A corrupt government fighting corruption.

Question of the day :
How do you fight corruption with corruption?

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose calls Buhari the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria, this comes with recent finding that the President has been shielding his men, family and friends from probe.
In recent developments, following the the fact released by the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces, and Dambazau's/Buratai's exclusion.
Major General Abdul rahman Dambazau (rtd) was Chief of Army Staff between 2008 and 2010 and the current Chief Of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai served as Director of Procurements, Defence Headquarters, from 2012 till May 2015.

The question now is how does arms procurement go pass the Chief of Army Staff and Director of procurement?

This simple makes the claim by oppositions true.... Buhari and  his government doctored its latest arms panel and indeed makes feather of  Buhari's  song of Zero Tolerance for Corruption.

UN is not to Blame for the starvation in Nigeria.

Nigeria may be on brink of famine?
It's a pure lie, how can they expect us to believe that, when the President banned importation of rice and other commodities not made in Nigeria.
The items include the following:
1. Rice
2. Cement
3. Margarine
4. Palm kernel/Palm oil products/vegetables oils
5. Meat and processed meat products
6. Vegetables and processed vegetable products
7. Poultry chicken, eggs, turkey
8. Private airplanes/jets
9. Indian incense
10. Tinned fish in sauce(Geisha)/sardines
11. Cold rolled steel sheets
12. Galvanized steel sheets
13. Roofing sheets
14. Wheelbarrows
15. Head pans
16. Metal boxes and containers
17. Enamelware
18. Steel drums
19. Steel pipes
20. Wire rods(deformed and not deformed)
21. Iron rods and reinforcing bard
22. Wire mesh
23. Steel nails
24. Security and razor wine
25. Wood particle boards and panels
26. Wood Fibre Boards and Panels
27. Plywood boards and panels
28. Wooden doors
29. Toothpicks
30. Glass and Glassware
31. Kitchen utensils
32. Tableware
33. Tiles-vitrified and ceramic
34. Textiles
35. Woven fabrics
36. Clothes
37. Plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules , cellophane wrappers
38. Soap and cosmetics
39. Tomatoes/tomato pastes
40. Eurobond/foreign currency bond/ share purchases

Note: These items are not prohibited or banned. It only means that importers of these items are no longer qualified to get foreign exchange from the CBN or the official market to buy these items from overseas.

This thus reduces by over 60% the amount of imported goods in the market, with the dollar floating, and lack of exchange support from CBN. And results in a dip in availability of food. Even in peaceful areas.
39,10,7,6,5,4,3,1 representing 20% of commodities declared unsupported by CBN are edible. The President's  intent may be well meaning and may go beyond victimizing the the Igbo importers and business men.
In a country where agriculture has been abandoned for over two or three decades, and agricultural produce not enough for producing areas, how the President expects the entire nation to feed, may have to be a story told by economical statistician.
Recently UN was blamed for the starvation in the Boko Haram infested area of Nigeria, since it couldn't aid them early enough. And the Nigerian government taking no blame, is a high level of irresponsibility. The welfare of a people is primarily the government's, external bodies are secondary and can and should never be blamed solely if things turn out wrong. Nigerian government can only blame herself, imagine a government made up of 90% Northerns, blaming international bodies for not coming to rescue the North, is another height of the Buhari regime blame game. Nigeria needs to understand that before decisions are taken, proper research needs to be done, since the arrival of Buhari, hasty decisions has been the call of duty and the effects are bound to be felt. Why place exchange embargo on food importation, when you do not have enough?

Away from the North, no one seems to regard other areas of concern in Nigeria. Everyone has heard the situation of the Northern 7 years war, the government is screaming for help from international bodies, but how many times has it sang of over 30 years Niger Delta oil spill that left the soil, rivers and people unproductive. The East are brutalized and murdered on daily count and it doesn't seem to move anyone. No part of the government has ever cried out, yet this areas account for 60% if not 80% of national income.

Buhari and Saudi Arabia mercenary, to fight Niger Delta Avengers

President Muhammadu Buhari  has reportedly against all odds struck a $258 million deal with a Saudi Arabia ‘Blackwater’ military contractor to help the Nigerian Armed Forces in fighting militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta region in the southern part of Nigeria. A shock to Nigerians as the deal does not include to fight the known terrorist groups: Boko haram the world deadliest terrorist group and Fulani herdsmen the Nigerian deadliest terrorist group. This is part of the deal the President signed which included Nigeria in the Islamic military alliance, a deal the Christian association of Nigeria has since condemned.
The Saudi military contractor is led by Anwar Eshki, a retired Saudi general who is a former top adviser to the Saudi government.
Meanwhile the Niger Delta Avengers have voiced their readiness to engage with the so called mercenary from Saudi Arabia.

President's Assistant says No hardship in Nigeria

The insensitivity of Nigerian elites, take a new high as the President's  Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said that, people who are complaining of hardship are in the minority.
He said this while speaking in a telephone interview with 100.1FM Abuja.

His words:
“Yes, you need to give me the statistics of those complaining. We (government officials) are in the midst of the people and we can feel the pulse of the people. I maintain that the people who are complaining are in the minority. I can tell you that the support base of this government is still enormous. Yes, we know some people are complaining but, they are still in the minority” Femi Adesina reportedly said.

