A bad spot at NASFAT junction on the inward Lagos side of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been identified as the cause of daily gridlock on the busy highway.
The bad spot comprises some flooded potholes at the intersection and has reduced the inward Lagos side from two lanes to one.
An abandoned container, which fell off a truck some weeks ago, is also sitting at a conspicuous spot on the right side of the highway, a few metres from NASFAT Campground.
The gridlock usually stretches for over two kilometres from the intersection to Mowe junction, causing agony to road users.
Federal Road Safety Commission officials sometimes help to direct traffic at the bad spot.
The gridlock usually stretches
The police on Thursday arraigned one Paul Ogor before a Kubwa Senior Magistrates’ Court in Abuja on a two-count charge of house-breaking and theft.
Police prosecutor, Sandra Oparaugo, told the court that one Immalusi Silas, a security man at St. Bartholomew Anglican Church, Kubwa, reported the case to the police on October 1.
Oparaugo said that on the same day, the accused allegedly broke into an office in the said church and stole two sets of computer valued at N150, 000, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
“He was arrested while trying to escape from the crime scene,” Oparaugo said, adding that the offence contravened Sections 346 and 286 of the Penal Code.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, however, requested for an adjournment to enable the police to prove their case.
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. Simisola Adeniyi, adjourned the case to October 19 for hearing and granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
She ruled that both sureties must reside within the jurisdiction of the court while one of them must be a civil servant.
A 46-year-old woman has died in Hong Kong and three others are fighting for their lives following a beauty parlour treatment that involved blood transfusion, highlighting a lack of regulation in the city’s cosmetic industry.
The cases have prompted an investigation by the police and medical authorities, and renewed calls by health experts for tighter
regulation of Hong Kong’s beauty industry.
“Yes, the woman aged 46 died on Wednesday of septic shock,” a government spokeswoman said, Reuters reports.
Three other women, aged 56, 59 and 60, were in hospital with the eldest in critical condition.
Septic shock is normally caused by bacterial infection and can result in respiratory and organ failure, and even death.
The four had recently undergone a complicated blood transfusion procedure at the DR beauty chain, according to government statements, in a treatment that was meant to boost their immune system and appearance.
The women paid about Hong kong dollars ($6,400) for the procedure, which experts say is at best an experimental treatment for cancer patients and which has not been shown to have any aesthetic application so far.
DR said in a statement on Wednesday that the procedures were carried out by a doctor who was not employed by the parlour.
The procedure required their blood to be taken to isolate and culture certain types of immune cells.
These cytokine-induced killer cells were then injected back into the women together with their own blood plasma.
The four quickly fell ill with fever, dizziness and diaorrhea.
In an earlier blood sample taken from the woman who died, health officials found Mycobacterium abscessus, a superbug that is notoriously difficult to kill.
Although the direct cause of the woman’s death has yet to be confirmed, experts say it is likely to have been bacterial infection.
“They now have to find out where the bacterial contamination occurred in this whole process.
“Did it happen when the blood was drawn, during the culture process or when it was re-injected into the body?” William Chui, president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists in Hong Kong said.
The cases raise fresh questions on how governments in many places in Asia regulate doctors’ conduct and sale of medicines, but exercise little or no control over what goes on in beauty parlours or what goes into “healthcare’’ products.
In Singapore in 2002, 15 women developed liver problems and one died after consuming Chinese-made slimming pills that were
later found to contain two undeclared ingredients.
One of the patents, an actress, survived only after a liver transplant.
Felice Lieh Mak, a leading medical expert in Hong Kong and former chairman of the Medical Council, said, “We hope that this tragedy will result in some attempt at making a legislation, or at least working towards legislating and defining what medical treatment is.”
THE HAGUE (AFP) – Four Nigerian farmers take on Shell in a Dutch court on Thursday, accusing the oil giant of destroying their livelihoods in a case that could set a precedent for global environmental responsibility.
The civil suit, backed by lobby group Friends of the Earth, alleges that oil spills dating back to 2005 by the Anglo-Dutch company made fishing and farming in the plaintiffs’ Niger Delta villages impossible.
The case was initially filed in 2008, demanding that Royal Dutch Shell clean up the mess, repair and maintain defective pipelines to prevent further damage and pay out compensation.
