5 Best Mobile Phones In The World Today

We’ve all got at least one mobile phone each, right? The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best one for you?
When deciding on a budget phone, it can be a nightmare trying to decide which one to go for. Is it power? Name? Specs? Or just a low price tag attached to a phone that doesn’t go bananas when you prod it?
Well, this is where we make it easy.
Number 5 Google Nexus 4
Google and LG have worked together to bring to market a fantastic offering, one that even Apple fans can’t help but coo over when they hear the price.
The fact of the matter is that this is a handset with world class specs – yet it’s at a cost you’d expect to get a budget phone for. Sure, there are a few things that could have been done better, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
The Nexus 4 is beautifully designed with a stunning display and rocking the latest version of Android. It has more connectivity than a telephone exchange and even excels in the simple matter of making calls.
We’re not fans of the lower memory allowance, and it’s not got the best screen on the market, and there will be a few that see stock Android 4.2 as too stripped-down to consider it a valid phone OS choice; more a platform for the big hitters to build on.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fantastic handset, it would have competed even without the insanely low price tag.
Quick verdict
Make no mistake, this is the best Nexus handset so far by a long shot. We love it and can’t recommend it highly enough.
It was a contender for the top spot at launch, although it’s fallen just short ahead of intense competition. If you’re due a new phone and aren’t willing to spend the big bucks, you should check the Google Nexus 4 out without delay.
Nexus 4

Number 4: iPhone 5
Did you see this one coming? The iPhone 5 now behind three other Android phones in our rankings? Some think it should be higher, some think lower, it depends on your level of Apple love.
Never has a company polarised opinion in the smartphone world like Apple, and with the iPhone 5, so many are quick to decry it while others know it to be the smartphone they’ve been waiting for.
And let’s make no bones about it: this is a stunning phone, with a gorgeous two-tone finish, a high-res screen that’s been extended to four inches and an efficient yet powerful core.
The iOS 6 update is a good one, and while some feel it to be ageing slightly, many see it as doing exactly what they want, and given Apple has built it smartphone reputation on simplicity, this makes sense.
However, it’s not all cookies and cream for Apple, as it’s ditched the Google Maps app for something that’s not as slick or well-stocked in its own Maps app, which had some issues at birth. However, it’s certainly picked up more recently, and you can just download Google Maps anyway if you don’t want to take the risk.
The main problem we have with this phone, spec list aside, is the fact the iPhone 5 is STILL very expensive. We’re not sure how such sky high prices can be charged when equivalent smartphones are available on the market.
Quick verdict
Let’s not beat around the bush here: the iPhone 5 is still one of the great smartphones in the world thanks to a great package of technology, design and UI intuition.
iOS definitely needs an update, and we’ll always hope for a price decrease soon, but there’s no doubt the competition is starting to outstrip Apple’s bullet-proof reliability and simplicity of use.

iPhone 5


Number 3: Sony Xperia Z
Sony’s new handset is most definitely the most impressive the firm has launched either in its current guise or as Sony Ericsson. The latest handset should always be the best, obviously, but the Xperia Z is a real, real step forward.
You can see the Sony influence throughout the handset as it oozes quality and build from the large screen, which fits close to the edges of the bezel, to the intelligent camera that allows you to snap some really premium photos without needing to fiddle about with the settings.
And it’s water and dust resistant too, which makes it excellent for general life business. There’s a certain freedom that comes from knowing that the heart-stopping moment of your phone falling in a pint of beer is gone for good.
It’s also packing a microSD card slot in an impossibly thin chassis, for which we laud the phone even higher. Add to that the Bravia Engine 2, which can upscale standard definition movies and bring your content to life, and you’ve got a real matchwinning phone in your hands.
There will be an outcry from many that wonder how it’s managed to climb above the iPhone, we deliberated for a long time between the two, but the fact is that spec for spec, the Xperia Z beats the iPhone 5 down.
It’s not all about the numbers though, which is why the fact the Xperia Z uses those specs so well – a crisper video experience, a more powerful camera, being waterproof, expandable memory gives it the boost it needed to enter the top three.
Quick verdict
While it doesn’t quite pack the clout of the phones from HTC and Samsung, the Xperia Z is a phone that says Sony is definitely back at the sharp end of the smartphone game.
There’s still (a small amount of) room for improvement, as the screen can look a bit washed out from some angles, but there’s no doubt that if Sony keeps us this pace it will be vying for the top spot in no time at all, we just don’t know what Sony will call it.

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia Z
Number 2: Samsung Galaxy S4
All change at the top! Samsung managed to hold off HTC at the top in 2012, but this year the supreme stylings of the HTC One proved too strong against a phone that’s a slightly-better-version of its predecessor.
Well, that’s not really fair, it’s only in looks that it’s too similar, and sadly that was one of the biggest issues most users had with the S3. It’s not the world’s biggest smartphone crime, but it’s enough to keep it from the top spot.
There’s a lot, a lot, to love with the Samsung Galaxy S4 though: whether it’s a powerful camera, a brilliant screen, a long-lasting battery or just a fluid experience, there’s everything you could want in a smartphone right here.
The cost is a tad higher than on other smartphones, but thankfully still cheaper than iPhone level. If only it was made out of something a little more premium.
Quick verdict
There’s no doubt that this is one of the best smartphone ever made. It’s clear, powerful and does everything we’d expect a flagship phone from Samsung to do.
It’s just a shame that the perceived ‘innovation’ doesn’t really add anything: motion gestures, smart scroll and it’s other non-contact bedfellows didn’t take smartphones to the next level, which is what we needed in the face of Ultrapixels and BoomSound.
Make no mistake though: you’ll love the Samsung Galaxy S4 if you choose to go for it, as it’s an amazing phone with some really cutting-edge features.

Samsung Galaxy S4


Number 1: HTC One
Well, here’s something of a shock if you’re a Samsung fan, after nearly two years of dominance, the Korean brand has fallen from the top spot.
It’s nothing to do with the quality of the S4, an outstanding phone in anyone’s book, but more the fact HTC has managed to bring out a smartphone that’s worthy of any user’s consideration.
The supreme aluminium chassis, the Full HD screen and the simplified version of Sense 5.0 sitting on top of Android Jelly Bean means it’s a pleasure to use and recommend this handset.
The new innovations are also pleasingly more than just marketing gimmicks; Zoe functionality allows the creation of delightful video highlight reels, and the Ultrapixel camera means you’ve got a much wider range of shots available thanks to being stunning in low light.
The only reason this isn’t a five star phone is the slightly off-key battery, which can leak juice if you’re power-creating videos or watching reams of video, but for day to day use it will be acceptable for most. We’ve also got high hopes a recent software update could have solved this little conundrum as well, meaning you could see another five star phone enter the fray shortly.
Quick Verdict
With power, poise and beauty all combined in this innovative phone, HTC has proved it can more than still cut it with the big boys when it comes to bringing out a lust-worthy flagship smartphone – and it’s also proved that it still knows how to beat Samsung into second place in the phone world too.
HTC One

“At last I have killed poverty in my life” –– SAKA, Hafiz Oyetoro

Hafiz Oyetoro’s controversial move from Etisalat to MTN as a brand face seems to have changed his fortune for good and he has also confirmed it.

“To the glory of God, level don change. Let me put it like that. I believe that in the nearest future, level will finally change. But now, level don dey change. I have murdered poverty and God has finally murdered it for me. I am no longer poor, but very comfortable.”

The lady he wanted to marry rejected him because of poverty but today his story has changed…

Oyetoro, who has also established himself as an actor and a popular face on TV, also recently stirred the scene. This is courtesy of his ‘shocking’ appearance in the MTN’s I don port advert, a commercial that many have described as an excellent one – not minding the fact that some believe it is a below-the-belt jab for Etisalat, the telecoms company for which he worked as an advertising model for some time.

Ever since Oyetoro’s crossover, in which he is required to lead a major advertising campaign to drive the network portability initiative by Nigerian Communication Commission, Nigerians have not stopped talking about him and his amazing rise to fame and riches. The deal is believed to be worth about N20m, which is enough to give the hardworking and self-effacing actor a clean break from poverty. But while the man himself has declined to comment on the positive twist in his fortune, he was recently quoted in THE NEWS as saying that he had finally conquered poverty.
In a telephone interview with Punch, SAKA said he was not ready to talk about his new contract with the telecommunications company. “For now, I don’t want to say anything. I promise you that I will talk at the appropriate time,” he said.

