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The federal executive council, yesterday, cancelled
the N58billion second Niger Bridge project which was awarded in 2007 by
the federal government.

It further approved that the ministry of works should
engage a reputable project consultant and commence a new procurement
process for an award of contract for the project, on a fast-track
basis, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act
(2007) and ICRC Act. While briefing pressmen after the 18th session of
FEC, which was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, and lasted for
about three hours with only two memos discussed, information minister,
Dora Aknyili, and her minister of state, Labaran Maku, said the
decision was reached following a memo submitted by the minister of
works, which showed that the three-year-old contract has still not been
executed.

“Following a memo by the minister of works, Council
was made to understand that the present Niger Bridge, located at
Onitsha/Asaba in Anambra/Delta States, was constructed about 45 years
ago as a major interconnecting link between eastern and the western
parts of the country,” she said. “Council had at its meeting of 6th
May, 2007 approved the award of a contract on PPP concession
arrangement for a period of 30 years for the second Niger Bridge to be
constructed within 36 months, in the sum of N58.6 billion. The equity
participation for the project was 60 per cent private, and 40 per cent
public, of which the federal government’s equity was 20 per cent, and
10 per cent each for Anambra and Delta State Governments. For several
reasons, the project could not be executed.”

Explaining the nature of the proposed bridge, Mrs.
Akunyili said the project is a six-lane dual carriage-way,
approximately 1.76 km wide, with 2.5m shoulders on each side and 4.0m
median width. “The project also includes a 14km long approach road with
3 river bridges and other ancillary works” she added. The sum of N7.5
billion has however been provided for the project in the 2010
Appropriation Act.

Security operations in the east

The council also received briefing from the minister
of police affairs, Ibrahim Lame, on security report on the South East
operation, code named operation “IHE.” The operation commenced
simultaneously as planned across the south eastern states of Anambra,
Abia, Imo and Enugu of 6th June 2010, the minister said.

He noted that all mobile units deployed for the
operation were confirmed to have arrived and deployed to specific
locations after receiving brief on the general conduct of the
operations. In all, 13 units of police mobile force were deployed to
Abia; six to Imo; four to Enugu and 13 to Anambra.

The minister reported that the attack on designated
targets, which began on 7th have been successful as “all areas and
indeed the entire states were comprehensively covered, entry and exit
points properly policed and local police formations duly fortified.”

Massive raids, the minister also reported, have continued with
attendant clamp down on criminal activities across the region. Arrests
are being made and it is hoped that information derived from the
suspects so far arrested will lead to further arrests. The present
status of most of the targets raided indicate that criminals may have
hurriedly abandoned their hideouts. The president, at the end of the
briefing, demanded that the operations against kidnappers be sustained.

Good leadership is central to Nigeria’s development
and its aspiration to greatness in the comity of nations, Vice
President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, said yesterday in Abuja.

Speaking when a delegation of Nigeria Youths for
Goodluck Jonathan visited him at the State House, Abuja, Mr Sambo, who
was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Hussaini
Mohammed Jallo, said the country needs honest and transparent leaders
who are dedicated to the Nigerian project to move the country forward.
He said Mr Jonathan’s administration has started well by addressing
some of the most pressing needs in the country such as power,
infrastructure and the fight against corruption.

He also said that President Jonathan has re-ignite
confidence in the country as a nation by the international community
and this has to be sustained by giving all the support and cooperation
needed to move Nigeria forward in terms of development.

“The administration has begun the revitalization of
ailing industries in the country; this will bring employment to the
youths,” he said. “Improvement in power generation will also increase
and sustain the volume of business amongst our people.”

The national chairman of the group, Sambo Lawal, said
their coming together as a group “is derived from our passion to ensure
that Nigeria emerges as a virile, great and enduring nation where
justice and equity come as a natural birth right of every Nigerian.”

Poor political culture

He stated that development in the country has been
inhibited by poor political culture, nepotism, corruption, communal
rivalries, and religious suspicions, among others. Mr Lawal said his
delegation came to declare the support of Nigerian youths to Messrs
Jonathan and Sambo for successful implementation of government’s
policies and programmes, with particular reference to a transparent
electoral process, the revamping of the energy sector and elimination
of all forms of corruption in the conduct of government business.

He condemned the zoning formula as propounded by some politicians in
the PDP and urged Mr. Jonathan to declare his intention to run in the
2011 presidential poll as Nigerian youths are solidly behind him.

Eseme Eyiboh, the House of
Representatives spokesperson, whose Abuja private residence was
vandalised by about 30 policemen last week, said his refusal to sell
the property to a senator, Mohammed Hassan Gusau, prompted the senator
to invade his home with some policemen.

