Business

Afenifere, PANDEF, Ohanaeze Reject New Water Resources Bill

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2022

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere; the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have kicked against the recent reintroduction of the widely-rejected Water Resources Bill in the House of Representatives.
The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu and a clique of lawmakers at the National Assembly have been desperately pushing for the passage of the bill which was rejected by the eighth National Assembly following public outcry.
Their relentless campaign to ensure the passage of the bill has fuelled speculations that they have ulterior motives.

One of the offensive provisions in the bill is that while there is popular agitation for resource control and devolution of powers to the states and local governments, the bill seeks to compel Nigerians to pay tax to the federal government like oil and gas operators before they drill boreholes in the backyards.
The bill also seeks to cede ownership of waterways, Benue Valley and river banks to the federal government apparently for the resettlement of foreign herdsmen.
After the bill was rejected by the eighth National Assembly, it was recently reintroduced in the ninth House of Representatives.

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom had described its “reintroduction as “evil” and part of the agenda of the federal government to seize land from the 36 states of the federation.
“I want to urge Benue indigenes to rise and reject the bill because it is targeted at our ancestral heritage. In their attempt to take over our inheritance they came with Ruga and a cattle colony among others. But the people behind this plot can rest assured that Benue will resist any attempt to take over our land and water resources through any guise.”

According to him, the bill is an evil bill by the federal government to take over the river banks and allow herdsmen from other parts of Africa to take over the Benue Valley.
Also reacting, the PANDEF, through its spokesman, Hon. Ken Robinson, told THISDAY at the weekend that it would continue to reject the bill, which it described as an obnoxious, draconian, imperialistic and unnecessary evil.
“The people of the Niger Delta region, particularly of the South-south geopolitical zone had rejected the Water Resources Bill from the beginning, and our position has not changed; it remains rejected.
“That bill is not only obnoxious but draconic and imperialistic. It is an unnecessary evil. That was why it attracted wild condemnation when it was first introduced. The eighth National Assembly heeded the voice of the people, by throwing it out. It was likewise stepped down when it was reintroduced in this ninth National Assembly in 2020, following similar denunciation by citizens.

“It is, therefore, troubling that the Bill has again been introduced in the House of Representatives, more so, with less than a year to the end of the session of this National Assembly. The questions we would want the sponsors of the Bill to answer are; why the insistence on this Bill? Whose interest are they trying to satisfy?” PANDEF queried.
It said it was most absurd and callous that in the face of increased clamour for the devolution of powers to the federating units, the federal government was plotting to accrue further powers to itself through this abhorrent bill.
“Do we need to further apprise that our oil and gas resources have been plundered, over the years, by the federal government and its agents; our hitherto luxurious ecosystem has been decimated and basic means of livelihood destroyed, with little or nothing to show, in terms of the development of our communities and improvements in the living conditions of the people? Yet, they now want to control our water resources; the people of the Niger Delta Region say a big no to it,” PANDEF added.

The Niger Delta leaders urged the members of the House of Representatives and Senators not to allow themselves to be used by self-seeking officials and groups to secure legislation that would exacerbate the tension and crisis in the country.
“We caution, in particular, the federal lawmakers of South-south extraction, and indeed, of the entire Southern and Middle Belt regions not to support a bill that is anti-peace, dangerous and that could destroy the fragile unity of this country,” PANDEF said.

PANDEF also described the claim by the sponsors of the bill that southern governors are now in support of the bill as illusory and preposterous, adding that such a claim should be discarded.
On its part, Afenifere has also kicked against the reintroduction of the bill at the National Assembly.
The National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Comrade Jare Ajayi, told THISDAY in Ibadan, Oyo State capital that the bill was another way of bringing RUGA through the back door, describing it as unacceptable.
According to him, the reintroduction of the bill was to deprive the indigenous people of their land, insisting that this is not in the best interest of the ethnic nationalities.

