Monday, 13 March 2017
Rangers can perform Barca feat against Zamalek –Ocheme
Enugu Rangers central attacker, Edoh Ocheme has said his side are capable of upturning the huge deficit against the Egyptian giants, Zamalek Sporting Club.
The Nigerian champions went down 1-4 to the Mediterranean Knights in Sunday’s Caf Champions League first round fixture clash at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo.
Ocheme however admitted that the goal margin is quite massive but insisted that nothing is impossible in the round leather game.
“I’m still confused how we conceded those number of goals. I think the goals are simply too many.
“I never thought we could concede more than a goal in the encounter. I wept profusely when the goals kept coming. We were three goals down in the first 45 minutes.
“Well, we have come to accept the outcome as no amount of crying could change the result of the match.
“Right now, we have our jobs well cut out as we must score at least three unreplied goals to progress to the next stage of the competition.
“The task looks daunting but not insurmountable once we are able to do the needful as well as prepare adequately for the reverse fixture clash.
“All hopes are not lost as we are quite capable of scoring the three mandatory goals in the first 45 minutes just as Zamalek SC performed at their backyard in Cairo.
“At least we have role models in Barcelona to copy and look up to as we get ready for the reverse clash.
“Barcelona have shown that in football nothing is conclusively done until it’s completely over.
“That’s the mentality we will bring into the second leg coupled with some self-belief I’m sure we will upturn the disadvantage to advance to the next stage of the competition.
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$1.2bn Malabu deal: Court defers ruling on Shell, Agip’s bid to reclaim OPL 245
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA — The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, deferred ruling on bid by two multinational oil giants, Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Company Ltd and Nigeria Agip Exploration Ltd, to retain ownership of the disputed Oil Prospecting License, OPL, 245, pending their trial over alleged $1.2 billion fraud.
Justice John Tsoho adjourned the ruling till March 17, following application by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, to be joined as an interested party in the court action.
Shell and Agip had in separate applications filed through their lawyers, Prof. Konyinsola Ajayi, SAN, and Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, queried the legality of an order the high court made on January 26, which granted the Federal Government interim ownership of OPL 245, regarded as one of the biggest oil blocs in Africa.
Meanwhile, though the court had already heard and adjourned applications by both Shell and Agip for ruling, at the resumed sitting, yesterday, Malabu Oil and Gas, through its lawyer, Mr. Abdullahi Haruna, insisted that its right was at stake.
The firm contended that it had vested right in the disputed oil block, adding that it would be affected by whatever decision the court arrived at.
It, therefore, prayed the court to allow it to also present its own side of the case before ruling on the applications by Shell and Agip.
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2 Brigade Uyo assures on improved security
By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT— Newly established 2 Brigade in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has promised improved security of lives and properties of residents of the state as it celebrated the annual West Africa Social Activities, WASA.
The Brigade Commander, Brigadier- General Hamisu Hassan, gave the assurance at the event at Wellington Bassey Barracks, Abak Local Government Area in the state.
He said WASA was a yearly social exercise in the army where soldiers and civilians come together to celebrate, explaining that this year’s celebration was unique because it was the first to be celebrated by the brigade since it relocated from Port Harcourt to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
It will be recalled that the 2 Brigade which was in Port Harcourt was moved to Uyo on December 12, 2016.
Brigadier-General Hamisu commended soldiers and officers of the command for their discipline, assuring that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai would continue to give their welfare special attention.
“WASA is a social tradition in the Nigerian Army where soldiers, their family members and civilians come together to celebrate. This year’s WASA is unique because we are barely three months old in Uyo as 2 Brigade”, he said.
Deputy governor of the state, Mr Moses Ekpo, thanked the Federal Government for establishing the brigade in the state, promising that the state government would give it all the support.
Represented by Mr Emma Udom, the deputy governor also thanked the Federal Government for bringing a Command Secondary School to the state.
Various ethnic nationalities showcased their cultural dances at the event. There was also tug of war competition between soldiers of the brigade and the newly established 6 Division in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, corps members serving in 2 Brigade and other groups.