But when asked if his new responsibilities as a brand ambassador for MTN would not clash with his job at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, he replied, “I am a responsible civil servant. My duty is to teach other people’s children well, just as I would expect others to teach mine. So I cannot abandon my job. I assure you, everything has been taken care of.”
A few years ago, little was known about Oyetoro.
Although he studied Theatre Arts at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ago Iwoye worked as a part-time lecturer at the Olabisi Onabanjo University before moving to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education in Ijanikin, Oyetoro remained relatively obscure for a long while.
In those days, he managed to appear in a few insignificant theatre productions, in which he played mostly comic roles. It took a while before the qualities that would raise him a notch higher than most of his peers began to manifest.
First, Nollywood came calling with an opportunity to establish himself as a regular face on the lighted screen. Oyetoro, who was burning up with a desire to prove himself, had to grab it. Still, a few years later and with appearances in hundreds of Nollywood films to his credit, he was far from hitting the limelight.
Then another opportunity presented itself. This time, it came from Centrespread, an advertising agency. The agency wanted him to be their model for its advertising campaigns with Etisalat. The deal clicked and Oyetoro’s transformation began in earnest. That was when, for the purpose of the campaigns, he assumed a new identity: he became known ‘Saka’, a character that he helped create in 2004 for a TV comedy series titled ‘House A-part’.
Eventually, Oyetoro became the face of Etisalat campaigns. Within a short time, Saka had become a household name and Oyetoro could look forward to a brighter future free of the clutches of poverty.
In an interview published on the Internet, the actor cum lecturer admitted that he was involved in a bitter struggle against poverty for a long time.
Hear him: “Poverty was my friend and family for a long time. As you sit with me here side by side, that was how I was sitting with poverty in the past. There was a lady who disqualified me because I didn’t have a car. But, thank God, I eventually got a wife who genuinely loves me and who I genuinely love.”

Houses more expensive on Banana Island than London

High cost of property on Banana Island reinforces Lagos’ position as one of the most expensive cities in the world, SAMUEL AWOYINFA reports

A serene environment. Well-laid out streets. Undiluted breeze from the sea.  Good lighting  and other facilities that make life comfortable… All have combined to make Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos one of the most expensive areas to acquire a landed property in the country, nay the world.

 The ‘island’, which derives its name from the banana-shaped landscape, is approximately 1,630,000 square metres in size – less than a square mile. It is divided into 536 plots.

Landed property is even more expensive here than in some other parts of developed world such as the United Kingdom and South Africa, thus buttressing the various surveys that say Lagos is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

An investigation by our correspondent shows that Banana Island is, indeed, for the big players who have more than enough money to afford the luxury of life it offers.

 Both the luxury flats and even lands being offered for sale by developers attract staggering prices.  While a three-bedroom flat costs as much as N248m, a four-bedroom counterpart can go for as much as N3.5bn, depending on the facilities it offers.

Ironically, in  some parts of London, with all its international prestige, a four-bedroom flat goes for between N86.1m (£350,000)   and N3.46bn (£10m). In Johannesburg and Capetown, South Africa, such can be obtained for between N20.2m (R1,190,000) and N40.8million (R2,400,000).

Current exchange rate of N246 to a Pound Sterling and N17 to the South African Rand was used as the yardstick to arrive at the Naira equivalent.

Part of the irony is also that there is a tested mortgage facility the buyer enjoys in London and other developed places, whereas in Nigeria, this is almost non-existent as it is a system of cash-and-carry.

In some highbrow areas of London, including Notting Hill and Chelsea, however, four and seven-bedroom flats sell for N3.45bn (£14m) and N4.5bn (£22m).

Yet on Banana Island, a four-bedroom pent houses at the waterfront go for N3.5bn each. While a three-bedroom flat complete with three bathrooms, attracts N900m.

It is not only fully-built houses that attract such a staggering amount. Even virgin lands that are being put up for sale are very expensive.

A land area covering 19,000 square metres is, for instance, listed for sale for N5bn while the least available costs N250m on land area covering 1,100 square metres. There are others:  N370m for a parcel of land covering 1,800 square metres; N280m for a piece covering 1,527 square metres, and N900m for a total land area covering 6,000 square metres.

The consolation, however, is that at  Banana Island, residents are provided with world-class utilities,  including underground electrical systems (versus the overhead cabling common throughout Lagos), an underground water supply network, a central sewage system and treatment plant as well as street lighting and satellite telecommunications networks.

It is no longer news that many influential Nigerians and companies have found a home on this island of affluence.  Among offices of other business organisations, the headquarters of one of the telecommunications companies, Etisalat,  is located on this island.

In this digital age, Banana Island’s fame has spread to the social media. For instance, our correspondent, on Monday, watched a documentary on its fortunes on Youtube. While this provides an opportunity for its admirers to further savour its beauty, however, some people have also exploited the media to criticise the expensive paradise it seems to represent.

Omarie Combs, on his Youtube account, describes the staggering amount being used to acquire property there as crazy.

“My uncle recently moved to Banana Island from Toronto, Canada. I believe he got the land and the mansion for N600m.

“Nigerians have the best houses in the world. Trust me, I have been to most of these areas. It’s crazy and it’s worth millions of dollars,” he writes.

In his account, Martins Major says it is amazing that such an exclusive haven can be found in a country regarded as a ‘declining one.’ He adds that the beauty of some houses on Banana Island “cannot be compared to some houses in the United Kingdom.”

How To End A Relationship In A Mature Manner.

Breaking up with someone you love can be one of the toughest emotional struggles you’ll go through. How have you handled breakups in the past? What can you do to minimize pain for the other person and yourself?
I’ve been on quite an emotional ride recently. What has been weighing heavily on my heart and mind involves a slice from my personal life. Without going into details, Adam, my partner for the past year, and I have decided to part ways. We will remain good friends.
The past three weeks have been a tremendously painful period, feelings of empathy mixed with remorse and guilt. The impulse to burst into tears would hit me sporadically throughout the day.

When I first wrote about the art of keeping a relationship, my friend Pete Forde suggested that perhaps people could also benefit from an article on how to end a relationship. I noted his brilliant suggestion without further thought. Little did I know, this would become the center of my experience a month later.
This being a sensitive topic, I had a tough time finding genuine and in-depth resources online. My goal here is to capture the understanding and wisdom I’ve gained from going through this event, and to perhaps be of help or a point of clarity for your life story.
Source:Think Simple Now

Check Out This Piece On President Jonathan In The UK Guardian

The piece sums up President Goodluck Jonathan’s 3 years in office as president of Nigeria, written by UK Guardian’s Remi Adekoya. See it below…
Nigerians had no rational reason to believe their lives would improve after Goodluck Jonathan became president three years ago this week. The list of promises their rulers have broken is so long it would make a virgin cynical. But then Nigerians can be stubbornly optimistic.
When Jonathan first appeared on the political scene in 2007, when Nigeria’s then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, announced him as the running-mate of his party’s next presidential candidate, Musa Yar’Adua, many mythologised the good fortune that seemed linked to Jonathan’s first name. And so, when Yar’Adua died in 2010 from heart disease and Jonathan was handed the most coveted job in Nigeria, many voters believed good luck had come to Nigeria. Were they right?
Nigeria’s economy has averaged an impressive 7% annual growth since 2010. Fiscal policy is responsible. The country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of roughly 18% and a budget deficit of under 3%, levels Europe would be delighted with today. This is largely thanks to finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former World Bank managing director. But Jonathan deserves praise for not intefering.
Still, his end-of-year report is not spotless. While the economy is booming, precious little wealth trickles down to the poor. Jonathan must be more energetic about changing that. The electricity supply is erratic, so businesses and individuals spend fortunes on generators and diesel. This in one of the world’s biggest oil exporters. Things have improved since 2010, but far too tepidly: Jonathan only gets a C minus.
Infrastructure also remains a problem. Without a modern road network, doing business in Nigeria will remain prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging. Nigeria is a federation: individual states play a big role here. In the richer, well-governed states such as Lagos, where the commercial capital city is located, progress is visible. But Jonathan needs to do more to facilitate modernism in poorer states: he gets a C.
On healthcare, Jonathan gets an F. If a Nigerian gets cancer today and can’t afford private treatment, he will die. Even obtaining aspirin in a public hospital can prove impossible.

