NNPC begins oil exploration in the North

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has concluded plans to increase the nation’s crude oil reserve and production to 40 billion and four million barrels per day respectively.

The Group Managing Director of the corporation, Engr. Andrew Yakubu who made this disclosure while delivering a keynote address at the combined graduation ceremony of Chief Officers Management Development programme of batches 069 to 072 in Abuja listed Chad, Anambra, Benue, Bida and Sokoto Dahomey as the focal places.

Engr. Yakubu said, “We are as well carrying out infield developments which have resulted in increased reserve and with the intensified approach, including the expedited action on new projects like Eginaetc the reserve and production targets is realizable.” According to him, over 1,000 square kilometres of seismic data have been acquired in the Chad Basin despite of the security situation in Borno State.

On gas consumption, he said, “NNPC’s footprint in the domestic gas market has attained unprecedented growth. With the commissioning of the NPDC’s 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day Oredo gas processing facilities and the acquisition of the new assets, NPDC is now the biggest producer and supplier of gas into the domestic market, contributing over 400 million standard cubic feet of gas per day,” Yakubu added.

He said the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, is being repositioned to become a medium sized independent Exploration and Production Company with a production capacity of at least 250,000 barrels per day by the year 2015.

According to him, NPDC assets base has grown with the assignment of new oil mining leases stressing that the management under his watch is determined to further pursue new strategies to grow production to the target of 250,000 bpd by 2015 from the current level of 130,000bpd.

culled from peoples daily newspaper

Governor Nyako and His Dangerous Memo

I read with great disappointment and sadness a memo written by Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, which was addressed to his fellow northern governors. In a memo that can only be described as an outright attempt to acquire fame and score political points, the governor accused the Presidency of being complacent and responsible for the attacks inflicted upon the region by Boko Haram. Not only was the sitting governor’s memo unbecoming, it also does more harm than good in the nation’s attempt to recover control of and return harmony to a region that has known no peace due to the aggressive onslaught of a terrorist organisation.

Knowing that Nigerians are very sensitive when it comes to the issues of religion and ethnicity, Nyako’s memo can only further expose and uncover hate and provoke the aversion that Nigerians hold against each other. Irrespective of our reservations against the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan (on the platform of the PDP), our number one priority should be ensuring that this nation is peaceful once more. For a man of Nyako’s position in society, he remains an important stakeholder in actualising that objective.

It is public knowledge that the relationship between Governor Murtala Nyako and the President has indeed soured over time, but for a man who once served as the Chief of Naval Staff, one would expect him to be more tolerant and less rash and impulsive with his thoughts and remarks.

How objective and rational is it for anyone to convince me that a governor like Nyako, whose administration in Adamawa has brought absolutely no progress or growth could have the interest of the region at heart? How is it possible that a man who enjoys little goodwill from his own people because of pitiful and substandard performance can have the vigour and sincerity to actively pursue the interest of his region?

What Nyako’s memo attempted to achieve was to create a ‘we’ against ‘them’ attitude in order to continue to control the mindsets of poor and gullible Nigerians. Our politicians have a penchant for being divisive and using the fact they happen to be smarter than most of the electorate to their political advantage.

It is important to note that Nyako’s conspiracy is flawed at all levels. His idea that there is a wicked and atrocious agenda being perpetrated against the North by the Federal Government raises a lot of questions; from the highest level of government all the way to the bottom are people who hail from the North. The Vice President hails from the North along with the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Defence and the National Security Adviser. Some of these men, such as General Aliyu Gusau, have worked tirelessly to get to the peak of their careers and are globally renowned for the exemplary service that they have rendered and continue to render. If there is, indeed, a genocide that is being carried out against the whole Northern region of Nigeria, it therefore cannot be without the knowledge of these men, who hold essential and vital positions in our nation. If what Nyako is attempting to sell to the easily deceived and exploitable masses is that our northern brothers in government are culpable of the agenda, then I believe that this line of action and this attempt to further sow seeds of discord is highly reproachable and deserving of being condemned in the strongest possible terms.

I am absolutely angered that Nyako, who is a major stakeholder in the country’s main opposition party, is busy fuelling hatred with his remarks instead of focusing on creating solutions that will thrive in bringing back peace to a region that has more or less become a war zone. Furthermore, the fact that Nyako’s claims and irresponsible comments are seen by some as an attempt to actually fight for the interest of the north is absolutely unbelievable and calls for concern. The governor’s remarks are only capable of plunging our country into more complexity and chaos at a time that our nation is sharply divided along fault lines.

