Saturday 5 October 2013

Rivers Govt. mourns former Speaker

Port Harcourt –  The Rivers Government has expressed shock over the death of Mr Tonye Harry, former Speaker of the State House of Assembly on Friday.
Harry, who was Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, died in air ambulance en route France for treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, said in a statement in Port Harcourt on Friday that Harry was patriotic and committed to the rule of law.
“The Government and people of Rivers State received with shock in the early hours of Friday, Oct.4, news of the sudden demise of Tonye Ezekiel Harry.
“Harry was until his demise, a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“He was Deputy Speaker of the 4th and 5th Assembly and Speaker of the 6th Assembly.
“His patriotic commitment to the rule of law and contributions to the growth and development of Rivers State through the legislature will be missed.
“Government condoles with the immediate family of the former speaker, the people of Degema and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We pray that God Almighty will give the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.’’

Mourinho says Eto’o yet to adjust fully to life of Premier League

COBHAM (AFP) – Samuel Eto’o has yet to adjust fully to life in the Premier League with Chelsea, Blues boss Jose Mourinho said Friday.
Eto’o is still looking for his first goal for the London club following his August move from Anzhi Makhachkala.
The Cameroon striker, 32, is expected to lead Chelsea’s attack at Norwich this weekend in place of Fernando Torres, set to be sidelined for three weeks with a knee ligament injury.
If Eto’o is involved from the kick-off at Carrow Road on Sunday, it will be his third league start and his fifth appearance for Chelsea in all competitions
Mourinho, speaking to reporters at London club Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Friday, said the forward had lost sharpness as a result of playing in Russia.
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto’o
“The player I know, the professional I know…what happened in Russia in last two-and-a-half years I didn’t know,” added the Portuguese who had Eto’o in his Inter Milan side that won the 2010 Champions League.
“Normally when top player is one of the top players in Europe and then goes to Anzhi the pressure goes down, the motivation and physical condition and sharpness goes down.
“Now he’s back in top European football and needs a bit of time to find that sharpness. He’s playing a lot. He played 80 minutes this week and he is getting his form and an understanding of where he is.
“But the Premier League is a different picture. So give him a little bit of time.”
Mourinho said Eto’o had to adapt his game in order to keep playing at the highest level.
“Players transform themselves with years. They get stronger in some aspects of their game, but lose other strengths,” the manager explained.
“At Inter he played wide and came inside, very fast and I don’t think can play the same way.
“He must be a more static player, a pure number nine. Players have to adapt to their age, potential and condition.”
No loan for De Bruyne
Mourinho, meanwhile, insisted Kevin de Bruyne will not be going out on loan despite losing his place in the matchday squad for the Champions League victory over Steaua Bucharest in midweek.
The Belgium international has been linked with a January return to Werder Bremen where he spent two successful spells on loan but Mourinho is adamant the midfielder will remain at Stamford Bridge.
De Bruyne’s absence from the Chelsea line-up has not prevented him being called up by Belgium for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.
And Mourinho said: “He is an important player for them. Normally national teams don’t have as many options as big clubs have.
“If you go from team to national team it looks like Brazil and Germany have dozens and dozens and dozens of good players. And all the other countries are struggling for quality players and their options are limited.
“Kevin is important for Belgium and we hope he’s selected because he could play two games. That would be more difficult with us at the moment.
“He plays in an area of the pitch where we have a lot of talent and that needs to develop and find stability and confidence. At the same time, he needs to understand that at this level competition is hard.
“The other day Andre Schuerrle played very well, Eden Hazard was not playing but will probably be coming back. Juan Mata was in a different situation but came back and played three good games.
“The kid Kevin has to come in my direction. I will come in his direction too. He’s a good player and his time will come. He’s not going anywhere on loan.”

We are still investigating whether Shekau is dead or alive – Army

Abuja – The Nigerian Army on Friday says it is still investigating the video clip posted by the suspected leader of Boko Haram sect, Abubkar Shekau, to determine whether he is alive or dead.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, made the disclosure at a news conference in Abuja on the security situation in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where the Federal Government had declared a state of emergency.
Attahiru said “the issue of whether Shekau is alive or dead, I want to reconfirm here that we needed to verify the video released by him.
“This verification has to be done by various sources, as there are technical sources that will look at the video to ascertain its authenticity or otherwise.
“So, we are still investigating the claim and as soon as we get the information, we will let the public know.’’
The Spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno, Lt.-Col. Saghir Musa, had in a statement in August said Shekau may have died after he sustained serious gunshot wounds in an encounter with the troops on June 30.
Musa said “intelligence report available to the JTF revealed that Abubakar Shekau, the most dreaded and wanted Boko Haram terrorist leader may have died.’’
However, in a recent video, Shekau claimed to be alive.
Meanwhile, the director of army public relations said military operations in the North East had continued to disrupt the terrorists’ activities and had denied them the freedom to act.
He said “several insurgent’s camps have been effectively neutralised.’’
Attahiru urged the people of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to cooperate with the military by promptly reporting the presence of any suspected insurgents in their localities. 