Education is particularly problematic: tens of millions of Nigerians are illiterate. Most cannot afford an education: without government assistance, thus far feeble, they will remain intellectual invalids. Nigeria’s rulers need to understand that a country is not respected because of the number of oil barrels it sells, but because of the quality of citizen it produces: F.
Jonathan’s record on corruption is a disgrace. A recent report from the US State Department was spot on when it cited “massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affecting all levels of government”.
Asked to disclose his assets, the man whose parents couldn’t afford shoes refused. For emphasis, he said he “doesn’t give a damn” what anybody thinks about it. The Council of States, led by Jonathan, meanwhile pardoned his former boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who had been convicted of money-laundering.
On security, Jonathan has dithered. Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist group, has killed thousands on his watch, while he seems unsure whether to use crushing force or grant “amnesty” (read: bribes), as he has offered. Boko Haram laughed in his face. It is Jonathan’s government that should plead for amnesty, it has suggested.
In a country where the rule of law remains a dream, Jonathan’s message is terrible: he is, in effect, saying: “Prove to us you are strong enough to make our lives difficult and we’ll give you a share of the pie.” How can a president expect loyalty from his citizens if he appears to lack the power to protect them?
It’s no easy job running a country that is half-Christian, half-Muslim, underdeveloped and home to some 250 ethnic groups. Some say Jonathan is too weak for the job. But you don’t have to be a great man to be a great president, as long as you are clever enough to you surround yourself with wise advisers, possess the intelligence to process information and have a steadfast desire to improve things for your people.
I personally don’t deny that Jonathan some good intentions. But he is hostage to the powerful interests that catapulted him to the top. Ultimately though, he is Mr President, which gives him some pretty sharp fangs. If he wants to be remembered fondly, he should start baring those fangs in the interest of his people. Otherwise, he might as well call it quits in 2015, and spare us a second term. Nigeria has a lot of catching up to do. There is no time to waste.

FG releases $3.7bn, targets 20,000MW

Vice-President Namadi Sambo on Sunday said efforts were being made to wheel about 20,000 megawatts of electricity for the country to improve power transmission.

A statement by the vice-president’s spokesman, Mr. Umar Sani, quoted Sambo as saying this during a meeting he held with members of the Nigerian-Canadian Association in Toronto, Canada.

Sambo said to achieve the feat, the government had last week approved the release of $3.7bn for the power sector.

“The Federal Government last week approved the sum of $3.7bn to improve power transmission so as to wheel 20,000MW,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Sambo told the gathering that the present administration was committed to the provision of necessary infrastructure.

He added that efforts were being intensified in the areas of power supply, transportation, aviation, Information and Communication Technology, agriculture and the provision of affordable healthcare services.

He also said the administration was addressing educational advancement issues with the provision of good governance.

He called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to come home and be part of the new development.

Sambo appreciated their contributions to national development, adding that it was in recognition of the contributions that a Diaspora bond of N1bn was set up.

The vice-president urged them to key into such a laudable initiative.

Earlier, the association’s President, Mr. Fabian Nwoha, had expressed the desire of the body to contribute positively to the country’s development.

Nwoha, however, said members were holding back due to the reported negative incidences and other vices in Nigeria.

He noted that with the new development being witnessed in the country, citizens in the Diaspora had confidence in the ability of the government to deliver on its promises.

He used the occasion to remind the government of its promise to provide a consular office in Toronto to help ease emerging diplomatic issues.

The Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Dr. Ojo Madueke, said the association represented the future that would import their talent and know-how into the country.

This is the History of fuel price increases in Nigeria.

This is the History of fuel price increases in Nigeria by Aliyu Ibrahim
 Gowon - from 6k to 8.45k
 Murtala - from 8.45k to 9k
 Obasanjo - from 9k to 15.3k
 Shagari - from 15.3k to 20k
 Buhari - from 20k to 20k (Price remain the same)
 Babangida - from 20k to 70k
 Shonekan - from 70k to N5
 Abacha - from N5 to N3.25k (Price drops)
 Abacha - from N3.25k to N15
 Abacha - from N15 to N11 (Price drops)
 Abubakar - from N11 to N25
 Abubakar - from N25 to N20 (Price drops)
 Obasanjo - from N20 to N30
 Obasanjo - from N30 to N22 (Price drops)
 Obasanjo - from N22 to N26
 Obasanjo - from N26 to N42
 Obasanjo - from N42 to N50
 Obasanjo - from N50 to N65
 Obasanjo - from N65 to N75
 Yar'Adua - from N75 to N65 (Price drops)
 Jonathan - (New year present) N141
 Jonathan - (After nationwide strike) N97
 Buhari appears to be the only leader that never touched the price of fuel (Increase
 or decrease).
 YAR'ADUA is the only leader who did not increase the price, rather he reduced the
 pump price from N75 to N65 (RIP).

Transmission infrastructure neglect worsens power supply – Investigation

For many years, successive governments have focused on power generation, neglecting transmission and its infrastructure.

 Disregard for the upgrade and completion of power transmission infrastructure is one of the major problems that have plagued the nation’s power sector, investigations revealed that between 2012 and now, the Federal Government through the Transmission Company of Nigeria has completed no fewer that 21 power transmission projects.

Sixteen of the projects were completed in 2012, while the remaining five were inaugurated this year.

Findings showed that of the projects completed last year, the government spent about 11 years to deliver five transmission infrastructure.

Two out of the five projects, the 2×30/40MVA, 132/33kV substation in Umuahia and the 132kV double circuit line in Alaoji-Umuahia, both in Abia State, were commenced in November 2001, but dragged till May 2012 before they were completed.

The Mbalano-Okigwe 132kV single circuit line in Abia State was started in September 2001, but was completed in November 2012; while the 150MVA, 330/132/33kV transformer and the 330kV bays in Onitsha, Anambra State, and Benin, Edo State, were completed last year though work began on them in May 2001.

A document on transmission projects completed in 2012, obtained exclusively by our correspondent, showed that it took six years for the government to complete the 2x150MVA, 330/132/33kV substations and line bay at Alaoji, Cross River State.

It took four years to complete the 2x30MVA substation at Makeri in Jos, Plateau State; while the rehabilitation of the Sokoto-Talata Mafara 132kV line was done in five years.

The document stated that the government spent three years on the Afam-Port Harcourt 132kV double circuit turning in and out at the Port Harcourt main transmission station.

It disclosed that three years was also spent on the 1x30MVA, 132/33 KV substation at Kwanar Dangora, Kano State, while the fastest of the projects was the “reconductoring” of the Afam-Port Harcourt 132kV line, which was completed in one year.

Four other transmission projects were completed last year, but their commencement dates of operation were not stated by the document.

Within the last four weeks, TCN completed the in-house installation and inauguration of 60MVA, 45MVA and 30MVA, 132/33kV power transformers in Ibadan, Oyo State; Suleja, Niger State; and Akure, Ondo State, respectively.

Also, a 150MVA, 330/132/33kV power transformer provided by the World Bank through the Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s Project Monitoring Unit was installed in collaboration with TCN engineers within the same period in Ibadan.

Only last week, the transmission company announced the inauguration of a 80MVA substation in Tamburawa, Kano State.

However, the dates of commencement of operation of the projects completed this year were not stated in the document.

Meanwhile, top government sources at the Ministry of Power and the TCN said the neglect for power transmission infrastructure by successive governments led to the weak state of the nation’s transmission network.

According to them, the quantum of power being generated in the country is far higher than what the transmission capacity can handle.

The officials explained that previous administrations had focused on power generation, but relegated transmission to the background.

A senior official in the Power ministry, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the subject, told our correspondent in Abuja, “This warranted the poor supply of generated power for TCN lacked the capacity to fully transmit the quantum of electricity generated.

“The good news, however, is that the Federal Executive Council, at its meeting last week, approved an amount running into billions of naira for TCN in order to address this shortfall. In addition to that, the government will get additional money warehoused from the African Development Bank to tackle critical problems of transmission.”

Current nationwide power generation is around 4,000 Megawatts, but the Federal Government has announced plans to bring up the figure to 10,000MW before the end of the year.

The state of nation’s transmission infrastructure has, however, been criticised as being too poor to handle the generated power.

This, according to sources, prompted FEC to approve the sum for the transmission company.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had stated that the massive increase in generation underpinned the need for a robust transmission grid, adding that it was the weakest link in the power equation as it had a wheeling capacity of about 4,000MW.

Nebo said, “With government’s objective to achieve 10,000MW by 2014 and 20,000MW in 2016, the urgent need to expand our transmission capability to evacuate the projected additions becomes imminent.

