Review tariff before removing fixed electricity charge – IBEDC

by Olufemi Atoyebi

Some unwieldy electricity cables on Yaya Abatan Road, 

Ifako, Lagos State... on Wednesday

The Managing Director, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Mr. Fortunato Leynes, has said the plan by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to remove fixed charges from customers’ bill will have a huge impact on its revenue, calling instead for a review of the tariff structure before such a step should be taken.

Leynes, who spoke at an event held to mark the partnership initiative between IBEDC and University of Ibadan on how to improve on service delivery, training of human resources and accommodation of students of the institution by the company for industrial training in Ibadan on Thursday, said the company had written to the National Electricity Regulatory Commission on the tariff issue and would meet with the relevant authorities to iron out areas of concern.

The Vice Chancellor of UI, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Deputy Managing Director, IBEDC, Mr. John Darlington and other stakeholders were present at the event.

Leynes said, “We have sent our position to the NERC on the plan to remove the fixed charges on the bills of customers that are not getting electricity for up to 360 hours in a month. Unfortunately, we are at the tail end of the distribution chain.

“The fixed charge is included in tariff determination. Just removing it without proper review of the tariff structure will leave a great impact on our revenue. We do not totally agree with the concept of fixed charge removal.”

On the partnership between his company and UI, Leynes said it would provide an avenue for the IBEDC to test-drive its commitment to providing 24-hour electricity supply to customers.

He said, “We want to establish a partnership with the UI on human capital development and talent sourcing and development. We are looking up to it for some of our recruitments. The partnership will also represent a pilot project in providing 24-hour electric power. The partnership will be developed by the technical team we have chosen to work on this area.

“The result of this partnership will be determined by the complexity of the situation and assessment of the technical team from both parties. The institution is upgrading its electrical network, which is a bit complicated.”

Adewole said it was the first time the university had partnered with a major player in the nation’s economy, stressing that the union would result in gains for the parties.

The VC said, “We are looking forward to 24-hour electricity supply. We want to showcase this to other sectors and show them that it can work. We are going to be testing the integrity of our network and assist the IBEDC in the training of its human resources.

“We will also send our students to the company for industrial training. We will assist the company on quality assurance and quality delivery. So, we are looking at a comprehensive model for public-private partnership. The cost of implementation will be determined by the technical committee, whose members are from the two parties.”

@punchng.com

ATM transaction volume hits N1.7tn –CBN

by Ozioma Ubabukoh

The Central Bank of Nigeria has put the volume of transaction on Automated Teller Machines in the country at over N1.7tn as of June this year.

It said the number of ATMs increased from 10,727 in 2012 to 15,000 as of June 2014, “with transaction volumes moving from N1.3tn to N1.7tn within the same period.”

The CBN, however, regretted that despite the 15, 000 active and existing ATMs, over 46 per cent of Nigerian adults remained unbanked.

The bank made these figures known on Thursday in Lagos at the launch of a mobile money initiative led by Globacom and four financial institutions, FirstMonie (a subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria), Ecobank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc.

The Director, Payment Systems, CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, said the bank had also increased the Point of Sales terminals across the country from 21,400 in 2012, to 135,000 as of June 2014.

He said with the increment in the number of terminals, the PoS transaction volume had also risen from N57.3bn to N138bn in the period under review.

Fatokun expressed confidence that the Globacom-led initiative tagged: ‘GLO Exchange’, would encourage more Nigerian adults to be banked.

He noted that the initiative was significant to the CBN, with the use of telecommunications platforms to bring more Nigerians into the financial inclusion cycle.

Fatokun said, “Despite that, a large number of Nigerian adults have no bank accounts; the CBN is working to bridge that gap through a well-formed national financial system.

“Today’s launch between Globacom and four financial institutions will drive the policy and ensure that people use electronic means to transact business across boundaries.”

According to him, mobile money is the next big thing expected to transform the CBN’s cash-less policy.

Fatokun added, “It is critical because it allows for spread because of the mobile phone platform, which is over 120 million in Nigeria.

