the convention.

Reacting to claim by the ACN that PDP was carrying out a smear campaign against Tinubu, Lere Olayinka, the media aide to the National Vice-Chairman (South-West), Chief Segun Oni, said the ACN should rather advise Tinubu to go for deliverance so that he can be purged of spirit of lies that has made him to lie about everything.

Olayinka said; “For those of us that went to proper schools, there was this story called ‘puro kin niyi, ete nii muwa’ (if you tell lie to be acknowledged, you will be disgraced ultimately). That is exactly what is confronting Tinubu now.

“Or was it PDP that made Tinubu, in his characteristic manner to lie that he was invited and given a ‘Gold Card’ to attend the Democratic Party Convention when in actual fact, he bought his invitation with $5,000?

“Was it PDP that made Tinubu to lie that he attended Government College, Ibadan, which he never attended?

“Now that Tinubu is being faced with the consequences of his world of lies, is it PDP that must be blamed?

“To us in the PDP, the most honourable thing for these elements in the ACN to do is to own up to the fake personality that Tinubu, their leader has become and apologise to Nigerians for ridiculing the country with their lies of Tinubu’s invitation by Obama?”

ThisDay.

Wale Odunsi: The Culture of Secrecy in First Family: Like Turai, Like Jonathan

The spokesman of Nigeria’s First Lady Patience Jonathan, Ayo Osinlu is at the moment arguably the most popular media aide in the country. He is having a slice of the presidency fame hitherto enjoyed by our ‘runaway’ friend Dr Reuben Abati until recently joined by self-styled ‘attack dog’ Dr Doyin Okupe. We never heard much from him before the Africa First Ladies Peace Mission Summit – an event overshadowed by the car-purchase saga – and the appointment of his boss as a permanent secretary in the President’s home state, Bayelsa.
Mr Osinlu strikes me as an aide who wasn’t ready for the job; he was literally inactive all the while. His ‘dullness’ is perhaps one of the reasons Mrs Jonathan pushed for the side-lining (if not outright sack) of Abati for not adequately ‘protecting’ her image. His ‘dullness’ is perhaps one of the reasons Okupe was brought in as (in my word DCO) a damage control officer.
Sounding rather undiplomatic; “Nobody is going to put a gun on my head and force me to talk when I have no fresh information. My position is not different from what I told Daily Trust.” And when asked Madam’s return, he blurted “I don’t know, I don’t have any information on that. You don’t expect me to call her and ask her, ‘when are you returning?’ Is she my mate?” I laughed till my tummy hurt the day I read the news. He was this close to invoking the god of thunder on the reporter. The poor man obviously was jittery, helpless and overwhelmed by the pressure of duty. I am sure he does now appreciate the extent of workload on his colleagues i.e. Abati and Okupe.
Sometimes I wonder why God in his wisdom decided to throw folks like us in a part of the world where people make simple things big deal. It is not a good development that in a country blessed with a million and one brilliant individuals including doctorate holders and professors, the knowledge of common verbalism unfortunately devoid many.
I fail to see what is difficult to understand in a phrase as plain as ‘public service’. My word! Simply put, Public Service is a service rendered in the interest of the public. What this connotes is that the moment you become a public servant, regardless of your office, there are certain things which morally you shouldn’t treat as a private affair, the people you serve must be informed. One, this gives no room for speculation and two, your constituents feel a sense of belonging because you have shown that you are not only sensitive but also trustworthy.
In November 2009, when late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was flown to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the entire nation was thrown into confusion; the present was befuddling, the future – obscure. That we survived that trying period is divine. His wife, Turai would not let closest relatives see him, talk less the then vice-president, Dr Jonathan, whom she and some powerful cabinet members considered a green horn.
He was treated as if he were an ordinary staff in the corridor of power instead of his boss’s right hand man. She was everyone’s enemy; every tribe had a name for her. In fact we call for her head on a platter and would have lynched her if she dared drive into somewhere like Wuse or Kubwa without armed escorts. Now the tables have turn, the First Lady is away in a hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany because of an ailment they wouldn’t reveal. Shall we now demand the President’s head too?
I am most disappointed in the country number one citizen. He has once again shown how weak he is. Few days after his wife was flown out, it was reliably gathered that the President met his media aides and asked that a statement be released to put the records straight and clear the air on an issue that has become another national embarrassment. Thereafter, he made a quick U-turn after meeting his kinsmen; a bunch of people that will lead him astray if he doesn’t take care.
What on earth was GEJ thinking anyway? I bet he was under the illusion that we wouldn’t know. How could anyone in a country where social network is the in-thing? Millions of people stood under the sweltering April sun to ensure he gets to Aso Rock and then he betrays them by accepting the lecture of his people even though he knew the right thing to do. Na only dem vote for am! He dances to the whims and caprices of the hawks that keep deceiving him; it is saddening, sickening, annoying. I cannot believe the president learnt little or nothing from his former oga’s situation.
I wish Mrs Jonathan speedy recovery and good health thereon. But upon her arrival, she should come down from her high horse please; her ego is regrettable and I am pissed. Madam has every reason to thank her Creator; she presently occupies a position that is almost every woman’s dream so why does she act as though her elevation is man-made.
Her husband is in the villa today by providence and one expects that she remain humble and respect everyone around her. Take for instance her stand-off with Turai over a land. What is in a land? I thought she’s a Christian. Both holy books teach that we shall leave everything we own on earth so why tight your fist on what you cannot take with you when you die. My thinking is that she was trying to pay her predecessor in her coin but she doesn’t need such.
The president should eat the humble pie and apologise for what he (and those who ill-advised him) are putting us through. If I were him, I will come out on national television, explain the condition of my wife and urge the good people of this country to remember her in prayers. Even with disagreements in our political and ethnic affiliations, I like to think no one would wish her dead. Hiding the health state of the wife of a nation’s leader is condemnable; it is a wrong step in a wrong direction.
DailyPost.