“A total capital outlay of $3.4bn is required up to 2016 to bring our transmission grid to evacuate all the generated power. Government is working out the funding of TCN’s long term expansion plan from a mix, which will include the Transmission Development Fund, International Development Banks and multinational agencies.”

The minister explained that the available installed generation capacity had risen to 6,000MW, while generation capability had increased to 5,228MW with peak generation slightly above 4,500MW.

“We expect to add additional generation capacity of about 2,200MW from NIPP projects; IPPs, 292MW; and Federal Government of Nigeria legacy assets, 514MW before the end of 2013,” the minister added.

It was also learnt that the Federal Government was investing in large, medium and small hydro plants with total capacity of over 4,234MW in order to boost power generation.

UTME may not hold in troubled northern states

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Wednesday said the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination might not hold in troubled states in the North.

The examination, in which over 1, 735,720 candidates are expected to participate in will hold on Saturday.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. ‘Dibu Ojerinde, said the board “may not hesitate to stop the examination if there is any security problem”.

Responding to a question on security challenges in the country, Ojerinde said, “Yesterday it was a big discussion among some agents as well as JAMB. We believe that things will be all right. You see, we believe that we will surmount the problem.

“If however, there is any problem, we may not hesitate to stop the examination in those areas to the extent that we will now give the children a chance of doing the examination on CBT only.

“If you miss Paper Pencil Test in a challenging area that you cannot do the examination, then you will have to do the next one and that will have to be as from May 18.

“With God, we shall not experience any problem. We have put everything humanly possible in place, we have put this before God, and we believe he is not going to sleep on that day. But if there is a need for postponement in those places, we shall not hesitate.”

There have been reported cases of violence occasioned by the activities of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, in many states in the north in recent time.

Meanwhile, Ojerinde, said the Board had concluded arrangement for its first Computer Based Test in 70 centres across the nation from May 18 to June 1.

The CBT, he said, was an alternative to the Dual Based Test and PPT scheduled for Saturday.

Ojerinde said 1,629,102 candidates applied for the IPT, 15,008 candidates for the Dual Based Test while 91,610 candidates applied for the CBT.

He said the figure for 2013 showed an increase of 231,789 applicants when compared with last year’s figure of 1,503,931 representing an increase of 13.35 per cent.

Ojerinde said 145 visually-impaired candidates registered for the examination while 196 inmates registered for it from Kaduna and Lagos prisons.

Portability of Subscriber Identity Module card.“I don port o” – Etisalat ambassador, Hafeez Ayetoro aka Saka, switches to MTN

Saka (Afeez Oyatoro) just upgraded
Hafeez Ayetoro, ace comedian and Nollywood actor, who has become the face of Etisalat for some years now, has switched network from the GSM company he was known with, to telecom giants MTN.
It will be recalled that Hafeez’s face became a part of Etisalat branding for years, I can authoritatively inform you that the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education lecturer, was given an irresistible amount of money to switch allegiance.

The advert starts with Saka dressed in green traditional attire, only to transform into a bright yellow attire as he leads a music band.
“I don port o, I don port go MTN. I don upgrade to MTN,” Saka sings and dances.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-iweala Talks To Christiane Amanpour

 

 

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tuesday,stated that President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration will produce results in 2013 even as she claimed that the year is going to be a game changer and turning point for the nation. Dr Okonjo-Iweala who was a guest on Amanpour, said this at the Christiane Amanpour current affairs programme aired on CNN.

The minister further stated that that the Jonathan administration is already producing results even as the macroeconomics stability has been restored.
Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is full of promise. But fulfilling that promise is often a struggle.
Plagued by corruption and mismanagement, the resource-rich country has a poverty rate of over 50%.
Maternal mortality is shockingly high and more than half of Nigerians don’t have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the country’s finance minister and the former World Bank official has been lauded as the reformer Nigeria needs.
But she too isn’t immune from Nigeria’s problems – her own mother was kidnapped for a terrifying five days before being released.
President Goodluck Jonathan promised to address corruption in the country. Nevertheless, a former governor – an ally of Jonathan – has been convicted of embezzling million in public funds and has since been pardoned.
“Nigeria does have a problem with corruption and so do many other countries,” Okonjo-Iweala told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that aired Tuesday. “I don’t like the fact that when people mention the name Nigeria the next thing they mention is corruption.”
Technology could be the answer the problem, Okonjo-Iweala believes.
“We must build electronic platforms. We must distance people from the money. These things were recommended by the world bank and IMF,” she told Amanpour. “We are doing them.”
President Jonathan is calling for the judiciary, the legislative and the executive arm to meet together about this issue all together for the time first Okonjo-Iweala said.
“Because even if you catch somebody, if they go to courts and they are let off lightly the president can’t do anything about that. The judicial system also has to be strengthened,” she said.
“This is a country of 170 million people; 99.9 percent of them are honest, hard-working citizens who just want to get on with their lives,” Okonjo-Iweala said, proudly. “And they want a government that delivers for them.”
Oil should be Nigeria’s saving grace, but oil leakage causes a significant drain on the economy.
“We are still a poor country,” she admitted. “We can’t afford any leakage.”
On tap of that, there is immense oil theft, which Okonjo-Iweala puts at 150,000 barrels stolen a day. She compared the situation to Mexico, which sees tens of thousands of barrels stolen each day.
“We need them to treat this oil like stolen diamonds. The blood diamonds,” she said – calling on the international community for assistance. “Make it blood oil. Help us so those people don’t have a market to sell this stuff.”
Nigeria is also plagued by problems with its electrical grid.
When the country’s president last appeared on CNN, he told Amanpour, “That is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government, that’s a commitment to improve power. It’s working. So if you are saying something different, I’m really surprised.”
That interview caused an uproar in Nigeria, with many of the county’s very active social media citizens taking to Twitter and Facebook to voice their frustrations with the power grid and President Jonathan’s comments.
Okonjo-Iweala said the power problems all come down to previous government’s lack of investment.
“If you’ve neglected a sector for that long, you’ve not invested, you’ve not even maintained your basic facilities, it’s not going to happen that fast. It takes time,” she said.
While Nigerians often complain of power outages – telling CNN they often have to use generators to watch the news channel – Okonjo-Iweala maintained there has been improvement.
“That month, when you interviewed the president,” she said, referring to Amanpour’s previous interview of Jonathan, “the polls showed, independently, scientifically that they are in technical partnership with dialogue. That 54 percent of Nigerians felt there was some improvement,” she told Amanpour.
“Nigeria is not the only country. Almost every developing country has a problem with power, as you know. India has it. South Africa has it. South Africa is far better off because they’ve invested much more.
But many developing countries, even China, they are struggling with keeping up with infrastructure,” she said.
Okonjo-Iweala said that the administration has accepted that the government is not the best place to run the power sector.
“If we want this country and this economy to do better, we just have to get out. And Nigeria is pursuing one of the most sweeping privatization programs in any country in the world,” she said. “We are selling off everything.”
That said, the lights even went out on President Jonathan during a speech he gave a speech in front of cameras just this past Easter day.
I couldn't upload the video because of the network here. You can download the video here
http://goo.gl/HvIm0

Dangote to build $8bn oil refinery in Nigeria

Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, plans to invest up to $8bn to build a Nigerian oil refinery with a capacity of around 400,000 barrels a day by late 2016, the tycoon told Reuters on Tuesday.

This will almost double Nigeria’s current refining capacity.

“This will really help not only Nigeria but sub-Saharan Africa. There has not been a new refinery for a long time in sub-Saharan Africa,” Dangote said in a telephone interview.

The country currently has the capacity to produce some 445,000 barrels per day among four refineries, but they operate well below that owing to decades of mismanagement and corruption in Africa’s leading energy producer.

Nigeria, the continent’s second-biggest economy, relies on subsidised imports for 80 per cent of its fuel needs.

A surge in domestic capacity would be welcomed by investors in Nigeria, but it would cut into profits made by European refiners and oil traders who would lose part of that lucrative market.

Dangote said the country’s ability to import fuel would soon be challenged.

“In five years, when our population is over 200 million, we won’t have the infrastructure to receive the amount of fuel we use. It has to be done,” he said.

Past efforts to build refineries have often been delayed or cancelled, but analysts have said Dangote should be able to build a profitable Nigerian refinery, owing to his past successes in industry and his strong government connections.

The Dangote Group’s cement manufacturing, basic food processing and other industries have helped lift his personal fortune to $16.1bn from $2.1bn in 2010, according to the latest Forbes estimate.

