Blog

NAN-HE-4
Funding
By Yusuf Yunus and Raji Rasak
Lagos, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC’s) under-funding cash calls hit 2.5 billion dollars in 2016, says Dr Maikanti Baru, its Group Managing Director.

Baru made this known at the 34th Annual International Conference of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Exploration (NAPE) with the theme “Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry; Tackling our Realities’’ in Lagos.

He said that the joint ventures would relieve government of the cash call burden by sourcing for its operational funds estimated at 7-9 billion dollars annually.

According to him, this is aside the inherited arrears estimated at six billion dollars.

“The Joint Venture (JV) cash call exit model we are pursuing guarantee government most of the revenue that normally accrues to it from the joint venture operations by lifting the royalty and tax oil upfront.

“This contributes 75 per cent to 85 per cent of the accruable revenues to government. Consequently, the effect on government take will be minimised. We are working assiduously to kick start this from 1st January, 2017,’’ he said.

Baru said that it was difficult to deliver the volumes without adequate funding and with an average JV cash call requirement of about 600 million dollar a month coupled with flat low budget levels over the past years.

He said that this had led to under-funding of the Industry by government which has become a challenge to production growth.

Baru said that consequently, managing these funding issues was part of the management’s most immediate challenge.

He, however, appealed to those behind the indiscriminate acts of infrastructure vandalism to put an end forthwith to “these despicable acts of sabotage.’’

Baru said that the destruction of critical energy infrastructure was a great threat to the environment, the economy and energy security.

He said that the outage of these key infrastructures was detrimental to the development and growth of the Industry in particular and the country at large.

According to him, it also has a negative effect on the level of funds to be distributed to the various tiers of government resulting in the ripple effect on the economy.

“We have faced challenges relating to low oil prices, production challenges due to infrastructure vandalism, inadequate joint venture funding.

“Others are low reserves replacement, adequacy gap in technology and shortage of skilled manpower among a host of other issues.

“Most critical of all these challenges is the fact that they are all intertwined in a viral fashion,’’ he said.

Baru also said the low oil price and deferred production challenges would lead to lower government revenues.

He said that the oil sector accounted for approximately 90 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, adding that some of the highlighted challenges were part of the root causes of the recession.

Also speaking, the Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, disclosed that the state would generate more than 3,000 Mega Watts in the next seven years.

Ambode, who was represented by Mr Wale Oluwo, the Commissioner for Minerals and Energy Resources, said gas supply was their major challenge.

The governor said that due to lack of gas to power the existing power plants, they were spending thrice the amount being used to get gas.

He said the discovery of oil in the state would increase employment opportunities of young graduates, provide gas supply and improve make electricity supply.

Ambode said that, “if the Federal Government fulfils its promise of paying 13 per cent derivation for oil, the state would have more money to execute meaning projects.’’

He, however, pledged support for investors in the oil and gas sector in the state.

Mr Nosa Omorodion, the NAPE President, said the story of the oil and gas industry patch in recent times had remained one that can be told by the bold and the brave.

He said that the global industry had lost more than 600,000 jobs, with the oilfield services and exploration and production sector contributing almost 70 per cent of the loss.

Omorodion said that the industry was faced with the longest period of investment cuts ever witnessed in recent times. (NAN)
ROR/YO/AOM/IS
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Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Ismail Abdulaziz

NAN-H-26
Verification
By Yakubu Uba
Yola, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) Officials of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), have commenced monitoring of Federal  Government projects being executed in the North East.

The Leader of North East Monitoring Team, Alhaji Ibrahim Baba, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the exercise was meant to verify execution of projects captured in the budget and to assess the level of work.

Members of the commission visited the Kiri Dam New Canal project site in Shelleng Local Government Area of Adamawa.

“We want to see what is the allocation by Federal Government and releases made; we want to see the implementation of those allocations; whether there are value for government, ” Baba said.

He explained that apart from Kiri Dam, the team visited Yola Irrigation project site in Gerio, Yola North Local Government Area.

“We will also visit  Kashimbila Dam in Taraba State, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric  Hospital and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Borno State as well as the Damaturu to Azare Express Way in Yobe and Bauchi States”, Baba said.