Nyako’s memo is not just disrespectful to our brave troops, many of whom have sacrificed their lives, but also insulting and demonstrates a total lack of gratitude for their service, and this writer is particularly unsure of what the Governor seeks to gain with such dangerous moves. As much as portraying our military and joint task forces as wicked and threatening will please some bigoted Nigerians, how it can please or captivate an individual of Nyako’s status and background remains extraordinarily perplexing.

In addition, it makes absolutely no sense to allege that President Jonathan is behind the barbaric attacks that have plagued the North because the crisis predates his coming to the seat of power. I can, however, accept that the Federal Government in its efforts to bring Boko Haram to its knees has failed and appears to always be two steps behind. What I cannot accept, however, is that the government is solely responsible for unleashing this magnitude of terror. We have been witnesses to how our national security has been compromised. I have spent a long time trying to analyse the logic behind this memo and the only thing that I see is efforts being made by the governor to even further compromise our security.

Our relevant security agencies need to wake up to their responsibilities and probe individuals who make such unguarded statements and we, as Nigerians, must demand that our leaders stop politicising our security challenges. Trying and difficult times like these call for all leaders, past and present, to explore all possible options and reasonable avenues that include effective methods that will yield positive results which will ultimately result in an end to this war against terror. In as much the responsibilities that our leaders owe to the country to work tirelessly to defeat the terrorists are enormous, we also owe ourselves this much; that in spite of all our challenges, we must not lose hope that the future of our country as a strong and powerful republic that will actualise the vision of our founding fathers is possible.

Mustapha Atiku Abubakar is a 19 year old Bachelors of Law (LLB) student at City University, London. He is a native of Jada in Adamawa state. He received his elementary education in his home state’s capital Yola, before completing his middle school in Egypt and subsequently graduation from the prestigious Leysin American School in Switzerland with an American high school diploma. He is fluent in Fulani, Hausa, English and Arabic. Mustapha has a passion for entrepreneurship. He currently sits as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Haynes-Worth International Limited. Aside his passion for entrepreneurship, he is an advocate of better youth participation in governance and politics in Nigeria.

Mustapha is on Twitter as @mustyblax

Jigawa of their Dream, Sule Lamido of Our Dream

An unprecedented development is taking place in all sectors in Jigawa State. Governor Sule Lamido is demonstrating the general belief that, a leadership that is well-read, competent; with the right leadership skills, exposure and behavior is a competitive advantage for any state, including the nation at large.

Governor Sule Lamido’s careful planning and execution of people-oriented projects and programmes, including the visibly enhanced economic growth and quality of governance in Jigawa State is a clear indication that, despite the general poverty of ideas among public office holders and the scarce resources in most northern states, there are leaders who are genuinely committed to development. Sule Lamido means what he says and he is doing exactly so. Indeed, Lamido’s development strategies should be a working document for states in Nigeria, especially the other 18 northern states who share similar geographical, cultural and economic terrain with Jigawa State. Lamido himself should be seen as a role model for public office holders and youths because he is exhibiting what is expected of elected leadership.

In Jigawa, Sule Lamido is using a reductionistic approach to development- attending to the big problems by solving the small ones. The approach encompasses new thinking, new strategy, and new concept maps. The approach completely shifts away from the traditional way of development in most states in Nigeria. Governor Lamido’s concept is a new strategy where development in agriculture, roads, education, electricity, healthcare, water supply, youth development and other sectors are tackled through segmentation of the various sectors into their smallest units, then a head-on tackling of each unit with the participation of the people. The involvement of the people ensures the people and their communities come first in all circumstances, including accountability.

In Jigawa State, development is as it ought to be. All spheres of the society is systematically and systemically being touched by the impact of development- massive roads construction, rehabilitation and expansion, construction of institutional structures, free girls and disabled education, free maternal and child health, the rural solar electricity project. Worthy of a special mention is the first of its kind successful youths and poverty alleviation programme.

For example, the population of Jigawa people is made up of mainly rural dwellers and peasant farmers. Governor Lamido has remodeled the typical Nigeria’s rural development strategies- where rural development is mainly targeted at only agricultural productivity. Rural development in Jigawa State has gone beyond agricultural productivity. In Jigawa today, rural development is also directed at the development of human and natural resources; rural road, energy, education, culture, social order, and political awareness. This re-direction has conformed rural development in Jigawa state with the global concept of rural development- “quantitative change or uplift in the standard of people in the rural areas, brought about through integrated approach, by both governmental and non-governmental agencies and the people themselves”.

Through Governor Lamido, the Jigawa people are realizing the Jigawa of their dream, while through his new approach to development in Jigawa; other Nigerians are beginning to see in Sule Lamido the leadership of their dream.

Zayyad I. Muhammad, writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980. 

