Fashola hands over 336 rent-to-own housing units

On September 15, 2011 · In News

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

LAGOS-Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has handed over to the public, the pilot home ownership scheme at Epe. He also urged the Federal Government to embark on the repeal of Primary Mortgage Institutions, PMI, Act and replace same with a new law that will guarantee mass housing initiative in the country.

This came as Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Olusola Oworu, said that 93.7 per cent of the businesses in the state were in the informal sector.

Fashola, speaking at the commissioning of 336 units of Sir Michael Otedola Housing Estate in Odoguranshin, Epe, said his administration set up the mortgage board to give hope to Nigerians to own homes of their own and ensure that low income earners have access to own homes.

He said the Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, look into the Primary Housing Mortgage Institution, PMI Act, with a view to repealing it and replace same with a law that would guarantee the needed capital to fund mass housing initiatives in the country.

He said: ”With competing demands for other social services, we are convinced that the future for mass housing delivery should be private sector-driven with government strengthening the operational environment and legal framework for such participation.

“The result is that the public gets quality and affordable houses while the private sector gets new business opportunities.”

He noted that the problem of housing was not that of building alone but of sustainability, which manifests itself in various forms, such as the congestion of ports, which compounds the cost of imported components of building materials, the rate of foreign exchange, which adds to cost of building, the absence of long-term mortgages and funding, exacerbated by high interest rates which force citizens to desperate situations in order to raise money to pay for houses in one single payment.

Maputo 2011 - Medals Table as at 12/9/11

According to the table published on the website of the Games Organising Committee (COJA), so far 466 medals have been awarded at the 10th All-Africa Games in Maputo.

15.09.1106:35am 0 0

by AIM Maputo

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Of these, 131 (28 per cent) have been won by South Africa, due largely to South Africa prowess in the swimming pool, where it won 74 medals.

Algeria is still in second position, with 51 medals, but Nigeria has now moved into third position, with 47 medals. This is partly due to Nigerian dominance of the badminton tournament, in which Nigerian players won 12 medals.

But the medals table published by COJA is woefully out of date. It does not include any of the medals won on Tuesday, or even on Monday evening. It is thus 48 hours behind the reality of the games.

For example, it does not include the Nigerian triumph in the women’s 100 metres on Monday night, in which Nigerian sprinters took all three medals. And it does not include the latest bronze medals won by Mozambique in chess and athletics.

So, with the proviso that it only covers events up to Monday afternoon, here is the latest COJA medals table:

South Africa: 131 (57 gold, 40 silver, 34 bronze)

Algeria: 51 (11 gold, 19 silver, 21 bronze)

Nigeria: 47 (11 gold, 16 silver, 20 bronze)

Tunisia 45: (17 gold, 19 silver, 9 bronze)

Egypt 30: (14 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze)

Kenya: 28 (7 gold, 7 silver, 14 bronze)

Senegal: 20 (6 gold, 3 silver, 11 bronze)

Cameroon: 14 (4 gold, 1 silver, 9 bronze)

Mauritius: 13 (4 gold, 2 silver, 7 bronze)

Angola: 12 (2 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze)

Seychelles: 12 (1 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze)

Zimbabwe: 11 (4 gold, 6 silver, 1 bronze)

Ethiopia: 9 (2 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze)

Botswana: 8 (1 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze)

Ghana: 7 (1 gold, 6 bronze)

Mozambique: 7 (2 silver, 5 bronze)

Congo: 6 (1 silver, 5 bronze)

Uganda: 4 (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)

DR Congo: 3 bronze

Ivory Coast: 2 silver

Madagascar: 1 silver

Mali: 1 silver

Namibia: 1 silver

Rwanda: 1 silver

Lesotho: 1 bronze

Sao Tome and Principe: 1 bronze.