In a landmark ruling, the Dutch judiciary in 2009 declared itself competent to try the case despite protests from Shell that its Nigerian subsidiary was solely legally responsible for any damage.
“I inherited the fishponds from my late father. I lost my income due to the oil spill. Now we are struggling to make ends meet,” plaintiff Fidelis Oguru, the head of Oruma village, was quoted as saying by Friends of the Earth.
Oil pollution has ravaged swathes of the Niger Delta in the world’s eighth largest oil producer, which exports more than two million barrels a day.
Shell is the biggest producer in the west African country, where it has been drilling for over 50 years.
Environmental groups accuse Shell of double standards and treating spills in Nigeria differently from pollution in Europe or North America.
“The scale of the pollution is enormous: twice as much oil has been spilled in Nigeria than was in the Gulf of Mexico. Only there (Nigeria) it’s never been cleaned up,” Friends of the Earth Netherlands spokesman Geert Ritsema told AFP.
The 2010 explosion and sinking of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig led to around five million barrels of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico in the biggest ever marine spill.
Shell says that spills in Nigeria are well below five million barrels and that the company cleans up whenever there is a leak, many of which it says are caused by sabotage.
Environmentalists want the Netherlands, and other Western nations, to pass laws forcing companies to enforce the same environmental responsibility standards abroad as at home.
If the Nigerians’ suit succeeds, it could lead to a flood of similar cases being brought before Dutch courts.
Shell operates in over 90 countries, according to its website.
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By Nnamdi Ojiego
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon has commended the commitment of the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon to honour the obligations of the ruling of International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the border between the two countries.
The commendation was contained in a release issued by Olajumoke Araba, Reference Assistant, United Nations Information Centre, Lagos, Nigeria on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the ICJ ruling on the Bakassi Peninsula.
The statement reads: “the Secretary-General commends the commitment of the governments of both countries to honour the obligations of the ruling. He also congratulates the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission for the commendable efforts it has made in implementing the ICJ ruling.
“The success of the Commission is an embodiment of an innovative approach to conflict resolution. By peacefully resolving their border dispute, Cameroon and Nigeria have provided a positive example for countries around the world facing similar challenges.
“The Secretary-General stresses the importance of addressing the socio-economic, humanitarian and security needs of the populations affected by the demarcation process, including in the Bakassi area. He also highlights the importance of implementing confidence-building measures and fostering cross-border cooperation.
“Finally, he encourages both countries to reach an early agreement on the remaining 200 kilometres of land boundary in order to conclude the demarcation process. The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to continue its support to Cameroon and Nigeria in implementing the ICJ ruling through the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission and the Follow-up Committee on the Greentree Agreement related to the Bakassi peninsula, both chaired by the United Nations.”
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President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday regretted that no fewer than 25 per cent Nigerians had been displaced by the flood ravaging most parts of the country.
He said since those saddled with the responsibility of compiling data on the victims were still working, there was possibility that the figure might be more than that.
He said his major concern was therefore how to resettle the displaced persons immediately after the flood receded.
Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja while inaugurating the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation which he set up to raise fund to augment government’s efforts at mitigating the pains of the flood.
The committee has businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association as its co-chairmen. Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr., who was absent at the inauguration is the Chief Fund Mobiliser.
The President regretted that some states of the federation, including
his home state Bayelsa, are currently about 80 per cent submerged.
He said his government was sad that Nigeria was facing what he called its unfair share of the global phenomenon.
He tasked members of the committee to ascertain the impact of the flood on the people, raise fund to complement or augment government’s efforts to mitigate the pains and advise government on other things incidental.
He said he expected the job to be completed in 12 months.
He said, “When people face this kind of flood devastation, it is no longer a national issue, it is an international issue because of the magnitude of refugees.
“This is a country of 167 million as at November last year’s projection. It’s almost a year since that figure was released though the Commission is yet to release fresh figures, we are definitely more than that now.
“And when you consider the fact that about 25 per cent or so of these communities are impacted by that, though the actual figure of the land and area affected is yet to get to us, have been affected by the flood.
“I spoke to my governor yesterday, he was so desperate because he said people do not even have food because all the channels of communications to Bayelsa State has been blocked by water.
“So you have enormous responsibility but we believe you are equal to the task.”
The President said members of the committee were carefully selected because the assignment needed people with empathy and human kindness.
