Nigeria Content Online

The Katsina State governor, Ibrahim
Shema, on Monday said the state government has spent N45 million to
rehabilitate the Jibia Dam, constructed by the Federal Government more
than 20 years ago.

The governor said the dam had stopped
functioning two years before he assumed office, adding, “The equipment
had gone to waste. The channelisation had broken down; the wiring and
electronic components had all burnt out; the generator was not
functioning. Land clearance was another issue.

“Forty-five million naira only was what
we used to rehabilitate the entire dam and put it back to use, and
cultivate 1,540 hectares. I am quite happy that we made a lot of
progress in this area,” he said.

He also claimed that his administration has properly accounted for
all the funds it collected for the 34 local governments in the state.</

As travellers take
advantage of the holidays to visit relatives and ‘unwind’, domestic
carriers have disclosed that tickets on most local routes are all fully
booked.

The high passenger
traffic, which has been visible at both the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2
(MMA2) and General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Lagos, since last week
Friday, resulted in increased vehicular traffic around the airports.

“The turnout of
passengers was high on Friday and Saturday, but is low today (Sunday),”
said Adepoju, a ticketing and reservation officer of Virgin Nigeria, at
the departure terminal of MMA2.

According to Mr.
Adepoju, though passengers travel on Sundays, some of them would prefer
hanging out with friends and families on an Easter Sunday.

The ticketing and
reservation officer, however, disclosed that “almost all seats” on
their Monday and Tuesday flights have been fully booked.

“This is because most of them will either be resuming for work after the holiday, or going back to their primary station.”

An employee of Arik
Air at the General Aviation Terminal, who spoke on conditions of
anonymity, disclosed that fares were not affected despite the rush, as
he argued that airfares are not determined by increase or decrease in
passenger traffic.

“As you can see on
our stands, the rates for our tickets have remained the same, despite
the high number of people travelling,” the officer said.

“This is because whether there is rush or not, airfares are usually not affected. If not, you will hardly get promo tickets.”

Bukola Johnson, a
passenger at the GAT, disclosed that she is not surprised with the high
traffic at the airports, because of the nationwide holidays.

“The increased
number of people travelling is not only peculiar to aviation. If you go
to bus stations in the morning, you will also see hundreds of people
travelling,” she said.

“This is a season of celebration and a time to go and visit family members, old friends and colleagues, as well as unwind.”

The continued slashes in the prices of
air tickets by some domestic carriers have triggered mixed reactions
among passengers and industry professionals.

This is coming after last week’s
announcement of a new airfare of N3,000 to be booked online by
travellers across all domestic routes covered by Aero Contractors – one
of the oldest carriers in the country involved in domestic and regional
transport business.

With an average of N16,000 for an hour
one-way flight in the country, the recent introduction of promo
airfares by domestic carriers like Dana Air, Nigerian Eagle Airlines
and Aero have no doubt increased the number of air travellers, but the
situation has also led to series of complaints from passengers who
claim that some of the airlines fail to provide enough seats for
travellers with low cost tickets.

“After booking online for N6,000, I
almost missed the flight because the flight was overbooked with
preference given to people that paid the regular amount; so talking
about N3,000 is practically impossible,” said Yemi Samuel, an Abuja
bound passenger at the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2),

Lagos.

Hot air

Mrs. Samuel argued
that for any scheduled flight, the airline involved should ensure that
it get the accurate number of passengers who booked online and those
that purchased tickets from either agents or ticketing and reservation
officers, so as not to cause confusion and “unnecessary delays” to
travellers.

Expressing his
doubts as pertaining low cost tickets, another traveller, Nwabueze
Godswil, who admitted to have benefitted “once” from reduced air
tickets in the past, disclosed that his second experience trying to
travel with a low cost ticket was “regretful.”

