Electricity generation in Nigeria drops to 2,800MW

In what appears to be the lowest drop to be recorded within a one-year period, the cumulative electricity generated in the country has dropped to a meagre 2,800 Megawatts. This is happening at a time Nigerians struggle with mini-heat waves caused by rising temperature.

Disclosing this on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali, noted that power output dropped from a recent peak of 4,500MW on April 3, to 2,800 as of March 30. He blamed the huge cut on “vandalism of gas pipelines”.
Igali, who made this known at a meeting with the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, called for increased protection of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, noting that the affected pipeline is the Escravos route.

 

The top government official said, “As at April 3, which is the nearest reference point for us, we were able to generate about 4,500MW on the grid, but as at this morning we had gone down to about 2,800MW.
“So you can see how much power we have lost as a result of vandalism that is why power supply has become very bad all over the country because of these strange Nigerians that continue to deliberately blow up our gas pipelines.”

He decried the activities of the vandals and described their action as national economic sabotage, noting that the ministry of power was working more closely with the security agencies, especially the NSCDC to adequately protect power infrastructure across the country.
The Permanent Secretary said the damaged pipelines were being repaired to boost power generation and distribution across the country.

 

In an earlier remark, the NSCDC boss condemned in strong terms the activities of vandals, noting that his personnel were working to curtail the menace of pipeline vandalism in the country.
He revealed that the NSCDC had acquired more vehicles, boats and gadgets to aid its operations, especially in the Niger Delta region.
Abolurin said in 2015, about 50 culprits have already been convicted by the law courts while several others had been arrested and awaiting prosecution.
He said the NSCDC would not relent in its effort to ensure adequate security and protection of critical power infrastructure across the country in line with its mandate.

 

The Civil Defence Commandant General further appealed to private investors operating the power infrastructure to make their own provisions for security in order to compliment government’s effort.
Daily Post

Photos: Man to trek from Taraba to Bayelsa to congratulate GEJ for conceding defeat

35 yer old Paul Jamasuru Tankwa from Taraba state has announced he will be trekking from Taraba to Bayelsa state to congratulate President Jonathan for conceding defeat after the presidential election. Mr Paul has designed an award which he will be presenting to President Jonathan when he meets with him in Bayelsa. Good for him!

LIB

Photos of the surveillance aircraft used during Sambisa invasion

Above is the Alenia ATR 42-500 MPA Surveyor plane, reportedly used to take aerial shots during the invasion of Sambisa Forest by Nigerian troops earlier this week. The plane was used to detect Boko Haram camps as well as detect their communication lines. See another photo after the cut...

 

Photo credit: Stewart Marshall/Beegeagleblog

LIB

Ubah, TAN boss, weeps over Jonathan’s defeat

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, on Thursday, wept profusely at the Presidential Villa in Abuja over the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 election.

 

TAN was the major group that spearheaded the re-election campaign of the President even before he formally announced his decision to seek re-election.

The group organised zonal rallies in the six geopolitical zones of the country in its bid to convince the President to run for a second term in office.

 

It claimed to have collected about 12 million signatures from Nigerians who wanted Jonathan for a second term and presented same to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, at the grand finale of the rallies in Abuja.

 

Ubah betrayed his emotion during the presentation of the report of the Senator Ahmadu Ali-Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation at the Presidential Villa.

Ubah suddenly burst into tears while party chiefs were taking turn to speak on the party’s electoral loss.

 

He continued weeping until an unidentified man ushered him out of the venue but he later returned into the hall after he had been calmed down.

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After the presentation, Ubah quickly entered one of the buses that conveyed them to the venue without talking to anybody.

 

Ubah is the Deputy Director, Contact and Mobilisation of Jonathan’s campaign organisation.

He is also the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas.

Punch

Why we shunned Ekiti peace meeting – APC lawmakers

The 19 All Progressives Congress members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly said they shunned the peace meeting brokered by Chief Afe Babalola and other elders because they believe Governor Ayo Fayose was not ready to have the crisis resolved once and for all.