Rating The 19 Northern Governors

STATE	GOVERNOR	PARTY	RATING
Adamawa	Murtala Nyako	APC	Very Poor
Bauchi	Isa Yuguda	PDP	Poor
Benue	Gabriel Suswan	PDP	Poor
Borno	Kashim Shettima	APC	Excellent
Gombe	Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo	PDP	Fair
Jigawa	Sule Lamido	PDP	Excellent
Kaduna	Mukhtar  Ramalan Yero	PDP	Very  Poor
Kano	Rabiu  Musa Kwankwaso	APC	Excellent
Katsina	Ibrahim Shema	PDP	Poor
Kebbi	Saidu Dakingari	PDP	Very  Poor
Kogi	Captain Idriss Wada	PDP	Poor
Kwara	Abdulfatah Ahmed	APC	Fair
Nasarawa	Umar Tanko Al-Makura	APC	Very Poor
Niger	Babangida  Aliyu	PDP	Very poor
Plateau	Jona  David Jang	PDP	Good
Sokoto	Aliyu Magatakarda Wamako	APC	Very Good
Taraba	Garba Umar	PDP	Poor
Yobe	Ibrahim Geidam	APC	Good
Zamafa	Abdulazeez Yari	APC	Poor

Excellent- 3

Very Good- 1

Good-2

Fair-2

Poor-6
Very Poor-5

Zayyad I. Muhammad, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980

Will North Vote For Jonathan?

President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP have kick-started the ground-work to pave GEJ's way to a second term. Just like the 2011 presidential elections, Jonathan’s splitting headache in 2015 would be northern Nigeria. But this time around with a major difference- a strong opposition party- APC have emerged. Though the PDP’s presidential primaries will be a work over for Jonathan, but the general elections would not be. 

Jonathan has a painstaking task to change the belief by the northern Nigeria Talakwas that his Presidency is not different from that of northern political class who has failed the Talakwas.

With the political activities to herald the 2015 elections gaining momentum, President Jonathan’s worry would be how to gain the support of the Talakwas of the north. Before and after his election in 2011, President Jonathan has not applied strategies that can win the hearts of the people of northern Nigeria. With 2015 presidential election fast approaching, can Jonathan still be able to win over the hearts of northern Talakawas before the elections? Does the President have enough time to show the people of the north that his presidency is different?

There is no doubt President Jonathan still have a running political battle with a certain clique from the northern Nigeria political class. However, his attention appears more skewed to the ‘politics’ of the battle that he has forgotten himself and ways to win over the northern Talakawas-the poor who make up the majority of the northern populace and are the most important weapon for the battle. Jonathan could have taken advantage of the fact that the leadership of the north and the Talakawas are no more on the same page and thus, win the hearts of the people of the north. But Jonathan has so much relied on politics of the old order- winning the hearts of the Talakwas by proxy- traditional rulers, political elites, and religious leaders.

Jonathan has a herculean task to win the Talakawas of the north over; he has to take careful and intelligent development decisions to solve the enormous political problem he is facing in the region. Though some supporters of GEJ are of the view that he has taken some steps in that direction, but they are not enough. For example; the almajiri modern school programme is good, but the children in the north that go to the traditional almajiri schools do so because they don’t have a choice. The agricultural transformation programme is also a welcome development, however, more efforts are needed to reach real farmers as well as make them feel involved in the programme. 

President Jonathan still has more time to change northern Talakawas’ impression of his government. He has to design speedy but feasible policies that will completely eliminate the huge security challenges and break the poverty cycle in the north through economically empowering the poor. The manner with which President Jonathan showed personal interests in the Almajiri School Project should be extended to the security challenges, Lake Chad, Sokoto basin and Benue valley oil exploration project, as well as the Mambilla plateau hydro-electricity project. He should also launch special agricultural and poverty alleviation programmes - these are projects that would endear him to the northern Talakawas. This is because for nearly forty years of northern Nigeria political elite’s gripped on political power in Nigeria, they have failed to proffer feasible policies in those areas which could have positively impacted the livelihood of the ordinary people in the north..

As the politics of 2015 gains impetus, just like during the 2011 elections, gaining support from northern Nigeria is President Jonathan’s major dilemma. However, it could be achieved effortlessly if the right strategies are employed. After all, the case against the GEJ in the North is political as well as economical – thus it requires introducing sound economic policies that impact positively on the Talakawas, if it is to be cracked.

Zayyad I. Muhammad, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980

Northern Govs Kick Against Emergency Rule Extension

In an apparent endorsement of the position of elders from Borno and Yobe States, the Governor of Adawama State, Murtala Nyako and his Borno State counterpart, Kashim Shattima, have advised the Federal Government to review its strategy on security.