He said, “The reintroduction of the Water Resources Bill is unacceptable to Afenifere; this is because it is another way of depriving the indigenous people of their land and this is not in the best interest of the various ethnic nationalities given the experience with the federal government.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has also condemned the bill, describing it as completely obnoxious.
The organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Chiedozie Ogbonnia told THISDAY that the bill is completely at variance with present national realities.
“At a time we are canvassing for devolution of powers to states and local government areas, some people are still toying with the idea of controlling river banks and all that. It’s so sad.
“This is nothing but another RUGA. The same way we resisted the bill the last time, we are even more resolute now. It is unacceptable and totally out of tune with realities,” he added.

He further asked the governors and members of the National Assembly from the South-east to completely resist and reject the said bill.
“Our position is clear and has not changed. We say no to the bill and we are urging our governors and federal lawmakers to also reject it. Apart from the South-east, political leaders from the South-west, South-south and North-central should also reject this obnoxious bill,” the organisation insisted.

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Businesses count losses amid power outage in Bauchi, Gombe, and Jigawa

Published

2 months ago

October 28, 2024

Matthew Eloyi

Business owners in Bauchi, Gombe and Jigawa are recording losses due to week-long blackout ocassioned by vandalism of the power transmission line in parts of northern Nigeria.

The sudden disruption in electricity supply in the past days, also affected essential services such as water, sanitation, street lighting and healthcare delivery as most hospitals have been operating without light.

Some of the affected businesses including shop keepers, millers and artisans, who spoke while reacting to a survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), described the situation as “pathetic”.

The survey examined the perennial collapse of national grid and the need for alternative power supply in the country.

Rice millers in Gombe had decried the impact of the erratic power supply on their businesses.

A Miller, Musa Arab, at Nassarawo Industrial Layout in Gombe, said the trend was crippling their operations as they relied on electricity supply from the grid to process paddy.

He said the mills were not operational power outage as they could not afford exorbitant pump prices of petrol or diesel to run their machines.

This, he said, reduced the volume of rice supply to the market and posed serious challenge to food security.

“We must invest in power because it is the biggest determining factor for industries to thrive.

“I have over 20 workers in my mill, and we have 100 mini rice mills here, so you can imagine those who have no jobs for the past 10 days.

“Government must go tough on those responsible for the perennial grid collapse because some persons may be benefitting from it,” he said.

Also, Yusuf Ibrahim said the situation might trigger the already fragile inflation, as prices of local varieties would shot up ocassioned by the diminish supply.

He said that some had jerked up their charges to cover the expenses on diesel thereby affecting rice prices.

A check by NAN at the Gombe Main market showed that a 100 kilogramme of rice was sold for between N120,000 and N160,000, as against N110,000 and N150,000, before the blackout.

Mr Usman Sani, a rice dealer, attributed the hike in price to low supply of the produce to the market in spite of the number harvest recorded this cropping season.

He said the prices had decreased slightly at the onset of the harvest, however, it showed sprawling increase due to power outage.

“The price of rice is already dropping as a result of harvest but the trend reverse since the blackout in the past days “ he said.

Ugochukwu Daniel, a bartender in Bauchi, decried the epileptic power supply in the country, adding that lack of durable energy supply would retard Nigeria’s quest to attain social and economic greatness.

Daniel said that she spent much on fuel to run power generator for refrigrator and lightening the beer parlour, to enable her to keep the business running.

He said that businesses could only thrive in an enabling environment with stable electricity supply, to enhance wealth creation and reduce poverty among Nigerians.

“My trade is about chill drinks and it survives on electricity to operate otherwise you will out of bussiness.

“Without electricity there is nothing you can do, and not only business but about everything. We depend on it,” he said.

Similarly, Samuel Adamu, said the persistent power outage had forced him to patronised charcoal for ironing clothes in spite of its high cost and cumbersome processes.

He said that most cleaners in the area had resorted to fabricated iron charcoal in spite of hike in its prices which suddenly jumped from N5,000 to N15,000.

Adamu said the situation also encouraged division of labour in laundry to cut cost and make some gains.

“Presently, I do wash the cloth, and engage someone for ironing. The charge is N300 per set as against N150”.

While advocated development of renewable energies to enhance power supply in the country, Adamu urged security agencies to entensify efforts towards electrical installations in the country.