The lawmakers said they are not comfortable with the security arrangement of 200 policemen said to have been made to protect them into and out of Ado-Ekiti which, according to them, had given away the motive of the meeting.
The APC lawmakers wondered why the peace effort would include provision of security to escort them out of the state instead of escorting them to the House of Assembly to continue their legislative duties.

The lawmakers in a statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Speaker, Wole Olujobi, said their resolve on the rule of law and defence of the Constitution should not be subsumed under the need to pay them their entitlements which was one of the resolutions agreed at the meeting.

They said: “We cannot hold any meeting on the basis of monetary settlement in isolation of the consideration of the constitutional breaches by the governor.
“It is amazing that the truce terms will not include resumption of our duties‎, but just to settle us monetarily and escorting us out of Ekiti State.”
Picking holes in the entire arrangement for the meeting, the lawmakers wondered why the governor was announcing the peace meeting intermittently on the state media while secretly mobilising Peoples Democratic Party members from the 16 local government areas in the state to storm the venue of the meeting.

“What is this all about if not coded incitement for mob attacks?” the lawmakers queried‎.
They also insisted that the security agents told them in clear terms that they could not guarantee their security and warned them against passing through the streets of Ado-Ekiti to the venue of the meeting‎.
The Nation

BBOG demands apology, accountability from Jonathan

Members of the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy group have demanded an apology from President Goodluck Jonathan for attacking them and denying the abduction of the Chibok girls.

They said the group and the citizenry would never forgive the President, if he refuses to apologise for the part he played in ensuring the girls remained in captivity for over a year.

A member of the group, Mr. Chude Jideonwo, spoke yesterday in Abuja at a symposium marking the one year anniversary of advocating for the girls’ rescue.

 

His words: “We demand an apology from President Jonathan for not only denying the disappearance of these girls, but for attacking innocent citizens who stood up to demand that he did his job.

“He owes every single citizen of this country an apology or we will never forgive him.”

Another member of the group and Secretary, Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), Dr. Allen Mannanseh, said the Chibok community and parents of the girls have demanded for full disclosure on the rescue mission.

He said the “family and friends of the girls want to know what happened to the girls or where they are; so that they can stop mourning”.

The community, Mannanseh added, has demanded for the prosecution of everyone involved in deceiving Nigerians on the ceasefire deal.

 

He said: “We are demanding that all those people involved in deceiving us and Nigerians on the alleged ceasefire deal be prosecuted in accordance with the law.”

#BBOG, in a statement by former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala-Usman, said it considered the rescue of the 293 women and girls by the Nigerian Army from the Sambisa forest a healthy development in the counter-insurgency war.

The group, however, said its members were surprised when the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Col. S. K. Usman, said no Chibok girl was among the over women and girls rescued.

It added that its members were still overjoyed to welcome the rescued citizens, who were deprived of their freedom.

 

#BBOG demanded to know from what part of the country the rescued girls and women came from and why the public was not informed of their abduction.

It stated: “We have in the last one year of our advocacy for our #ChibokGirls, persistently conveyed that we consider our #ChibokGirls the symbol of the suffering, killings, abductions, destabilisation and degradation in the Northeast. Although, like others, we often read news of random abductions before and after the massive scale of the abduction of our 276 school girls of Chibok, we never imagined that a rescue of this magnitude of abducted people is possible without been our #ChibokGirls. The reason for this is simple.

“There was never a time in the last one year that the Federal Government or our military, directly executing the counter-insurgency war, informed the public that large catchments of our citizens other than the Chibok Girls were in terrorist custody.

 

“So, we join members of the public in asking for an immediate verification and authentication of the 200 girls and the 93 women that were rescued.

“From what part of the country were the rescued 200 girls and 93 women abducted? When were they abducted? Why and who abducted them? How were they abducted? Was the original incident ever reported to or by our security agencies? Why were the public without information of his abduction? Can the public have more disclosure surrounding the events of the rescue mission? Were there casualties during the rescue exercise? Where were the terrorists that held the abductees in captivity? In what state were they found when the rescue took place?”

