Nigeria to revoke dormant coal mining licenses

The Federal Government has declared that in the next one month, it will revoke all dormant coal mining licenses of companies yet to commence operations years after the licences were issued.

Briefing journalists after the second meeting of the National Council on Privatization, NCP, which was chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, at the Presidential Villa, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Musa Sada, said this was following a direct order given by the Vice President that all dormant mining titles be revoked to allow government reallocate them to serious miners who are willing to support the federal government’s coal to power projects.

Mr. Sada, who briefed alongside the Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, and the Director General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE, Benjamin Dikki, also noted that coal development for the power sector was at the heart of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

He said it was worrisome that years after the 15 licenses were issued, the companies were yet to commence actual mining of coal. He added that government was bent on using coal to boost its current coal to power Programme.

“For obvious reasons, we need this mineral resource to produce power to leverage on what we have to get what we want.

“We have already started the process to release from any encumbrance, those titles that are being held by people.

“We are not willing to allow it to remain on speculative basis. People that have these titles must have to operate them or lose them in line with the provision of the Minerals Mining Act,” he said.

He said the affected licences included the coal blocks that belonged to the government coal corporation and were sold to companies who ought to have been in the full coal production.

“So, we are looking at the agreement they signed with the BPE,” he said. “We are looking at the Mineral Act and we are putting the two together and we have already started interfacing with them and we are making some progress on that.”

Mr. Sada said the Vice President also directed all relevant agencies of government to ensure that the legal impasse in Ajaokuta Steel Company is settled amicably and to ensure that all agitations engulfing the Company are put to rest.

He further disclosed that government is at the verge of signing agreements with serious investors.
“We looked at the potentials around it and presently government is on the verge of signing agreements with some serious steel producing companies who are interested in taking it forward.

“Part of the discussion is that when we finally come to privatize Ajaokuta, we make sure that we privatize a company that is alive and make sure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and that the facility being privatized really works,” he said.

Mr. Sada also said the federal government was also looking into pending labour issues , including the emolument for workers.

“The Vice President has given a clear cut directive that the Minister of Finance who is also the Chairperson of the Finance Committee of the NCP should look at the issues of labour critically with the view to giving immediate attention to all the outstanding  labour  issues especially as it relates to the issue of welfare in all the privatized steel companies”.

The Sole Administrator of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, Joseph Onobere, also said Ajaokuta complex which has a current asset value of $5 billion, has been over 98 per cent ready since 1994. He added that monthly, N300 million is spent on salaries of those who still work at maintaining the company.
He further said the plant has a 110 mega power plant which will commence with the supply of 25 megawatts within the next two weeks.

Mr. Onobere, who said government also wants to ensure that the place is in a serviceable condition, also disclosed that government has not ceded any part of the plant to any of the investors.

Speaking on the Liquidation of NITEL /MTEL, Benjamin Dikki announced that the liquidator has effectively taken over, and a high powered delegation of the federal government will be heading for London soon to woo buyers for NITEL/ MTEL.

UPDATE: Pandemonium in Gwarimpa as villagers protest demolition of homes

Residents of Lungu Village in Adkan Estate, Gwarimpa, Abuja on Thursday went on a protest on the Kubwa Expressway, setting bonfires on the road as unsuspecting road users got stranded.

Some residents of the area who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria said they were protesting because of the demolition carried out by the Department of Development Control in the village.

Charles Oputa, Charlie Boy, a popular entertainer who resides in Gwarimpa, said that it was wrong for government to embark on the exercise without sensitising the villagers.

“If government wants to embark on this kind of exercise, there is the need to get the people psychologically prepared.

“You can see I have been pleading with them to stop the protests and open the roads to no avail; it is understandable because what happened today is very painful,’’ Charlie Boy said.

Sanni Geoffrey, a Gbagyi youth leader who was at the scene, said that the road would not be opened until the president came to address the injustice on his people.

“This injustice is too much; we will not leave here today until the president comes to address the injustice,” he said.

Another resident, Rose Galadima, lamented the alleged death of a child who died during the demolition.

“Now that they have killed the child, they should come and carry the corpse. What have we done to deserve this kind of treatment?” she lamented.

