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Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned the Senate over alterations to the anti-money laundering bill and anti-terror bills currently before it.The president, in a letter dated August 6, 2010, and addressed to the Senate Presi-dent, David Mark, asked the him to note that every provi-sion in “the draft bill present-ed to the National Assembly consistent and in compliance with global instruments which Nigeria has signed and rati-fied.” The Senate had, in pre-vious legislations on the draft bill, amended some sections of the draft bill, saying it was either harsh or complex.“International standards require all member-states to model their domestic legisla-tion in consonance with global best practices,” Mr Jonathan said.

“It is, therefore, impor-tant that the two bills, when passed into law, should meet basic global standards, failing which Nigeria will continue to be adjudged as a non-cooperat-ing jurisdiction.” The president also expressed concern over the failure of the National Assembly to pass both the Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Money Laundering (Amend-ment) bills despite that the deadline for the domestication of the bills has since elapsed, in June.“I wish to draw your kind attention to the fact that the commitment to FATF that the two bills would be passed into law on or before June 30, 2010, was not met.“I understand the two bills are still being worked on by relevant committees in both9Houses, which have raised certain concerns for reduced provisions of the bills, these, perhaps, may have been respon-sible for reduced momentum in the process.Too much work The president, also in his letter, asked the Senate to use the opportunity of their recon-vention on Tuesday to expedite action on the bills. “Kindly consider the quick passage of the Anti-Terrorism and the Anti-Money Launder-ing (Prohibition) Amendment bills, which were presented to the Senate of the Federal Republic in 2009, to enable Nigeria fulfil its commitment to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the inter-national community,” the president said. “You may also wish to be informed that global financial watchdog is sched-uled to meet again with the Presidential inter ministerial/Agency committee in Septem-ber 2010 to review the progress made by Nigeria. It would be a huge plus for the country if the country has a positive report regarding the two pending bills,” he added.

However, the senators could not discuss the bills after endorsing the new minsters and supplementary budget for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, Tuesday.Mr Jonathan had, earlier in a letter dated April 29, 2010, to David Mark, called for an immediate consideration and passage of the anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering bills considering threats by FATF to blacklist Nigeria.

The number of women in the federal cabinet will
increase by two today as Goodluck Jonathan swears in two females and a
man as the final members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, a lawyer from Kebbi
State; Yabawa Lawan Wabi, an accountant from Borno State and Kenneth
Gbagi, a lawyer from Delta State, are the three ministers that will
round up the cabinet. The trio were confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday
after they passed through a minor screening in a plenary at the
National Assembly. Their confirmation brought the number of current
ministers serving in the government to 42, the maximum allowable by the
constitution.

Both Mrs Suleiman and Mrs Wabi are from the All
Nigeria People’s Party. Presidential aides confirmed they will be
administered with their oaths of office during the weekly Federal
Executive Council meeting which holds on Wednesdays.

BRIEF BIOS

Mrs Suleiman

A former minister of women affairs in the Yar’Adua
administration and a law graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, she
attended the London School of Economics and Political Science where she
gained a master’s degree in law. Her first job as a lawyer was with the
Ministry of Justice in the old Sokoto State. She then worked at
Continental Merchant Bank, Lagos, for seven years and worked for a
short time at NAL Merchant Bank before moving to Aluminum Smelter
Company, where she was company secretary/legal adviser. After that, she
worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission before being appointed
minister.

Mr Gbagi

A lawyer and former chairman of the Board of the
Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACN), he is a former PDP gubernatorial
candidate in Delta State. He is an outspoken Urhobo leader and
businessman. He is also a founding member of the party, and was
involved in an open feud with James Ibori, the former governor of Delta
State and fugitive from the EFCC.

Mrs Wabi

A graduate of the National Institute of Policy and
Strategic Studies, she was until now a Permanent Secretary at the
Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Maiduguri, Borno
State.</

Goodluck Jonathan yesterday gave the go-ahead for the
construction of a new National SuperGrid that will address most of the
country’s current power transmission problems.

He took the decision after receiving projections of
an increase of power to 6939 MW by April 2011 and 14019 MW by December
2013, submitted by the Presidential Task Force on Power.

The president’s spokesperson, Ima Niboro, said the
new 700 KV SuperGrid, which will be completed in four years at a
projected cost of $3.5billion, is expected fulfil Nigeria’s need to
transmit increasing amounts of power across vast distances which the
existing 330/132KV grid cannot meet.