“The central bank believes that such initiatives like this will aid both the telecommunications and banking industries to further serve Nigerians better.”

The Head, Glo Prepaid Services, Mr. Kamal Shonibare, said the government and the CBN had canvassed the cash-less revolution through relationship between banks and the telecommunications operators.

He said the telecommunications operators were to create platforms that would drive and make the process a success.

Shonibare noted that majority of the 170 million Nigerians had no access to financial services.

Quoting a report, he said only 20 million Nigerians were banked, while about 80 million others, whom he described as those at the bottom of the social pyramid, were unbanked.

He said the financial sector had yet to succeed in bridging the inclusion gap, but expressed confidence that the Glo Exchange would enable banks to provide mobile money services to their customers and would-be customers on the telecoms firm’s platform.

@punchng.com

Kenya nominates new spy chief to fight terrorism

by XINHUA

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday nominated Major-General Philip Kameru as Director-General of the National Intelligence Service to help boost fight against terrorism.
A statement from Kenyatta said Kameru’s nomination has already been transmitted to Parliament for vetting and approval.
Kenyatta said Kameru has gathered extensive experience in operational and administrative matters, noting that his term of duty has been characterized by exemplary diligence, dedication, and leadership.
“He has also undergone rigorous training both in Kenya and abroad. Our intelligence service must now meet both new and old challenges,” Kenyatta said on his nominee.
Kameru is credited with the success of Kenya’s intelligence- gathering in Somalia, as part of the Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) — a deployment that seeks to restore peace and order to the country, as well as to secure Kenya’s borders and the region.
In the past two years, there have been numerous attacks involving shootings, grenades, or other explosive devices in Kenya in addition to kidnappings of foreigners across the country.
In total, more than 100 people have been killed in these attacks and hundreds have been injured. Approximately 53 of these attacks occurred in northeastern Kenya, mainly in Dadaab, Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera counties which border Somalia.
Several attacks have also occurred along the Kenyan coast as well as in Nairobi and its environs — all which have been blamed on poor intelligence gatherings.
The statement said Kameru has provided distinguished service to the country over 36 years, during which he rose steadily through the ranks to director of military intelligence of the Kenya Defense Forces in 2011.
“His ability has been tested by long service, and his performance and conduct have been found excellent. His experience, learning and integrity show that he is fit to lead and strengthen Kenya’s intelligence-gathering effort,” Kenyatta said.

African nations tighten Ebola travel bans

by Aljazeera

African countries have tightened travel curbs in an effort to contain the Ebola outbreak, ignoring World Health Organisation (WHO) warnings that such measures could heighten shortages of food and basic supplies in affected areas.

In the West Point slum in Liberia’s capital Monrovia, the scene of violent clashes with the army on Wednesday after the area was quarantined to curb the spread of Ebola, hundreds of people jostled their way towards trucks loaded with water and rice.

Police used canes to beat back some locals while aid workers helped others dip their fingers in ink to record their ration.
The UN’s World Food Programme says deliveries of basic supplies to more than 1 million people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are intended to avoid a food crisis in those West African countries, where more than 1,300 people have died from Ebola in the worst outbreak of the disease in history.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN health agency, has repeatedly said that it does not recommend travel or trade restrictions for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria – the countries affected by the epidemic that began in March.
Those countries are starting to suffer shortages of fuel, food and basic supplies due to these measures, it warned this week.
Still, Kalzeubet Payimi Deubet, Chad’s prime minister, said on Thursday his country would close its border with Nigeria to prevent Ebola entering the country.
“This decision will have an economic impact on the region but it is imperative for public health needs,” Deubet said.
Nigeria has reported 15 cases – the lowest number in the four affected countries – and the WHO has expressed “cautious optimism” that the spread can be stopped.
South Africa said on Thursday it was banning all travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from entering its territory, barring its own citizens.
WHO, the United Nations’ health agency, has repeatedly said that it does not recommend travel or trade restrictions for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria – the countries affected by the epidemic that began in March.
Those countries are starting to suffer shortages of fuel, food and basic supplies due to these measures, it warned this week.

