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FG urged to allow 100% private sector participation in power sector

Power
By Yunus Yusuf
Lagos, Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) Some stakeholders on Thursday urged the Federal Government to allow private  investors’ full operation of the power sector in order to boost effectiveness and enhance economic growth.

The stakeholders made the suggestion in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos against the backdrop of the enormous challenges confronting the country’s power sector.

Mr Adekunle Sofunde, Chairman, Solatek Engineering Ltd, urged government to hands-off the operations of the power sector to private investors for more business competitive drive.

Shofunde said that such  would a decision would allow Nigeria’s power sector to compete favourably with other countries.

He said that government should only regulate and not be involved in running power operations, adding that the sector could perform better if solely managed by private sector.

According to him, it is disappointing that an economy of over 190 million generates less than 10,000mw and distributes even less.

“Continuous tinkering with the structure of power supply and distribution and close to 20 billion dollars expended since 1999 has only brought darkness, frustration and misery to Nigerians.

“Nigeria imports over 70 per cent of its petroleum products requirement, while electricity supply is inadequate at just about 4,000mw now.

“Over 20,000mw of power is generated daily from fossil-fired plants to meet up with electricity demand,’’ he said.

The expert urged government to embrace renewable energy to fill the gap created by this deficit, adding that power production and distribution in the country were far less than what was needed.

The Director-General, Textile Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr Kwajaffa Hamma, said business competitiveness could only be drven when the power sector is being 100 per cent  managed by private investors.

He urged government to ensure that the power sector tariffs become competitive as obtained in other countries such as Egypt Ethiopia and South Africa.

“That is the only way to move the sector forward; we cannot export our products (energy) outside the countries because it’s not competitive.

“ Seventy five per cent of all generating output in Nigeria does not reach the intended end users.

“While the minimum capacity requirement for Nigeria is put at 50,000mw, we are currently producing less than 5,000mw.

“Eight in 10 Nigerians rely on the alternative source of the power supply as erratic power supply persists.

“Eighty-five per cent of Micro Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) rely on power generators for electricity,’’ he said.

Mr Muda Yusf, Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said “ power sector is critical to the development of the country.

“Most often, there is often a conflict between development objectives and commercial objectives.

“I believe the government still needs to provide some resource support and generous fiscal incentives for investors in the sector.

“What should be avoided is public sector management of such enterprise. We do not have a record of good corporate governance in most public enterprises.

“A strictly private sector driven power sector, however, poses the risk of exclusion of some segments of the population.

“Many locations and communities may not be served because of the commercial viability of such provision.

“There should, therefore, be a model that would cater for the economically vulnerable segments of the society.

“This is the scenario currently playing out in private sector provision of education and health services.

“Private schools and private hospitals are not affordable by majority of the citizens,’’ NAN quotes Yusuf said.

Mr Biodun Ogunleye, Managing Director, PowerCap Ltd, was, however, opposed to total handing over of the sector to the private sector, saying that such could result to abused of power.

Ogunleye said that government Hadizent a vital role to play in the power sector, adding that there is no country in the world that hands-off power sector totally to private investors without regulating and controlling the sector.

According to him, “am not aware of countries that essential services like power is not regulated, am also not aware there is no regulator like NERC within the structure.

“Between NERC and CBN there will also be a bulk buyer so that there would be a bulk market but government should not involve in retail but plan on how much capacity as a nation would should aspired to have.

“Government should point the direction of what the private sector would go, because if you allow the private sector they will only do certain things that would only favor them.

“On Discos, government had never appointed management for Discos but took board position, and they are civil servant that are basically checking and taken reports , not aggressively involved in their operations,’’ he said. (NAN)
YO/AOM/WOJ
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(Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Wale Ojetimi)

NANFeatures/Vol.12/No.108/2018 (Sept. 20)

Still on Vote Buying: Nigerian scientists to the rescue?
A News Analysis by Chukwudi Ekezie, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

After Vote Buying, Nigeria’s new political headache, reached its climax during the conduct of Ekiti governorship election in July, Nigerians have been thinking of ways to deal with the phenomenon which threatens to destroy the country’s democracy.

The electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has since then held several stakeholders engagements to find a solution to the problem, which gets more sophisticated with every new election.

At the beginning, it was the bribing of prospective voters by politicians, who offer them gifts of food and clothing items as well as suspicious acts of philanthropy in form of empowerment programmes and infrastructure development projects during electioneering.

Later the practice was the secret bribing of election officials, party and security agents to change poll results in favour of losers.

However, recent experiences demonstrate the boldness of politicians who have turned election venues to open auction grounds, where the ballot goes to the highest bidder.