Jonathan assured stakeholders that his government is up to the task as it will do everything possible to ameliorate the pains.
“Let me also use this opportunity to assure Nigerians again that the present administration will do everything possible to ameliorate the impact of this devasting flood on our people.
“We will do everything to cushion their pains, and we have put up a strong team made up of credible men and women who will also help government to achieve this,” he added.
Dangote, in his remarks, said he and other members of the committee saw their selection as a call to service.
He regretted that the floods came at a time the nations was battling with other challenges.
He, however, commended the President for responding swiftly to the situation by allocating funds and materials and materials for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims and also the setting up of presidential technical committee and the fund-raising one.
He said the committee would reach out to relevant organisations and individuals nationally and internationally to join them in mobilising resources and ideas to complement government’s efforts.
He also promised that the committee would be accountable and transparent in carrying out the assignment in such a way that both donors and beneficiaries are given account of the judicious application of funds and materials donated for the purpose.
“Be rest assured that we will not only rise to your expectations, but indeed, we will exceed them,” he said.
Dangote later told State House correspondents that there was no limit to how much the committee intends to raise.
He, however, added that a minimum of N100bn would be raised.
He said, “Our target is as much as we can think of and I am sure lot of Nigerians will donate something including yourselves.
“We are targeting N100 billion minimum, we do not want to look at it as a government issue.
“For some of us, when there were disasters in other countries we helped and so we expect people to help us.”
Members of the committee inaugurated by the President include Alhaji Karami Isiaku Rabiu, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, Ngo Hannatu Cholum, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Prof. Dora Akunyili and Mr. Tony Elumelu.
Others are the Secretary-General, Nigerian Red Cross, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, UNDP, European Union, DFID and USAID.
Permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources, Works, Agriculture, Health, Finance, National Planning and the Ecological Funds Office are also members.
Other members are the Director-General, NEMA; acting Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Chairman, House Committee on Environment , representatives of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, National Council of Women’s Societies, Mr. Tunde Lemo, (representing the Central Bank of Nigeria), Ms. Fatima Wali, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr., and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa.
Nigerian soldiers on Sunday killed about 30 suspected members of the Islamic sect Boko Haram, including a close associate of the group's leader during a gun battle in northeastern Yobe state, an army spokesman said.
"About thirty suspected Boko Haram terrorists were killed in the battle which lasted several hours," army spokesman Lieutenant Eli Lazarus said in a statement.
"In the battle, the notorious, one-eyed Bakaka, the field commander of Boko Haram in Damaturu and a close associate of Abubakar Shekau was killed," he added.
Troops of the Joint Task Force "engaged in a gun battle with the suspected terrorists" during a search and cordon operation on Boko Haram's hideout in Kandahar and around the cemeteries of Damaturu, the state capital, the statement said.
Ten suspected members of the sect arrested during the raid are helping investigators to track other senior members of the group, added the statement.
Six rifles, 90 rounds of ammunition, several telephone sets were recovered during the raid. Knives, bows, arrows, daggers and three cans of Improvised Explosive Device, which were detonated, were also confiscated, Lazarus said.
Yobe state police boss, Patrick Egbuniwe, said earlier Sunday that troops shot dead four suspected members of the Islamist sect following a raid on their hideout in Kandahar.
Islamist extremists have been blamed for more than 1,400 deaths since 2010 as part of their insurgency in northern and central Nigeria.
By Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja
But for the intervention of Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his Niger State counterpart, Babangida Aliyu, purported plot to impeach the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, allegedly spearheaded by two northern lawmakers would have thickened, Daily Sun can authoritatively reveal.
Meanwhile, the House leadership has stepped up surveillance over those suspected to be behind the impeachment plot even as it weighs the option of moving against them. House committee chairman on Finance, Jibrin Abdulmumuni (PDP Kano) and son of former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon Sani Kutigi (PDP Niger) were believed to be the arrowheads of the purported move which also had the backing of 97 lawmakers. The duo had since denied their alleged role in the plot.
A dependable source revealed to Daily Sun that Govs Kwankwaso and Aliyu, last month, had to intervene on behalf of the speaker before Mumuni and Kutigi agreed to cease from going ahead with the move. Kwankwaso, it was also learnt convened a meeting between Tambuwal and Mumuni where the latter expressed his grievances against the speaker. He told the Governor that while the leadership of the House was financially stable, other lawmakers were struggling.