FCMB sues Kogi State

Sometime ago FCMB was hailed for giving loan to civil servants, and deducting it from their salaries gradually. In Kogi the case was not different. Years laterThe First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has sued the Kogi State Government over breach of contractual agreement that has caused bank to lose over N700 million in loans to workers. Why Kogi will push for change of salary accounts knowing the agreement they are in with FCMB remain cloudy.
The trial judge, Justice Phoebe Ayua adjourned the case to October.

Why we will never know Buhari's educational status.

Nigerians will never know Buhari's true qualifications to run or even sit as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The certificate saga died out when the plaintiff filed for withdrawal, a shock to almost all Nigerians.

Thus The court has struck out the case filed in respect to Mr Presidents certificate and educational qualifications.
Adeniyi Ademola, justice of the federal high court, delivered ruling on suit challenging the veracity of the academic credentials of the president on June 30, in Abuja.

At the resumed sitting on the matter, Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe declared his intention to withdraw the suit, though he failed to adduce any reason behind the decision. This surely will raise brows, as no clear fact as to the withdrawal of such an authentic case.

Justice Adeniyi, in a bench ruling, placed reliance on Order 50(2) of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, terminated further hearing on the matter.

Thus Buhari's qualification saga dies an untimely death.

Buratai A Presidential Anointed

Virtually Every Nigerian has been calling for Buratai's probe. But Buhari maybe using the old familiar biblical quote "touch not my anointed... "

He can't be the angel Buhari says his appointees, friends and family are.

Nigerians been creative and calculative even have done the mathematics on his salary, savings, and possible expenses.
It goes as below 
.
.
Lieutenant General Buratai's promotion dates are:
.
Lieutenant (January 1985)
Captain (January 1989)
Major (January 1994)
Lieutenant Colonel (January 1998)
Colonel (January 2004)
Brigadier General (January 2009)
Major General (January 2012)
Lieutenant General (August 2015)
.
His salary structure :
.
Nigerian Army Salary Structure per month for
Commissioned Officers as at Dec, 2015
.
Second Lieutenant- N120,000
Lieutenant- N180,000
Captain- N220,000
Major- N300,000
Lt. Colonel- N350,000
Colonel- N550,000
Brigadier General- N750,000
Major General- N950,000
Lt. General- N1 million
General- N1.5 million
.
Note: The salaries were far less than the present structure. Former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the Review of the Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS) in July 2010.
.
N115. 6million was alleged to have been paid for a property in Dubai. If the properties are two as reports allege, then we should be talking about N230million or more.
.
Assuming General Buruntai didnt touch his salary since he joined army till 2014 and using the current salary structure (which is much more that what he actually received), he should have the following in his bank as at January, 2014:
.
N8, 640, 000 as a Lieutenant
N13, 200, 000 as a captain
N14, 400, 000 as a major
N25, 200, 000 as a Lt. Col
N33, 000, 000 as a Col
N27, 000,000 as Brig. General
N22, 800, 000 as a major General
.
Total earnings by Gen Buruntai since joining the army in 1985 till January 2014 is much less than N144, 240, 000.
.
Now, being an award winning, globally acclaimed saver of the century, he might be saving up to 50% of his salary(which is practically impossible). That gives us less than N72, 120, 000.
.
And even has a disclaimer:

This amount cannot buy a house in Dubai let alone two. There are many grey areas to be addressed before drawing conclusions. With this, you can form your own opinion and draw your own conclusions but be warned that you are sorely responsible for any opinion or conclusion you draw from this computation.

From the calculation one doesn't need a suitsayer to conclude Buratai is fantastical corrupt, thanks to Buhari corruption must be battled, what Nigerian now await is how much of the presidential angels will face the war against corruption music Sai Baba Muhammad Buhari has been playing.

Meanwhile Buruntai has declared Sahara reporters, who brought his hideout to public notice TERRORIST!

Life pension, How Nigerians responded.

Nigerian senators are like dogs that keep eating the bones round her neck.
A poll conducted by Premium Times shows that Nigerians have reacted rather negatively to the proposal of life pension and immunity for National Assembly members. According to Premium Times 1,442 Nigerian twitter users responded and 1,326  condemned this.
Nigerian Senate seems to only make policies that will benefit them and affect the country. In an economy such as Nigerias presently the Senate are thinking of life payment even for offices that leaves no electoral power to the people.
How and what this will mean for Nigeria is left for the future.

A suspended Policy

No more tenure policy? This administration keeps scrapping.
I wonder what suspending the tenure policy will yield to and for Nigeria.

Thoughts on Ogoniland. A Drying Tears.

