Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia
| credits: File copy

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia, has said stable power generation, transmission and distribution are major prerequisites for industrial development and sustained economic growth.

The minister also commended Geometric Power Limited for the company’s proposed expansion scheme for the Independent Power Project, stressing that the plant would increase the capacity of transmission network, strengthen the grid and improve electricity supply.

Mailafia, according to a statement from GPL, stated this in an address delivered during a panel review meeting on Environmental Impact Assessment on the proposed IPP for Aba Industrial Zone in Abia State.

According to her, the project will increase the voltage profile of Aba Industrial Zone, as well as improve system reliability, stability and operational efficiency.

The minister, who was represented by Mr. T. L. Joshua, was quoted as saying, “You will agree with me that for any planned industrial revolution in any country, Nigeria inclusive, a stable power generation, transmission and distribution are major prerequisites for industrial development and sustained economic growth.

“The proposed Geometric Power IPP expansion project is aimed at increasing the capacity of transmission network, thereby improving the voltage profile on the Aba Industrial Zone as well as strengthening the grid and improving system reliability, stability and operational efficiency of the nation’s power supply.”

She urged the host communities of the IPP projects to conclude amicable negotiations with GPL, as this was in accordance with the transformation agenda of the government to deliver electricity to Nigerians.

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi
| credits: File copy

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, on Friday said that his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, tried to ‘reinstall’ himself as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

However, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party countered his assertion, saying that only the 36 governors could decide whether Amaechi was okay to go for a second term.

Akpabio, who spoke during an interview on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise, said Amaechi’s bid was stoutly resisted by some governors, whose identities he did not disclose.

He stated that Amaechi’s bid was in violation of an agreement drawn up by governors when Vice-President Namadi Sambo was the governor of Kaduna State.

He said, “I must advise that Nigerians must practise responsible journalism. Sometimes you see headlines such as ‘Jonathan’s group..’ or ‘Jonathan fails to remove Amaechi.’ Nothing like that ever happened.

“The only thing that happened within the (Nigerian) Governors’ Forum was that our chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, attempted to go for a second term and reinstall himself and we said no.

“The agreement we had was that each chairman should go for only one tenure. A constitution was we drafted. The chairman of the constitution drafting committee was (then governor) Namadi Sambo. We entrenched the provision that there it should only be one tenure each so that there would not be acrimony within the rank and file of the forum.

“We agreed that the Southern and Northern parts of the country should do two years each two. We did that because we had a situation where there was a chairman of the governors’ forum who had a presidential aspiration and we were no longer having meetings. It was starting to look like the forum was trying to wrest power from the people at the Villa. That was not the truth.”

On whether the influence of the forum had turned it into a pressure group, Akpabio explained that the unity it had brought about in the country was more important.

“I don’t know about power but we have been able to bring together APGA, ACN and others. I don’t think it is has become a pressure group.I think it is because of the events in the country. For instance, when our late President (Umaru Yar’Adua) was sick, there was the need for the governors to come together and provide a little bit of leadership and that was what we did. I think that is what we are elected to do,” he added.

Akpabio also said he would run for the Senate in 2015, based on “pressures by my people who are yearning for quality representation based on service. I was compelled to reconsider my decision and yield to the people desire by opting to run for the Senate.”

But Rivers State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ukwuoma-Nwogba, said since Akpabio was only one governor among other state governors, his opinion could not be binding on the tenure of the forum’s chairman.

Ukwuoma-Nwogba explained that the NGF had agreed that its constitution be amended for Amaechi to go for a second term and added that any opposition to such a decision was unnecessary.

“The truth is that Akpabio as governor is not the NGF and his position on the tenure of the NGF chairman cannot be binding on other governors.

“If the governors have agreed to amend their constitution for Amaechi to go for a second term as NGF chairman, there is little or nothing he (Akpabio) can do about it,” the state PDP spokesman emphasised.

Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama

Tempers rose on Thursday at the Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting over the inability of the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, to preside over the meeting.

Commissioners of Finance from the 36 states of the federation, who had been invited to Abuja to consider the revenues that accrued to the Federation Account and to also approve statutory allocations for the month of March expressed anger over Ngama’s absence at the meeting.

This is not the first time the minister had kept the commissioners waiting for hours.

But the commissioners, after waiting for about four hours without the minister showing up, left the venue of the meeting in anger.

There are usually two sessions at the monthly meeting – the technical session and the plenary session.

The technical session involves the accountants-general of the 36 states and it is usually convened to consider revenue for the month.

It precedes the plenary session, where the accounts prepared at the technical session are considered and approved by the state commissioners of Finance.

But after concluding the technical session, the commissioners waited from 4pm till 8:05pm without the minister showing up or sending a message.

Findings showed that the commissioners were angry with Ngama that both sessions of the FAAC meeting were usually held on the same day.

The convening of both the technical and plenary sessions on the same day, according to them, is a breach of extant regulations.

Addressing journalists on the development, the Chairman of the Commissioners’ Forum of FAAC, Mr. Timothy Odaah, said they were kicking against the attitude of the Minister of State for Finance, which had resulted in the irregularity of the meeting.

“All Finance commissioners are unhappy with the development. The minister has breached the FAAC Act of 1992, which says that the technical session must hold a day before the commissioners’ forum, that is not happening today,” he said.

Odaah said the commissioners would not want to pre-empt Ngama’s excuses, adding that they needed to be treated with respect since they were representatives of their respective governors.

He said, “The meeting could not hold because we couldn’t see the minister, and moreover, while we were waiting, the Accountant-General of the Federation excused himself because he said he had a summons from the principal officers of the state.

“As a result of that, it was announced and we resolved that we would be reconvening for the FAAC plenary session by tomorrow morning (Friday) at10am.”