Elders from Borno and Yobe states under the aegis of Borno, Yobe People’s Forum, had at a press conference, in Abuja, urged the Federal Government, not to extend the state of emergency in the North-East due to expire on April 19.

In a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH on Thursday, the Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, said extending the state of emergency would be counterproductive.

Nyako, who spoke through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. Ahmad Sajoh, said what was required was a change of strategy, not an extension of the state of emergency.

According to him, available records show that there were more deaths of innocent citizens of the state under emergency rule when compared to when it was not in place.

He explained that those perpetrating the acts of violence against the people hide under guise of emergency rule to carry out attacks, which had led to the loss of many lives and destruction of property worth billions of naira.

Sajoh said, “Our position is that we do not support the renewal of the state of emergency in the North-East in general and in Adamawa State in particular.

“It is under the state of emergency that more people were killed in our state when compared to the period when there was no state of emergency.

“It is under the guise of the state of emergency that those who have unleashed violence on our people have carried out the most daring attacks. ”

On his part, the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, who also spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Isa Gusau, said he had no desire of joining issues with the Federal Government.

He said “We believe that the Federal Government will continue to do its best to ensure the end of the insurgency and we on our part are prepared to partner with it. A review of strategy will not be out of place.”

Attempts to reach the Director of Press to the Yobe State governor, Mr. Abdullahi Bego, were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.

Calls to his mobile telephone did not go through neither was a text message sent to him responded to.

However, a source in the state government said extending the state of emergency not only in Yobe State but across the North-East was not desirable.

The source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said, “While one cannot say the state of emergency has not achieved anything, it is advisable that government changes strategy.

“From what is on ground, it is obvious that the target of the insurgents is to destroy constitutional democracy.

“And when you have a state of emergency in place, elections, which are one of cardinal principles of democracy, are not likely to take place. And when this happens, it will serve as a psychological boost for them.”

The Northern Elders Forum has however said it would support an extension of the emergency rule, if it was the only way to end insurgency in the North-East.

Speaking to one of our correspondents on the telephone on Friday, the Deputy Chairman, NEF, Paul Unongo, said “I have not assessed the military operation, but I don’t know how it would have been without an emergency. I know that the Federal Government, during the emergency, has tackled Boko Haram head on and they have been reduced. I don’t know what could have happened without the emergency.”

Unongo, however, said the NEF would agree with people of the states, if they rejected an extension of the emergency. While he said it was the responsibility of the government to protect the lives and properties of its citizens, he warned against the call for end to the emergency.

The Secretary, Borno Elders Forum, Bulama Gubio, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, he said, “We hold no position. If gunmen kill all of us here, I don’t care. We are not Nigerians, you Nigerians should decide for us. You Nigerians should decide what you want for us. We are not Nigerians; Nigerians should decide for us.”

punchng.com

Poverty in Nigeria

The World Bank Group has rated Nigeria among the world’s extremely poor countries, promising to assist in ending what it called ‘extreme poverty’ in the nations.

Other countries that were also rated as extremely poor are India, China, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya.

At the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington last week, in advance of the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, World Bank President, Dr Jim Yong Kim, stated that the global bank would deal with the extreme poverty in Nigeria and its counterparts in the coming years.

Dr Kim stressed that the World Bank Group would focus on Nigeria and other nine countries, but emphasised that the plan would not make other countries in the world to be ignored.

He said: “The fact is that two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor are concentrated in just five countries: India, China, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you add another five countries, Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Kenya, the total grows to 80 per cent of the extreme poor.”

thisdaylive.com

APC's Possible Presidential Candidate

Buhari has massive and unchallengeable support in the north, but cannot gainer the required votes in other parts of the country. Atiku Abubakar has immense war-chest, but voters will see him as part of the problem-the old players. Nuhu Ribadu has manageable ‘stains’, but lacks the charisma and aura of a presidential material. Nasir El-Rufai is a good presidential material, but has a lot of ‘baggage’. Kwankwaso is doing very well as governor, but lacks appreciable national spread. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has all its takes to be President, but talks to much and dig unnecessary controversies- thus, he is unsaleable.

Zayyad I. Muhammad zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980

Agenda for Delegates to National Conference (II)

Rural development

Delegates should meticulously look at Nigeria’s rural development strategies. Nigeria’s rural development strategies have been mainly targeted at the country’s agricultural productivity. Though, majority of Nigeria’s rural dwellers are peasant farmers; rural development should go beyond agricultural productivity. It should also be directed at the development of human and natural resources; rural road, energy, education, culture, social order, and political awareness. This re-direction will make rural development in Nigeria conform with the global concept of rural development- “quantitative change or uplift in the standard of people in the rural areas, brought about through integrated approach, by both governmental and non-governmental agencies and the people themselves”. Delegates should develop a home-grown strategy in relation to the three global three rural development strategies. Though, many countries have tried the three rural development strategies; some countries have recorded some success while others, colossal failures.

