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Nigeria to Import Fuel from Niger Republic

Government of Niger Republic would begin exportation of refined petroleum products to Nigeria by the end of this year, the country’s leader, President Mahamadou Issoufou, has said.

Speaking Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, Issoufou explained that the planned export of products to Nigeria would be aimed at bringing succour to residents of Northern Nigeria, whom he said would be getting supplies of the products from Zinder Refinery in Niger Republic.
The Nigerien president was in the country to hold bilateral discussions with President Goodluck Jonathan on matters of common security especially trans-border crimes, which have negatively impacted on the sub-region.


Speaking earlier, President Jonathan told the Nigerien leader that Nigeria was prepared to cooperate with her neighbours to tighten security and to check crime and terrorism.
He said: “Terrorism and trans-border crimes pose a serious security threat to all our countries. So, we will strengthen border patrols and other areas of cooperation with our neighbours to ensure the safety of our citizens.”
On food security, Jonathan said Nigeria had plans to exploit its gas resources to further agricultural activities through production of power and fertiliser that would best suit the soil of the sub region.


Jonathan assured Issoufou that Niger Republic would be readmitted into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the community’s next summit.He also said the readmission of the country had become imperative in the light of the “full democracy” that had been restored in Niger Republic.


He warned against reported attempts at unconstitutional change of government, which he said would not be tolerated.
Jonathan assured his Nigerien counterpart that he would work with the country in the areas of power, agriculture, rail transport and water supply and re-invigoration of the Nigeria- Niger Joint Commission.


Responding, Issoufou said he was equally worried by the proliferation of small arms in the region and expressed fears of security challenge.
He said he was looking forward to agreements between Nigeria and Niger on how to achieve results in the listed areas of cooperation and called for immediate joint patrols between both countries.


He expressed gratitude to Nigeria over her role in the restoration of democratic rule in his country and assured Jonathan of Niger’s cooperation in the attainment of the joint goal of common security.

thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-to-import-fuel-from-niger-republic/96242/

Lagos State Govt Warns Of Another Heavy Rain - Be At Alert Guyz


The Lagos State Government has alerted Lagosians of the impending heavy rainfall which is to begin next week.

The government urged Lagosians to brace up and desist from dumping refuse on drainage channels because the August break was over and that heavy rain would begin again as from next week which might result in flood if proper care was not taken.

In order to avert another tragedy like the Sunday, 10 July heavy rain that led to flooding in several parts of the Lagos metropolis, the government has begun clearing of drainage channels across the state.

Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello visited System II channel on Wednesday to inspect the level of work being done by the contractor, Zapex Construction Company.

The System II channel which measures 10km begins from Onipanu and runs through Bajulaiye to the University of Lagos and across five local government areas which include Lagos Mainland, Shomolu, Bariga, Kosofe and some parts of Mushin.

According to Bello, heavy rainfall should be expected as from next week according to the prediction by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET, saying that there was the need for Lagosians to brace up and embrace proper sanitary measures aimed at minimising flood.

“We should be prepared for more rains as from next week. We are taking necessary steps to minimise flood. People should realise that it is to their own interest not to dump refuse into drainage channels because the 10 July flood was caused by blocked drainage.

“What informed this tour is the aftermath of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s tour of affected areas by the 10 July flood. We have come to the end of the August break and we should expect to see rains falling as from next week,” he stated.

Bello, who was at the UNILAG part of System II Channel told newsmen that the government had concluded arrangement to line all its drainage channels to pave way for easy clearance whenever it wants to remove refuse from blocked channels.

According to him, all channels would be lined like it was done at the UNILAG section, saying that it would take at least one year to line the entire System II Channel.

The commissioner explained that before lining a channel could be done, it must first of all be dammed, but noted that damming a drainage channel had its necessary evil, which could lead to minor flooding in some areas.

“When you line a channel, it becomes very easy to clean up and maintain such channel,” he said.

Bello added that the state government had started demolishing structures on drainage channels, saying that many parts of the metropolis where structures were erected on drainage path would be visited with the demolition train.

The commissioner lamented that the last heavy rain led to loss of lives and property and that government wanted to prevent this at all costs while appealing to Lagosians not to empty their refuse into drainage channels again.

Chairman, Shomolu Local Government, Hon. Gbolahan Bagostowe said the council had notified the government of the problems faced by residents of the area whenever it rained, saying that the 10 July rain wreaked havoc on the area.

“We have been sensitising the people not to dump refuse into drainage channels. When it rained last time, the bridge on the canal here was blocked with refuse and water could not pass through. So, it entered people’s houses,” he said.

news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/107873-lagos-warns-of-another-heavy-rain.html

Four injured in three-storey building collapse in Lagos

At least four persons were injured when a three-storey residential building collapsed at Number 3, Orosanye Street, Lagos Island, at about 6pm on Saturday.


The Managing Director of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Femi Osanyintolu, told SUNDAY PUNCH around 8pm on Saturday that his team had concluded preliminary rescue operation, and there was no other person trapped under the debris.


“We have been working here for almost one hour. We rescued four people from the debris, and we have used our sophisticated equipment to confirm that there is no other person trapped in the debris. All the four people rescued have been treated. There was no major morbidity. Nobody died in the incident.” Osanyintolu said.


The Police Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Command, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, also confirmed the incident and said no life was lost.


Though the cause of the collapsed building was not certain as at press time, the incident was the second case of building collapse on Lagos Island, in the past one month.


In July, about 15 persons were confirmed dead and several others injured when a three storey building collapsed at Mogaji Street, Lagos Island.


Following the spate of building collapse in Lagos State, the government sealed 34 houses on Lagos Island, which it said were unfit for human habitation and might soon collapse.