However, Kalu Emetu, Public Relations officer of the Development Control Department said that he was not aware of any deaths.

He said that the case with Lungu village had been in court for some months and judgment was recently delivered in favour of the Department.

He said that structures that were demolished in the exercise were illegal squatters and shanties.
“Squatter settlers encroached on Plot 64, Kafe District, in Lungu Village, which was meant for an estate.

“Development Control marked the area for demolition since March 2014 and the villagers went to court; the court finally struck out the case.

“Fifty four illegal structures, 17 shanties, 5 shops and one church were removed and I am not aware of any death,’’ he said
Yunusa Yusuf, the Secretary General, Abuja Original Inhabitants Association, in his reaction, said the protest became necessary to push for the rights of original indigenes.

Mr. Yusuf said that the inhabitants had continuously pleaded with the Federal Government to recognise their position as original inhabitants of the FCT.

“Overtime, we have seen that nobody is recognising us or appreciating the fact that we have sacrificed our ancestral land and everything for the benefit of everyone.

“We live among the rich but we are the poorest people; our children are not considered in any good schools and almost all our youths are jobless.

“They do not have any opportunity to benefit from various empowerment programmes,’’ he said.
Mr. Yusuf said that the indigenes had made several efforts to talk with the FCT Minister, Bala Muhammed, to assist them without success hence the protest.

He added that the protest would not be suspended until government intervened.

The protest created a heavy traffic on the busy road with vehicles stretching for several kilometres.
Commuters on the Abuja-Kubwa expressway lamented the gridlock that resulted from the protest, although it was later cleared by the protesters.

Baba Ahmed, a commuter, said that the incessant demolition exercise in the FCT was not in the interest of residents of the territory.

“I have been on this particular spot for the past two hours and am not sure of when the road will be opened.

“These are problems that could be averted if government is interested in dialoguing with the communities,’’ he said.

He called on relevant government authorities to ensure that dialogue was reached with communities to be demolished to avoid breach of peace in the territory.

Also, John Efere, the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said his office had no record of any casualty in the course of the demolition.

“We do not have record of any casualty; I believe the residents are just angered by the demolition.

“I just want to appeal to residents of the area to shun violence and embrace dialogue in the interest of peace,” Mr. Efere said.
(NAN)

87 Boko Haram suspects among 486 travellers arrested in Abia

About 87 of the over 486 travellers arrested in Abia State have been identified as members of the insurgent Boko Haram group, a security source has told PREMIUM TIMES.

The travellers were arrested on Monday in Aba, along Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway, while travelling from Northern Nigeria to Port Harcourt in several buses.

The Director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, had, in a statement on Tuesday, said a wanted Boko Haram suspect was identified during the screening of those arrested. He, however, did not name the suspect.

Mr. Olukolade also stated that those identified as possible security risks or illegal immigrants would be separated from their colleagues for further action.

A top security source, however, told PREMIUM TIMES, Thursday, that apart from the one earlier identified, 86 others have been identified as suspected terrorists.

“But to be double sure, we have called for additional screening,” he said.

He confirmed that the suspects were all headed to Port Harcourt when they were arrested. He said that most of them, however, had never been to Port Harcourt before now and some did not even have up to N1,000 on them.

He stated that although no weapons were discovered on them, a certain kind of body marks associated with terrorists was noted on them.

He disclosed that the suspects were being held at 144 Battalion, close to Umuahia in Abia State although the confirmed kingpin has been moved to a different location.

He, however, refused to disclose the name of the confirmed kingpin, saying it could jeopardise investigations, as some persons linked to him might try to escape from the country if his name was mentioned.

“The kingpin is making very useful statements. Initially, he was trying to deceive the interrogators until he was confronted with fresh info,” the source said.

When PREMIUM TIMES approached Mr. Olukolade with the information from the reliable source, he declined comment.

“I cannot say anything now, the screening is still ongoing,” Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, said.
The arrest of the travellers was the first major one of suspected Boko Haram insurgents by security officials in eastern part of Nigeria.

The group, which has killed thousands of people since its insurgency began in 2009, has limited its activities to Northern Nigeria leading to the declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. The sect, however, recently threatened to attack other parts of the country.

