I say South Africa

Is Google analytics free as they claim?


They say its free, but I just want to confirm with someone who has tried it.

showvic:

For the ads to be showing without adding the code, i take it that you are using as your publisher. To add any code you want to your blog, go to layout and click on add a new gadget. In the page that appears, scroll down and choose html/javascript. A new pop up page appears. paste the code into the box provided and give it any title in the space provided for that. you may also leave the title space blank. save it and it should start showing within 10 minutes. If you have any challenge, send me a mail to showvic@gmail.com and i will walk you through the process. I will like to know how it goes. stay cool.

Thanks, I understand what you just said. I applied for AdSense on it own through Google and I was approved. But I applied again with the and I am awaiting approval, I am using the same email and everything. Hope this is not going to cause any problem?

Hey guys, I need help badly.

I just decided to add Google AdSense to my blog. I do not understand what the Channel is for when it comes to the Google AdSense for Content. I have already done the steps for that and the Google Search too but my problem is cutting and pasting the Code in the HTML.

Which page do I paste the code, is it the one for my blog?
I did that but the code refuses to paste.
Even with out pasting I have started to get Google Ads on my blog but I dont know, since I never pasted anything like they said
I also tried doing the Google search copy and past too, but its not showing.

So i went back to my blog and went to the setting to add Google search, its now showing but I realized its different from my Google AdSense. Pls someone help me out.

I have used Google AdSense Help, and it not helpful at all.

Thanks.

JAZES:

Pls dont get it all mix up cos there is no broker that allows you trade the naira.Naira is not part of the instruments use to trade online fx; u can only trade the majors like dollar,pounds, euro, yen etc. Hope u understand?

Okay, Thanks. I now understand. I guess i have a lot to learn about forex before I start putting my money. I just thought I tried forex after losing money from stocks.

JAZES:

Of course forex is done online and forex.com doesnt accept nigerians on their platform but u can try any of the two i mentioned.

Thanks, it was after i registered on forex.com i realized they do not trade Naira. I will check the 2 you listed.

JAZES:

Majorly i use MT4 brokers and i have been using just two brokers since i started. They are Alpari(uk) and fxdd(usa).

Okay, Thanks. I thought you were doing it over the internet. I use forex.com , but they do not trade the Naira that is why I was asking.

Edit: Forget what I just said, I just googled fxdd and Alpari.

JAZES:

I have been trading forex actively now for over one year and i can categorically tell you that no good trader can guarantee you 30% daily returns on your investment.Telling people to do 10%-30% daily is suicidal and its just a matter of time before you lose all your money.The rule of the game is to teach people how to compound their profit and before you know it your bank account will begin to overflow.
Forex is a very lucrative PROFESSION and i dont think i want to do anything else to earn money the rest of my life.Pls dont get me wrong cos am not saying its been all that rousy for me; infact last year alone i lost over N3M to the market and i had to start all over again( though am not there yet but am doing very fine).
I have been using the secret of compounding and last month alone i did 90% on my investment and dis month i have done 12% already.
My conclusion about this Mr forex guy is that he is not a trader because if he trades he wont be saying what hes saying.
To prove to folks here that compounding indeed is the rule of the game, am simply going to attach an excel spreadsheet that shows you how you can compound $500 to over $100,000 in 6months and over $50M in one year. Compounding is what the big boys like Warren Buffet and George Soro are using.
Last Year alone Buffet Did over $2Billion just compounding and risking very little of his investment.

PS: Am not selling anything here and am not asking any one to come buy anything but just sharing my own view.

What trading platform do you use?

which Guardian Nigeria or U.K ?

How do u do the online survey stuff, because all the ones I have seen require card number, or sometimes sign up to buy etc. before u can make money out of it.

Do you know of any good online survey.

Does  HiTV have CNBC Africa? I am asking because on their website it says Yes,  while on the CNBC Africa websiteI saw the quote below.

      As of July 1st 2009, CNBC Africa has switched exclusively to the Multichoice DStv platform across sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of this move, CNBC Africa will no longer be available on the free-to-air Intelsat10 satellite offering, which includes viewers receiving the signal via the Sentech Vivid decoder. The channel will, however, still be available terrestrially in regions where local television stations have acquired the rights to distribute CNBC Africa via their own non-Pay TV platforms.

CNBC Africa would like to apologies for any inconvenience caused. In order to facilitate a cost effective switch for consumers hooked on CNBC Africa’s unique business content, Multichoice Africa is launching a $10 a month service called DStv Access, with CNBC Africa as one of the channels. For subscription options to DStv please consult www.dstv.com.

http://www.cnbcafrica.com/

JustGood:

Are you referring to Ayo Arise here?

I knew him as a born again christian.

Yes Ayo Arise.

Google him and the Ekiti Election. There was also report of a woman identified to be his wife and his nephew slapping journalist who were covering the election.

Police arrest 36 PDP thugs in Senator Arise‘s house with two bags of charms, on the orders of IGP Mike Okiro || DIG John Ahmadu confirms arrest of 36 thugs, declines to confirm they were arrested at Senator Arise‘s house || Police Armoured Personnel Carrier stationed in front of senator‘s house |

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-264709.0.html

http://www.ifex.org/nigeria/2009/04/30/political_thugs_assault_photojournalists/

http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5408500-147/Ekiti_election_monitors,_Senator_Arise_taken.csp

Is he not the one that was found with area boys who had charms on their neck in Ekiti, during the election 2 months ago?

why are my threads not showing in the politics section?

I posted one yesterday and one a few minutes ago.

ABUJA — T[b]HE Senate yesterday took measures to reinforce the security of Senator Nkechi Nwaogu after threats were made to her life via text messages she received right inside the Senate chambers as she listed some prominent Nigerians owing banks over N49 billion.

Names of royalty, a former Governor, former Senators, ministers, notable gubernatorial candidates, prominent politicians and businessmen featured prominently in the report of the Senate committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions on the agonies of depositors in the nation’s failed banks. The names of the prominent Nigerians were made public despite the repeated attempts by some Senators to protect them.
[/b]
The names were revealed, Vanguard gathered, after presidency officials sent text messages to some members of the Senate leadership asking for the list to be made public.

