1. ICT investment’ll drive economic growth –SystemSpecs
2. Getting it right with airport privatisation
THE Federal Government’s plan to concession the operations of its four international airports has continued to attract mixed reactions from stakeholders. While the government says it is forging ahead with the decades-long privatisation proposal, aviation sector workers and a sceptical public are worried that it could go all wrong and worsen a decidedly bad situation. The challenge, therefore, is to organise a creative, intelligent privatisation that will deliver value and raise the standard of the aviation business in Nigeria.
3. Lawmakers don’t have right to increase budget – Fashola
4. Ondo APC elders back Kekemeke’s removal
5. Make budgeting process more inclusive, Rep urges FG
6. New Horizon, varsity sign MoU on IT curriculum
7. Sun International to exit Nigeria, earnings crash by 58%
8. Buhari wants Islamic bank funds to rebuild North-East
9. Naira gains 0.8% on CBN dollar sale
10. Communication tax: Subscribers, business leaders ready for showdown
11. Osinbajo seeks continental cooperation to improve economies.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday urged African nations to work together, especially in developing their economies for the benefit of their people. “We have to help ourselves first before others come, we should look for ways we can benefit each other,” he said. Osinbajo suggested the creation of a bilateral economic council that could bring business interests from both countries together.“We must engender stronger relationships between our countries; that is what Africans need,” he added.While noting the important task for African governments to create the enabling environment for agricultural and industrial development, Osinbajo noted that people depended on what government was able to do for them.“You have made a lot of sacrifice for our country, including through ECOMOG and the United Nations Mission in Liberia,” he said.
Acknowledging
that Nigeria cares for Liberia, Boakai added that Nigerian businesses
were helping the West African country in sectors such as aviation,
banking, insurance and investments.
He also said there were teachers and doctors from Nigeria currently
helping to set up schools and health infrastructure in Liberia12. TCN shops for N2.3tn to transit 10,000MW electricity
The Transmission Company of Nigeria says it will require $7.5bn (about N2.3tn) to wheel 10,000 megawatts of electricity, which is the target of the Federal Government by 2019.The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, TCN, Dr. Abubakar Atiku, stated these in Abuja on Monday at a press conference.
He
said part of the firm’s strategic five-year plan was to boost its
transmission capability to 8,200MW by the end of 2018, to ensure steady
power supply.
This, he said, would be realised by completing eight of its new projects in 2018.
Atiku said that the completion of the projects would eventually lead to a total transmission capacity of 11,500MW.
He explained that the five-year plan had
also been carefully developed with the overall aim of realising an
uninterrupted power supply with the realisation of 20,000MW by 2022.
He
denied claims that the TCN was the weakest link in the power sector
value chain, stressing that blackouts were caused mostly by the Discos,
who were rejecting load allocated to them.
Atiku
said, “Let me assure the Gencos and Discos and indeed the generality of
Nigerians that the TCN is determined to improve its services such that
it does not appear and will not be the weakest link in the power sector
value chain. At the moment, the weakest link is truly identified as
those distribution companies rejecting customers load; thereby throwing
them into darkness, resulting in the lowering of generation, although we
have the capacity to generate more.
“I don’t want to mention the
distribution companies that are doing this, but they know themselves.
Most of them are load-shedding 11KV for two to three hours, and this is
simply because they cannot pay to the Market Operator all the allocation
given to them. So they use that technique or method to deprive
customers of power.”
He argued that the primary interest of
foreigners or expatriates was mainly the financial benefits from their
engagement with Nigeria, adding that all funding commitments from
international agencies with TCN under the management contractors
remained valid.
He noted that all contracts sealed with
investors would be executed in line with the contractual obligations
agreed by all parties.
Atiku said, “On this note, l wish to
allay the fears expressed in some quarters that with the termination of
the management contract, our concessionary loans and grants by
multinational funding agencies such as the World Bank will be
withdrawn.”
13. BDCs:Banks shun CBN’s $50,000 sale directive
14. Oil falls below $50 on Nigeria, Iraq supply boost
15. Sodje slams NFF over Rohr’s $47,000 salary
Nigeria World Cup star Efe Sodje has
slammed the country’s football federation for paying new Super Eagles
coach Gernot Rohr $47,000 as monthly salary.
The German signed a two-year contract
with the Nigeria Football Federation, which will be financed by an oil
and gas company. Rohr would be assisted by three others – an adviser, a
fitness trainer and a video specialist, with reports saying he would be
responsible for their salaries.
“When Shuaibu Amodu, Stephen Keshi and
Sunbday Oliseh were in charge of the team, they weren’t paid such
amount. They honour people here (England), but they don’t in
Nigeria.Here the FA is concerned about their own people but we keep
letting our own people down,” Sodje, who represented Nigeria at the 2000
World Cup said, said in a telephone interview.
“We should respect our own people.
Nobody knows him (Rohr) but they gave him the crucial job of taking us
to the World Cup. Why didn’t they take the same risk on Nigerian
coaches? If you put this man down amongst five white men, no Nigerian
will know him. But put Salisu (Yusuf) or Samson Siasia among five blacks
and Nigerians will know him. So why don’t we go for who we know?”
Sodje, a member of the Eagles squad that
reached the final of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, also
challenged the federation to make the contract with the German public.
The UEFA B Licence coach added, “They
said he will pay the other people he’s bringing from the $47,000. They
should tell us how much he (Rohr) will personally earn from the money.