Everything You Need to Know About the Libyan Oil Industry

Everything You Need to Know About the Libyan Oil Industry

Nigerian Prophet Predicts Impending World War Three

Some people see him as the Nostradamus of our time because of his previous powerful predictions that have come into reality. Apostle Perez Oluyemi In his recent prediction warned nations of the earth of the mysterious things that would envelope the world in years to come. Once again, he is now calling on all nations of the earth to rise up to fight terrorism.
“The spate at which terrorism is going might lead to another world war if not properly handled.
The man of God that made reference to restiveness in virtually all nations of the world warned that world might annihilate itself if terrorism is not adequately addressed”.
Apostle Perez Oluyemi who spoke on the skyrocketing level at which some nations of the world are developing weapons of mass destruction to the detriment of other nations criticized this trend which he said United Nation (UN) may not be able to handle in years to come.
“It is pathetically shocking and horridly unfortunate that at this age and time that some counties or countries assume in error that they are free terror or rather ‘terrorism and from what the world is about it. Goof! I say it is time now we all realized that terrorism is an horrendously odd war declared against the entire human race or races, leaving no race or colour out”
In his world: “Terrorism is deadlier and much more devastatingly lethal than the long spoken about the world most dreaded monster, ‘AIDS’ or even any other. It is exterminating force in geometrical order rather than arithmetical”.
He stated that terrorism is a heinous crime against the entire creation of God, human race, and that the whole world must team up to fight it before it leads to another war world war three.
“If your Haman live in the book of Esther, which is a standing terror, systematically terrorism in ceaseless…. Surreptitiously moves and adamantly tenaciously in an ever increasing strife to rule your world and ours; is properly taken care of, then our established lifting prosperity and promotion together in eschaton is assured.
He further stated that if the world lose the war on terror the end results would be calamitous not just to one nation but the entire nations of the world.
“If we lose this war; we are going down the drain together. So it is truly the war of the whole world. It is the unnamed world war 3”, he stated.
“There are only 37 years for the end time grand agenda. By the grace of God I can open the details of this mystery to the whole at the right for it is only hidden in the world of God. Apostle Philip also unraveled a mystery to Eunuch of Ethiopia. What I am doing now is solely biblical-so that the world do not annihilate or exterminate until He that letteth lets”.

Wikileaks’ Report A Fiction, Says Okonjo-Iweala

Sunday, 11 September 2011 00:00 Editor News - National

THE report — “WikiLeaks: Okonjo-Iweala Ferried $50 Million Jobs To Brother” — which was published by Sahara Reporters has been described as baseless fiction that is “totally devoid of even a semblance of truth.”

A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to Coordinating Minister for the Economy/Minister of Finance, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, which was made available to The Guardian yesterday, the reference to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala in the story lacked substance and credibility.

“The story,”according to Nwabuikwu, “is based on two sentences in the alleged Wikileaks cable allegedly uttered by an unidentified person alleging that Dr Okonjo-Iweala “steered” contracts worth $50m to her brother for “consulting work in 2004.

“First, the minister has no brother called Jon-Jon, as the alleged “brother” is identified in the story.

Second, no brother of the Minister was awarded any such “consulting” contract as alleged.

“Third, as Minister of Finance in the Obasanjo government, Dr Okonjo-Iweala earned a name as a high-performing public servant of impeccable integrity.

“Fourth, this “revelation” obviously refers to a previous allegation about one of her brothers, which was thoroughly investigated and discredited because it was found to have originated from vested interests. It is shocking that something that was discredited so long ago is being rehashed.

“It is clear that this is another ploy by vested interests, who are desperate to stop her from contributing to the realisation of an improved Nigeria . They will fail again.

“It would, therefore, be extremely unwise to give credence to such a flippant statement by an unknown and unconfirmed source. The story is simply a“tale by moonlight” account by an unknown source about something that never happened.

“A similar report by Pointblanknews, a disreputable online website quoting a disreputable “former” presidential candidate, also made the totally laughable claim that Dr Okonjo-Iweala was “fired” by former President Olusegun Obasanjo because she benefitted from the historic debt deal with the Paris Club, which she contributed so much to achieving. The allegation makes it clear that the vested interests are not only desperate but very unintelligent as well.