Between SIM Card Registration and Crime Reduction

Sim Cards

Emma Okonji writes on the importance of SIM card registration and other technology devices in addressing the ever increasing crime rate in the country

When the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), embarked on Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration exercise in March 2011, not many Nigerians knew why it had to do so, being a telecoms regulator. There were several criticisms as to why NCC should be involved in SIM card registration, but the commission decided not to be distracted by its critics and went ahead to recruit consultants for the exercise.

Although the SIM registration exercise is on-going, several crimes carried out in secret have been uncovered by the police through registered SIM cards.

NCC’s Involvement

According to NCC, the commission was involved in SIM registration exercise because of the increasing rate of crimes and kidnappings in the country. Fraudsters used the mobile phones as means of communication in perpetuating crimes and to collect ransom from families of victims that were kidnapped.

Another reason why NCC embarked on SIM registration, was to develop a central data management system of all telecoms subscribers, to enable security agents make use of such data in fighting crimes.

Appearing before the defunct House Committee on Communications in Abuja in July 2010, Executive Commissioner, NCC, Bashir Gwandu, argued, quite convincingly, that the lack of subscriber identification database had far-reaching security implications and was being exploited by unscrupulous individuals to perpetrate crime and related illegal activities in the country.
 
Gains of SIM Registration

The push by NCC for SIM registration is beginning to pay off, as the advantages of the exercise are gradually coming to the fore, especially in unravelling criminal cases. Such was the case of Cynthia Osokogu, the daughter of a retired Major General Osokogu, who was murdered in a hotel in Festac Town, Lagos recently.

The police paraded two suspects, Echezona Nwabufor, 33, and Ezekiel Nnechuwu Olisa Eloka, 23, for allegedly killing Cynthia. Both suspects confessed to the killing of the young woman.
They confessed killing her with the intention of stealing her money, only to realise she hadn’t any cash on her.

According to the suspects; “We met her on the Facebook on our Blackberry. We invited her to come to Lagos to buy goods at cheap prices. When she got to Lagos, we took her to a hotel in Festac. We thought she had a lot of money, but she said she didn’t have any money. We gave her Reflon tablet in her Ribena drink. After this, we slept with her for 12 hours in that hotel. We discovered that the tablet did not work quickly on her. We then attacked her, tied her up and used cello tape to cover her mouth. After that, we beat her to tell us where she kept the money. When we didn’t get any money from her, we tied her mouth and strangled her and then we abandoned her in the hotel and fled.”