33 killed in Egypt resort coaches accident

by AFP

A collision between two coaches servicing the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh killed 33 people on Friday, a health ministry official said.

Two Saudis and a Ukrainian woman were among 41 people injured in the accident, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Sharm, the official said.

Egypt’s authorities go to great lengths to insulate its coastal resorts from the unrest gripping the rest of the country.

But traffic accidents are common in a country where roads are often poorly maintained and traffic regulations are little enforced.

At least 17 people were killed when a bus ploughed into a truck south of Cairo last month. A crash in the Sinai killed 24 people in March.

Indian state of Kerala bans alcohol

by AFP

Authorities in Kerala have announced a ban on alcohol to tackle a growing abuse problem in the southern Indian state, a popular tourist destination.

The state government warned that alcohol abuse was becoming a danger to society as it unveiled a plan to ban its sale and consumption within 10 years.

It said no new licences to sell alcohol would be granted, while many of the state’s 720 bars and restaurants would not have their licences renewed.

From next year only five-star hotels will be granted licences.

“It is certain that (alcohol) still continues as a social danger. This is having an adverse effect,” said Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy late Thursday.

“Kerala should get ready to imbibe the essence of (a) total liquor ban in the state.”

Kerala has India’s highest annual per-capita alcohol consumption at 8.3 litres.

It is also one of the country’s biggest tourist draws thanks to its palm-fringed white sandy beaches and tranquil rivers lined with paddy fields.

Tourism officials said they had not been consulted and warned that exempting five-star hotels would not be enough to save the industry, with many tourists staying in small guesthouses.

“By this, we are denying the facility of having beer and wine to tourists in hotels with four-star and below category,” a Confederation of Tourism Industry Kerala official told The Hindu daily.

“This will affect domestic and international tourist arrivals and send a wrong message about the destination.”

SURE-P to spend N12.5bn on Abuja-Lokoja road rehabilitation

by nan

Chairman, Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, retired Lt.-Gen. Martin Luther-Agwai, says the programme would spend N12.5bn on the ongoing rehabilitation and expansion of the Abuja-Lokoja road in 2014.

He made the disclosure after the inspection of ongoing rehabilitation and expansion of the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road. 

Luther-Agwai said SURE-P had intervened to ensure the speedy completion of the project which had been awarded sometime in 2006.

He added that sections one and two of the project would be linked before the end of December, saying they stretched from Zuba to Sheda and Sheda to Abaji.  

“Motorists will have an uninterrupted drive of 100km stretching towards Lokoja from Abuja.

“We have seen that the contractor handling the project has done a good job,” the SURE-P chairman said.

He called on the civil engineers handling various road designs in the country to consider the disabled and the vulnerable in the construction of pedestrian bridges.   

Receiving the SURE-P Chairman, Mr Yusuf Jibril, the contractor’s representative, said the section one contract had been awarded to Dantata and Sawoe company at a cost of over N11 billion.

He further told Luther-Agwai that the project was later reviewed upward to over N28.7 billion.

Jibril said the work had reached 77.29 per cent completion, adding that the project was approximately 42 km of the single carriageway.

“Zuba-Abaji is 30 km while it is 12 km from Giri Village Junction to Airport Junction.

“The project includes three major highway interchanges and three river bridges,’’ he said.

Jibril said the initial date of completion was Feb. 2, 2007 but it was later extended to Sept. 8, 2014.

Implementing the National Conference report

by Ike-Okorie

Now that Mr. President has received the final report of the National Conference, the struggle for a new and better Nigeria has just begun. To begin with, there is, at the moment, no provision for a referendum in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended. If you think that Mr. President is not aware of the lacuna in the constitution, you’re mistaken. Again, if you expect Mr. President to start implementing the confab reports, you’ll be disappointed. Furthermore, if you think the National Assembly will endorse and adopt the report wholeheartedly, you may be living in a fool’s paradise.