Airtel ranked amongst Africa’s ten most admired brands

Nairobi –  Bharti Airtel, a leading telecommunications service provider with operations in 20 countries across South Asia and Africa, has consolidated its position as one of Africa’s top ten most admired global brands.
A new survey conducted by the African Business magazine indicates that despite only a 3 year presence in Africa, Airtel surpassed Japanese car manufacturer Honda and earned ninth position on the list of the top ten most admired global brands on the continent.
Except for Samsung which grew its brand value year-on-year by 121 per cent, Airtel’s 30 percent brand value increase was better than any of the others in the top ten, including that of leader Coca Cola, which grew just 27 percent. Its 30 per cent brand value growth indicates that the telecommunications company is connecting with communities on the African continent.
Commenting on the achievement, Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer at Airtel Africa, said: “When we launched the Airtel brand in 2010, our overall vision was to be the most loved brand in Africa by 2015. This recognition from the African Business Awards is proof that we are on the right track. ”
He added: “During the past three years, we have invested resources to provide customers with value added services and have reached out to the communities that we serve. We expect even better results over the coming years.”
Airtel Africa now has the largest 3G country footprint in sub Saharan Africa. The telecommunications company, which has launched 3G services in 14 African countries, recently hit the 15 million data user landmark in Africa.
In addition, Airtel Money is positioned to become Africa’s most preferred financial services provider. With a coverage across Airtel Africa’s operations in 17 African countries, the mobile money platform is poised to serve more Africans than any other financial institution in Africa by 2015. Leveraging a network of over 100,000 agent locations, Airtel Money facilitates access to financial services for the unbanked population.
The success of Airtel Africa across all of its 17 African markets can also be linked to its social responsibility strategy which aims at creating a positive impact on local communities. The telecommunications company has leveraged music and football to create an emotional connection with communities all over Africa. Initiatives like the Airtel Rising Stars football tournament, Africa’s largest youth football tournament for girls and boys in collaboration with Manchester United and Arsenal; and Nigeria’s Got Talent reality show, which both aim at identifying and nurturing local talent, have helped enhance the brand’s popularity on the continent.
“Customers may choose our products and services because they are useful and affordable, but they also connect with Airtel as a brand because it connects with their passions”, concludes Mr. Beyers.

Beckham backs England to reach Brazil

LONDON (AFP) – David Beckham said Friday that England would make it through to next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil as they prepared for their final two key qualifying matches.
England face Montenegro and Poland at Wembley later this month, with victory in both matches enough to ensure qualification for the 2014 World Cup.
But Roy Hodgson’s men have drawn three of their last five matches.
David Beckham
David Beckham
However, former England captain Beckham, asked if the current side were winners, replied Friday: “I do.
“There’s a transitional period that was always going to happen. You see it throughout sport, you see it throughout teams and countries and obviously Roy Hodgson has come in and done a good job.
“There’s a lot of young players in the team and we’ve still got those players that they can look up to like Frank Lampard, like Stevie G (Steven Gerrard),” the former midfielder added.
“There’s players in there that have been in there for many, many years who have experienced World Cups and big games.
“So they have got those players that have got the experience in there, but young players will only learn when they’re playing and that’s what Roy has done.
“He’s brought in a couple of young players that are the future of English football.”
Beckham, who retired from competitive football following a short stint with Paris St Germain last season, said: “I think people like to see winners and see teams and the country you support and live in be the best.
“That’s why we are a country of believers and there are high expectations in our country.
“Whenever we go into a competition, whether it be football, whether it be any other sport, there’s always high expectations and that’s rightly so, because we’re a country that’s passionate about our sport and we’re believers and that should never change.”
The 38-year-old Beckham, speaking at a Sainsbury’s Active Kids event in his native east London, said the past 18 months hailed the impact the city’s staging of the 2012 Olympic Games upon British sport.
“The actual lead-up to the Games, there was so much anticipation, so much excitement and then once the Games began, the fact that we were so successful through those Games, it just added to the excitement and the pride that we all had to actually see our athletes perform as they did.
“That’s when we go back to the children. Children watching the Games, children going to the Games, being able to see these athletes perform and win gold medals and win the medals that we won — it doesn’t get better than that.
“It was a proud year for us as British people. It doesn’t get any better than the year that we had.”