“I got to the
airport as usual but was told that I can’t fly because the aircraft is
filled, while I saw some passengers boarding,” he said. “Tell me if
such can happen to someone who paid N5,000, what then is the fate of a
person who books the N3,000 advertised ticket.”

Mr. Godswill,
however, called for safety of lives and properties, adding that though
the reduced rates are to attract customers, the airlines should not
compromise on their services in a bid to woo clients.

It would be
recalled that Aero last year introduced reduced fares of N8,000 for an
hour one-way flight, and later in the same year dropped the rate to
N5,000, while Nigerian Eagle Airlines, formerly Virgin Nigeria,
announced mid last month its low cost ticket of N4,999 on all its
domestic routes when purchased at any of Silverbird cinemas nationwide.

Not long enough
after Virgin’s promo airfares, Aero came up with its N3,000 ticket, a
development which travellers described as an act aimed at retaining its
customers.

Civil Aviation Authority position

Commenting on the
development, Sam Adurogboye, the media head for the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority (NCAA) disclosed that the authority does not
regulate whatever amount is decided by an airline to sell its tickets.

“Airfares have been
deregulated so they (airlines) are free to advertise,” he said. “Why
not wait and see if the fares are feasible or not.?”

Mr. Adurogboye,
however, assured passengers that the authority will not compromise on
the stipulated standards when it comes to safety and security of lives,
adding that any defaulting carrier will not be spared.

“The NCAA in line with the 2001 Civil Aviation Policy is required to
check predatory practices by airlines,” he said. “Anyone found wanting
will definitely face the consequences.”

The chairman of the
House of Representatives Subcommittee on Gas, Tam Brisibe says the new
bill on local contents in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, recently
passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly, will eradicate
youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region.

He also said that
the acting president, Goodluck Jonathan will be making history if he
assents to the bill, which has already been forwarded to him by the
Clerk of the National Assembly.

If signed into law,
the bill sponsored by Senator Lee Maeba (PDP, Rivers) will be the first
member bill to be assented to by the present administration.

Mr. Brisibe told
journalists in Abuja at the weekend that the youth in the oil producing
communities would have access to employment opportunities when the law
comes into effect.

The lawmaker, who
represents Burutu federal constituency of Delta State, said the passage
of the bill marks a watershed in the accelerated development of the oil
and gas industry in the country.

Empowered Nigerians

He explained that
with law in place, all international oil companies (IOC) operating in
the Niger Delta will not only establish offices in their host
communities but also employ a particular percentage of indigenous
youth, thereby ending idleness.

He added that in
order to ensure that Nigeria’s interest is protected, the bill also
provides that, where applicable, before carrying out any work or
activity in Nigeria, the operator will establish, in the catchment area
where the project is to located, a project office where project
management and procurement decision making are to take place.

“Where Nigerians
are not employed because of their lack of training, the operator shall
ensure, to the satisfaction of the Board that every reasonable effort
is made within a reasonable time to supply such training locally or
elsewhere,” Mr. Brisibe he added.

The objectives

He also commended
the provisions of section 35 of the law, which says that “all operators
and companies operating in the Nigeria oil and gas industry shall
employ only Nigerians in their junior and intermediate cadre or any
other corresponding grades designated by the operator or company.” Mr
Brisibe, a former chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum
Resources (Upstream) proposed that the Nigerian Content Division of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation should be allowed to form the
nucleus of the Nigerian Content Monitoring Board. This, according to
him, would help to drive the objectives of the law because of the
experience of the members.

A clearer picture of the newly formed
Mega Party of Social Democrats in the country emerged yesterday in
Lagos when initiators announced it will be launched on April 28.

A statement by the group said the
party, which has the backing of the labour unions, will hold further
negotiations over providing a formidable alternative to the Peoples
Democratic Party in the 2011 elections.

The statement signed by Olawale
Okunniyi, secretary of the Harmonisation Team that recommended the new
platform to other stakeholders, said its birth is an ingenious way to
quickly solidify opposition forces, who recently came under serious
pressure from reactionary forces.