There are three different dimensions to the socio-economic and political task which the confab kick-started: 1. The present socio-economic and political system must be made effective; 2. Its potential must be identified and realised; 3. It must be made into a different system for a different Nigeria. Each task requires a distinct approach. Each asks different questions. Each comes out with different conclusions. Yet, they are inseparable.

The new Nigeria is not going to be made tomorrow; it is being made today, with the submission of the final reports of the confab to Mr. President, and largely by the decisions and actions taken with respect to the socio-economic and political tasks of today.

Conversely, what is being done to bring about the new Nigeria directly affects the present. The tasks overlap. They require one unified strategy. Otherwise, they cannot really get done at all. Knowledge is a universal social resource. It cannot be kept a secret for any length of time. Above all, it is subject to decay and can become obsolete unless it is updated from time to time.

It must also be borne in mind that any leadership position is transitory and likely to be short-lived. No leadership position is more than a temporary advantage. Our nation is drifting and worn down; it badly needs economic and political re-engineering as well as new direction. It is the job of Mr. President to reverse this drift. It is his job to focus the government on socio-economic and political opportunity and away from unemployment, insecurity, disintegration, epidemics, incessant strikes, to recreate leadership and counteract the trend towards mediocrity, to replace inertia and its momentum by new energy and new direction which the outcome of the National Conference has provided him.

I must speak frankly to the National Conference delegates and all Nigerians. It was Machiavilli who advised political leaders to diffuse tension in their domain by distracting their subjects when they clamour for a change. Nigerians clamoured for a change. They wanted to restructure the system. They demanded a Sovereign National Conference to negotiate a new Nigeria. Their clamour was so loud that the political class became alarmed. In response, applying the Machiavillian dictum, the Presidency convoked a National Conference.

Admittedly that action was a pre-emptive move to douse the rising tension. Nigerians through their delegates to the National Conference had dissipated their energy, talking, discussing and agreeing on a number of resolutions embodied in the report of the National Conference. And now, Nigerians want the report to be implemented. By whom? President Goodluck Jonathan? Or, the National Assembly? On a platter of gold? Just like that?

You can see why I saluted Mr. President and the National Conference delegates in my previous article. In every serious novel, a character flaw of the focal character may have tragic consequences for the focal or main character. Jonathan showed courage and patriotism when he convoked the National Conference. That is how far he can go. What Nigerians choose to do with the report is not Mr. President’s cup of tea, although he may be affected by the consequences. Neither the Presidency nor the National Assembly can wholeheartedly endorse and adopt the reports of the Confab in their entirety.

The destiny of our nation rests on the shoulders of Nigerians and Nigerians should rise to the occasion because we are going up or down together.

Thus, Nigerians need to make overtures to the National Assembly to provide for a referendum in the constitution through constitutional amendments. The National Assembly may tinker with some aspects of the reports in this exercise. To lobby the National Assembly, the National Conference delegates, and indeed, Nigerians, should form themselves into a pressure group to persuade the lawmakers to do the needful. Yes, we need to lobby the National Assembly through our representatives. That’s how democracy works.

Where the National Assembly and the state Houses of Assembly incorporate a section on referendum in the constitution through constitutional amendments, then the report of the National Conference will be adopted through a referendum organised and conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In the likely event that this approach fails, the National Conference delegates, as the vanguard of a mass action, should mobilise Nigerians to insist that only candidates who are confab report-compliant should be voted into political offices irrespective of party affiliations. Candidates who agree to this condition precedent should be asked to sign an undertaking to that effect. This undertaking in the event of default or where the candidates renege could form the basis of recall.

Dr. Okorie, a Writing and Publishing Coach, be reached via ikeokorie@yahoo.com or 08135444109

@punchng.com

MH17: First Malaysian bodies to arrive home

by bbc

The bodies of 20 Malaysian victims of Flight MH17 that crashed in Ukraine in July are due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur, as the nation holds a day of mourning.

A specially chartered plane took off from Amsterdam and is expected to land at about 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT).
National flags will be flying at half-mast across the country and a minute of silence will be observed.
Flight MH17 is believed to have been shot down by a missile fired by pro-Russian rebels. They deny the claim.
All 298 passengers and crew on board the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 died on 17 July.


