Nigeria Content Online

The balance in the
Excess Crude Oil Account surged to about N450billion at the end of last
month, the accountant general of the federation, Ibrahim Dankwambo,
said at the end of the monthly Federation Accounts Allocation Committee
meeting in Abuja at the weekend. He said the balance of revenue in the
dollar-denominated component of the ECA was about $1.9billion, while
about N50billion was transferred into the domestic ECA. This excludes
the $1billion already deposited by the federal government as seed money
for the take-off of the newly created Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).

Mr. Dankwambo
attributed the surge in the revenue in the ECA to increased oil
production capacity under the various Production Sharing Contracts
(PSCs) in recent times as a result of the declining tension in the
Niger Delta as a consequence of the impact of the federal government
amnesty initiative in the region, improved oil prices at the
international oil market above the $60 per barrel benchmark in the 2010
budget as well as a rise in the modified carry agreement receipts by
the oil companies.

“The production
capacity of the multinational oil operators improved tremendously in
recent times as a result of the improved operational environment as a
direct consequence of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme for
Niger Delta militant groups as well as increase in crude oil prices at
the international market. Revenue, generally, was good, that was why
there was a transfer to excess crude account (dollar), which has a
balance of $1.9billion, (domestic) N50billion) and Sovereign Wealth
Fund of $1billion, bringing it to close to $3billion in revenue
savings. Our hope is that this level will be sustained,” he said.

More money to share

The AGF said gross
revenue available for distribution among the three tiers of government
for the month of November was N557.839billion, made up of
N407.554billion as statutory revenue, including Value Added tax (VAT).
The total figure is higher than N451.074billion from the previous month
by N106.766billion. The distributable statutory revenue for the month
was N364.639billion, an increase of N564million, or 0.15 percent
compared to the October figure. There was no augmentation revenue for
the month, neither was there an exchange gain,

considering that
the prevailing exchange rate of N147 per dollar was lower than the N150
per dollar set as the benchmark. A total of about N143.043billion was
transferred to the ECA, as well as for Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and
Royalty.

Nigeria-US
relations have further been strengthened by the military cooperation to
combat terrorism, the new U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley,
said on Sunday in Abuja. Mr. McCulley who was the guest at the forum of
the News Agency of Nigeria, said that relations were currently at the
highest level, given the recent bilateral engagements between the
countries. The ambassador noted that both countries are having a very
cooperative military-to-military engagement. According to him, Nigeria
is a member of a multinational trans-Saharan counter-terrorism
partnership initiative which looks at building capacity and addressing
common threats affecting all nations in the region.

Speaking
on the Gulf of Guinea, the envoy said both countries were collaborating
to safeguard the region, although “more work needed to be done.” He
also stated that his government has provided $2 billion in the past six
years for HIV and AIDS intervention in Nigeria. “HIV/AIDS relief is
perhaps our largest programme, and we have, over the past six years,
provided about $2 billion in assistance, and $500 million in this
fiscal year alone to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS,” he said. “We
also have a programme which will be launched this year: the President’s
Malaria Initiative, here in Nigeria. Looking ahead of the next three
years, what I would like to do is to ensure that our democracy and
governance agenda is incorporated into all of these activities.”

Presidential
aspirant on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Harry
Akande, says he has nothing against the governor of Kano State, Ibrahim
Shekarau, for abandoning him during the last national convention of the
party.

Mr. Akande, who
initially had Mr. Shekarau’s backing for the position, lost to
Ogbonnaya Onu, who emerged as the chairman of the party at the
convention in September.

Mr. Shekarau allegedly withdrew his support from him a night before the convention.

Mr Akande, who was
responding to claims that he has not forgiven Mr. Shakarau for
switching support from him, denied that he joined the presidential race
to frustrate the ambition of the governor, who himself is a
presidential aspirant.

He stated that he
was not a politician who harbours bitterness in his heart, noting that
his plan to contest the presidency of Nigeria surpasses trivial issues
of trying to get back at an individual.

He explained that
prior to the convention, Mr. Skekarau, in company of 50 delegates from
Kano State, came to his house in Lagos twice, asking him to join the
chairmanship race, though he was not interested in this. According to
him, he had brighter chances to lead the ANPP in 2006 ahead of the
former chairman, Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, but decided against running for the
position.

