Protesting UNIABUJA Students Say Beatings Were Ordered By Vice Chancellor

By SaharaReporters, New York

Protests continued into the evening, Monday night, at the University of Abuja by students furious over foot-dragging by professional bodies charged with accrediting university courses.

University officials had promised to accomplish the accreditations within a six month period but failed to meet their own deadline.
One protestor told a reporter: "As I speak to you, there is no equipment in our laboratory and the facilities are not enough to even invite the relevant authorities to commence the accreditation process,” he complained.
Around 8pm about 100 students at the main gate of the school were attacked by a violent mob brandishing cutlasses and sticks. The students escaped to the boys' and girls' hostel. Later, around midnight the thugs returned and attacked the hostels. Students reported that about 40 students were injured. They accused Vice-Chancellor Professor James Adelabu of using the thugs to intimidate them.
According to Mr. Waziri Garba, the process of inviting the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) for resource verification had been concluded and the commission was being awaited for the exercise.
The information officer, who confirmed that examinations could not be held in the university due to the protest, dismissed reports that the university had been closed down.
"It is true that the students could not write their examinations today following the protest but as I speak to you, there is no official statement on the closure of the university,” he said
In response to the attacks, some 200 student protesters stood in front of the main campus gate, blocking access to the highway that leads to Abuja. More than 1000 students residing at the Mini Campus in Gwagwalada blocked the SDP junction in Gwagwalada and forced all traffic coming from Lokoja to stop.

They are demanding the removal of the VC and a complete change of the style of school management.

The Federal Government suspended three programs of the university- Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Engineering. Since then both programs with the exception of Engineering have made progress with regards to getting accreditation from their professional bodies.
 

Consumer Protection Council wants DSTV to introduce pay-as-you-go subscription

As part of efforts at assuaging aggrieved consumers of Digital Satellite Television (DSTV), the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has advised Multichoice Nigeria Limited, the owners of the cable television to introduce pay-as-you-go subscription for its subscribers.
CPC, at a recent meeting with top managers of DSTV, said the time was ripe for the introduction of the pay-as-you-go subscription in the interest of millions of subscribers of the satellite television.
The agency sought to know the reason why this form of subscription could not be introduced in Nigeria as it has been done in other climes for the economic well-being of consumers.
According to the Council, the pay-as-you-go subscription would allow consumers get value for their money, give them an option of choice as well as enable them control their consumption.
Besides the suggested introduction of the pay-as-you-go subscription, the Council also canvassed for some form of compensation to subscribers for loss of transmission signals, usually experienced by them during adverse weather conditions, particularly rainy season, known as “rain fade”.
Other issues discussed at the meeting included proper and adequate supervision of DSTV dealers and agents and seeming delay in resolution of consumer complaints by the company.
Responding, the delegation from Multichoice Nigeria Limited disclosed that the firm did not have the platforms to implement pay-as-you-go system of payment but promised to look into it.
The delegation explained further that Multichoice is an access-to-content selling company and could not determine what it could purchase or sell to the smallest unit which would allow a pay-as-you-go payment system to function.
On the issue of compensation for down-times for signals, Multichoice explained that loss of signals during the rainy period is a natural occurrence, which could hardly be curtailed, promising, however, to look into the Council’s position that some form of compensation should be given to subscribers for this occurrence pending the development of a new technology that may solve the problem.
The company pointed out that it has always been committed to speedy resolution of consumer complaints, stating that there may, however, be slight delay in resolution if the problems were technical in nature.
While giving Multichoice the opportunity to further deliberate on the issues discussed at its management level, the Council was insistent that the Nigerian consumers must be given choices and options available in other countries and mandated the company to look into the above issues with despatch.
 DailyPost

