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Jimoh Ibrahim, the
current chairman of Nigerian Eagle Airlines (former Virgin Nigeria
Airways), on Wednesday in Lagos disclosed that his company will next
week announce a new brand name for the carrier.

Mr.Ibrahim, who is
also the chairman of the NICON group, the company that bought over the
country’s flag carrier last week, disclosed that the airline is
technically fit but financially sick, adding that there is going to be
structural changes in the company to stabilize its operations.

“There will be a
name change and the name will reflect the image of our nation and by
next week latest I am going to brief the media on the new name,” he
said. “If I buy any foreign company, I change the name to reflect
Nigeria even if Virgin gives me their name for free of charge I will
change the name.”

Virgin Nigeria was
launched in the country, amidst fanfare, in 2005.Last year, the company
changed its name to Nigerian Eagle Airlines after cutting ties with its
founder – Virgin Atlantic Limited.

Prior to the name
change on September 17, last year, British billionaire and chairman of
Virgin Atlantic disclosed that the founding company of Virgin Nigeria
was looking forward to selling its 49 per cent stake in the carrier,
for which it did pay a sum of about $25m in 2005.

The new owners,
NICON group, disclosed that the airline’s fleet would be increased to
seven aircraft, which are expected to focus on domestic routes and
regional routes, stressing that the number will be increased to 17 in
the future to expand the suspended long haul operations.

New strategy

Mr. Ibrahim
disclosed plans of enlisting the carrier in the stock exchange under
its new name, adding that the current company has no issues with the
parent and founding carrier, Virgin Atlantic.

“My immediate plan
is to stabilize the airline with at least seven aircraft which we are
going to achieve shortly,” he said. “The plans include expansion of its
fleet to seven to capture the local market, regional routes and later
the international networks.”

Reacting to critics
who have questioned his ability to successfully manage the airline,
following the fortunes of defunct EAS airline that was later taken over
by his company, Mr. Ibrahim assured that there is no reason to worry.

“There is no fear
any where, if people have fears, it a self created fear, if I want to
mention people who successfully run any company in Nigeria, it is our
company because one of the greatest areas where people have respect in
us is the ability to turn around any company,” he said.

On fears that the new company might retrench some its workforce, the chairman disclosed that there are no plans to sack workers.

“Each aircraft requires a number of people that will service it,” he
said. “We are strategizing and turning round the airline, why should we
sack any worker? But if you are a fraudulent staff, you better start
running while the dedicated ones should expect their promotion.”

The federal
government yesterday said it now has sufficient gas to generate power
stations, so Nigerians should look out for an improvement in the
sector.

Speaking after a
closed door meeting of the presidential committee on power, the
spokesman of the acting president, Imo Niboro, said the group is moving
forward on the issue of power.

This is coming as
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria Limited Joint
Venture has signed a multi-million dollar pipeline contract that will
enable it supply more gas to power stations in the country. The SPDC,
in a statement on Wednesday, said it signed the contract with Daewoo
Nigeria Limited, on April 27, in Port Harcourt.

According to the
statement, the contract will involve the construction of pipelines that
will take gas from SPDC’s operated fields at Utorogu, Adibawa and
Agbada to the domestic gas network owned and operated by the Nigerian
Gas Company. The aggregate length of pipelines covered by the contract
scope is 90 kilometres.

Repositioning the sector

Mr. Niboro said in
Abuja that the closed door meeting was one of the strategic meetings
being held to re-position the power sector.

“The petroleum
minister gave us some good news that we now have a sufficient gas to
power our traditional power stations. So that will lead to some
considerable improvement in power in the next few months.

“We also looked at
the issue of hydro-power, which dot’s most part s of the north and
south west. Many of them are structurally completed, what is required
is the turbines and we looked at those issues and we are going to make
sure that those turbines are put in place so that in the next few
months, they can be up and running. ”

He added that the
increase in gas is one of the gains of the amnesty process. “If you
follow the trends, there have been fewer disruptions in production
processes and that has brought gas into the system,” he said. l

Pioneering gas supply

Speaking at the gas
signing ceremony, Mutiu Sunmonu, SPDC managing director, said: “This
project is of high importance to us as a company and also to the
nation. Electricity is key to national development, and we are pleased
to increase our capacity to supply more gas to power stations, in
addition to other efforts we are making.