“ It is a fact of history that when Dr Okonjo-Iweala resigned from the Obasanjo government, the administration eulogised her for her high competence and professionalism because she did justice to every single assignment she was given.

One of the many reasons Dr Okonjo-Iweala enjoys such a high standing internationally is the fact that she has been thoroughly investigated and cleared by the most respected security agencies in the world.

“With Okonjo-Iweala what you see is what you get. Anything else is fiction,” Nwabuikwu concluded.

Human capital development still holds the ace to economic growth, says Ugwoha

Monday, 12 September 2011 00:00 BY DELE FANIMO AND DAMILOLA OSUNSANYA Business Services - Business News

Chibuzor Ugwoha is the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, created by the Federal Government as an intervention agency to fast-track development and ameliorate ecological and physical degradation in the Niger Delta region. In this interview with DELE FANIMO and DAMILOLA OSUNSANYA, he explains the current focus on human capital development as a catalyst for sustainable growth and how the agency has evolved to key into the local content policy of government, among other issues. Excerpts.

WHAT are the achievements of NDDC viewed against your mandate?

FIRST, NDDC has done a lot in terms of providing infrastructural development in its targeted areas, that is, the nine oil producing states. We have provided agricultural training for youths and also raised micro-credit facilities in partnership with financial institutions to create easy access to loans for persons who wish to do their own businesses. NDDC has, also been able to address the issues of shore protection, road construction, water supply, electricity, and transportation among others in the Niger Delta. Having done these over the years, we now thought about developing human capital in the region.

You and I know that the major problem in the country today is youth restiveness, which translates to unemployment and poverty. We recognise that if the mandate of the commission is to be achieved, which is transforming the area and making it peaceful, economically viable and regenerative, we need to redefine transformation in the context of human capital development. Even at that, we quite appreciate the enormity of the task and know too well that the NDDC alone cannot do it all.

We have, therefore, gone into strategic partnerships with the public and private sectors, as well as international agencies in order to achieve this vision.

For instance, we are in partnership with the Cross River State government to provide top rate facilities that will enhance poultry business in the region. As I speak, our partnership with the Nigeria Institute of Welding has produced 25 internationally certified welders in the region. The 25 persons were trained in Nigeria at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Effurun and at the South Africa Welding Institute in Johannesburg . To underscore the point, we have only about 38 certified welders in Nigeria today of whom 25 are from the Niger Delta. I mean the kind of welders that can handle effectively the welding jobs that the oil companies operating in the Niger Delta which they bring Asians and all manners of artisans outside the country to do for them. A second level of that training programme has just been completed at the German Welding Institute in Instanbul , Turkey where 40 persons have been trained in welding inspection, thus making it a complete package of quality workers and quality inspectors in welding engineering.

We are also in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to train youths in various drilling and marine skills required in the oil and gas industry. We are into something similar with the Nigerian Maritime Academy , Oron and Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to train thousands of youths from the region as mariners and seafarers.

You may ask why this drastic shift in emphasis. People have to drive every process of development. Therefore, if you go about building infrastructure without a corresponding enhancement of the human factor, you shall enthrone a metrics that will be extremely difficult to sustain. Whatever resources you have in your environment including the human beings should blend harmoniously to make life more meaningful.

What other areas of human capital development is the commission targeting?

I was talking about welding. Let me say more that welding is central to all fields of engineering. Whether you are building or you are running an oil company, you will need to weld. We were able to establish that and then did an assessment that further revealed that the type of welding I am talking about is very crucial in the oil and gas sector. And so what we have done in that area is most articulate, need-driven and targeted at placements in the oil and gas industry. Beneficiaries of previous trainings usually return to block NDDC gates and hunt the commission, because the employment component of the programme was never clearly thought out.