 

The group added that it has designed a verification, authentication and reuniting system that are holistic for rehabilitation, reintegration and resettlement of victims of abduction.

It hailed the military and the Multinational Joint Task Force for the positive turn in the counterinsurgency effort since the six weeks operation started on February 14 2015.

It, however, said: “For us in the #BringBackOurGirls movement, there shall be no retreat no surrender of our advocacy until our #ChibokGirls are rescued by the government.”

The Nation

Subsidy: FG pays N156billion debt to oil marketers

The Federal Government on Thursday said it had paid N156 billion debt to oil marketers in line with its commitment to prioritise payments in spite of revenue constraints.
This was contained in a statement by Paul Nwabuikwu, the Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday in Abuja.
It said the payment had two components comprising “I owe you”, given in March, and interest on payment.

 

The statement said: “The first consists of the cash backing of the N100 billion IOU which the marketers were given in March. The second is N56 billion in interest payments for the marketers according to the PPPRA template.
“This leaves a balance of N98 billion certified by PPPRA as the amount owed the markers.”
It explained that the N156 billion was the latest in a series of significant payments made to the oil marketers within the last five months.
It noted that these included over N300 billion in two instalments in December last year and N31 billion in interest differentials recently.

 

It stated that in all, oil marketers had received over N500 billion within the past five months.

Okonjo-Iweala, in the statement, urged the marketers to appreciate the efforts being made by the government to meet up with their payments.
The coordinating minister also urged them to reciprocate with some understanding of the situation of Nigerians who should not suffer more.
The minister urged the marketers to sustain the distribution and supply of fuel to end the suffering of Nigerians at fuel stations.

She was quoted in the statement as saying: “The Federal Government has made maximum effort, in spite of the well-known fact that the fall in oil prices has significantly reduced national revenues, to prioritise payments to marketers.
“For the sake of Nigerians who are bearing the brunt of fuel scarcity, the marketers should reciprocate in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation in which we have always tried to engage them.”
The Executive Secretary of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Obafemi Olawore, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, appreciated the gesture and commended the Federal Government for fulfilling its promises.

Olawore, however, said the association would not take any corresponding action until its members received payment alert from their respective banks.
The MOMAN scribe said the association was ready to commence importation and distribution of fuel to end the suffering of Nigerians at fuel stations once the money hit their accounts.
He said the members would not work with any paper promise without cash backing.
Daily Post

NFF claims they could have hired coach like Wenger or Mourinho

NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, has insisted that Stephen Keshi’s re-appointment as coach of the Super Eagles, was not a mistake.

Last week, Keshi signed a deal until 2018, to continue as Nigeria’s coach amid intense speculations.
Pinnick explained that the Big Boss, will be working with a Technical STudy Group headed by Jay Jay Okocha and ProZone match preparation software.

 

“We made no mistake in re-appointing Keshi. In his first term, Keshi did a lot to encourage the boys in the domestic League, and the boy who scored our winning goal at the Africa Cup of Nations, Sunday Mba, was playing in the domestic scene,” he told BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.

“We don’t live in the clouds. If we wanted a foreign Coach, we would probably go for someone in the class of Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger. We don’t have that money presently and we don’t want to be owing our Coach.”
Pinnick also added that the ProZone software, will be of great benefit to all the national teams and NFF officials are currently being trained in the UK to use it.

 

“In the past, we played matches blindly. We didn’t know enough about our opponents and we didn’t even know enough about our own players – their strengths and weaknesses. If we had the ProZone match preparation software before now, we probably would have beaten France and reached the quarter finals of last year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil.”
Daily Post

APC condemns Wike’s alleged moves to join party

The All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers state has alleged that the governor-elect in Rivers state, Nyesom Wike who won the guber contest in the state under PDP is making plans to cross to the APC.
Wike, who was declared winner of the governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, received knocks over the alleged moves from the leadership of the APC in Rivers state.
State Publicity Secretary of the party, Chris Finebone said the plan uncovered, is meant for the Governor-elect to obtain the cover of APC and avoid a judicial dethronement.
Wike’s latest move, APC said, is coming as no surprise “to those who know his antecedents”.