20 injured as rival youths clash in Edo

Edo –  No fewer than 20 persons were on Friday wounded in a clash between rival youths at Ikpeshi community in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo.
The clash cropped up following a disagreement over who should collect levies from vehicle loaders in the community on behalf of the local government council.
Several residents fled from the community because of the clash, while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed during the conflict.
An eyewitness, Mr Abbe Oboh, said that the crisis started when one faction wanted to take over the collection of levies from the other group.
“The other faction refused and this led to a shootout among the youths,’’ he said.
Oboh said that the deployment of personnel from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) the state police command, however, aided efforts to bring the situation under control.
Mr Joseph Akerejola, the Chairman of Akoko Edo Local Government Council, said that normalcy had been restored to the area.
“The police are on top of the situation and everything is under control.
“The perpetrators of the crisis would, however, be brought to book,’’ he vowed.

Polytechnic Lecturers Commence Strike Today

The National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Chibuzor Asomugha, on Thursday directed the union members nationwide to commence an indefinite strike on Friday, October 4.

Mr Asomugha said that the directive became imperative following the federal government’s failure to meet the union’s demands.

He explained that two months after the union had suspended its previous strike, nothing had been done by the government to address the union’s demands.

The decision to embark on the strike on October 4 was reached at the 75th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Bida, Niger State on September 28.

The union embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike on April 29, over the federal government’s failure to address its grievances; and suspended it on July 17 as a result of the intervention of the Joint Committees on Education of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Mr Asomugha said that it was over two months that the union suspended its strike, but “nothing has been done since we suspended our strike in July”.

He said that the federal government had not fulfilled its bargain in the 2009 agreement with the union.

The union’s demands include the possibility of lower cadres rising to CONTISS 15, and the release of a White Paper on the Visitation Panel to the Federal Polytechnics.

Others are the discrimination between polytechnics and university graduates in job placements and career progression, and the constitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics.

Lagos Plane Crash: List Of Passengers & Survivors



5 people out of the 27 people on board survived. See the list of passengers and those who survived below according to thenationonlineng.net. Sad!

Passengers

Feyi Agagu

Femi Akinsanya


Akintunde Joseph

Akeem Akintunde

Tunji Okusanya

Chijioke Duru

Kingsley Amaechi

Deji Afolabi

Mrs. E.O. Alabi

Daji Bernard

Deji Falae

Samson Hassan

Olatunji Okusanya



Crew members
Capt. Yakubu

Flight officer Oyinlola

Engr. Saroh Elaiye

Flight dispatcher Ibrahim

Mr. Felix Tatoye

Cabin attendant Owolabi

Cabin attendant Samson.

The survivors are;

1. Agagu Feyi - Survivor
2. Akintunde Taiwo - Survivor
3. Akintunde Akeem - Survivor
4. Akinsanya Femi - Survivor
5. Unknown male - Survivor

