Economic Crunch: Governors Can't Pay Salaries, Say Okorocha

Gov. Rochas Okorocha

*As APC governors approach Buhari for bail-out
*Buhari: Nigerians should give us chance to restore economy
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The economic challenge facing the country is gradually taking its toll on the lives of Nigerians as the situation is now threatening the payment of salaries of public servants.

Governor of Imo state and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors' Forum, Chief Rochas Okorocha on Tuesday painted a picture of a desperate economic situation that may make many of the states not being able to pay workers’ salaries.

In acknowledgement of the enormous challenges facing the country, the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, asked Nigerians to exercise some patience and to allow the incoming administration chance to re-organize the ailing economy.

Okorocha, who met the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, along with other APC governors at Defence House in Abuja on Tuesday, lamented that the terrible state of the economy has put payment of April salaries of workers in jeopardy.

"One of the issues that became of concern to all of us is the state of the Nigerian economy which is really in bad shape. We have come to notify the incoming president of the challenges ahead of him.

"As it stands today, most states of the federation have not been able to pay salaries and even the Federal government has not paid April salary and that is very worrisome. By May and June, that (salaries) will be cumulative of three months," he said.

On behalf of the state governors, Okorocha pleaded with the incoming Buhari administration to consider implementing intervention measures that can bail out federal and state governments from the critical situation to at least enable them meet their salary obligations.

"We wonder with the huge expectation from Nigerians and people who have voted us into power, we are hoping that the president-elect will do whatever is humanly possible to bring about a bailout not only in the states but the federal government at least for people to get their salaries and turn around the economy.

"We have seen the reason to work together and support Mr President and we have also called on all our brothers in other political parties to come along with us to build the Nigeria of our dream. In a nutshell, we have come to congratulate Mr President on a well deserved victory knowing that this victory, the change we've all been waiting for must only be dedicated to ordinary citizens of Nigeria who stood up and voted accordingly.”

Jonathan Expected to Assent to 2015 Budget

Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

*N145.52bn approved for fuel, kerosene subsidy

* FG borrows N473bn to cushion revenue drop  *N1bn introduced for National Assembly clinic

By Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

President Goodluck is expected to assent to the 2015 budget recently passed by the National Assembly soon as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME) and  Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala declared on Tuesday that what the parliament passed ‘is not dramatically’ different from what was sent to it by the executive.

And contrary to claims in some quarters that subsidy on petroleum motor spirit (PMS) had been removed from the budget to torpedo the smooth take-off of the incoming administration, Okonjo-Iweala confirmed that a total of N142.52 billion was provided in the budget for both PMS and kerosene.

She gave the breakdown as N100 billion for PMS and N42 billion for household kerosene, otherwise known as Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK).

At the 2015 budget briefing in Abuja yesterday, the minister gave the parameters as $53 per barrel benchmark, a dollar higher than what was proposed to the National Assembly; exchange rate of N190.

The minister, who expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for finding time to pass the budget in spite of the demands of electioneering,  stated that the Senate had passed the 2015 Budget on April 28, 2015 following the passage of the same bill by the House of Representatives on  April 23, with an expenditure outlay of N4.493 trillion (up from the N4.425 trillion proposed by the  President.

This, she said, represents an increase of N67.43 billion, adding that the parliament passed a benchmark oil price of US$53 per barrel ($1 higher than the Budget proposal; generating an extra revenue of N54.25 billion for the government.

According to her, other key parameters driving the oil revenue side of the budget were retained, including oil production volume of 2.2782mbpd and an exchange rate of N190/$.

The minister said It was important to note that the lawmakers approved the N100 billion and N45.52 billion provisioned for fuel and kerosene subsidy proposed by the Executive.

While other components of non-oil revenue were also retained as proposed, the minister disclosed that the federal goverrnment Independent Revenue was raised by N39.294 billion, from N450 billion to N489.294 billion.

Based on the above, she affirmed that  Gross Federally Collectible Revenue increased by N169.845 billion, from N9.61 trillion to N9.78 trillion, as a direct result of raising the benchmark price.

FGN Budget Revenue also rose from N3.358 trillion to N3.452 trillion even as aggregate expenditure passed  by the parliament stands at N4.493 trillion—N67.43 billion higher than the proposed aggregated expenditure of N4.425 trillion.

  The National Assembly also retained the N943.62 billion proposed by the Executive for Debt Service while  Statutory transfers increased by N9.34 billion, from N366.28 billion to N375.62 billion.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC ) vote also increased from N45.78 billion to N46.72 billion (an increase of N940 million), while that of Universal Basic Education (UBE) also increased from N67.30 billion to N68.38 billion (an increase of N1.08 billion).

According to the CME, “these are strictly based on formula driven by the increase benchmark oil price.”

National Assembly allocation was raised by N5 billion, from N115 billion proposed by the Executive to N120 billion.

Aggregate capital expenditure (including transfers and SURE-P) increased to N722.20 billion, from N663.67

This comprises an increase of N37.77 billion in Ministries Departments and Agencies’ (MDAs’) capital and N20.80 billion for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) under capital supplementation.

However, while the National Assembly completely removed N5 billion proposed for the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), N1 billion was provisioned for a new project, National Assembly Clinic.