Cleaning up an oil spill has never been an easy task, no two oil spills are thesame. The level of tons and location  of spill determine how devastating a spill is and could become. The effects of spills have been known to last long after the incident. The Ogoni Cleanup recently kicked off by the president is one long Overdue service Nigeria owe the Niger Delta people. It's not just Ogoni all over Niger Delta. Due to the nature of Ogoniland as a rainforest, actions of rain had helped the hydrocarbon to wash into several parts of the land and also to sink deeper. Not Even the Exxon Valdez 10m gallon disaster can be compared to the Ogoniland incidents which has compiled over the years. The government after over 50years of spill and run method they have subjected Niger Delta finally decides to take action.
Any of these Several procedures can be taken to arrive back or atleast near the natural condition of a geographical location after spills, they include:

(1) Leave the oil alone so that it breaks down by natural means. If there is no possibility of the oil polluting coastal regions or marine industries, the best method is to leave it to disperse by natural means. A combination of wind, sun, current, and wave action will rapidly disperse and evaporate most oils. Light oils will disperse more quickly than heavy oils.

(2) Contain the spill with booms and collect it from the water surface using skimmer equipment. Spilt oil floats on water and initially forms a slick that is a few millimeters thick. There are various types of booms that can be used either to surround and isolate a slick, or to block the passage of a slick to vulnerable areas such as the intake of a desalination plant or fish-farm pens or other sensitive locations. Boom types vary from inflatable neoprene tubes to solid, but buoyant material. Most rise up about a meter above the water line. Some are designed to sit flush on tidal flats while others are applicable to deeper water and have skirts which hang down about a meter below the waterline. Skimmers float across the top of the slick contained within the boom and suck or scoop the oil into storage tanks on nearby vessels or on the shore. However, booms and skimmers are less effective when deployed in high winds and high seas.

(3) Use dispersants to break up the oil and speed its natural biodegradation. Dispersants act by reducing the surface tension that stops oil and water from mixing. Small droplets of oil are then formed, which helps promote rapid dilution of the oil by water movements. The formation of droplets also increases the oil surface area, thus increasing the exposure to natural evaporation and bacterial action. Dispersants are most effective when used within an hour or two of the initial spill. However, they are not appropriate for all oils and all locations. Successful dispersion of oil through the water column can affect marine organisms like deep-water corals and sea grass. It can also cause oil to be temporarily accumulated by subtidal seafood. Decisions on whether or not to use dispersants to combat an oil spill must be made in each individual case. The decision will take into account the time since the spill, the weather conditions, the particular environment involved, and the type of oil that has been spilt.

(4) Introduce biological agents to the spill to hasten biodegradation. Most of the components of oil washed up along a shoreline can be broken down by bacteria and other microorganisms into harmless substances such as fatty acids and carbon dioxide. This action is called biodegradation. The natural process can be speeded up by the addition of fertilizing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, which stimulate growth of the microorganisms concerned. However the effectiveness of this technique depends on factors such as whether the ground treated has sand or pebbles and whether the fertilizer is water soluble or applied in pellet or liquid form.

Number 4 is the most effective.

Looking back to the Ogoni situation it has taken Five years of ignoring on the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) on Ogoniland clean-up, for the federal government to finally  commence its implementation aimed at restoring the heavily polluted environment.

President Muhammadu Buhari recently demonstrated his administration’s commitment to implementing the recommendation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) by delegating Vice President YemiOsinbajo to kick off the clean-up of Ogoniland in Rivers State.

Buhari had demonstrated his administration’s commitment to implement the report by approving the compositions of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees of Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) and also amended the Official Gazette that established HYPREP to reflect a new governance framework on the project.
The setting up of the Governing Council was to boost the efforts of Shell and other stakeholders towards the implementation of the remaining part of the 76 actions recommended by the world body.
The progress made by Buhari’s administration came after four years of total ignorance by the past administration to implement the report. In 2006 UNEP was commissioned to conduct an independent assessment of the environment and public health impacts of oil contamination in Ogoniland and make recommendations for remediation.
The UNEP’s report, which was released in August 2011, revealed that crude oil contamination in Ogoniland was widespread and severely impacting many components of the environment.

According to the report, “The Ogoni people live with this pollution every minute of every day, 365 days a year. Since average life expectancy in Nigeria is less than 50 years, it is a fair assumption that most members of the current Ogoniland community have lived with chronic oil pollution throughout their lives.
“Children born in Ogoniland soon sense oil pollution as the odour of hydrocarbons pervades the air day in, day out. Oil continues to spill from periodic pipeline fractures and the illegal practice of refining, contaminating creeks and soil, staining and killing vegetation and seeping metres deep into ground, polluting water tables.
“Smoke from refining is a daily presence and fire close to inhabited areas is a constant threat from pools of oil which gather after a spill due to corrosion or bunkering or where artisanal refining of crude oil takes place,” the report said.

The UNEP report said the Ogoniland might require the world’s biggest-ever clean-up that would likely take up to 30 years and recommended that both the federal government and the oil industry should contribute $1billion.
The report, which made far-reaching recommendations, also raised local and international concerns on the environmental tragedy in the oil-producing Niger Delta.
But despite the local and international outcry that greeted the UNEP report, the former administration did nothing towards the implementation of the report.