The state government also asked its officials to carry out thorough evaluation of other buildings in the area with a view to evacuating residents from those that are structurally unstable and pose a threat to the inhabitants.


The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, said the government was concerned about the loss of lives in the recent collapsed buildings in the state, and would ensure that the menace was eradicated.


punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201108215545540

Power Minister Sacks Olorunsogo Power Plant’s CEO



Nigeria will hit 5000 megawatts soon, El-Sudi



ABUJA — BARELY three days after the Federal Government uncovered the poor management of the failed N30 billion Olorunsogo power station by a Chinese firm, the Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Mr Mohammed Almu.

Vanguard investigation revealed that the embattled CEO is now to work in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, Abuja head office, where he would be monitored closely.

The government is piqued that Almu, who until his recall to the headquarters in Abuja, an acting CEO, failed to articulate what was required to recover the six of the eight turbines in the station that have since broken down, thereby reducing the installed capacity of the plant from 304 to 60 megawatt of electricity.

Nnaji, who was on an inspection tour of the plant, in company of his Information counterpart, Mr Labaran Maku, had expressed disappointment over the inability of the management led by the CEO to provide the inspectors with adequate information on the company.

Besides, the inspection team was also told that every move and attempt by the Nigerian engineers attached to the Chinese experts to acquire the requisite skills for the maintenance of the plants were usually frustrated by the foreigners, just as the Nigerians at the plant could not lay hands on the agreement documents to ascertain at what point their responsibilities begin and end.

The Minister said “we got here (Olorunsogo) and we are scratching for information. I don’t like it and we will do something about that because what we want is ability to ensure that things keep on going. It requires resourcefulness to get things done.”

How can we be in a situation where the total amount of money needed here is nothing in comparison to just one problem which the people in Egbin station solved . It is a lot more than all of this put together. So, for sure, we are going to do something about it to solve these problems but on the technical side, we have to do something. That is why visiting these plants is very important”.

“I will say that in Olorunnsogo phase I, which is a federal government power plant we are quiet disappointed that there are eight units that should provide over 300 mw there and that of all those units only two are functioning. And what is required to actually get many of the units functioning is not just much and we are also going to look into the issue of the workers not being able to access manuals to operate the power plant. So these are some issues that we have found that we are going to resolve”.

The CEO had while briefing the minister said “at the time of handing over of this project, they (Chinese) are supposed to give us two years running spare parts but what they gave us were just small spare parts and that is why we are having serious problem. And anytime we contact them, they will promise to bring the parts and up till now, they have not given us any. And any time we have a problem and we want to go with them, they will refuse to go with us and abandon the place.

vanguardngr.com/2011/08/how-chinese-firm-sabotages-power-supply-fg/

12 Killed In Adamawa As Boko Haram Strikes Again

Radical Muslim sect kills 12 in northeast Nigeria

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A radical Muslim sect blamed for attacks across northeast Nigeria bombed a police station and robbed two banks Thursday, killing 12 people in an assault highlighting the group's escalating willingness to shed blood, authorities said.

The sect, known locally as Boko Haram, stormed into the city of Gobi in Adamawa state in broad daylight, first attacking the police precinct with bombs and raking the building with gunfire, police commissioner A.T. Shinaba said. The group killed four police officers and a soldier guarding the area, he said.

The sect members then shot their way into two local branches of First Bank PLC and United Bank for Africa PLC, killing seven bank employees before speeding away with an unknown amount of cash, Shinaba said. Four others suffered injuries in the attack.

"Our police station was attacked this morning by a gang of suspected Boko Haram gunmen in vehicles and motorbikes," the shaken police commissioner told journalists. We are "combing the bush for fleeing sect members."

Nigeria, home to 150 million people, suffers from a weak police force more focused on collecting bribes than law enforcement in the oil-rich nation. The force also has been unable to handle the rise of Boko Haram, which many believed had been dismantled after a security crackdown following a sect riot in 2009 left 700 people dead.

The group, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, seeks the implementation of strict Shariah Islamic law in the country. Nigeria is largely split between a Christian south and Muslim north, where 12 states already have a version of Shariah in place.

Boko Haram has been blamed for a rash of killings targeting security officers, local leaders and clerics in the area over the last year. It also has claimed responsibility for a bombing at the nation's police headquarters that killed two people in June.

This would be the first bank robbery attributed to the group, though sophisticated attacks on banks have been carried on banks in north Nigeria in recent weeks.

Sss Arrests El-rufai Again, On Return From London Alongside Buhari.

State Security Services (SSS) yesterday picked up former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The SSS said el-Rufai had accused the security forces of receiving N286 billion for their operations but had nothing to show for it, which was why insecurity in the country continued to persist.

Spokesperson for the SSS, Marilyn Ogar, in a telephone chat with Sunday Sun said the SSS would want el-Rufai to clarify his allegation on the said money because what the security forces got through the National Security Adviser (NSA) was just over N100 billion.

Mrs. Ogar further said the former minister by his allegations published in one of the national dailies on Friday bridged the Freedom of Information Bill (FoI) by not cross-checking his facts before going to the press.

“The SSS only wants to verify from the former Minister of FCT his allegations that the security forces through the NSA received a whopping sum of N286 billion without showing anything for it. By his allegation, he has bridged the FoI law by not cross-checking his facts,” Ogar stated.

Sunday Sun also gathered that the former minister would be arraigned in court tomorrow.
El-Rufai, who was returning to the country from London alongside General Muhammudu Buhari, was led away by the SSS in the early hours of Saturday. The former FCT Minister is currently cooling his heels in an underground cell.

sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2011/aug/28/newsbreak-28-08-2011-001.html