Jonathan searching for new Power Minister; requests report on Power projects

Godsday Orubebe

If events in the last 24 hours are anything to go by, we can say President Goodluck Jonathan is matching his actions with words, as he has begun moves to restore the confidence of the masses on his administration.
Some Nigerians were disappointed after watching the Presidential Media Chat on Sunday night, saying it was full of promise that may not be fulfilled soon.
But only a day after Dr. Jonathan said Bi-Courtney, the contractor handling the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was not doing a good job on the project, the contract was on Monday cancelled and immediately awarded to construction giant, Julius Berger and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC).
Meanwhile, hours after this development, the President it was learnt shifted focus to the electricity sector.
DailyPost yesterday gathered that the President was shopping for an expert to head the Power ministry. He also wants a new chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to work with Manitoba, the core investor in the electricity sector.
It is unclear what role Godsday Orubebe is playing at the moment, as he was redeployed earlier this month to the Power ministry. Sources said his boss may have changed his mind on the appointment.
In a similar development, the Former Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi in a minor shake-up was swapped with Former Minister of State for Power.
In the meantime, the President is holding on to the position of Minister of Power while Hajiya Kuchi and the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP) would ensure proper implementation.
He is also reportedly worried about the controversy over the alleged termination of the Manitoba contract and has called for detailed briefing on the matter.
On the issue of ongoing projects under THE ministry, the source said Jonathan has directed that a progress report be tendered this week to ascertain level of work done so far.
On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 8:00 AM, Wale Odunsi <wale.odunsi@dailypost.com.ng> wrote:
If events in the last 24 hours are anything to go by, we can say President Goodluck Jonathan is matching his actions with words, as he has begun moves to restore the confidence of people.
Some Nigerians were disappointed after watching the PresidentialMedia Chat Sunday night, saying it was full of promise that may not be fulfilled soon.
But only a day after Dr. Jonathan said Bi-Courtney, the contractor handling the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was not doing a good job on the project, the contract was on Monday cancelled and immediately awarded to construction giant, Julius Berger and Reynolds Construction Comany (RCC).
Meanwhile, hours after this development, the President it was learnt shifted focus to the electricity sector.
DailyPost yesterday gathered the President was shopping for an expert to head the Power ministry. He also wants a new chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to work with Manitoba, the core investor in the electricity sector.
It is unclear what role Godsday Orubebe is playing at the moment, as he was redeployed earlier this month to the Power ministry. Sources his boss may have changed his mind on the appointment.
The Former Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi in a minor shake-up was swapped with Former Minister of State for Power.
In the meantime, the President is holding on to the position of minister of power while Hajiya Kuchi and the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP) would do ensure proper implementation.
He is also reportedly worried about the controversy over the alleged termination of the Manitoba contract and has called for detailed briefing on the matter.
On the issue of ongoing projects under ministry, the source said Jonathan has directed that a progress report be tendered this week to ascertain level of work done.
DailyPost

Ondo State: More troubles for Bi-Courtney as sister company may lose N4.8bn Oba-Ile road contract

By Abimbola Ayobami
 Less than 24 hours after it lost the multi-billion dollars concession agreement for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a company believed to be linked to Bi-Courtney may lose another multi-billion naira contract; this time in Ondo State.

Mimiko: Poised to sack Bi-Courtney’s sister company

The Ondo State Government announced on Tuesday that it would terminate the contractual agreement between it and Homan Engineering Limited, believed to be owned by Wale Babalakin, the head of the Bi-Courtney Consortium, within the next two-weeks if the company does not fully mobilise staff and equipment to site.
The Commissioner for Works, Gboye Adegbenro, said this when he led senior officials of his ministry and journalists on an inspection tour of some road projects in the state, including the Akure-Oba-Ile-Airport road being done by the company. Mr. Adegbenro said Homan Engineering Limited has “performed below expectation.”
The firm had also lost a major road contract it was handling for the state government in Ondo town barely 3 months ago. Mr. Adegbenro noted that the state government decided to sack the firm from the Ondo township road dualisation project as it is glaring that it had no capacity to deliver.
The Commissioner explained that the 8.2 kilometre Akure-Oba-Ile-Airport road contract was initially valued at N3.6bn before it was reviewed upward to N4.8bn in January 2011, following the partial removal of oil subsidy.
Records from the Ministry of Works indicate that the contract was awarded about three years ago and it had survived three dry seasons. Still the company only achieved about 26 per cent of the work.
Mr. Adegbenro expressed his anger at Homan Engineering for not delivering the project since the state government had not withheld funds for the project or relocated structures or facilities.
Efforts made by the Site Engineer, Adebanjo Famomi, to persuade the commissioner that his firm will complete the project within six months were unsuccessful.
“There is no wonder that you can perform in another six months. You have three years and all you have not even achieved a kilometre out of the over eight kilometre road,” Mr. Adegbenro said.
Speaking with journalists after the inspection, Mr. Adegbenro expressed disappointment in the contractors over their handling of the road project.
“We have given them a two-week ultimatum. If they fail to move and mobilize personnel and materials to the site, they should consider the contract as being terminated.
“It is glaring that they are not ready and prepared for the project. I learnt the company is having management crisis but we cannot allow them to use that to suffer the people of the state and hold the government to ransom.
“On our own side as government, we have done our part and played our roles well by ensuring that we do not owe the contractors and we have a responsibility to deliver good services to the people,” the commissioner said.

LibertyReport

24-Year-Old Man Breaks Record, Gets Arrested After Being Caught With 15 Prostitutes

In a first of its kind, a Harare man appeared in court jointly charged with 15 commercial sex workers after they were nabbed during a police round up on ‘thigh’ vendors operating in Harare Central Business District.