Capital development of the National Institute for Legislative Studies was also increased by N4 billion (from N2 billion to N6 billion).

But the provision of N20.78 billion for SURE-P capital spending as proposed in the Appropriation Bill presented by the Executive was retained.

Responding to questions on what would become of capital releases which have been stalled due to 50 per cent revenue drop, the minister said she could not speak for the incoming administration since the government she is serving is winding down on May 29.

She maintained her position that the year would be a difficult one due to the revenue slump, adding that the serious cash crunch had been ingeniously managed month by the current administration in order to keep the country afloat.

“As you know, I have been honest with you since the current economic problems started. I would like to repeat: we have serious challenges. Things have been tough since the beginning of the year and they are likely to remain so till the end of the year. We have serious challenges but we also have strengths and if we do the right things we can keep a steady course and emerge out of the current situation,”

“As a result of the 50 per cent decline in oil revenues, the country has faced a difficult cash crunch and the federal government has focused on keeping the economy stable and the government running through a series of measures,” she said.

According to her, ”We have front-loaded the borrowing programme to manage the cash crunch in the economy,”, adding that out of the N882 billon budgetary provision for borrowing, the government has borrowed N473 billion to meet up with recurrent expenditure, including salaries and overheads

“Traditionally the first part of the year witnesses low revenue because tax receipts come in from the middle of the year. This has compounded the challenges caused by the steep drop in revenues due to the oil price fall.

“As a consequence of the revenue challenges, there has been no capital budget release so far this year. In spite of this challenge, government has managed to keep the economy stable to the point that the Nigerian economy which is projected to grow by 4.8 per cent this year is according to respected analysts is doing much better than many other oil producing countries

“One positive feature despite the clear challenges is the fact that food prices, though inching up are still quite stable. Also inflation is still in single digits. This has helped to reduce some of the pressure that Nigerians are going through

“We also have the advantage the we are an asset rich country and that is a definite strength.

“ It is a challenging time and requires daily, weekly and monthly management to keep the country going and that’s what we have been doing,” she said.

MORE TO FOLLOW

Ondo Deaths Linked to Poisonous Gin?

WHO logo

Paul Obi in Abuja

The death of the 18 people in Ondo State in a mysterious circumstance has been linked to a local gin that was contaminated with poisonous material (methanol).

Minister of State for Health, Fidelis Nwankwo, stated this at a media briefing in Abuja, on Monday.

He said : "At this stage, the particular poisonous substance (Toxin) is being ascertained. The Results of these detailed investigations currently being conducted by Government and partners are still being awaited and will be made public as soon as possible."

Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) has denied ever issuing any statement on the mysterious deaths.

According to the minister, "Epidemiological findings indicate a strong linkage of the outbreak with the consumption of a local gin that may have been contaminated with methanol (poisonous material).

"The assuring news however, is that NO new cases have been reported in the past 100 hours and no new mortality in the last 72 hours.

"We therefore believe that the situation is under control and that the stability will be sustained, while active case search and contact tracing continue in earnest.

"However, if any suspected case is found, it should be reported to the nearest Health Center for prompt investigation and treatment."

While noting that preliminary laboratory investigations indicate that the outbreak cannot be attributed to any infectious organism (Bacterial or Viral). Nwankwo further said that the outbreak was also clearly not due to Ebola Virus Disease, as feared by many.

Jonathan Conceding Defeat, a Legacy For African Continent, Says Qouttara

President of Cote D'Ivoire, Allassan Qouttara

Jaiyeola Andrews in Abuja

President of Cote D'Ivoire, Allassan Qouttara, on Monday said the presidential election which President Goodluck Jonathan, an incumbent, lost and conceded defeat to an opposition president-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), would contimue to remain a great legacy for the African continent.

Qouttara, who paid a private visit to Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, told State House correspondents that the refusal of an incumbent President in his country, Laurent Gbagbo in relinquishing power five years ago, led to the loss of over 3,000 lives in a needless civil war.

He recalled that he and his team were locked up in a hotel for four and half months,  without food and water for days.

The Ivorien President noted that Jonathan had won his admiration for that singular act of conceding defeat.

He stressed that Jonathan's decisions dis not come as a surprise, because he (Jonathan)   had always demonstrated he was more West African than Nigerian by his contributions in quelling the crisis in Mali,  Guinea Bissau, and Togo.

Qouttara added that avoiding violence and civil war when  any elections is held in Africa, should be the objective of leaders of African continent.

"I came on a private visit to see my friend and brother and to congratulate the Nigerian people for the conduct of the presidential election. On May 29 there will be inauguration and swearing in of the President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. So I wanted to tell you (Jonathan) our appreciation for the leadership we have received from you during all these years.

"Mr. President, you know about five years ago Cote D' Ivoire had presidential elections and I won the election and the incumbent president decided not to leave office. This brought a civil war and 3000 people were killed and we were put at hotel and under the protection of the United Nations for about four and half months. There were days we could not even have food or water because the hotel had been barricaded and encircled by the former president and it was only after four and half months of imprisonment in these hotel that finally that were able to leave the hotel after the former president was caught and finally left office for me to take over.

