Nigeria Content Online

The new Bishop of
Asaba Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Justus Mogekwu, has decried the
dearth of infrastructure in public schools.

Receiving members of
the Ubulu-Uku Anglican Grammar School Old Boys Association, who paid
him a congratulatory visit in Asaba, Mr. Mogekwu blamed the dilapidation
of such structures on the lack of maintenance.

He said the lack of
maintenance had been plaguing post-primary institutions in the country
since their take-over from the missionaries.

The bishop added
that while new structures had scarcely been erected in the affected
schools, the old ones were not being maintained.

He also said that though the teachers are better qualified, their
impact on students is not being felt because they are not committed to
making the best of their profession.

The Katsina State governor, Ibrahim
Shema said on Sunday in Abuja that electoral reforms would accelerate
the growth of the nation’s nascent democracy.

Mr. Shema argued that the reforms are
also necessary for the development of the country.

“My views are that electoral reforms are
necessary; in fact, reforms are necessary in every emerging programme.
Every emerging programme will go through some difficult times, will
require some amendments here and there,” he said.

The governor argued that since Nigeria’s
democracy was only 10 years old, it should not be compared with that of
the U.S. which had clocked more than 250 years.

“For us to do what is right, we have to
keep improving like America too. Their constitution was amended on
different occasions over time,” he noted.

Asked whether he would run for a second term, Mr. Shema said
“Everything is in the hands of God Almighty and the people that elected
me.”</

The Gombe State government has declared
Tuesday work-free in honour of two senators from the state who died
recently.

A statement signed by Yahaya Baba on
behalf of the Head of Service, Ibrahim Biri, said the work-free day
would enable workers to mourn the loss of the two illustrious sons of
the state.

Tawar Wada, 53, representing Gombe South
District in the Senate, died in Abuja on March 31, while Kawu Peto, 52,
also representing Gombe North, passed on in Kaduna on April 2.

The two died after brief illnesses, according to reports.

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.