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How FG made Brass, OKLNG projects fail — Gaius-Obaseki, others
By Michael Eboh
ABUJA—Chairman of Brass Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, Mr. Jackson Gaius-Obaseki, and other experts in the petroleum industry, yesterday, blamed the Federal Government for the collapse and failures recorded in the multi-billion dollars Brass Liquefied Natural Gas and Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas, OKLNG, projects.
Gaius-Obaseki; Mr. Alex Neyin, a former chairman of the Board of the Society of Petroleum Explorationists, SPE and Mr. Yemi Oke, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, spoke in an interview monitored on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.
Also present among the discussants were Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru.
The Federal Government had spent over $1.2 billion already on the Brass LNG project and about $600 million on the OKLNG projects which started in 2003 and 2005 respectively.
Gaius-Obaseki stated that the decision by the Federal Government to undertake the three LNG projects — Nigeria LNG Train 7, Olokola and Brass LNG — led to the failure to complete any of the projects several years after their conception.
He said: “In my view, at the best of time for Nigeria, we do not have the resources, human and financial, to pursue three LNG projects at the same time. That is where the problem came from. Political or no political, all the projects would still had happened, if one came after the other.”
He argued that the country does not have the resources to pursue three LNG projects at the same time, stating that the government should have concentrated in finishing one of the projects before undertaking another.
Point of no return for Brass; $1.15bn spent so far
He said: “It is important to also know that I believe Brass has reached the point of no return.
“The fundamentals, the reasons are still there, valid today and you have expended $1.15 billion already; expectations are high; communities are giving land already. Really, we shouldn’t look anywhere else. Complete Brass, let OKLNG follow.”
NNPC defends FG’s position
However, Maikanti Baru explained that at the time the OKLNG project started, the market was showing robustness in terms of being able to absorb some extra volumes that would be coming from OKLNG.
Baru said:“The decisions were right at that time, because the market was postulating. At the moment, the market is a bit depressed. Train 7 is very likely because all the indications for having it, the various parameters to be able to move forward are there.
“We are finalizing the major various stumbling blocks in terms of gas supply. That is the major stumbling block holding back the Train 7. As soon as we do it, we are going forward for FID. In about 36 months, we are going to take FID on Train 7.”
In his submission, Alex Neyin said it was ridiculous for the country to dabble into many LNG projects at the same time, stating specifically that the country could not have Brass LNG going on and set up another, in form of the OKLNG, declaring also that this raises concerns among potential investors.
He also stated that the country lacked the capability to manage two LNG projects at the same time, when it had the NLNG Train 7 ready to go.
Similarly, in a statement issued by the NNPC after the interview, Baru said the Federal Government would do everything to ensure the take-off of Bonny NLNG Train 7 and the Brass LNG in the months ahead, after which the Olokola LNG would come on board, if the fundamentals were strong.
He stated that the NNPC was refocusing on the Brass LNG and rebuilding the confidence of investors on the project after the exit of Conocophillips a few years ago, adding that Nigerians and the Federal Government would gain a lot from the project in terms of taxes, royalties and profits.
He noted that when the project comes on stream, it would create massive employment opportunities for Nigerians.
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OPLs 321, 323: S-Court declares revocation illegal
By Sebastine Obasi
LAGOS— Korea National Oil Corporation, KNOC, has every cause to be happy as the Supreme Court has ruled that the decision of the Federal Government to re-award oil prospecting licences, OPLs, to ONGC/Owel Petroleum Consortium was illegal.
The oil blocks were originally awarded to KNOC.
In a four-to-one judgment, the Supreme Court in the suit numbered SC114/2013, between President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and three others Vs. KNOC and six others, affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal by declaring that the action of the President, which was taken in 2009, was not within his executive powers.