Nigeria has two refineries in its main Port Harcourt oil hub, one in the Niger Delta town of Warri, and one in Kaduna in the North that serve 170 million people. Not one of them functions at full capacity.

Analysts have said previous attempts to get the refineries going have been held back by vested interests such as fuel importers profiting from the status quo. Dangote said this concerned him.

“The people who were supposed to invest in refineries, who understand the market, are benefiting from there being no refineries because of the fuel import business,” he said. “Some … are going to try to … interfere.”

Nigeria’s government subsidises fuel imports to keep pump prices well below the market rate at a cost of billions of dollars a year. Fuel subsidies are the single biggest item on the country’s budget.

Dangote said making a new refinery run at a profit would work even if the government failed to scrap the subsidised fuel price that has deterred others from investing.

“We’ve done our numbers and the numbers are okay,” he said.

Need For Synergy In Power Sector Reform. GEJ doesn't know what it takes to have constant power supply.

Again, President Goodluck Jonathan has shifted the target for adequate power from December 2013 to June 2014. When the Federal Government initially fixed the deadline for December, this year, and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as the presidential committees on power sector reform raised the stake on adequate power supply, Nigerians eagerly looked  forward to the deadline. Now, they will have to wait till 2014.
To improve on the relatively stable power supply, especially in the country’s major cities as confirmed by some critical stakeholders in the power sector, an aspect the Federal Government cannot ignore is the apparent lack of team work among the agencies implementing the 2010 Power Sector Roadmap.
 The National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) status reports, presented by the Managing Director and CEO of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Mr. James Olotu, at several fora point to the absence of team spirit among the agencies driving the reforms in the industry. It is not in doubt that this development has impeded the operations of not only the NIPP, but other sister outfits.
 Among the agencies that must key into the power sector reform to enable the NIPP perform better are the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
 It is a known fact across the world that public entities exit to complement the efforts of other agencies to bring better services to the government through the implementation of government policies and programmes. But in Nigeria, this is missing as the agencies engage in unhealthy rivalry, which has derailed the execution of public projects.
If this practice is not checked now by the appropriate authorities, the power sector reform may be stalled, and Nigerians, who are to benefit from the scheme, would suffer and continue to groan under poor power supply.
  It is on record that one of the first major upsets recorded by the NDPHC is the seizure or non-release of power equipment imported by NIPP contractors over the non-payment of duties. The situation assumed a worrisome dimension when the NCS went ahead to auction some of the NIPP containers after they had accumulated demurrage at the Lagos ports and other points of entry. Till date, some of the equipment in four containers are still missing and no one has been made to account for them.
That it took President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention before the NCS could work out an acceptable arrangement with the NDPHC for the equipment to be released is unhealthy. The power sector deserves the declaration of a state of emergency or quasi-emergency to remove the encumbrances or bureaucratic bottlenecks to NDPHC’s delivery on its core mandate of power generation, transmission and distribution to the end-users.
The NCS revenue drive must not override the larger interest of the Nigerian people. In the future, NCS should explore better approach to resolving matters that affect projects in the power sector.
 It is also a known fact that the inability of the free trade zones spread across the country to operate fully, several years after they were established, is due to a lack of collaboration among the NCS and the operators of the free export processing zones.
 It is lamentable that these zones, which were set up to maximise the country’s export potential, are now comatose. This ugly incident must not be allowed in the power industry, because it drives other sectors of national life.
The Presidential Action Committee on Power and Presidential Taskforce on Power must also rise above board to facilitate the review of the 2010 power sector roadmap to address problems and other issues that were not anticipated when the blueprint was designed.
Vice President Namadi Sambo should sustain his frequent dialogue with NIPP contractors to ensure that they are promptly paid for work done and that the deadlines for all projects in the current year are met.
The authorities should endeavour to strengthen security around the NIPP contractors, especially their expatriates, to curb their frequent kidnapping or attack by bandits.
Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo’s declaration of zero tolerance for saboteurs in the power sector is commendable. His focus should be on ensuring the smooth unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The General with N300m cash

Everyone in the country today is talking about how unbridled corruption has ruined the nation. But what I think is actually taking place is a celebration of the same vice at every opportunity. It sounds like an institutional hypocrisy whenever the government makes statements indicating an official disposition to confront the demon of corruption that is ravaging the moral fabrics of the Nigerian society. How do we explain, let alone, justify the phenomenon wherein someone who we all saw in the morning without a dime in his pocket suddenly returns home in the evening a multi-millionaire and the family, the community and the state will not ask him questions about the “miracle” affluence.

Last week, nearly all the mass media in the country reported that a top General was almost swindled the sum of N300m in the supposedly ‘cashless Lagos.’ Typically, they failed to disclose the name of the serving army officer who is so rich that he was almost defrauded of such a stupendous sum. The next question should have been: how did he come about such money?

Let’s assume that the General in question is the real “Oga at the top,” it would still be necessary to ask him of the source(s) of so much money. We all know that it is impossible for a serving military officer (be he a Field Marshal) to have amassed so much cash even if he has never spent a dime of his salaries and other legitimate emoluments since enlistment.

In sane societies, the law enforcement agencies would have since been asking how he came about such money. Of course, the taxman would have been knocking at his door seeking to know how much of the lot (loot?) was paid to the society by way of tax. Because this is a miracle economy where anything goes, nobody is going to ask any question in the face of such a glaring mismatch between possible legitimate income and the wealth-in-hand. That explains, for example, why nobody queried the heartless pension fund thieves as they carted away billions of other people’s naira: Not their banks, not their churches, not their families, not the taxman or the police.

People loot the nation and then go to their churches to give testimonies of “what God has done” and the congregation in apparent endorsement chorus: “Hallelujah!” Traditional rulers call them for chieftaincy conferment; equally, fraudulent awards-distributing agencies, both official and private, enthusiastically join in the fray to ‘recognise’ the new rich men in town while the government gives its own final seal to the whole aberration with national awards.

It is really questionable if the society, taking a cue from the churches and the government, is not actively promoting corruption and its associated criminalities by the way it acquiesces to sudden and unexplained affluence. There are many ways to earn good money. It could be from paid employment, business, inheritance, gift or a lottery haul. Of course, more money could also be made (not earned) by heist, robbery and fraud. While the first set of sources are generally legitimate and therefore encouraged and promoted by all decent societies, the other set of sources are strictly forbidden and punishable. Our economy is unduly distorted by corruption as legitimate incomes are made valueless by illegitimate ones: bad money drives away good money, they say.

Unfortunately, the universal code of good behaviour is ignored in Nigeria by all those whose duty it is to enforce same, including religious institutions and the community at large. It would seem as if the operative code of conduct is that which promotes the belief that the “end justifies the means.” This abominable state of affair is made possible by the massive corrosion of societal values by an unethical elite class that has subverted the socio-political process to gain power and, naturally, brought with them a behavioural trait that suited their otherwise low station in life and since it is natural for people to look up to their “elite”, it became the reality that misfits and ill-prepared individuals became the ruling class which then imposed their base culture on everyone below.

The beginning of this moral slide is generally traceable to the unfortunate intervention of the military in the politics of Nigeria which made it possible for erstwhile bodyguards to kill and replace their masters in office as the new helmsmen. Under the new order, anything was possible: powerless today, very powerful tomorrow; poor today, a rich big man tomorrow all with no questions asked. It was a revolution of sorts.

It was also the era in which prophets and pastors who were ex-communicated from the established churches for sundry sins broke away and dispersed to form their own churches, more like businesses than religion, decorated themselves with high ecumenical titles like archbishops, overseers and other bogus names.

Rather than preach about salvation, they opted to harp on prosperity and affluence to congregations already gripped with acute poverty and misery and, naturally, their message hit its target and the churches proliferated while sins blossomed. These were not the pastors that would preach against corruption because their own doctrines were also based largely on corruption and falsehood. Thieves and murderers rush to their ‘fellowships’ to give offerings and in exchange sought spiritual cover for their sins. Everything but righteousness became acceptable!

Whereas it was the expectation of Aristotle and other men of wisdom that only educated (not necessarily with degrees) and cultured people should lead society under his general pontification of the ‘Philosophy King,’ it however became the case that leadership recruitment in Nigeria for a very long time was restricted to coupists and their cronies. That was why before MKO Abiola of blessed memory won a presidential election in 1993, no previous Nigerian leader was formally educated beyond the ordinary level when Ghana already had an Nkrumah with a solid CV while Leopold Senghor, the philosopher, held sway in Senegal, etc.