Abia Govt Wants Jega to Supervise Supplementary Poll

Gov Theodore Orji

Emmanuel Ugwu, Umuahia

Abia state government Monday called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega to come over to the state and monitor the forthcoming supplementary governorship election.

State commissioner for information and strategy, Dr Anthony Agbazuere who stated the government’s position in the run-up to the supplementary poll slated for April 25, 2015, told a news conference that the state government believed that either Jega or a senior INEC official would be needed to do a better job.

He explained that the demand for Jega “to come over to Abia or send senior INEC officials to monitor the supplementary elections” was borne out of the fact that “we have no confidence in the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof Selina Oko and the state Returning Officer, Prof Benjamin Ozumba”.

The supplementary elections came about after INEC declared the April 11 governorship poll inconclusive on the ground that there was no clear winner with the PDP candidate, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu polling 248,459 as against 165, 406 votes scored by his closet rival, Dr Alex Otti of APGA. According to the state Returning Officer, the 83,053 votes margin of lead was less than the 179,244 registered voters in the polling units where election did not hold hence the need for supplementary election to determine the eventual winner.

Agbazuere said that the ruling PDP was prepared to participate in the supplementary governorship election but certain conditions needed to be put in place to ensure credible outcome of the poll.

“We shall no longer tolerate the intimidation of our party members nor accept a situation where INEC will aloe more party agents or observers for a political party than the number allowed for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” he said.

AFA Asks AU to Probe SA over Attacks on African Nationals

  

*‎As SERAP Asks Jonathan to Refer SA to African Commission

By Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

A Civil Society Organization, Alliance for Africa (AFA) has called on the Africa Union (AU) to investigate the role played by South African government, agencies and traditional institutions in instigating the attacks on foreign nationals living is South Africa.

While condemning the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, AFA said ‎that the host government did not do enough to protect African nationals who were attacked by South Africans.

The statement which was signed by AFA's Executive Director, Iheoma Obibi‎ called on the AU to also tackle the rising cases of xenophobia associated with unemployment within the African continent.

The statement reads: ‎"We are specifically calling on the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal Province, where the attacks started to continue to denounce and use her good office to bring perpetuators of the ongoing violence against foreign nationals in her South Africa homeland to justice."

It also called  on African Human Rights institutions, Commission and Court to intervene by calling to question the South African government’s inability to safeguard the lives and properties of migrant Africa citizens within its borders and its inability to mitigate the repeating instances of jungle justice meted on fellow black African citizens including women and children.

The organization said this month's attacks on African nationals were not the first.

Gunmen Invade Jonathan's Special Assistant's Home in Yenagoa

Police logo

Segun James in Yenagoa.

The political situation in Bayelsa state has taken a bizarre turn as gunmen on Saturday night invaded the Yenagoa home of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Matters, Dr. Waripamowei Dudafa and carted away an undisclosed amount of money after destroying the safe kept in one of his rooms.

Family sources said that the gunmen were asking after him and ransacking the entire building looking for him.

The source said that gunmen who invaded the home were not looking like hoodlums. The 10 man gang were allegedly dressed in mobile police uniform when they came calling.

They were said to have stormed the residence in Okaka Estate, Yenagoa at about 8pm when the three mobile policemen guarding the residence of the Presidential aide were not around.

The gunmen were said to have gained entry into the premises of Dudafah after allegedly telling the security men (civilians) that they were policemen on operations from the police headquarters.

When they got into the premises, they were said to have bound the Chief gateman, one Muhammed Garba, tying his legs, his hands and covering his eyes and mouth. 

An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, alleged the attack on Dudafah's home was politically motivated.

He said the incident took place few minutes after results of some rescheduled House of Assembly polls were released and Dudafa backed candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance defeated his Peoples Democratic Party opponent in Kolokuma-Opokuma Constituency.

Narrating his ordeal, Garba, who said he had been working with Dudafa for eight years,  said the suspects came in two black Sport Utility Vehicles.

"They ordered me to open the gate. I opened a small gate and saw about 10 of them. They pushed me and they gained entry into the premises. They spanked my head. They tied my hands, mylegs, covered my mouth and eyes with celotape. They went for my room at the security gate and asked me to show them the apartments of police security in the building. They also asked for Dudafa (Oga) house keys. I told them I did not know where they were since I was not the person keeping them. They said they would kill me if they eventually found the keys in my place. I kept quiet. After ransacking my room, they saw the keys. They started using them to open the main building.

"The man leading the operations, asked his colleagues to talk gently so that when my colleague who had gone to buy noodles at that time would not suspect something was amiss. No sooner had they said that than my colleague came in, and they caught him. They now abandoned me bound, and took my second to be directing them. It was my second that was now showing them way. They also went to boys quarters and also seized Dudafah cousin living there. They also tied him. They were threatening them that if they did not cooperate with them, they would waste them."

Garba said when they had held all of them captive, they went inside the building and started ransacking everywhere.

He said they came also with axes and saws which they were using to cut something inside the apartments.

The 55 year old Garba,  a father of one, said the operations lasted about three hours before they left.

Dudafah's cousin, Pere Ozoru, said he was sleeping his room when the gunmen came.
He said it was the second gate man, Ibrahim, that brought them to his apartment.