Among the prominent individuals mentioned, whose debts were in excess of one billion were — Chief Ebitimi Banigo owing All States Trust Bank N15.17 billion
— Prince (Dr.). Samuel Adedoyin owing City Express Bank N2.06 billion
— Sir Emeka Offor owing African Express Bank N3.85 billion

— Chief (Mrs.) Remi Adiukwu-Bakare owing Metropolitan Bank N1.09 billion
Others include former Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the recent PDP national convention committee, Alhaji Shaban Lafiaji, former Ministers under the Obasanjo administration, Chief Dapo Sarumi and Ms Funke Adedoyin and a son of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Abati Aminu Saleh.

Immediately after the Senate session, a visibly shaken Senator Nwaogu proceeded to the office of the Senate President where security arrangements to reinforce her personal security were said to have been made.

The text messages making threats to her life also alluded to the use of the judiciary to truncate her ongoing electoral dispute with Senator Chris Adighije over representation of the Abia Central Senatorial district.

The Senate report emanated from a motion to investigate the agonies of depositors in failed banks last October. The report which was submitted to the Senate yesterday was based on a report from the National Deposit Insurance Corporation.

As she read the report of the committee yesterday, the Senate became divided over the propriety of mentioning the names of the directors of the failed banks implicated in the Senate report.

While some Senators held that the names should not be mentioned based on the fact that some of them are holding prominent board appointments many others disagreed.

Among those that spoke in strong support for the release of the names were Senators Olurunnimbe Mamora (AC, Lagos East); Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (PDP, Cross River South); Ahmad Lawan (ANPP, Yobe North) and James Manager (PDP, Delta South).

Mamora insisting that the names be read said, “A lot of violation and disregard for rules was carried out by the banks executives. There must be mechanism for enforcement of rules to bring these people to book.”

Senator Lawan lambasting the directors for betraying public trust said, “What happened in the banks is betrayal of public trust. It is abuse of trust that people will put their money and because some people were privileged to be directors, they took money without due process without even refunding.”

Senator Akergerger arguing why the names should not be made public said some of the debtors were now chairmen of boards of some federal government agencies.

But he was shouted down by his colleagues, before the Senate President, Chief David Mark, gave a ruling mandating the chairman of the Committee, Senator Nwogu to read the names.

According to Mark, the Senate as an institution must be upright in the fight against corruption. He said failing to name the creditors would amount to shielding corrupt people in the society.

Upon the resolution of the Senate, Senator Nwogu proceeded to read out the names.
As she finished reading the names obtained from the National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South) who sat by her rose up with a revelation that Senator Nkechi was being bombarded with text messages threatening her life while she was reading the names.

But Senator Mark gave her the assurance of the Senate’s protection including getting the Inspector-General Police to give her police protection.

“You have performed wonderfully. I commend you for the courage to bring this to limelight. You do not need to be afraid for what you have done for your country as those that have sent you the text messages should first think twice about their actions.

We stand by you, we are together in this and we take full responsibilities of this report. Those names here should be ashamed of themselves,” he said.

Sanusi unveils agenda

Meantime, new Governor of the Central Bank (CBN), Mr. Lamido Sanusi, has announced the apex bank’s guarantee of all inter-bank placements, as well as placements of Pension Funds with banks.

He told journalists, after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, in Abuja, yesterday, that the guarantee was part of a wide-range of measures to crash the interest rates in the nation’s banking sector, which also included a reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate from 8 per cent to 6 per cent.

The interest rate corridor was, however, restored with an approval of +/- 200 basis points around the MPR.

Mr Sanusi, who was addressing the Nigerian media for the first time since his appointment, categorised the banks into two, with one group having so much liquid which they preferred to invest in the Treasury Bills (TBs) at a mere 3 per cent and the second group of those which lacked liquidity and therefore forced to borrow at very high rates.

The former, he observed, usually preferred the TBs than lend to the latter due to the perceived high risks of those banks.

“It is recognised that high inter-bank rates are substantially driven by the refusal of banks to lend to each other because of the perceived counter-party risk.

[b]Whereas steps are being taken by the CBN to address this problem through proper bank audits, appropriate resolution frameworks and enhanced disclosure and transparency in financial statements, these will take some time before finalisation and full restoration of confidence in the system.

“In view of the dire consequences to the real sector and banks themselves of a sustained regime of excessively high interest rates, it is important to de-risk the inter-bank market and address the concerns of lenders and investors while the regulatory reforms are in progress.

“Consequently, the CBN shall provide a guarantee on all inter-bank placements from July 2009 to March 2010.This guarantee is also extended to placements with banks by Pension Funds.”

Other measures adopted by the CBN in order to tame the interest rates were that overnight placements should not be priced higher than MPR+2 per cent; a mximum spread of 300, 400, and 500 basis points above the MPR for tenors up to 30, 60, 90, days, respectively.

According to Mr. Sanusi, “this will lay the foundation for evolving a risk-free yield curve at the short end”.

He added that in view of the guarantee of the inter-bank market by the CBN, there would be no more new loans on Expanded Discount Window (EDW) and that there would be no extension of maturing obligations.

The governor also announced several measures towards liberalizing the foreign exchange market as he announced the immediate restoration of the Wholesale Ditch Auction System (WDAS).

In his words, “all restrictions imposed recently are removed”. But he said that the net open position limit for banks was increased to 5 per cent of banks’ capital base.
On the autonomous market, he said “all Class ‘B’ Bureaux-de-Change may now participate directly in the CBN window. Only those with valid licences are eligible.

However, they will make a certain deposit of $20,00 each. Class ‘A’ BDCs’ capital requirement is hereby reduced from N500 million to N250 million.

The CBN boss who disclosed that the nation’s foreign reserves which stood at $53 billion at the end of last year had been depleted to $43 billion as at last week.

Mr. Sanusi said that the assets quality audit of banks had almost been concluded in 5 banks said his administration would not allow any bank to collapse.

He admitted that some of the banks had issues but insisted, “there is no basis to believe that the banks are unhealthy. There is no basis to conclude that the system is at risk. We will not allow any bank to die. If there is any problem, we will fix it.”[/b]


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/07/07/n49bn-bank-debtors-senate-lists-banigo-offor-lafiaji-others/comment-page-1/#comment-11638

Is the list complete? I was expecting to hear the Saraki's, we still do not know what happened to SGBN

Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, cut its benchmark interest rate by 2 percentage points to boost bank lending and ease the economic slowdown.

The key lending rate was lowered to 6 percent, Lamido Sanusi, who took over as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on June 3, told reporters today in Abuja after presiding over his first Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

“They’re trying to lower rates to encourage borrowing,” Pabena Yinkere, an analyst at Lagos-based Access Bank Plc, said before today’s announcement.