The dispute commenced in 2009, when KNOC filled an action against the Federal Government entities at the Federal High Court of Nigeria. In the suit leading to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, the Federal High Court had upheld all KNOC’s claims against the Federal Government and had held that the decision of the President contained in a letter of January 8, 2009, purportedly revoking KNOC’s interests in the OPLs was illegal.
The Federal High Court held that the late President Musa Yar’Adua had no powers to void the allocation of the OPLs. The court further held that even if the President had such powers, it failed to comply with the procedure laid down in the Petroleum Act for revocation of interests in OPLs.
The Federal High Court, therefore, voided and quashed the revocation on grounds that the decision of the President revoking KNOCs interest in the OPLs was illegal, procedurally unfair, unreasonable and against the legitimate expectation of KNOC.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the Federal High Court, Owel Petroleum Services Nigeria Limited went to the Court of Appeal. Owel was not an original party to the suit, but joined after the commencement of the action at the lower court. Although the Court of Appeal, in its judgment, disagreed with the commencement of the action by judicial review and thus held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction, it proceeded to consider the substantive issues in dispute among the parties.
With regard to the substantive issues, the Court of Appeal found, in agreement with the Federal High Court, that the President’s revocation of KNOC’s interests in OPLs 321 and 323 was wrong as the President has no power to void the allocation of the OPLs. The Court of Appeal also held that the Side Letter granting KNOC a discount on the signature bonus in consideration for a USD6billion investment by KNOC in strategic downstream project, was invalid.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, KNOC, Owel and the Federal Government entities, filed separate appeals to the Supreme Court challenging some findings of the Court of Appeal, primary of which were, the decision of the Court of Appeal on the technical issue as to the mode of commencement of the suit and more substantive issues such as the legality of the Side Letter and the revocation of KNOC’s interests in the OPLs.
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Tuition-free varsity education unrealistic —VCs
ABUJA—The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has said it was no longer realistic to have tuition-free university education in the country and wants the policy changed.
The committee said in a communiqué that a change in policy would enable parents, guardians and government “to equitably share the financial burden of education.”
The communiqué, signed by Michael Faborode, a professor and the Committee’s Secretary-General, was issued after its biennial meeting in Abuja.
“This will enable students pay revised fees commensurate with the true value of university education.
“The current inclination towards free tuition or free university education is unrealistic to the national vision for practical and qualitative education and not sustainable.
“To account and provide for poor and indigent students, government is encouraged to set up/re-establish an Education Bank to provide loans and access to finance,” the committee said.
It urged university managements to “think out of the box” to exploit all alternative and additional means of funding universities, including payment of tuition fees.
The communiqué also called for a holistic overhaul of the education sector to tackle the decay reflected from the primary to the tertiary levels.
It also urged universities to work out fresh strategies to build linkages with industries and partnerships with the private sector.
the committee also urged the Federal Government to ensure sustainable funding of universities and other tertiary institutions to make them relevant, globally competitive and be properly positioned to spearhead sustainable development.
The committee also advised government to increase scholarships, bursaries and other aids for students desirous of pursuing tertiary and postgraduate education.
It urged university managements to control the unending labour disputes in campuses and ensure transparent and accountable management of resources.
It called on the government to ensure that full university autonomy was attained and sustained in Nigerian universities.
“In this regard, and as captured in the laws of the various universities, Councils should be given unfettered leeway to deal with all matters in their respective universities.
“Such that the task of university governance should be wholesomely formulated by the Governing Council, on paper and in practice, including determining its future direction and fostering an environment in which the institutional mission is achieved.
“As independent arbiters, Councils are central to industrial harmony, peace and stability on campuses and indeed the entire Nigerian university system,” it said.
The communiqué further said that proprietors of private universities should adhere strictly to guidelines and templates for appointing chairmen and members of the councils.
This, the communiqué said, would ensure that only the best in society were saddled with the task of governing the nation’s universities.
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Bauchi govt shuts secondary school where students wed themselves
Bauchi State Government has ordered the closure of a secondary school in the state capital, Bauchi, where students allegedly conducted weddings among themselves, which the government considered to be sexual immorality.
