Eight rescued from ritualists' den

Eight victims of kidnapping and ritual
killings were rescued from a ritualists' den at
Ogolonto area of Ikorodu Lagos, Vanguard reports.

The den was uncovered when one of the ritualists,
a woman identified as Rosemary Chukwu, allegedly
kidnapped a seven-year-old primary school pupil,
Emmanuel Emeka.
The mother of the victim was said to have alerted
her neighbours who conducted a search around
the area before the missing boy was discovered in
a suitcase 'half dead'.

Some miscreants uncovered the building while
they were chasing the kidnappers.

Read more at Vanguard

Death toll from Abuja mall bomb rises to 22

The National Hospital spokesman says a
victim wounded in the bomb blast at a mall in
Abuja died overnight, raising the death toll to at
least 22.
The government says soldiers shot and killed one
suspect as he tried to escape, and police detained
a second suspect.

Wednesday's explosion in Abuja is the latest in a
series of violent attacks blamed on Boko Haram
extremists. Security forces have not succeeded in
curtailing their near-daily attacks.

The extremists on Tuesday night overran a military
checkpoint in the northeast and killed at least 21
soldiers. They also took some troops hostage,
witnesses said.

Boko Haram attracted international condemnation
for the April mass abductions of more than 200
schoolgirls, and is blamed for this week's
kidnappings of another 90 people.

Terrorists overpower army in Borno

At least 16 soldiers have been killed after
suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect
attacked a military post at Bulabulin Ngaura in
Damboa local government area of Borno State.
A soldier that narrowly escaped the attack while
recounting his ordeal to journalists in Maiduguri,
said the terrorists totally subdued the soldiers.

“Some of my colleagues were abducted and many
others escaped with bullet wounds. Dozens of
Boko Haram insurgents stormed our checkpoint at
Bulabulin on Tuesday night," he recounted.
“The terrorists came in a convoy of over 30
vehicles, mounted with Anti-Aircraft guns (AA). I
was at the checkpoint when the terrorists came, we
tried our best but they had advantage over us.

They had AA and we had AK 47 rifles that are not
fully loaded," continued the soldier.
He said when they realized terrorists had taken
over the place, some soldiers escaped to
Maiduguri and other places but many could not
make it.

“As I am talking to you, 16 bodies of our
colleagues have been brought to Maiduguri. This
is besides those that sustain injuries and many
others that are missing in action.”

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LASU lecturers disrupt Deputy Vice-Chancellor's electio

Members of the Academic Staff Union (ASUU), Lagos State University (LASU) Chapter, on Tuesday protested what they called illegality in the election of a new Deputy Vice-Chancellor in the institution.

The lecturers called for the immediate suspension of the election of the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of administration scheduled for later in the day.

The scores of placard-carrying lecturers staged a peaceful march, chanting songs.

Some of the placards read: "DVC election, we say 'no to one man show' in a university of 30 years’’, "until a properly convened Senate accepts your nominees, no election please’’, "The VC is only first among equals, LASU Senate is not a private club, you cannot waive its rights’’.

The management of the university had in its official bulletin dated April 16 nominated Prof. Olatunji Abanikannda of the Faculty of Science and Prof. Fidelis Njokanma of the College of Medicine to run for the position.

It also scheduled the election for April 22.

The position had been vacant since December 8, 2013.

Dr Adekunle Idris, the Chairman of ASUU, said the action was to protest "illegality" in the selection process.

He cited Section 5 (4) of LASU Law that where a vacancy exists for the post of a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the VC shall present a list of two professors to the Senate, one of whom should be elected.

"Where none of the two nominees is accepted to the Senate, the vice-chancellor shall present a list of two other professors to the Senate.

"The purpose of this is to enable the senate to discuss and consider the appropriateness for the position before the election.

"Where senate in its wisdom finds the two nominees not acceptable, they have the right to so declare, this right can only be waived by the senate.

"The vice-chancellor and the registrar have no powers to waive this right or duty of senate to accept or reject the first list of two nominees," Idris said.

"Our union, having sought legal advice and after serious consideration, have come to the conclusion that a breach of the LASU law is about to be committed.’’

The union noted that though filling the vacancy is important, the process and its outcome was more important, as the deputy vice- chancellor is a vice-chancellor in waiting.

It called on the authorities to convene the meeting of the Senate to consider the nominees, while a new date should be fixed for the election.

ASUU-LASU had on April 15 given the management a 14-day ultimatum to meet its demands or face strike.