The seven-day interbank lending rate is near the cap of 22 percent, the Money Market Association of Nigeria said on July 3. The high rate is a result of a lingering liquidity squeeze after a slump in the stock market forced many investors to default on loans and foreign investors pulled funds out of the country.

At least 1 trillion naira ($6.8 billion) was lent to speculators to buy shares as equities soared almost 13-fold in the eight years before last year’s crash, according to Bank of America Corp. Nigeria’s All Share Index tumbled 46 percent in 2008 and has fallen another 13 percent in 2009.

The cash squeeze led economic growth to slow to 6.3 percent in the first quarter of the year from 8.2 percent in the final quarter of 2008, easing pressure on inflation, the central bank said on June 22.

The inflation rate fell for the third consecutive month in May, dropping to 13.2 percent from 13.3 percent the month before, the National Bureau of Statistics said on June 16.

Chukwuma Soludo, whose term as central bank governor ended last month, cut the benchmark interest rate by 1.75 percentage points on April 8 after it had been on hold since Sept. 18.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aLWyE1w.Vdt4

WHAT is the population of Lagos State? The National Population Commission (NPC) says it is 9,113,605, but the government disagrees.

It has asked the National Census Tribunal to examine the matter.

[b]According to a statement signed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN), the State government contended that the census result was unsustainable, pointing out that the exercise was not properly conducted.

Describing the figure as "inaccurate" and "unsustainable", the government, which hinged its conclusions on the result of "rigorous and in depth analysis of the entire exercise at the state’s Ministry of Science and Technology", said many residents in at least 19 of the 57 local government and local council development areas were not counted.

"The figures declared were unlikely to be correct having regards to the available data and statistics," the government said, adding that known demographic indicators, such as immunisation statistics, schools attendance population, birth rate and projection and Housing identity all show empirically that the population of Lagos State is much more than ascribed to it by the NPC.

Other indicators relied upon to back the challenge, the government said, include social and economic factors inclusive of high industrialisation, rapid urbanisation and improved standard of living in the state as well as such other demographic parameters as high immigration into the state, average household size and population growth rates as certified by international organisations and agencies, such as World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) among others[/b].

Copies of the schools attendance population for 2007 in both public and private primary and secondary schools, as collated by APPSERV Applied Services Limited, a private consultancy company contracted by the government in 2005 and the state’s immunisation figures for 2003 – 2006 and 2007 – 2009 were also attached to back the petition.

The government said upon receipt of the figures declared by the NPC, the Ministry of Justice immediately went into a detailed study and preparation spanning a period of five months to challenge the veracity of the declared figure.

"It is against this backdrop that affected local government areas, through their respective chairmen and traditional rulers and other community leaders, who had also been inundated with complaints by residents within their communities relating to the failure and/or improper conduct of the census in their communities within the State filed petitions before the Census Tribunal Zone C, Abuja on the 4th of June 2009," the government said.

[b]The government is pleading with the tribunal to declare the results declared by NPC void, compel the NPC to release Post Enumeration Survey (PES) with regards to the respective Local Government Areas and the State as well and order for a recount.

One of the grounds on which the petitions filed challenges the declared results, the Government said, is that the respondents did not create adequate enumeration areas and/or make provision for adequate enumeration in the Enumeration Areas (EAs) created commensurate with the population density of many areas within the state.

"The few Enumeration Areas available were ill-equipped and/or ill-prepared for the exercise as a result of which thousands of Lagosians were not counted in the respective LGAs," the government said, pointing out that the fact of the inadequate enumeration materials and non-payment of enumeration staff was a matter of public knowledge just as the record affecting the 2006 census in the LGAs and Lagos State generally.

"Several complaints were received from many residents within the various Local Government/Local Council Development areas that the Respondents’ Enumerators did not get to their respective localities at all, as a result of which they were not counted", it said.

Other grounds for the petition, according to the Government, include that the Census figures released for the Complainant LGAs did not take cognizance of the peculiar and known facts and situations which affect the population dynamics of Lagos State and its Local Government Areas. [/b]

"This explains why, despite the high number of people migrating into the State on a daily basis, the NPC declared a higher population figure for another State in the Federation whose population dynamics is nowhere near Lagos", it said, adding that no consideration was given to national and international reports released during the period classifying Lagos as megalopolis with a population in the region of 17 million people.

The Government said it will be calling local and international demographic consultants as witnesses in the course of the case adding that although it has not received a Hearing Notice for the hearing of the petitions at the Census Tribunal, there are indications that the inaugural sitting of the Tribunal may hold on July 21, 2009.

In the petition which they filed against NPC, the complainants comprising, HRH Oba Moroof Adekunle Ojoola (Ojon of Ejigboland), Chairman, Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area and Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, asserted that the census exercise was not properly conducted in the area as many residents were not counted while they described the entire exercise in Lagos State as inaccurate, anomalous and unsustainable.


http://thenationonlineng.net/web/articles/9352/1/Lagos-heads-for-census-tribunal/Page1.html

What is Lagos State's real population 9.2 million the NPC claims or 17 million Lagos and International community believe? Who know the state Lagos State is talking about? Pls be aware that the population of a state helps in determining the federal government allocation and excess crude amount the state receives

OYB_MEND:

we dey look and laugh

make him no scatter wetin others build oh

The man just dey grant interview left - right - and center

no regard on impact on the financial system

CBN Governorship no be VOA political punditry oh!!!

How many interviews has he done? Is it not just 2, one with Next on Sunday (which was more personal) and the other with financial times.

As for the report that foreign investors are behind the rating, we will wait and see. But the banks are to blame themseleves, in other to win customers, anytime they get all this useless recognition from foreign magazines they publish and use it to their andavantage, but not that its negative they are condeming and crying foul. If foreign investors are behind the current report, what makes us not believe they were behind the positive reports they were happy to recognize.

Dis Guy:

sanusi was asked a question about foreign investors in the banking industry, he answered it, how does taht make him obsessed about foreign takeovers?

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

He was asked a question and he said he did not have a problem with foreign investment, he said it might actually be good for the banks. No where did he say he was shopping around looking for foreign investors to takeover our banks.

FOLLOWING the federal government’s decision to boost electricity generation nationwide to 6000Megawatts (MW) by December 2009, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has come under intense lobbying from politicians and contractors across the country for the purposes of cornering subsequent awards contracts for actualisation of the project

The situation has continued to cause some stir amongst the high echelon of the power utility company, especially those who does not seem to stand any chance of benefit from the ongoing contracts bids and awards.