Leadership Quality 

Delegate should attempt to solve the puzzles:

What could be responsible for poor governance style by our leaders?

Why does politicking always overtake policies? 

Why does an average politician see a political office as an opportunity for self enrichment?

Why public office is associated with pride, arrogance and larger than life attitude? 

How our society can learn to disapprove the arrogance, pride, self enrichment and larger than life attitude associated with public office?

How can the average Nigerian leader be helped to mend his /her character? 

Why our society does sometimes encourages national leaders to transform into to regional, ethnic or religious champion after serving at the centre?

Delegate should brainstorm the dicey issue of how to get leaders who can develop good policies for economic growth, influence international public opinion towards Nigeria and easily attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), including putting more energy into feasible economic objectives and provision of public good and infrastructure.

Local Governments Autonomy

The local government system in Nigeria is not working. The reason being that, some states government overwhelming control the third tier of government through the operation of the unpopular joint accounts, in addition to massive bribery, extortion, embezzlement, graft, nepotism and political patronage prevalent in the system.

There is a school of thought that suggests that more constitutional reforms are needed to strengthen the local government system. However, the fourth schedule of the 1999 Nigerian constitution coupled with some important judgements made by the Supreme Court on issues affecting the local government system are good enough to strengthen the system. Nevertheless delegates should discuss local government autonomy because 26% of national revenue goes to local government.

Fighting corruption

Corruption is one of the most widespread social evils in Nigeria; it is seen as a main threat in the public and private sphere. Corruption undermines fragile democratic systems by fuelling popular disillusionment with politics and politicians; it also undermines trust and confidence, which are necessary for upholding and development of sustainable economic and social order. Corruption is not only peculiar to Nigeria, it is a global phenomenon. However, anti-corruption war in Nigeria is like a gun-war being fought with bows and arrows, it is a war that can turn its fighters into victims and those being fought into heroes, it is a war that both sides manipulate to gain personal and political points, it is a ‘world' of controversies, politics, extensive debates and high public expectations.

On the street, opinion about anti-corruption war in Nigeria is mixed; most Nigerians believe that it is "impossible" to root out corruption especially in within the political class, and there is general public consensus that, Nigeria needs a dogged anti corruption war, but public trust on EFCC is regrettably fast diminishing. This entails that, what we have is not what ought to be! Delegates should fearlessly propose ways to genuinely fight corruption in Nigeria. 

The Nigeria Police

I’m of the view that the Nigerian police should be given a special attention by delegates at the conference, because, the Nigeria police has found itself in a social order completely alien to its primary role- policing. 

There is a linkage between inept political leadership; dysfunctional economy and policing. Whenever the police of a nation is plagued by poor conditions of service, deplorable work environment, lack of incentives and motivation, corruption, low level of public confidence and serious lack of expertise in some specialized fields, the best option for officers when they find themselves on a tight-rope is- hue, cry and run.

The Nigeria Police needs reform in three areas- leadership, methodology and, culture & attitude. Although the Nigeria Police had witnessed quite a number of changes in many of its segments from its inception since 1861 when it began with a thirty-member consular guard formed in the then Lagos Colony. Delegates can brainstorm reforms in the police.

concluded

Zayyad I. Muhammad,zaymohd@yahoo.com,08036070980

Agenda for Delegates to National Conference.

Politics will definitely dominate proceedings at the National Conference. But discussions on new development models that will focus on promoting economic growth, structural changes and improving the potential of Nigeria’s human capital should be the best thing. Delegate should discuss development models that would help Nigeria to simultaneously develop her agricultural sector, small scale industries and human capital. That is, putting in place a process through which the country’s economy are transformed over define period, by the reinvigoration of the agricultural sector, propelling small scale industrialization, systemically and systematically reduce cost of governance, as well as placing the country in a position so that her citizens can take advantage of the vast opportunities the world economy offers. 

Agriculture

Everyone in Nigeria believes that agriculture is very important for the country’s progress as well as being a vital tool for the liberation of Nigerians from the prison of poverty. Nigeria have a total area of 923,768 km² of which 910,768 km² is arable land, and 13,000 km² water; in addition to 140 million people. Delegates should discuss on how to redefine the implementation strategies of Nigeria’s agricultural programmes and policies, in such a way that youths are made the central focus. This is because for Nigeria to remain economically viable, it is imperative that the country’s agricultural sector is developed. The new agricultural approach should not deviate from government’s agricultural goals of alleviating poverty and hunger, promoting sustainable agricultural development, improved nutrition and food security, but the programme should also imbibe an all inclusive participatory techniques- where youth, communities, local councils, states, the federal government and the private sector (financial institute and private inventors) will be active and major participants. 