Major highlights of the report
UNEP had recommended that a total of 76 actions be implemented by the federal government, Shell Petroleum Development Company-operated joint venture and the Ogoni Community.
While the federal government was given 50 actions to implement; Shell and its partners – NNPC, Total and Agip were required to implement 22 actions.
The federal government was among other things, required to establish restoration authority; establish clean-up fund; coordinate multi-stakeholders efforts; carry out emergency measures to reduce community exposure and initiate institutional and regulatory reforms

Shell was required to review procedures for clean-up and remediation.
The world body also tasked Shell to develop asset integrity management and decommissioning plans for Ogonilandand also contribute to an Ogoni clean-up fund established by government, among others.
UNEP also required the Ogoni community to implement four out of the 76 recommendations.
The two major ones among the four include that the community should take a pro-active stand against theft and refining and also allow access to clean up spills.

However, some of SPDC’s 22 actions and federal government’s 50 would require collaboration of all the stakeholders.
For instance, UNEP advocated that a campaign to bring to an end illegal oil-related activities – tapping into oil wells/pipelines,transportation of crude, artisanal refining should be conducted across Ogoniland.
According to the global body, the campaign should be a joint initiative between the federal government, the oil companies, Rivers State and local community authorities.

The report noted that while a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan exists in Ogoniland, with NOSDRA having a clear legislative role, the situation on-the-ground indicates that spills are not being dealt with in an adequate or timely manner.

Past administration’s slow motion
When the report was published, the people of the affected community and other stakeholders had expected huge efforts from the past administration towards the speedy implementation of the recommendations, especially as both the President and the Minister of Petroleum Resources were from the oil-producing Niger Delta, which is heavily impacted by oil spill.

But apart from the establishment of the moribund Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), which ought to have been the vehicle for the implementation of 76 actionable recommendations, no major step was taken towards the implementation of the report by the former administration.
After the report was released almost four years were wasted, holding meetings and conferences on the report, without any tangible actions to implement the report.

In fact, HYPREP was set up only in 2012 exactly 12 months after UNEP presented its report, thus demonstrating government’s slow motion in the implementation of the report.
Even the 140 staff members of HYPREP were owed 18 months’ salary arrears just barely two years after the agency was established, prompting the intervention of the then Senate Committee on Environment headed by the current Senate President, Senator BukolaSaraki in July 2014.

UNEP recommended that “Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) should conduct a comprehensive review of its assets in Ogoniland, including a thorough test of the integrity of current oilfield infrastructure” with a view to developing an “Asset Integrity Management Plan for Ogoniland.”
It also required the oil giant to map out a comprehensive decommissioning plan and also specify risk levels, inspection routines and maintenance schedules for assets it wants to retain and communicate same to the Ogoni people.
Shell was also asked to carry out an environmental due diligence assessment of the plan, prior to the decommissioning plan.

UNEP also called on SPDC to discontinue the then approach of cleaning-up contaminated sites through remediation by enhanced natural attenuation (RENA).
According to UNEP, even SPDCs revised Remediation Management System did not address the issues observed in its assessment.

To address the 22 actions recommended for it in the UNEP report, Shell had in July 2012 requested approval from the federal government to decommission its assets in Ogoniland but it took the past administration 19 months to grant the approval in February 2014.

One of UNEP’s recommendations was for the federal government to secure the environment to ensure easy access for Shell and also end illegal oil-related activities that cause fresh spills.
But four years after the report was released, the federal government has not been able to provide adequate security in Ogoniland to ensure that Shell and other stakeholders carry out effective environmental restoration actions as recommended by UNEP.

Despite the challenges, SPDC-operated joint venture has been able to close out 16 out of the 22 actionable plans recommended by UNEP on Ogoniland and is currently working on the remaining six recommendations.
Buhari’s audacious effort

President Buhari recently took the bull by the horns when he delegated the Vice President to kick off the clean-up of the area at an event, which took place at Bodo in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In an address read on his behalf by the Vice President, Buhari warned that his administration would no longer condone crude theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta.

The President also charged the regulators in the oil and gas industry to live up to their responsibility by discharging their duties effectively.

“The current oil theft and illegal refining will not be tolerated. The regulators in the oil industry must live up to expectations. They must ensure that oil companies carry out their operations in line with universal best practices,” he explained.

Buhari said his administration was laying a foundation for change to ensure the safety of the people and promote the rule of law.

He noted that the cleanup of Ogoniland would have sustainable development components that would benefit the people in the areas of diversifying the country’s economy and creating jobs and wealth for the people.
“The methodology of the cleanup will ensure job creation for young people. The agro-allied industries required for processing of agricultural produce will also be put in place,” he added.

In an apparent reference to the approval of the compositions of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees of Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), the president said approval had been given for the setting up of the necessary institutional framework to drive the implementation of the UNEP report.

In his address, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike congratulated the President for taking the bold step by launching the implementation of the report and promised that the state government would provide the necessary platform for all the stakeholders for the smooth implementation of the report.
Wike recalled that the environmental pollution had adversely affected the ecosystem in the Niger Delta.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister for Environment, Ms. Amina Mohammed said the government had taken stock of the work done in the past to commence the restoration of the environment.

According to her, the implementation of the UNEP report would require accountability, genuine partnership and proper representation of the people at the grassroots.

In a remark at the event, the Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner said the UN would support Nigeria to ensure full implementation of the report.

We await to see how serious the government is in their new found commitment to cleanup the world's largest oil spill area.

Telling Nigerians the truth.