On completion of
the project by the end of next year, the pipelines are expected to
deliver some 250 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to the
domestic gas supply system.

The SPDC Joint
Venture pioneered gas supply to industries in Nigeria in the 1960s, and
still supplies over 75 per cent of the domestic gas market, mainly for
power generation, and continues to increase its contribution.

In 2008, SPDC began
producing electricity from the newly-built Afam VI power plant,
increasing Nigeria’s electricity capacity by about 15-20 per cent.

The plant is powered by gas from SPDC’s Okoloma gas plant, which
opened in 2008 and has the capacity to increase the nation’s gas supply
by approximately 20 per cent.

The Senate,
yesterday, overwhelmingly supported a bill seeking to provide measures
to combat terrorism in Nigeria, as the bill passed its second reading.
The bill, sent by the Presidency, was first read in the Senate on
December 10 last year. It has also passed the second reading stage in
the House of Representatives.

In his lead debate, the Senate leader, Teslim Folarin, said the bill will be the first anti-terrorism law in the country.

“It is important to
note that Nigeria does not have a comprehensive anti-terrorism law and,
for that reason, has failed to meet the requirements of the Financial
Action Task Force (FATF), established by the G7 Summit held in Paris in
1989,” Mr. Folarin said.

The FATF
recommendations and requirements are to detect, prevent, and suppress
the financing of terrorism and terrorist acts. However, out of the Task
Force’s nine special recommendations, Nigeria was rated ‘non-compliant’
in seven and ‘partially compliant’ in only two.

“This rating is not good enough for the country,” Mr. Folarin said.

“The answer to addressing these poor ratings lies in the passage of this bill into law.”

Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross River) criticised Nigeria’s indifference to the war against terrorism in the past.

“The global
community thinks Nigeria is not doing enough,” Mr. Ndoma-Egba said.
“There is almost a global consensus that Nigeria is not a terrorist
state, but there are concerns that there are identified footholds of
terrorism in Nigeria.”

Terror bill

The bill has five
essential parts covering acts of terrorism and related offences,
terrorism funding, and terrorist properties, mutual assistance and
extradition, investigation and prosecution.

The acts of
terrorism, according to the bill, include attacks upon a person’s life
which may cause bodily harm or death, kidnappings, as well as the
destruction of government facilities or private properties in a manner
likely to endanger human life or result in a major economic loss.

The bill also
addresses the hijacking of aircrafts, ships, or other means of public
transport, as well as the manufacture, possession, acquisition,
transport, supply, or use of weapons and explosives.

The propagation and
dissemination of information in any form calculated to cause panic,
evoke violence, or intimidate a government, person or group of persons,
also fall within actions the bill seeks to deal with or prevent.

Mr. Folarin
described the kidnappings in southern Nigeria, the Boko Haram incident
in Borno State, the Kala Kato uprising in Bauchi State, and the ongoing
Jos crises as acts of domestic terrorism.

“It is a fact that
terrorism is taking root and assuming a new dimension everywhere, and
it is our duty as responsible lawmakers to work towards its eradication
through the promulgation of relevant legislation,” he said.

Every senator that
contributed to the debate applauded the bill and it was referred to the
Senate committees on Security and Intelligence, Judiciary, and Foreign
Affairs for further legislative actions.

It is expected to be passed into law before the end of this quarter.

“This is a bill
that requires the attention and support of every senator,” Senator Nuhu
Aliyu (PDP, Niger), the chairman of Senate committee on security and
Intelligence, said.

The family of
detained former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late military ruler
Sani Abacha, Hamza Al Mustapha, rose from a meeting yesterday in Kano
with a resolution that the continued detention of Mr. Mustapha is a
result of state persecution.

Hadi Al Mustapha,
immediate younger brother to the detained man, addressed journalists in
Kano shortly after what he described as a crucial family meeting to
appraise 11 years of Mr. Al Mustapha’s incarceration.

The obviously
unhappy man could not hide the family’s frustration over the slowness
in the trial of his elder brother, saying the family is tired with the
way the case is going on.

“We have come
together as a family to appraise the misfortune that has befallen us.
We are deeply convinced that his long incarceration has so many
elements of political undertone, and believe that Major Hamza is a
victim of state persecution,” he said.