Debris from MH17 was scattered across 35 sq km (13 sq miles) of territory held by pro-Russian rebels

Investigation hampered

At Kuala Lumpur airport, the plane from the Netherlands is expected to be met by senior Malaysian government officials.
The caskets will be unloaded and put in hearses by military personnel. The bodies will then be given to the victims’ relatives to be laid to rest.
This is the first time Malaysia is holding a national day of mourning for civilian victims.
The honour has traditionally been accorded only to the royal family and heads of government.
Of those on board Flight MH17, 43 were Malaysian nationals.
So far 28 Malaysian victims have been identified in the Netherlands, which is leading an international investigation into the crash in eastern Ukraine.
More than 200 coffins with remains of the victims have so far been taken to the Netherlands.
But the inquiry is being hampered by continuing fighting between Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian rebels near the crash site.

Why Omisore lost Osun governorship election – Falana

by Olusola Fabiyi

Mr. Femi Falana

In this interview with OLUSOLA FABIYI, Mr. Femi Falana, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, reviews the outcome of the August 9, 2015 governorship election in Osun State.

You predicted that Governor Rauf Aregbesola was going to win and he won. What gave you that confidence?

One didn’t have to be a futurologist to know that Governor Rauf Aregbesola was going to win the election. He is generally acknowledged to have taken governance very seriously. Having been involved in popular struggles, he has had no difficulty in connecting with the grass roots. Through his people-centred policies he has formed an organic link with the masses. In spite of the limited resources of Osun, Ogbeni Aregbesola is trying to address the crisis of poverty and underdevelopment. Through the social security scheme, the government pays N10, 000 monthly stipend to the elderly and unemployed youths numbering about 20, 000. The school feeding programme, the ‘Opon Imo’ (tablet of knowledge) revolution, the establishment of a textile factory for sewing school uniforms and other programmes have impacted positively on the people. Mind you, the government has also constructed thousands of kilometres of roads. The fact that he had endeared himself to the people was the basis of my confidence.

What did Aregbesola do that Governor Kayode Fayemi did not do?

Frankly speaking I would not know. With respect, the All Progressives Congress should be held vicariously liable for Fayemi’s electoral defeat in Ekiti State. He is a victim of the ideological crisis of the party. Did the party arm its governors with any pragramme or code of ethics? The APC claims to be an offshoot of the Unity Party of Nigeria and the Peoples Redemption Party of the Second Republic. Both parties ensured access to education, health, employment, abolished oppressive taxes which enhanced the quality of the lives of the people. Today, the APC has, like the Peoples Democratic Party, priced education and health out of the reach of the poor. The traffic control agencies in the APC-controlled states extort money from motorists like the Nigeria Police Force. The APC is seriously defending the dubious rein of market fundamentalism. It believes in the commercialisation of education and health and the privatisation of public assets. Even in the United States, the bastion of capitalism, the poor are housed by the state while their children can access education. The main crisis in the US Congress pertains to Obamacare which has to do with access to health for 47 million Americans who had no health insurance. Here, Nigerians are told that the government cannot fund schools, fund hospitals, construct roads, supply water etc. Nigerians have to pay through their noses for all social services including epileptic power supply. If civil servants cannot educate their children, feed their family and live a reasonably decent life then the government has failed. But due to his socialist background Aregbesola has extricated himself from the crisis of ideological confusion associated with the APC. He is convinced that the national economy should never be handed over to market forces. For me, that is the basis of his electoral victory.

Some people said that the outcome of the Osun election must have surprised the people of Ekiti State. Do you agree?

They were certainly surprised that Aregbesola successfully mobilised the Osun people to resist the fascist onslaught. Whereas 36,790 troops were deployed for the Ekiti State governorship election the figure rose to 73,000 in Osun State. Some of the armed goons were gendarmes who wore masks. Whereas in Ekiti State 40 APC members were arrested, over 700 APC supporters were railroaded to detention in Osun State. I had to intervene to secure the release of an 80-year-old lawyer. But others, including Osun Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wale Afolabi, were released after the election. But at the end of the day the militarisation and monetisation of the electoral process compelled the people to defend their votes.