Sweet crude reliably gathered that calls have started coming in from highly placed Nigerians and government officials introducing one company over the other, and in this regard both members of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Power are all involved in the lobby fo jobs and contract awards.

[b]Specifically some members of the House of representatives committee on power, Chaired by the embattled Ndudi Elumelu were also fingered as having lobbied for contracts award to generate the much publicized 6000Mw.

A close source at the utility company who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Vanguard that the situation in the PHCN regarding this 6000Mw by the end of the year is so pathetic as it has been politicized.

He further told sweet crude that the embattled House of Representative member has been harassing top functionaries of the power company to award some contracts to him lest he comes down hard on them and this situation has continued since he was released on bail by the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“The situation is so bad that every body has an interest.  Elumelu for instance would want the entire PHCN operational properties to be at his beck and call whenever he so desires.  When he celebrated his birthday for instance, all PHCN zones nationwide were falling over themselves to please him by ensuring the availability of official vehicles and other logistic equipments to ensure a smooth and high powered celebration.

We can not move forward in this manner, when the same man would come on National television to abuse the power company and his officials for wastage of funds.”

He also noted that the embattled House member is also working frantically to ensure that a PHCN district office is established in Isele-Uku area of Delta state where he hails from, while a district is in Asaba which less that 15 minutes from the area and conveniently services the place.

According to him, this smacks of undue favoritism as there are several area in Nigeria that has no supply of electricity, by their geographical location should be more considered for a district office than the home town of the Chairman.

He lamented that every politician that comes into power knows the major issues affecting the power sector and instead of tackling these issues head-on all they do is ensure that they leave the sector in a more terrible state than they had met it.  “You see them campaigning and using the sector as a campaign tool, telling Nigerians that immediately their government is voted into power they would revamp the sector in little or no time and would work with stakeholders in the sector to ensure that Nigerians get uninterrupted power supply. This is simply because they know that Nigerians are so passionate about this things, hence they are the ones that would be taken for a ride as this much needed power supply would hardly come.”

“Interestingly all this seems to be happening even as the federal government appears to have directed all ministries and agencies to return unspent funds to its coffers by the end of July or thereabout.  And up until now they are still inviting to tender. so where is the seriousness and commitment if they want all unspent monies at so short a time, when they are aware that the projects are just about to get started?”  And why are the Chief Executive Officers of PHCN being summoned to Abuja almost on a daily basis? he queried.[/b]

According to him the CEO’s have been taken off their primary responsibility of superintending their various zones and ensuring the availability of electricity power for their teeming customers, and all they do now is attend meetings every day in Abuja such that they hardly have time for what happens in the zones.  Is that how Nigeria intends to get the much talked about 6000Mw? he asked.

Another stakeholder in the sector who declined to have his name in print told Sweetcrude that the simply analysis of the 6000 Mw is that for them to achieve such a feat by December there need to be something substantial on ground now. According to him if we’re currently generating the installed power capacity of 4000 Mw nationwide by now, then it would not be out of place for someone to conclude that before the end of the year , and with intense effort, the government can get as much as the publicized 6000Mw, rather than the current situation where the country has less than 2000Mw in July and is aiming at 6000 by December without any viable project ongoing five months to deadline.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/07/06/intense-lobbying-rocks-phcn-over-6000-mw/

You will think with the rural electrification fraud still hanging over his head, he will keep a low profile. Anyone still thinks the 6000 MW can be acheived?

what is wrong with this website anytime I try to modify something it locks me out and my message disappears.

here is an article by Jite Okoloko, CEO of Notore Chemical Industries. I posted it earlier, but it is not showing.

Talking about a revolution

It is difficult not to get excited about the Notore project-the prospect of developing the agricultural sector in Nigeria by providing fertilisers and improved seeds, the impact that development would have on over 35 million farmers, the opportunities for "wealth creation at the grassroots", in Notore speak, the possibility of being "the Champion of the African green revolution."

But back down from the clouds, the complexity of such a project in Nigeria, a country ridden with infrastructure challenges, becomes distinctly evident-which is why the first question for Onajite Okoloko, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Notore Chemical Industries Limited is "Why?"


A fortuitous story

Mr. Okoloko says that the idea to become involved in a fertiliser company first came in discussions with a friend in 2005-when the old and abandoned assets of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON) at Onne, near Port Harcourt, were being put up for sale by the Bureau for Public Enterprises as part of the goals of the Obasanjo administration to privatise state facilities. He recognised the opportunity and jumped at the chance.

But such a simple story belies the importance of how his work experience got him there. With a career in marketing and sales in the United States, working for AT&T Security Systems and later in financial services, Mr. Okoloko returned to Nigeria in 1994 and was one of the three founding partners at a company called Ocean and Oil.

A few mergers and acquisitions and a name change later and the company became Oando, now the largest indigenous energy company in Nigeria. Mr. Okoloko left Oando in 2006 but remains close to the company as he retained his investment and his seat on the board.

On the face of it, moving from a petroleum company to an agricultural Products Company may seem quirky but it is in the critical raw material required for both sectors-gas -that the affinity can be found. Gas is the major feedstock for fertiliser production and after 12 years at Oando, Mr. Okoloko knew a few things about gas in Nigeria.

Oando's success in terms of being able to raise finance and grow a talented crop of managers would also have stood him in good stead for the Notore journey. We may assume that raising finance would have been difficult, but Mr. Okoloko seems to dust off difficult and awkward questions.

[b]When asked about his links with James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, Mr. Okoloko said he was "a personal friend and an old school class mate of mine." On further questioning, he said that the two had "no business links." He did acknowledge that one of Notore's directors, Henry Imasekha, has personal links with Mr. Ibori.

Mr. Okoloko was keen to talk about the international investors in the Notore project. Notore is "20 percent owned by Orascom, a global player in the fertiliser and construction space; 19 percent owned by Emerging Capital Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Washington DC with major infrastructure investments in Africa; 6 percent owned by the Africa Finance Corporation and the remaining 55 percent owned by prominent and seasoned businessmen in Nigeria, including myself."

Mr. Okoloko was proud of the fact that Notore successfully raised $222 million from 8 Nigerian banks to complete the rehabilitation of the existing fertiliser plant at Onne. The deal remains the largest successful syndication done by solely Nigerian banks.[/b]

Despite the credit crunch, Mr. Okoloko seemed confident that the company would be able to raise the cash it needs for future expansion, on the back of its cash flows and its projected market share and market dominance.