It became impossible to tell the people that honesty pays when fraudsters, coupists and other felons constituted the ruling class. By whatever means possible, others also want to get to the top and join in the fray, more so, as they couldn’t beat them, and the easiest route, it turned out, is fraud and criminality and that is what has given character to the Nigeria of today where you dare not ask anyone the source of his wealth.

Source (http://goo.gl/a9zlQ)

Izere Imosemi: A Millionaire At 29, That’s Five Years Late!

The title above is a catchy advertising statement that keeps getting my attention in several parts of the city where I live. Each time I see the caption, I ask myself if Nigeria, as it is presently, can actually produce a millionaire at 29 as boldly stated by the advert. As an undergraduate studying Law in a Nigerian university, my dad had a solid piece of advice for me; he would say, ‘Suffer for five years and enjoy forever.’ He said this to motivate me to work very hard at my studies, get good grades and graduate with a First Class or a Second Class Upper Division. He reckoned that whatever inconvenience one had to endure during one’s sojourn as an undergraduate should be borne gallantly, as such inconvenience would be greatly compensated when one graduates with a First Class or Second Class upper division, and thereafter gets rewarded by being gainfully employed, and ultimately enjoys the good things of life. He was convinced that a good university grade was a ‘harbinger’ of the good life the gospel of which he preached to me. I believed him because he meant well. And ‘suffer’ I did, like most students in Nigerian tertiary institutions, where electricity outage was (is) a norm. I literally burnt candles, attended lectures in overcrowded lecture theatres, copied my notes, did my assignments, bought lecturers’ handouts and textbooks at exorbitant prices. In fact, I did everything a good student should do, and what I had to show for it five years after was a very hard-earned second-class upper degree, and a pair of recommended glasses that cannot be done without. My degree certificate, and subsequently my call to Bar certificate, were supposed to be my key to wealth and prosperity, or at the barest minimum, my key to the good life. Now, five years after graduation and almost four years after being called to the Nigerian Bar, I have yet to ‘enjoy’ as my dad promised. This is not just my story; it is the story of many Nigerian youths. A lot of them, brilliant, smart, hard working and ambitious, whose only crime was being born in a society governed by extremely corrupt and selfish leaders. Leaders whose selfish and corrupt acts have not only weakened our institutions, but are threatening to destroy whatever good we have left. Many Nigerian youths at some point, had lofty dreams and aspirations such as conquering the information technology world, or becoming the next Bill Gates, or being ‘somebody’ or doing ‘something’ that would affect the world and perhaps put ‘them’ and their country in the eyes of the world for a positive reason. But, like a friend once wrote on her Facebook page recently, as you grow older, life becomes less about achieving your dreams and more about making your dreams fit into reality because the Nigerian society appears not to be very dream-friendly in terms of helping her youths and the entire citizenry aspire to become the very best they can be. Speaking of Facebook, which a Nigerian minister (who should have known better, with regard to the nature of his office) graciously thanked our President for bringing to our country. One wonders if this minister ever knew that Mark Zuckerberg, one of the four co-founders of the social network site used by almost every internet savvy and not so savvy person in the world, launched the site as a 20-year-old Harvard undergraduate. Presently, not only is Zuckerberg one of the richest young people in the world, thanks to him, social networking has taken on a whole new meaning and a new place in the state of affairs of today’s world. Today, we wonder what a 20-year-old Nigerian can create. The question we should ask ourselves is, were Zuckerberg a Nigerian, (emphasis on born and bred, not American or British trained) would he have founded Facebook? Does the Nigerian society as it is have the capacity to develop geniuses? From all indications, particularly from our decayed educational system and the structural Nigerian system generally, it appears to me that the Nigerian society ‘kills’ geniuses rather than creates a viable environment to promote innovation and enterprise. I attended the last convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos where the overall best graduating student was a mechanical engineering student. Today, I hear he works in a bank in Lagos. If true, how sad! How pathetic! In a sane society, the lad would have been whisked off by the government or some top engineering firm, his intellect would be have been prodded, his mind pushed until the genius in him comes to fore. The just concluded 2012 London Olympics is a case in point too. The abysmal performance of Nigerian athletes has very little to do with the absence of talent or skill but more to do with institutional deficiencies in sport, training and development in the country. The sad truth is that Nigerian youths are working very hard but are barely getting by. What makes the situation sadder and more pitiful is the constant and the seemingly endless reports of corrupt leaders, top government officials, supposedly senior citizens, siphoning public funds brazenly and getting away with it while Nigerian youths watch helplessly as their future is taken out of their reach. In Nigeria, it is commonplace to find many young people between the ages of 25 and 30 years still living with their parents or older relatives, still dependent one way or the other, not by choice but by circumstance. This ought not to be! It is the young that should take care of the old and not vice –versa. It is very frustrating and psychologically debilitating for young people going through this phase. Ideally, in a society that has done its work and paid its dues in bringing up her youths, a 25-30 year-old man or woman should be completely independent of his or her parents or relatives in every sense and should at that age start giving back to the society. This is, sadly, not so in Nigeria; there is nothing normal about this situation and it should not be accepted! Just as a parent of a five-year-old child who still crawls and fails to walk should be alarmed and worried, our leaders should be worried, if at that age the majority of our youths have not attained full financial responsibility and are still being catered for like teenagers or children. This is really sad and portends great danger for the future of our country. Beyond the failed political leadership and poor economic situation that have plagued our country and contributed to the pitiful plight of Nigerian youths, it seems that the society is configured to regard young people as incompetent and incapable. A little while ago, a serving youth corps member at the National Assembly in an article in a national newspaper wrote that youth corps members serving in the National Assembly were reduced to mere errand boys to carry out menial assignments like serving tea and kola nuts to the lawmakers. If true, how derogatory and demeaning! What a waste of young active minds and talents! It is time our leaders realised that young people in the right environment, with the right motivation and the right education can effectively hold positions of leadership and execute projects brilliantly. One does not have to be 50 years old before one becomes a CEO; a 28-year-old CEO can do just fine! And a 30-year-old senator can do just fine too, after all, what good have our older politicians and leaders done? In reality, becoming a millionaire at the age of 24 in Nigeria without making recourse to ‘yahoo yahoo’ (Nigerian acronym for internet fraud), pilfering funds, or being used as a political thug or winning the grand prize in the Big Brother Africa or any other reality TV shows or becoming a pop star or sportsman, is a near impossibility. It is possible to become a millionaire at the age of 24 legitimately (as Mark has shown us), in a society that is engineered to encourage and reward hard work. Truthfully, Nigeria is not that society yet and until Nigeria becomes that society, corporate organisations and advertising agencies need to be very mindful of the messages behind their advertisements. It is my humble submission that, to put up an advertisement with an inscription that reads ‘a millionaire at 29, that’s 5years too late’ to promote a product that is largely patronised by young people in Nigeria, is to throw existing realities into the bin in the name of creativity. -Imosemi, a partner in the law firm of Fieldings and Grey Solicitors, Lagos wrote in via izereimosemi@yahoo.co.uk

Expect more power cuts, minister tells Nigerians

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, on Wednesday said there would be more power cuts in the days ahead due to ongoing maintenance works on installations across the country.

Nebo, while explaining why there was a sharp drop in power supply at a briefing in Abuja, said the country lost 1,112 megawatts of generated electricity in two days due to the shutdown of the Chevron gas plant.

He said, “A few days ago, precisely last week Friday, Chevron shut down its gas plant for maintenance purposes, which was to take place between Friday and Saturday. And the technical crew in the power sector knew about the shutdown and this was in order to make sure that damages are not done before losing the gas entirely.

“From time to time, there is going to be shutdown and it happened two times recently between Benin and Osogbo. If you don’t shut down these plants in order to have a safe restarting process, you are going to lose the equipment. Once routine maintenance is done, the process of restarting the machines that were shut down takes some time.”

He said two power stations were affected by the recent shutdown, stressing that the oil company and the ministry’s technicians had to maintain the plants.

The minister added, “That is why between two and three days, we lost some 1,112MW. That means Omotoso and Olorunsogo plants were forced to shut down because there was no gas supply. By design, Chevron has to maintain the gas pipelines and it was so.

“You will notice that from Monday, we started seeing some increase that has stabilised. Right now, we have over 3,300MW.”

Nebo gave an assurance that occasional system failures would be addressed.

