niE GUARDIAN, Monday; July n, 20n
BUSIN""
125
Airtel chief urges govt to protect telecoms equipment HIEF ElI:ecUli\'~ omc~r of Aln~l Networks Nlg~ri~, Mr. bjan Swaroop, has
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app~a l ~d
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Gov~rnm~n(
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F~ d ~r,,1
to
includ~
t~ lecommunications «iui~ m~nl
on
th~
list of Infra·
structur~ b~ing prot~cted
by lOllY. Swaroop said in a stat~· m~ntln ugos that I ~lc:coms ~ulpment should bt dassi· ned n natlon,,1 infroJStruc· tur~ 10 prot~ct Ih~m and ~nsu r~ betl~r quality of servic~ to subscribtrs. He $<lid thaI th ~ r~ had been persistent damage [0 [~ I e com r.br~s along the e~pressways and roads. ·Various panles. including those working on roads do
extensive damage to tdecom Infr~ S lructure dai ly. Th~se nbr~ cuts aff~ct th~ network and it ta kes a while to d iscover wh~re the dam-
billion. He said thaI th~ increase was [0 m«t th~ chalienges In the ind ustry as well ilS tap o~portunitles In the NIgerian market. ·Challenges ar~ being dis· cO\"erw a$ we trail the path. As we slated on a rrival, Nigeria Is Ih~ blgg!!t market inAfriu, which In rurn is [h~ o nly telecoms ma rket region that Is stili g rossly
~g~ ha ppen~d. Th~rrfore,
we n ud, as a coun try, to lake a stand o n prot~cllng these infrast ru((ur~ as nillio nal prlorlty,- he said. According to him. this unto .....ud deYelopm~nt has th~ potentlil] of silbotaglng th~ drom or government an d op~riltors towards altai. nlng ~l oba l standa rd In SUVIC~ delIvery. The A i rt~l Nigeria boss rew-a led that the company had Inc r~ased its investment In Nigeria from an ini· tia l S600 million 10 ov~r SI
und~rnrv~d . ·W~ have m~de
signlncant Invtslmenl and oUe sti li making as w~ se~ k LO str~nstll~n I h~ network we Inh~nted to mak~ it more robun and expand cov~rage. especially to the rura l communltl~s: Swaroop said.
Cocoa fanners in Osun decry high cost of chemicals r"QCOA ra rm~rs in Osun \...havedecried th~ high cost of c h ~ mlcab ustd forthecontrol of dlSf'a.o;es in cocoa production. A cross seelion of the farmers who spok~ wilh the News Agenc), oJ NIgeria (NAN) In Ot.vena-Ijesa fn Oriade local GoW'rnm~nt Area on Friday v:pre:ssed (onc~rn lhat Ih~ d~lopment might I~ad to a drop In quality and yield this year. One of th~ fanm:rs. A1hall Mukaila Alao. said that mOSt farmers could no long~r afford chemicals such as Ridomil gold, ACfaro, CoocobrP Solido.\". fungumn. Kocidt 101 and Dusban du~ to meir high <o,L
~E\If;n those of us who coln afford the high cost (ilce diffi· cult}' to access the chromicals because of their scarcity most ti m~. A sachet of Ridomll gold, which WilS sold betw~n NI80 and N200 1.1$[ )-"ear. Is nOIll bet\... e~n NJOO ilnd
A r~ma l t cocoa farmer, Madam SheTHat Olori. who disclosed lhal sh~ had Invest· ed moll' wn NSOO,OOO to rrnt cocoa plantation this ye.iT, lamtnttd lhat the high cost of tht chemicals had "drainw her ~ket~. Olori said: II is a must 10 purch~ these chemicals for th~ control of diseases in cocoa. oth~rwis~ my Investment would ~ In vain. Bul I
N350. whl1~ Reforee formally sold for NIJO Is N250 and Ullmoxt is now N280 instead of its former price of NISo: he said. Another cocoa farmer, Mr. Segun Olaoy~ said that h~ had reson~d to using a mlleture of alum and ashes In wate r for th~ control of black pod diSf'Olse In his cocoa farm. "Though il is not as ~ ffectiw as Ridomil gold plus 66wp o r othror blilck pod control chemical, the high cost of these chemiuls (orcw m~ to adopt Its usag~ and It works to some e."(tent: Olaoye said. Olaoye. who expressed fears that the use oT alum a nd ilshes might ause low yi~ lds app~a lea to the F~der;1i ~mm~nt to subsidis~ the prl(~s of the chemlc.ib to ~ase th~ cha llenges cocoa farmers fac~.