Notore's vision

According to Mr. Okoloko, "Notore's strategy is not just being a fertiliser business but to create value in the entire agricultural sector." In the first instance, the company aims to be the best at making and distributing fertilisers and improved seeds (hybrid/crossbreed seeds, not genetically modified seeds, he was quick to point out). Mr. Okoloko repeatedly spoke about the importance of "using the right types of inputs" to achieve higher yield growth.

He referred to the "green revolution in Southern Asia when yields went from about 300 million tonnes to 1.3 billion tonnes in less than 15 years beginning in the 1970s, with 80 percent of that growth as a result of fertiliser application."

Mr. Okoloko sees Notore as championing a similar "revolution" in Africa and made this reference to a precedent: "Malawi 5 years ago was starving. Today Malawi is a net exporter of food. It was possible because an enabling environment was put in place to allow business maximise shareholder value and create wealth at the grassroots level." Notore Fertilisers is therefore at the forefront of the Group's vision.

If the vision of the company is achieved, there is the potential to have an impact in the agricultural sector which employs 60 percent of the labour force in Nigeria, mainly at the subsistence level. Mr. Okoloko believes that two components of President Yar'Adua's "7-point Agenda" will be addressed as Notore achieves its vision-wealth creation and employment, and agriculture and food security.

Notore's vision also involves "going into businesses that maximise our assets. If we're not number one in the business area, then we won't go into it." Most recently, the company announced that it had signed memorandum of understanding with Taraba and Cross River States to establish rice mills in those states-the first project of Notore Foods.

Also, the acquired assets of the old NAFCON at Onne included two gas turbines and 560 hectares of property including its own jetty for easy import and export of raw materials. With its own access to gas, Mr. Okoloko says that Notore produces its own power and also provides power for other customers in the Eleme area.

A challenging operating environment

Mr. Okoloko's attitude appeared characteristically upbeat about the Notore business, giving the kind of response every good sales and marketing executive has been trained to give.

When asked about the challenges Notore faces with regards to working in Niger Delta, he acknowledged that "it is highly problematic to operate in the Niger Delta" but then added the pitch, "But I think what Notore has done is to have a very aggressive community development strategy so the community automatically becomes our immediate line of defence,

" Two years ago, we negotiated an MOU with our host community in Onne and other communities impacted by our activities, we will spend half a billion naira over the next five years in these communities, they will choose the projects we spend on, we award contracts to community contractors, it's the first MOU negotiated by a company with the communities in the Eleme area."

Asked again to speak about challenges, this time specifically regarding accessing gas supply to feed the fertiliser plant, Mr. Okoloko responds positively, "Our gas comes from fields dedicated by Shell. We are linked to gas gathering system on the eastern [part] of the Niger Delta. We don't foresee any challenges, we need to continue to manage our relationship with Shell, with the Nigerian Gas Company, a Nigerian National Petroleum Company subsidiary, and the host communities where that gas is located in such a manner that we will receive uninterrupted gas supply."

The policy angle

Mr. Okoloko believes that the present federal government has set about creating an enabling environment for agriculture. He refers to the ₦200 billion fund for commercial agriculture announced two months ago as "a genuine pool of cash for businesses to access."

On the issue of government subsidies for agriculture, Mr. Okoloko says that "subsidies are touchy subject." He referred to a survey carried out by Notore which found that "30 percent of the fertilisers that come into the country go into the commercial market. 70 percent of the fertiliser that go to the government still ends up in the commercial market, so the farmer never gets the full impact of the subsidy."

In his view, direct subsidies, in the form of vouchers given to farmers and exchanged along with cash for the fertiliser, for example, are preferable to the current subsidy regime. Ultimately, Mr. Okoloko believes that "commercially, farming can make sense" and subsidies should be phased out for agricultural inputs like fertiliser, perhaps remaining only for the outputs to aid farmers in the cultivation of particular products.

As a member of the Technical Working Group of the nation's Vision 2020 project, he believes that there is already a shift in thinking in policy circles and there is an acceptance that subsidies for fertilisers will need to be phased out over time.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/Business/5429936-147/story.csp

here is an interview by the CEO of Notore Chemicals, Onajite Okoloko.

Talking about a revolution

It is difficult not to get excited about the Notore project-the prospect of developing the agricultural sector in Nigeria by providing fertilisers and improved seeds, the impact that development would have on over 35 million farmers, the opportunities for "wealth creation at the grassroots", in Notore speak, the possibility of being "the Champion of the African green revolution."

But back down from the clouds, the complexity of such a project in Nigeria, a country ridden with infrastructure challenges, becomes distinctly evident-which is why the first question for Onajite Okoloko, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Notore Chemical Industries Limited is "Why?"

A fortuitous story

Mr. Okoloko says that the idea to become involved in a fertiliser company first came in discussions with a friend in 2005-when the old and abandoned assets of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON) at Onne, near Port Harcourt, were being put up for sale by the Bureau for Public Enterprises as part of the goals of the Obasanjo administration to privatise state facilities. He recognised the opportunity and jumped at the chance.

But such a simple story belies the importance of how his work experience got him there. With a career in marketing and sales in the United States, working for AT&T Security Systems and later in financial services, [b]Mr. Okoloko returned to Nigeria in 1994 and was one of the three founding partners at a company called Ocean and Oil.

A few mergers and acquisitions and a name change later and the company became Oando, now the largest indigenous energy company in Nigeria. Mr. Okoloko left Oando in 2006 but remains close to the company as he retained his investment and his seat on the board.[/b]On the face of it, moving from a petroleum company to an agricultural Products Company may seem quirky but it is in the critical raw material required for both sectors-gas -that the affinity can be found. Gas is the major feedstock for fertiliser production and after 12 years at Oando, Mr. Okoloko knew a few things about gas in Nigeria.

Oando's success in terms of being able to raise finance and grow a talented crop of managers would also have stood him in good stead for the Notore journey. We may assume that raising finance would have been difficult, but Mr. Okoloko seems to dust off difficult and awkward questions.

When asked about his links with James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, Mr. Okoloko said he was "a personal friend and an old school class mate of mine." On further questioning, he said that the two had "no business links." He did acknowledge that one of Notore's directors, Henry Imasekha, has personal links with Mr. Ibori.

Mr. Okoloko was keen to talk about the international investors in the Notore project. Notore is "20 percent owned by Orascom, a global player in the fertiliser and construction space; 19 percent owned by Emerging Capital Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Washington DC with major infrastructure investments in Africa; 6 percent owned by the Africa Finance Corporation and the remaining 55 percent owned by prominent and seasoned businessmen in Nigeria, including myself."

