Nigeria Buzz

Nigeria’s revenue drops by N100bn …as FAAC shares N563bn to three tiers of govt

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:11 +0000

Nigeria has recorded a decline in its gross revenue between March and April, 2012.

The Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama, made this known to journalists in Abuja shortly after the meeting of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee on Friday.

Ngama said the country’s revenue dropped by N100bn from N726.72m in March to N626.17bn in April.

Although the minister noted that there was an improvement in crude oil production and lifting at the Bonga and Qua Iboe terminals, he blamed the decline in gross revenue on a drop in domestic oil sales.

He said, “The gross revenue of N626.17bn for the month (April) was lower than the N726.72bn received in the previous month (March) by N100bn.

“The decline in domestic crude oil sales was responsible for the low income earned during the period, though crude oil production and lifting improved in Bonga and Qua Iboe terminals.”

The minister said this, just as the committee shared N563.08bn as statutory allocation among the three tiers of government.

The allocation represents a decrease of N50.61bn or 8.25 per cent in comparison to the sum of N613.69bn shared in the previous month.

Giving a breakdown of the amount distributed, Ngama said N441.16bn was shared as statutory allocation, N57.29bn from Value Added Tax, and N7.71bn being the refund from the debt owed the Federation Account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Similarly, N35.54bn was shared under the Subsidy Re-investment

Mass Nigeria wedding aims to tackle divorce rate

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:07 +0000

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. In terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split half and half between Muslims in the North and Christians in the South; a very small minority practice traditional religion. Since 2002 there have been a spate of clashes, particularly in the North of the country, between government forces and the Islamists Boko Haram, militant jihadists who seek to establish sharia law.

The people of Nigeria have an extensive history. Archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BCE. The area around the Benue and Cross River is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across

Nigeria’s problem didn’t start from my regime – Jonathan

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:04 +0000

By TONY EDIKE, Enugu
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, declared that the numerous problems confronting the nation did not start from his regime which commenced only two years ago.

He asked Nigerians to reassess their journey from independence till date with a view to ascertaining the areas where the nation had gone wrong in order to make amends.

President Jonathan Commiserating with Gov. Sullivan during the Funeral Service for Late Mrs. Theresa Chime Mother of Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State Friday at St. Mary’s Pro-cathedral Catholic Churc, Udi, Enugu State. Photos–state House.

The President spoke at Udi in Enugu State during the funeral service in honour of Governor Sullivan Chime’s Mother, Chief Mrs. Theresa Chime, whose remains were laid to rest yesterday.

According to the President, something must have gone wrong along the line from 1914 when the Southern and Northern Protectorate amalgamated till date, stressing that the problem of Nigeria did not start today.

He said: “Sometimes when critics are lambasting the government, my self as President and the governors sometimes begin to think that yes it is starting today. But what we promise Nigerians is that this country must change.

“When the Priest was speaking, I started asking myself – what must have gone wrong from 1914 that the Northern and Southern parts of the country were amalgamated? They were under colonial rule since 1960 when we started governing ourselves. From 1960 to date it is about 50 years.

“I don’t think it is the

Air Nigeria to Go Public in 2014

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:03 +0000

Jimo Ibrahim

By Chinedu Eze

Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Nigeria would become a public quoted company in 2014, as the management plans to list it in the Nigeria Stock Exchange and sell the shares to the Nigerian public.

This was disclosed by the chairman of the company, Mr. Jimo Ibrahim, at a dinner in London to mark the inaugural flight of the airline from Lagos to London at the weekend.

‘I want to assure you that effective two years from now; we will be depositing Air Nigeria into your hands. What does that mean? Air Nigeria will now have to go PLC. It will now be an airline owned by Nigerians. I will sell my shares, and then you can buy some. Air Nigeria will be in the market. So we will meet at Annual General Meetings, and then we will discuss. So that is our plans. By then, Air Nigeria will be fully Nigerian,’ Ibrahim said.

He disclosed that the Nigeria Stock Exchange had invited the company this year to come and be listed under the special registry so that Air Nigeria would be in the market.

‘You will be a shareholder, I will be a shareholder. It will be our airline,’ he added.

Also the Chairman of Air Nigeria decried the huge amount of money Nigerian airlines spend overseas to maintain their aircraft, noting that if there is maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria, over 60 per cent of billions of Naira spent overseas would have been saved.

He noted that Africa is now

Nigeria says oil revenue fell 13.8 pct in April

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:59:59 +0000

ABUJA |
Fri May 18, 2012 12:19pm EDT

ABUJA May 18 (Reuters) – Nigeria earned 626.18 billion
naira ($3.95 billion) in oil revenues in April, down 13.8
percent from 726.77 billion naira in March due to lower
production, the accountant general said on Friday.

Nigeria distributed 563.09 billion naira to its three tiers
of government in April, down from 613.70 billion in March. To
make up for the shortfall it removed 21.465 billion naira ($135
million) from its excess crude account savings.
($1 = 158.5500 Nigerian nairas)

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by
Anthony Barker)

Nigeria: Boko Haram – FG Deports 335 in Three Months

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:59:29 +0000

To curtail the acts of terrorism by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Federal Government said yesterday, that it has in the last three months, deported a total of 335 illegal immigrants, repatriated about 4, 214 foreigners and refused no fewer than 16,998 foreigners entry into the country through the Immigration Service.