Addressing the team at Kiri Dam, the Managing Director of Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority (UBRBDA), Mr Abubakar Mua’zu, said work on the N800 million new canal awarded in 2011 had been abandoned by the contractor.

He said that the contractor, who was given 15 per cent payment, abandoned the job after executing 11 per cent of the job.

Mua’zu lamented the under-utilisation of the dam’s hydro and irrigation potential,

He said that for now, the construction of a new canal was not a priority as the existing canal channeling water to Savannah Sugar Company was not maximally utilised.

Mua’zu said that what the dam needed now was funding for its safety, maintenance and maximum utilisation to generate more revenue for government.

He said that the dam was constructed in 1982 for irrigation of 12,000 sugar plantation and had the capacity to generate 20 megawatts hydro power.

Mua’zu said that at present, the dam is generating only N60 million annually by selling irrigation water to Savannah Sugar Company at the cost 50 kobo per cubic metre, an amount he said needed to be reviewed upward. (NAN)
YMU/AJA
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(Edited by Adeleye Ajayi)

Court awards custody of 4 children to father

NAN-H-4

Custody

By Usman Aliyu Ilorin, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) An Ilorin Area Court on Tuesday awarded the custody of four children from a separated couple to their father for upbringing.

The court, however, granted the mother access to the children whenever she so wishes.

The presiding judge, Mr AbdulQuadir Ibrahim, while delivering the judgment in a case of children custody between the estranged couple, Taiye Ishola and Taiye Ishola, also averred that the children had the right to visit their mother anytime.

The wife sought for the custody of the children following the marriage dissolution.

The children are Adam, 16; Mustapha, 12; Fatima, 10, and Samsudeen 5.

The plaintiff through her counsel, Abdulwahab Issa, had pleaded with the court to grant her access to the children, when the defendant said he would not allow her an access to his house. (NAN) AUO/MST/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

NAN-ELS-48
Tailors
By Justina David Auta
Abuja, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) Some tailors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Tuesday, decried low patronage, as yuletide season approaches.

Some of the tailors, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, attributed the poor patronage to the current economic recession that had affected the prices of goods and services.

A few others too attributed it to the new preference for ready made clothes, as against the ones sewn by local tailors.

Umar Mohammed, a tailor at the Garki ultra modern market, said the patronage was lower that of the previous years, when customers would flood his shop, months before the Christmas and new year celebrations.

“The increase in the value of dollar as against the naira has also affected us because in the past, my customers from Kaduna, Jos and other places, would have brought their clothes earlier to avoid disappointment.

“But as you can see, Christmas is less than six weeks and we have just a few clothes to sew,’’ he said.

Mohammed, however, expressed optimism that some of his customers would bring their clothes for sewing at the end of the month, when their salaries must have been paid.

Titus Mutum, another tailor, also attributed the poor patronage to increase in the services rendered by tailors, which had forced customers to find alternatives by acquiring more of ready-made or fairly-used clothes.

“As the prices of everything has gone up, so we also have been forced to increase ours because the cost of materials and other adornments to beautify clothes has increased.

“So some people prefer to just buy ready made clothes or second-hand ones, which in some cases, are a bit cheaper than buying materials, then accessories and the sewing,’’ he said.

Mrs Chioma Emmanuel, a tailor at Kpaduma, Asokoro extension, attributed the poor patronage to epileptic power supply, which had affected contract agreement between tailors and customers.

“The issue of no light has also made some customers stop sewing clothes because their tailors might end up disappointing them or the sewing might be delayed.

“Even when we use generator, we have to increase the charges for obvious reasons but some customers would not understand,” she said.

He stressed the need for the government to address the issue of epileptic power supply to enable artisans and other low income earners survive the present hardship.’’ (NAN)
JAD/JPE/YEMI
Edited by Joseph Edeh
Controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju

NAN-S-7
Stadium
By Thompson Yamput
Jos, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) The Contractor constructing the Multi-billion Naira Jos Stadium, BCC Tropical Nigeria Ltd., on Tuesday denied collecting N3.48 billion mobilisation fee to complete the facility.

The contractor denied collecting the money when he spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on the allegation that had been paid N3.48 billion mobilisation fee at the start of the project of N11.4 billion.