He decried a situation where close allies of Tambuwal were not considered for contracts or privileged to enjoy other benefits. According to the source, Mumuni had disclosed that the meeting which was christened ‘Operation Clean Up’ was not targeted at unseating the speaker but to call his attention to their plight. “ In the meeting, he (Mumuni) gave reasons for their meeting but denied that it was a plot to remove the speaker”, the source who is a northern member of the House told Daily Sun. The source said further that Tambuwal had expressed his disappointment with the position of Mumuni. the Speaker noted that his leadership would not go the way of former speaker Dimeji Bankole, hence the decision to ask the National Assembly management to handle all contract matters.
According to the source, “the speaker agreed that members deserve to get more money but said that he had learnt some lessons from the Bankole experience and would not want to tread that path. He said he would not dabble into contract matters, that the National Assembly Management is in charge of contracts,” Tambuwal insisted. Daily Sun further learnt that Kwankwaso had told Mumuni to stay off the plot and give Tambuwal total support. He told him that he ran the risk of jeopardising his chances of succeeding him as governor if he failed to heed the advice.
Mumuni, who is on his first term in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, before the alleged plot was considered Tambuwal’s strong ally. It was further gathered that he apologized to the speaker and Kwankwaso for his alleged role in the plot and promised to retrace his steps. Similarly, Governor Aliyu was said to have taken Kutigi to Tambuwal where a deal to discontinue every impeachment move against the speaker was struck. “Gov Aliyu did not only call Kutigi to order, he also convinced others who were involved in the plot to support the speaker”, the source revealed. Despite the peace deal, Daily Sun learnt that the leadership of the House had been keeping watch over the activities of Mumuni, Kutigi and other lawmakers suspected to be involved in the plot.
A principal officer of the House told Daily Sun: “We are monitoring them closely, they have made some promises but we don’t want to rest on our oars. We know that these plots are coming from outside and they are merely using some gullible members among us”. He spoke further: “ We know the quarters where the attack is coming from but they will not succeed because the speaker has not committed any offence”. However, spokesman of the House, Hon Zakari Mohammed denied knowledge of mounting of surveillance over any member. He also said that the alleged plot against Tambuwal was a hoax, arguing that nobody was plotting against the speaker. Mohammed, who is the House committee chairman on Media and Public Affairs also laughed off a report in the media that the House went on a two week recess to starve off impeachment moves against the speaker.
According to him the House is currently on oversight of projects across the country. He said, “ we are working as one, there is no plot against the speaker”. Although the leadership of the House has continued to deny claims of moves against the speaker it is yet to explain reason for the seeming stormy executive session a fortnight ago. The House Leader, Honourable Mulikat Adeola-Akande, had moved that the House should dissolve into an executive session which lasted for almost two hours.
The executive session, was seen as a move by the House leadership to douse the tension created by the plots by some aggrieved members who had earlier sent text messages to members indicating their plans. The text message circulated among members which Nigerian Tribune sighted reads: “This is inviting all first term members of the House of Representatives to an urgent meeting and launching of the project ‘OPERATION CLEAN’. Date: 20th Sept. 2012 Venue-Transcorp Hilton, Abuja Time: 11.00 a.m. prompt.”
The allegations made against the Tambuwal-led House leadership was that the finances of the House were now shrouded in secrecy, a situation the plotters said they never bargained for when they were choosing them as their leaders. Those behind the moves also frowned at the manner the House leadership was allegedly awarding contracts and that they were not aware of how the House allocations were being spent.
The corps member, Williams with others during the inauguration of the borehole.
| credits: Segun Olatunji
Imo is a rustic community located within Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yet its people do not have access to basic amenities such as potable water and good toilet facilities.
This, it was learnt, has been the condition of the area since 1827 when their forefathers migrated from Orile-Imo homestead to their present place within Abeokuta metropolis.
As far as the people are concerned, there is nothing like dividends of democracy.
Concerned by the plight of the people, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, Mr. Igbigbi Williams, from Delta State, donated a borehole and a four-room modern toilet facilities worth N1.3m to the community.
Williams, with service number OG/11C/2554 came into the community last March and saw the need for the community to have potable water and modern toilets.
He said he got in touch with some prominent indigenes of the community and told them about his plan.