“In granting approval for the SuperGrid at the weekly
meeting of the Presidential Action Committee on Power which he chairs,
Mr Jonathan directed that it should be funded as a federal asset, with
additional financing from private investors and international finance
and development agencies,” Mr Niboro said.

The SuperGrid, which will run along the same route as
the existing 330/132KV grid, will also address Nigeria’s future energy
challenges, including transition to more sustainable energy sources,
reduction of power loss per transmitted megawatt and improving power
voltage profiles across the country.

“The huge advantage of the 700 KV SuperGrid over the
existing 330/132 KV grid is that it will significantly reduce the huge
amount of power currently lost in transmission,” Mr Niboro said.

New roadmap

Mr Niboro’s statement further explained that without
the SuperGrid, the quantum of power lost in transmission will continue
to increase, as more power progressively becomes available for
evacuation from new and rehabilitated generating stations. Periodic
systemic failures will also become more frequent.

“According to current projections by the Presidential
Task Force on Power, Nigeria’s available generation capacity will rise
to 6939 MW by April next year and 14019 MW by December 2013,” he said.

In another development, Mr Jonathan will on Thursday,
August 26, 2010, present a new roadmap for the reformation of Nigeria’s
power sector to the private sector, at an event organised by the
Nigerian Economic Study Group in Lagos.

He is also expected to seize the opportunity of the event to
acquaint members of the private sector with fresh investment
opportunities inherent in the power sector reform programme and invite
greater private sector support for the programme.</

The
National Economic Council (NEC) has blamed banks in the country for the
inability of the Federal Government to disburse the N200 billion
agricultural credit loans for small and medium scale farmers in the
country.

The N200 billion
loan facility was approved in 2009 by the late Umaru Yar’Adua to help
small and medium scale farmers improve agricultural production and
guarantee food security in the country.

In his address to
journalists after the monthly NEC meeting at the Presidential Villa,
Abuja, Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of Rivers State, who was joined by
the governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, and the Special Adviser
to the President on Millenium Developemnt goals, Amina Zubair, said out
of the N200 billion, only N70 billion has so far been disbursed.

Mr Amaechi said,
despite efforts made by the states to access the agricultural credit
facilities, the banks holding the funds have made it impossible for the
farmers to get the loan.

“N70 billion has
been disbursed, remaining N130 billion. A lot of the problems are
emanating from the banks, as most states that are being given their
ISPO are not able to access it for one reason or the other and that is
why a committee has been set up to look at what the problems are and
how to find a solution to ensure that forthwith we are moving forward
to achieve the objective of food security,” he said.

Easy disbursement

The committee will
be chaired by the Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, with six state
governors, ministers of finance and agriculture as members and they
have also been mandated to work out the modalities for the easy
disbursement of the credit facility to the respective beneficiaries.

Mr Nyako said the
council also discussed the issue of who is entitled to hold official
and diplomatic passports, and directed the minister of foreign affairs
to conduct proper research to determine this.

“We also had a
presentation on the issue of the passport public officers will hold and
the category of persons that could hold them, the diplomatic status and
the official passport. After the presentation, we felt there was a need
for further studies. So we asked the minister to go back and do proper
research and work with the minister for foreign affairs and do a fresh
joint presentation at the next meeting,” he said.

He also disclosed that governors have been challenged to sell the
vision 2020 programme to all Nigerians and the international community,
with a view to educating them properly on the programme.

The
police in Bayelsa have confirmed the attack by gunmen on the palace of
the Amanyanabo of Nembe Kingdom, King Edmound Daukoru, Mingi XII.

Onuoha Udeka, the
Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State, in Yenagoa on Tuesday said the
incident occurred last week at Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area and
that “the police was on top of the situation,” but that no one was
arrested.

The house of the former Minister of Petroleum was destroyed by the armed youth who stormed the town in speed boats.

Meanwhile, the
Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta has intensified “the
stop-and-search operation” on the streets of Yenagoa, to beef up
security. The spokesman for the JTF, Timothy Antigha, a lieutenant
colonel, had earlier said the patrol was to augment the activities of
other security agencies.

The spate of cult
and political attacks and killings in Bayelsa State has, however, been
on the increase, with 12 persons suspected to have been killed in the
last one week.