The victim and her alleged killers became friends on Facebook, and they saw opportunity to attack and steal money from her when she told them she was coming to Lagos for shopping.

The suspects perpetuated the crime in secret, but they were exposed through their registered SIM cards with which they had conversation with the hotel attendant and the deceased.

According to the Lagos State commissioner of Police, Umar Abubakar Manko, the suspects were nabbed by detectives who used the Close Circuit TV (CCTV) footage provided by the hotel where the alleged crime took place.

Also used were the call logs which revealed the exchange of phone calls and messages between both suspects and Cynthia, their victim. This was where the registered SIM cards came to fruition, because it would not have been possible to trace them through their call logs, and text messages exchanges, if they did not register their SIM cards. THISDAY gathered that their photos, which were captured during SIM registration and other biometric information captured at registration, information provided at registration, helped the police in tracing and arresting Cynthia’s killers.
The matter had since been charged to court.

Before now, Nigerians have hailed NCC for its initiative on SIM registration, but they are presently worried that the exercise is yet to be concluded, one year after the expiration of the initial six months target set by NCC to complete SIM registration across the country.

Subscribers’ Experience

Commenting on the usefulness of SIM registration, Jide Oluwaseun, a subscriber to MTN network, said there would be no hiding place for criminals, if all phone owners were compelled by law to register their SIMs. Narrating his experience he said he was shocked when he called MTN customer care line on 180 and one of the call centre operators called him by his name while exchanging pleasantries with him on phone.

“The voice, which is a lady’s voice, said to me Jide how are you and I was shocked as to how she got to know my name. Upon asking questions how she knew my name without seeing me face to face, the lady laughed at me and reminded me that my particulars displayed on their screen when I called and that she has all my details because I have registered my SIM. Immediately after my conversation with her, I told myself that I could be easily caught if I were to be a criminal,” Jide said.

He however frowned at instances where people sell pre-registered SIM cards on the streets and market places, but NCC is aware of the development and its monitoring team has made several arrests in some states of the country.

Another subscriber to Airtel, Samson Onuoha told THISDAY that SIM card registration had helped to curtail criminal activities in the country, but explained that most criminal do not give true information on of themselves and their addresses, even though their photographs have been captured, which he said would make it difficult to trace such people when they commit crime. He called on NCC to insist on true information of phone users before they are registered by the operators.

With series of arrests made over pre-registered SIM cards and some taken to court already, an NCC source informed that the commission was on the trail of some big distributors of telecoms operators who are behind the sale of pre-registered SIM cards.

The source hinted that sales of pre-registered SIMs were possible because of the loophole, which existed in the process adopted by some registration agents to activate registered SIMs. The agents were being paid based on the number of SIMs registered, and the agents seem to have capitalised on the loophole in the registration process by simply registering as many SIMs as possible and selling them to unsuspecting Nigerians as “Active SIMs”.

But the Commission in an advertorial warned of the dire consequences for those engaged in pre-registering, selling or purchase of such new SIM cards which include arrest, detention, investigation, sanction and prosecution in accordance with the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 and the Regulations for the Registration of Telephone Subscribers 2011.

Expert Views

According to a Lagos based Lawyer, Simeon Okeke, the advantages of SIM card registration have been severally canvassed in many quarters. He said “In a country where security is a major concern, SIM card registration becomes important, but I became worried that Nigeria has no data centre where the true identity of people could be crosschecked or verified, even when criminals are caught.”

“After reading the recent submissions of the NCC by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Eugene Juwah, at the recent probe of the N6.1 billion SIM card registration exercise, one would not but conclude that Nigeria is on the right course,” he said, adding that Nigerians should collectively give the commission the chance to complete the SIM card registration process.

According to Okeke, it is evident that SIM card registration will assist in fighting crimes in the country, but insisted it would not eliminate crime in its entirety.