 

Giving insight into the plan, Finebone explained that Wike, as soon as he is received into the APC fold, will woo APC elders and leaders to prevail on Dr. Peterside to drop his quest for justice before the Election Petition Tribunal.
According to Finebone, “Having back-stabbed his mentors like former Senatorl, John Mbata in the past and more recently, Governor Chibuike Amaechi, he would only be living true to the unreliable ally that he has grown to be.
“Wike’s history is replete with sabotage and dual personality often unstable among peers. So, we are not surprised at his latest moves to dump PDP to join APC.

“Such a move portrays him as unstable in relationship having at several instances, bitten the finger that fed him. He thinks
that by hiding under the canopy of APC membership, elders of the APC will prevail on Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the
governorship candidate of the party at the April 11 election, to abandon his quest for justice”.

 

“Through this, Wike would have hoodwinked APC elders and leaders into prevailing on Dr. Peterside to withdraw his petition from the Tribunal. In short, Wike seeks to hide
under the cloak of party man to dodge standing before justice to explain how he garnered the fictitious figures he claimed to have secured at the April governorship poll.
“Aware that Peterside is a true and loyal party man, unlike what he is, Wike will propound the hypothesis of “this-is-a-party matter” to cajole both Peterside and the
leadership.
“Unfortunately, Wike has already shot himself in the foot with the barbaric manner in which he obtained the fraudulent victory he is currently parading.

 

“In any case, the APC has placed restrictions on fleeing PDP members whose only reason for jumping ship is because the PDP has lost the elections. Mr. Nyesom Wike is a liability rather than asset. It would be best he remains in the PDP, stand before Justice at the Tribunal and explain his role in the rape on democracy in Rivers State last April 11. His late night moves to join APC is only a ploy to protect the stolen mandate in his pockets.”
Daily Post

Messi announces he is expecting second child

Barcelona star, Lionel Messi, has confirmed that he will become a father for the second time.

The Argentine captain and his girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo, welcomed their first child, Thiago, in November 2012 and has revealed on Facebook that she is pregnant again.
Messi posted a picture of him and Thiago kissing Antonella’s stomach, with the message: “Can’t wait to welcome you into our world!!! We love you! Thiagui, mum and dad.”

 

He also posted the same picture on Instagram, saying “Waiting for you baby! We love you”.

 

The 27-year-old however did not state when the child is expected.
Daily Post

Makarfi reveals Senate approved N143bn for fuel subsidy in 2015 budget

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has described as untrue reports that no provision was made for fuel subsidy in the 2015 budget passed by the red chamber few days ago.
He made this clarification in Abuja on Thursday while exchanging views with journalists.
Makarfi revealed that a total sum of N100bn was provided for as subsidy for Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol while another N43bn was approved for Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK, for the 2015 fiscal period.

 

According to him, “There is a provision for subsidy in the budget, people need to understand where to look for an issue. If you look at the main appropriation, there is so many cost components.

“You will not see cash call in the main appropriation, you will not see subsidy in the main appropriation. There are expenses in the main memoranda items that you are not going to see in the main appropriation.
“For you to see them, you have to go through the revenue profile. In this year budget, N100bn was provided for Premium Motor Spirit, N43bn for DPK,” he said.
While admitting that the amount budgeted for this year may not be enough to subsidise petroleum products, Makarfi explained that the law allows for a request of additional funding when the need arises.

 

This window, according to him, could be used by the incoming government.
The Senate had on Tuesday passed the national budget of N4.493tr for the 2015 fiscal year, about five months after it was presented by the Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

 

The fiscal document, which was earlier passed by the House of Representatives last week, was N51bn higher than the N4.425tn submitted to both chambers of the National Assembly by the Federal Government.
Daily Post

31-year-old arraigned for committing sodomy in Lagos

The police on Wednesday arraigned one Samson Ndubuisi, 31, before an Apapa Magistrates’ court for allegedly having canal knowledge of an 11-year-old boy.