“Just as organised Labour was the
catalyst and mainstay of the Social Democratic Party of old, the new
social democrats of the mega party have received great impetus from the
Labour Movement, whose leadership specifically requested at the last
meeting to align with the new platform at various levels through its
political commissions,” said Mr Okunniyi.

“The Leaders of Conscience in the mega
movement and our allies in the Political Commissions of the organised
labour are therefore expected to endorse a deferred Memorandum of
Understanding, initiated at the last meeting, at the forthcoming
National Summit on April 28, when the party will be launched,” he added.

The group’s chieftain further disclosed
that while some of the leading political parties in the country have
agreed to fuse into the SDP, others have only decided for the time
being to go into patriotic alliance with the mega party for the purpose
of presenting one common presidential candidate in the 2011 elections.

According to Mr. Okunniyi, less than a
week after the party’s formation, over 45 key political figures across
the six geopolitical zones have pledged their membership and requested
to be allowed to set up branches of the party in their various states.

Direct members

He, however, stressed that the party
will, in the meantime, operate two levels of membership namely direct
membership and Parties/ group alliance. He listed those who have so far
opted for direct membership of the party include Pat Utomi (Protem
National Chairman), Olu Falae, Audu Ogbeh, Sam Ewang, Lateef Jakande,
Ayo Adebanjo, Bala Takaya, Robson Momoh, SOZ Ejiofoh and Ahmed Yusuf.

The national chairman of the Conference
of Political Parties (CNPP), Balarabe Musa, he said, leads the pack of
those who preferred to work in alliance with the mega party, adding
that the full list of the protem officers would be officially released
by the party next week to enable it prepare for a national summit,
where the Social Democratic Mega Party would be launched.

Mr. Okunniyi also said that the former
All Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari and
other key leaders of the Mega Movement from the north are expected to
play a key role in the choice of the party’s leadership.

The Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has lamented what he
described as the Yoruba nation’s loss of control in strategic sectors
of the economy such as banking and mass communication.

Mr. Bankole, who
spoke at the 2010 Okuku Day Celebration in Okuku, Osun State, at the
weekend, urged the people to return to agriculture as a means of
accelerating the economic development of the country.

The Speaker, who
was the special guest of honour at the event, said the Yoruba used to
occupy pre-eminent positions in some important sectors of the economy,
but regretted that over the years they lost those positions because
they were not appreciated.

He stressed that
Yoruba need to appreciate their leaders who are at the forefront of
engineering positive changes, adding that “too often we attack our
leaders unnecessarily and end up displacing them for others that may
not even be their match in terms of competence.”

Mr. Bankole noted
that in view of current socio-economic challenges facing the nation,
agriculture would provide a veritable avenue for economic development
as it did in the past.

“Since this event
encapsulate socio-economic development, let me state that over the
years we have neglected agricultural development in all its
ramifications. One recalls that the 25- storey Cocoa House in Ibadan
was build mostly from proceeds of agriculture.

Loss of revenue

“In Lagos State
alone, it is estimated that food consumption per day is about N2
billion. The regrettable aspect of this is that most of the foodstuffs
come from outside Yorubaland, leading to revenues loss to states like
Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo that can produce most of these items.”

The Speaker
wondered that a four-day strike embarked upon by suppliers of
foodstuffs led to a major crisis and steep rises in prices.

“Yoruba must as a
race go back to agriculture, particularly modern agriculture where we
have a comparative advantage and a ready market,” he said.

The All Progressive Party Alliance
(APGA) at the weekend offered to welcome Ogun State governor, Gbenga
Daniel, should he desire to defect to its fold, following what the
party said was Mr Daniel’s political difficulties within his ruling
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr. Daniel has, in the last three
years, being enmeshed in political battles with notable party leaders
in the state; including members of the House of Assembly and some
federal lawmakers.