To avoid the shame of Ekiti during which voters received pay for voting after displaying pictures of thumb-printed ballot papers to party agents, INEC has resolved to re-administer polling units, starting with the Osun Governorship Election holding on Sept. 22.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said when he presented Certificate of Registration to 23 new political parties that the new polling unit structure would make it difficult for voters to display their ballot papers after marking them.

“The commission is deeply worried about our elections, particularly the way they are becoming increasingly monetised.

“Vote buying is a cancer to our elections and we must work together collectively to stamp it out.

“Accordingly, and on the part of the commission starting with Osun Governorship Election coming up on Sept. 22, we will change the way our polling units are administered.
“It will be done in such a way that there will be no room for voters to expose their marked ballot papers between voting cubicles and the ballot boxes.

“We shall further re-strategise with the security agencies for a more robust response to the arrest and prosecution of vote buyers.

“We will also engage with all well-meaning groups for more effective voter education and voter sensitisation,’’ Yakubu said.

To strengthen its hold on the issue, INEC stated that voters would no longer be allowed to take smartphones into the voting cubicle to prevent them from taking pictures of thumb-printed ballot papers to present to party agents as evidence for payment after voting.

In the past, the commission said it was helpless over the handling of matters arising from the conduct of elections, especially the prosecution of electoral offenders. It said it lacked the capacity to prosecute such cases.

However, that responsibility has shifted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which has accepted to prosecute election fraud offenders.

The Acting Chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Magu said the agency was working with INEC and the police to track politicians and others involved in vote buying.

Magu said EFCC was monitoring spending by politicians and political parties during elections and had put banks on notice regarding transactions by parties and politicians.

“We are working with INEC to stop vote buying, we are seriously pursuing this.

“We will monitor unusual cash withdrawals. We are going to work with other relevant agencies like the police on this.

“Before now, it was inconceivable for law enforcement agencies to investigate the sources of election funding of political parties and their candidates.

“This has led to gross financial abuse and the pervasion of the electoral process and consequently enthroned bad leadership which in turn led to corruption and bad governance,” he said.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on its part approved a bill for a law to establish an Election Offences Commission. The agency, it is hoped, will take the burden of post-election crises management off the shoulders of INEC.

The steps so far taken, particularly the ban on the use of smartphones in polling cubicles, do not appeal to some groups. The leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describes the step as a plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the 2019 general elections.

“We have all heard what the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said about the decision to ban the use of smartphones in the polling units. All over the world, a smartphone is the easiest way of communication.

“What they have said clearly shows that the commission, in connivance with the All Progressives Congress, has perfected a rigging strategy for the next election.

“In fact, INEC has sent Nigeria back to the primitive days.

“The same plan to rig the 2019 election is responsible for the refusal of the president to sign the amended Electoral Act because the card reader must be used,’’ PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus said.
Similarly, a group, Not Too Young To Perform, has rejected the ban on the use of smartphones at polling units and urged INEC to plan better.

“For us, since the major incident of vote buying occurred during the Anambra  governorship election in November last year, INEC has not done enough to nip the anti-people practice in the bud.

“We hail the commission for recognising that vote buying is a big challenge that must be tackled, but the ban on use of cellphones and camera at polling units cannot be the best INEC can offer in its efforts to curb the menace. INEC should go back to the drawing board to find better ways to deal with it if it can’t prosecute offenders.”

While all stakeholders acknowledge the threat of vote buying to democracy, the issue remains contentious.

The approach adopted by INEC is traditional considering the state of technology at its disposal. The proposals by EFCC and FEC are laudable, but considering the weakness in law enforcement in the country, there are doubts that much can be achieved.

For example, while the law makes electoral fraud an offence, no one, including some persons alleged to have been involved in electoral violence, bribery, intimidation, forgery and manipulation of election results in the past, has been punished.

It has been difficult to apply the rule to all groups and persons in Nigeria, especially when influential persons are involved. Such persons and groups or those associated with them are often treated with deference.

In all societies when a problem arises in one sector the whole community, including scientists, get to work to resolve the issue.

The adoption of scientific approach to deal with issues is objective and less contentious.

Vote buying is a Nigerian problem. Maybe someday, a Nigerian scientist will develop a chip that can be installed on the panel used in constructing the voting cubicle to hinder all activities not related to the casting of vote in the enclosure. (NANFeatures)

**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) 

Drains
By Aminu Garko
Rafi (Niger), Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) The Rafi Local Government Area in Niger has spent about N5 million on the construction of drains in Babban Gonna village.

