NRC Resumes Cargo Movement from Lagos to Kano, Kaduna Dry Port by Gilbert Nwogbe

The Nigerian Railway Corporation has resumed movement of cargoes in containers to Kano and Kaduna Inland Dry Port. Managing Director of Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL), Ismail Yusuf who confirmed the resumption to journalists in Lagos said about forty containers have been moved in the first instance. He also said an additional forty empty containers have been returned through same mode to Lagos from the Kano and Kaduna Dry Port, which is a subsidiary company of ICNL Yusuf added that the movement by rail will contribute to cost reduction, time saving and further ensure safety of the consignments being moved by rail. According to him, it will now cost half of what is presently spent on road haulage to move containers by rail. He added that ICNL is still in talks with NRC to deploy additional coaches to the port operation because his company has cargoes on ground to be moved. “As you know that Federal Government is encouraging the Nigerian Railway Corporation to ensure movement of cargo from the sea port to the hinterland and this is very critical to our Kano bonded terminal and Kaduna Inland Dry Port, which is our subsidiary company. The management of ICNL and Kaduna Dry Port has led to the management of the railway corporation to discuss the modalities of how they can come back to life. We thank God that our request has been acceded to and this is the outcome of our discussion “It has been fruitful and the railway corporation had commenced movement of cargo from the sea port to the hinterland , that is to ICNL and Kaduna Dry Port. Presently, they have supplied us two rails for the last two weeks. We have moved about forty containers, and this will continue every fortnight until we attain maximum capacity. “The number of containers being moved also depends on availability of locomotives, and as long as we have enough cargos to load. We have started from somewhere: from one to two rails, and from there we can increase it to four or five rails. We are talking with NRC on how we can increase the capacity to meet the yearnings of customers who want to use the services of the rail corporation. Time spent on the movement is a minimum of forty eight hours and maximum of seventy two” Yusuf said The NRC halted movement of containers by rail from Apapa ports last year for rehabilitation of the railway tracks Lagos Railway District Manager, Mr. Jerry Oche had in September 2020 said that that the suspension of the rail service is to pave way for the resumption of laying of tracks on the ongoing standard gauge rail project. He explained further that the period would also enable the contractor to meet up the December deadline to complete the project. According to Oche; “we have to stop the operation on Tuesday to enable our contractor handling the standard gauge to have access to the whole line because they are trying to meet the December handover date. They are also expected to rehabilitate the old narrow gauge and work on the new narrow gauge, the one entering the port and if we continue to run trains, that will be difficult.” “The idea is for us to get a better service by the time we resume and the only way for us to get that is for us to shut down now. By the time we will be resuming, we expect to get a rehabilitated narrow gauge as well as a brand new standard gauge all entering the port. “Even if the standard gauge is not ready, definitely the narrow gauge is not going to be in the same condition we are leaving it now. It will be in a better form and issues of accident and derailment will be a thing of the past. So it is a sacrifice we all have to make, ”Oche said.

Turkish President: Terrorists Who Tried To Oust Me Are In Nigeria By Muideen Olaniyi

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has expressed concern that the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), which he blamed for the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt against his government, is still active in Nigeria. Erdogan spoke Wednesday at a joint press conference with President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of his official visit to Nigeria. In the speech delivered in his native Turkish and interpreted by one of the officials on his entourage, Erdogan asked Nigeria to join his country to forge a solidarity in the fight against terrorism in the two countries as one of the oldest allies of Turkey in Africa, having seen 60 years of diplomatic ties. He said: “Distinguished members of the press, as Turkey, we have been closely monitoring the developments unfolding in Nigeria, our brotherly and friendly nation. “The terrorist organisations, the armed gangs and the marine bandits are continuously active in Nigeria and the Nigerian authorities are continuously fighting against them. So, in order to cooperate further in the fields of military, defense, and security, we are doing everything that will be available…. “As we’re probably aware of the fact that Turkey has been fighting against terrorist organisations for many decades, such as the PKK, PYD, FETO, DASH and other terrorist organisations. “The perpetrator of the heinous failed coup of July the 15th, FETO, is still illegally active in Nigeria, and we are continuously sharing our intelligence with the Nigerian interlocutors and authorities. I hope and pray that our Nigerian brothers will forge a closer solidarity in this field with us, the Republic of Turkey. I hope and pray that our visit will yield the most auspicious results and I would like to thank my distinguished brother, President Buhari, for being such a gracious host for me and for my delegation”, he said.