“I have never been
interested in that position, but because the party’s fortune was
dwindling and going out of relevance in Nigeria political terrain, I
decided to give it a shot in order to work with people of like minds to
re-engineer and re-build the party,” Mr. Akande said.

No veteran aspirant

The presidential
aspirant, however, said he accepted to run for the office of national
chairman last September because of the urgent need to reposition the
party. Mr. Akande noted that he trusted Mr. Shekarau to deliver the
delegates from his geo-political zone, which accounted for about 32
percent of total delegates to the convention, but he (Shekarau)
betrayed him the night before.

“Therefore, I lost
because we did not touch that zone in our campaign prior to the
convention, believing that the governor would deliver his own end of
the deal and a gentleman agreement to realise the noble agenda,” he
said.

Mr. Akande also
condemned those who described him as a veteran presidential aspirant,
saying “The only unfulfilled dream of my life today is the realisation
of a better Nigeria with the best economy and infrastructural
development and no amount of resources invested on this noble project
to better the life of my people will ever be a waste,” he said.

The opposition
Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has faulted the
inclusion of the former secretary to the Delta State government,Ovie
Omo-Agege as a candidate in the forthcoming re-run governorship
election in the state.

The group said Mr
Omo-Agege was never a candidate in the April 14, 2007 election which
was recently annulled by the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo
State and should therefore not run.

The CNPP also said
it would be illegal for Mr Omo-Agege to contest the re-run elections on
the platform of the Republican Party of Nigeria (RPN), adding that the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erred in law by
supervising the primary election organised by the party where the
governorship candidate emerged.

“We frowned at
INEC’s supervision of the illegal Republican Party primary election,
when electoral officials are aware that the position of the extant laws
of the land and the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in the
Labour Party vs INEC, is that only those nominated lawfully for a
nullified election are fit and proper persons to contest the re-run
election,” the opposition group said, in a statement by its spokesman,
Osita Okechukwu.

“When a court
makes a pronouncement that a thing that took place is null and void,
the simple and reasonable interpretation of such is that the thing
never occurred or took place. The court is, by implication, ordering
that the whole exercise must start a fresh with the same dramatis
personae participating “Omo-Agege, did not participate in the April 14
2007 governorship election in Delta State. He was a chieftain of the
Peoples Democratic Party {PDP} and participated in the governorship
primaries of the PDP and came distance third.”

A test case

The CNPP said it
suspects foul play in the inclusion of Mr Omo-Agege as a candidate,
saying it could be aimed at frustrating the performance of candidates
of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and the Action Congress of
Nigeria(ACN).

“It is our
considered view that Ovie Omo-Agege is being planted as a spoiler meant
to halt the hurricane of the DPP/ACN which is sweeping PDP out of the
Western region. Otherwise, how can INEC, an institution created by the
constitution, violate the Electoral Act, the Constitution and disregard
and disobey a subsisting Supreme Court landmark judgment?” it said.

While asking INEC
chairman, Attahiru Jega to investigate the INEC officials who allegedly
simulated the illegality, the CNPP said the Delta State governorship
re-run election would not only be a litmus test for the commission but
also an appetizer for its new leadership.

The federal government at the weekend invited
prospective investors in the 11 electricity distribution companies
slated for privatisation under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria
(PHCN) to formally make their bids.

The Bureau of Public Enterprises said yesterday that
the sale, to be carried out through international competitive bidding,
will cover the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Benin
Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Enugu Electricity Distribution
Company Plc; Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Ibadan
Electricity Distribution Company Plc, and Ikeja Electricity
Distribution Company Plc.

Others include Jos Electricity Distribution Company
Plc; Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company Plc; Kano Electricity
Distribution Company Plc; Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution
Company Plc; and Yola Electricity Distribution Company Plc.

Similarly, requests have also been issued inviting
prospective core investors as concessionaires in the country’s thermal
and hydro power stations, including 972 mega watts (MW) capacity
Ughelli Power Plc in Delta State; the 414 MW Geregu Power Plc in Kogi
State; the 776 MW Afam Power Plc, comprising of Afam I-V power stations
located in Rivers State; and the 1020 MW Sapele Power Plc in Sapele,
Delta State.

The Hydro Power Generating Companies also slated for
concession include Kainji Power Plc, comprising Kainji Power Plants
located in Niger state, and Jebba Power Plants in Kwara State as well
as the Shiroro Power Plc at the Shiroro Gorge, Niger State.