Education

Nigeria’s education sector is witnessing systems deterioration. It requires urgent, systematic and systemic attention. Though, Nigeria has for the several years formulated quite a number of education policies. The country has organized so many seminars and conferences, collected voluminous proposals and blueprints from both local and international experts, on how to salvage the education sector. Public schools been bewildered by perpetual labour disputes, government incessant revision of the education curriculum, constant amending of schools calendar, and the seeming joy in altering and introducing new policies in the education system. This is a big challenge to the delegates to discuss reforms that will cover primary, secondary and tertiary schools, at the same give emphasis to prioritization of need. 

Poverty 

Delegate should put in their minds that the average Nigerian is a poor man. Indeed, Nigeria is a country of riches and poverty- splendid wealth in few hands and extreme abject poverty at most people’s doorsteps. The problem of poverty is colossal and pervasive in the country and it has many causes. The number of people living in poverty has increased due to rising disparities in the distribution of resources in the country. However, the basic cause of poverty in Nigeria is the absence of an enabling environment that will free the people from the prison of poverty; uplift their living standard and provide ways to assist them turn their dreams into reality. The hallmark of poverty in Nigeria is the high level of unemployment. If Nigeria can tackle the high rate of unemployment in the country; then one of the most important ways to smoothen the path for prosperity in the land has been found.

Oil and Gas

Nigeria’s oil sectors (the refineries and pipelines) needs special attention by delegates –Nigeria has a good infrastructure for the transportation of refined petroleum products- a 5,120km pipelines network connecting 21 oil depots and 19 pump stations. Regrettably, the pipelines are not in maximum economic utilization. This is due to mainly three factors- incessant illegal tapping by oil thieves, sabotage and the method of managing the pipelines. Delegate should discuss ways to remodel the management system of the Nigeria’s refined petroleum pipelines. Which can be achieved in two ways- lease or concession the pipelines to private companies or create independent firms out of the PPMC solely for pipelines business. For example, Russia has what it calls "Pipeline Troops", who are trained to build and maintain pipelines.

Delegate should also know the four state-owned refineries in Nigeria are on their knees. Though refineries in Nigeria should be consistently out-performing the average utilization rates of refineries across the globe, their performance is characterized by very low utilization and incessant downtime. This owes to the fact that they are caught within the ‘crossfire’ of corruption, persistent attacks on pipelines by oil thieves as well as the slow progress in the full-liberalization of the refining sector of the petroleum industry. Delegates should brainstorm on: granting full autonomy to the refineries, but they still remain government-owned; lease the refineries to oil investors or outright privatization of the refineries with highly attractive incentives.

Thinking Beyond Oil

Delegates to the national conference should know that, Nigeria’s sole dependence on oil has promoted poverty of new ideas on governance and general life. So, they should design or invent new ways for Nigeria to get more revenue from other sources. The new ways has to be original and one which will well suit the peculiarity of the Nigerian state and its people. Though, it may contain some little elements of successful initiatives of other nations, including, synchronizing it with believable models that will create an enabling environment and uplift citizens’ living standard as well as provide ways to assist them turn their dreams into reality.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State.08036070980, zaymohd@yahoo.com

GEJ Supporters in Northern Nigeria

GEJ supporters in northern Nigeria are campaigning for him based on the principle that: 

If Jonathan is supported for a second term, it would be an opportunity for the country to restart the disrupted power rotation between the north and south. And, it would be in north’s favour- as power should, with no trouble, shift to the north after Jonathan’s second term.

Jonathan’s second term would be an opportunity for the north to have enough time to present to the country its best candidates.

After Jonathan’s second term, no other part of the country can accuse the north of being part of the obstacles that denied it the opportunity to taste power to its fullest.

Jonathan’s second term would be an important milestone in that long process of completing the ‘equation of power’. This is because every part of Nigeria would also see, and experience the pain and ‘joy’ of having one of ‘their own’ in power'

Jonathan’s second term ambition would also be an opportunity for the north to present him its development demands, which should include speedy and feasible policies that will break the poverty cycle in the north through economically empowering the poor, massive development initiatives targeted at assets like the Lake Chad, Sokoto Basin and Benue Valley Oil Exploration projects, and the Mambilla plateau hydro-electricity project.

Jonathan’s supporters outside the north always use a strong point against northern politicians. They claim the northern politicians have distracted Jonathan’s first term with politics. So, giving Jonathan support for a second term would be an opportunity to give him some breathing space to see his performance, and if he fails, it can be perfectly used against him and his supporters.