Mr. Eyiboh, who described the incident
as religiously-motivated, told journalists on Tuesday, at a press
conference in Abuja, that Mr. Gusau, a senator from Zamfara State,
approached him shortly after he bought the property in 2008 from the
administrators of late Sheik Mujaddadi, asking to buy it over from him
because it was built in an Islamic way.

He said the senator promised to give
him about 200 percent more than the cost he (Eyiboh) purchased the
property, located at 7, Iyamoye Close, Area11, Garki, but that he
refused to yield to his pressure because he had built the house to his
taste and it accommodates a chapel.

He added that Mr. Gusau, apparently
dissatisfied, went to Jigawa State and obtained a judgement from a
Sharia Court, which he took to an Upper Area Court, Gwagwalada, Abuja
for implementation, as part of his effort to dispossess him of the
property.

But Mr. Gusau denied the claim in a
telephone interview with journalists, saying he never met Mr. Eyiboh to
discuss how to buy over the property. Mr. Eyiboh, who brandished
documents with which he purchased the property, explained that he was
in the United States when his 20-year-old son sent him a text message
informing him that Mr. Gusau, accompanied by some policemen, had
invaded the property.

Insisting that he was not evicted, the
House spokesperson said his home was vandalised, though he is yet to
enter the property since he returned to Nigeria to take inventory of
the things taken away.

Mr. Eyiboh said he might file a suit
against Mr. Gusau for forcefully throwing out his movable properties
from the house while he was away.

He said the execution of the order was
a clear violation of the Law, as his property was vandalised, even when
he was not forewarned. He insisted that the house remained his, as long
as he was in possession of the Certificate of Occupancy and other
papers on the said property. The lawmaker also said his name was not
listed on the order of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on
which Mr. Gusau and the court bailiffs acted, and neither was he joined
in the Jigawa’s case.

He argued that even if he was joined in
the Jigawa suit, the Sharia Court in that state does not have
jurisdiction over Abuja matters.

The House spokesperson said that the
vandalisation of his property in the effort to force him and his family
out should attract the attention of the security services in the
country as well as the judiciary.

Relating to ‘small boy’

But Mr. Gusau insisted to journalists that he did not approach Mr. Eyiboh over the property.

“There was never a time I called him
(Eyiboh) for a meeting to say that I will pay him 200 percent of the
property’s price in order to sell it to me. I swear there was never a
time I did that.

“The issue is not a religious one. It
is about business and everybody has his money. Nigeria is one country
and Abuja is one. Both Christians and Muslims have the right to possess
any property. I think it is guilty conscience that is pricking him and
he has no basis for making that allegation.”

The senator explained that he bought
the house two months after he was sworn-in, “and I have all written
agreements for the transaction and I paid to three administrators of
the property who signed for me. But he (Eyoboh) said that only two
administrators signed for him and in Law, three is greater than two.
What he is saying does not make sense at all.”

On the vandalisation of Mr. Eyiboh’s
residence last Friday, Mr. Gusau said he was not in Abuja when the
policemen and court bailiffs went to the property.

“I did not lead the squad, go and ask the court. I don’t join issues
with Eyiboh because he is a small boy. I cannot disclose how much I
paid. If he claimed to have bought the house, he should produce all the
documents and receipts,” he said. “I paid to all the administrators and
agents in Jigawa and the money has been given to the owners of the
property.”

The Ondo State government has warned religious
organisations to desist from indiscriminate use of public address
systems or face stiff penalties.

The state commissioner for environment, Omolebi
Adepiti, gave the warning at a one-day interactive session with leaders
of religious groups, organised by the state chapter of the National
Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in
Akure.

He said government would not hesitate to take
disciplinary action against any religion organisation which flaunts the
directive, once the ministry ends it campaign in December.

He noted that noise pollution in the state used to
be insignificant, “but with increase in our population now, it has
become a great nuisance.The state government decided to take such
action due to series of complaints received from the members of public
on a daily basis about people using industrial generators in
residential areas, without consideration for other people in the
neighbourhood,” he said.

“As government, we cannot continue to close our
ears to the complaints of the public and we are seriously working
towards addressing the issue.”

Review the laws

He lauded NESREA for its initiative in putting up
the campaign, stressing that the state government was also considering
holding a similar stakeholders’ meeting on various pollution issues.

“After the ministry has sensitised and educated
the public adequately, it will have no choice than to enforce the
provision of the law guiding noise pollution,” he said.

“Before the end of this year, we would have
completed the sensitisation and would surely be enforcing it.
Environmental laws in Ondo State is currently under review and I can
assure you that there is penalty for violators of this law.”

The Director General of NESREA, Ngeri Benebo, said the vision of the
agency was to ensure cleaner and healthier environments for Nigerians
and assured participants that the agency would continue to maintain
strong and credible enforcement activities in the country.

Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday
approved the composition of a new power reform structure as part of
efforts to transform the power sector and breathe fresh life into power
generation activities in the country.

The new structure is led by the Presidential Action
Committee on Power, chaired by the president and supported by a
Presidential Task Force on Power.

The Committee will provide leadership and guidance
for the development of the power sector, and determine the general
policy direction and strategic focus of the ongoing power reform. It
has the vice president, Namadi Sambo, as alternate chairman, and its
other members include: the Minister of State for Power, the Ministers
of Finance, National Planning and Petroleum Resources, the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, the Head of Service, Governor of the
Central bank of Nigeria, a Special Adviser on Power and Chief of Staff
to the President.

The Presidential Task Force, on the other hand, is
charged with developing and driving the action plan for the nation’s
power sector with achievable targets within the life span of the
present administration.

It is also to articulate a proper plan of action for
implementation in the areas of power generation, transmission
distribution, as well as all issues regarding power sector reform. The
task force will report to the president and the Presidential Action
Committee on a regular basis.

Relevance of power ministry

Under the new arrangement, Ima Niboro, the media aide
to Mr Jonathan, said yesterday, the ministry of power will continue to
supervise the day-to-day affairs of the ministry and relevant agencies,
as well as fund the various projects approved in the 2010 budget.

“It will also provide a conducive environment for the
Presidential Taskforce to carry out its assignment. All requests for
the award of contracts for the consideration of the Federal Executive
Council are to be handled by the Ministry,” Mr Niboro said.

The Presidential Task Force is to be chaired by the Special Adviser to the President on Power.

Members include:

The Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Power)

Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum of Corporation (NNPC)

Managing Director, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)

Managing Director, Niger-Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC)

Director General, Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP)

Director General, Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE)

Accountant General of the Federation

Chief Executive, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)

CEOs of two power distribution companies

CEOs of two generating companies, and Director of Power in the Power Ministry

The Senior Special Assistant to the President (Special Projects) will serve as Member/Secretary

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP)
said it supports the chairman of the Electoral Reform Commission (ERC),
Muhammadu Uwais’ rejection of the method adopted by the government in
appointing Attahiru Jega as the new chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr. Uwais recently faulted the government for not
strictly following the recommendations of the ERC in nominating Mr.
Jega last week.

But the government, in a statement by the media aide
to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ima Niboro, said it followed extant
law, and not the Uwais Panel recommendations in making the law.

The CNPP, in a statement by its spokesperson, Osita
Okechukwu, on Tuesday, insisted that it is in support of Mr. Uwais,
since only the ERC recommendations could guarantee transparent polls in
the country.

“CNPP, for the umpteenth time, reaffirms that on the
Uwais Report we stand, and on any genuine attempt to reconstruct a
truly Independent National Electoral Commission, which consequently
will guarantee a free, fair, and transparent 2011 elections and
beyond,” the statement said.

The group added that the ERC report and its core
recommendations were borne out of national consensus, rated as a
guiding principle and an article of faith in any genuine attempt to
salvage Nigeria from poor electoral process. It added that the report
will restore the image of the country in the comity of nations and
reinvent the standard and quality of its election.

“CNPP is outraged that President Goodluck Jonathan
and his cabal can now conveniently pull a volte-face and join
anti-democrats in revoking the Uwais Report. For it was convenient to
promise to implement the Uwais Report during the hectic route to become
an Acting President, and abandon it as a substantive president. It is
the height of paradox on the part of President Jonathan.

“CNPP, in league with Justice Uwais and other
democrats, are of the candid view that President Jonathan can amend the
constitution under one month if he places national interest above self
interest to contest the 2011 elections.”

The group recalled it had severally called on Mr.
Jonathan to submit an executive bill, in accordance with the three
bills in the Uwais Report as a change agent which he proclaims himself
to be, noting “rather, what we have today as the First Amendment is
nothing but self glorification, with neither electoral reformn or
restructuring of the federation addressed.”

Working with the law

It said that Mr. Jega and the other democrats among
President Jonathan’s nominees could still have emerged, had the
template of the Uwais Report recommendations been adopted.

“Today, unfortunately, Mr. Jega has inherited an
excess baggage which includes the remnants of Professor Maurice Iwu’s
henchmen in the new INEC.”

The CNPP challenged Mr. Jonathan to muster the
political will to harvest the legacy which genuine electoral reform, in
accordance with the Uwais Report, will bequeath on the nation and
himself, noting that this could be done before the amendment is
concluded by the legislature.

However, Mr. Niboro explained that Mr. Jonathan was
moved to act in the appointment of the INEC officials as a result of
the shortness of time.