Even now, those 25 specially trained welders are themselves engaged in training other welders. About 700 more welders are being trained at certified training centres around the Niger Delta region. At the completion of these programmes, 700 youths would have been certified fillet, plate and pipe welders. You know the oil and gas company is capital intensive and they would not want to place their activities in the hands of quacks.

Essentially, what we are doing is to align ourselves with the local content policy of the Federal Government. We also believe that not everybody would join the group of engineers. If you look at film making, it is the fastest growing industry in Nigeria . If somebody is not in science, he could be good in the entertainment business. There are a whole lot of stories to be told and things to be discovered using the medium of film. We do not want our youths to be left behind and so, last year, we sponsored the training of 250 people in acting, directing and other aspects of film production and as I speak with you, another 250 are undergoing training in Lagos with the New York Film Academy, which also did last year’s training.

I have spoken of our on-going training programmes in maritime skills here in Nigeria and abroad. We have also concluded arrangements to send 50 youths to Dubai for similar training and let me add that we are not just sending people out for the fun of it but following up effectively to ensure that those being sent acquire the knowledge that will give them employment in the competitive labour market.

I should also say that not only engineers work in the oil industry, Accountants and other professionals do work there too. But in whatever area, the current high level of office automation has made ICT indispensable in career growth across board. Thus, engineers, accountants, doctors and even lawyers and artists all need computer to function optimally. We decided therefore to introduce computer-training programmes to specific packages to specific professionals. For instance, instead of the usual general computer appreciation, the accountant should be trained in the specific ICT package that should help him in his accounting job. Same goes for the architect, engineer, town planner, medical doctor and so on. By so doing, we sharpen their delivery capabilities and put them in a stead to compete with those that have studied in the best schools in the world. As I speak to you, 2,500 youths are undergoing the NDDC computer training.

We have gone beyond this to create an online database of professionals in the Niger Delta region. People are registering and if you are an employer and interested in Niger Delta, you can go to the website we have developed, type in your job request and it will throw up the list of all qualified persons with their detail resumes in the area of your request. From there, you can pick the ones you wish to invite for interview.

I understand human capital development as the quality and marketability of the people being trained and education is the foremost instrument in this regard. Take for instance, when the late Ken Saro-Wiwa was commissioner for education in the old Rivers State , he studied and applied the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowos concept on education. He gave scholarships to a lot of his Ogoni people to study within and outside Nigeria at a time when the old Ogonis were considered backward in the then sociological framework of Rivers State . Today, the story has changed and the Ogonis are about the most educated and progressive in Rivers State .

The benefits of that initiative just as the free education of the old Western Region under Pa Awolowo were not immediate. They took good time to manifest. Today, the NDDC is doing something in that direction with its oversea scholarship scheme for postgraduate studies (Masters and Doctorates) in Medicine, Engineering, Architecture, ICT, Environmental and Geo-sciences in reputable universities abroad. Last year, 200 people benefited and the process of selecting the same number for this year’s award is nearing conclusion. The selection is by a committee of reputable academics and it is strictly based on merit. In fact, only holders of first class and second-class upper division degrees are eligible to apply in the first place.

For now, these highly laudable efforts may not add up to anything tangible, but the benefits shall start tumbling in a couple of years from now. I am happy to announce that FirstBank Plc has been encouraged to support the scholarship scheme with 20 per cent of the total money expendable by the commission on the award.

Any synergy with the amnesty programme?

Basically, the amnesty progamme is a kind of direct intervention by Federal Government to tackle the issues in the Niger Delta. The NDDC by the law establishing it, is an interventionist agency, created to also intervene and offer solutions to the perennial questions of the Niger Delta. And so, there is a partnership but while the Amnesty Programme is focusing on ex-militants, any Niger Delta youth either militant or non-militant is free to come into our programme provided he or she follows the right channel.

Any guarantee that all your trained welders, for instance, will be absorbed in the end by the oil companies?