The latest political setback was the
rejection of all his ministerial nominees by Acting President Goodluck
Jonathan in favour of those made by former president Olusegun Obasanjo
and the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Daniel had, while addressing a
rally in his office last week, attributed his political travails to the
handiwork of a ‘cabal’ within the party which he said was working
against his interest for the people.

But APGA, a largely unknown party in the state, has advised him to call it quits with the PDP and come over to their camp.

The National South-West Vice-Chairman
of the party, Tayo Sowunmi, who addressed a press conference in
Abeokuta, at the weekend, declared that Mr. Daniel had, all along,
being in a wrong party and advised him to defect to APGA in his own
interest.

“APGA will always have a place for him,
we are delighted about that, and we want him,” he said. “PDP is not
meant for him. He is in a wrong camp. We will welcome him. He is a
progressive. He is a vibrant person and we are waiting for him,” the
APGA boss said.

Case for Ogun west

The party also made a case for the Ogun
West Senatorial District as the rightful zone that should produce the
next governor of the state in the interest of fair play and justice.

“APGA wishes to reiterate, for the
umpteenth time, its opposition to the marginalization of Ogun West
Senatorial District by successive ruling parties in Ogun State from the
inception of the state, about 35 years ago,” Mr. Sowunmi said.

“To date, no indigene of the senatorial
district has been considered good enough to occupy the number one
political position in the state, contrary to the avalanche of eminently
qualified sons and daughters of this important political axis of equal
population and demographical size with each of the other two competent
districts of the state.”

Mr Daniel has been in the forefront of the campaign to ensure that the zone produces the nest governor of the state.

The APGA official also expressed the party’s preparedness to go into
alliance with any other political parties interested in ensuring that
the zone produces the next governor of the state.

Some leading visual
arts practitioners have condemned the National University Commission
(NUC)’s policy that demands that only lecturers who are PhD holders can
lecture in Nigerian universities.

The artists spoke
at the second Grillo Pavillion Visual Arts Fiesta to celebrate foremost
artist, sculptor and art teacher, Bruce Onobrakpeya over the weekend.

Dele Jegede, a
professor with the Miami University, Ohio called for more pressure to
be put on the NUC to upgrade the Masters in Fine Art (MFA) into a
terminal degree rather forcing every artist in the academia to pursue a
PhD.

Wrong decision

Questioning how the
university regulator arrived at such a conclusion, Mr Jegede opined
that studio work is no more like it used to be.

“Everyone is now rushing to get a PhD… we need to go out there and do crazy things and create things,” he said.

The nation’s ivory
tower regulator, in 2008, announced in an ultimatum to all lecturers in
the Universities that “only PhD holders will be eligible to lecture in
the higher institutions.”

Mr. Jegede however said this kind of policy will gradually eliminate creativity and encourage laziness.

“The structure, as
we have it, is already producing a lot of PhD holders who cannot
sculpt, who cannot paint, who are bad designers and this NUC’s policy
will only extend the vicious cycle of PhD holders, which is at the
detriment of the art community,” he said.

Yemi Adetoto, a
professor of Fine Art said the system must find a way of bringing
distinguished contemporary artists into the academia as artist-scholars
based on aspects of their work.

“It is very wrong
for the NUC to say, for all courses, all lecturers must have PhD before
they can lecture in the university,” he said, noting that an artist can
excel in practicals and proceed to get a PhD and even become a
professor directly.

Pat Utomi, another
guest at the event, described the problem with PhD as “Dele Jegede use
to be cartoonist but since he became a PhD holder, we don’t see those
great cartoons anymore.”

He likened the PhD to the problem with the MBA (Masters in Business Administration).

With an MBA, “one
is already trained to solved problems in the corporate world and the
same should be for the MFA as a terminal degree, but yet there has
always being battle for relevance between the PhD holders and their
Masters counterparts,” he said.

