FOLLOWING last Saturday’s stampede at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, which led to the death of many party supporters during the launch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-South presidential campaign, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a special training for security agents in crowd control to avert similar incidents in future.

He gave the directive during Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the State House, Abuja.

According to the Minister of Information and Communications, Mr Labaran Maku, who briefed State House Correspondents after the meeting, the president was determined to ensure that such cases did not recur anywhere in the country.

The minister also revealed that FEC members paid tribute to those who lost their lives and survivors of the stampede and had officially commiserated with President Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, families of the victims, the government and people of Rivers State and the South-South geopolitical zone in general.

This followed a motion moved by Maku, who described the incident as tragic and a “sad ending in an otherwise an exemplary show of support by the people of South-South to your (President Jonathan) own presidential ambition.”

The minister posited that the unfortunate occurrence “reminded us again that sometimes even at the best moments, the enemy is always lurking around.

“The people of the South-South in that rally proved that indeed not only are they in total solidarity with Mr President and Vice-President in the forthcoming elections but who went the extra mile to bring out virtually all their people to show their solidarity.

“And because of the level of crowd that massed in Port Harcourt, which is indeed an affirmation of the popularity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming elections, the unfortunate occurrence of the stampede led to loss of lives,” he said.

The Minister of Information also disclosed that council had ratified approval for the variation of some contracts presented by the Minister of State for Power, Nuhu Somo Wya, in realisation of the need to increase power generation capacity.

According to him, council ratified the National Independent Power Project (NIPP) Board of Directors’ approval for variation of the contract awarded for the construction of the 225 megawatts Gbarain Power Plant in favour of Messrs Rockson Engineering Ltd, in the sum of USD138, 675,122.20 to USD220, 101,976.79 payable at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment.

He said the variation was necessary because of the requirement of the contractor to modify the design of the plant to accommodate four additional turbine units and combined cycle operation.

Council also ratified the modification of the design of the construction of 338 mega watts Egbema Power Plant under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd, which was awarded in 2006. The request for modification was informed by the need to accommodate additional three gas turbines and combined cycle operation to raise expected generation capacity to 675mw.

Consequently, council ratified the review of the contract from USD128, 366,751.74 to USD183, 021,115.37, in favour of Messrs Rockson Engineering Ltd/Rockson International Group at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment.

Council similarly ratified the president’s anticipatory approval for the provision of consultancy services for the detailed engineering design and project management of the proposed 2,600mw Mambilla Hydro Electric power project in favour of Messrs Coyne et Bellier (in association with WADSCO & De Crown) in the sum of USD37, 220,067.72 with 87 months as completion period.

Meanwhile, the Mambilla Power Project is to add about 2, 600mw to the National Grid by 2018 according to the Minister of State for Power.

Wya told State House correspondents after FEC meeting on Wednesday that the approval of the Mambilla project was a major milestone in the history of power generation and distribution in the country.

According to him, “this is a major milestone, which will give the one single project in the electricity sector a minimum of 2,600 mega watts of power, all coming from the same station. It will be a major milestone in the history of this country”.

“That project has been on the drawing board and Mr. President has come out and held the bull by the horn and has now unravelled mystery behind Mambila. He has done all the studies that needed to be done. This time, he has commissioned a consultant to do the final detailed study, which will now enable any potential investor that will partner with the Federal Government to see this as a well crafted project because of its magnitude.” he stated

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/17698-jonathan-orders-special-security-training-for-crowd-control

medicine after death.

RICHIE BOI:

medicine after death.

it's not, such things can happen again, hes preventing it, and probably saving more people

Good step.

Good step my brother

abeg make we hear word, PDP campaign organiser should have done all the necessary underground planning another evidence of failure in PDP - PDP Power now PDP failure

Commander- in-chief has spoken.
His next big idea probably will be for the Fire Service.  Make sure you don't leave your water tanker behind whenever you are called out to stop a fire. In a serious and lawful democratic nation, all organisers of that event will now be facing an involuntary manslaughter charges for their lack of health and safety obligational concern.

Though it might be called medicine after death like some say it is; I say they have learnt from this experience and the important part is that they are taking precautionary and effective methods to avoid this type of events from happening. Meanwhile, I would hand down a disciplinary measure to the planners of the events; they had not taken into account some things which are just inevitable. I remembered during Obama's Inauguration, imagine where more than 1 million people descended on Washington DC, I was stuck on the metro for few hrs, anyway I did not hear that someone died though but few people passed out and the medics were at every nook and cranny, thank God for GW and mobile clinics, fire squads, etc they intervened.