But his opponent rattled him? Don’t you agree?

I do not agree with you. Aregbesola spoke to me when the undue delay in the announcement of the results of the election caused so much tension and anxiety. Given the support of the people, he was on top of the situation. But the Independent National Electoral Commission refused to collaborate with the anti-democratic forces, who were hell-bent on truncating the electoral process.

Some people said the outcome was an indication that Aregebsola was beatable after all?

That position is misleading. It was not a free and fair election. Election observers were chased away while many party agents were beaten up by security forces and thugs to pave way for the writing of results for the PDP in certain areas. Even when it was confirmed that Aregbesola had beaten his closest rival by over 100,000 votes Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode announced that the PDP was coasting to victory. With the arrest of 700 people and the intimidation of others including a former governor, commissioners and legislators belonging to the APC, Governor Aregbesola snatched victory from the jaws of the lion.

Did the arrest and detention of APC leaders work against the APC and in favour of the PDP?

For sure, the wave of arrests was designed to manipulate the election in favour of the PDP. But it was a wrong calculation. Aregbesola mobilised the people and so they trooped out to vote. And when the returning officer had problems with the announcement of the results, the voters surrounded the INEC office at Osogbo. At that juncture the security forces pitched their tent with the people.

Can you please justify this?

The Federal Government did not hide its plan to engage in the militarisation of the election in Osun State. But I was so sure that no amount of militarisation or monetisation of the electoral process would make the PDP defeat Aregbesola at the poll.

Do you think that if the likes of former governors Isiaka Adeleke and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola did not defect from the PDP to the APC, Iyiola Omisore could have won?

With respect to ex-governors Oyinlola and Adeleke, I do not concern myself with the effect of the defection of political heavyweights. I prefer to de-emphasise personalities and concentrate on the programmes of political parties or their candidates. Adeleke was intimidated and prevented from casting his vote. Oyinlola was reported to have lost his polling unit to the PDP. It was the same story in Ekiti State where Segun Oni lost his unit to the PDP. In an enlightened environment voters do not take dictation from leaders.

What did you think made Omisore lose the election?

The PDP erroneously believed that it was the militarisation of the election that led to its victory in Ekiti State. So, it increased the number of troops deployed for the governorship election in Osun State. But Aregbesola drew sufficient lessons from Ekiti and mobilised the Osun people to defend their votes. Owing to his organic link with the masses, they were prepared to make the necessary and even risky sacrifice to have him re-elected. In terms of integrity, consistency, pedigree, education and principle, Otunba Omisore could not match Ogbeni Aregbesola. That was why he lost the election.

Does he have any case at the tribunal?

Neither Senator Omisore nor the PDP has filed any petition at the election petition tribunal.

Do you think his arrest and trial over the killing of Chief Bola Ige worked against him?

I would not know. But the statement credited to Oyinlola at the last rally of the APC to the effect that all those who were detained at the Agodi prisons over the killing of Ige had become the leaders of the PDP in Osun State was so weighty that it might have assisted some voters to make up their minds.

Would you say that the security agencies were partial during the election?

In Osun State, Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC was arrested. We have just been informed that he was arrested for wandering. But the vagrancy law was abolished in 1986. If Mohammed was arrested on the road, Mr. Nasir el-Rufai, another APC leader, was arrested in his hotel room during the Anambra State governorship election last year. Was Nasir also arrested for wandering? To confirm the partiality of the security forces, some PDP leaders from Anambra, Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti states were in Osun State during the election. They had platoons of military and police personnel guiding them. Nobody declared any of them a persona non grata.

Can you defend this?

The issue goes beyond the partiality of the armed forces. My position is that soldiers have no role to play in the conduct of elections. It is the constitutional duty of the police to maintain law and order during elections. Even the Department of State Service is an undercover security apparatus to gather intelligence, detect crimes and pass information to the police. I am saying without any fear of contradiction that no law in Nigeria allows any security man to wear masks. That was the first time in the history of Nigeria that masked security operatives were involved in elections. Beyond the condemnation of the partisan stand of the Armed Forces, the Nigerian people should insist that each security agency is restricted to its jurisdiction.