While most prostitutes appear in court MINUS clients, Tapiwa Musara (24) scored a first as it were, as he was the only man charged  along with the 15 alleged thigh vendors. Tapiwa, along with 12 self-confessed hookers, readily pleaded guilty to soliciting for the purposes of prostitution while three pleaded not guilty.
The three vehemently denied saying that they were not thigh vending, but they were just girls who were having some good time. The convicted 13 were slapped with US$20 fine and the court did not give them any time to pay as the fine had to be paid forthwith. Failure to pay the fine attracted a 10-day imprisonment sentence.
State led by prosecutor Tendai Kabudura proved that on 13 November, at around 8pm in the CBD, Tapiwa along with the 12 had been nabbed by the cops after they were unlawfully and intentionally solicited for prostitution. It had been proved that they were standing along the streets luring men for sex in return for cash.
They had all been asked what they were doing at the streets corners and they failed to give satisfactory answers leading to their arrest and appearance in court. The other three suspected prostitutes who pleaded not guilty to the charge will be back in court on 22 November for trial.
InformationNigeria.org

Jet-Setting Pastors: Christian Groups Launch Counter-attacks

By SaharaReporters, New York

As materialism encroaches on the Nigerian Christian church, the Concerned Northern Nigerian Christians (CNNC) has dismissed the reaction of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to last weekend’s criticism by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, saying that Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the CAN President, cannot match Bishop Kukah in integrity and morality.

Pastor Oritisejafor recently received the gift of a private jet from his congregation as an anniversary gift, the latest of several pastors in the country to take possession of one, and measure success by materialism.  Reflecting on the matter on Saturday, Bishop Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, said that the jet-setting new trend by Christian leaders diminishes the moral voice of the church in the fight against corruption.
Kukah made the remark as Guest Speaker at the annual Founder’s Day Anniversary lecture of Providence Baptist Church in Lagos, and squarely placed the new phenomenon side by side with Nigeria’s suffering under corruption.
“The stories of corrupt men and women being given recognition by their churches or mosques as gallant sons and daughters and the embarrassing stories of pastors displaying conspicuous wealth as we hear from the purchases of private jets and so on clearly diminish our moral voice,” he said, echoing similar remarks made recently by Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly.
Responding to those remarks, Elder Sunday Oibe, the National Director of Research, Planning and Strategy of CAN, suggested that both religious leaders might have something against Pastor Oritsejafor, and were merely hiding under the cloak of the gift of a jet to attack him.
Oibe, who is also the Public Relations Officer of the Northern branch of CAN, said: “If there is any clergyman in the country whose constituency is government, it is Bishop Kukah, who served every government in power in the last decade,” he said in the phone interview with a newspaper. “He thinks people have forgotten in a hurry how he served in Obasanjo’s government and turned round to attack the former president, or his fraternity with the former Governor James Ibori and his Rivers State counterpart, Peter Odili.”
Reacting to those remarks, CNNC said in a statement by its spokesperson, Yahuda Peter, that Elder Oibe’s statement confirmed fears that the “honest, unifying and most coveted CAN” and its true ideals as carefully laid down by its founding fathers Ambassador Jolly Tanko Yusuf, Cardinal Ekandem and many others are under attack.
“Though built with integrity and an earnest quest for genuine freedom amongst Christians, it’s ridiculous how it is being turned into a mere child’s play and a medium for wild gains best known to the likes of Mr. Oibe and his pay masters.
“Mr. Sunday Oibe embarked on a voyage of cheap black mail that exposes his ignorance on the person of Bishop Kukah. Bishop Kukah never served in Obasanjo’s government but was only a member of an Adhoc Human Rights Investigation Panel, popularly known as Oputa Panel, akin to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. That Tutu chaired South African Commission and has been friends of Mandela for decades; does that mean he served in ANC’s government of Mandela?”
CNNC said that nothing in the past or the present has put Kukah’s integrity in doubt except for Oibe’s pay masters whose understanding of nation building, is opulence via a religious exploitation with Christianity as the epicentre and cover.
“It is the likes of Oibe and his master Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor that have a responsibility of exonerating themselves from the wrong side of Nigerian history in the hereafter, but for Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, it has been a life of service to God and Country and to God be the glory, it has been a life most worthy of emulation for all true lovers of God walking in integrity, conscience and saying the truth to power without any compromise.”
 

N1.3bn is not enough for the presidency feeding in 2013 – Perm Sec

The presidency has rejected the sum of N1,305,292,050  budgeted to cover the cost of its meals, refreshment and other miscellaneous expenses in 2013, saying it is grossly insufficient.
The State House Permanent Secretary, Emmanuel Ogbile, said on Tuesday that the amount was not enough for the 2013 fiscal year.
He said this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to defend the N14,715,566,104 budget for next year.
This amount, Ogbile said, was not enough, in response to an observation by a member of the committee, Senator Isa Galaudu, that Nigeria’s budget in one year is what South Africa spends in five years.
“I have taken pains to explain that this money is not just to fund the residence of the President and that of the Vice President…the experience I have had is that this fund is grossly insufficient. It is not even enough”, he said
Out of the N1.305 billion budgeted, he said, “The Federal Executive Council (FEC) holds every Wednesday and we take care of them through this budget.”

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