“No matter how we feel about the reforms, the law is
the law, and Justice Uwais probably knows this more than the rest of
us. For now, the law in place mandates the President to nominate the
Chairman and members of the electoral commission, along with state
chairmen of INEC, present them to the National Council of State, which
is advisory, and send to the Senate for screening,” he said.

“This is exactly what the President has done. The recommendations of
the Uwais panel, no matter how well meaning, remain recommendations
until they are passed into law by the National Assembly.”

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related
offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday called on employees of the
Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to shun corruption.

Speaking at the second Anti-Corruption Transparency
monitoring Unit (ACTU) sensitisation workshop held at the Murtala
Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Sampson Iroka, desk
officer for the commission, disclosed that Nigeria will only move
forward when her citizens frown against corrupt activities.

Fundamental problem

Referring to President Goodluck Jonathan’s statement
at the recent presidential retreat, Mr. Iroka explained that greed is
one primary reason why Nigerians engage in dishonest conducts,
stressing that the situation has also led to FAAN’s inability to
improve on the aging facilities at the country’s international airports.

“Just as the president said recently, the major
fundamental problem of every Nigerian is greed, and unless we shun it,
corruption will persist,” he said. “We must not only attribute
corruption to our leaders, but whether you are a teacher, clerk, or
junior staff, you must desist from every form of corruption, otherwise
there we are heading nowhere.”

According to the ICPC representative, Nigeria did not
record any convicted corrupt senior public office personnel for about
forty years after independence, adding that the situation is
responsible the country’s slow pace.

“Since the establishment of the Act, between 1960 and
2000, you will agree with me that there was no known name of any top
public service officer convicted of corruption in Nigeria. Does it mean
that none of them was corrupt? No,” he said. “This country would not
have been where it is today if no public officer during those times is
guilty of corruption.”

Admitting corruption

Edward Olarerin, regional manager Southwest for the
airports authority, also said corruption must be addressed if
facilities at the nation’s airports are to witness any meaningful
improvement, adding that it is frustrating that facilities at the
airports continue to decay despite the huge sum of money the agency is
supposedly making.

“It will be very wrong for me to say there is no
corruption in Murtala Mohammed International Airport. We generate so
much but we don’t get this money. It is frustrating for me when I
cannot produce what I generate in MMIA. It is even more frustrating
when you generate 100 per cent and you cannot collect 40 per cent due
to some unseen forces,” he said.

Mr. Olarerin disclosed that only the management of the authority cannot eradicate the vice.

“Corruption is also exhibited among the lower staff; hence it has
hierarchy not just with the top level workers,” he said. “Let just join
hands to move FAAN forward, for there is no place where only the
management can eradicate corruption so let all workers and stakeholders
and the media assist in this fight against corruption.”

The President,
Centre for Disease Control, Thomas Frveden, has decried the prevalence
of HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) in the country.

Mr. Frveden made
the remark during the inauguration of projects and scientific
facilities at the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre,
Zaria.

However, he did not give the current statistics of TB and HIV in Nigeria.

He explained that
the facilities, which are the best in West Africa, are to ensure full
diagnosis of HIV and AIDS as well as Tuberculosis patients, with a view
to reducing the spread of the menace among the people. He urged the
Federal Government to increase the diagnostic centres of the deadly
diseases, especially in remote areas, adding that private clinics
should be co-opted into the programme.

The fire that
gutted the registry of the Eket High Court has affected the pace of
court sittings at the Eket Judicial Division in Akwa Ibom, with a judge
yesterday suspending hearing on a case to enable him re-admit six
documents that were lost in the fire incident.

An early morning
fire razed Eket High Court 2 in 2009, destroying vital documents
admitted by the court as evidence and exhibits. Many litigants who had
pending cases with relevant documents had to plead with the two judges
in the area to admit photocopies of such documents as exhibits. The
litigants incurred extra costs, as pending cases suffered numerous
adjournments owing to the extra time spent by both parties and their
counsel in scrutinising the photocopies of the documents.

“It is now that we
are feeling the impact of the fire that destroyed the court’s registry;
it is causing a lot of delays, and the situation is even worse for
those who did not keep copies of documents submitted to the court,” a
litigant stated.

The National
Directorate of Employment (NDE), Oyo State branch, on Monday, urged
various establishments to stop the distribution of motorcycles to
youths.

Some establishments
distribute motorcycles to youths, as part of efforts to alleviate
poverty among Nigerians. But Martins Ola, the Oyo State Coordinator of
NDE, said such organisations should instead, encourage the youth to
learn a trade.

He said, during an
interview with journalists in Ibadan, that encouraging the youth to
learn a trade would make them to be self-employed, and enable them to
offer employment to others; rather than operate okada business as a
means of livelihood, as it is not a job that can last long.