Telling Nigerians the truth
Political Restructuring: A Distraction
The bane of Nigerian problem is that we have too many idle politicians created by the PDP regimes. They have no viable means of livelihood except attending political meetings were they receive handouts, which has dried up, participating in all self-proclaimed `leaders of thoughts` fora and issuing statements which boil down to advocating for national conferences, so that, they can warm their bank accounts and play the big men role.
Can Industrialisation be divorced from power and energy supply? Since 1999, the Nigerian Industry has been recording negative growth and our economy has been import driven. Nigeria has been operating a container and generator economy. China is a communist country with a unitary Government, yet the biggest success story. Britain, France are all unitary state but one of the biggest economies in the world. It is not being the Federal Republic that transformed Brazil into the 7th largest economy in the world with over 125 000MW of electricity production or Germany to be a powerhouse in Europe, but planning, discipline and the collective ability of the people to stay focused and plan with what they have.
Since 1954, our political elites have focused so much on the political structure of Nigeria rather than focusing on economic transformation. There is no country or continent in this world that has been devastated by wars like Europe,Japan. Yet they are among the first world. Syria and Iraq are at war yet, they have electricity.
The WAEC, NECO, and JAMB results might not be the best parameter to judge educational prowess of any state as we know the corruption, exams malpractices that go on some of these states. Educational advancement is meaningless if not linked with the transformation of our physical environment into clean and habitable communities. Disney world makes more of its revenue from Chinese tourists than Americans.
Let’s not be naively taken in by calls for restructuring coming from the same individuals who’ve always held sway yet did little with huge funds when they themselves were in power (some even have corruption cases against them). Let’s not naively believe that handing over more money to the same cabal will magically develop this country. After all, when states were brimming with money when oil prices were high, what was done?
Ethno-religious conflict in Nigeria is often sponsored, whereas we have enough states in this country to develop every single ethnic group, and to make everyone feel relevant and appreciated if government funds are used correctly rather than diverted. If proper healthcare and education existed in most states, it wouldn’t be so easy to recruit more Nigerians to work and earn a living.
If government funds meant for infrastructural development were properly spent, the government wouldn’t need to use the civil service as a welfare tool: citizens would be self-employed, engaging in all sorts of businesses, autonomously. But we’ve grown accustomed to distorting everything, from public discourse to the economy. The civil service has recruited half-baked individuals for years (all in a bid to mask rising unemployment), it is often incapable of delivering on government objectives, even when governors are well-intentioned.
It’s definitely more important, at this time, to recover stolen funds, plug loopholes and opportunities for corruption than to restructure the federation: this will be the inexorable conclusion of our march towards progress but it is neither feasible nor desirable in our current context. Calls for restructuring are a political distraction: let’s not fall for it

The Lagos Ibadan expressway accident

19 killed in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident.

At least 19 people died on Sunday in a ghastly auto crash along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

A witness said the accident occurred at about 1.00 p.m. at Fidiwo/Ajebo axis of the busy expressway. It involved a fuel-loaded truck with registration number RAN 571 XA which attempted to overtake a truck carrying Dangote cement with registration number AJG 40 XA.

The truck fuel truck collided with an 18-seater bus, registration number AGL 373 XR, heading towards Lagos. The accident occurred at a point of diversion of vehicles on the road, considered the busiest inter-state road in Nigeria.

All the 18 passengers in the bus and the driver died on the spot, the witness said.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident and the casualty.

Mr. Akinbiyi said the cement truck was also damaged in the crash. He said an on-going repair along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway necessitated the road diversion at the point of the crash.

14.1 billion bailout fund for Cross River.

I wonder when the government will realise that this bail out fund is misused in several states. There are no monitoring teams to ensure funds from the federal pocket is used properly for what it is intended for.

The Cross River Executive Council has given approval for the state to access another N1.4bn bailout from the federal government.

The Finance Commissioner, Asuquo Ekpenyong, who disclosed this to newsmen in Calabar shortly after an emergency Exco session chaired by the Deputy Governor, Professor Ivara Esu, approved that memo be raised to access the loan facility.

Ekpenyong said “State government will access the N14.1 billion fund available to each state of the federation from the federal government in order to support developmental projects in the state.

“It is no longer news that the economic realities are tough nationwide and as we witnessed last month, we had a negative statutory allocation from the federal government. Thus, the Budget Support facility.”

“We have now being granted access to the sum of N14.1 billion which will help to smoothen and stabilize the expenses of state governments. And this was as a result of the outcome of that meeting (with Finance Minister Adeosun) led to the emergency Exco to get approval for us as a state to access this funding from the Federal Government,” Ekpenyong said.

He further disclosed that the terms for facility include “a tenure of ten years, a concessionary interest rate of 9 percent as well as a 1 year moratorium which will really help the state.”

According to him, what the federal government has done by setting up these stringent terms is to ensure fiscal discipline and added that the facility will be disbursed within a period of 12 months.

The Commissioner for finance said “For the first three months, the state will receive N1.3 billion and then N1.1 billion for the remaining 9 months of the year.”

He said arrangements have been concluded to approach the State House of Assembly to get clearance and an issuance of a resolution so as to support the exco’s documentation.