NAN reports that a Six-man Commission of Inquiry was set up by Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, chaired by Justice Stephen Adah, to probe his predecessor, former Gov. Jonah Jang’s administration.

The allegation followed a petition to the commission by an undisclosed petitioner who alleged that the contractor had collected the said amount.

Mr Plamen Iliiev, the firm’s Managing Director (MD), told NAN that the petition was “the mastermind of mischief makers who were all out to tarnish the company’s image.

“The only mobilisation fee BCC Tropical Nig. Ltd ever received was N463, 214, 216.99.

“This accounted for 15 per cent of the initial contract sum of N3, 088, 094, 779.93 before the variation which raised the contract sum to N11.412 billion.

“I have seen the figures the petitioner presented to the commission and the said N3.48 billion paid to us as mobilisation fee had no date at all, while the one (N463, 214, 216.99) we know was paid to us on March 17, 2011, ’’ he said.

Iliev also pointed out that “the petitioner equally displayed mischief when he alleged that the contract for N11.4 billion was only for the laying of Synthetic track and Artificial Football Pitch only’’.

According to him, the contract variation included two volleyball courts, two basketball courts, a swimming pool and others as well as the complete cover for the entire stadium.

“We are through with the synthetic track and artificial football pitch and we are about to cover the roof of the stadium.’’

Iliev said that when he got the contract, his firm had to redesign the stadium because the initial consultant left with the design.

“We have to engage Afro Sports Promotion, the Technical Advisers and Sports Facility Consultant to FIFA, who redesigned the stadium for us and paid the consultant from our post.

“I have to tell the commission that the total sum we have collected from the state government is N7.1 billion only and once more money is made available to us, we shall go for the roof and cover the stadium,’’ he said.

Reacting, the Commissioner for Sports, Mr Danladi Mann, said only the ministry of Finance could come out with the true position of the payments made to the contractor.

Mann expressed doubt over the capability of the then Government to have paid N3.4 billion at a go as claimed by the petitioner.

“Remember, sometimes back, I told you that what I saw in the handing over note was something close to N6 billion that was paid to the contractor.

“But mind you, at the coming of this APC-led government by Gov. Simon Lalong, some monies have been paid to the contractor to return to site and continue with the construction which probably brought the amount to the said N7.1 billion,’’ he said.

According to him, the Commission of Inquiry has ordered the finance ministry to come up with details of all payments made, which will help to clarify issues on the stadium. (NAN)
TYC/JPE/PDE
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(Edited by Joseph Edeh/Peter Ejiofor)

ERCC calls for collective efforts to fight terrorism, other crimes

NAN-H-17

Terrorism

By Awayi Kuje

Akwanga (Nasarawa state) Nov.14, 2016 (NAN) The Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC) has called for collective efforts to fight terrorism and other forms of criminality to fast track development in the country

Dr Jerry Madibo, the ERCC President Nationwide, made the call on Tuesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as the church marks its centenary celebration (100 years).

He said that the call became imperative due to the importance of peace to socio-economic development of the country.

Madibo, who took his time to give brief history of the church, commended Arthur Judd, who came right away from South Africa for missionary work leading to the establishment of the church in Nigeria in 1916.

“The establishment of this church has not only saved people who were in the grip of sin, but has also saved people who were traditional idol and ancestral worshippers as ERCC has many mission stations across the world so as to preach the word of God.

“Aside from the primary mission of evangelizing the people, the missionaries also considered education and health care services as their cardinal objectives as the church has established many tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools, among others.

“The Church is not left out in the area of peace promotion, that is why we always use the word of God to preach peace and urge Nigerians to live in peace irrespective of their background as peace is the necessary requirement for the development of any nation.

“It is in view of this, I want to call for collective efforts towards fighting off hatred, terrorism, insurgency, criniminality and all sorts of social vices so as to make the world a better place to live by entrenching peace, love and togetherness.

“The call for collective effort to fight off terrorism and other social vices was necessitated by the fact that the activities of the insurgents and other criminal activities have affected our lives and the socio-economic development of the country negatively,” Madibo said.

Madibo also urged Nigerians to engage in legitimate livelihood and shun all negative tendencies all the time in the interest of peace and national development.