Mr Daukoru retired as an Executive Director in the Nigeria National
Petroleum Commission and was appointed Presidential Adviser on
Petroleum Matters, and later Minister of Petroleum Resources under
former Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

Some
presidential aides are allegedly responsible for the delay by the
Presidency in appointing a substantive head for the Bureau for Public
Enterprises (BPE).

NEXT learnt in
Abuja that a memo from the Bureau demanding President Goodluck
Jonathan’s intervention following the expiration of the tenure of the
acting Director-General, is mired in political intrigues weaved between
the office of Chief of Staff to the President, Mike Oghaidome, and
Principal Secretary to the President, Hassan Tukur.

Mr Oghaidome is
allegedly pushing for the confirmation of Bolanle Onaguruwa, the acting
Director-General, while Mr. Tukur is reportedly linked with the lobby
for the appointment of one Mr Njida.

Mrs Onagoruwa was
named last March in the wake of the ouster of Christopher Anyanwu, the
former Director General, over his role in the mismanagement of the sale
of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL). But shortly after
Onagoruwa’s name was announced, it emerged that she was due for
retirement on 18 June.

On June 19, an
internal memo signed by Ignatius Ayewoh, the Head, Human Resources,
reportedly conveyed approval from the Presidency for the extension of
Mrs Onagoruwa’s tenure for another one month, though officials of the
Bureau raised issues of improper channeling of the directive.

To these officials,
considering that Mrs Onagoruwa’s is a civil servant, such directives
for the extension of her tenure should have emanated from the Office of
the Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SGF).

“The directive from
the Presidency would have been proper only if the acting director
general were to be confirmed the substantive director general of the
bureau, since that office is for political appointees,” an official
said.

Handled casually

A senior presidency
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, yesterday expressed
dismay that the appointment of a substantive head for an important
agency as the BPE is being handled casually.

“It goes to show
government’s lack of seriousness in handling the affairs of most of its
agencies, whether BPE, or several others without substantive management
committees or governing boards. The delay is frustrating the smooth
operation of the agency. It is affecting everything.

“Even the acting
Director-General cannot be dedicated and committed, because her interim
status does not allow her to focus her attention and energy on doing
the job. She would not take decisions, because of the fear that they
may be considered illegal, considering that she is staying on borrowed
time, as her tenure has since lapsed,” the official said.

“If the new appointee would not be selected from among the qualified
BPE directors, government should ensure that the prospective candidate
is thoroughly screened to determine his credibility, competence and
character. We do not want politicians who would not have the capacity
to sustain the reforms in the agency.” Several calls and text messages
to Ima Niboro, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media,
for official response on the issue were not responded to.

A former Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice
could not hold back tears on Monday while declaring his intention to contest
the governorship elections next year in the state.

Adebayo Shittu alleged that the politics of “godfatherism” has
denied the state good governance and vibrant representation in all elective
offices, and in the process, struggled for about 10 minutes to fight back tears
streaming down his face.

Mr Shittu recalled how a Peoples Democratic Party leader
allegedly denied him the ticket to contest for the Federal House of
Representatives in 2007, adding that the ticket was given to a candidate who
lacks the wherewithal to contribute in any form to the law-making process in
the chambers. “When one of our leaders then was settling for somebody else, who
I knew would not be able to utter a word in the House of Representatives, I
told him that the boy was not capable. But he said he was not expected to do
any job there, just to be there and earn his pay.

“The boy went there for four years and he did not utter a word.
Even now, the current representative of my constituency has been there for
three years and has not uttered a word,” he said.

Buhari, the attraction

Mr Shittu, one of the aides of a former governor, Rasidi Ladoja,
said he was contesting the governorship election on the platform of the
Congress for Progressive Change. He said he dumped the PDP for a new party
because of the high moral standard of Mohamadu Buhari, its national leader.
According to him, the PDP is in “perpetual crisis.”

“For people who desire change for the better, for those who are
restless to contribute to the development of Oyo State, for people who believe
in the providence of God, for people who believe that PDP is not necessarily
designed to continue to rule Nigeria forever, you must have the courage to veer
out and chart a new and certain course which is the destiny of Oyo State,” he
said. Mr Shittu, who has being in politics for over three decades, said the
state needs to be rescued from its current sorry situation, saying only a
progressive minded fellow like him could do that.

He said his areas of focus are: qualitative and functional education;
comprehensive health and medical care reform; integrated infrastructural
transformation; full employment for all; integrated agriculture, and rural
development and industrial transformation. He stated that the state has more
than enough resources to achieve the vision, adding that the bulk of the money
accruing to Oyo were being mismanaged.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP),
yesterday, launched its online registration exercise with President
Goodluck Jonathan as the first member to register.