Source Vanguard

2.5 kilogrammes of cocaine seized at lagos airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it detected a 2.5 kilogrammes of cocaine stashed inside a consignment of female shoes and voltage regulators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The agency said the consignment of female shoes from Brazil on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight and a shipment of voltage regulators were meant for export to Gabon on a DHL cargo flight.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar said the shipment of shoes had been abandoned.

"We found an abandoned luggage containing ladies shoes that originated from Brazil. During examination, 1, 860 kg of cocaine was found inside the shoe soles. Our men at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited section of the airport also detected 600 grammes of cocaine hidden in a voltage regulator," he said.

A freight forwarder had been arrested in connection with the cocaine shipment to Gabon.

The suspect, 37-year-old Anslem Nyeaka, a native of Imo State, however claimed a client gave him the consignment.

Speaking on the arrest, Chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said a close watch would be kept over the Nigeria-Brazil route, while other African routes were being re-classified in line with current risk levels.

"Recent drug seizures on some African routes have placed them on a high risk platform. We must be vigilant in preventing the sub-region from being used as a drug hub. The suspect will be charged to court soon," he said.

NNPC denies reports of feud between Petroleum Minister, GMD

The Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, has said that there was no rift
between the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs.
Diezani Alison Madueke and its Group Managing
Director, GMD, Engr. Andrew Yakubu..

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, the
Group General Manager, GGM, Public Affairs
Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said that the two were "in
harmonious working relationship."

Mr. Alegbe also said that the Minister of Petroleum
Resources and the NNPC, in the last few months,
have heeded countless number of summons from
the National Assembly, wondering why the media
would go to town with the reports that the
Petroleum Minister was doing everything to thwart
the proposed investigation into the alleged N10
billion purportedly expended on the charter of jets
by the corporation.
He said: "The Minister and NNPC are putting
together all the documents that the House of
Representatives Committee on Public Account had
requested for. At the end of the probe, the Minister
and the Corporation would be vindicated."

Alegbe said that the GMD of the corporation was in
London last week for the board meeting of the
Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, and that
NNPC would remain focused on its core mandate
of guaranteeing energy sufficiency for the country.

On measures against fuel scarcity
He said that new measures were being adapted to
ensure round the clock availability of petrol.
Under the arrangement, he said, the Minister had
approved the allocation of 1,854,314 metric tonnes
of petrol as supplementary volumes for the first
and second quarters of the year.

He noted that whilst the first quarter supplementary
volume was designed to complement the earlier
allocation in addition to covering any under-
delivery by marketers due to unforeseen financial
challenges, the second quarter (June only) quota
was in consonance with the national consumption
pattern of 40 million litres per day.

The NNPC spokesman also noted that the second
quarter quota also captured a 23 percent upper
tolerance in the event of default or slippage into
July.

He said: "There are 27 oil marketing companies
with proven performance records enlisted in
respect of first quarter deliveries. For the second
(June only), there are 40 marketers with good
performance records and whose facilities are
functional.
"The idea of June only is to revert back to the
normal quarterly sequence. That is July to
September and October to December."

14 kidnapped schoolgirls escape

Another 14 Nigerian
schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamists in
the northeast have escaped, leaving 85 missing on
Saturday after an attack that has sparked global
outrage, an official said.

The unprecedented mass abduction of 129 teenage
girls from the Chibok area of Borno state has been
described as among the most shocking ever by
Boko Haram, an extremist group blamed for killing
thousands since 2009.
"I am glad to say that 14 more students have
escaped from their abductors," Borno's education
commissioner Inua Kubo told journalists.
"With this development, we have 44 out of our 129
students."

It was not immediately clear how this latest group
managed to flee, although Kubo said 11 had been
found after running to a town on the Damboa road
which connects Chibok to Borno's capital
Maiduguri.
They have since been sent to their family villages,
while the three others had returned to their school
in Chibok and were being cared for there, he said.

"We are hopefully expecting the return of our 85
students as intensive search and rescue efforts
continue," Kubo said.
Some of the girls who escaped within a day of the
April 15 attack said the Islamists had taken the
hostages to the Sambisa Forest area of Borno
state, where Boko Haram is known to have well-
fortified camps.