Yes they seriously planned; they invited volunteers from all 50 states including policemen, medics, firefighters, security aides, and tons of other staffs. These guys were training like two weeks out to the event, and when the D-day came, they knew how to handle crisis. Bottom line is they Nigerian organizers never assessed such things would happed but that was a wrong calculation but at least they can take the negative and transform into a positive outlook.

Eziachi:

Commander- in-chief has spoken.
In a serious and lawful democratic nation, all organisers of that event will now be facing an involuntary manslaughter charges but their lack of health and safety obligational concern.

Very true. if only our justice system will look into this matter and sue the organisers big time.

Dt translates to retraining d whole bunch of Nigeria Police.

Maybe he should also recommend public speaking training for federal cabinet members to avoid future goofs like "rascals" and "it wasn't MEND" and " thank u Mr president for bringing Facebook to Nigeria"

We will soon have a Special Adviser on Crowd Control. GEJ really knows how to "respond"

GEJ too much na my presdent till tomorrow.that a wise idea.

Better! More people will not die of your desperation.

not just crowd but how to do their duty,

have you guys ever wondered how much is going to be siphoned with this?

LoveKing:

have you guys ever wondered how much is going to be siphoned with this?

I don't support siphoning of public funds, but hey if they can get thier act together and do the job and save people's live, that's all that matters. Money can be replaced; lost lives cannot. Just my own opinion.

whatever god have said no man can stop it, carry go my beloved president

all these reactive actions sef

has GEJ implemented the CCTV cameras he promised after the bombings? what has the adviser on terrorism done so far?

this guy is just playing to the gallery, a man who talks before he thinks.

just because Ben Murray Bruce pleaded for financial support for the entertainment industry at Silverbird celebrations, GEJ played to the Gallery then offering $200 million dollars without thinking over it! has this money been released now?

what a disaster!

The minister posited that the unfortunate occurrence “reminded us again that sometimes even at the best moments, the enemy is always lurking around.

Enemies? Winches or wetin? Wetin this minister dey talk?

Genbuhari3:

has GEJ implemented the CCTV cameras he promised after the bombings? what has the adviser on terrorism done so far?

this guy is just playing to the gallery, a man who talks before he thinks.

just because Ben Murray Bruce pleaded for financial support for the entertainment industry at Silverbird celebrations, GEJ played to the Gallery then offering $200 million dollars without thinking over it! has this money been released now?

what a disaster!

Goodluck Jonathan
'I am glad to report that I have fulfilled the pledge I made to the Entertainment Industry last year. The Federal Government has released $200 million to the Bank of Industry to be accessed by practitioners in the entertainment industry at a single digit interest rate and arrangements have been made with The Lagos Business School to provide entrepreneurial capacity training for beneficiaries of the Fund. GEJ'

GenBuhari, u hav bin so busy with ur campaign, CCTVs have been installed in Abuja just incase u are plannin a bomb blast the $200m GEJ promised is with the Bank of Industry guess u thot GEJ was plannin 2 disburse like your master will just give to Murray Bruce.

My advise to govt is that these coys getting the power projects be audited to find out their staff strength, how many Nigerian Engrs are been trained, how many graduates are in their employ, what is d percentage of their income is used as salaries, what structures do they have to meet the challenged given to them but y is it only Rocksons project that are being varied and where is the Rocksons head office and do they have the capacity to handle the funds been approved

hahahahaha
our president has done it again running from pillar 2 post, i wouldn't want 2 be in his shoes right now man, i'll look stupid
maybe he should also call for training of bomb experts, training of boko haram catchers, training of Nepa technicians, e.t.c
he just doesn't have a plan 2 work with?

Me, l am Consultant in this field: Security Integration and Convergence".
If GEJ needs expert advice/service in that field, l am available for hire!
Can someone pass me over to him?

But just doling out money, on the 'spur of the moment', is not the best way to manage our meager resources.
'Risk assessment' and 'Security' is "long-planned", before the event!
Nuff said.

ha.

all these foreign Messrs Rockson Engineering Ltd/Rockson International Group , Messrs Coyne et Bellier  etc
they are just draining our reserves.

GJEE or GEJ

RICHIE BOI:

medicine after death.

So you think! Even in a holy place like mecca people die every year due to one stampede or the other.I never expected GEJ enemies to see anything good in this plan because you all expect more death so that you can come to nairaland and ask for his head.Unfortunately for you guys,he is taking the right step

nice step

Will he remember two months down the line to call for update on what has been achieved on his instruction? I doubt. Once the heat is over, everybody is back in his routine.

Na today?