DHQ seeks nod to crush bandits with Tucano jets, laments US condition by Sunday Aborisade, Leke Baiyewu, Stephen Angbulu and Solomon Odeniyi

More facts have emerged on why the Armed Forces have yet to deploy their full arsenal against bandits who have dominated the North-West and parts of the North-Central geopolitical zones. The PUNCH reliably learnt on Monday that the Armed Forces told the National Assembly, through its committees, that the agreement signed with the Government of the United States was that the A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets procured from the country would be deployed against terrorists and insurgents, and not bandits. Several sources in the National Assembly, who are in the know of the development, said the complaints by the service chiefs led to the recent demand by the Senate and the House of Representatives that bandits should be designated as terrorists. The PUNCH had reported that the Federal Government in February 2018 placed an order for 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft at a cost of $496m. The Nigerian Air Force had on July 22, 2021, taken delivery of the first batch of six aircraft from the United States. The second batch of the planes arrived in Nigeria in September. A total of 64 pilots and maintainers from the Nigerian Air Force were trained to the US standards with the US Air Force’s 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Base in Georgia, United States. The training also emphasised the Law of Armed Conflict and civilian casualty mitigation, which are fundamental principles of the Nigerian military’s professional education and training. Speaking to one of our correspondents on the telephone on Monday, a top source in one of the security committees in the National Assembly said the Armed Forces, especially the Nigerian Air Force, had not been able to decimate the bandits due to the conditions attached to deployment of the fighter jets. The lawmaker said, “Let me tell you the truth. We once asked the Armed Forces why they had not deployed the Tucano in the fight the bandits and one of the service chiefs (name withheld) told us that their hands are tied due to the human rights regulations regarding to the aircraft. He told us that the equipment is meant for the war against terrorists and insurgents and since these are bandits, they cannot be deployed. Bandits not different from B’Haram, Buhari should implement N’Assembly resolutions – Lawmaker “He actually told us that once the bandits have been designated as terrorists, they would be wiped out. Don’t forget that the bandits today are not different from Boko Haram, looking at their activities and the gravity of attacks by them. Now that both chambers of the National Assembly have called for the declaration, we urge the President to implement our resolutions.” Another reliable source in the security committees, who was asked to confirm the information from the first source, said it was true. “We have done what we ought to do, so the ball is no longer in our court,” he stated. The House of Representatives had on September 30, 2021, asked the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to designate bandits and their sponsors as terrorists. The Senate had made the demand the previous day. Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, who moved a motion of urgent public importance, urged the chamber to back the Senate. The motion was titled, ‘Declaration of Bandits and their Sponsors as Terrorists.’ Moving the motion, Benson said, “The Senate, on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, adopted a motion asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits ravaging the northern part of the country terrorists and wage a total war on them. They also asked that the president declare all known leaders of bandits wanted and arrest them wherever they were found for speedy prosecution. Such declaration to be done through a Proscription Order can be done pursuant to Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended). “I will like to echo the same sentiment and ask honourable colleagues to join the Senate in urging Mr President to declare bandits and their sponsors as terrorists. This will underline the determination of government to combat the wave of criminality and murders conducted by bandits all over the country.” He noted that declaring bandits as terrorists could be done through a proscription order. Benson listed more benefits of declaring the bandits terrorists, noting that such an order will officially bring the activities of bandits and their sponsors within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act, while any persons associated with such groups can then be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act. He said, “Declaration of all bandits as terrorist may also encourage other countries to do same and help create a global consensus around dealing