Mr. Al Mustapha,
who was arrested alongside other officers for allegedly plotting a coup
in 1998, was freed of that allegation and was later charged in 1999
with the attempted murder of the publisher of The Guaradian, Alex Ibru.
He has since been in detention, while hearing on the case drags through
the court.

“The case has,
since 1999, passed through the hands of 13 different judges and have
equally suffered endless adjournments, making it the longest judicial
trial in the history of Nigeria,” Hadi al Mustapha said.

Survived four presidents

He contended that
various attempts to rope in Mr. Al Mustapha had failed, following the
confession of principal witnesses that they were induced to implicate
the former security chief for pecuniary reasons. He also expressed the
family’s worry that the legal case has survived four different
presidents, Abdulsalam Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua, and now, Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan.

“The case is not given the desired attention, in spite of cries from several quarters for his release,” he said.

Mr. Al Mustapha
said the family is grateful to well meaning Nigerians who have been
trying to intervene to secure his brother’s release, adding that the
solidarity has helped them keep hope alive.

“We call on Mr.
Jonathan to demonstrate enough political will that will lead to the
conclusion of the case. History will remember him for tempering mercy
with justice,” he said.

The trial of Mr. Mustapha and his colleagues have dragged partly
from the legal tactics employed by their lawyers, sometimes forcing
judges to drop the case.

The
Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice,
Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), has set a July, 2010 deadline for the
decongestion of inmates in Nigeria’s 227 prisons.

Mr. Adoke handed
the deadline to the Prison Decongestion Committee he set up and
inaugurated a fortnight ago, charging it to achieve the main objective
of its establishment within the time limit.

The Minister has
also invited the Chief Justice of the Federation; the President of the
Court of Appeal; the Chief Judges of Federal and state courts; as well
as the heads of other courts; the Nigerian Bar Association; and the
Ministry of Interior, to ponder and identify the reasons for undue
delays in trial of cases, which inevitably hampers the dispensation of
justice in Nigeria.

While it was learnt
that the NBA would be attending a stakeholders’ meeting with the
Justice Minister on the urgent need for justice sector reform, of which
prisons form part of, it could not immediately be known if the same
meeting would accommodate the views and analyses of the other judicial
authorities.

According to a
document exclusively obtained from Mr. Adoke’s Special Assistant on
Media and Special Duties, Onyema Omenuwa, the Minister was aware of the
need to set free inmates who, under normal circumstances, should not
have been incarcerated.

He has, therefore,
directed the committee to “work assiduously in line with its term of
reference” and ensure that before the end of July, 2010, there is a
nationwide decongestion of prisons by about 20, 000 to 30, 000 inmates.

Partnering for more action

According to
statistics obtained from the Federal Ministry of Justice, as at
December 2009, out of 47, 956 cases being addressed under the Federal
Government’s decongestion programme, only 11, 833 cases had been
completed.

About 7, 711 other
accused persons were granted bail, while 28, 412 cases of others are
undergoing trials in the various courts in the country, in spite of the
fact that it allegedly gulped not less than N8 billion.

Committee’s reference terms

The nine-member
Prison Decongestion Committee is chaired by the Solicitor-General of
the Federation and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice,
Abdulahi A. Yola.

The committee has
the responsibility to, among other things, ensure that indigent accused
persons get legal representation by way of engaging private legal
practitioners to undertake the defence of such persons in courts across
the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

In cases where
indigent convicts are given option of fine, it is also the
responsibility of the committee to pay such fines. The committee is
further mandated to periodically submit reports on discharged inmates,
inmates granted bail, and those convicted, and always “liaise with
relevant government agencies with a view to making progress on the
prison decongestion programme.”

It was gathered that about 65 percent of prison inmates nationwide
are awaiting trial persons (ATPs); many of whom are either petty
offenders or detained on mere suspicion. In spite of that fact that
many of the inmates could have been declared innocent by the courts,
they are subjected to inhumane detention conditions, sometimes for
periods longer than they would have served in jail if convicted.

The hopes of
Nigerians abroad to vote in the country’s next general election were
dashed yesterday as the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on
the review of the 1999 Constitution said there is no immediate plan for
that because of the enormous resources involved.