The military said it had launched a major search
and rescue operation, but some in the region say
they have lost confidence in the security forces
after the defence ministry issued an erroneous
report claiming that most of the girls were safe.
That statement, issued late Wednesday, said all but
eight of those abducted were free, but defence
spokesman Chris Olukolade was forced to
withdraw the report on Friday after it turned out to
be inaccurate

Boko Haram, whose name loosely translates as
"Western education is forbidden", has repeatedly
attacked schools during its five-year uprising,
including the mass slaughter of students in their
sleep.
The attack on the girls' school came just hours a
bomb blast at packed bus station on the outskirts
of Abuja killed 75 people, the deadliest attack ever
in the capital.

President Goodluck Jonathan held an emergency
meeting with his national security council on
Thursday to review the latest unrest, with another
meeting set for next week.

Tunisian president slashes salary by two-thirds

Tunisia’s President Moncef Marzouki announced on Friday his decision to voluntarily take a two-thirds pay cut as the government grapples with a financial situation it has described as “critical.”

“We are facing a financial and economic crisis. The state must be a model… That is why I have decided to lower the legal salary of the president of the republic to a third” of its current level, Marzouki said in a statement.
The Tunisian economy has suffered from the instability that followed the 2011 revolution, which toppled long-time autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and ignited the Arab Spring.

Presidential spokesman Adnane Mansar had said that Marzouki earned a gross monthly wage of 30,000 Tunisian dinars (around 13,600 euros), and a net income of 20,000 dinars (9,100 euros).
Marzouki, who has been head of state since late 2011, also said he had ordered further reductions in the expenses of the presidency.
Some Tunisian media have criticised the perceived excesses of the presidency, with much of the country still threatened by social conflict fuelled by poverty and high unemployment.

On Friday the World Bank approved a $100 million loan (72 million euros) to help small and medium sized businesses, seen as crucial to the economic recovery of Tunisia’s private sector.
It said there are 624,000 such businesses in Tunisia, employing around 1.2 million people, who make up an estimated 44 percent of the workforce in the formal private sector.

The government said last week that the country’s public finances were in such a critical state that it had resorted to “exceptional measures” to ensure that April wages were paid.
In January, the International Monetary Fund released more than $500 million, part of a $1.76 billion loan to support Tunisia, shortly after a new technocratic government was sworn in under a deal to end months of political instability.

Source: vanguard

Police claim they have clues about Nyanya explosion

Suleiman Abba, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, says the police have evidences that will give clues to those responsible for the Nyanya Motor Park explosion.

The Zone 7 comprises FCT, Niger and Kaduna.

Abba said this on Wednesday in Abuja at a news conference.

The AIG, however, said that no arrest had been made connecting to the incident.

"Arrest, I am not aware of any arrest yet but links, yes; there are evidences that we hope will link us to those responsible for this crime.

"But I cannot disclose these links yet because the whole purpose is for the links to achieve the purpose for which we got them,’’ he said.

Abba said that a team of highly experienced investigators, formed by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar to probe the incident, had begun work.

He said in no distant time, the public would know those behind the bombing and stated that they would be prosecuted when arrested.

Abba said that the police high command met after the incident and re-examined its strategies, to fashion out a better approach to deal with crime in the territory.

He gave residents the assurance that everything was being done to avoid a recurrence.

"I will not say all the strategies we have pencilled down but let me mention that we will certainly strengthen our partnership with the public.

'It is going to be a partnership where we will strategise together to solve the problems of crime, a partnership where we would share logistics.

"If you look at that incident, you will see that the logistics to prevent that vehicle from entering that place (motor park) was there,’’ he said.

According to him, the utilisation was poor and the enemy cashed in on that, adding that the proposed partnership would lead to better management of crisis in the FCT.

Abba gave assurance that a highly visible policing would be provided in the territory to detect and prevent crime and called on the public not to hesitate to give useful information to the police.

Responding to a question, Abba said that majority of the CCTVs security cameras in the territory were functional and that the intelligence arm of the police was being strengthened for better performance.

The April 14 explosion occurred at about 6.55a.m. and claimed 72 lives, with more than 120 people sustaining various injuries.  

Confab Delegate Slumps

A member of the National Conference,
Abdulmumuni Abubakar, slumped after the
afternoon session and was admitted at a hospital
in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Deputy Chairman of the Conference, Prof.
Bolaji Akinyemi, confirmed the incident during
Wednesday’s plenary.
Abubakar, a retired Deputy Inspector General of
Police, is a Federal Government delegate.

Akinyemi, who urged delegates to pray for his
quick recovery, said Abubakar was calm and
responding to treatment as at the time he made
the information known to delegates.
"A member of our community who actually
spoke yesterday in the afternoon session, DIG
retired A.M Abubakar, slumped and collapsed
after our session.