219 chibok girls still missing

The Chairman of the Presidential Fact Finding Committee on the Chibok abduction, Gen. Ibrahim Sabo, on Friday maintained that 219 girls are still missing.

He gave the figure while presenting the report of the committee to President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja.

According to him, while a total of 276 secondary school girls were abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 57 of them escaped while 219 girls still remained unaccounted for.

Akpeyi tips Eagles to beat Bosnia

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, is confident the team will overcome Bosnia-Herzegovina Saturday’s group F clash at the ongoing FIFA World Cup Brazil.

The 2013 AFCON champions hopes to qualify from Group F ahead of the World Cup debutants.
The Eagles has one point from the barren draw against Iran, while Bosnia has zero point after going down to Argentina on Monday.

Akpeyi, who was left out of the final 23-man squad, said once the Nigerians step up their game, Bosnia and Argentina will not pose a hard nut for them to crack.

“It’s quite possible we qualify from the group going by the trend of results witnessed so far in the tournament.

“Most teams considered by bookmakers as favourites have crashed out already with more to follow in the days to come.

“So it’s quite possible for us to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday. That will give us a total of four points and it may prove adequate to see us qualify, regardless of the outcome of the last group game against Argentina.

“However, the expected qualification won’t come on a platter of gold. We must work extremely hard to earn it, mostly against Bosnia.

“That’s why it’s incumbent on the Super Eagles’ players to step up their game and ensure they take their chances against Bosnia and Argentina.

“Both teams are beatable. There are several examples in the ongoing World Cup for us to draw inspiration from,” the Warri Wolves goalkeeper told supersport.com.

Bayelsa pays contractors N84bn in 28 months

The Bayelsa State Government has paid N84 billion out of the contract sum of about N242 billion to indigenous and foreign contractors handling roads and other infrastructural projects across the state in the last 28 months.

Speaking at a press briefing in the Government House, Yenagoa, the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpor, said the payment was in line with the transparency and accountability of the present administration.

Ewhrudjakpor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Deacon Markson Fefegha, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Chief Fred Agbedi and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso Markson.

He said that road constructions would develop the state by attracting investments and boosting the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) profile of the State.

According to him, the Agge seaport, the Cargo Airport and the three senatorial roads when completed would create many jobs for the people.

Reiterating the commitment of the present administration to infrastructural development,

Erhwudjapor noted that higher percentage of the annual budgetary provision was voted for infrastructural development.

Police Enhances Security Measures Ahead Of Ekiti Guber Elections

Nigerian Police enhances security ahead of the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State. Credit: AFP

This follows from a statement issued on Thursday, June 19, by the police spokesperson Frank Mba. The measures are taken in order to "ensure a proper coordination of security operations and thus realizing a hitch-free election, devoid of electoral fraud", Mba said.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar has deployed the Assistant IGP Bala M Nasarawa and five commissioners of police (CPs) to supervise security arrangements. One of the CPs will be in charge of Ekiti State, three CPs will be specifically supervising security arrangements in Ekiti-North, Ekiti-Central and Ekiti-South senatorial districts, and another one will be overseeing the operations of the Police Mobile Force and other special Strike Forces.

According to the statement, movements in and out of Ekiti state will be banned 6pm Thursday till the elections are over. On the election day, movements will be restricted within the state between 6am to 8pm. Consequently, the neighbouring states of Kwara, Kogi, Ondo and Osun will have increased police presence with all entry and exit points in and out of Ekiti maximally policed.

Travelers are advised to use alternate routes. The restriction will not concern ambulance service providers, INEC officials, on-duty security men, accredited election monitors/observers, accredited journalists and other people on "essential duties".

"The order is informed by the need to forestall plans by criminal elements to undermine the electoral process as gathered through intelligence reports," Mba notes.

The police also urges all security details to desist from accompanying their principals to polling booths and collation centres on the election day. Only security personnel assigned for election duties must be seen within and around the election designated places, Mda added.

Police spokesperson appealed to Nigerians to see any inconveniences the order may cause "as a necessary sacrifice in the present circumstance geared towards the quest for a seamless, credible and successful gubernatorial election".