When newsmen visited the residence on Sunday, it was discovered that most apartments in the gigantic edifice were ransacked and furniture were destroyed.

In one of the rooms, a safe was destroyed and it could not be ascertained how much could have been carted away from the safe.
Efforts to get the police reaction were unsuccessful as calls to the spokesman for the Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, rang out several times.

Boko Haram: Ground Troops Enter Sambisa in Search of Chibok Girls

 Nigerian troops

By Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Nigerian Army on Saturday landed in the dreaded and expansive Sambisa forest with the possibility of finding and rescuing the abducted Chibok girls from the Boko Haram terrorists.

THISDAY was reliably informed on Saturday that the operation to liberate the terrorist enclave may not last more than one week as most of the strikes and special operations have knocked out the enemy defence systems.

According to a military source the sustained aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for weeks now have now made it possible for the Army to move in today for ground operation. “The operation is nearing its conclusion and the Army will be moving in tomorrow (today) and I am sure in a matter of days, if plans goes accordingly the operations will be over.

The Air Force have been bombarding the area for weeks now and with the right kind of weapon, the Army is ready for the final onslaught”, the source said. The source further confirmed that even though there is no concrete evidence that the Chibok girls were in the forest, it will however be the top priority of the military to find and rescue them if that should be the reality.

According to the source, “the fear is that some of the girls might be amongst the women killed in Bama and other parts of the liberated towns, and Sambisa offers  the more viable hope of all the remaining options to rescue the girls”.

It could be recalled that the Nigerian Military in the last eight weeks of sustained offensive have recaptured over 90 per cent of the territories that were once under Boko Haram occupation with the exception of Sambisa forest.
However, several towns leading to the forest including Allagano have been confirmed liberated last two weeks by the Nigerian Army Director of Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, thereby clearing the way for the final onslaught.

In the same vein, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Kenneth Minimah in a recent special interview with select journalists in Abuja, confirmed that the battle with Boko Haram terrorists is almost over.

Minimah even assured that with the way Nigerians react to issues, within a space of six months Boko Haram atrocities might have been forgotten.

“I will tell you that militarily, they (Boko Haram) have been defeated, but as armed groups, thieves, armed robbers, or people who go about to steal, burn markets and loot to go back to the forests that will continue for a while”, he stated.

However, he added, the other programmes of government will take care of those ones. Bomb explosion also happens in civilised worlds where there are no terrorists.

He also said with the expected recapture of the Sambisa forest the Chibok girls, which he admitted not knowing their whereabouts might be rescued.

“Yes, by the time we capture Sambisa forest completely, we will be able to find out where the Chibok girls are. Because as it is now, anybody you ask, they will say they did not see them, they are not here, they are not there. But when we capture Sambisa forest we will be able to know where they are and government will take it up from there”, he assured.

50 Killed in Another Bloody Communal Clash in Benue

  The Nigeria Police logo

By George Okoh in Makurdi

A communal clash between Ologba and Egba communities of Agatu over a fish ponds has claimed the lives of 50 people in Benue State.

According to a source, the villagers had been fighting over a fish pond and the renewed crisis was a result of suspicion by the Egba community that the Ologba people had organised the recent deadly Fulani invasion against them where 82 people were killed in March.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hycinth Dagala, said police sources had claimed that 23 dead bodies have been confirmed while further update is being awaited.

Villagers said 50 deaths occurred in Ologba as  fighting continued. According to the People Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy Governorship Candidate John Ngbede who hails from the area, the communities in dispute had long-standing issues.

Ngbede said many people were injured following the crisis which started on Friday evening adding that they are now refugees in Ogbagaji, the headquarters of the Agatu LGA. However, the Police has said that calm has returned to the area.

Kogi Deputy Gov’s Wife, 3 Others Injured in Explosion

 Kogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

An early morning explosion on Saturday rocked a building in Lagos belonging to the Kogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, trapping his wife and three others in the rubble.

The building located on HFB Way, at no 19B Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi area of Lagos, was said to have collapsed following a sudden explosion.

When the building collapsed, the three occupants in the house, including Mrs. Awoniyi, were trapped while the driver who was outside washing cars was injured from the explosion.

According to an eyewitness report, the explosion which had come out of the blue, rocked the nearby building to its foundation and was followed by the crumbling of blocks.

Although no life was lost, THISDAY gathered that the four victims, who had sustained varying degrees of injuries, were rushed to the hospital immediately they were evacuated from the rubble.

Confirming the incident, the South-west Zonal Spokesperson, of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said when the building collapsed, the first line of action was to ascertain if people were trapped underneath the rubble.

He said once that was established, emergency services swung into action and were able to evacuate the four persons trapped there.

He said, “The building collapse was suspected to have been caused by gas cooker explosion around 7:15 a.m. this (yesterday) morning. The explosion and subsequent building collapse affected three occupants, who were inside the building at the time, and the driver who washing the car outside. “Although no life was lost, the four injured persons have since been evacuated to St. Maria Hospital, Yaba, for proper treatment. Currently, the Police Anti-Bomb Squad and Police Disaster Management Unit are working on the site to get to the root of the explosion.