It was alleged that in one instance, a boy, who claimed to be the groom, paid N500 as dowry to “wed” a female student, while their classmates contributed money for snacks needed at the ceremony.
“We learned that the groom brought large sums of money to the bride’s friends for settlement after marriage had taken place,” one student told newsmen.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Nuhu Gidado, who is also Deputy Governor, made the announcement in a statement, yesterday, by his Special Assistant on Communi-cation, Yakubu Adamu.
The statement said the closure became necessary following reports received that some of the students of Sa’adu Zungur Model Primary and Secondary School engaged in illegal marriages among themselves.
Mr. Gidado attributed the student’s behaviour to moral decadence in the society, adding “that is why he directed the immediate closure of the school on Friday, March 10, after being notified about the issue.”
The statement added that a committee, comprising all directors in the state Ministry of Education, the school authorities, teachers and Parents and Teachers Association, PTA, had been set up to investigate the matter and come up with a detailed report before the school is reopened.
Government sources said there have been reports of rampant sexual activities in the school.
Students say the attention of teachers was drawn to one of such illegal events only last week when a Senior Secondary, SS, II student organised a “wedding” in an unoccupied classroom with a female senior student.
Teachers, drawn by loud sound, went to the classroom to meet students tying the nuptial knot. The principal of the school could not be reached for comment.
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50 die in Adamawa auto crash
By Umar Yusuf
Yola—An auto crash that occurred Sunday night in Ngurore, a suburb of Yola, the Adamawa State capital, claimed the lives of about 50 people, leaving 29 others with injuries.
It was gathered that an articulated vehicle, with number plates DKU 427XA, conveying over 100 passengers and 60 cattle, was returning from Song Market, when the incident occurred.
An eyewitness said the driver of the vehicle, which was reportedly on full speed, lost control, the vehicle swerved into the bush and ended in a deep ditch, resulting in the deaths.
According to the eyewitness, the accident, which happened at about 8.30p.m., Sunday night, led to traffic jam on the busy Yola- Gombe Federal Highway.
The witness added that bodies burnt beyond recognition and those of the cattle littered the area.
Humanitarian and rescue teams were on hand to render assistance to the injured as the dead were evacuated to the morgue of the Yola Specialist Hospital.
The incident has been confirmed by the Adamawa State Police Command.
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Partnership for Better Health debuts in Lagos
In a bid to create awareness for state-of-the-art healthcare services to Africans and Nigerians, Dubai Health Authority is launching a first of its kind road show called “Dubai-Africa Partnership for Better Health”.
The road show/event holds 16-17th March, 2017 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, V/I, Lagos, and will bring together medical and hospital organisations with specialist focus on Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, etc.
Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Health Experience, and local UAE Embassy officials will be on hand to meet with key stakeholders in the Lagos healthcare industry.
A brainchild of the Dubai Health Authority, the programme aims to promote partnership between the health and medical sectors in Dubai & Nigeria with potential of attracting 500,000 international medical and hospital organisations fglobally to the UAE by 2020.
The Africa road show, comprising a series of legs and focusing on different regions of Africa,will kick off in Lagos, and move to Accra, on March 19.
Subsequent legs will follow in East Africa, visiting Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Nairobi,Kenya, Cape Town and Johannesburg, ending in Morocco.
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Free Glaucoma screening at LUTH
To commemorate this year’s World Glaucoma Week, the Guinness Eye Centre, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, is offering free glaucoma screening for Nigerians. The screening holds March 12-18, 2017 from 9am to 3pm daily.
A statement by the Head, Corporate Services Division, Mr. Kelechi Otuneme, said the programme is part of LUTH’s Corporate Social Responsibility, geared towards helping to raise awareness for glaucoma which is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
“The free exercise as early detection is one of the preventive measures to prevent blindness from the disease. There will also be a public lecture on Thursday, 16th March, 2017 by 9am at the Sickle Cell Centre, opposite LUTH, “he stated.
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