In the same vein; Mr Muhammad Adamu, Chairman, Jigawa State House Assembly Commitee on Power and Energy, said the Jigawa Electricity Law 2024, made sound provisions to improve power generation and distribution in the state.

This, he said, was an offshoot of the devaluation brought about by the 5th alteration of the constitution, where removed power from the executive legislative list and to the concurrent list.

“It empowered the state houses of assembly to enact laws on power.

“The committee has also carefully pursued the bill and reviewed its structure and the promise it holds for the state power sector, infrastructure and the overall economy of the state.

“The new law will pave way for the establishment of Jigawa Electricity Commission, to regulate the state’s electricity market,” he said.

According to Adamu, the law will protect residents and investors in the energy sector through ensuring prepaid meter installation and possibility of recouping investor’s funds as well as address vandalism.

“The law will lead to provision of reliable, affordable and sustainable power, essential for development of all sectors of the economy, particularly in rural areas,” Adamu said.

“Vandalism will be over because we pay Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) money for powered supplies, but whenever there is problem of damages or broken down transformers, it is either the communities or individuals that pay for the repairs”.

Business

Mercedes urges delay of EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles

Published

2 months ago

October 21, 2024

Matthew Eloyi

Mercedes urges delay of EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles

The head of German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz, has called for the European Union to de-escalate the dispute with China over tariffs on electric cars.

“We need more free trade instead of new trade barriers.

“That is why it is important to find a solution that suits both the EU and China,” chief executive Ola Källenius told the Monday edition of Bild newspaper.

“The negotiations for this take time. In order not to jeopardise them, the EU should postpone the enforcement of the planned tariffs,’’ he said.

At the start of the month, a majority of EU countries paved the way for additional tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on battery-powered electric vehicles imported from China.

Germany, however, voted against the measure amid concerns over retaliatory actions which could hurt the country’s giant car industry.

The European Commission had pressed for extra tariffs after an investigation accused Beijing of subsidising domestic electric car manufacturers, and thus distorting the market in the EU.

But whether the import tariffs would actually come into force at the beginning of November is still up to the commission.

The plans can still be dismissed if Brussels reaches a solution with China at the negotiating table.

Business

ACCI moves to promote business connections, balance work-life

Published

2 months ago

October 16, 2024

Matthew Eloyi

ACCI moves to promote business connections, balance work-life

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), is taking innovative steps to enhance professional relationships and promote a healthy work-life balance.

The President of ACCI, Dr Emeka Obegolu, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Obegolu said ACCI was committed to creating environments where professionals could connect beyond the confines of traditional boardrooms.

He said the upcoming “Business Meets Golf’’ Tournament epitomises this vision.

“Scheduled for Oct. 18 to Oct 19 at the IBB Golf Club, the tournament will gather industry leaders, top executives, and key decision-makers for a unique networking experience.

“This two-day event aims not only to strengthen business ties but also to foster partnerships that can drive economic growth.

“The ACCI’s initiative reistates the importance of maintaining a balance between professional achievement and personal well-being.

“By encouraging corporate cultures that prioritise relaxation and self-care, the Chamber acknowledges that such balance is vital for productivity and overall success,” he said.

According to Obegolu, the event will feature a range of activities designed to facilitate both business engagement and relaxation.

“Highlights include a Business-to-Business (B2B) cocktail on the first day, followed by the golf tournament and additional networking opportunities on the second day.

“The tournament will culminate in an awards ceremony recognising outstanding golfers among the participants.

“‘Business Meets Golf’ exemplifies our dedication to fostering innovative networking opportunities.

“We aim to create spaces for meaningful discussions that can lead to impactful collaborations,” Obegolu said.

The ACCI boss said in addition to promoting business connectivity, the council aimed to restate the importance of relaxation and a balanced lifestyle.

Obegolu said through events like this, the Chamber continued to play a pivotal role in supporting trade and industry in Nigeria while driving sustainable growth within the private sector.

He said to raise awareness about this landmark event, ACCI was partnering with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Media Trust Limited, to ensure broad visibility and engagement from leading brands.