Making this disclosure during the on-going 2012 ministerial stewardship platform in Abuja, Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, explained that the steps were taken in a response to February 26 directive by the federal government, in which it ordered the immediate easing out of all illegal immigrants from the country.

The minister, who further explained that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) watch-listed 1, 247 persons said, the service was also able to restrict about 3, 298 Nigerians from travelling abroad for allegedly possessing doubtful travel documents.

He added that although, the ministry does not have the mandate to generate revenue for the government, it has been able to rake billions into federal government coffers through the Citizenship and Business Department, where the ministry generated over N190 million.

Other Avenues according to Moro include the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, where a total of N72 million was regenerated within the period from the Private Guard Companies, the Nigeria Immigration Service generated N5.765 billion from issuance of immigration facilities.

It also generated another $11.470 million through the issuance of immigration facilities by Foreign Missions and another $729, 600 as fines which were imposed on certain airlines which brought some inadmissible foreigners to Nigeria.

Nigerian security forces find bomb-making stock in raid

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:59:28 +0000

(AFP)
–
18 hours ago

JOS, Nigeria — Security forces found weapons and bomb-making stocks during a house raid Saturday in the violence-plagued central Nigerian city of Jos, police said.

“There was a bomb factory that was discovered in Rikkos,” police spokesman Samuel Dabai told AFP, referring to a district in Jos.

Army and police officers leading the raid discovered rifles, ammunition, chemicals and fertilisers.

Authorities promptly destroyed the explosive equipment, as well as the entire house.

“We are not suspecting anybody yet but have started investigating,” Dabai said, adding that no one had been arrested.

Jos is the capital of Plateau State. The city sits between the Christian south and Muslim north and is regularly shaken by religious and ethnic violence.

In recent months, bomb attacks have increased in Nigeria, with many blasts attributed to the Islamist group Boko Haram.

Why Nigeria can’t break up, by Yahaya Kwande

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:59:27 +0000

Alhaji Yahaya Kwande

Elder statesman and former Nigeria Ambassador to Switzerland, Alhaji Yahaya Kwande, is optimistic that Nigeria will not break up, the current challenges facing it notwithstanding.

He described the challenges as part of nationhood and not signs that the country will split.

Speaking with The Nation on Sunday in his residence in Jos, Plateau State, he said experience has shown that many Nigerians want the country to remain united.

The former Ambassador, a member of the 19-man committee raised by the late Gen. Sani Abacha to prepare an agenda for the Constitutional Conference, said the committee, during its deliberations, was initially reluctant to include discussions on the country’s corporate existence out of fear that many might vote for separation.

However, according to him, it was discovered that the issue of the nation’s corporate existence was one many people saw as indivisible.

Asked why various sections of the country had been calling for or supporting agitations for the break-up of the country, he said most of the calls were simply meant to scare off others. He said, “Those who call for separation only do that to throw fear into each other. We all want to be one.”

Assessing the country’s performance 13 years after the return of democracy, he said progress had been made with the establishment of new educational institutions and provision of infrastructure.

He, however, scored the country low in terms of political development, saying: “Politically it is worse…when the only way to be rich is to dabble into politics.”

He also blamed the

US mulls Nigeria’s Boko Haram for terror watch list

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:59:26 +0000

The Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has killed more than 1,000 in a three-year insurgency, and may have ties with Al Qaeda. Will putting the group on a terror watch list help?

Scott Baldauf, Staff Writer /
May 18, 2012

The US government is considering putting the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram on its terrorist watch list. The measure, pushed by the US Justice Department, would give US law enforcement agencies the power to prevent known members of Boko Haram to travel, and for any American company to conduct business or money transactions with the militant group.

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The proposal to list Boko Haram as a terrorist group comes at a time of growing pressure from the US Congress to act now against the Islamist group. US Rep. Patrick Meehan, has introduced an amendment to a defense bill that would force the Obama administration to act against Boko Haram, or to explain to Congress why it hasn’t done so.

Speaking

‘Some Nigerians live like slaves in US’

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:59:25 +0000

Bukola Oriola

Bukola Oriola, a Nigerian journalist was a victim of human trafficking in United States. For two years, she was isolated and endured all forms of torture, including hunger, physical, psychological and emotional abuse.

She was traumatized, became depressed and was diagnosed for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Now a survivor, Bukola has dedicated her life to helping others by sharing her story through public presentations. She has written a book on her experience, titled , Imprisoned: The Travails of a Trafficked Victim to create awareness about human trafficking.

Awarded the Change Maker 2009 by the Minnesota Women’s Press for her courage, Oriola now runs a television programme, Imprisoned Show which also recently won an award.

In an online interview with Lekan Otufodunrin of The Nation Online, Oriola explaines her advocacy work and life in the United States.

Congratulations on the award you won for your programme, Imprisoned. Tell me more about the award and the organization that gave the award.?

The award is the V.I.P Awards by the North Metro TV, a Public Access TV station for the community. A Public Access TV station is an outfit funded by the public where you could take free broadcast classes on how to produce a TV show or work as a crew. You have the opportunity to produce your show free of charge using the station’s equipment and having some of its members volunteer as your crew. As a producer at the station, your work is being assessed.