Thursday 3 October 2013

A time to think by Femi Fani-Kayode

Other than the usual congratulations, platitudes, expressions of joy and offerings of thanks to God I believe that as we celebrate our nation’s 53rd independence anniversary it is time for us to bare our minds in a candid and frank manner and to really sit down and think.
During her election campaign just a couple of weeks ago, Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany and the world’s most powerful woman, said ‘’multiculturalism is dead in German.’’
In 2011, David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, echoed the same sentiment when he asserted, in his first major speech as Prime Minister, that ‘’multiculturalism has failed in the United Kingdom’’.
NIGERIA-AT-53
Can we learn anything from these assertions as Nigerians about the shortcomings and dangers of a multicultural state? What are the implications of these observations for Nigeria’s massive multi-cultural and multi-ethnic super-state?
Are we really a nation or are we nothing more than a melting pot of squabbling and bickering ethnic and cultural incompatibles? Was Chief Obafemi Awolowo right when he described Nigeria as ‘’not being a nation’’ but a mere “geographical expression’’?
These questions surely need to be answered.
On September 11, 2013 1.6 million people of the Catallan region in Spain staged a dramatic protest and expressed their desire for secession by forming a 400 km long human chain which stretched from one end of the region to the other.
naija-53
According to the polls 52 per cent of the people from that region wish to break off from Spain and establish a new European sovereign state. Similar agitations have emanated from other parts of Spain over the years some of which have degenerated into a bitter and protracted armed struggle such as that of the Basque people in the north who share their boarders with France.
Again the palpable tensions that exist between the French-speaking Walloon people of northern Belgium and the Flemish of the south are legendry and the call for a break-up of that nation into two separate entities is as old as the hills. Such aspirations and agitations for ethnic emancipation from unitary and quasi-unitary states is by no means limited to the European mainland.
For example the beautiful ‘’emerald island’’ of Ireland successfully broke off from Britain in 1921 after much agitation, conflict and bloodshed. Northern Ireland, which remains part of Britain till today, still experiences varying degrees of tensions between the protestant and the ‘’Finian’’ catholic communities, one of which wishes to remain in the UK whilst the other wishes to be part of mainland Ireland.
Over the last twenty years Britain itself has finally acknowledged the fact that the cry for regional autonomy, secession and ethnic nationalism cannot be resisted forever and she has gradually devolved power from Westminster in London to the various regions of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each of whom now have their own parliaments.
As a matter of fact later this year the people of Scotland are having their own referendum to determine whether or not they wish to stay in the United Kingdom.
From the polls, it is very clear that the majority of Scots wish to have their own new sovereign state and that the Scottish Nationalist Party, which has championed the secessionist cause, enjoys massive support.
FEMI FANI KAYODE
FEMI FANI KAYODE
Nobody in Spain, Belgium, Ireland or the United Kingdom has insulted those people or labeled them as ‘’ethnic jingoists’’ or ‘’primitive tribalists’’ for wanting to break off from the greater whole and establish their own country.
This is because everyone respects the right of the various ethnic groups and nationalities within their wider nation to exercise their right of self-determination which is an integral and fundamental aspect of international law.
Exercising that right does not turn them into villains and does not make them any less patriotic than their compatriots who do not share their views. It just means that they have a different perspective and that they believe, as many believed before Malaysia and Singapore broke up and before Indonesia and East Timor broke up, that the interests of their various peoples are better served when and if they go their separate ways.
They opted to be friendly neighbours rather than to be compelled to remain within the same territory against their collective will.
As we in Nigeria approach the 100 year anniversary of our 1914 amalgamation and, as the 2015 elections are fast approaching with both the northern region and the south-south zone desperate to take or to hold on to power at any cost respectively, we need to begin to ask ourselves some basic and fundamental questions about our future.
For example is our interest better served by remaining as one nation or is it time for those nationalities that wish to leave the federation in a peaceful and orderly way, as a result of a legitimate and honest referendum, be allowed to go?
If the breaking up of larger countries into smaller and more viable ones is good enough for India (which broke into three), the Sudan (which broke into two), Czechoslovakia (which broke into two), Yugoslavia (which broke into five), the Soviet Union (which broke into fifteen), United Arab Republic (which broke into two) and numerous other countries over the years why is it not good enough for us?
Again why should those that believe that Nigeria ought to break up be subjected to so much suspicion, ridicule, contempt and insults from those that do not share their views? Some of the questions that need to be answered are as follows- firstly is our union working? Secondly is our marriage a good one and if it is it a happy one as well? Are we satisfied with what has essentially become a country that has been turned into nothing more than (with apologies to Chief Bode George) ‘’Turn-by-Turn Nigeria?’’ where each ethnic group simply looks forward to enjoying its time to control the federation and all the nations resources from an all powerful centre? Are we not meant to be far more than this? Is this what the founding fathers of our nation envisaged?