~rtl~~r~~e~l~~~h~v!:~,~ ~o~;
all the galns;l.t the end of the Sf'ason. GOvtmm~nt 'Should help us and make the ( hro ml(;I.ls available at chea per rales." Mtanwhlle, Alhaii Rilheem Ad~niji, th~ Stat~ Chalrm;l.n, All Farmers Assocl.itlon of Nigeria (A FAN). also exp ressed worry ovtr the high (ost of lhe ch~micals.
PHCN
accountants hold yearly meeting ,,"I E Power Holding .lcompany of Nig~rla (PHeN) Disulct Society of ICAN has schwuloo its urn arly gronelal m~~ting for uly 20 and 21. at 31's Ifot~ls imited. near Chlda Hot~1s, Utako.Abuja. AI the t\"ent. two technical pape:rs on curnnt fssue:s in th~ Ind ustry will be present-
~
....A stiltemen[ by the
De'\'
PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AN OFFGRID ELECTRICITY GENERATION LICENCE PURSUANT TO SECTION 64 OF THE ELECTRIC POWER SECTOR REFORM ACT 2005 Entec Pacesetter Power Company Limited , whose registered office is situated at No 5, Paul Hendrickse Street , New Bodija, Ibadan , Oyo State, hereby gives Notice that it has made an application to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) whose principal office is situated at Adamawa Plaza , Plot 1099 1st Avenue, Off Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja for an Off-grid Electricity Generation Licence pursuant to Section 64 of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 authorizing it to operate an off-grid power plant of 30MW at Aramed Hospital, lbadan , Oyo State . Notice is hereby given that persons who have objections to the grant of the licence should send their written comments clearly articulating the basis for any objection within twenty-one (21) days ofthis publication to:
Actin~
~ner<11 s«r~tary, Abayoml Adepcgba. said th~ first ~per tltlw, "Accounling for pur· chases and sal~s of ~IKtricity Ihe mark~t operato r's pe:fSperoVC" will be delivered by l os~ph Olotu, Assistant Ge:n~r<1 1 M ..mag~r (Tr~asury). Market Op~ra [ions, r'o\\"er Holding CompanyofNigl":ria,Abu ja. Btsides. Ih~r~ will be a S~5Slon on Technical Internatio nal Finandal Rqxloning System (IFRS) with ~mphasis on non..curnnt Assets ;l.nd For~lgn Cumncy Trolnslation. Th~ pdpe:r. which wi ll to uch on International Accounting st.mdard (lAS) 16. lAS )6, IFRS S, lAS 20, lAS B . IAS 21, will be d~lIvtrrd by Awoboru, Dlrtttor Ge nera, Kln$'s Crown Busllll'SS School limltoo.l..lgos. Adepegba notw dlat th~ AGM, which wUl rec~i\'t and adopt the audited accounts and rtports of the Socl~[}', elect new cx«ulive m~mbers and consldtr and pM.'i resolu· tions. would bt graced by top notch or PHCN.
Adamawa Plaza Piol 1099, Firsl Avenue, Off Shehu Shaga" Way, CBD, P.M.B 136, Garki·Abuja Tel: 09·6700280, 09·6706200 Website: www.nercng.org e-mail: info@nercng.org
I
u" for d ......nt or $200 _ t y birds only Regl'iltatron closing soon offer on fm.t come fIrst serve baSIS
The Chairman/CEO Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Adamawa House , Plot 10991 stAvenue, Off Shehu Shagari Way, CBO , P.O. Box 136, GPO., Garki , Abuja , FCT
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