"He has been admitted in the hospital.

"He has been visited, not only by members of
the secretariat but also by some of the delegates
who belong to the community of the retired
police officers.

"He is under treatment and I understand that he
is stable, so they simply want us to inform the
house of this development. Please include him in
your prayers,” he said.
Some delegates, however, observed that the
clinic was not adequately equipped to take care
of delegates.

They complained that the ambulance that
conveyed Abubakar to the hospital did not have
oxygen, essential medical equipment that should
be in an ambulance.
The conference chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi,
acknowledged the observations made by
delegates and thanked them for their
contribution.

He said: "Thank you very much, it is noted.’’

PDP- The President remains sensitive to the welfare of Nigerians

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on
Wednesday maintained that President Goodluck
Jonathan would continue to be sensitive to the
welfare of Nigerians in spite the insurgency.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja
by Olisa Metuh, the PDP National Publicity
Secretary, in reaction to a statement by the All
Progressive Congress (APC).
The APC statement had portrayed Jonathan as
‘heartless’ for not shutting down governance
over the April 14, bomb blast in Nyanya, a
suburb of Abuja.

Metuh maintained that the APC’s statement was
another demonstration of the party’s support for
terrorist agenda against the country.
He said that contrary to the allegations by APC,
Jonathan had continued to be sensitive and
responsive to the welfare of Nigerians.

The party spokesman said that the plan of the
opposition party to impose reign of terror in the
country had failed.
Buttressing claims that Jonathan was sensitive
to the plight of Nigerians, Metuh recalled that the
president cancelled his planned trip to Ibadan as
a result of the bomb blast.

He said that the president also visited the scene
of the blasts and the injured in hospitals and
gave directives on the matter.
Metuh recalled that after the Dana crash of June
3, 2012, the Nigerian flag was flown at half-mast,
while the president and his entire cabinet
refrained from celebrations.
“It is common knowledge that those behind the
attacks seek to impose a reign of terror in our
country, to cow the president.”
“They also seek to dictate the tempo of
government and ultimately shut down
governance,” the statement quoted Metuh as
saying.

He maintained that the Federal Government
would not in any way be cowed or intimidated to
abandon its mandate, saying that Jonathan had
remained committed to the welfare and security
of Nigerians.
Metuh said that that the opposition expected the
president to be intimidated by acts of terrorism.
“The leadership of the PDP and the government
we formed shall not be cowed, intimidated,
harassed or tele-guided by acts of terrorism.”

“The PDP-led administration was popularly
elected by Nigerians and shall never allow
terrorists and their supporters to dictate the
tempo of government which has been their direct
objective,” he said.

The party spokesman, however, called on
Nigerians to be vigilant and wary always about
their environment, especially suspicious
movement.

He commended Jonathan for remaining steadfast
and focused in delivering his transformation
agenda in spite of the insurgency and
unnecessary attacks by the opposition.

Minister of Education assures students Asup strike will be called off soon

The Supervising Minister of Education,
Nyesom Wike on Monday, April 14,
asserted that the strike action which was
embarked upon by the Academic Staff
Union Of Polytechnics, ASUP and Colleges
of Education Academic Staff Union,
COEASU would soon be resolved, because
of the intervention of the President, Dr
Goodluck Jonathan.

While answering questions from
journalists, the Minister, Wike assured the
Nigeria general public, that the Federal
Government would soon resolve all
lingering strikes in the education sector.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
has been on strike since October 2013,
indicating that in the last seven months,
Polytechnics students have been lectured.

While the Colleges of Education Academic
Staff Union has also been on industrial
action since December 2013.

Wike said : “No government will be happy
that students are roaming the street. We
must promise what is practicable. Not
just making promises without fulfilling
them. Be rest assured that it will be
resolved.”

For over 10 months, Nigerian polytechnic
students have been at home. We call on
the Federal government to accede to the
request of the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnic, ASUP.

Posted via Blogaway

Lawmaker appeals to FG to deploy troops to southern Taraba

Daniel Gani, member representing
Wukari II Constituency in Taraba State House of
Assembly, has called on the Federal Government
to deploy soldiers in the area to avert further
attacks by suspected herdsmen.
Gani made the call on Wednesday while
addressing news conference in Jalingo.