He said, “With regards to occasional system failures, we are in the process of reviving the huge section of the transmission machinery, especially the lines that are aged, failing, dilapidated and in need of replacement. We are working on that.

“And for that reason, whenever a significant part of the transmission network encounters serious technical problems, you will experience system shutdown. And whenever you have a serious problem, you must shut down in order to make sure that the system is not overloaded at one end and create problems throughout the entire country.”

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Wednesday that the nation had witnessed a significant drop in power generation from a peak of 4,517MW attained on December 21, 2012 to 3,443MW on Tuesday.

The 1,074MW drop is, however, a slight improvement on the 2,987.6MW peak generation recorded on April 6, 2013, when a whopping 1,529.4MW was lost.

The minister also said that the meeting with labour unions in the power sector over workers’ final entitlements had been cordial and that very soon, private investors would take over the power companies they bid for.

He also said the issue with Manitoba Hydro International over the management contract for the Transmission Company of Nigeria had been resolved, stressing that the transmission infrastructure had received a boost.

“Manitoba has received the schedule of delegated authority and most issues in the sector have been resolved,” Nebo added.

Megalomania, mediocrity and the complicity of the middle class

I find it hard to reconcile the megalomania that abounds in Nigeria with the abundant evidence of the unpredictability of human existence.

I’ll explain.

Earlier this year, I spotted an ex-governor at the Abuja airport. We had come off the same flight and he was walking towards the car park, unaccompanied. I walked up to him to say hello, trying to imagine what might be going through Mr. ex-governor’s mind. Did he ever recall his days as governor, the entourage that’d have been waiting for him at the airport in Abuja, the ride to town in a siren-laden convoy designed to run everyone else off the road? Did he ever think to himself what things he’d have done differently as governor?

There’s, of course, an even more striking example of life’s unpredictability: That of a man called Goodluck Jonathan. If there had been a list of powerful deputy governors in Nigeria at the start of 2005, he wouldn’t have been on it.

But hey, human existence thrives on mischievous levels of unpredictability. Without seeking promotion, by the end of that year, Mr. Jonathan was Governor! It didn’t end there. Barely two years later, he was a Vice-President, again without seeking it. It still didn’t end there. In 2008, the United States compiled a confidential list of the most influential Nigerians. Even as Vice-President, Jonathan failed to make that list. In the scheme of all things Nigerian, he really didn’t count much. Yet it didn’t end there either. Fast-forward four years, and that same man makes it onto Time Magazine’s list of most influential persons in the world.

And that story is not over, it’s still being written. Such is life. Dramatic reversals, intriguing unpredictability.

Now, you’d expect that, faced with this sort of unpredictability, people would go into public office firmly aware of the responsibility they have to make the best use of the opportunity granted them: By acting as fairly and wisely as they can, utilising public funds as wisely and judiciously as possible; treating the people they rule with dignity.

But no. That’s not how things typically play out. Nigerians in political offices too easily assume themselves gods – possessing all wisdom, deserving of all worship and adulation, undeserving of any criticism, entitled to sacrifice public funds in self-worship.

It leaves me puzzled. What is it that makes us as Nigerians so liable to viewing power solely through prisms of egotism and self-enrichment and self-aggrandisement?

I was at an event a few days ago, where Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi lamented how Nigerians have come to “associate power and authority with intimidation and harassment”, and highlighted the need to urgently “demystify” political office.

Perhaps, Fayemi’s stance is based on an understanding of the unpredictability I referred to at the beginning of this piece. At that event he also recounted how, until Sani Abacha’s death in 1998, he (Fayemi) was deemed a “persona non grata” by the Nigerian government, because of his involvement with the National Democratic Coalition and Radio Kudirat. Today, things have changed; the man hounded by yesterday’s government is a now prominent member of today’s. I have a copy of Fayemi’s account of the Nigerian pro-democracy struggle, and always find myself fascinated by the pictures of his life in London in the early nineties, when he was a placard-carrying activist and struggling PhD student. It leaves me wondering to what extent his views on the need to demystify political office in Nigeria are fed by his recollections of those inauspicious beginnings in London two decades ago, and by his realisation that no one is a governor forever.

There are important questions we all need to answer about this Big-Manism thing: Is it the nature of political power to remake people? How does that work – is it by disconnecting people from the realities of past and present life? Does it fill people up with a sense of their own importance, and of the absolute insignificance of everybody else, to such an extent that commonsense is crowded out?

We’ve all seen Nigerians who got into political power and mutated into strange creatures, acting like the power they wielded would always be their birthright, defended the indefensible, picked needless battles against the people on whose side they once appeared to be. We’ve all seen supposedly ‘humble’ people get into office and turned into walking advertisements for megalomania; and once sensible people acquired reputations for spouting nonsense.

How, for example, does a President Goodluck Jonathan who stoically bore the brunt of the turmoil surrounding the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s illness would go ahead to put Nigeria through the same style of deception over the health of his wife? Did Nigerians resist one oppressive state of affairs only to have the beneficiaries of that resistance replace the oppressors?

Worsening the state of affairs is the shocking acquiescence by the majority of the governed, especially the middle class. Let’s for a second leave Nigeria’s bottom-millions out of this – let’s assume they don’t know any better, that they’re so hamstrung by poverty to realise that they’re incapable of realising that the people who should be empowering them to fish have perfected the art of swindling them with meagre handouts of fish. What excuse does Nigeria’s educated, enlightened middle class have for tolerating all the nonsense we do? Do we underestimate the ability we have to influence governance, to ‘terrify’ elected representatives into sensible-ness?

Every day, hundreds of Nigerians pass through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and are subjected to the myriad humiliations cultivated within that space. Without fail, we all complain and moan; shake our heads at how Nigeria never fails to humiliate us. Sometimes, you get a raised voice or two. But nothing really happens next. We’ve grown used to it – to the dysfunction, and the complaining it triggers. And life goes on.

Perhaps, in tolerating, and sometimes aiding and abetting megalomania and vision-less Big-Manism (which, by the way, always come Siamese-twinned with mediocrity), we truly deserve our leaders. That’s definitely worth thinking about. Also worth thinking about is this: the strong possibility that things will never change for the better in Nigeria. In 2020, maybe, I will still be here rehashing my columns from seven years before, wondering why Nigeria is the way it is.

One more thing. I don’t want to sound like I’m saying Nigeria requires saints in the corridors of power. There are no saints anywhere. All of us, as human beings, are driven by some level of self-interest, by a quest for personal significance. But there is a clear difference between the kind of self-interest that can allow itself to be subordinated to a clear vision of leadership and service, and the one that merely seeks to self-satisfy.

The Action Group that did wonders with the proceeds from cocoa in the defunct Western Region all those decades ago wasn’t an assemblage of saints. I’ve read about panels of enquiry set up to probe corrupt acts in those days – those men didn’t always emerge with clean hands. But when it came to the larger picture – matters of visionary goal-setting and a burning desire to bring real and lasting improvement to the lives of citizens – they almost never failed those tests. Obviously, the sinners of yesteryears will be saints to those currently running the affairs of the nations.

Source (http://goo.gl/Jds2F)

FG set to scrap NECO, cancels UTME

Federal Government has concluded arrangements to scrap the National Examination Council.

Plans have also been concluded to cancel the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination being conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board for applicants into the nation’s tertiary institutions.

JAMB will however not be scrapped.

The government’s decisions, which would be made public soon via a White Paper, are based on the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.

A government source told our  correspondent that the decisions were part of the recommendations made by a White Paper Committee set up by the government on the Oronsaye report.

The source added that upon receipt of the latest report, President Goodluck Jonathan has been meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo and a few top government officials to take final decisions on it.

It was in one of such meetings held on Tuesday that the final decision was taken.

Under the new arrangement, the source said in place of UTME, authorities of all tertiary institutions would now be at liberty to conduct their entrance examinations as they had been doing for post-UTME.

JAMB will however serve as a clearing house.

“JAMB will now be a clearing house like Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK. If somebody gains admission into three universities and holds down space, immediately such person picks his first choice, JAMB’s system will automatically free the remaining two slots for other applicants.

“JAMB will no longer conduct examinations but it will be setting the standard alongside the schools authorities,” the source said.

UCAS, which was  established in 1993, is the British admission service for students applying to university and college, including post-16 education as of 2012. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept.

On NECO, the source said in arriving at the decision to scrap the examination body, the committee took into cognizance its huge facilities across the country.

But it was resolved that the West African Examination Council would absorb NECO’s members of staff and its facilities.