Welding is not only needed in the oil companies. When you are building bridges, you need welders. Some of them may even establish on their own. For well-trained artisans generally, the employment market is never saturated in Nigeria and even if the market becomes saturated, they can be exported to other parts of Africa . Foreigners have been coming to Nigeria to do work that can be effectively done by Nigerians. If we have the right type of people, I believe other African countries would prefer having Nigerian to having European or Asian expatriates.

The Nigerian Institute of Management just gave you an award, what is it all about?

The NIM gave the NDDC an award not me in person. I only received the award on behalf of the commission as the chief executive. They call it Management Excellence Award and in presenting the plague to me, the President of NIM, Dr. (Mrs.) Sally Nkem Adukwu Bolujoko said that the institute was specially thrilled by the NDDC’s initiatives in building the capacities of youths in the Niger Delta region. My happiness is that even when we think we still have so much to do in the area of human capacity building, people watching us from outside, are already expressing satisfaction. I feel honoured and I give all the glory to God and also thank the board, management and staff of the NDDC for making it possible for us to drive in this direction.

What are the specific challenges in driving an agency as yours?

I was coming from a private sector background to the public sector. The environments are different and there must be some learning process so that both ends can fuse into a new creative force that has begun manifesting in the way the NDDC currently conducts its businesses. In the end, I want to be remembered for causing those changes which truly brought the NDDC most close to its mandate as an agency created by government to bring development in the Niger Delta.

A Wild WikiLeaks Week

Sunday, 11 September 2011 00:00 Sonala Olumhense

IT is a cruel coincidence that in a week in which awful revelations have been tumbling out from WikiLeaks, much of it about the filthy nature of Nigeria ’s political elite, the Goodluck Jonathan government insisted on inserting a 100 Days celebration.

I would have counseled a policy of silence, but perhaps, in their wisdom, they imagined such a celebration would deflect attention from the lamentable revelations.

The Presidency’s statement, 100 Days of Promising Less and Delivering More: The Jonathan Transformational Agenda,” was penned by Reuben Abati, who is President Jonathan’s spokesman. There may be no better omen that this government has a conceptual problem.

The Jonathan government must understand that appointing people to office is not an achievement.

Organizing a seminar is not an achievement.

Receiving a guest, whether he journeyed from Maiduguri or Mars, is not an achievement.

Setting up a committee is not an achievement.

Launching a campaign is not an achievement.

Being recognized by whoever as the second largest oil exporter on earth is not an achievement.

“Approving funds” or “awarding contracts” is not an achievement; demonstrating that a project has been completed, especially ahead of time and under budget, that is.

Assenting to a bill is not an achievement; demonstrating how that bill has had an immediate impact on the fortunes of some citizens, for instance, would be an achievement.

Receiving repatriated funds is not an achievement; immediately using such funds to fulfill a demonstrable public need, would be.

Making “stellar appointments” is not an achievement; using average appointments to accomplish stellar objectives would be.

Generating power at Nigeria ’s “highest level ever” would be an achievement, if we knew exactly what that meant, and if its impact can be demonstrated.

“Promising less,” is not is not the equivalent of delivering anything, let alone delivering more of anything. The truth is that, if we are talking about the Jonathan administration, nothing has yet been delivered or achieved.

Did anyone expect Jonathan to “achieve” a lot in 100 days? To rise up and demonstrate seriousness, yes, but to actually accomplish critical targets, not really. The question is whether Mr. Jonathan is prepared to rise to the challenge, or whether he will always attempt to market the aroma as the food.

In 2004, in the Introduction to the book, “The Whole Truth,” a collection of editorials by The Guardian, Mr. Abati noted how the newspaper’s editorials had for 20 years had to deal with the same themes of governance, development and human conduct. “He watches as Nigeria moves, while remaining on the same spot and yet time moves ahead as the people are left behind...,” he wrote. “But the question, the big question is: do Nigerian leaders read? Do they listen?”

Today, not only is Abati in a position to answer that question, he is in a position to ensure that Nigeria ’s ruler works for, and is answerable to the people.