Williams, a graduate of Geography and Meteorology from the Enugu State University of Technology told our correspondent that he was encouraged by the enthusiasm exhibited by the leaders of the community when he informed them about his plan.
This, according to him, made him to ensure that the project was completed within seven months through direct labour.
Williams said, “Today marks a very important day in my life because it is a day I have fulfilled a part of my heart desires, which is putting smiles on people’s faces. When I was posted to this community, I took my time to go round in order to find out the most pressing needs of the people.
“In the course of doing this, I discovered that their most collective and pressing needs were modern toilet facility and potable water.
“Immediately I went to discuss my intention of providing these facilities with the head of the community who gladly accepted my proposals and gave me a portion of land where I eventually erected the projects.”
Williams, however, acknowledged that the projects would not have been possible if not for the financial assistance he received from some philanthropists like the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Lemo, the Baale of Lisa, Chief Nojeem Odugbemi, and the Odofin of Imo, Chief Akeem Adesina.
“So, it was not a surprise when on October 3 the people of Imo community adorned in their best attires, rolled out the drums to celebrate this unprecedented event,” he said.
The community’s monarch, Oba Kolawole Olubiyi, who led other traditional chiefs to the venue of the inauguration could not hide his excitement.
Olubiyi in his speech said it was the first time a project of such magnitude would be inaugurated in the community since 1817 either by an individual or the government.
Olubiyi said, “As a matter of fact, these projects are some of the most important things needed by the people of Imo. This corps member came to me one day and said that he was directed by the local government council to come and site the toilet and the borehole here.
“The corps member is one of those boys I’ve seen fulfilling the objectives of the NYSC and I’ll want the state government to recognise his efforts and give him a befitting award.”
He, therefore, urged the the community to ensure the security and maintenance of the projects for their maximum benefits.
The Odofin of Imo, Adesina, said those proposing the scrapping of the NYSC scheme had been proved wrong by Williams’ gesture.
“I want to assure you that from today, the Community Development Association has taken over the projects fully. They are not government’s projects. they are our own projects and by God’s grace, we’ll secure and maintain them,” he said.
GUNMEN on a motocycle on Wednesday shot dead two officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Kano, Kano State.
The killers were suspected to be members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
One other FRSC official sustained bullet wounds.
The killing occurred at about 1pm around Madobi Road, near Sani Abacha Youth Centre, in Panshekera, a suburb of Kano metropolis.
The incident came barely 24 hours after two policemen were shot dead by suspected gunmen in the city.
A policeman close to the scene of the incident, who preferred anonymity, told our correspondent that, “A Federal Road Safety Commission patrol vehicle was attacked by gunmen on a motorbike, killing two officers and wounding one.”
Sector Commander of the FRSC, Kano State Command, Zaaki Alkali confirmed the incident to journalists.
He said his men were four in the vehicle when the attackers opened fire on them.
“Two officers died instantly, while one sustained bullet wounds, but the fourth person survived the attack unhurt. It is a very sad incident”, Alkali explained.
By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA- Indications have emerged in Abuja that last Thursday’s announcement of new service chiefs followed last minute changes made by President Goodluck Jonathan to avert crisis within the Armed Forces if his original plan had been executed.
The new service chiefs include Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim, Chief of Defence Staff; Rear Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Alex Badeh, Chief of Air Staff, while Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, retained his position as Chief of Army Staff, COAS.
Presidency sources told Vanguard, weekend, that the President did not embark on sweeping retirements in the Armed Forces to prevent the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, from using it to win more converts and strengthen its attack machinery against the Federal Government.
Original plan
The initial plan, according to the sources, was that the COAS, who had piloted the Army in an exemplary manner, especially in the face of the security situation in the country, was to become the Chief of Defence Staff.
One of the GOCs was to be made Chief of Army Staff. The same plan was set down for the Navy and Airforce.
Had the President gone ahead with this initial plan, a sizeable majority of the next line of generals in the Army, Airforce and to a less extent Navy, with Northerners comprising over 50 percent of the personnel, would have been swept away from the Armed Forces, going by the terms and condition of service and seniority factor.
The President was said to have reasoned that retiring so many generals as a result of appointment of junior generals as Service Chiefs, with many of them from the North, and at a time when the Boko Haram menace was still ravaging parts of the country, may inadvertently provide highly trained specialists and personnel for Boko Haram.