The Press Officer in the minister’s office, Mallam Mohammed Nakoji, could not provide explanations about Ngama’s absence.

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi on Thursday denied reports that he had threatened to dump the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2015 elections, saying he had no plan to leave the party currently in the throes of internal crisis.

Amaechi said this at the end of a meeting he had with Vice-President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A newspaper (not The PUNCH) reported on Wednesday that the governor had concluded plans to leave the PDP along with three unnamed South-East governors.

But Amaechi  told journalists at the Villa that it would be foolhardy to dump the PDP because it  remained the only national party in the country.

He said, “I am still in the PDP. I am a member of the PDP. PDP is the only national party in the country for now. Why will one want to leave a national party and go to another party?”

Amaechi has for some time been having a running battle with the leadership of the PDP over his leadership style as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. The party’s top hierarchy and some loyalists of President Goodluck Jonathan felt that Amaechi was not spending his term as NGF chairman to attract maximum benefits to the PDP and the Jonathan administration.

Few weeks back and on the eve of the NGF’s election in Abuja, the Presidency and PDP National Working Committee rallied loyal governors at the Villa to form the PDP Governors’ Forum and installed the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, as the chairman with a view to weakening Amaechi’s influence.

Justifying the attempt at breaking the Rivers State governor’s influence, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, had accused Amaechi of running the NGF like a trade union.

Meanwhile, sources confided in The PUNCH that the Presidency had directed that Amaechi must be stopped from leaving the PDP “in order not to ruin the 2015 political game.”

It was also learnt that the Sambo-Amaechi meeting in the Villa on Thursday was to further feel the purse of the governor and persuade him not to rock the boat for Jonathan.

Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, was also said to have during his recent peace meeting to Rivers State begged the governor not to leave the party.

While denying that he was making plans to leave the PDP, Amaechi also described as “mere mischief” the news reports that he had acquired four aircraft to run his own campaign for the 2015 race.

He explained that his administration in Rivers got approval from relevant government agencies to procure a helicopter for aerial surveillance of the state in order to improve on security.

He said, “The truth is that, and the Federal Government is aware, they gave us approval to buy a helicopter to fly around Rivers State for the purpose of security and we have done that, we bought and we paid.

“Up till now, they have not allowed the helicopter to come in. Maybe they are afraid that it is for 2015. Please help us beg them on behalf of Rivers State that we need the aircraft to be able to secure the people of the state.

“Again, it is not within our control. It is in the control of the Nigerian Air Force. Although we will hire a civilian pilot but Nigerian security will manage it, not us.

“How will you use what is in the hands of Nigerian security to campaign? You see the mischief? The helicopter is to ensure that Rivers State is under watch for 24 hours. It has cameras, so if somebody is committing a crime, we are seeing it.

“The monitors are in the office of the Brigade Commander, office of the state director of SSS, office of the governor, office of the commissioner of police. So for Christ’s sake, tell me how you will use it for campaign.

“You can see a lot of mischief. As usual, people will try to dent your image to show that this man is not as transparent as he claims after all. We have argued about the first aircraft we bought, that is no longer a story. We did not buy two jets.”

The second National Table Tennis Classic Invitational that started last week

The second National Table Tennis Classic Invitational that started last week at the Table Tennis Section of the Lagos Country Club ended on Saturday with Kazeem Makanjuola of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as champion.

Makanjuola, ranked number 7 in the country, defeated the 2012 National Sports Festival men’s singles champion, Ganiyu Ashimiyu, 4-2 in a very entertaining final.

Ashimiyu, exhibiting confidence, had looked set to clinch the trophy when he won the first game of the final. He however lost steam midway and got punished for it by losing three straight games to his opponent who eventually won the championship.

Makanjuola cruised to the final by defeating Kayode Adedeji 4-1, while Ashimiyu beat Gbenga Anthony 4-2 to qualify for the final.

Rashidat Ogundele, also of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, won the women’s event after beating Hussein Alimat 4-0 in the final. Ogundele had beaten Aminat Fashola 4-0 in the semi final to set up a final with Hussien who defeated Tinuke Olaide 4-2 in the second semi final. Hussien was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

The competition which is organised by the National Table Tennis Federation is hosted by the Table Tennis Section of the Lagos Country Club and sponsored by Femi George and Friends. It features, by invitation, national players based in the country ranked between 1 and 40.

Femi George, coordinating sponsor of the tournament who is also the Secretary General of the Lagos Country Club, said that the invitational is aimed at showcasing the abundant talents Nigeria has in the game and encouraging them.

Kobe Bryant has undergone surgery

Kobe Bryant has undergone surgery on an injured Achilles tendon and could be sidelined for up to nine months, the Los Angeles Lakers said on Saturday.

Bryant, the fourth leading scorer in NBA history, sustained the injury late in the Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

The Lakers announced the surgery had been a success but said in a statement he would be out for a “minimum of six to nine months.”

Bryant will miss any playoff action for the Lakers, if they can hang on to the final berth in the Western Conference, and could well be ruled out for a chunk of next season.

The 34-year-old was quick to dismiss talk of his career being under threat, however.

“Really, are you kidding?” he responded to reporters in the locker room. “Obviously there’s a bunch of players that have had this same injury, so I know I can do this.

“All I can do is what they’ve done, who had more success getting back quicker and healthier, and see what they did and see if I can improve upon it.”

The Lakers have recovered from a poor start to the season to push themselves into playoff contention but their chances of making an impact will be sorely hurt by the loss of their leading player.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, said the injury was the most disappointing moment he has had in his career.

“By far. We worked so hard to put ourselves in a position where we control our own fate,” he said. “It is just terrible. Terrible feeling.”