February deadline

Conditions spelt out by BPE for prospective investors
include that: “Potential bidders should be existing power distribution
companies or core investor groups with power distribution companies as
long-term technical partners”, adding that “successful bidders will be
responsible for operating the distribution companies, making the
necessary investments to improve the distribution network and customer
service in line with the objectives of the Federal Government of
Nigeria set out in the National Electric Power Policy (NEPP).”

For the power generating companies, the bureau said
potential bidders/concessionaires, who should be existing local and/or
international power generators or investors with power generators as
long-term technical partners, would be responsible for operating the
station, improving the generation capacity and making the necessary
investments in line with the objectives of the federal government of
Nigeria set out in the NEPP.

The deadline for receipt of applications in respect of the distribution and generating companies is February 18, 2011.

The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had, last
July, approved the shortlist of Power Grid of India, ESB International
of Ireland and Manitoba Hydro of Canada to bid for the Transmission
Company of Nigeria (TCN) management contract.

TCN is one of the 18 PHCN successor companies, which combines
functions considered central to the sustainability and development of
the country’s electricity sector; as transmission services provider, a
system operator and a market operator.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party said on Sunday
that ongoing moves by certain opposition parties to forge alliances in
view of the 2011 general elections could not dislodge it from power.
The party said that the parties’ actions were bound to fail because
Nigerians “have consistently showed that only competent, organized and
truly national political parties such as the PDP could win elections in
the country.”

“Our attention has been drawn to declarations by
leaders of some ragtag political parties boasting that they are trying
to form an alliance with the sole objective of rooting out the Peoples
Democratic Party in the forthcoming 2011 general elections. This, no
doubt, is an act of self delusion, a fantasy and an unrealizable pipe
dream,” the party’s spokesperson, Ahmed Rufa, said in Abuja. “It
appears that this grandstanding is apparently bolstered by recent
appeal court rulings which awarded some PDP state governorship seats to
some small opposition parties through legalistic argumentations.”

Failed alliances

The PDP said the first attempt to form a grand
alliance against it was in 1999 when the then All Peoples Party and
Alliance for Democracy entered into a marriage of convenience, but that
it failed. The party also noted the multiple setbacks suffered by the
Mega Party to fight it, but that those alliances never saw the light of
the day.

“This highly misplaced excitement and hysteria
expressed by this cabal of small parties and unholy alliances is
neither new nor surprising to us,” Mr. Rufa said. “We wish to remind
Nigerians that the earliest attempt to abandon individual identities of
parties and go into a marriage of convenience in 1999 called APP/AD
alliance collapsed like a pack at inception.”

Nigerians will equally recall the multiple setbacks suffered by the operating under the aegis of a so-called Mega Party.

“These phantom mergers, alliances and similar
conspiracies under whatever names have remained still-born and never
saw the light of the day due to the insincerity of their proponents.
Nigerians have come to realize that their only motivation is the naked
pursuit of power without a clear direction, a defined agenda or noble
cause.”

Mr. Rufa said the ruling party was not opposed to
multiparty democracy and that it welcomes those who offer principled
opposition or alternative views to drive Nigeria forward.

“The PDP is currently preparing for democratic
primaries where candidates will be freely chosen by members nationwide.
This is in sharp contrast to all the other parties whose candidates
emerge at the whims and caprices of demigods and cult like godfathers,”
Mr. Rufa said.

“The baseless euphoria and unfounded pipe dream to supplant the PDP
in the Nigerian political terrain by these disorganized groups is at
best as a result of hallucinations or merely a banal propaganda
ostensibly orchestrated to divert the attention of Nigerians away from
their failures.”

Reporters have been
reminded that investigative journalism involves remaining dogged in the
face of adversity until answers are obtained as to why situations
thrive in any given society.

Speaking at the
fifth edition of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting,
held on December 9, 2010, a legal practitioner, Ayo Obe, stated that
investigative journalism goes beyond the traditional reporting process
of asking ‘Who? What? When? How? and Why?’. “What marks investigative
journalism out is what the reporter has to do to get the answers to all
those questions,” she said. “It speaks to the amount of burrowing,
digging, checking and confirmation that the reporter has to do to get
the true answers to those questions. It speaks to the reporter who is
not satisfied with the first answer, who tests those first answers and
comes up with fresh questions until he or she is fully satisfied that
they have as much true information as they can get.”