“Afterwards, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) will move in to determine the next level of action to take”, he added. In an another development, a nine-seater bus conveying passengers from the Lagos Island to the Mainland also went up in flames yesterday. The bus was said to have exploded at the Costain area, bordering between the Island and Mainland axis, and burnt its passengers.

Although all the passengers were rescued alive with varying degrees of burns, one of them was said to have given up the ghost on the way to the hospital. 

Okupe: Chibok Girls Kidnapped to Make Jonathan’s Govt Look Incompetent

 Dr. Doyin Okupe

By Abimbola Akosile

Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, yesterday claimed that the 200 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted to make Jonathan’s government appear incompetent before Nigerians and the international community.

Okupe, in a post on Facebook said the Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG#) was formed with the sole aim of smearing the image of Jonathan’s government.

The presidential media aide, in his post which went viral on Facebook and twitter, and which appeared in an online media report by Daily Post said, “One of the reasons the Chibok girls were kidnapped was to present Jonathan’s administration as incompetent and hold it to ransom against 2015 elections. One of the reasons the BBOG was formed was to sustain and internationalise the embarrassment. “One of the reasons President Jonathan lost the election was a national and international conspiracy predicated on this carefully choreographed and assiduously sustained perception. One of the issues that will be in the hand over notes will be the missing girls.

“What is reasonable and expedient for well-meaning men and women of good conscience is to dialogue with the incoming administration on what best new approach to employ to find and rescue the Chibok girls.

Not much can be achieved, except mischief, by continuing to flog this administration on this matter”, Okupe added.

The top aide was once reported to have likened President Jonathan to Jesus Christ.

Rivers: Gunmen Abduct Ahoada East Council Chairman

Police logo

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

Yet-to-be-identified gunmen saturday abducted the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Ahoada East Local Government Council in Rivers State, Chief Cassidy Ikegbudu.

THISDAY gathered that Ikegbudu was abducted in his community, Yiboko, by gunmen dressed in military fatigue uniform after a gun battle with security personnel attached to him in the early hours.

Ahoada East is one of the four local government areas where house of assembly elections were rescheduled to hold  on the 18th of April, after the election of April 11 was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The APC House of Assembly Candidate for Ahoada East constituency 1, Mr. Eric Apia, said armed men abducted Ikegbudu from his village, Yiboko.

He said, “Reports received from his family said there was exchange of fire between security personnel attached to the chairman and the armed men.

Details shortly...

Buhari Backs Measures To Protect Nigerians in South Africa

 Muhammadu Buhari

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, has expressed his full support for the steps taken so far by the Federal  Government in its efforts to protect the country’s citizens from the wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, Buhari said that Nigeria’s Head of Mission in Pretoria had taken the right steps by advising the Nigerian community in South Africa to close their shops, stay home and keep out of trouble, while ensuring that they obey the laws of their host country.

“I am happy to see that the Nigerian government is very well aware of its responsibilities to its citizens in South Africa,” General Buhari said.

“We equally understand that the South African government is making efforts to bring an end to this unfortunate situation,” General Buhari said. “In the meantime, Nigerians in South Africa should abide by the words of caution extended them by their government representative in Pretoria.”

APC Zones Senate Presidency to N'Central, Speaker to N'East

Bukola Saraki, and George Akume

  Saraki, Akume in battle royale     Atiku may get BoT chairmanship
Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Arising from a meeting in Abuja Thursday night, the national leaders and national caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have officially zoned the office of the Senate President in the 8th Senate to the North central geo-political zone, while the Speaker of the House of Representatives was zoned to the North-east geo-political zone.

A source at the APC meeting which lasted till the wee-hours of Friday told THISDAY that the party leaders accepted in principle a prototype office sharing formula that would accommodate all vested interests within the party.

The source said: “After deft negotiations, the leaders agreed to cede the position of the Senate President to the North-central and that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North-east. They also endorsed a zoning arrangement that would see the South-west producing the Deputy Senate President and South-south, Deputy Speaker.”

With the agreement yesterday, the current minority leader in the Senate, George Akume from Benue State and Senator Bukola Saraki from Kwara State are expected to engage each other in a fierce contest for the Senate Presidency.

It was learnt that the position of the Speaker was earlier allotted to the South-west but had to be moved to North-east following a strong lobby by leaders from the zone who argued that such arrangement was necessary to compensate them for the massive support for the party during the election.

Apart from the sharing arrangement for the principal positions, the APC meeting which had personalities like the former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu and some governors in attendance also considered the issue of ministerial appointments.

In line with THISDAY exclusive story yesterday, the APC leaders also zoned the office of the Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT) to Adamawa State, where the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is set to clinch the position that was hitherto held by the former governor of Osun State and former national chairman of the party, Bisi Akande.

The source hinted further that the party zoned the office of the Majority Leader of the Senate to the South-west.

However, South-east did not get any position in the current allocation but according to a top notch APC member, the zone will be compensated by other appointments to ensure some balance and equity. In all the eight senatorial seats in the zone, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won all the seats. This has made it impossible for the zone to aspire for any principal office in the senate.