Mr. Okoloko was proud of the fact that Notore successfully raised $222 million from 8 Nigerian banks to complete the rehabilitation of the existing fertiliser plant at Onne. The deal remains the largest successful syndication done by solely Nigerian banks.

Despite the credit crunch, Mr. Okoloko seemed confident that the company would be able to raise the cash it needs for future expansion, on the back of its cash flows and its projected market share and market dominance.

Notore's vision

According to Mr. Okoloko, "Notore's strategy is not just being a fertiliser business but to create value in the entire agricultural sector." In the first instance, the company aims to be the best at making and distributing fertilisers and improved seeds (hybrid/crossbreed seeds, not genetically modified seeds, he was quick to point out). Mr. Okoloko repeatedly spoke about the importance of "using the right types of inputs" to achieve higher yield growth.

He referred to the "green revolution in Southern Asia when yields went from about 300 million tonnes to 1.3 billion tonnes in less than 15 years beginning in the 1970s, with 80 percent of that growth as a result of fertiliser application."

Mr. Okoloko sees Notore as championing a similar "revolution" in Africa and made this reference to a precedent: "Malawi 5 years ago was starving. Today Malawi is a net exporter of food. It was possible because an enabling environment was put in place to allow business maximise shareholder value and create wealth at the grassroots level." Notore Fertilisers is therefore at the forefront of the Group's vision.

If the vision of the company is achieved, there is the potential to have an impact in the agricultural sector which employs 60 percent of the labour force in Nigeria, mainly at the subsistence level. Mr. Okoloko believes that two components of President Yar'Adua's "7-point Agenda" will be addressed as Notore achieves its vision-wealth creation and employment, and agriculture and food security.

Notore's vision also involves "going into businesses that maximise our assets. If we're not number one in the business area, then we won't go into it." Most recently, the company announced that it had signed memorandum of understanding with Taraba and Cross River States to establish rice mills in those states-the first project of Notore Foods.

Also, the acquired assets of the old NAFCON at Onne included two gas turbines and 560 hectares of property including its own jetty for easy import and export of raw materials. With its own access to gas, Mr. Okoloko says that Notore produces its own power and also provides power for other customers in the Eleme area.

A challenging operating environment

Mr. Okoloko's attitude appeared characteristically upbeat about the Notore business, giving the kind of response every good sales and marketing executive has been trained to give.

When asked about the challenges Notore faces with regards to working in Niger Delta, he acknowledged that "it is highly problematic to operate in the Niger Delta" but then added the pitch, "But I think what Notore has done is to have a very aggressive community development strategy so the community automatically becomes our immediate line of defence,

" Two years ago, we negotiated an MOU with our host community in Onne and other communities impacted by our activities, we will spend half a billion naira over the next five years in these communities, they will choose the projects we spend on, we award contracts to community contractors, it's the first MOU negotiated by a company with the communities in the Eleme area."

Asked again to speak about challenges, this time specifically regarding accessing gas supply to feed the fertiliser plant, Mr. Okoloko responds positively, "Our gas comes from fields dedicated by Shell. We are linked to gas gathering system on the eastern [part] of the Niger Delta. We don't foresee any challenges, we need to continue to manage our relationship with Shell, with the Nigerian Gas Company, a Nigerian National Petroleum Company subsidiary, and the host communities where that gas is located in such a manner that we will receive uninterrupted gas supply."

The policy angle

Mr. Okoloko believes that the present federal government has set about creating an enabling environment for agriculture. He refers to the ₦200 billion fund for commercial agriculture announced two months ago as "a genuine pool of cash for businesses to access."

On the issue of government subsidies for agriculture, Mr. Okoloko says that "subsidies are touchy subject." He referred to a survey carried out by Notore which found that "30 percent of the fertilisers that come into the country go into the commercial market. 70 percent of the fertiliser that go to the government still ends up in the commercial market, so the farmer never gets the full impact of the subsidy."

In his view, direct subsidies, in the form of vouchers given to farmers and exchanged along with cash for the fertiliser, for example, are preferable to the current subsidy regime. Ultimately, Mr. Okoloko believes that "commercially, farming can make sense" and subsidies should be phased out for agricultural inputs like fertiliser, perhaps remaining only for the outputs to aid farmers in the cultivation of particular products.

As a member of the Technical Working Group of the nation's Vision 2020 project, he believes that there is already a shift in thinking in policy circles and there is an acceptance that subsidies for fertilisers will need to be phased out over time.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/Business/5429936-147/story.csp

South west, I am thinking its between Akala (Oyo) and Oyinlola (osun). I would have added Daniels (Ogun) but with the drama happening in Ogun you will expect him to be in the country fighting.

The style of governance in Nigeria, especially at the state level, has taken a new dimension as indications are rife now that most of the state governors run governments from outside the state capitals.

A survey conducted by Saturday Tribune across the country has revealed that about two-thirds of the governors in Nigeria are not always on their seats, travelling out for supposedly urgent reasons.

According to investigations, most of the governors have found abode in either Abuja or Lagos, while some preferred to travel out at will to countries like the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and France.

However, the unexplained reasons behind the frequent dissapearance of state governors from their respective states as discovered by Saturday Tribune hangs on the economic meltdown, which survey revealed has been causing the shrinking of resources of most states, such that the governors must be frugal in spending.

Against this background, the governors are said to have deviced the means of sneaking out of the states to avoid pressures from their hangers-on, contractors, friends and associates known for their demands for money on all manners of excuses.

An aide to a South South governor told Saturday Tribune that his boss sat down one day and calculated the amount of money he had spent on public relations in a month and discovered he had committed nothing less than N1.2 billion to such.

He stressed that since he made such a discovery, he had learnt the trick of sneaking out of the state.

National Assembly members, officials of the anti-corruption agencies, top party members from either the states or Abuja, journalists, presidential aides, according to the survey, constitute a huge drain pipe for the governors, most of whom are said to be desperate in cutting down their expenses drastically.

Unlike the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly members who have the number of days that they must sit in the plenary for legislative businesses specified in their rules, there is no rule compelling state governors to remain glued to their seats, a reason the governors have never nursed the fear of possible consequences of their frequent travel out of their states, a source pointed out.

According to findings, a governor from the core North makes frequent visits to Jos, Plateau State.

Another in a South-West state was said to have been used to traveling to Abuja, Lagos and more often outside Nigeria, from where he has reportedly been running the affair of his state.