It will be recalled that Jonathan had recently alleged that there were Boko Haram sympathisers in the military and the Presidency.
Northern factor
Already, the North is said to be seething with rage that the position of Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, has continued to elude them.
The chances of former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, who hails from Kano State, of becoming CDS was hampered by his two predecessors, Paul Dike and Oluseyi Petinrin, and becoming CDS had been the stabilising factor for the North in the military hierarchy.
It was learnt that the decision to retain General Ihejirika, apart from the fact that he had taken the Army to the next level and the President wanting him to complete most of the transformational activities going on, was to ensure stability in the army and reorganise it in a manner that internal complaint would be addressed within the next six to nine months.
Expected fall-out
If the initial plan had been effected in the Navy and Airforce, no less than 16 Rear Admirals and Air Vice Marshals would have been retired in their prime. The sources disclosed that this was what informed the change of mind in the Presidency.
The Army, Navy and Airforce had been directed to expand the new transformation and innovation departments in their services to create opportunities so that when these generals eventually retire from active services, they would still become useful and vital in research and improvement of operational tactics.
It was also alleged that the Presidency felt some of the personnel may fall prey to wealthy Nigerians and politicians, who may want to cash in on their availability and use their expertise in carrying out ventures that may put the safety, peace and stability of the nation in jeopardy.
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President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Abuja presented a budget of N4.9 trillion for the 2013 fiscal year, representing a five per cent increase to that of 2012 which was N4.7 trillion.
Jonathan said the budget titled, “Budget of Fiscal Consolidation with Inclusive Growth,” was premised on an oil benchmark of $75 per barrel in a volatile oil market.
The breakdown revealed Works got N183.5 billion, Power N742.6 billion, Education N426.5 billion, Health N279.23 billion, Defence N340.91 billion, Police N319.65 billion, Agriculture and Rural Development N81.41 billion.
He said the machinery and spare parts imported for local sugar manufacturing industries would attract zero per cent duty starting from January 2013.
The president said that the import duty for rice would also be increased to encourage local production.
“There will also be a five year tax holiday for sugar-cane and sugar value chain investors.
“A 10 per cent import duty and 100 per cent levy will be applied for both polished and brown rice,” he said.
On oil and gas, Jonathan said efforts were being made to restructure the sector for improved performance.
“The oil and gas sub-sector requires a lot to sustain and ensure improvement.
“We shall, therefore, complement available resources with the proposed infrastructure Euro bond of about one billion dollar in order to complete gas pipeline and other infrastructure investment,” he added.
Jonathan said all commercial aircraft and spare part imported into Nigeria would attract zero per cent duty and zero per cent tax.
According to him, this will applicably improve safety in our skies and ease maintenance.
He said machinery and equipment imported for use in solid minerals would attract zero per cent import duty and zero per cent tax.
On mass-transit, he noted that all components for buses of 40 -seater would attract zero per cent tax down from five per cent so as to encourage the production of mass-transit buses.
“Government is desirous of encouraging green growth and in this regard, we will provide incentive for energy efficient vehicles in the 2014 fiscal year,” Jonathan said.
The president said his government was working at empowering women through five pilot ministries, Agriculture, Health, Communication technology, Water Resources and Works.
“The Ministry of Agriculture will work with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to ensure that five million women farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs receive mobile phones to be able to access information on agriculture through an electronic wallet scheme.’’
Jonathan also said N3 billion would be disbursed for routine immunisation.
He said the number of women employed as contractors would be increased by giving them 35 per cent of FERMA rehabilitation works.
According to him, the regime is disappointed with the performance of the nation’s athletes at the just concluded Olympics, but impressed with the performance of the Paralympians.
“We will soon hold a retreat on sports and how to move it forward.’’
He said that his administration had attracted N7. 8 billion investment commitment to the agriculture sector and that an extra 2.5 million jobs would be created in 2015.
The president said government was working toward optimal implementation of the budget in order to save cost.
Jonathan appealed to the National Assembly and Nigerians to support the administration in realising the objectives of the budget.
Sub-Saharan Africa is poised to enjoy the type of high growth rates not seen outside Asia in the next few years, the International Monetary Fund said Monday, as the region’s unbridled economic rise continues.