He said that the church had plans to improve on the services it had been providing in the areas of education, health care delivery, agriculture, women and widow empowerment so as to better the standard of living of Nigerians.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the church has set aside 10 consecutive days for the centenary celebration. (NAN)
AKW/TA
Edited by Tajudeen Atitebi

Monarch cautions herdsmen against destroying farmlands

NAN-H-58
Herdsmen
Ugah (Nasarawa), Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) Herdsmen tending their flock in Ugah chiefdom, Lafia Local Government of Nasarawa State, have been cautioned against “deliberately allowing their cattle to destroy farmlands”.

The Emir of Ugah, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji Ugah, gave the warning during a stakeholders’ meeting at his palace in Ugah, on Tuesday.

The royal father, who expressed dismay over the activities of herdsmen in the area, called on them to take proper care of their cattle in the interest of peace.

He decried the herdsmen’s nonchalant attitude towards crops, noting that it had often resulted into clashes between them and farmers.

The Emir regretted that several meetings held with farmers and herdsmen had not changed the later, and expressed the fear that the situation, if not properly checked, could threaten the peace and unity enjoyed in the area.

The traditional ruler said that the essence of the meeting was to rub minds with the stakeholders, examine critical issues and seek common grounds.

The monarch, however, expressed disappointment that only one herdsmen was at the meeting.

He appealed to the state government to come to the emirate’s aid by sending security operatives to maintain law and order.

Earlier, one of the traditional council members, Alhaji Saadu Musa, had called on farmers and herdsmen to tolerate one another, and advised people to always follow appropriate channels toward resolving their differences. (NAN)
BAB/MNA/ETS

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(Edited by Maureen Atuonwu and Ephraims Sheyin

NAN-H-52
Offices

By Sunday John

Lafia, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) A coalition of non-governmental organisations has called for the establishment of an office of the Nasarawa Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in all 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

The Leader of the coalition, Mr Nawani Aboki, made the call on Tuesday when a delegation of the coalition visited the Executive Chairman of the agency in Lafia.

Aboki, who is also the Executive Director, Centre for Women, Youths and Community Action (NACWYCA) in the state, explained that establishing the offices, is part of the restructuring effort that the group is advocating.

He urged the state government to amend the current law establishing the agency to give room for proper restructuring of the organisation.

Aboki further urged the government to constitute a board for the agency to make the organisation more effective in service delivery.

“If the agency is properly structured, it will give room for checks and balances and enable it to access support from donor agencies to improve healthcare at the local level.

“If so much power is vested in an individual, it gives room for abuse of office and skepticism in terms of transparency that international donors look out for,’’ Aboki said.

He commended the state government for setting up the state primary health care agency and expressed the coalition’s commitment to complementing government’s effort towards improving healthcare at the grassroots.

The Executive Chairman, NPHCDA, Dr Mohammed Usman, who received the coalition, expressed appreciation for the visit and assured the team that the observations it made would be given due consideration.

He informed the team that the agency is in charge of monitoring and payment of salaries of all staff of primary health care centres in the state.

Usman assured the people in the rural communities of the state that the agency would ensure that they accessed proper healthcare at the lowest cost. (NAN)

SDJ/ESAN/YEE
Edited by Abiodun Esan/Emmanuel Yashim

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NANFeatures/Vol.10/No.256/2016 (Nov. 15)

What qualifies coaches for Best FIFA Coaches’ awards?

A News Analysis by Ijeoma Okigbo, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Choices of all captains and head coaches of national teams around the globe will form a half of voting process for choosing the Best FIFA Men’s Coach 2016 to be presented on Jan. 9, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The rest half of the process will be split between the result of an online public balloting with football fans and submissions from a selected group of more than 200 media representatives across the world.

The voting for the sport’s most prestigious individual prizes at awards will begin on Nov. 4 and will close on Nov. 22 while the final lists of the three nominees will be announced on Dec. 2.

FIFA had on Nov. 2 announced a list of 10 coaches for the award drawn from clubs and football playing nations under the federation.

Notable shots nominated include Claudio Ranieri, coach of Leicester City of England and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City.