More than anything else the recent Igbo/Yoruba debate over the issue of who owns Lagos state and the deportation of a handful of Igbo destitute back to the east has proved to me that we as a people are very different from one another and that our interests may be better served if we are no longer bound together as one.
I dare to voice this opinion even though many Yorubas share it but will not say so publicly. Is it not time for us to begin to
accept the bitter truth that our marriage is uncomfortable and unhappy and that it may not have been made in heaven or ordained by God? Is it not clear that each region or each nationality ought to be able to develop at their own pace? Is it not time for us to have a confederation of nationalities in Nigeria and to restructure the country drastically to give maximum autonomy to the various regions and nationalities or indeed is it not time to just break up and go our separate ways?
Many may disagree but one thing that I believe that we can at least agree on is that perhaps it is time for us to be courageous enough to begin to talk about these issues openly and debate them.
We must not sweep our differences under the carpet and ignore them as if they do not exist but instead we must find the courage and muster the resolve to acknowledge them and understand them.
As far as I am concerned this is the challenge of our time and these are the questions that need to be answered. Whatever happens in 2015 and whoever wins, whether it be a northerner or Goodluck Jonathan of the south-south, I see blood on the horizon and I see disaster approaching.
Stark promises from notable players such as ‘’there will be bloodshed if Goodluck is not re-elected’’ do not help and are not encouraging. There are equally strident and bellicose murmurings from the other side as well and some have threatened that if there is a repeat performance of the massive rigging that the north witnessed in the Presidential election of 2011 anywhere in the country in 2015, ‘’Nigeria will burn’’ whilst another key player said that ‘’both the dog and the baboon shall be soaked in blood’’.
These words must be taken very seriously indeed and they reflect the thinking and mindset of millions of people from both sides of the political and regional divide. Worst still, whether we like to admit it or not, religion has now become a major factor in our politics with Christians being told in their churches that it is their solemn duty to support a Christian presidential candidate and Muslims being told in their mosques that it is theirs to support a Muslim. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder and in my view 2015
really will be the year of make or break for Nigeria. Sadly, in my humble opinion, it is far closer to ‘’break’’ than it is to ‘’make’’. If we wish to avoid the road to Kigali we must change our mindset and make the necessary concessions that we need to make. We must begin to think outside of the box and be far more innovative and adventurous.
For example why is it a must in the minds of some that the PDP must field a southern Christian as its presidential candidate and why are some in the APC of the view that the party must field a northern Muslim as its own?
These hard and fast fixed positions are most unhelpful and the right thing and proper thing to do is to completely discard them and attempt to find a presidential candidate that is a Nigerian before being a northerner, a southerner, a Christian or a Muslim. And thankfully there are quite a few of such people around in the new generation if only the system will be far-sighted and enlightened enough to allow them to emerge and run.
Failing that we must open up the space now and consider the unpleasant assertion that the premium that a united Nigeria attracts may not be worth paying simply because we are getting nothing but failure after failure and sorrow after sorrow as our consistent return.
I do not have all the answers and neither do I claim that I do.
Indeed I may well be wrong which is why I would be interested in hearing the views of others. Whichever way it goes and regardless of what we all think let us not allow this debate to be driven by the uninformed or ignorance, pettiness, hate and acrimony.
Let us not insult one another or act as if any tribe or nationality is a collection of angels whilst others are nothing but demons. Let us join issues and exchange ideas in a civil, restrained and decent manner without hurling insults at one another or allowing our emotions to becloud our thinking.
At the end of the day we all want the same thing- namely, to put in place a system that is in the best interest of the Nigerian people and to empower a new leadership that will allow them to achieve their full potentials. That is the objective and that alone.
Permit me to end this contribution with two points that are worthy of note. Firstly Chief Bola Ige once said that ‘’the oil of the Niger Delta area acts as a glue that keeps Nigeria together’’. This is true.
Yet the question that often comes to my mind is as follows- If the oil and gas had been situated in the core north, the west or the east would the major ethnic groups that hold sway in those areas have willingly shared it with the rest of Nigeria? Would they have remained in the federation?
Secondly at the 1954 Constitutional Conference that was held in Lagos, the Action Group, under the distinguished leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, demanded that the “right to secession” be included in the proposed new constitution.
This was rejected by the Colonial Secretary, Oliver Lyttleton. Prior to this, in 1953, after the Kano riots, the Northern Nigeria legislature passed an eight-point programme which in effect demanded the dissolution of the Federation. Again this was rejected by the British. By way of contrast the ‘’right to secession’’ clause was incorporated into the Ethiopian constitution in the 1990’s though it has never been invoked.
Perhaps if we had been permitted to adopt that provision in 1954 we would have avoided a whole load of problems including a very brutal civil war between 1967 and 1970 and today’s challenge of Boko Haram. Perhaps it is not too late to adopt it now. Perhaps that is what may save us from the impending carnage of 2015.