Didn’t Keshi and Oliseh bring their own assistants too? Were they paid
the same amount? Let them show us the full details of the contract.
“If a private firm is paying the
coach, then what is the NFF doing? Who will pay the local people who are
part of the backroom staff? It’s a funny development and a shame that
we still haven’t changed after so many years. There is Siasia and
Emmanuel Amuneke, these are big names. Why can’t we bring them to manage
the national team?”
16. Prophet chains 28 ‘sick’ persons in Lagos apartment
A self-proclaimed prophet, Emmanuel
Adeyemi, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State after 28 persons
were allegedly found chained in his apartment in the Oke-Ira, Ogba area
of the state.
Our correspondent learnt that there was
confusion on Olamidun Close, Oke-Ira, where the suspect lived, on Friday
when operatives from Area G Command, Ogba, stormed the apartment and
found the victims chained in several rooms.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the
victims, who comprised 15 adults and 13 teenagers, were discovered after
a neighbour gave the police a tip-off that a 17-year-old boy, Toba
Adeyemi, who happened to be the suspect’s son, was chained in a room.
It was learnt that the police stormed
the house at about 12pm and found Toba, they also discovered 27 others
in a similar condition.
A police source in Area G, Ogba, told PUNCH Metro that the suspect claimed that his son, Toba, and the 27 others were deranged and he chained them to cure their illness.
He said, “The report we initially
received was that a boy, Toba (Adeyemi), was being chained down by his
father, a self-proclaimed prophet, in the estate. But when we got there,
it was more than just the boy. There were 27 others chained in various
rooms in the apartment.
“The suspect claims to be a spiritualist
and a prophet. He said his work is to pray for sick people to get well.
He said the victims were sick and he had been praying for their
healing. The suspect has some magical inscriptions on the wall of his
house. The victims comprised six adult males, nine adult females, seven
female children, and six male children.
“The families of the victims have not shown up to identify them.”
Our correspondent gathered that the
police had handed over the victims to officials of the Lagos State
Ministry of Youths, Sport and Social Development.
While some of the victims were taken to a
shelter, others were said to have been rushed to hospitals, which the
police did not disclose.
A resident on the close, who identified
herself only as Basirat, told our correspondent that the prophet was
known to run a home for mentally challenged people.
She said, “The police got a hint that
the man chained his son, who has mental illness. But the place is a home
the man built for mentally challenged people. Policemen were here on
Friday and they arrested him and his wife. Toba is Adeyemi’s son, but a
neighbour, who saw how the father chained him was not comfortable with
it and reported to the police.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident.
She added that the police had commenced investigation into whether the victims were mentally sick or not.
She said, “A total of 28 persons were
rescued from the suspect’s apartment. The man has been arrested and he
is undergoing interrogation. The command will get to the root of the
matter. The police are also investigating to find out whether the
victims are mentally sick or not.”
The police also on Friday arrested a
27-year-old suspected robber, Sunday Onjefu, during an operation at
Itedo bus stop, Lekki Phase 1 area.
Our correspondent learnt that Onjefu,
who hails from Benue State, was arrested by the Maroko Police Division
while allegedly dispossessing some ladies of their handbags and other
valuables.
The police spokesperson, Badmos, said
the suspect had been transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
Ikeja, for further investigation.
She said, “The police found two toy guns
and a knife on him. The suspect said he had robbed people staying in
the area with the toy guns.”
17. Budget padding: ‘Dogara, Jibrin, others guilty’
18. Man who named dog Buhari sent to prison
The man who named his dog Buhari,
Joachim Iroko, aka Joe, was remanded on Monday at the Ibara Prison
following his arraignment at the Ota Magistrate Court 2, Ogun State.
He was charged to court by the police
with conduct likely to cause breach of the peace, in a case with suit
number MOT/617c/2016.
The prosecutor, Inspector Itaita
Ebibomini, said the accused committed the offence on Saturday, August
13, 2016, at the Hausa section of Ketere Market in Sango-Ota in the Ota
Magisterial District.
The prosecutor told the court that the
offence was punishable under Section 249 (d) of Criminal Law of Ogun
State, Nigeria, 2016.
The accused, who was represented by a counsel, U. Michael, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The charge read, “That you, Joachim
Iroko, aka Joe, and others still at large, on Saturday, August 13, 2016,
at about 5.30pm at the Ketere area, Sango, in the Ota Magisterial
District did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of
the peace, by writing a name, Buhari, on a dog and parading
same in the Hausa section of Ketere Market, Sango, thereby, committing
an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 249 (d) of the
Criminal Law of Ogun State, Nigeria, 2016.”
His counsel, however, pleaded that the
accused should be granted bail. The prosecutor did not oppose the
application for bail. The two witnesses in the case were present in
court.
The Chief Magistrate, B. J. Ojikutu,
admitted Iroko to bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like
sum, adding that the sureties must be regular taxpayers in the state.
“They must attach four passport
photographs each to the bail bond, depose to affidavits of being
gainfully employed, and reside in the court’s jurisdiction,” he added.
The case was adjourned till September 19, 2016.
Iroko, who had been formerly identified
as Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, was arrested on Saturday, August 13, after
one of his neighbours, who is of Northern extraction, complained that he
named the dog after his father, Alhaji Buhari.
The suspect was first taken to the Sango
Police Station, from where he was transferred to the state police
command headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta.
However, as of press time, his family
members had yet to perfect the bail for his release. He was subsequently
taken to the Ibara Prison.
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