Don’t you think that the percentage of votes got by the PDP was an indication that the party is gaining ground in the state and the South-West?

Since there is no clearly marked ideological difference between the APC and the PDP the latter is likely to continue to make inroads in the country. It is a challenge for all Nigerians who are committed to genuine social change to come together, unite and intervene decisively in mobilising Nigerians to take their political destiny in their own hands. Instead of rejecting the APC for the PDP, the Nigerian people should be presented with a credible alternative political platform. With its defeat in Osun State the PDP ought to know that naked power through militarisation will not win the general election.

Will the number of votes secured by Omisore not be a boost for the ruling party in the presidential election?

It is not likely to be a boost for the ruling party. Nigerians owe themselves a duty to make the 2015 general election issue based.

What advice do you have for Aregbesola?

Understandably, the expectations of the people are high. Aregbesola has to redouble his efforts. He has to free the economy of the state from the tight grip of contractors by reorganising the state ministry of works to construct and maintain roads. The ministry has more qualified engineers than most of the firms that handle road projects. Some of the roads constructed by the Public Works Department under the Chief Obafemi Awolowo government are stronger than the new roads. Some of the roads are still plied in the rural areas. With a ministry of housing, the government does not need to build housing units through contractors. The health personnel in the ministry of health, the trained teachers in the ministry of education, the agric experts in the ministry of agriculture who are not productive in the public service should be deployed in the communities to make them productive. Through such revolutionary measures you conserve funds for development. During elections it is the people that will vote and not contractors.

@punchng.com

Boko Haram overruns police academy in Borno

by Adelani Adepegba and Kayode Idowu with agency report

Acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba
| credits: File copy

A riot police training academy near Gwoza, Borno State has been overrun by Boko Haram   militants.

A witness   told the British Broadcasting Corporation that shots were heard after the militants arrived in three Armoured Personnel Carriers and on dozens of motorcycles.

The BBC said in its report on Thursday that a police spokesman confirmed the attack. It added that a senior security source said it had not been possible to communicate with the academy, known as Liman Kara Police College, since Wednesday.

He said that police recruits were seen running from the college after the attack began at dawn on Wednesday.

The resident however explained that   he was unable to confirm if there were casualties as he had joined other residents and fled the town to nearby hills.

A security official who did not want to be named told the BBC Hausa service that the militants had “entered the school” but said he could not confirm if they were in control.

Another resident, Kaka Modu, said some fleeing vigilance group members told him on the telephone that the community was also overran by the militants.

Modu, who added that some people were killed, said the insurgents launched the offensive on the college on Tuesday before finally seizing it   on Wednesday.

He said, “The terrorists who engaged military troops with sophisticated weapons succeeded in chasing away security personnel undergoing training at the camp and took over by hoisting their flags yesterday(Wednesday) at the college. This was after   the security operatives in the c college ran away.”

A similar attack on the college which is about 15 kilometres from Gwoza was repelled by officers undergoing training there two weeks ago.

The institution is one of only two riot police training colleges in Nigeria.

An online news agency, Sahara Reporters, was quoted by the BBC as reporting that several hundred militants were involved in the raid on the college which had about 290 police trainees at the time of the attack.

Thousands have been killed across the North-East since Boko Haram launched its violent campaign for an Islamic state in 2009.

When contacted on Thursday, the new   Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said he had no information on the attack on the college.

“I don’t have any information on the attack for now,” he said over the telephone.

The sect has   stepped up its attacks after being pushed out of its bases in Maiduguri and have been targeting towns and villages in deadly raids.

In recent weeks, the militants have been moving from their rural camps and taking over substantial towns,the BBC reported.

The group has been in control of Gwoza, a town   of about 50,000 people , since the beginning of this month.

It apparently retreated about 100km (62 miles) to Gwoza after losing control of Damboa also in Borno State.