Alhaji Gambo Kagara, Chairman of the council, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kagara, headquarters of the council on Thursday.

He said that the project had been completed and handed over to the people of the community.

Kagara said that the project was part of efforts to curtail flooding and its negative social and economic consequences on the lives of the people.

He stated that the council had involved traditional and religious leaders in mobilising residents against the dumping of refuse on waterways.

Kagara explained that the approach of engaging stakeholders would enable the community to protect the drain system against abuse.

He gave the assurance that the council would continue to execute beneficial programmes for the people irrespective of political party differences. (NAN)
AAG/MOL/IS
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Ismail Abdulaziz

Resettlement

Baure (Katsina state), Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) The Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it had registered 731 victims of flood in Baure Local Government Area of the state.

Alhaji Haruna Rigoji, the SEMA Executive Secretary said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Baure on Thursday that the houses of 75 victims were completely destroyed.

He added that the flood, recorded in Maibara district of the local government, also left 252 properties seriously damaged and 404 with partial damages.

He assured that the agency would provide those whose houses were completely destroyed with alternative plots in safer areas and building materials to put up new structures.

“The remaining victims would be compensated according to the gravity and degree of their loses.” the SEMA boss said.

According to him, the agency will commence distribution of relief materials to the victims in the next two weeks.

He said the relief materials include roofing sheets, cement, wood, nails, clothing materials and foodstuff, as well as cash to some of the victims.

Malam Usaini Usaini, one of the victims whose house collapsed due to the flood, commended the state government for providing them temporary shelter.

NAN reports that one person died during the incident that occurred in August. (NAN)

BKD/MZA

ICAO canvasses regulation of drones over aviation safety

Drones

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Sept. 20,2018 (NAN) The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) says there is need for a regulatory framework to integrate unmanned air traffic innovations into the global aviation network, to avert safety and related risks.

ICAO’s Secretary-General, Dr Fang Liu, made the call on Thursday while speaking at the United Nations aviation agency’s “Unmanned Aviation Week” in Montreal, Canada.

In her speech obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, Liu said ICAO was concerned about the usage of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) globally.

According to her, worldwide, RPAS and UAS technologies and operations have been evolving rapidly in recent years.

She said this has spurred thousands of new entrants to the aviation sector and a multitude of new products and services requiring incorporation into the global aviation framework.

She added that despite the new opportunities that this transformation offered, they posed safety and related risks to legacy aircraft and operations, including the populations on the ground.

Liu said: “ICAO’s member states anticipated these challenges when they mandated ICAO to develop new guidance for what are essentially domestic operations.

“Their goal in this regard was to make use of ICAO’s cooperative and consensus-based decision mechanisms, to realise practical and effective operational guidelines, which could be codified for implementation in almost any urban environment.”

She noted that in order for the numerous socioeconomic benefits of unmanned aviation to be optimised, regulators must work to craft and implement a well-structured and flexible regulatory framework.

“Safety concerns such as collision with manned aircraft, the use of unapproved communications spectrum, and even the expectations of privacy for the citizens living among these intended operations, are all of great concern to governments today.

“And there are further issues we must address such as the functional interoperability we can expect to achieve with traditional air traffic management mechanisms, airspace design, and rules of the air for these new aircraft types,” she added.

The secretary-general underscored that the predicted expansion of the unmanned industry would result in an equal number of aircraft operating simultaneously within congested metropolitan areas and airspace.

Liu said this would be a tremendous challenge for regulatory officials and airspace planners, and one which would require completely new approaches in terms of the management of air traffic. (NAN)

ASO/FLP/SA

Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Salif Atojoko

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NSE wants decrepit 15-storey Lagos Federal Secretariat Complex salvaged

Secretariat

By Grace Alegba
Lagos, Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) The 15-storey Federal Secretariat Complex in Ikoyi, Lagos, abandoned since 1991 following the relocation
of the country’s capital from Lagos to Abuja, is now a shadow of its former self.

Built in 1976, the facility which served as the engine room of the federal civil service, is virtually in a ruinous state, stripped of doors,
windows and other fittings, a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) check has revealed.

A section of the building formerly occupied by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) which
was gutted by fire is yet to be renovated.

The Federal Government had planned to convert the facility into residential accommodation consisting of four, three and two bedroom
flats, but the move was halted by the Lagos State Government.

LASG, however, in 2006 passed the Ikoyi/Victoria Model City Plan Bill, insisting that the secretariat remains an institutional building
that cannot be converted to other uses.

NAN reports that the facility was given to a concessionaire, Dr Wale Babalakin, who had planned an investment of N7.2 billion.