The chairman of the committee, Usman Bayero Nafada, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday.,

Mr. Nafada, who
spoke at a press conference to review the activities of the committee
whose report was considered on Tuesday, said the committee did the cost
implication of allowing Nigerians in Diaspora to vote in next year’s
election and subsequent ones and discovered that it would surpass the
funds needed to conduct elections locally.

The House had, on
Tuesday, amended 40 sections of the constitution at a Committee of the
Whole. The lawmakers rejected four other areas.

“We have considered
the issue of Nigeria in Diaspora voting. Unfortunately, it is not
possible for now. We say we have enough Nigerians at home to vote. But
if you say Nigerians in the Diaspora should vote, it may require more
money than what we would spend locally.

“Nigerians in the
Diaspora are not in one particular country, they are spread all over
the world. And you cannot say because you have a large number in
country A, you cannot say country A should vote and deny those in other
countries from voting. And if you do the cost analysis, you will
discover that it is highly expensive,” Mr. Nafada, who is also the
deputy speaker of the House, said.

Stressing that the
voting system is still manual, Mr. Nafada, however, said that the issue
may be considered in future when voting is done electronically, during
which, he remarked, the cost may be reduced.

“For now,” he said
“we have decided that it should be shelved till things improve.”
Reminded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is
already using four countries as a test case ahead of next year’s
general election, Mr. Nafada said the electoral body risks going
against the law of the land.

“Ours is to make
law. If you follow the law, fine and good. If anybody goes out and vote
in four countries, ask him where he derives the law from.” He also
regretted the rejection of the committee’s proposals that only those
indicted by the courts should be disallowed from contesting elections,
saying some members voted in line with the thinking of their state
governors, whom he said had set up administrative panels of inquiry to
disqualify their opponents.

He defended members
of the committee, saying they did not make the recommendation for
selfish interest, since none of them has been indicted by any of such
panels.

More states are coming

Mr. Nafada revealed
that the National Assembly may recommend the creation of between 8 and
10 more states, four or five each in the Northern and Southern parts of
the country, but said the committee has not taken any definite
conclusion on the matter.

The deputy speaker
said he does not see any difficulty in the 36 states Houses of Assembly
endorsing the areas recommended for amendment by the National Assembly,
stressing that at each point during the amendment process, the
committees were in constant touch with the state legislature and the
Nigeria Governors Forum.

The
former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nasir el-Rufai, will
return to Nigeria on Saturday, NEXT can exclusively report.

Mr. El-Rufai has
been on a self-imposed exile since November 2009, and even though he
had announced that he would return to the country in December, he
released a statement, five days to his planned arrival, saying he had
postponed his return for security reasons.

At the time, his
lawyer Bamidele Aturu, in an interview with NEXT, said that “in the
light of the uncertainty surrounding the exercise of public power in
Nigeria in general, and security matters in particular, it would be
decidedly unguarded for Mallam El-Rufai to return to Nigeria on 27
December 2009.”

Since then, a lot
has changed on Nigeria’s political scene, with the former Vice
President stepping into the shoes of ailing President, Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua. It is still not clear if this has a bearing on Mr. El-Rufai’s
decision to return, but sources close to him told NEXT that his flight
is booked and he will be arriving at the Nnamdi Azikwe International
Airport, Abuja, on Saturday, aboard a British Airways flight BA0083.

It is also unclear
what Mr. El-Rufai’s plans are once he returns to Nigeria, or what he
intends to do about the two arrest warrants issued against him. The
first warrant accused Mr. El-Rufai of conducting treasonable activities
abroad. While the second, issued on November 5, described Mr. El-Rufai
as wanted “for acts contrary to Sections 96, 120, 123 and 124 CAP 532
laws of the federation of Nigeria” as well as “some provisions of the
Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act (of) 2000.” Former
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael
Aondoakaa, had also announced the commencement of extradition
proceedings on Mr. El-Rufai, based on the Senate Committee on FCT’s
report, which also allegedly indicted the ex-minister.

Mr. El-Rufai is
also being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) to account for almost $250 million spent during his tenure as
Minister of the FCT. He, however, in a terse email letter to the
anti-graft agency, ahead of his planned return last year, stated that
“for the avoidance of any doubt, I am returning to Nigeria on the 27th
of December, 2009. I will never be afraid to face a bunch of lackeys
like you.”