The IMF predicted the region’s economy would grow at 5.0 per cent in 2012 and 5.7 per cent in 2013, a little slower than expected this year, but faster than expected next year, Agence France Presse reports.
“Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to continue growing strongly in the near term,” the Fund said in its regular economic outlook.
Ghana and the Ivory Coast are expected to top the region’s growth this year, with growth of over eight per cent.
Oil producers Nigeria, Angola and Gabon will also see strong growth.
The outlook for the rest of the region is also rosy, raising hopes that Africa may be on the verge of experiencing the type of growth that has transformed Latin America and South East Asia in recent decades.
“Economic activity in sub-Saharan Africa has expanded by more than five percent in each of the past three years — continuing a decade-long run of strong performance that was only briefly interrupted by the global downturn in 2009,” the IMF said.
But there were a flew blots on an otherwise positive landscape.
Africa’s leading economy South Africa is likely to experience weak growth of around 2.6 percent this year, thanks in part to spillovers from Europe’s debt crisis.
The IMF predicted South Africa’s economy would grow 3.0 percent next year.
The IMF also warned that African nations must use the prolonged boom to help create a nest-egg for any trouble ahead.
And Sub-Saharan Africa still has a long way to reach its potential. Today it accounts for just 2.5 percent of world GDP — or 1.3 percent excluding South Africa and Nigeria.
Apaediatrician, Dr. Solomon Adeleke, on Wednesday said that forced feeding of babies, common among mothers could lower the strength of the lungs causing pneumonia in the child.
Adeleke of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the food could enter the lungs and decay to cause pneumonia.
According to him, pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that is caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. It is characterised primarily by inflammation of the lungs’ tissues.
“It is a very serious condition, pneumonia can make a person very sick or even cause death; the disease can occur in young and healthy people.
“It is more dangerous for older adults, babies, and people with other diseases or impaired immune systems.
“But adults have a way of fighting against it unlike babies, who do not have much strength, hence more care should be taken while nursing them,” he said.
Adeleke said that cold, which was always attributed to pneumonia, was not the major cause, though it could predispose one to pneumonia.
“This is because the presence of cold might affect the movement of cilia, which fight against bacteria from entering the lungs, not to function effectively.
“Cilia act as brush, collecting all the large foreign particles that are inhaled.
“They move everything that they collect back up the throat toward the back of the mouth, so that the foreign particles can be expelled or swallowed,” he added.
Adeleke cautioned adults who were in the habit of spiting saliva carelessly, saying that pneumonia was infectious as children might be infected through that means.
According to him, some children may have congenital pneumonia; unusual condition present at birth or acquired one, which may be contracted through organisms buried in saliva.
The paediatrician also advised that babies should be kept warm and indoors to prevent them from contracting pneumonia as a result of dirty environment.
He also urged mothers take their babies to the hospital early enough for proper diagnosis and treatment, adding that early detection would enhance proper treatment.
President Goodluck Jonathan will on Thursday begin the first-phase of an inspection tour of states affected by the floods.
This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
He said the president would visit flooded parts of Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
He said before embarking on the tour, the president would inaugurate the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation on Thursday.
The president had, on Tuesday, constituted the committee on the ravaging flood during a national broadcast.
The committee was established as part of measures by the Federal Government to provide urgent succour and relief to victims of the floods across the country.
It has Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr Olisa Agbakoba as co-chairmen and Dr. Mike Adenuga of Globacom as the chief fund raiser.
It is charged with the responsibility of raising additional funds to support ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to ensure the provision of adequate relief to flood victims.
The committee will also ensure effective post-impact rehabilitation of affected persons and communities.
Former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has said that he believes the Yoruba nation is better positioned now more than ever before to back the emergence of an Igbo as President of Nigeria in 2015. In a press statement signed by his Special Assistant, Mr Emeka Obasi, the former governor, who is fresh from consultations with eminent Nigerians across the south, declared that the Yoruba by nature abhor injustice.
He said having realised that the South-east had suffered pathetic neglect for so long, some strong individuals from that region(South-west) could lead the campaign for change. According to Kalu, “Give it to the South-west. They always raise personalities against injustice.It did not just start with Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was ready to confront colonialism with bare hands. Prof.Wole Soyinka risked his life and went to jail not really because his friend Christopher Okigbo died in Biafra, he had a soft spot for the Igbo who suffered so much persecution.