Six years after fierce legal battle over the facility between the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Wale Babalakin
and one of his companies, Resort International Ltd, the matter has been resolved in favour of the defendants.

AMCON and Babalakin have been in a legal battle for the possession of Federal Secretariat Complex, Ikoyi, since 2012.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, against Babalakin and his company, AMCON is seeking an order for the repayment
of the sum of N20.5 billion comprising principal sum and accrued interest as at October 2011 on various loan facilities allegedly
granted to the businessman and personally guaranteed by his company.

The asset management firm also sought an order granting it the power of sale or disposal of a parcel of land known as Alma Beach
property, and the parcel of land known as the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase 1 & 2, Ikoyi in partial or final liquidation of the debt.

NAN correspondents, who visited the facility, reports that the premises was being guarded by policemen to prevent people from
having access to the secretariat.

The policemen, however, restricted the movement of our correspondents, saying they are under instruction to prevent people’s
access to the facility as it is still under litigation.

“This place is under seal by an order of the court. We are here to stop people from going into the building.

“The pedestrian gate is opened because of the First Bank customers who come into the premises to transact businesses,” one of
the policemen told NAN.

However, the presence of some government agencies beside the secretariat has brought life to the area with high human and vehicular movements.

Scores of peoples were seen at the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Prison Service and the Criminal Investigation and
Intelligence Department of the Police, Alagbon.

Contacted for his comment, Mr Dickson Onoja, the Director of Public Buildings in the Federal Ministry of Housing, Abuja, told NAN on telephone that the property was no longer under the control of the ministry.

Onoja said the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Sale of Federal Government Landed Property in Abuja was in a better
position to speak on the status of the secretariat.

“The Federal Secretariat buildings in Ikoyi are no longer ours and no longer under our control as it is one of the buildings sold off
some years back.

“I am told issues came up in relation to development control, building plan approvals and permits which are under the jurisdiction of
state government,’’ he said.

Efforts to contact the Presidential Implementation Committee were unsuccessful.

However, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Lagos Branch, has advised the Federal Government to collaborate with the
Lagos State Government to sell off the secretariat complex to save the national monument from further deterioration.

Mr Johnson Akinwande, the Branch Chairman, told NAN that both governments should reach an agreement on the facility without
further delay.

Akinwande explained that earlier moves by the Federal Government to sell the asset to private individuals failed because the buyer
wanted to use it for purposes that contravened the Lagos Master Plan for the area.

He also called for integrity tests and proper Environmental Impact Assessment of the facility. (NAN)

GA/DA
(Editing by Dele Akinsola)

Child
By Amina Ahmed
Bauchi, Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) The Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) has held series of stakeholders’ meetings on child protection in selected communities in Bauchi State.

The Coordinator of the Child Protection Programme, Hajia Fatsuma Mohammed, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Thursday.

She said that the action would enable parents and members of the communities to identify negative challenges encountered by girls during hawking; and to suggest agreed and realistic solutions.

According to her, most participants revealed that hawking had deprived girls from obtaining basic education due to the time committed to petty trading.

“Under child protection, FOMWAN held various interactive sessions with religious, traditional leaders, youths, women and the girls involved in street hawking.

“This is to provide an avenue for the stakeholders to identify and accept the challenges encountered by the girls.

“Participants were able to reveal that hawking had deprived the girls the basic education.

“They learnt negative attitude and behaviour from peers; and sometimes even became exposed to lots of men at tender age,’’ Mohammed said.

Speaking on the way forward, she said that participants agreed on trading from home, women empowerment initiative and community savings, among others.

According to her, not less than 600 people participated at the meetings in four communities of Bauchi, Soro, Kangere and Miri.

Mohammed said that FOMWAN would continue to ensure that girls were protected from social vices, encouraged and sensitised on matters affecting their future lives in the state. (NAN)
AE/AJA
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Edited by Adeleye Ajayi

Reaction

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) Stakeholders in the aviation industry and other Nigerians have expressed divergent views in reaction to the announced suspension of the national carrier (Nigeria Air) project.

The Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, had on Wednesday announced that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) decided to suspend the project for strategic reasons.

Mr John Ojikutu, an Aviation Security Expert and the Managing Director, Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult expressed shock that the government could do a U-turn after so much progress had been made.

Ojikutu said the decision to suspend the national carrier project was an indication that government had not been able to develop strategies to set a true national carrier.

He called on Minister of State for Aviation to have a workable plan to make the project succeed, adding that the steps taken so far were faulty.

Ojikutu explained that government ought to have come out, in clear terms, on the ownership and shareholding by members of the public.