Rewarding hard work

The award was first
instituted in October 2005, and was named the Wole Soyinka
Investigative Reporting Award. It was named after the 1986 Nobel
Literature laureate for his consistent and outspoken activism,
particularly during Nigeria’s military regimes. The name was later
changed to the Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism in
2008. Since inception, the centre has awarded 21 journalists for their
best practices in the Nigeria media aimed at ensuring accountability in
the society.

At this year’s
award presentation ceremony, which held at the Agip Recital Hall of the
MUSON Centre in Onikan, winners were decided from the print, online and
photo categories; as works submitted for the broadcast, local
government and climate change categories did not meet the standard of
the judges. The winner of the print category was Badejo Ademuyiwa, of
Business Day Newspapers, for his serial on ‘NNPC Insurance Program’;
the first runner-up was Emmanuel Mayah, of The Sun Newspapers, for his
story on ‘Europe by desert: Tears of African migrants’; and the second
runner-up was Chukwuma Muanya, of Guardian Newspapers, for his story on
‘The scramble for Pfizer’s token in Kano’.

In the online
category, Peter Nkanga, of NEXT, winner for his serial on ‘The Pregnant
Inmate’. Last year’s winner and this year’s only other runner-up was
Nicholas Ibekwe, also of NEXT, for his story on ‘Nigerians lose
millions in search of diplomas’. Winning the photojournalism prize was
Femi Ipaye, of PM News, for his photograph on ‘The great scramble for
Patience Jonathan’s rice’. Olatunji Obasa, of The News, was the first
runner up, for ‘(Police) man’s inhumanity against man’; while the
second runner up prize went to Sunday Aghaeze, of This Day Newspapers,
for ‘The president convoy on the way from Abuja airport’.

Winners from the
various categories were rewarded with certificates of commendation,
plaques, laptops with one-year Internet access, and an a trip to the
United Kingdom. First runners-up got laptops, fifty thousand naira cash
prize, and certificates of commendation; while second runners-up were
given laptops and certificates of commendation.

Other awards given
on the day includes the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence,
which was presented by the Kadaria Ahmed, the Editor of NEXT
Newspapers, to media icon, Doyin Abiola; while Bunmi Oyewole, a high
court judge, presented the Anti-Corruption Defender Award posthumously
to legal icon, Gani Fawehinmi, which was received by his wife, Ganiyat
Fawehinmi.

The secret meeting
between the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria and President
Goodluck Jonathan published by the internet whistleblower, WikiLeaks
has been welcomed by a pressure group claiming the leaks confirmed that
the President is a humble, honest, patriotic and down-to-earth
personality.

The Movement for
Democratic Sustainability (MDS) said in a statement issued yesterday
signed by its publicity secretary,Iheanacho Afam decried the Atiku
campaign group for insinuating in a national daily that details of the
leaked cable suggested that Mr Jonathan “cannot be trusted.” The group
urged Nigerians to read the documents intelligently and “get the main
facts and not political sensationalism that is flying around.”

The group insisted
that despite the Presidency’s claim that the reports in the cable are
inaccurate, “nothing in the document suggests that Mr Jonathan sold
Nigeria as some people angling for his post would have done.” “He was
advised by the ambassador and other envoys who visited him at the time
and he made it clear that he will look into them and act accordingly in
a manner that would not compromise the sovereignty of the country.”

Mr Afam further
noted of more importance is that, Mr Jonathan’s name was not linked to
any of the “dirty oil deals and bribe bazaars” that characterised the
past government as revealed by WikiLeaks.According to the group, the
president ought to be commended for holding such high level diplomatic
consultation and making efforts to bring Nigeria back to mainstream
international politics. MDS insisted that contrary to what some
politicians want Nigerians to believe, the leaked document revealed
that President Jonathan though very humble remains “his own man.”
“Therefore, to us the president is being honest by saying he is not a
“politician” in the sense that politicians are known in Nigeria today.

And that to us
makes him a better person for the job. “We strongly believe that once
again, beyond petty politics,Mr Jonathan needs to be commended by all
Nigerians for steering the ship of the Nigeria from the wreck for which
it was heading as a result of former President Yar Adua’s ill health.
This noble role cannot be wished away.” Afam conluded.

The 36 state
governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum will meet
tonight in Abuja to discuss some national issues, including the ongoing
amendment to the Electoral Act. The governors may also pick a new
chairman to replace Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, who declared
his intention, two months ago, to run for the presidency.