But attempts by the security forces to retake Gwoza have failed – and a group of about 40 soldiers is   refusing to fight the insurgents.

@punchng.com

FG pays allowances of scholarship students in Russia

by Temitayo Famutimi

Some students on FG scholarship in Russia

The Federal Government has paid the eight months allowances it owed the over 322 Nigerian students on the Bilateral Educational Agreement scholarship in Russia.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Tuesday that the failure by the Federal Government to pay the allowances of the students had forced them into begging and resorting to illegal jobs, which put them at risk of deportation in Russia.

Following the report, our correspondent gathered on Thursday that the students had since started getting credit alerts on their respective bank accounts.

One of the affected students, Moyosore Ojuri, who is in her second year studying Metallurgical Engineering at the Volgograd State Technical University, Russia, told our correspondent on the telephone that the sum of $4,450 had been paid into her bank account.

The money, she explained, included $4,000 meant for her stipends from January to August; $200 for annual medicals and health insurance, and $250 covering her annual protective clothing.

Ojuri said she hoped that the Federal Government would begin paying them their allowances as at when due and save them from undue hardships.

“Before now, the Federal Government owed us from January to August. But now they have paid us everything. I can pay my accumulated debts and I am sure that I won’t be sent packing from the hostel over unpaid accommodation fees,” she said.

One of the student leaders, Akinola Akindamola, a post-graduate student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Volgograd State Technical University, Russia, stated that he and other student leaders were going round to ensure that all of them, especially the new students, had received their allowances.

Akindamola, who is the President of the Senate Committee of Association of Nigerian Scholarship Students in Russia, said, “The payment of the money is in process and I am confident that by the end of today, we would all have been paid. The least problem we want now is to be financially handicapped. We appreciate the Federal Government for their prompt response.”

When contacted, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Mr. Olu Lipede, confirmed that the Federal Government had paid the students all their entitlements.

@punchng.com

Hygienic rules

AS insignificant our actions and inactions are to maintaining hygienic rules may appear, the outbreak of Ebola disease that has claimed many lives in Africa might be a warning signal to those who care about their well-being, and continued existence on this side of the divide.
The need for women or better put homemakers to get used to kitchen hygiene rules is so crucial and must be a cathechism that guides women in the kitchen, which I believe will rub on our children regardless of their gender once they get into the heart of the house where healthy dishes are dished out to all the members of the family.
From this hour, if you have never thought of having some guiding rules as to your conduct in the power house, your getting this pasted conscpicously on your kitchen wall will save us all from avoidable food induced contamination.
The number one rule emhasises the need to always wash our hands
To women with long hair, tieing it up and pulling it back is a must if you are unable to get a chef cap.
We must also imbibe the use of an apron which prevents your dresss from being soiled or ruined.
Don’t eat any of the food mixture until you are done; if you do, wash your hands again.
Any smell can trigger off sneezing, and when this happens, ensure you sneeze and cough away from the food.
LIke kindergaten children are told to wash anything that will go into their mouths, virtually all food items must always be washed before cooking, unless otherwise stated.
The freshness of what to be bought must be checked before buying it.
Basically, the rules of food hygiene are common sense rules to stop contamination of food while preparing or serving it. Remember, cooking food kills most germs. If you aren’t going to cook it yourself before eating it, then you have to store it carefully and make sure the way you prepare it is clean.
If food is not going to be cooked before you serve it - like cooked meats, cheese, cakes etc, then you should store them on the top shelves of your fridge, so no contaminants can drop onto them.
You shouldn’t cut these food stuffs with any knife that has been used on raw meat (unless it’s been washed properly - rinsing under the tap won’t do unless your tap spews boiling water).
Ideally you should use different knives and chopping boards for raw meat and everything else.
On a final note,always wash your hands after putting something in the bin/trash. It’s easy to forget, especially when trimming and peeling vegetables.
Our waste bins are hot beds of microbe reproduction activity.
You don’t need to waste money on antibacterial soap; normal soap does the job just as well.
Enjoy working in your power house.

Culled from http://tribune.com.ng