Investigations also revealed that a governor is currently out of Nigeria on a medical trip to London enroute Germany while he is being expected back in the state next week.

While one of the northern governors who spent eight years in the National Assembly as a member of the House of Representatives has been described as an Abuja man by his aides who spoke with Saturday Tribune, his counterpart in an oil-rich state is said to have been fully engaged with more federal matters, and, hence could not afford to be too sedentary in his state.

Another governor from the oil-rich state is rated as one of the most restless based on his interest to lure international investors to his state, a reason he is said to have been embarking on frequent international travelings.

Further investigations revealed that one of the northern state governors travels frequently to Niger and Chad where he is said to be building large estates and mansions where he was planning to relocate after leaving the office.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/04072009/news/news1.html

PRESIDENT Umaru Musa  Yar’Adua has  put an end to speculations on those to serve in the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) when he finally made available the list of members of the reconstituted board which has been sent to the senate for confirmation.

In the new board, the President nominated Air vice Marshal Larry Koinyan (Rtd.) of Bayelsa State as Chairman of the new Board and Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha of Rivers State as the Managing Director of the Commission.

The move to reconstitute the board, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Olusegun Adeniyi, is to re-engineer and reposition the commission for greater efficiency and effective service delivery.

The proposed board replaces the out outgoing board led by the Chief Bassey Dan Abia, as acting Chairman, who will now serve as a part time member of the board; and acting Managing Director, Pastor Power Aginighan (Delta), who returns to his former position of Executive Director, Finance and Account.

According to the statement, President Yar’Adua, in a letter to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, is requesting “for the expeditious confirmation of Air vice Marshal Larry Koinyan (Rtd.) of Bayelsa State as Chairman of the new Board and Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha of Rivers State as the Managing Director of the Commission”.

[b]Other nominees to the board who are expected to be confirmed by the Senate in consultation with the House of Representatives, according to the statement, include Arc. Esoetok Ikpong Etteh (Akwa-Ibom, Executive Director (Projects) Pastor Power Aginighan (Delta), Executive Director (Finance & Accounts) Mr. Aloysius Nwagboso (Abia), Part Time Member; Chief Dan Abia (Akwa-Ibom), Part Time Member Mr. Anthony Orubo (Bayelsa), Part Time Member; Hon. Ekpo Asuquo Okon (Cross River)

Part Time Member; Mr. Emmanuel O. Ogidi (Delta), Part Time Member; Hon. Jude I. Ise_Idehen (Edo), Part Time Member; and Akeru Ikechukwu Joseph (Imo), Part Time Member.

Others are Mr. Benson G. Enikuomehin (Ondo); Part Time Member; Engr. Emmanuel G. Georgewill (Rivers), Part Time Member; Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (North_West) - Representative of   Non-Oil Mineral Producing States; Maj.-Gen. Tunde Ogbeha (Rtd.) (North-Central), Representative of Non-Oil Mineral Producing States; Alhaji Asheikh Jarma (North-East), Representative of Non-Oil Mineral Producing States; and Dr. Daru Owei, Representative of Oil Producing Companies in the Niger Delta[/b]

“President Yar’Adua expects the reconstituted Governing Board to provide a dynamic, purposeful and results_oriented leadership that will effectively reposition the NDDC to work in tandem with the recently established Federal Ministry of the Niger Delta to actualize his Administration’s agenda for the rapid socio_economic development of the region”, the statement said.

The 44 year-old nominee for the post of Managing Director, Chibuzor Ugwoha, holds a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and has about 12 years cumulative experience in Community Development with Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited and Total (Exploration and Production) Nigeria Limited.

Before moving to the oil Industry, Mr. Ugwoha had worked as a Technical Officer with the defunct Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) and as Lecturer/Head of the Department of Building Technology at the Federal College of Education (Technology) in Omoku, Rivers State.

He is currently the Deputy General Manager, JVA (Onshore) Sustainable Development at Total (Exploration & Production) Nigeria Limited

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/07/03/yar%e2%80%99adua-reconstitutes-nddc-board/

I don't know how true these numbers are, for Lagos State to have only 70 armed robbery? I can understand Oyo state, there have been an increase in crime in the state and you read about it in Newspaper.

Tudór:

Good. One down 108 to go. . .

he was senator from 1999-2007

ABUJA — BASED on President Umaru Yar’Adua’s request to the Revenue, Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on February 10, 2009, on the need to slash the allowances of certain political, public and judicial office holders, the Commission yesterday announced some measures in this regard including the cancellation of the 300 per cent severance gratuity allowances of the President and the Vice-President with effect from July 1, 2009.

The hardship allowance of the duo, according to the Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Hamman Tukur, accompanied by Commissioners of the Commission, who announced the measures while presenting the report to the President, was reduced from 50 to 30 per cent of their basic salaries.

“For example in the case of Mr. President and Vice President, the severance gratuity of 300% was canceled because they were entitled to pensions for life by virtue of section 84 sub-section 5 of the constitution, the hardship allowance was however reduced from 50% to 30%”, he added.

The Commission was however fair to the leadership of the National Assembly as Senate President, Senator David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole, only lost two and a car respectively thereby bringing the number of the official cars from eight and seven cars respectively to six each.

This is in addition to a reduction in the constituency allowance of senators reduced from 250 to 125 per cent while that of lawmakers in the lower chambers was reduced from 150 to 70 per cent.

He said “with respect to legislature, at the federal level, the number of vehicles to be provided to the Senate President was reduced from 8 to 6.

While that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives was reduced from 7 to 6. The constituency allowance for Senators was reduced from 250% to 125%, while that of members of House of Reps was reduced from 150% to 75%. Similarly, in the case of accommodation, the country was categorised into zones and the reduction was made based on the peculiar cost of rent within each zone”.

The Commission also disclosed that it has uncovered a huge annual national wage bill of N1.3 trillion in Nigeria, with the third tier of government (the 774 local Governments) accounting for 53 per cent of the amount, while the 36 states accounted for 32 per cent and the Federal Government including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accounts for the remaining 15 per cent.

The Commission said the practice was unacceptable and decided to cancel allowances such as entertainment, personal assistants, severance gratuity among others, while it reduced accommodation and furniture allowances by over 50 per cent. “Mr President, permit me to draw particular attention to the review at the Local Government level.

The total national wage bill of N1.3trillion per annum can be substantially attributed to this third tier of government. 53% of that N1.3trillion is being expended by the LG.

The 36 State governments is about 32%, the Federal level is only 15%. The Commission was quite concerned with the high level of expenditure on the emolument of public and political office holders at the third tier of government which is adversely affecting the expenditure on service delivery and good governance”, he said.