He said “ we advise that even if it is 20 per cent, it should be given to credible Nigerians like Alinko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Mike Agenuga, Sir Emeka Ofor, Arthur Eze among others.

“We said that government should look for those people, sell about 15 to 20 per cent to them, because these are board room gurus.

“These are people who have their stocks in the Nigerian Stock Market and they would certainly know how to manage things for us but unfortunately, I don’t think we are going in that direction, “he said.

Mr Ikechi Uko, an Aviation and Tourism Expert, said the he was happy that government had taken the decision to halt the establishment of a national carrier because of the timing.

Uko said that in as much as the project was a laudable one, the timing was wrong because it was a political era.

He said the time proposed to by government to commence the airline was unrealistic, considering the fact that airline required adequate planning if it must work.

“We can talk about it after the election and start the implementation.

“So for me, the government has done the right thing because my biggest fear was that we are going to rush through it and at the end, make a mess of it.

“I am happy and I thank government to have seen reasons with some of us, because this is outrnational carrier we are talking about and it is good we do it well. So I commend the government for suspending it for now,’’ he said.

An Abuja-based business man, Mr Rowland Achi, expressed concern that the national carrier could not come up, now, to give the nation a brand new airline that would stand the test of time.

Achi called on the minister to come out and explain to Nigerians what the challenges were and engage some Nigerian businessmen and women that had the financial wherewithal to invest in the project.

According to him, running to foreign investors at the onset could be responsible for the failure.

A civil servant, Mr Paul Audu said it was honourable, on the part of government, to suspend the project instead of deceiving Nigerians by using it to campaign for 2019 genetal elections.

Audu, however, urged government not to kill the idea of having a national carrier, considering the resources it had so far spent on the project.

The minister had in on July 18, unveiled the name and logo of the airline named, ‘Nigeria Air’ at the Farnborough Air Show in London.

He had announced that the airline would commence operation in December with an initial capital of 300 million dollars.

According to Sirika, the airline will be private sector driven with government controlling only 10 per cent of the equity. (NAN)

OYS/DUA

Edited by Dada Ahmed

2019: Institute advocates credible, violence-free elections in Ebonyi

Election

By Douglas Okoro

Abakaliki, Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) The International Republican Institute (IRI), has called for sustained efforts to ensure credible, transparent and violence-free elections in Ebonyi  in the 2019 general elections.

IRI sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), made the appeal in Abakaliki at a workshop on Consensus Building on Election Violence Mitigation (CBEVM).

The workshop was attended by media practitioners, representatives of registered political parties, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations.

In a paper entitled, “Scenario Planning on Election Violence Mitigation,” delivered by Prof. Sadeeque Abubakar, he identified election violence as any act likely to cause a breach which can affect the credibility and outcome of an election.

Abubakar said that the aim of the workshop was to come up with a workable action plan to eradicate or reduce election violence especially in Ebonyi.

Abubakar, a Professor of Political Science in the University of Abuja, explained that election violence has become a recurring decimal in Nigeria, adding that the nation’s democracy has become violence-driven.

“Our democracy has become violence- driven, Nigeria’s election is generally perceived to be a do-or-die affair.

“When you talk of election in Nigeria, the first thing that will come to the mind of an average Nigerian is, is the election going to be free and fair? Is it going to be credible? And is it going to be violence- free?

“Election violence has become a recurring decimal which has been promoted within our electoral and democratic lexicons.

“There is no way you can analyse elections and democracy in Nigeria without venturing into discussing how violence can determine outcome of an election or its negative tendencies before, during or after the elections,” Abubakar said.

He listed some of the causes of election violence to include- greed for the struggle for the control of state resources, hate speeches by politicians and their supporters, divisiveness along religious, ethnic and tribal lines, among others.

The don also identified weak institutions, abuse of electoral and other extant laws, wrong use of power of incumbency, clannishness, as other causes of election violence in Nigeria.

He noted that election violence  has  contributed to voter apathy, insisting that many eligible voters often avoid participating in the electoral process due to doubts of the credibility of the outcome of elections in Nigeria.

“According to statistics released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), only less than 25 million voters out of the over 64 million registered voters voted in the 2015 general elections.”

He added that election violence often raises legitimacy problem for leaders who emerged through violence ridden election process.

Abubakar urged political parties, politicians and other critical political actors to play by the rules to avoid situations that could promote election violence in the 2019 general elections in Ebonyi.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adamawa, Bauchi and Sokoto are the other states benefitting from the IRI sponsored programme. (NAN)

ODO/OU

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Edited by Obike Ukoh

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