He said the low presence of security personnel in
the area was responsible for the ongoing
senseless killing of innocent people.
“The only way to avert these brutal killings in
Wukari and its environs is to massively deploy
troops just like what the federal government did
in Benue and Nasarawa states”, he said.
Gani said lack of seriousness on the part of the
State Government left him with no option than to
seek intervention from the federal government.

“I passionately appeal to the Acting Governor to
liaise with the police so that mobile police unit
can be stationed in Wukari due to the volatile
nature of the area.”
“As I speak with you, the acting governor has
not done anything about it and that is why the
killings have continued.”

“We are tired of making such calls. If the acting
governor is not competent enough to protect the
lives and properties of our people, he should
simply resign,” he stressed.
The lawmaker said the decision b
the acting governor not to visit the area and
commiserate with its people was, again, a clear
indication that he had no concern for the people.
“Our people are dying by the day but the acting
governor did not deem it fit to at least visit the
affected persons and condole with them.”

“Stakeholders in southern Taraba have started
reading meanings into it, and you can’t blame
them because the acting governor is not
bothered by their plight,” he said.
In a swift reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to
the acting governor, Kefas Sule, described the
allegations as baseless and unfounded.

Sule said that the acting governor had cancelled
his plan to attend a security meeting with the
President because of the security challenges in
the state.
He said that the acting governor was working
tirelessly with all the security agencies in the
state to find a lasting solution to the problem.

He also said that all top government
functionaries from the southern zone of the state
had been directed to go to the area and appeal
for calm, “now that normalcy had returned."

Uk Foreign secretary appalled by terrorist activities

The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary
said he was “appalled” by the abduction of up to
100 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria by suspected
members of the Boko Haram sect.

“I am appalled by the abduction of up to 100
school girls in Borno State, in northern Nigeria.

My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with
them, and with their families. I condemn this
cowardly act and those responsible for it. We
stand ready to provide assistance to help the
Nigerian government ensure that these children
can be returned to their families in safety, and to
bring to justice those responsible,” Foreign
Secretary, William Hague said.

“The kidnap on Tuesday follows other reports of
Boko Haram’s abduction of women and girls, the
barbaric murder of schoolchildren and the use of
sexual violence. There is no possible justification
for such callous acts, that intentionally target the
most vulnerable people in the cruellest way.”

Hague pledged the UK government’s
commitment to assist Nigeria fight terror.

“The UK is a firm ally and friend of the people of
Nigeria and we will continue to offer staunch
support and assistance as they combat the
threat posed by Boko Haram, and address the
wider issues raised by this attack.”
More than 70 people were killed in Nyanya
outside Abuja following a bomb blast.

Two rival cult groups clash over female lover

The clash between two rival cult groups over a girlfriend has claimed the life of a 33-year-old man, identified as Hamburger, around Iba new site, Lagos State, Vanguard reports.

The clash was said to be as a result of an allegation that a member of a rival cult group snatched the girlfriend of a rival cult member.

The police said 11 suspects were arrested while several others were injured in the clash that lasted for several hours.

Read more at Vanguard

President Jonathan accuses kwankwaso of embezzling Campaign Funds

President Goodluck Jonathan has
accused the Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso, of embezzling funds meant for party
delegates during the 2010 PDP presidential
primaries, Vanguard reports.

Jonathan, who reacted to an earlier statement
credited to the governor that he regretted voting
for Jonathan in 2011, made the allegation in
Kano during a PDP rally.

He urged the people of the state to challenge the
governor and the 44 local government chairmen
in the state to account for the N250 billion they
had collected from the Federation account since
2011.

Read more at Vanguard

Fear grips Parents after mass kidnap by boko haram extremists

Desperate parents pleaded on
Wednesday for an end to their "nightmare" after
Boko Haram extremists kidnapped more than
100 girls from a secondary school in Borno.

The mass abduction by heavily armed insurgents
from the Chibok area of Borno state late Monday
came just hours after a bomb ripped through a
packed bus station on the outskirts of Abuja,
killing 75 people, the deadliest attack ever in the
capital.
The bombing was also blamed on Boko Haram.
"They took away my daughter," said one woman
from Chibok, who like several parents requested
anonymity given the uncertain fate of the
children.

"I don't know what to do," she told AFP, urging
the government to find the kidnappers. "They
should not allow our daughters' dreams to be
shattered by these murderers."
A father who said his daughter was taken in the
attack described the ordeal as a "nightmare."

"The whole town is in mourning," he said from
Chibok.
The gunmen stormed the Government Girls
Secondary School after sundown on Monday,
torching several buildings before opening fire on
security forces guarding the school.