Ndubuisi, who resides at No. 3/4, Umuaka Close, Ilufe Junction, Alaba Market, Lagos, is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and sexual assault by penetration.
While testifying in court, the Prosecutor, ASP Soji Ojaokomo said the suspect committed the offences on April 12 at his apartment.

 

Ojaokomo further told the court that Ndubuisi had sexual knowledge of the victim without the boy’s approval.
“The complainant said that on that fateful day, he went to fetch water at one Mrs Doris Ezenwa’s company.

“He said while he was fetching water, the accused called him and took him to a room where he forcefully had canal knowledge of him through the anus.
“The boy said that each time he went to fetch water Ndubuisi would take him to the usual spot and have sex with him.

 

“The complainant also said that the accused also bribed him with N100 each time he slept with him.
“The 11-year-old boy said they were caught by two men, who were Ndubuisi’s colleague at the water company.
“The boy said the accused threatened to kill him if he dare tell his parents about it,’’ Ojaokomo disclosed.
According to the prosecutor, the offence runs contrary to Sections 259 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Ndubuisi on his part pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The presiding Magistrate, Mr Patrick Adekomaiya, consequently granted the suspect bail in the sum of N 50,000 with one surety in like sum.

 

Adekomaiya however adjourned the case till May 28 for trial.
Daily Post

Sambisa: Over 400 Boko Haram fighters killed in renewed onslaught, more women rescued [PHOTOS]

A top military officer, who did not want his name mentioned, has revealed that over 400 Boko Haram fighters and commanders lost their lives in yet another fierce battle with the Nigerian Troops in Sambisa forests.

He said a soldier and a woman also lost their lives during shootouts and rescue operation in Sambisa Forest, on Wednesday as Nigerian troops further pumped the heat on Boko Haram fighters.
However, a statement from 7 division Nigerian Army also said that the firefight in nine separate camps in the dreaded forest led to the rescue another set of women, in Boko Haram captivity. The number has not been disclosed yet.

 

According to a statement by Col. Sani Usman, eight women also sustained gunshot wounds, just as four soldiers were seriously injured.
The army spokesman said several Boko Haram field commanders and foot soldiers were killed and that combat tanks and ammunitions of high calibre used by Boko Haram were recovered while others were destroyed.
“The troops have also rescued additional women and children,” the statement said, adding that “They have been evacuated to a safety zone for further processing.”
The military was flying-in medical and intelligence teams to evaluate the former captives, many of whom were severely traumatized, Usman said.

 

 

Daily Post 

ISIS smashes thieves’ heads with concrete blocks as part of sick brand of justice (Graphic photos)

ISIS have been pictured dropping concrete blocks onto the head of two thieves as a retribution for their crimes. Watched by a massive crowd, the masked killers slammed the blocks of stone onto the men’s heads in ‘qisas’ – meaning ‘eye for an eye’ – retribution.

The militants raise their hands to the sky as the blocks rain down on the men, who are bound and had their heads hung over a kerb.

They had reportedly robbed and murdered women in the Nineveh province in northern Iraq.
The notoriously media-savvy organisation released the images on social media which were shared by ISIS supporters

Michael Igbinedion sentenced to 6 years imprisonment over N25bn scam but gets an option of N3m fine

Michael Igbinedion, younger brother of former Edo state governor, Lucky Igbinedion was today sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for charges bothering on money laundering. Michael, alongside one Mr Patrick Eboigbodin, an aide to former Governor Lucky Igbinedion were dragged before a federal high court in Benin city on an 81 count charge bordering on money laundering said to be carried out while Lucky Igbinedion was still governor of Edo state.

Delivering his judgement, Justice A.M Liman sentenced Michael Igbinedion to 6 years imprisonment with an option of fine of N1million for each of the three counts 79, 80 and 81, for which he was convicted. Mr Eboigbodin was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.


The accused used four companies, Gava Corporation Limited, Romrig Nigeria Limited, PML Securities Company Limited and PML Nigeria Limited to launder money.

LIB