The meeting, which
is scheduled to hold at the Kwara State Governors Lodge, Asokoro
District of Abuja, will be preceded by that of the Northern Governors
Forum. The northern governors, who shifted their meeting from their
traditional venue in Kaduna to Abuja will meet this morning.

However, the
governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party met last night ahead
of the National Executive Committee meeting tomorrow in Abuja.

The PDP NEC meeting
is reportedly scheduled to ratify the recommendations of the National
Working Committee and other organs of the party on the timetable and
guidelines for the primaries. The National Working Committee, Board of
Trustees and the National Caucus of the party had cancelled staggered
presidential primary elections and opted for a one-day convention
billed for Eagle Square in Abuja.

Although, its
agenda was not clear, it was gathered that the amendment to the
Electoral Act 2010, the PDP timetable/guidelines, topped the agenda.
The governors were said to have opposed staggered primaries adopted by
the PDP leadership and may present the same to NEC. NEXT also learnt
that the plan by the National Assembly to amend Section 72 to include
members of the National Assembly as members of the NEC of the party,
would be discussed. The governors are allegedly opposed to the
amendment because, according to sources, it would remove the power base
from them to the federal lawmakers.

Nothing on chairmanship

When contacted last
night, the director-general of the NGF, Asishana Bayo Okauru, confirmed
that the three meetings will hold, but noted that he was only concerned
with the meeting of the 36 state governors, which comes up tonight.

According to him,
the 36 governors will discuss the Electoral Act and two other issues,
which he did not mention. He said that the meeting begins at 8pm. On
the election of a new chairman for the NGF, Mr. Okauru also confirmed
that the forum will look at the report submitted by the Babatunde
Fashola Panel, which was constituted last month to set rules for the
election of a chairman.

“I doubt if a new chairman will be picked,” he said in a telephone
chat last night. “You know Fashola committee submitted its report but
it could not be discussed last week because of the death of Governor
Adams Oshiomhole’s wife. The report will be discussed alongside two
other issues. The new NGF chairman will not emerge because they were
not asked to pick a chairman but to set rules for the purpose because
such situation had never arisen before. The rules will be looked into.”

The Attorney
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke may
intervene in the impasse at the House of Representatives by persuading
the leadership to obey court orders and allow members of the
“Progressives” to attend plenary.

The attorney
general’s influence, had earlier in the year led to the resolution of a
case where the leadership of the Senate disallowed Alphonsus Igbeke,
who had a valid court judgment legalising his election victory, from
taking his seat as a senator.

An official of
the Justice ministry, who spoke to NEXT on condition of anonymity, said
Mr Adoke, who was outside the country last week, is expected to enjoin
the leadership of the House to obey a High Court order that nullified
the suspension of some members.

Dino Melaye and
other members of the “Progressives” were throughout last week
consistently barred from entering the Assembly complex and attending
sittings, even after they obtained a court judgment nullifying their
earlier suspension in June.

Mr. Melaye and 10
other members of his group in the House, were last June forcefully
evicted from the chambers and subsequently suspended indefinitely after
they accused the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, of allegedly misappropriating
N9 billion out of the capital vote of the House.

“The action of
the House leadership indicates they have something to hide,” Chidi
Odinkalu, the director of Africa Program for Open Society and Justice
Initiative, said of the action of the House leadership.

On Thursday, the
House recalled two more apologetic members of the group and sustained
security surveillance against those who had obtained court judgments
nullifying their suspension.

Court contempt or “Locus clasicus”

The leadership of
the House said it was unlawful to let the “unrepentant” lawmakers back
just yet because they have appealed the High court’s judgement and
applied for a stay of the execution. Eseme Eyibo, the spokesman of the
Representatives argued that there is a “locus clasicus” that when a
case is on appeal, nobody is supposed to take further steps to
actualize the ruling.

“The basis of the
gentlemen coming to resume does not arise because there is a motion for
a stay of execution and a notice of appeal,” Mr. Eyibo said.

Femi Falana, counsel to the “Progressives” and other notable lawyers
interviewed by NEXT, however said Mr. Eyibo’s logic is wrong. “All
judgments of every court of law must be obeyed instantly by everybody
in the country, including the president,” Festus Keyamo, a renowned
lawyer said.