Searching the forest

It is not yet clear why the Chibok school was
open, but Emmanuel Sam, an education officer
based in the area said the girls had been
scheduled to write exams this week and that
school was full when the attackers arrived.

Witnesses said the gunmen killed a police officer
and soldier in the shootout and ultimately forced
their way into the school.
They then forced the girls outside and loaded
them on to trucks and drove off into the bush of
the remote region, notorious for its terrible
roads.

A senior security source, who said than more
than 100 girls were taken, told AFP the troops
had tracked the tyre marks of the convoy and
were pursuing the extremists.

Senator Ali Ndume, who represents the region,
said the pursuit included soldiers backed by
members of a local vigilante force which formed
last year to help fight Boko Haram.
"They are now combing the forest to rescue the
school girls," he told AFP. "They are being aided
by surveillance helicopters," he said, but noted
the difficulty of the search in a vast forest that
extends to neighbouring Cameroon.

The fight against Boko Haram has been hindered
by the porous borders it shares with its
northeastern neighbours, including Cameroon
and Niger, with the Islamists evading pursuit by
slipping through unmanned posts.
Some of the girls escaped by jumping off a truck
when the gunmen became distracted by a
vehicle that had broken down.
"They tried to fix it," one of the girls who fled
told AFP by phone from Chibok on condition of
anonymity. "It was at this moment that some of
us jumped out of the vehicles and ran into the
bush."

Turning to prayer

President Goodluck Jonathan and the military
have sought to portray Boko Haram as being on
the defensive and rapidly losing strength thanks
to a massive offensive in the northeast launched
last May.
But a major bombing just a few kilometres from
the seat of government in Abuja and another
attack targeting defenceless students has
underscored the serious threat the extremists
continue to pose.

The military has so far refused to comment on
the abductions, even as the tragedy dominates
the front pages of most leading newspapers, and
the status of the rescue operation remains
unclear.
"We have turned to prayers," said the mother
whose daughter was taken. "(It) is all we have."

Power supply cripples businesses in Abuja

The continued shortfall in electricity
supply in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Abuja, is adversely affecting economic and social
activities of residents.
Virtually all types of businesses in the capital
city and its environs have been affected as
business owners are now contending with the
high costs of diesel to power generating sets
which are mostly relied upon in the prevailing
circumstance.

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC)
attributed the shortfall to the reduction to 150
megawatts from its usual allocation of 500
megawatts previously allocated to it,
necessitating rationing of supply among
consumers.
However, Head of Public Relations AEDC,
Patience Toyo, assured that the company was
working round the clock to improve the situation.

According to Toyo, “the power or load allocation
from Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to
Abuja is only 150 megawatts which is a
significant reduction from the manageable 500
megawatts which was previously allocated to the
company.
” Although the Disco did not give reason for the
drastic reduction in grid allocation, it, however,
said the drop has led to load-shedding of some
areas.

The situation is, however, taking a toll on the
socio-economic activities as business owners
say they spend millions of naira to power their
generating sets.
It is estimated that businesses in the FCT spend
up to N200 million monthly on costs associated
with maintaining electricity generating sets.
The manager of a manufacturing company at Idu
industrial area, an Indian national who craved
anonymity for fear of victimization said he runs
generator at least 18 hours daily in order to
remain in business.

“The power situation is bad, we run generator for
about 18 hours. PHCN is unreliable and it
doesn’t come at all nowadays. I can tell you that
most of the manufacturing companies located
here at the Idu Industrial Layout, now run on
generators to meet up with their daily
production,” he lamented.
Binta Garba, a housewife at Gwarimpa Estate,
Abuja, said the epileptic power situation had
made all the food items she stored in her
refrigerator to go bad, leading to wastages.

She appealed to the Abuja Electricity Distribution
Company to do something urgently, especially
with the adverse weather condition which was
causing a lot of heat and health hazards to
children especially.

MAMAs 2014 to be sponsored by Absolut Vodka

Alcholic beverage, Absolut Vodka will be
a major sponsor of the 2014 MTV Africa Music
Awards (MAMA), reports 360nobs.com

The award which returns after a brief hiatus have
added new nominations for the awards like the
“Transform Today Award” sponsored by Absolute
Vodka.

The new award celebrates the transformations by
youths through their creativity and vision, others
are the Lifestyle Award, the Nelson Mandela
Leadership Award and Personality of the Year
Award.

The event is fixed for June at the International
Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban, South Africa.

Read more at 360nobs.com