Speaking shortly after registering at his residence in the State House, Mr. Jonathan hailed the party for its creativity.

Intended members
are expected to pay the membership fees at a designated bank and
thereafter proceed to the party’s website to supply personal details
and then register.

The exercise was
witnessed by the Senate President, David Mark, PDP National Chairman,
Okwesilieze Nwodo, the party’s National Organising Secretary, Uche
Secondus, and Presidential aides.

Mr. Jonathan
pointed out the significance of the online membership scheme in
harmonizing the membership database of the party at all levels, adding
that it will also eliminate controversies that could sometimes trail
membership status within the party.

He commended the
PDP leadership for the initiative which he described as “the best thing
to have happened to party membership registration in Nigeria, in the
21st Century,” while emphasizing its accessibility and relevance to
existing and prospective party members even in the Diaspora.

The President,
however, called on party officials and banks that will facilitate the
registration exercise to ensure that they penetrate the rural areas
where he said the PDP has most of its membership, so that all party
members in all nooks and crannies of the country will be duly
registered. He also urged party members at all levels to take advantage
of the online registration to properly document their membership of the
party.

Earlier, Mr. Nwodo,
said the online membership registration drive will give the party an
electronic database of its members which can be accessed on the party’s
website. He said the exercise will also generate funds to run affairs
of the party.

A group of 69 people who were operating an illegal
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Nasarawa State
were sentenced to three years imprisonment with an option of a N10, 000
fine by a Keffi Upper Area Court yesterday.

The illegal corps members were arrested by
personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at
Angwan Lambu in Keffi Local Government Area.

During the trial, all the affected persons pleaded
guilty to the charges. Their counsel pleaded for leniency, since they
were first offenders. He also asked that the court proceedings should
not be covered by the media. However, his request was rejected by the
trial judge, Edward Ali.

The prosecuting lawyer, in his arguments, stated
that the court should punish the offenders in order to serve as a
deterrent to others.

Delivering his judgment, Mr Ali explained that
being a first-timer is not enough justification to level justice;
rather justice would be dispensed accordingly.

“Having listened to the various counsel, and in
line with section 154 of the Northern Nigeria penal code, the convicts
are, therefore, sentenced to three years imprisonment or option of fine
of N10, 000 each.”

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has expressed its satisfaction with the judgment.

The BBC’s licence to broadcast in Arabic on local frequencies in
north Sudan will be suspended from Monday, the government announced, citing
violations by the broadcaster, such as smuggling in satellite equipment.

Many Sudanese, especially Darfuri refugees in camps in the
war-torn west, rely on the Arabic-language service and the British broadcaster
has a long history in Africa’s largest country.”The government … is stopping
the BBC’s FM service working in Khartoum, Port Sudan, Medani and el-Obeid and
is suspending the agreement signed between the BBC and (the government) from
August 9, 2010,” said an Information Ministry statement published by the state
news agency SUNA on Sunday.

The four locations mentioned are the main towns in the north and
the measure would effectively end FM broadcasts in Arabic by the BBC in the
north.

Sudan has often clamped down on local media but generally does not
censor foreign news organisations.

The government said the BBC had tried to smuggle in satellite
equipment in a diplomatic pouch, that it was working in South Sudan without
permission from the central authorities and that the BBC’s charitable arm was
working in the country without the correct permits.

Visiting journalists often complain Sudanese visas and travel
permits to conflict zones once inside the country are difficult to obtain.

All foreigners resident in the country are subject to strict
travel restrictions and must obtain permits to visit many of Sudan’s regions.

The BBC has previously said it was in talks with the government to
continue broadcasting.”We would be very disappointed if the Sudanese people in
northern Sudan were no longer able to access the impartial news and current
affairs of BBC Arabic on FM radio,” it said in a statement sent to Reuters
earlier.

It added the station would still be available on short wave,
satellite or via the BBC website.

On Saturday, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir warned foreign
organisations, including aid agencies, they would be expelled if they failed to
respect the authority of the government.

Last month, Sudan expelled two aid workers from the Geneva-based
International Organisation for Migration.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war
crimes and genocide during Darfur’s seven-year conflict.

A counter-insurgency campaign drove more than 2 million people from
their homes to miserable camps, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian
crises.