with transnational factors that feeds the domestic activities of such proscribed organisations and individuals.” Chairman of the House Committee on Army, Abdulrazak Namdas, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Monday, stated that the bandits had ticked all the boxes on the indices of terrorism. He, however, denied knowledge of any complaints relating to deployment of the Tucano jets. Namdas said, “Now that the government has started getting the Tucanos and we have another batch coming, and the morale of the troops at the moment is high; though we had one or two casualties but this is part of a war and there is nowhere in the world that when there is a war, you expect no casualties – it should only be seriously minimised; when you strengthen the security forces and we agree that these bandits are terrorists, then it would give us the opportunity to deal with them, with all the full force.” Also speaking The PUNCH, Benson said the resolutions by the Senate and the House should have been transmitted to Buhari for consideration and sanction. He said, “The truth of the matter is that I don’t know if it has been transmitted but I am sure that when the two sides of the National Assembly pass a resolution, it should be given a thorough consideration. And I doubt if the bureaucracy people (National Assembly management) have transmitted it, to reach the attention of Mr President.” The US had said the A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets would assist Nigeria’s anti-terrorism fight, especially in the north-eastern part of the West African country. The US Department of Defence leaders had attended the induction ceremony of the Super Tucano jets on August 31. An inquiry sent to the United States Embassy in Nigeria on whether the Super Tucano should be used only in fighting terrorists had yet to be responded to on Tuesday. However, in an earlier chat with The PUNCH, acting Public Affairs Counselor, Jeanne Clark, explained that the use of the weapons would be subject to the Leahy vetting, a law which is an American rights law that prohibit the US government from providing military assistance to foreign security force units that violate human rights with impunity. Clark stated Nigeria is a strategic partner of the US. She added that the US would ensure monitoring to ensure that the weapons are used for their intended purpose. She said, “We have direct and open communication with the Government of Nigeria regarding our expectation that all security forces be held accountable for protecting civilians and respecting human rights. All Nigerian military personnel trained by the United States are subject to Leahy vetting. “All potential US defence sales are carefully assessed under the US government’s Conventional Arms Transfer Policy to examine issues, including human rights, regional security, and non-proliferation concerns, to determine whether a sale is in the best foreign policy and national security interests of the United States. “Review and monitoring are integral components of the process for any US-origin defence articles delivered to any recipient nation. This helps ensure that those articles are used by the intended recipient in the manner intended and consistent with the provisions of the agreement for the foreign military sale.” When contacted on Tuesday to confirm transmission of the resolution to Buhari, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Reps), Mr Umar el-Yakub, noted that the Clerk to the National Assembly transmits resolutions by the lawmakers directly to the President. El-Yakub also noted that the liaison officers only convey communications from the President to the National Assembly and are only copied documents transmitted by the parliament on special occasions. When contacted, the Director of Information, National Assembly’s management, Mr Rawlings Agada, advised The PUNCH correspondent to cross check with him on Wednesday as he did not have any information on the issue yet. He said, “I don’t have any information yet on what you are asking me but you can crosscheck again tomorrow so that I can make some enquiries for you.” A Spokesman for the President, Garba Shehu, told The PUNCH to direct inquiries to the Ministry of Defence when he was asked if the refusal of the President to designate bandits as terrorists was preventing the full deployment of the Super Tucano weapons in the North-West. “Please contact the ministry of defence. They will be the best to answer this. Thank you,” Shehu stated. In his reaction, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity, Mohammed Abdulkadri, directed one of our correspondents to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor. Also, calls put across to the Spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, didn’t connect while a response to a text message sent to him was being awaited as of the time of filing this report. ,, PUNCH