Use Nigerians! We have the Talents

After reading the MANAGING Director/CEO, Engineering Automation Technology Limited (EATECH), Mr. Emmanuel Okon speech about local content and the international oil and gas companies I have been nodding my head in agreement it is sad not just sad Infact a show of wickedness  that international oil and gas companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria are still stifling attempts by indigenous service firms to take full advantage of the Local Content Law in the country. After the 2010 signed bill. It is true and can't be denied,  I for one hold a Masters in oil and gas management and am still submitting CVs waiting for that oil company or servicing firm to look my way.

In 2010, the Nigeria government had signed into law the Nigerian Content Development Act (popularly called local content law). The law made it mandatory for the use of indigenous oil service firms and personnel in all projects exe­cuted in the country in a bid to halt capital flight, boost indigenous manpower and capabilities of local firms.

Okon, whose company is involved in engineering designs and fabrication proj­ects for international oil firms told Sunday Sun that the essence of the law has been sabotaged by some of the international oil firms in Nigeria. “When the government signed the Nigerian Content Bill into law, the talk all over the place was that the Nige­rian firms won’t have the capacity to take advantage of the law,” said Okon.

“But it didn’t take long for us (local firms) to prove that we had the capacity and the expertise. Now this is what is hap­pening these days: you now find a situation where the foreign firms are the ones that are afraid of the competencies of the local firms, I can confirm that to you. And they are working against local companies,” he added.

Okon also spoke on why he floated his company, the challenges posed by adulter­ated fuel and how government can boost the productivity of local firms in the oil and gas industry. Excerpts:

What is happening to the lo­cal content law?

I am an ardent supporter of the local content law in the oil and gas sector. In fact, I am one of those Nigerians that strongly advocated that more Nigerians should be empowered to tap effectively or partici­pate in greater numbers in the business of the oil and gas industry. That idea of an in­dustry that is dominated by foreign firms, foreign personnel, foreign banks, foreign underwriters, and foreign contractors had a lot of demerits. The capital flight alone that is associated with it does more harm to the economy than you could ever imag­ine. I am against an industry that is left in the hands of foreigners. So you can under­stand how excited I was when the Nigerian Content Bill became a law. I knew we had a good policy in place. I knew we would soon have that level of Nigerian human ex­pertise we never had before in the history of the industry because more local firms would now have access to more jobs. But when the whole implementation started, it soon became evident that in all sincerity, we needed to remember that some people (the foreign firms) originally owned this industry; they owned the technology, they owned the capital, and they also owned the bulk of the human expertise. In fact, you won’t in any way be incorrect if you say they owned everything in an industry we just woke up and said we want to localize.

Now, you ask yourself the question, if you were them (the foreigners) doing busi­ness in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry for over 50 years and enjoying a monopoly of almost everything and suddenly the coun­try wakes up and talks about local content law and that they want to be partakers, they want to be major stakeholders, and they want an increase in local personnel and technology, and of what goes in and comes out of the business, let us be hon­est with ourselves, it will not be so easy to just let go like that without some form of resistance. That is where we are right now. The greatest challenge that local firms like ours is now battling is the resistance from the founders or the original owners of the industry in the country. They are resisting the policy that seeks to make it mandatory for local Nigerian companies and man­power to have a more stakes in oil and gas contracts or projects done in the country. Nigerians are very smart, highly skilled, and committed whenever you give them the opportunity to work. And their fear (the foreign firms) is that we are doing excel­lently well in those projects that we have so far been allowed to do. You can ask other local firms bidding for projects in the in­dustry and they will also share their experi­ences with you.

Are you talking from experi­ence?

The history of Engineering Automation Technology Limited is one that revolves around a drive to boost Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry. In 2007, we had to set up this company as a 100 per cent Nige­rian company to bid for engineering, pro­curement, construction, installation, and maintenance services projects in the oil and gas industry. It was one way of also creat­ing jobs and developing human capital of locals in some of these technical aspects of the jobs in the industry. And we have been very remarkable in the realization of our initial vision of not just providing engi­neering service, but achieving it by way of giving out technical leadership and capac­ity building through what I call a continual improvement approach. I told you earlier how excited I was with the passage of the Nigerian content act into law. Indeed, we have doing well, representing the Nigerian content well in all the projects that we have done in the industry so far. You know the foreign multinationals are the ones that give out most of these projects to the local firms. But the tide is beginning to change. I told you earlier, they are beginning to be scared of some of us. Now, let me also tell you that I have a case that I have reported to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Nigerian Content Devel­opment and Monitoring Board where a particular foreign operator in this country woke up overnight and without any just care opr no cause at all excluded our com­pany from a list that is capable of talking pout us out of a business.

And we have asked this foreign com­pany, we have asked their middle man­agement staff, their top management staff, what have we done wrong? what is the cri­teria for getting us out of the list? We have asked this question for the past two months, but we have not gotten any answer. Rather, this particular foreign firm, they have gone ahead writing letters to their major con­tractors not to allow us render any further services in an ongoing contract which we have signed. It is subtle way of easing a local firm out of business. And this is the kind of thing you find happening now in the industry. This foreign operator knows that we are doing very well and that if they don’t do type of thing that they are doing they will not be able to bring us down at the rate at which we are going. What they did was to issue a list and exclude our name from it – simple. So that is the challenge that we are now facing. They wake up and they strike you out. The foreign operators are working against local companies. The Nigerian content law has come to stay and they cannot win the war they are waging against local firms because we have vowed to fight them within the confines of the law and of best practices.