There is a historical alliance between the north and the south-south; a genuine support to Jonathan by the northern political elites would rekindle that historic political alliance and completely shut up those who rely on the present misunderstanding for selfish gains.

GEJ supporters always have this emotional point: Jonathan came to power just by destiny. The north should use today in the spirit of tomorrow, because nobody can tell what tomorrow would bring– a northerner may one day find himself in Jonathan’s situation.

This is my understanding of GEJ's Supporters points- Zayyad I. Muhammad

12 People Who Control Nigeria’s Economy

About 12 Nigerians currently control one-eighth (1/8) of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), a survey conducted by LEADERSHIP Weekend has revealed. In the same way, the 10 most capitalised companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) make up over one-fifth of the country’s economy with many of the major shareholders drawn from the ranks of the 10 richest Nigerians.

An analysis of the Forbes 50 Richest Africans’ List indicates that the 12 Nigerians listed therein currently have an estimated total net-worth of $33.68 billion (N5.38 trillion) which represents 12.8 per cent or about one-eighth of Nigeria’s GDP figure put at $262.6 billion (N42 trillion) as at December 2012.

The 10 most capitalised companies, on the other hand, together are valued N9.35trn ($58bn). Curiously, LEADERSHIP Weekend investigation shows that none of the top 10 capitalised companies is an oil company, since oil exploration and drilling companies are not quoted on the NSE. It is estimated that more than half of the country’s 12 wealthiest individuals made their money and are still making money from the oil industry.

However, with the envisaged rebasing of Nigeria’s GDP, it is expected that the country’s GDP figure will increase, thus resulting in a drop in the percentage of the nation’s economy controlled by these individuals and companies.

According to the Forbes African 50 Richest list released in November 2013, Aliko Dangote is Africa’s richest man with a net worth of $20.8 billion. This shows that Dangote alone controls about 8 per cent of the nation’s GDP while the remaining 11 people control only 4.8 per cent of the GDP.

But Dangote could see his share of the country’s wealth reduced to about 5 per cent after the base year for measuring the size of the economy is brought forward from the 1990s to better reflect companies that have sprung up in the last two decades. Economists expect the National Bureau of Statistics to put the GDP at around $400bn when NBS finally comes out with a figure.

One of Dangote’s companies, Dangote Cement, also comes tops as the most capitalised company with a market value of N3.92 trillion ($24.5bn), giving it close to 10 per cent of the GDP or about 6.25 per cent after rebasing.

As a subsidiary of the Dangote Group, the cement company got listed on the NSE in October 2010. The company announced a gross revenue of N103.03 billion with a profit of N54 billion as at September 30, 2013.

Telecom, banking and oil investor Mike Adenuga ranks fifth on the Forbes Africa Rich List and second in Nigeria with a net worth of $4.6 billion. This gives him 1 per cent

None of his companies, however, is on the top 10 of the most capitalised on the stock exchange with Globacom, his telecommunication company, the only major one that is completely privately owned and not listed on the exchange. The 61-year-old who hails from Ijebu, Ogun State, built his fortune in oil production and telecoms.

His mobile telecom outfit, Globacom, has over 25 million subscribers in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. He also owns Conoil Producing, a large indigenous oil exploration company.

Having beaten Oprah Winfrey to be the richest black woman, Folorunsho Alakija, became Nigeria’s first female billionaire and the 13th richest African, thanks to a lucrative oil-producing asset with a total net worth of $2.5 billion. This oil giant contributes roughly 0.95 per cent to the GDP which could come to roughly 0.625 per cent when the NBS announces its new GDP figures.

After working as a secretary in a Nigerian merchant bank in the 1970s, Alakija quit her job to study fashion designing in England. She subsequently founded Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label that caters to upscale clientele, including Maryam Babangida, the late wife to Nigeria’s former military president, Ibrahim Babangida. The president awarded her company, Famfa Oil, an oil prospecting licence, OML 127, one of Nigeria’s most prolific oil blocks.

Abdulsamad Rabiu joins the ranks of Africa’s richest and the world’s billionaires for the first time based on success at his BUA Group, whose biggest businesses are sugar refining and cement. BUA Group’s annual revenues are estimated at $2 billion. The group also does business in real estate, steel, port concessions, manufacturing, oil and gas and shipping.

After calculating Rabiu’s worth, Forbes magazine said his “stake in his commodities and cement empire, plus his real estate holdings in South Africa and London, are worth $1.2 billion, up from $670 million a year ago, primarily due to better information on Rabiu’s holdings and the revenue of his companies.” While not all his investments are traced to Nigeria, with $1.2bn to his name, Rabiu gets to have a say in how the country’s economy is managed, at least a 0.45 per cent and maybe 0.3 per cent after rebasing.