Paper Qualifications Responsible for Exam Malpractices, Says JAMB Registrar By Victor Ogunje

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, on Wednesday, said preferences placed on paper qualifications by employers in Nigeria is responsible for high incidences of examination malpractices in JAMB. He also said the simple way to make public servants shy away from corruption and other sharp practices is to make available to them, appropriate minimum welfare packages. The former vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin made the assertion in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, while delivering the 10th annual lecture of the Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishments in Nigeria, (Ekiti State chapter). Speaking on the topic ‘Value Reorientation for Effective Service Delivery: JAMB Perspectives’, he said no worker would choose to remain indolent, disloyal and unproductive if his working environment is appealing. Oloyede blamed various cases of fraudulent practices in schools, especially during external examinations, on too much emphasis on paper qualifications by authorities while engaging people for employment. Oloyede, who was represented on the occasion by Mrs Mabel Agbebaku, the Director, Quality Assurance at JAMB Headquarters, said he had initiated as well as carried out a number of innovations and disciplinary measures which had not only shore up annual money generated in its activities, but also eased out bad eggs from the agency. “Any practice that aims at compromising the integrity of examinations pose a great danger to the collective hopes of the citizenry and the developmental aspirations of the nation. “As the Board is investing a large chunk of its resources in the fight against examination infractions, government and other stakeholders alike must also show increased commitment to this fight because of the threats posed not only to the educational system, but also to national development. “Some of the reasons for the widespread report of academic cheating might not be unconnected with the undue emphasis placed on paper qualifications and the desperation for professional courses such as Medicine, Law, Accountancy etc,” he said. According to him, in the Board’s constant efforts to deploy international best practices, Computer Based Testing (CBT) was employed as the mode of examination delivery in the conduct of its exams in recent past, saying this innovation had helped to reduce malpractices and irregularities to the barest minimum. He accused some private CBT centres of complicity in encouraging malpractices during UTME exams, warning them to desist henceforth or be ready to face consequences. The JAMB boss said many of the CBT centres are in the habit of collaborating with both parents and schools to earn underserving grades, adding that: “Some of them even go as far as allowing the use of one person’s biometrics to register multiple candidates and also use different person’s photograph to register a candidate.” The special guest of honour on the occasion and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by the Head of Service, Mrs. Peju Babafemi, commended the forum for coming up with the idea of organising the annual lecture and promised government’s continued support. He agreed on the topic of the lecture, saying: “The continuing debate on the pervading moral decadence in the society has resonated, in no small measure, the concept of ‘Value Reorientation’ in public domain. “Therefore, the significance and aptness of your lecture, titled ‘Value Reorientation for Effective Service Delivery: JAMB Perspective’ cannot be overemphasized “JAMB has indeed demonstrated this ideals of value re-orientation , as evident in its various reformations as well as giant stride in terms of increased remittances to the coffers of the federal government.” Earlier in his welcome address, Mr James Famurewa, the Chairman of Ekiti chapter of the Forum, explained that the annual lecture was conceptualised as a veritable and strategic platform where all federal civil servants in the state can benefit immensely from the intellectual capacity and wealth of experience of eminent scholars, renowned public officers, technocrats and other critical stakeholders invited to deliver lecture. He hinted that the forum had just been allowed a parcel of land to build its state secretariat, estimated to cost N25 million, with an appeal to both the state government and other stakeholders to assist in making the project become a reality The chairman of the occasion, Mrs. Janet Olufunmilayo Adesubokan, remarked that members of the Forum in Ekiti had all been fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of the federal government at the state level to the admiration of the host public. “It is certain and evident that through this type of annual lecture, the body has been able to live to expectations, especially in the area of educating and creating the needed awareness on activities of the federal government,” Adesubokan said.

‘Buhari not averse to Igbo presidency’

• Why Southeast may not produce next president, by Dokpesi The Director-General, Nigeria Film Corporation, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is not averse to the emergence of his successor from the Southeast. Maduekwe spoke during an interaction with reporters in his Ohafia country home to mark his 68th birthday. He said it was mischievous for people to describe Buhari as a hater of the people of the Southeast, adding that the president’s political antecedent pointed to the contrary. “It is not true that the president does not want a president of Igbo extraction, rather he is supportive of the cause.” According to him, there is no way Buhari will hate Igbo people and in 2003 he picked the late Chuba Okadigbo, an eminent Igbo man, as his presidential running mate. “In 2007, he also selected another prominent Igbo man, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, as his running mate.” He cited the appointment of Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume (Imo) as the Chairman, Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He also mentioned Mr Ogbugo Ukoha (Abia) as the Executive Director, Distributions System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. He asked: “Why are we not celebrating these appointments of our people by the president and stop criticising him?” The Founder of Daar Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, has said the Southeast will not be trusted to produce a president because of the overwhelming influence of the founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in the region. He said this in a statement yesterday. Dokpesi disclosed that some Nigerians believed that Kanu would force and blackmail a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction into declaring Southeast independence. He stressed that Kanu and IPOB had complicated the agitation of the region to produce a Nigerian president. “The emergence of IPOB and its influence across the Southeast has complicated and undermined the agitation for patriotic Nigerians of Igbo extraction to lead this nation as far as the 2023 election is concerned,” he said.