The same thing happened in the zone for the House of Representatives. No single member of the House of Representatives from the zone is from the APC. PDP won all the National Assembly seats in both arms of the National Assembly. In fact, in the Presidential Election, the APC did not score up to 15 percent in any of the states in the southeast.

Another source at the Abuja meeting said the APC chieftains could not however conclude deliberations on the ministerial appointments as it was decided that stakeholders in the states and zonal levels should go back to the areas to hold consultations on the matter.

It was resolved that the state chapters of the party would each nominate three persons for ministerial consideration and are to submit same to the party through the Vice Chairmen and Deputy National Chairmen on or before Tuesday next week.

The source added that another meeting of the party leadership is scheduled to hold on Tuesday where they hope to harmonize issues and finalize discussions on the recommendations to be presented to the National Executive Committees (NEC) of the party.

“While the President- elect, General Muhammadu Buhari had asked the party to discuss the issue of ministerial appointments and to advise him as appropriate, he has insisted on retaining the transition committee list. Buhari had in choosing members of the transition committee made sure that each of them is tested expert in the various sectors where they will serve. He was said to be very conscious of their level of integrity and honesty,” added the source.

A top member of the APC who spoke to THISDAY last night on condition of anonymity said: “All the positions said to have been shared are yet to be firmed. Nothing can be confirmed until the final meeting next week.” He advised that all reports about sharing of positions should be disregarded until next week when a final decision would be taken.

Drop in Oil Prices, Opportunity for Subsidy Reform, Says IMF

Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

Ndubuisi Francis and Funke Olaode in Washington DC

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday stated that the current drop in oil prices offers a unique opportunity for Nigeria and seven other oil-producing countries in Africa to implement politically difficult oil subsidy reforms.

IMF’s Director for African Development, Antoinette Sayeh who made the submissions at a press conference in Washington DC, United States of America at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, added that in the short run, dealing with oil shock should be the priority.

Removal of oil subsidy in Nigeria and other African countries has been a very sensitive and controversial issue.

The IMF said although the eight African oil exporting countries would be hard hit with generally limited fiscal and external pressure, they are expected to undertake significant fiscal adjustment, which will ultimately dent their growth outlook.

“Faced with a massive shock and with limited buffers, oil exporters will have no choice but to undertake fiscal adjustment. Spending cuts should be directed, to the extent, to non-priority recurrent spending, but significant cuts in public spending cuts in public investment are unavoidable.

“Where feasible, exchange rate flexibility will also be important, to preserve scarce external reserves. The drop in oil prices also provides a unique opportunity to advance politically difficult energy subsidy reforms across the region,” Sayeh said.

But she noted that Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic outlook remained favourable, pointing out that the region is set to register another year of solid performance

However, she regretted that security-related risks, including those posed by Boko Haram and Al Shabab had recently posed risks to the positive outlook.

“Indeed, the region’s economy is expected to expand at four and half per cent in 2015, and will continue being one of the fastest growing region’s in the world- in fact, second only to emerging and developing Asia.

“That said, the economic expansion this year will be at the lower end range experienced in the recent years. This mainly reflects the impact of the sharp decline of the oil and commodity prices that we have witnessed over the last six months. However, as always for a region with so much diversity, the effect of this shock will be highly heterogeneous across the region,” she said.

Although she observed that Nigeria and the other seven other oil producers on the continent would be hard hit, she said much of the rest of the region’s near-term prospects remained quite positive.

According to her, most countries stand to benefit from lower oil prices, adding that for some of them, this positive effect will be partly offset by the decline in oil prices of some of the non-oil commodities they export.

“Overall, growth in oil importers, in particular, low-income countries should remain solid, driven by investment in infrastructure and strong consumption.

Sayeh, however, pointed out that a notable exception to this favourable picture among oil importers was South Africa, “where growth remains lack luster, held back by continuing problems in electricity sector.”

She pointed out that in addition, the Ebola scourge, although abating, continues to exact a heavy economic and social toll on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

On whether the IMF could provide the kind of financial support to countries threatened by insecurity as was the case with Ebola-affected nations, Sayeh said such a possibility was fluid.

According to her, with dwindling revenue and deficit budget profiles, such countries needed some kind of support from other countries to mitigate the financial impact of fighting insurgency.

AU Charges Africans to Unite against Xenophobia in S'Africa

President of Ghana, John Mahama

   *No country has monopoly of violence, TUC warns
Damilola Oyedele and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The representative of Nigeria in the African Union (AU), and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council’s 2nd Permanent General Assembly, Dr. Tunji Asaolu has called on African countries to unite against the xenophobic violence currently going on in South Africa.

Also, the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on Friday condemned the attacks in South Africa. In a statement by its Chair, President of Ghana, John Mahama, the ECOWAS heads called on the South African government to act quickly to stop the wave of attacks across the country.

These calls came as the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) also condemned the attacks in strong words, pointing out that no country has monopoly of violence. It also called on the government of Nigeria to evacuate her citizens from South Africa to stem the attacks.

Asaolu who also doubles as the Chairperson, Social Affairs and Health cluster committee of the AU, in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday in Abuja described the violence in South Africa as unfortunate and that it should be seriously discouraged.