Citing countries like South Africa, Canada, and Germany, where SIM registration has been successfully carried out, he said that crime still thrived in such countries, but explained that the importance of SIM registration would go a long way in addressing crime rates in the country.

25 bidders for PHCN discos to emerge today

By Emeka Ugwuanyi.

PHCN

• As NCP meets

ABOUT 25 bidders may be shortlisted from the 54 that submitted bids for the 11 distribution companies unbundled from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), The Nation learnt. 

The announcement would  follow the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) meeting today to ratify the report of evaluation of the technical bids.

Among the bidders are OANDO Consortium; Vigeo Power Consortium; Rockson Engineering Company Limited; Gumco; Skipper Nigeria Limited; Interstate Electrics Limited; Southern Electricity Distribution Company and Eastern Electric Nigeria Limited.

Others are Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing Limited. Also included are SEPCO-Pacific Energy Consortium; Electric Utilities Nigeria; Honeywell Energy Resources International Limited; Western Consortium; Vigeo Holdings, African Corporation AFC & CESC Consortium; Masters Energy Oil & Gas Limited; and 4Power Consortium. 

The 25 bidders are those who scaled the requirements and standards set for the evaluation of technical bids, which was concluded last week. 

After the ratification, the NCP, which is chaired by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, would announce the successful bidders at the presidential villa, Abuja. 

According to the privatisation timeline from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the deadline for the shortlisted bidders for generation companies to submit their letters of credit was September 18, 2012 while October 2, 2012 is the deadline for shortlisted bidders for distribution companies. 

Consequent upon NCP’s approval of evaluation of technical bids, the BPE will open the financial bids of the shortlisted investors. The BPE had said that it will on September 25, 2012 open the financial bids of prospective investors for the generating companies while October 10, 2012 is the date for the opening of the financial bids for the distribution companies. 

The announcement of the preferred bidders for the generating companies is October 9, 2012 while October 23, 2012 is the date for the announcement of the preferred bidders for the distribution companies, according to the agency added.  

The 11 distribution companies (Discos) up for sale include Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Jos Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company Plc, Kano Electricity Distribution Company Plc  Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company Plc, and Yola Electricity Distribution Company Plc. 

The bidders for the power distribution assets include local and international companies, while some are partnerships between local and foreign firms. Some companies are privately owned while some are floated by state governments or in partnership with state governments. 

The BPE had also noted that the prospective core investors, who must be local and/or international power distributors or investors with power distributors as technical partners, will be responsible for operating the distribution companies, making the necessary investments to improve the distribution network and customer service in line with the objectives of the Federal Government. 

I won’t allow interference in Judiciary, says CJN

By Kamarudeen Ogundele.

Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar

•Falana, Jacobs, Ananaba, Mogaji, others now SANs

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar yesterday promised progressive revolution in the judiciary.
She also vowed to resist interference from other arms of government by upholding the rule of law and strict adherence to the Constitution.
The CJN spoke in Abuja at the Special Court Session to mark the beginning of the 2012/2013 legal year, and the swearing-in of 25 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).
She said the judiciary would  continue “to retain its place as the last bastion of what is good, decent and Godly about humanity.”
Besides, she said, the judiciary under her leadership will serve as a check on other arms of the government by interpreting the Constitution to determine their “extent and scope of powers and whether any action of any arm of government transgresses such limits.
“It is the judiciary which has to ensure that the law is observed and that there is compliance with the requirements of law on the part of the government. Our courts should be Independent and subject only to the Constitution and the law, which they apply impartially, without fear, favour and prejudice. Without judicial independence, there can be no preservation of democratic values.”
The new SANs are Human Rights Activist Femi Falana; former Dean of Faculty of Law Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George; Ekiti State Attorney General Akinlaja Dayo Moses; Rotimi Oluseyi Oguneso and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs.
Others are former Plateau State Attorney General, Professor Dakas James Dakas, Mrs. Joy Adesina, Mrs. Connie-Jean Aremu, Adekunle Theophilus Oyesanya, Henry Ogbodu, Paul Ananaba, Solicitor of Babcock University, Ilishan, Remo, Ogun State; Francis Chuka Agbu, and Ahmed Raji.
There are also Ogwu James Onoja, Mahmud Abubakar Magaji, Selekeowei Larry, Aliyu Umar, Illo Katune  Sanusi, Oluseye Samuel Opansanya,  Garba Tetengi, Abeni O. Mohammed, Aduroja Oluwamuyiwa, Charles Obishai, Ndukwe Nnawuchi and Luke Chukwudi Ilogu.
Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Isiaka Ajimobi (Oyo); former CJN S.M.A Belgore and deputy Governor of Delta State, Prof. Amos Utuama among others, attended the ceremony.
Lamenting that there are an estimated 40,000 prisoners in Nigeria with about two-thirds of them not convicted, the CJN said the judiciary alone cannot ensure speedy trial without the prosecuting agencies playing their role.
“The court cannot on its own prosecute criminal cases, there must be the willingness of all prosecuting agencies to prosecute cases brought before our courts especially high profile cases of corruption and all others”, she added.
The CJN commended states that have introduced alternative punitive measures like community service, non- custodian sentences and probation, to decongest the prisons.
“Implementation of these policies will no doubt be of great benefit to the government and the society at large,” she said.
The CJN who promised speedy dispensation of justice in this legal year, also identified inadequate funding as one of the major problems confronting administration of justice.
She regretted that the situation leaves judges at the mercy of state executives and politicians.
 “Unlike the federal judiciary that enjoys 90% of financial independence, inadequate funding and inaccessibility to funds appropriated to states’ judiciary in the budget, is a bane of administration of justice.
“This situation calls for mutual and progressive partnership with the executive with a hope to finding a lasting solution to this lingering menace,” Justice Mukhtar stated.
The CJN urged the new SANs to conduct themselves in line with the principles of the rule of law firmly anchored on the fundamental values of society.
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Okey Wali (SAN) called for a review of the criteria for the selection of new SANs.
He said the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) should include the NBA President as a member.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), commended the apex court for “profound judgments and rich jurisprudence”.

Nasarawa’s Quiet Development Strides

Governor Tanko Al-Makura

George Okoh writes about the various development efforts in Nasarawa State, which have considerably impacted on the lives of the inhabitants

As the only Congress of Democratic Change (CPC) governor in the country, the billionaire Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura, has an enormous task.

He has to prove to Nigerians and particularly Nasarawa state inhabitants that the state under his political group will be better than the several years of the PDP, described by many as the years of the locust.

Focus on Roads
Al-Makura left no one in doubt of his intent as he commenced the construction work linking Shendam road to Jos road through Kurikyo road, to ensure that traffic would easily be diverted to other routes without necessarily having to skirt around Shendam and Jos roads, which has been the case.

Other roads were the linking of Hospital road through GRA to burst out on another link off Shendam road with the aim of decongesting traffic flow that is usually heavy along Hospital/Shendam roads.

Another road from Super Cinema, which had been inaccessible, was also put under construction, just as another one is being constructed off the Super Cinema road to burst out near third world electronics on Makurdi road.

There are still other roads, from Lafia East Primary School leading to Government house junction on Shendam road and project quarters, which may be extended to connect with Makurdi road.

While work on some of the roads has been completed; construction work on some others are at various stages of completion.

To give the construction of roads a boost, the governor recently launched some earth-moving equipment procured for the construction and rehabilitation of feeder roads to be distributed to the three senatorial districts of the states.

Transport Strides
After ensuring that he has commenced plans to have a good road network in the state, the governor turned to the transport sector by making vehicles available at affordable costs to the people of the state.

He improved the ailing transport company by acquiring about 40 buses, with a pledge that more are on the way, and christened it ‘Nasarawa Express’.

The state government also plans to construct an Aerodrome in the state. Recently, while speaking with journalists, Al-Makura stressed that the benefits that would be derived from the construction of the airport would be reaped many times over in a short time.
In addition to the aerodrome, the administration in Nasarawa also intends to construct a cargo airstrip that would bring investors into the state and the economic benefits that would be derived from it.