Be ready for crushing defeat, Buhari tells bandits. Agency Report.

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a stern warning to bandits, saying that “the clock of your ultimate destruction is ticking as you will no longer have a place to hide.” In a statement in Abuja on Monday, Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, said President Buhari was reacting to the killing of over 30 people in Goronyo in Sokoto State on Sunday by bandits. According to the president, the days of the bandits are indeed numbered because the military capabilities of armed forces are being boosted by the acquisition and deployment of advanced equipment. “The bandits are living in fool’s paradise of invincibility, but reality will soon dawn on them harder than ever before. ”The bandits are currently under desperate pressures because of the intense and sustained air and ground operations against them in their hideouts by our security forces. “The cowardly attacks on innocent people by the bandits show a rearguard action of criminals under pressure. ”But they will have no place to hide and our gallant security forces will not relent in the current offensive to defeat these callous enemies of humanity,” the president emphasised. He appealed to all Nigerians “not to despair because this administration is determined more than ever before to protect Nigerians from murderous criminal gangs that have no respect for the sanctity human of life.” The President extended his sympathy to the families of the victims of the Goronyo attack and called on the people to continue to be patient as the military strategises on how to deliver the crushing blow to these bandits.” (NAN)

FG scraps DPR, PPPRA, PEF, sacks CEOs, inaugurates new agencies by Okechukwu Nnodim

The Department of Petroleum Resources, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Petroleum Equalisation Fund are all officially scrapped and do not exist anymore, the Federal Government said on Monday. It also said while workers of the three agencies would be protected, their chief executives had been relieved of their various appointments. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, stated this while speaking on the side-lines of the inauguration of the boards of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission in Abuja. He explained that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, the NPRA and NURC had taken over the functions of the DPR, PPPRA and PEF. Responding to a question on what would happen to DPR following the inauguration of the board of NURC, Sylva said, “It is now a matter of law. “The law states that all the assets and even the staff of the DPR are to be invested on the commission and also in the authority. So that means the DPR doesn’t exist anymore. “And, of course, the law specifically repeals the DPR Act, the Petroleum Inspectorate Act, the Petroleum Equalisation Fund Act and the PPPRA Act. The law specifically repeals them. It is very clear that those agencies do not exist anymore.” On what would happen to the chief executives and employees of DPR, PEF and PPPRA, the minister replied, “The law also provides for the staff and the jobs in those agencies to be protected. “But I’m sure that that doesn’t cover, unfortunately, the chief executives, who were on political appointments.” He stated that the process for aligning the workers of the defunct agencies with the new regulatory bodies had already commenced, as the staff had to be rationalised. Sylva said, “The authority has its staff coming from the defunct PEF, PPPRA and DPR. The commission has staff coming over from DPR and the process is going on for the next few weeks.” Sylva stated that the inauguration of the boards on Monday marked the beginning of the successor agencies. He said, “The PIA provides for the upstream regulatory commission and the establishment of the midstream and downstream authority. “So far, the chief executives of these agencies have not been in place, but of course, Mr President in his wisdom made the appointment a few weeks ago and they went through a rigorous process of confirmation at the National Assembly. “The agencies have now taken off because they now have clear leadership and today’s event marks that beginning for the new agencies.” He further stated that with the passage of the PIA into law, after spending over 20 years in the process, the coast was now clear for investors to fully invest in Nigeria’s oil sector. “Today, the PIA has clarified the legal framework around the sector and the agencies are now in place. So I don’t see anything now stopping investors from coming,” the minister stated. He said competent hands were now handling the business, adding, “Nigerians should brace up for exponential growth in the oil and gas sector.” The Chief Executive, NURC, Gbenga Komolafe, said the commission would deliver on its mandate as captured in the new petroleum Act. “Nigerians should expect massive deliverables in the sense that the PIA has ended the regime of uncertainty in terms of the governance of the industry,” he said. He also said the commission would ensure that the country hits its OPEC quota in crude oil production, as the NURC would be an enabler of investments. PUNCH.