He equally called on the South African government do all within its ability to stop the violence and protect all foreigners in the country.
Asaolu noted that other African countries must rise to support the South African government at this time, adding that this was not the time to condemn any government but should be given necessary support to ensure that the government overcomes the crisis and to stop it spreading to other African countries.

He stated: "African countries must unite to ensure that there will be no repeat of 2008 scenario, where about 62 people were killed. We understand what the government is going through now and we express our sympathy.

"But we want to encourage the government to ensure adequate protection of all foreigners in the country. Also, the countries should prevail on their citizens to forestall reprisal attack," Asaolu noted.

According to BBC, at least five foreigners, including a 14-year-old boy, had been killed in attacks in South Africa's coastal city of Durban since last week. Some foreign-owned shops in the main city Johannesburg have shut amid fears that the violence could spread.

Zimbabwe has also condemned the attacks, blamed on locals who accuse foreigners of taking their jobs. Tens of thousands of foreigners, mostly from other African states and Asia, have moved to South Africa since white-minority rule ended in 1994.

TUC President General, Bobboi Kaigama and Secretary General Musa Lawal said: “We wish to bring to the notice of South Africans that no man or country has monopoly of violence. In as much as we wouldn’t want to repay evil with evil, we should not be pushed to the wall.”

TUC lamented that South African companies operating in Nigeria remained anti-labour in their operations as several efforts made to unionise staff of MTN, DSTV and others had been to no avail.

It added that such practice could not be allowed in South Africa as some Nigerian investors who tried to invest there returned because of strict labour laws.

"Nigeria is a country that accommodates all and sundry including South Africans and today, we see this rare opportunity being grossly abused by the likes of South Africa. They own several multi -billion dollar investments on our soils yet, we co-exist despite all odds. The same people will come here to dehumanise Nigerians? Not anymore. This must stop! This sacrifice is becoming too grave to bear and over-stretched all to ensure peaceful co-existence," the statement read.

TUC lamented that those involved in the attacks had forgotten how Nigeria and other countries rallied to help stop apartheid, describing it as a demonstration of shortness of memory. It called on the Jacob Zuma-led government to live up to its responsibilities by taking all necessary steps to stop the dastardly act of stealing, killing in the current unrest which is spreading to other cities.

"We demand that the government investigate and punish those involved in accordance with the provisions of the law of the land.

"The fact that the very people whose nation sacrificed to help South Africans fight, repel and defeat apartheid will today be considered aliens and hacked to death in such barbaric manners," the statement read.
Brand South Africa condemns violence…

Brand South Africa on Friday joined the rest of the country in condemning the acts of violence against some foreign nationals residing in some of the nine provinces of South Africa.

“We assure all our partners in the continent that South Africa stands firmly against all intolerances such as racism, xenophobia, homophobia and sexism. As such, security forces are hard at work around the clock to protect vulnerable communities in the country.

“The country remains true to its founding ethos that any problems or issues of concern by South African citizens must be resolved peacefully and through dialogue. Brand South Africa assures our partners that South Africans are generally not xenophobic; this is attested to by the high number of foreign nationals who have been successfully integrated into communities all over our country, in towns, cities and villages.

“Preliminary work done towards resolving this current challenge indicates that the root causes are socio-economic issues that have been raised and are being attended to by all South African role players,” said Brand South Africa in a statement signed by its Acting Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Alice Puoane.

It added: “Brand South Africa expresses its sincere sympathies to the regrettable loss of lives and injuries suffered during this unfortunate occurrence. We are one Africa bound by many areas of commonalities and our spirit of Ubuntu (humanity - I am because you are) will prevail even under the trying circumstances.”

We now Generate 5,500 Megawatts of Power, Says FG

Professor Chinedu Nebo

•  Laments N1.5bn lost yearly to vandalism

Jaiyeola Andrews in Abuja
   
The federal government on Friday said it has met 5,500 megawatts in power generation.
It equally disclosed that N1.5bn was lost yearly to vandalism.

This is just as President Goodluck Jonathan would soon commence inauguration of completed power projects across the country.

This disclosure was made at a joint press briefing by the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo and Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam at the end of the last meeting of the Board of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Ltd, held at the vice presidential wing of the presidential villa.

The meeting was chaired by Vice-President Namadi Sambo.
According to Nebo, Jonathan's administration had achieved minimum electricity generation capacity of 5,500 megawatts, despite unrelenting sabotage of oil and gas pipelines by vandals.

He noted that government was losing N120 million monthly and N1.5 billion yearly to repairs of vandalised pipelines.
Nebo stressed that deliberate vandalism of pipelines every two weeks resulted in the nation losing about 1,600 megawatts of electricity at a particular time.

The minister charged the incoming government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to step up security surveillance of the petroleum pipelines in the country, as well as consider the digitalisation of the surveillance system.

"Four power plants have been completed and will be commissioned in the next couple of weeks; Sapele is one of them, Ihobor is another one. And hopefully and by the grace of God, we intend to do the commissioning very soon so that Nigerians will enjoy even more, the benefits of what the current administration has done in the power sector.

"There are literally hundreds of other projects that need to be commissioned. So very soon we are going into commissioning exercise" Nebo said.

Suswam said "The board resolved to commission some of the numerous projects under the NIPP programme. Those projects are to be commissioned in the subsequent weeks."