Why do people adulterate products?

When people adulterate products, it is not as if it cannot be detected, but the problem is that some of the laid down procedures to check adulteration is simply not followed. The importers, the filling station owners, the other operators don’t pass through the right process. The proce­dure, if you go through DPR guidelines, is that you will discover that these products should be tested at the point of entry at which they are brought into the country; it should also be tested before they leave that point to be loaded into the trucks; should be tested after loading to ensure that it is still of the right specification and not adulter­ated. But what you don’t control is what happens when the trucks leave the depot. If the petrol station owner wants to adul­terate then the people at the depots cannot help. So I think it is at this point that the regulators have to do more work. But if all the procedures are followed I think that the issue of adulteration would be eliminated in the country. The facilities or technology that we are bringing in can detect adultera­tion by 100 per cent. I must also not fail to state this that as part of the Campaign introducing high-end products and cutting edge technologies, we have concluded ar­rangement to introduce superior alternative to “flash point” test for refined petroleum products. I am therefore appealing to the DPR to grant approval for us to demon­strate this technology in a private presenta­tion before unveiling to the general public. The benefits of this alternative method include but not limited to; Front-end elimi­nation of impurities and improved fuel quality. Engine Efficiency Improvement, Mitigation of health risks to human and environment.

Not that Nigerians or the industry know nothing about these equipments. But the associated problem is in the maintenance once they get spoilt. We have a lot of such issues where when equipment is spoilt, you find out that the owners will usually keep it in laboratories and make them look like objects in museum.

But that ought not to be so. Whatever the case, in the oil and gas industry where it cost a lot to invest in equipment, people should be able to have the guarantee of commissioning and of repairs as well as after sales support, maintenance and cali­bration. But what usually happens is that if people have a problem with an equip­ment, they will look for money to take it back abroad for maintenance. There is nowhere to do the after sale services in Nigeria. They have to send it back to Europe; doing that entails passing through the Customs, having it air freighted, and looking for the foreign exchange (forex) to get through with all these remains a huge challenge these days. In our own line, we have stepped in to fix all these in the country. We have trained our people to repair and maintain and you cannot take this knowl­edge away from them. We are dropping capital flight and helping to develop in-country capacity. No matter the level of technology, no matter the sophistication, they will still be manned by human being. It is important that the local firms in the industry continue to invest in manpower development because this is the key for a future vibrant oil and gas industry in Nigeria .

What efforts are being made to stem sales of adulterated fuel?

Recently, we have partnered with two United Kingdom based firms (Cygnus Instruments Limited and Stanhope-Seta Limited) to launch into the Nigerian market new technologies that will assist in detecting poor quality fuels and lubricants in Nigeria’s oil, gas, motoring and aviation sectors. We had to bring in this sophisticated technologies into Nigeria because we realize that at a time like this when the cost of fuel had gone up following the full deregulation of the downstream sector, it was important consumers paid for the right quality of fuel they purchased at retail outlets. Let us take the aviation sector where all of us know that there is no parking space in the air and that no matter the quality and the integrity of the aircraft engine, any impurity in the aircraft fuel is capable of bringing it down and killing the entire crew and passengers. It is in order to avert that type of risk, that we have decided to bring in the technology that can tell you, look this fuel is bad, it is not of the right quality, it has a high level of impurity, and it can destroy the aircraft. When people adulterate, it is not as if it cannot be detected, but we don’t pass through the right process, and we don’t have the right equipment.

The UK companies have the technology for the testing of the in­tegrity of aviation fuels, lubricating oils, crude and heavy fuel oils, and motor fuels to ensure that there is no compromise that can lead to human casualties. And the technologies can also mitigate and manage corrosion. We also sealed a deal with the UK firms that al­lowed for the training of many Nigerians in the repair, service, and maintenance of these equipment. If you bring in the equipment and they are not well serviced, calibrated and maintained, it will even give you wrong results. So we have also worked with the original equipment manufacturers to gain the same competence as they do. We have also gotten the authorization and approval as in-country authorized service centre for these products. And what that implies is that Nigerians don’t need to send the equipment back to the man­ufacturer the UK for services, maintenance, repairs and revalida­tion and calibration. Any of the upstream or downstream oil firm, or the airlines can call us and we validate or maintain any of the equipment whenever they get spoilt. We are also boosting human capacity by training these Nigerians. We are dropping capital flight and helping to develop in-country capacity. That means we are saving a lot of foreign exchange for the country and I believe you know the challenge of sourcing for forex these days in the country. The objective is to mitigate or completely eliminate compromise in terms of corrosion or the quality of fuel or lubricants used in the tank farms, depots, cars, trucks, and aircraft, in this sensitive industry. Our partnerships and collaborations have been carefully packaged to achieve more than 50 per cent market penetration in the next two years. But in order to jumpstart this laudable but ambitious pursuit, two service centres for the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are already operational in Port Harcourt.

