Wednesday, 8 May 2013

“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.”

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

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.

Monday, 6 May 2013

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.

Friday, 3 May 2013

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).

Monday, 29 April 2013

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.