The road to 2015 will throw up more such men and women.” He maintained that the perceived cat and mouse game between the two largest groups in the south did not mean they could not come together for more than political convenience, arguing that both understood themselves beyond power sharing. “There is so much between us. During the war, you found some Igbo living in Lagos.Chief Philip Asiodu even served in the Federal Government in spite of the loss of his brother Sidney to the bullets of Nigerian troops. Tony Igwe was busy playing soccer and Obisia Nwankpa sweated out in the gym. At the same time, Prof. Vincent Ike’s wife a Yoruba was part of the Biafran war efforts.
Even the daughter of Lagos Oba Adeyinka Oyekan was married to a Biafran naval officer, Ohiaeri-Duru.To cap it all, one of the gallant Yoruba officers who saw the war, Lt.General Alani Akinrinade had since condemned it as unnecessary. That is why the Yoruba stand out,”said the ex-governor.” Furthermore, Kalu expressed optimism that the long sought after handshake across the Niger would be witnessed in the 2015 Presidential elections since the Yoruba may not have eyes on Aso Villa following Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s unprecedented goodluck.
“Let me point out that the South-west will prove their love for the South-east in 2015.That is the best way to bury all the accumulated suspicion between both groups. For me, I know the Yoruba could stand up and be counted. The war years showed it. There was this Yoruba soldier who applied the brakes of his army truck to save the life of an Igbo pedestrian near Orlu at the end of the war in January 1970.An accompanying officer was so furious that he took control of the vehicle, drove for about 10 kilometres and forced the driver out into the dark.
Time was 1.00a.m.’Ejoo oo,ejoo oo’[please,please] the soldier pleaded. All to no avail. Fortunately, the drop zone was in Isu right in front of the house of the first Igbo Dental-Surgeon who had worked in Ibadan before the crisis.And he took the soldier in.The lesson is that there are more Yoruba out there who cannot kill Igbo dreams in 2015,”Kalu summed up.
From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure
Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko at the weekend lambasted the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Senator Ahmed Tinubu, advising him on the need to apply decorum anytime he is in public outings. According to him, those whose track records are in the public domain must tread cautiously. Mimiko who spoke at Okitipupa in the South senatorial district of Ondo State during the rally of the Labour Party held for his second term re-election bid stated that the people of Ondo State would not be part of a phony and deceitful integration as being preached by the leadership of the ACN in the South West.
The governor who described his achievements in the last three and a half years in office as placing the state on the path of sustainable development equally took a swipe at his predecessor in office, Dr. Olusegun Agagu. He accused Agagu of surreptitiously trying to draw back the hands of progress in the state by attempting to foist his stooge on the people. He stated that Agagu was a non-performer and challenged him to point to any major project that he did in any part of the state as proof of his much orchestrated performance.
Dr. Mimiko who described the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola as a better administrator who had shown ‘flash of brilliance in governance’ than Tinubu noted that Tinubu’s eight years in office could not match his three and a half years as governor of Ondo State. To him, the ruckus about capturing Ondo State, which he said was being better managed than any of the ACN controlled states, was a dream that would fall flat on its face. His words: “In Ondo State, the ACN is not on ground and they will meet their political waterloo here. Please, ask them what are they doing in Osun that we have not done better? In any of their states, Ondo State is better managed than them. I salute Babatunde Fashola, whatever anybody may say; he has shown a flash of brilliance in governance. But the eight years before Fashola, what did they do in Lagos? “They used eight years to build just one millennium school; we in Ondo State, in just three and a half years, have built world class mega schools all over the state.
“They talked about integration, if they want to integrate the South West, is it going to be in one person’s pockets? If that is integration, then Ondo State will never be a part of such a phony and deceitful integration. “But if it is the integration for the development of our people; to give world class education to our people; to give world class hospitals; integration to develop our public transportation; to bring development like we are doing in Ondo State for the generality of the people; oh yes, we are for it.
“But if it is integration of the pockets of one person, we will not be part of it and we are aware that the Yoruba across Ondo State and in the South West know the type of integration that they want. And it is definitely not the type of integration being preached by the leadership of the ACN.” Governor Mimiko who disclosed that he was seeking re-election based on his performance while in office described his contenders to the plum office as district officers, ill-prepared and minions of godfathers out to milk the state.