Vital Keys
The state government also placed a premium on the quality of education by dedicating a larger chunk of its resources to the development of the education sector.
Other efforts by the state government to ensure that education takes the pride of place in the state was its recent approval of the payment of the ten months housing and other sundry allowances owed lecturers in the state, under the aegis of Joint Tertiary Institutions in the state by the previous administration.

But immediately governor Al-Makura assumed office on May 29, 2011, the first assignment he performed was to ensure that doctors in the state who were protesting the non-implementation of the full Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and its arrears suspended their four-month old strike, with a promise to look into their case.
Shortly after, government commenced the payment of the minimum wage of N18,900 to workers in the state beginning from August 1, 2011 and also the payment of the arrears owed workers.

Health is Wealth
Al-Makura has said government has plans “to develop an enhanced, effective and comprehensive health structure that would not only improve the health status of the people of the state but also address the health needs” of its people.
The state government followed this up with the flagging off of a N58 million hospital drug revolving loan scheme.

The scheme, which is expected to eradicate or reduce the ‘out of stock’ syndrome, popularly known as ‘OS’ in government-owned hospitals in the state, will also guarantee that the people of the state have access to genuine products and at lower costs.
The administration is also giving a new lease of life to 18 General Hospitals and 54 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres in the state by ensuring that they are well equipped with facilities which would in turn lead to enhanced health services in the state.

Boost in Power
The ‘Power in 100 days initiative’ intervention of the governor in the power sector is another project that has endeared the people of Nasarawa to Al-Makura.

Before now, it was unheard of to say that anywhere around Lafia and other communities had access to uninterrupted power supply for a period of ten hours but this is the story of many communities in the state, particularly, Lafia, the state capital, something that has been unheard of since the creation of the state over sixteen years ago.

And this was made possible with the flagging off of the installation of thirty-two new 500 KVA transformers to boost the epileptic power supply in the state.

The state government, which has also embarked on the initiative to connect all the local government areas to the national grid, is also using the Nasarawa Energy Company (NASENCO), which is part of the committee set up by the state government to fine-tune the structures of ensuring that every nook and cranny of the state was connected.
Through NASENCO it also plans to set up 10 Megawatts Solar Power Plants in each of the three senatorial districts of the state.

New Focal Points
The state government has also awarded a contract for the Nasarawa State Geographic Information Services (NAGIS) that would include other components, which are the Digital Area Mapping and District mapping of three cities in the state, among them, Lafia, Keffi and Karu towns.

Even as the Al-Makura administration has concluded arrangements for the take-off of the multi-million naira Karu International market that is situated in the suburb of the Federal Capital (FCT), it has also commissioned the Lafia modern market.
The Karu market, which had been lying waste for over eight years, has about 1,005 shops and stalls, cold rooms, fire service station, banks, and toilets, and it may soon take off due to the efforts of the state government.

Agric and Gender
In the area of agriculture, the Al-Makura administration has said the state would adopt the approach used by Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in its efforts to ensure the development of agriculture in Nasarawa.

In order to ensure that fertiliser gets to the real farmers, the state government has also registered about 120,000 farmers in the state. It also awarded the contract for the construction of the Lafia abattoir located at Shinge in order to check the unhealthy environment in which animals were slaughtered in Lafia.

Equally, the governor, who noted that the issues of women would always be in the front burner of his administration, has also commenced the construction of female hostels in some tertiary institutions in Nasarawa.

Binding all Wounds
Since his coming to power, the issue of promoting peaceful co-existence has been a major preoccupation of the governor, who single-handedly has averted situations that may have turned ugly, stressing his administration would not identify with issues that tend to divide the people of the state.

On the political front, Al-Makura has said that he would carry everyone along in the business of governance in the state, irrespective of political party differences, so long as those that come on board were prepared to exhibit traits of patriotism.
His words: “In fact I am duty bound; it is an obligation. The essence of my victory is to see how I can expand the frontiers of friendship, admissibility and association so that together we can have peace, stability and progress in the state.”

According to him, “I am ready and willing to work with all so long as whoever is coming on board must exhibit the traits of patriotism that will move the state to the next level.”

ThisDay.