Delta State-born Nigerian banker Jim Ovia ranks the 28th richest African and fifth richest Nigerian. He founded the Zenith Bank Group, one of Nigeria’s largest financial services groups, with a market capitalisation of more than $4.5 billion (N728.4bn).

With a net worth of $900 million, Ovia is Zenith bank’s largest individual shareholder, with a 9 per cent stake. This gives Ovia a 0.34 per cent share of the current GDP and about 0.225 per cent of the expected figure. The bank on the other hand has a 1.72 per cent share of $262bn official GDP figure and could come down to 1.125 per cent after rebasing.

Ovia owns dozens of prime properties in pricey Nigerian neighbourhoods like Victoria Island and Ikoyi. Ovia also runs Visafone, a mobile telecoms outfit, and is partnering with Marriott to build a new five-star hotel in Lagos.

Retired Nigerian general and former defence minister Theophilus Danjuma ranks the sixth richest in Nigeria and 29th in Africa with a net worth of $700 million. His share of GDP stands at 0.267 per cent and could later become 0.175 per cent. He chairs South Atlantic Petroleum (Sapetro), a Nigeria-based upstream oil and gas exploration and production company which was awarded an oil block (OML 130) by the Sani Abacha regime in the 1990s, and in 2006 Danjuma sold a 45 per cent stake to Chinese oil company CNOOC for $1.75 billion, retaining a 5 per cent stake. In 2011, Danjuma said he had $500 million left from selling the block to CNOOC. He donated it to the TY Danjuma Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that is catering to educational, health and microcredits causes for the downtrodden. Danjuma also owns real estate in Lagos, including SAPETRO Towers.

Oba Otuddeko, industrialist and former president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, who chairs Nigeria’s Honeywell Group, with interests in oil and gas, flour milling, real estate and marine transportation, is next after Danjuma on the Nigerian list but ranks 33rd richest in Africa with a net worth of $575 million. Honeywell Flour is publicly traded. He also owns a minority stake in mobile phone giant Bharti Airtel’s Nigerian operations, and a stake in Radisson Blu, a sprawling oceanfront hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

Hakeem Belo-Osagie and Mohammed Indimi both share the 34th position with a Tanzanian with a net worth of $550 million.

Belo-Osagie is the chairman and a significant shareholder of the Nigerian operations of United Arab Emirates-based telecom provider Etisalat, Nigeria’s fastest growing mobile telecom network, with a subscriber base of 17 million, up from six million three years ago. Etisalat’s growth is the catalyst for Belo-Osagie’s increased fortune, up by $150 million from a year ago. He now controls 0.21 per cent of the economy.

Mohammed Indimi, chairman of Oriental Energy Resources, a private Nigerian oil exploration and production company, has a net worth of $550 million. His contribution to GDP could be as much 0.13 per cent after NBS announces its estimates of the country’s GDP. Oriental, which Indimi founded in 1990, has three projects in the offshore Nigerian oil and gas industry, including the Ebok Field, which produces 35,000 barrels a day. It shares ownership of the projects with U.K.-listed oil exploration company Afren Plc. The Ebok Field was awarded to Oriental Energy Resources in 2007 by a joint venture between Exxon-Mobil and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

The 10th richest Nigerian who ranks 38 on the African list with a net worth of $500 million is Sani Bello, who is the founder of Amni International Petroleum Development Company, an oil exploration company with a 50 per cent interest in the Okoro Setu oil field, located in shallow waters offshore Nigeria. With half a billion dollars to his name, he contributes 0.19 per cent of GDP which could later be revised to 0.125 per cent.

Amni shares ownership of the Okoro Setu field with London-listed exploration firm Afren; production averages 18,200 barrels a day. Bello is also a minority stakeholder in mobile telecom firm MTN Nigeria. He is a former Nigerian military governor from Kano State and a one-time ambassador to Zimbabwe. His Sani Bello Foundation provides small loans and grants to young Nigerian entrepreneurs.

The other two are Femi Otedola and Tunde Folawiyo with net worth of $410 million and $400 million respectively.

Top 10 most capitalised quoted companies as at January 10, 2014, on the Nigerian Stock Exchange are:

COMPANIES CAPITALISATION

Dangote Cement N3.92 trillion

Nigeria Breweries N1.23. trillion

Nestle N919.49 billion

Guaranty Trust Bank N832.90 billion

Zenith Bank N728.4 billion

FBN Holding N504.17 billion

Guinness Nigeria N356.9 billion

Lafarge Wapco N345.18 billion

United Bank for Africa N296.83 billion

Access Bank N219.73 billion

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