To do that, the first thing that the government of which he is now a part must do is to avoid taking the people for granted through the kind of insulting list of “achievements” he has just published.

If Jonathan wants to be considered an achiever, he must take up the list of promises he made to the Nigerian people in the months he was begging for their votes. If he is not working with that list, he has already let the people down.

If he is working with that list, the ongoing WikiLeaks revelations ought to shock and sadden him, for various reasons. What all the revelations lead to is whether Jonathan believes he can move the nation forward without first clearing the debris, including those being unveiled by WikiLeaks.

Not only do the stories confirm much of what we have always known about the malfeasance in our country’s governance, they also confirm why we continue to be an under-developing country.

All the WikiLeaks stories are, of course, readily deniable, and last week, the denials began to flow. According to Mr. Abati, in one, “... Jonathan has never been on any EFCC list of corrupt governors and we challenge anyone to prove otherwise.”

Not true. Although Nigeria is a very forgetful country, in mid-2006 Jonathan was indeed listed and recommended for prosecution, along with several other governors, by a Joint Task Force (JTF) set up by President Obasanjo to fight corruption. The JTF comprised the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); the EFCC; the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB); the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigerian Police. Each of those organizations contributed five members to the JTF, and Nuhu Ribadu was its chairman.

As Governor of Bayelsa State, the JTF cited Jonathan for false declaration of assets that included an N18 million Lexus Jeep he claimed to have acquired in 2004 through personal savings, and a BMW 7351 Series bought for N5.5 million in 2005. The JTF established that he had received them as gifts, in violation of the CCB Act of 1990. There were also properties in Abuja and Otuke Ogbia LGA that were reportedly acquired outside his legitimate income.

That was 2006, the same year Jonathan’s wife was cited by the same Ribadu in his report to the Senate on 27 September. That may also have been why, when he became Vice-President, Jonathan release his assets declaration only after intense pressure. Now that he is the President, he has completely refused to do so!

That is simply the short answer to Abati’s question. The more important issue is where Jonathan is going now. Is he going to get things done, or merely compile lists of his staff and the stationery supplied?

For me, one of the most fascinating of last week’s leaks was Ambassador Campbell’s 2006 cable to the US State Department: “Corruption: Nigeria “Improves” to Sixth-Worst In The World...What Can We Do About It?”

Think about it: “Sixth-Worst.” Read the cable and see how they laughed at Obasanjo’s celebration of our “rise” to sixth-worst in the corruption sweepstakes!

The ambassador proposed using denial of visas to corrupt Nigerian officials as a tool for forcing change, a point which tallies with President Barack Obama’s speech in Accra a couple of years later. Campbell said the US would compile such a list, which I am sure they now have. Imagine if the industrialized nations were to implement such a policy!

But let us begin with the United States being so two-faced. Many of the figures on that list have used Nigeria ’s funds to buy expensive property in some of the most fascinating neighborhoods in the US . Unlike in the United Kingdom , unfortunately, the US is taking action against none of them.

Better yet, the US should sponsor a new international development methodology where acceding countries receive development assistance that is channeled directly to projects and schemes agreed with that country. They would then be bilaterally implemented and supervised by the BiNational Commission and the United Nations Development Programme. I am sure that in just a few years, poor Nigerian kids can go to good schools; citizens can avoid dying in routine highway crashes; and powerful Nigerians need not go abroad to find a decent hospital in which to die.

Until then, we must be grateful to WikiLeaks for the new understanding of our land with which we are being empowered. It was somewhat funny last week hearing Abati reject some tumultuous cables, because it was only last January that The Guardian made WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange its “Man of the Year.”

The citation was penned by Abati himself. Among others, he wrote, “Assange is in the eyes of the ordinary man across boundaries more of a hero than villain, more of a champion than a pest, an achiever and flag-bearer for the open society ideal, not an anarchist, but a progressive.”

Despite the questionable 100 days past, I have a feeling these are going to be four remarkable years.

sonala.olumhense@gmail.com