[b]According to him, “subsequently, some allowances have been drastically reduced while others have been cancelled at the local government level. For example, accommodation and furniture allowances have been reduced by over 50% at the third tier of government while allowances such as entertainment, personal assistants, severance gratuity etc were altogether cancelled”.

He disclosed that “after this presentation, the Commission in accordance with the provision of the constitution, will, with an accompanied draft review bill, forward the report on the executive and the judiciary at the federal level and that of the FCT area councils to the National Assembly for further amendment of the 2008 Act.

The volume three part of this report will today (yesterday) be presented to the Federal legislature for it to implement immediately.

“Similarly, within next week, all states and LG legislatures will also be presented with the report for implementation with effect from 1st July, 2009. However, the report in respect of states and local council executives will be submitted to state assemblies with specimen draft bills for consideration and subsequent amendment to their various remuneration laws[/b].

He stressed that “for the immediate effect on the economy and to facilitate the review of the budget deficit of the government, the implementation of the review packages will have to be uniformly applied throughout the country with effect from 1st July, 2009, for all beneficiaries”.

This review package, according to him, automatically supersedes all the previous reports of the commission and emphasised that apart from the salaries, allowances and fringe benefits contained in these packages, no other salaries, allowances and fringe benefits are payable to any political, public or judicial office holders.

He drew the attention of all government that this downward review is to ensure that all the tiers of government are able to pay the package in view of their dwindling resources

“We are here today to present first, amongst other things, the report of the review of numeration package for political, public and judicial office holders to Mr. President.

The commission in pursuance of its constitutional role of determining the numeration appropriate for political, public and judicial office holders as enshrined in several section of the constitution, Mr President in year 2007, we reviewed the remuneration package of office holders, executive, legislature and the judiciary in the federal state and local governments.

“Whereas the package applicable to the legislative arms of the three tiers of government was automatically applied, that of the executive and the judiciary were submitted as recommendations to the appropriate legislative assemblies.

“The various state assemblies in respect of the executive arms of state and local government also passed their respective remuneration laws based on salaries and allowances as determined by the Commission. Mr. President Sir, at the material time that this was determined, the resources available to our great country was almost at its peak.

“Our foreign reserve was as high as $51b in favour of supporting over 16 months of import base, the excess revenue account on the one hand had balance of over $41b while crude oil the dominate commodity of the economy was averagely well over $75 per barrel and the quantity been produced was almost 2.2m barrel per day.”

Yar’Adua thanks RMAFC

In his response, President Yar’Adua said: “Let me extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the exercise that has been well undertaken in the best interest of this country.

Indeed, it became necessary to put in a modest request to the Commission which has the constitutional power regarding the remuneration of political, public and judicial office holders, to appeal to the commission to examine the current economic downturn which had begun sometime in the middle of last year and the dwindling resources accruing to the three arms of government, the fall in crude oil production, fall in the influx of foreign direct investments and fall in influx in remittances which totally gave rise to the dwindling revenues to the federal, states and local government.

“It became necessary at the time to request and appeal to the Commission to examine the situation, review the 2008 Act which had been passed by the national assembly and also review the remunerations of all legislatures throughout the country, so that they come out with a package that is a response to the situation the nation has found itself.

This is the first time this exercise has been undertaken and I think it has demonstrated a great sense of responsibility on the part of the commission. It needs courage to carry out an exercise like this.

“I had to consult with all stakeholders and I appreciate the fact that almost all stakeholders saw the need for the nation to make adjustment when the need arises in terms of the earning for public, political and judicial office holders, this clearly show that both holders who are holding various offices and can respond and make sacrifices for the sake of this nation when asked to do so. I think this is no mean achievement.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/07/03/yaradua-vp-lose-severance-pay/

ABUJA—All three Senators and eight members of the House of Representatives from Cross River State yesterday declared a two week hunger strike to protest what they claimed as the unjust transfer of seventy-six oil wells from the State.

The legislators at a briefing yesterday lamented that the transfer of the oil wells, coming after the contentious transfer of Bakassi to Cameroon was another way of relegating their rights in the country.

The legislators led by Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (PDP, Cross River South), the chairman of the Cross River National Assembly caucus said the transfer of the oil wells to Akwa Ibom State was strange in the sense that there was no boundary dispute between the two States.

They further asserted that it was strange that while Bakassi was transferred to Cameroon from Cross River that the oil wells from the State were taken to Akwa Ibom.

Senator Ewa-Henshaw was flanked by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) and all eight members of the House of Representatives from the State. The legislators vowed that at the end of the two week hunger strike they would review their positions if their demands were not positively addressed.

“This action is despicable, unwholesome and a calculated attempt to defraud and deprive the good people of Cross River State of their natural endowment with a long standing genealogical antecedents. T

he decision of the International Court of Justice has left the State with festering refugee crisis, caused substantial social dislocations, and inflicted a heavy financial burden and a deep seated scar on the psyche of the people.

“It should be stated that this was not by any act of omission or commission by the people of Cross River. But sadly they are being made to pay an even higher price for this sad chapter in the nation’s history. Some people are determined to add insult to our injury”.

This is unfortunate. After deep reflection, we have come to the conclusion that it will be insensitive for us to pretend that all is well when our people feel the full weight of deprivation occasioned by the wicked and illegal denial of resources which should rightly accruable to them.

“Since some greedy brigands would rather see our people starve to death and our State brought to its knees, we as their representatives have decided to stand in unity with them. To sink or swim with them. We will therefore, beginning immediately, embark on a two week hunger strike to emphasize the seriousness of this situation and the collective pain we feel. But we must warn that the people of Cross River have had enough. They have been pushed far enough.’’

“They now have their back to a concrete wall and can go no further. It is unacceptable that they should be cheated, abused, degraded and deprived simply because they are honest law abiding, peace loving, accommodating and responsible people.

In 2005, the boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom was delineated to the satisfaction of both states. All the critical factors taken into consideration, RMAFC and the present leadership of the National Boundary Commission should in the overriding interest of peaceful coexistence between the two States retrace its steps and abide by the 2005 boundary delineation exercise.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/07/03/loss-of-oil-well-c-river-senators-reps-protest-declare-hunger-strike/

I hope someone will keep and eye on them, to see if they really are on hunger strike.

asha 80:

What where they even discussing about All i am hearing is people exchanging insults.

They wanted to ask him questions about the local government fund, since he is the chairman.