Apart from the new power plants, he stressed that the government had completed more transmission lines, but would not be able to complete some sales transactions because of some complications in the bid process and inadequate gas supply.

The inability to seal the sale transactions deals, Suswam explained, were not due to fear of the unknown when a new government comes on board next month.

Managing Director of the NDPHC, James  Olotu, noted that the company's 2013-2014 statement of accounts was now ready for anyone or institution that wanted to know the financial status of NDPHC.

PDP's Failure to Keep One Term Agreement led to Defeat, Says Aliyu

Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu

Aisha Wakaso in Minna
   
Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu has attributed the recent defeat of the People Democratic Party (PDP) at both the national and state elections to the party's failure to honour the single term agreement entered into and therefore saw defeat coming.

According to Aliyu who made this revelation when he spoke as a special guest of honour at the convocation lecture organised by the Federal University of Technology, Minna, yesterday said that the heavy defeat suffered by the party at the presidential polls did not come to many Nigerians, especially the PDP members as a surprise.

"Many of us saw it coming, when I reminded us that we had an agreement for one term, they nearly crucified me, and when I led the G7 Governors, they did not do what we wanted them to do until five members left, and they later did what we asked them to do.

"I recall also that when APC came on board, I was the first person to say I was very happy that now we have a strong party to put PDP on its toes and many people were asking me that, are you really a member? Up to the last election, my accusation has always been that I was a supporter of APC and now you have seen the result”, he lamented.

He added that Nigerians wanted something different from what they had in the past 16 years, adding, "Nigerians wanted a change and Nigerians got the change. You will have many reasons; one, PDP has been around for 16 years and there is no way you will be around for 16 years and you will not make mistakes; so there are many reasons that will be put together and we will be able to understand and guide people as to next time, these are some of the things you need to do"

Aliyu disclosed that it was not only government officials that were corrupt, but corruption itself he said started from the home.
He argued that a junior civil servant with two wives and over twenty children also breed corruption because there was no way his salary could take care of those children.

In his remarks, the chairman of the Governing Council Prof. Ahmed Alkali said "Nigeria is at a crossroad in his fight against corruption because every Nigerian is corrupt in one way or the other.

"If Nigeria must fight corruption, we must all check ourselves to ensure that at all levels we kill corruption. Anything we do in excess is corruption".

Investors look to earnings for market direction

A Wall Street sign is pictured in front of the New York Stock Exchange, open during Winter Storm Juno, in the Manhattan borough of New York January 27, 2015.

REUTERS/CARLO ALLEGRI

(Reuters) - Investors attempting to determine whether U.S. equities will rebound from Friday's selloff or continue to sink will look to a deluge of earnings next week for a clearer picture of the economy.

The S&P dropped 1.1 percent on Friday, its biggest decline since March 25. Equities lost ground after industrials Honeywell International and General Electric took hits from the strong dollar, while concerns over new trading regulations in China and Greece's place in the euro zone dented sentiment.

Since hitting a high of 2,119.59 on Feb. 25, the S&P has held in a range of about 80 points. Investors have grown concerned about the impact of a strong dollar on quarterly results, even as they remain leery of missing out on any rally.

"Our markets will get kind of quiet again as we wait for some of those earnings and what is going to happen on the 24th with Greece," said Keith Bliss, senior vice-president at Cuttone & Co in New York. Euro zone finance ministers meet April 24 to try to reach a deal for Greek debt repayments.

Next week is among the busiest of the earnings season, with results expected from companies including Amazon.com Inc, General Motors, Boeing and Morgan Stanley. The results could help investors gauge the impact of the rise in the greenback and assess the strength of the economy after a string of lackluster economic reports.

"Most companies have been able to beat on the bottom line and miss on the top line, and that has been the story now for quite a while," said Rick Meckler, president of LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey, referring to companies' ability to beat profit estimates while falling short of sales expectations.

"Their ability to make numbers keeps their stocks from really selling off, but their inability to show top line growth keeps their stocks from really taking off."

According to Thomson Reuters data, of the 59 companies in the S&P 500 that have posted earnings to date, 74.6 percent have topped profit expectations, above the 70 percent beat rate for the past four quarters and 63 percent rate since 1994.

Early returns on revenue have been disappointing, however, as 45.8 of companies have topped estimates, well short of the 58 percent rate for the past four quarters and 61 percent rate since 2002.

"Next week you get everybody, you get a much better picture of what corporate America looks like in the first quarter," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.

Although earnings season is typically choppy for stocks, traders in the options market do not seem to be raising many red flags about volatility for companies set to report results.

There are a few exceptions. DuPont, facing activist pressure to add board seats and split the company, is expected to show more volatility than usual. So is United Technologies Corp.

Both companies' share prices typically move about 1 percent in reaction to earnings; this season, options activity is suggesting a move of about 2.3 percent for United Technologies and 2.7 percent for DuPont.

    Shares of typically-volatile Internet giants, Facebook Inc and Google Inc, could move 6.5 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, based on their options activity. Those are below the average moves seen in these shares after earnings.

(Additional reporting by Saqib Ahmed; Editing by Linda Stern and Nick Zieminski)