Ranieri was nominated by FIFA’s Football Committee for guiding Leicester City to an historic 2015/2016 Premier League title after the club had narrowly avoided relegation.

Also Pep Guardiola is included after winning a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double with Bayern Munich.

Other nominees are Fernando Santos, who took Portugal to the title; Didier Deschamps, whose France side reached the final; and Chris Coleman, who masterminded the Wales’ run to the semi-finals.

They also include Luis Enrique, who won the World Coach of the Year award in 2015, Zinedine Zidane; nominated for winning the Champions League with Real Madrid; and Diego Simeone, whose Atletico Madrid lost UEFA Euro 2016.

Similarly, Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino are nominated even though the former lost the EFL Cup and Europa League finals.

Among the nominees, some football fans in Abuja have indicated biggest contenders as Zidane, Ranieri and Santos.

Zidane is currently the manager of Real Madrid, taking over the position in January 2016 when Rafa Benitez was sacked six months after his appointment.

They noted that when Zidane took over, Madrid appeared down and out in La Liga but Zidane had managed to instill a team spirit which had pushed the team forward to win its 11^th champions league title in May.

“Zidane, a young coach, who took over from Benitez , even as the club was not too stable at the time , stabilised the ship and won the champions league,’’ Ibrahim Yunusa, a football player, said.

They stressed that Santos took Portugal to the Euro 2016 and won the title for the first time after reaching the finals and losing to Greece in 2004, being the nation’s closest to the title.

Prince Uchenna, a football enthusiast said: “Portugal was not among the beautiful brides for that title, we looked at France, Spain, and England.

“Even though Cristiano Ronaldo was in the team, people felt that he was not fit and he is just one man among 11 players, so no one actually felt that the team will go far in that competition.

“They had started badly in their group, such that Iceland was even ahead of them, yet they won France, in France.’’

They analysed that Leicester, under Ranieri became champions of England by which a sport writer Bonachristus Asomba, applauded his tactics.

“Ranieri defied all odds, he did something that is unimaginable in English Football and this was a team that had an odd chance of winning the English Premier league.

“Leicester was a team that was built to be relegated. In the 2014/2015 season they had struggled to avoid relegation.

“They did the unimaginable, kept clean sheets, won games, even when people felt that fatigue was going to affect them, they still kept on strong and was ahead of the top clubs who had more money.

“ Also, the players in the club were mostly rejects from other clubs such as Jamie Vardy, who was in a non-league club side few years ago, Riyad Mahrez as well as N’golo Kante.

“Even the highest predictor of football will not have predicted winning for the club, so for me Ranieri, did the unthinkable to merit the award,’’ Asomba said.

However, sports analysts have urged sports administrators in the country to prepare coaches enough to compete for the awardss.

Shehu Dikko, a sport enthusiast, charged Nigerian coaches also to constantly improve their capacity at every given opportunity so that they could be relevant in the scheme of sport events.

He said Nigeria Football Federation will continue to do its utmost to provide support to all workers in football who seek to make themselves better professionals in their calling.(NANFeatures)

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

NAN-H-21
Trafficking
Aisha Ahmed
Kano, Nov. 15, 2016 (NAN) The National Agency for the Prohibition for Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) rescued 50 persons in the past four days, an official said in Kano.

The Kano Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Shehu Umar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Tuesday that the victims included women and children.

He said that the victims were intercepted by the Nigeria Immigration Service in Katsina on their way to Europe through Niger and Libya.

“There are males and females as well as three minors in the group and they all fall within the ages of three and-45 years,” he told NAN.

The zonal commander said that the victims hailed from Abia, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo and Kwara states.

Umar told NAN that the zonal office had rescued a total of 343 victims this year.
He said that the victims comprised 321 females and 122 males.

Umar said that the victims were discovered due to three main reasons – lack of legal documents, lack of enough fund and use of illegal routes.

He appealed to members of the public to volunteer to the agency, useful information on suspicious people and their movements.

Umar advised parents to suspect anybody who would promise to take their wards for employment abroad.

He, however, said that traffickers changed tactics as government uncovered their plans.

NAN reports that the zonal command has secured eight convictions this year and is currently investigating eight cases and prosecuting six. (NAN)
AAA/IGO
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(Edited by Ijeoma Popoola)