Previously, companies that bought any of these products and brought them into the country usually had difficulties repairing them once they got spoilt. They usually kept the spoilt machine in their laboratories and make them look like objects in museum.

What we have done now is that those who buy the equipment now have the guarantee of commissioning and of repairs as well as after sales support, maintenance and calibration.

What is the future of the industry?

The destiny or the future of the oil and gas industry lies with Ni­gerians. We own the country, we know the inherent challenges, we feel the pains the most, and we alone can really say with all honesty, “this is how to solve these problems.” But we must work extra hard to get all these challenges behind us and build an industry that is befitting of our status. Now people always ask this question “when will we really start manufacturing some of the equipment that we are using in the industry.” Well, the best answer to that question of getting these equipment manufactured in Nigeria is that you have to start from somewhere. Great thanks to the local content law. I told you that some local firms are doing a lot in the industry. Now, in our own case we have taken the first step, and that is that we can assemble most of the equipment and also service them. You know in life, you don’t just come into existence and then start running as a child. As a new born child, you start first by learning how to crawl, then you start the process of standing up, and then the next stage is the courage to take the first step of learning how to walk. After learning and mastering how to walk, you can now talk about running. In Nigeria, the stage we are now is the crawling stage. All our personnel have been to the factories where these equipment are manufactured in the UK, and they have passed through all the trainings in the assembly stages at these foreign factories .

Buhari identifies Nigeria's problem. Will he put an end to it?

Before the boom I remember in Obasanjo's regime oil was between 9 dollars per barrel and 15 dollars and even at that there was still enough for him to embezzle dollar wasn't raising furiously, it didn't clock near 200 Nigerian Naira. We witnessed the reform in Telecom we can give OBJ that credit. I am not probing any past government rather am driving at the president constantly bemoaning oil price and corruption.
But I commend Mr President for identifying the Nigerian problems, my people say that the first step to a cure is to identify the illness.

President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed Nigeria’s problems with corruption and inefficiency on the oil boom which occurred in the 1970s, while admitting that it also had some positive effects on the country. The Nigerian president has also highlighted three changes the present administration is driving towards, in order to reposition Nigeria for inclusive growth.

In an article by Buhari featured in The Wall Street Journal, he listed several problems affecting the country, and proffered three solutions to them. He also mentioned that one of the main successes his administration has recorded since he assumed office about a year ago, has been to unite regional and global allies to push back Boko Haram.

The following are excerpts from Muhammadu Buhari’s article stating the three changes he proffered as solutions to Nigeria’s many problems:

Restore trust

“We have begun to tackle the endemic corruption and mismanagement that is crippling our economy and corroding trust in our institutions. The anti-corruption fight is at the heart of combating poverty and improving security. We have stepped up enforcement and new prosecutions to get our house in order, and I have called for foreign governments to work with us to identify where funds stolen during previous administrations are lodged and for multi-state cooperation to combat oil theft.”

“Fighting corruption is not enough. We need an accountable government and a public sector that can do more with less. We have already taken initial steps by bringing all government finances into a single treasury account where we can monitor spending and impose discipline, implementing zero-based budgets and benchmarks targeted at waste and fraud, and establishing electronic platforms for government agency interface.”

Rebalance the economy

“In a world of lower oil prices and dollar revenues, the only sustainable path is to reduce Nigeria’s over-reliance on imports. We must rebalance our economy by empowering entrepreneurs and producers, big and small, to create more of what their fellow Nigerians demand. The supply of foreign exchange to the economy must be increased. This requires radically increasing exports and productivity and improving the investment climate and ease of doing business.”

“Nigeria’s growth and job creation will be led by the private sector. We are a young, entrepreneurial society with vibrant success stories in new industries such as telecommunications, technology and entertainment. Government is doing its part to lower taxes on small businesses, eliminate bureaucracy to bring the informal economy out of the shadows and provide development funding for priority sectors such as agriculture. The Central Bank has moved to introduce greater flexibility in our exchange-rate policy. These actions are a down payment on our people’s ability to succeed.”

Regenerate growth

“We must reposition our economy by attracting investment in domestic industries and infrastructure. Nigeria has huge untapped gas reserves and also a critical shortage of electricity. Our private sector loses too much of its revenue due to brownouts and power outages. Half of my fellow Nigerians have no access to the power grid. Investment in our power infrastructure, restructuring of the state-run oil-and-gas sector and development of other industries such as solid minerals, metals and petrochemicals will help to create a virtuous circle of growth and exports while creating jobs and reducing poverty.”

“I am optimistic that our actions are providing the breathing room Nigeria needs during this period of fundamental change. But we cannot improve living conditions and restore fiscal health without making people feel safe and secure—just as we cannot defeat militancy without reducing poverty and dislocation.”

We now await the reformation from the Buhari era. Nigerians have invested so much in his rise to power, putting aside the devil the know, for a self acclaimed angel. Some trekked from Lagos to Abuja, others gave money, some a strong vehement campaign to enthrone Buhari. Little so far has been done in one year. I do not expect a miracle, but when you run your mouth I think you should have follow up actions to back up.