WAEC will also be empowered to conduct two Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations per year, one in January and the other probably in December.

Hitherto, only one November/December SSCE Examination is being conducted.

The May/June Senior Secondary Certificate Examination being organised by the examination body once in a year still stands.

The government source also said arrangements had been concluded to scrap the Public Complaint Commission, the National Poverty Eradication Programme and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution among others.

Source - http://goo.gl/iA3oW

Aba IPP to guarantee 95% uninterrupted electricity

The Aba Integrated Power Project on Thursday said that the plant would guarantee 95 per cent uninterrupted electricity supply.

The project, which has a total installed capacity of 141 megawatts of electricity, would serve over 5,000 small and medium enterprises, industries and residents in the Aba metropolis, as well as provide excess power to be distributed to other cities outside its primary area.

The Technical Adviser, Geometric Power Limited – owners of the project, Mr. Okwudiri Ehilegbu, in an interview with journalists, stated that the private-sector driven project would boost the Federal Government’s plan of transforming the power sector.

He said, “The Aba IPP is not just part of measures to address the power challenges in this area, but it would boost the nation’s power system. This is because when we distribute power to businesses in this metropolis, the power being consumed before the IPP came on board would be sent out to other areas. Hence, it would improve electricity supply in other areas.

“We are aiming at guaranteeing 95 per cent uninterrupted power supply, barring all unforeseen circumstance, and the plant will feed all Aba metropolis and its environs.”

The Federal Government had in 2005, during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, come up with the idea of Integrated Power Projects to address the twin issues of low electric power generation and gas flaring from oil exploration in the Niger Delta region.

The idea was that the project would serve as an intervention scheme to comprehensively address the state of electricity infrastructure in Nigeria.

It was planned to be a fast-track approach to improving the country‘s electricity power supply through the implementation of generation, transmission, distribution and gas supply projects.

The Aba IPP, however, was not into gas supply, Ehilegbu said.

He explained that the plant had three generating turbines and each was rated 47MW, adding that two of the units were 95 per cent complete, while one was 90 per cent ready.

The plant, it was learnt, would be fired up in May and start supplying power to consumers immediately.

“Though this would be done in phases, it will make industries, small businesses and other consumers appreciate the privatisation of the power sector,” Ehilegbu said.

Source (http://goo.gl/tkGeF)

Mining, solution to unemployment — Ezuma

                                                          Dr. Innocent Ezuma

Beyond lack of funding, the Chief Executive Officer, Eta Zuma Group, Dr. Innocent Ezuma, in this interview with Everest Amaefule, says equipment and technical competence are significant limitations to mining operations in Nigeria

You believe in generating power through coal; why do you think this is the way to go?

We were actually compelled to go into coal exploration because of our steel factory in Jos. We were looking for sources of raw materials to generate power. Through enquiry, I learnt that the major sources of energy in Nigeria are hydro and gas. This is not very good for national security.  Gas pipeline will be very far from Jos. The alternative was to look for coal so that it could easily be transported to Jos. When we dabbled into that, we found that it did not make economic sense to go into the project on a small scale. So we decided to develop the coal asset and a big coal fired power plant. This will be good energy mix for the country.

How far have you gone with generating electricity from coal?

The journey has been bumpy but the most important thing is that it is going. And it is going very well. We have explored and found a huge deposit of coal. We have navigated all the Mining Act of 2007 processes and acquired three mining leases. We have done Environmental Impact Assessment and all community issues including the land lease and the mining of the coal has started. Basically at this time, we are on top gear, developing the coal fired power project; we already have obtained licence for 1,200 megawatts issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

What major problems did you encounter when you started?

When I started all these things, people advised me against the move but I thought it was high time we started believing in our country; in doing things that would help to grow the economy. We should not always be looking for the easy way out.

Community issues are some of the challenges you meet when you go into exploration. How were you able to overcome this?

We don’t really have big community issues. Initially, the communities were apprehensive. This is understandable but by the time they saw that we were treating them with utmost respect, with pure and positive goodwill, they calmed down and started helping us. We have opened a road there. We gave them water. We gave the people employment. We are building houses in their villages. These are areas you could not go to before. We are in a very good and harmonious relationship with our community. Of course, you cannot avoid one or two small issues but we have a senior Nigerian statesman, a former ambassador, as our executive director in charge of corporate relations. He deals with community people like equals and the company gives him the support. So we are in good relationship with our host communities.

What are the other challenges you face?

The main challenges, I must tell you, are funding and some government’s enabling facilities. The project is a heavy one. The project of coal mining is over $200m. Then, we will need to build the power plant. The power plant is a project of over $3bn. Then we need to put up a railway line. The rail line is about $1.5bn, almost 190 kilometres. So you see, this is a capital intensive project. As at today, the government has not put up a mechanism to support such investment.

However, our Minister of Mines and Steel development, Mr. Mohammed Sada, has provided excellent support. The Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada, left everything he was doing and visited the site and gave us enormous support. Everybody has been supportive. We are enjoying the support. At the very high Federal Government level, they have been doing very well for the power sector but we need some kind of guarantees from the Federal Government that will support investors like us. It is difficult for other countries to believe in us and give us huge amounts of money when our country is shying away from giving some form of guarantees that will boost the morale of those people that are supporting us. If they are willing to give you money and the government is not willing to give you sovereign guarantee covering their money; that can be a challenge. This is where we are having some gaps in the system. I think that the Ministry of Power together with the Ministry of Finance should work out a win-win situation where credible investors like us (and there are so many of us) can be supported with sovereign guarantees. Some of us had to shut down simply because they didn’t have the financial muscle to continue. And the problem of infrastructure is actually the prerogative of the government in every part of the world. It is their responsibility to provide primary infrastructure for the citizenry. Now where a private sector player is doing that and they shy away from giving them the necessary guarantee or help in issuing bonds, I don’t think that is very encouraging to other financial partners that are outside the country that want to come and help. If your government is not helping you, why should they bother? I know that if this matter is properly presented to President Goodluck Jonathan, who is also driving this power sector reform seriously, positive action will be taken towards resolving it.

How would you access the mining sector in Nigeria?

The mining sector is still developing but it is developing fast. There are so many people with exploration licences. Over 15,000 mining titles have been issued including quarries, small scale mining licences, exploration licences and mining leases. People are eager and desirous to invest and work in this sector but everybody’s limitation is funding. Other limitations are equipment and technical competence. These are things you can get but you need funding to get them. Where the system does not have a policy to fund investment in this sector, it is a problem.

Do you have confidence in the power sector reform?

By nature, I am a very positive person. So I must tell you that I have utmost confidence that we will get it right. What was lacking was determination, but this administration is determined to make it work. After rain, there must be sunshine. So these things that you see now – labour issues, privatisation, etc; are normal things in the process. After all these things, what happens next? The country will learn from them; the people will learn from them; and the system will learn from them. The government has put in place all the necessary organisations that are required to push the power sector reform to its logical conclusion. The regulatory agency is there. The aggregation company is there. Basically, everything is in place. It is not a situation where the people don’t know what they are doing or there is no determination to succeed. This is why I am confident that these things are going to work.

How much contribution  can mining make in addressing the unemployment problem in the country?

I must tell you that if Nigeria wants to solve the unemployment problem, it must actively engage and actively provide the enabling environment and put policies in place to support mining and agriculture. These two industries in all parts of the world have always generated the highest number of employment. Petroleum does not generate a lot of jobs. It can give you a lot of money but it does not generate a lot of jobs. Mining, on the other hand, has several value chains from the time of mining, loading, processing and other activities. It is a chain reaction. So, Nigeria must play an active role in seeing that the solid mineral sector is developed. And let me tell you, this country is richly blessed with solid minerals. I must tell you that every square kilometre of Nigeria has valuable mineral in it. There is no poor area in Nigeria. Each one has something to offer and in quantum. But you need money to convert all these. You need equipment. You need people and professionals. So the government must have a rethink and empower this sector. There are no two ways to do it. You cannot create jobs by wishful thinking. You cannot create jobs by announcing that you want to create 10 or 20 million jobs. That does not do the job. You must put the policies and processes in place that will empower the private sector to go into the heartland and invest in mining and agriculture to feed the nation. Look at America, anytime they have problem, they will bring a policy that will empower the private sector because it is the private sector that employs. They create the employment. Nigeria must take good examples from good capitalist nations that have suffered our pains in the past.

Source (http://goo.gl/2Zdzp)