Deliverance video: Jim Iyke replies critics

The latest to react to this story is the man at the centre of it all. Jim Iyke has decided not to take the jab by critics concerning his ‘deliverance’ at the Synagogue Church of all Nations lying quiet anymore.
An avalanche of humiliating comments and posts had rained down on the actor moments after the news of his deliverance session broke and the video went viral. Yesterday, we reported comments from Nollywood critic Charles Novia and ex AGN President Segun Arinze with the latter calling it ‘embarrassing’
Those who know Jim Iyke say his tweets in response to this situation is quite unlike the actor who previously would have punched hard in response, a lot are beginning to believe he may have been truly ‘delivered’.
Jim-Iyke

Made-in – Nigeria phone debuts

ABUJA – Plans have reached very advanced stage to launch two new Made-in-Nigeria mobile phone brands into the nation’s booming telephony market later this year, the Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association, PAPDAN has disclosed.
President of PAPDAN, Mr Godfrey Iyke Nwosu, who disclosed the plan, said that the Made in Nigeria phone brands is the outcome of a joint venture among 20 Nigerian investors, who have pooled resources to introduce devices that will cater to local market needs.
The two new phone brands will be called iQ and MaxTel.
Nwosu said that PAPDAN had identified a growing appetite for cutting-edge technologies among Nigerian telecoms consumers, noting that the two Nigerian brands will cater to three market segments.

FG to complete payment of electricity workers’ entitlements by December

Lagos – Mr Beks Dagogo-Jack, the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power, on Wednesday said the Federal Government would complete the payment of all outstanding entitlements of PHCN workers by December.
Dagogo-Jack, speaking at a Power Investors’ Summit organised by the EnergyNet Ltd. in partnership with Nextier Capital in Lagos, said that all other labour issues would be addressed.
“We have an agreement with the PHCN workers unions and we have almost completed the payment, but they will all be settled before Jan.1, 2014 deadline,” he said.
The taskforce chairman said that the Federal Government only presented certificates to the investors on Monday.
According to him, the physical and structural aspect will be handed over before the end of 2013.
Dagogo-Jack said the desire of the stakeholders was that between now and December there should be a transition period in the management of the industry.
He said that the transition period would enable investors to make necessary adjustments.
The chairman said that it would also provide avenue for them to test run the market so that they would know where they were heading to.
“In the transition setting, it gives you an opportunity to test where you are heading to so that when you get there you cannot go wrong,” he said.
The task force chairman said that most of the contracts in the power sector would be completed between now and December
“All the contracts will be put in place and other things will be tidied up within this period,” Dagogo-Jack said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday handed over certificates and licence to buyers of successor companies of the PHCN.
NAN reports that the gesture signalled government’s disengagement from the management of the plants, but will continue to oversee the transmission network in the interim.
Some disengaged workers of PHCN, had on Monday, staged protests over non-payment of their terminal benefits before handing over to the new investors.

Doctors strike shuts federal hospitals

LAGOS—THE National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Wednesday, made good its threat to begin a nationwide strike throwing Federal public hospitals in the country into confusion leaving patients in the hands of   nurses and midwives.
This came as indication emerged that members of NARD in the State Hospitals might be forced to join the strike.
In Lagos, though there were skeletal services in some of the hospitals, the doctors were not at their duty posts.
Only few consultants were attending to large crowd of patients.
From the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, and Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, the situations were the same.
President LUTH-ARD, Dr Emeka Ugwu, told Vanguard in Lagos that members joined the strike yesterday.
President, Association of Resident Doctors, LASUTH chapter, Dr Oluwajimi Shodipo, hinted that there was an ongoing deliberation to decide whether the state hospitals should join the strike or not.
Shodipo confirmed that some doctors were still working at the hospital.
A consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, said the resident doctors at the hospital joined the strike at 12midnight.
In Calabar, Nurses and midwives were seen discharging some functions of medical doctors.
At the General Hospital Calabar, large crowd of patients were seen waiting to be attended to by the two medical directors and their assistants.
At the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Dr Thomas Agan, the Chief Medical Director, confirmed that  doctors in the hospital had joined their counterparts in the  nationwide strike.
He said he pleaded to the doctors in vail to shelve the strike, saying “We know that the doctors are on strike nationwide but we have continued to make appeals to our doctors to return to work to no avail. Presently, we are relying on our consultants to do some of the works.”
A patient, Mrs Matilda Eteng who was admitted with her son into the paediatric section of the hospital, lamented that  her son had not been attended to since Monday when he was admitted.
Some medical staff who did not want to disclose their names lamented the haphazard payment of salaries since the introduction of the e-payment mid last year.
“You can imagine as a nurse on grade level nine, what I was paid last month was just 6,000 naira and when I complained I was told the error is from Abuja and some of my colleagues and even doctors have not been paid for several months.”
”Many doctors have not been collecting salary for some months now because of the e-payment of salaries and these people have families to cater for,” our source said.
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