He is facing an
eight-count charge for criminal conspiracy and abuse of office while he
served as minister along with Altine Jubrin, a former director general,
Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), and Ismaila Iro, former
general manager of the same organisation.

As of the time we went to press, neither Mr. El-Rufai nor his lawyer Mr. Aturu could be reached for comments.

Mr. El-Rufai’s return might add to the complications and internal
crises presently experienced within the ruling People’s Democratic
Party (PDP). He is a card carrying member of the PDP, although it is
not clear which of the factions in the party he belongs to.

We
are no longer a courteous nation. We have lost our manners. What else
would you call it when you are holding an event and have confirmed
acceptances from the chief hosts, chairpersons of the occasion, and/or
special guests – all of whom will play key roles at the affair – and
they do not turn up?

How do you describe
an event for which a confirmed key speaker has being advertised as the
main attraction, and people pay to participate or to be delegates in
order to hear and meet that speaker, and then the speaker does not show
up?

We can lean towards
understanding when the VIP involved is of global or national stature
and whose time is at the mercy of critical events or stakeholders –
perhaps. But these days, any and every Tom, Dick and Harriet too often
do not take firm commitments to events seriously, regardless of whether
they are social, occupational or otherwise.

If you are lucky,
they are ‘ably represented’. This means that one hour before the event
is due to start, or 30 minutes before they are due to deliver their
paper, they conscript a staff member or a colleague to attend on their
behalf and read the speech that has all too often been pre-prepared for
them by the organisers of the event.

Phrases like “all
protocols observed” have become so hackneyed that some of us are too
embarrassed to use them. Now, we can add another phrase to the list of
clichés: “Mr. so and so, ably represented by Mr. here or Mrs. there”.

As an experienced
event organiser, you have not completed your preparations if you have
not already jointly identified with your VIPs, who will represent them
if they cannot make it. You had better have a copy of the speech so
that if they do not turn up, and the representative cannot make it, you
can still co-opt one of your team members or a friendly person of
importance present to read the speech.

Yes, they are busy.

Yes, the President
called them to Aso Rock. Please forgive me, but I have not yet heard
reasons like, “my constituents called an emergency meeting”, or “due to
an urgent situation in the organisation”, or “due to unexpected
ill-health.” What I HAVE heard are reasons like, “He had to attend a
colleague’s second wedding in another state”, or “she had to go to the
funeral of her colleague’s father-in-law”, or “they have gone to pay a
condolence visit”.

I have not heard
these kinds of reasons from international speakers and VIPs for events
either here or abroad. They check their diaries before accepting
invitations. When new demands on their time are made that conflict with
planned appearances, they consider them carefully and unless the new
request is unavoidable, they turn them down. When the unexpected and
unplanned occur, they either cancel their commitment or they contact
the organisers to arrange to come late or leave early.

If they are to be
represented, it is arranged at the time of commitment. On those
occasions, it is the representative’s name that appears on the
invitation card, not the VIP’s.

The representative reads his or her own speech, in which is also reflected the views of the VIP.

Show some respect

Why do our VIPs
think we should waste our time attending an event where their speech
will be read, sometimes badly, by a person we neither desire nor would
pay to see?

They could simply
circulate their speech or publish it and we could read it at our
leisure. I will want to stand for the president only, not for a
representative.

It is the height of
disrespect to the organisers and participants of events to expect them
to appreciate whomever you send. Say that you cannot make it and ask
the organisers if they will accept someone else who can bring a similar
perspective.

If a husband and
wife divide conflicting events on the same day between themselves so
that they can cover as many as possible, you could say that the
‘couple’ has been ably represented by the appearance of just one of
them. If an organisation is represented by any of its principal
officers, in their own right, the organisation can be said to have been
ably represented.

So, if the organisers are inviting you because of your organisation, ask someone else to do it.

If you have to
cancel your commitment, please do so. The event will survive. If a good
friend or political bigwig suddenly informs you about the wedding of
his daughter this weekend – a wedding that they have been planning for
several months – please tell him or her that regretfully you have
another commitment but you will visit them and the celebrants before
and after to show your support.

No one can ably represent YOU. We invited you because we wanted to see you, and hear from you, and have access to you.

If you cannot give us that, please have the courtesy to let us down with consideration, directness and with respect.