Noted for his
indifference to academic qualification and never rejecting any work
submitted to his annual Harmattan Workshop and Exhibition held
Agbarha-Otor, Delta state since 1998, most of the guests present agreed
with Bruce Onobrakpeya that ‘academic exposure does not make the
artist.’

Perpetual dichotomy

Foremost art
collector Yemisi Shyllon noted that there has always being the
dichotomy in every profession for those who want to specialise in
professional work and those who want to question knowledge. Hence he
recommended a PhD for those who want to question knowledge, but “that
doesn’t mean the specialist in the profession must be segregated or in
any way or be prevented from passing down their skill.”

Mr. Shyllon called
on Nigerian art professionals to get the NUC to address the policy,
saying “there is need for people to become dons in their profession
without PhD.”

Pam Makanju, who is
also an artist, warned the discussants of the possibility of
short-changing members of the art community when they (artists) compete
with their colleagues in other fields. Noting in particular the issue
of eligibility to the office of the vice-chancellor or rector, he
pointed out that applicants for these offices are scored during
evaluations based on their degrees cum qualification and not just the
skill.

Mr Makonju then called for an upgrade of the MFA to a DFA or a PhD.

The event featured the exhibition of diverse art works by Mr Onobrakpeya on different platforms.

Residents of some parts of Akure metropolis have been battling with acute dearth of water supply for the past three weeks.

The situation worsened in the last
three days as residents had to move from one area to another before
they could get access to portable water.

Mostly affected by the water scarcity
are residents of Arakale, Sijuwade, Ijo Mimo, Ijoka, Odopetu and Saint
Luke. Other areas affected are: Adegbola, Oshinle, Jide Mark, Abusoro
and some parts of Alagbaka.

Residents of the affected areas are now guests at Water Corporation offices where they fetch water in Jerry cans and buckets.

Observations by NEXT showed that Akure
has not witnessed heavy downpour since the beginning of this year. This
has further aggravated the situation as most boreholes and wells have
dried up, thereby forcing residents to look for water elsewhere.

Some residents of the area have engaged
the services of young boys and girls who fetch three kegs of twenty
five litres of water for a sum of N100, while people who live far away
add motor bike fees to their charges.

Little rain as well

A housewife, Nike Adeoti, lamented that
the water scarcity has made life difficult for people who have to queue
for a long time at the Water Corporation offices.

“It is not easy to get water these days
because of little or no rain that we have been experiencing in Akure in
the last few months. Our children normally spend long period before
they could get water to fetch.

“The situation is gradually making life
difficult for us because there is scarcity of water and since one
cannot do without water, it makes things difficult.”

Efforts to reach the Chairman of the
state Water Corporation for comments proved abortive as his mobile
phones were switched off.

The state government has sunk about 30 boreholes in the last one year to ease the problem of water scarcity in Akure .

The collective loss
of victims in last month’s Kantin Kwari market fire disaster is N1.65
billion and not the initial estimate of N6 billion, a committee
established by the government to investigate the incident has said.

Ibrahim Garba,
chairman of the committee, said this when he submitted its interim
report to the state governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, at the government
house, Kano on Thursday.

Mr. Garba, who is
also the state commissioner for project monitoring, said the committee
arrived at the amount having thoroughly assessed the incident through a
sub-committee of experts and other stakeholders.

He confirmed that
205 shops were razed, while 861 people incurred losses as a result of
the inferno as against the 1,213 earlier speculated.

“Seven houses
(complexes) and a mosque were burnt as a result of the incident, while
N122.3 million is needed to renovate the damaged structures,” he said.

The state official
also said the committee has so far collected over N200 million in cash
and pledges from individuals as donations, with the highest donation of
N100 million from Aminu Dantata.

Mr. Shekarau
thanked the committee for the perseverance and diligence of its
members, pointing out that the steps taken to pacify the victims are
also commendable.

He said the state government would carefully look through the committee’s and implement its recommendations.