nIURSDAY, MAY 10. :101'
British Petroleum to partner Ekiti on hiofuel. electricity
Nigerian agriculture WitJl drip irrigation J o hn Alec:h e nu , Abuj l NI,ma-br: ~ Jomi A&,ncultural ProJC!CI. bellerknownulrri ~Iion is Ufe. wllll:h IlnliiO )mmote
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!ICUOll
fannh~,
hIlS
bcfoo ;nau~unlttd if Mmna, N~l"r SUle. NI&" Stale Grvemor, Dr Baban~jda A1hll, and lhf> 15ral"li AmIlU' .dor 10 Nigeria, Mr MOld e Ram, pbntaJ till' fir51 YO! of Sft'{lImp in l.arc,i-Cwan i ge a' a U'rerrlOnl' to rna lhe cotnmf'tlccmc:nt pro)f"ct on Tuescby. Thl!< rontal I~ in a ~I.alemenl made 1 v:tilablc b\' lhf> Media Offico'r of the InacH Ernbasr. I I Ahuja on \\'edncsda, Accordmg to t1lf' stalenlf'nl the humamtanan project. ..... hich 1$ qted or <I 2·5h«1<1re bnd Itt al lhe SlAle caPital, 15 mooem drip irriptiol'l fannm, apon5ORCl by the 'mbassy to mark bnd'l 63rd Independen~ antl\,.rsa!")· and I' for tlw- bt..~ II of lhe host communlh 11M" ~tlltcmcnl ~Ad in plllrI, ~A1rClldy. &ret' I houscs ..... here ~linp itl"h ali tomaloe. Willer melon. melon Ind perf)f'r tnll Brow hl\'t Mn constn cte<!. on the IaI"lC nplMt' of land, ..... hich was pnn.idl" I by lhe stale &O\'Crnment "brad; l&flCllltUntl expert5 are alft'ld\· on pound lobn", th"r uniquc knowled&e. ~I~nl'n~, tC!Chnolol.v and I X"pl'rtiM in trawforrtUJ\l II!" "lIage 11110 I IOOIJem Ig"cultuntl modd:
~
l't1 akinde. Ad o--Ekiti
" ClUj
B
SLalc Gol'ern ml!t\t in the product;on of bio-fuel al well a~ crude and refined pctrolcum p roducts. This is c:ontuncd in I statement made I"ilable to ou r correspondmt in Ado-Eki ti on Wednesday by tbt: ChicJp~ Se:tc1n!"). to the Go\\"mor, Mr. Yinb
wa,
O}cbode.
·1,·R: .-\1on09"'9 Dirw:to,.. Resoo~.ltll' Toni Fafunwu: Cll1ejEx«1JtweO/ficv.lamel Nigeno.ltll' RO)CInSwcu'OOp; CholmlOn.lalrte/NI9«IO. Dr. Dba OtudeKo. and Group (Juq Em:1I'11.~ OjJi~r. Airtel A/rlro. Mr. Mono) Kohil, at tM maugurotlon ojthe MWIaIl'C/ Dota ~,.trr ml.iJgolS .on Wwrtf'my. Photo: &gun Baiarr
NRC to commence fuel haulage in July
Ra .. h el'd Hl'ilriy u
CfIll"'"Icti ItheonNIliCAll0N Wtdnesc:!av thaI NIJenan Railway
Corvo"'tion loOou ld commen~ fuel hall~e to lIle North nnd "mt' paIU ofthf'Soulh Ealo1 mJuly. Thc Managing Dtrec:lor of lhe rorporalton, Mr Ad~ SIJuwade. p~ 1Mhinllnllelrphonf'inleniew IoOllh our correspondent. The movc is upcd1'd to nnprtn'C fud distribution ~ the count!") and redUC'C Ihf' rale of accidenu on lhe rOllW; ClIiIi5Cd by IRnl"r dri~", Thorn Enl!.mf'erin« of ChLll.a ret"!'nlly deh\'Crcd 10 Ihf' c:orpontion 20
pressunJed lank wa&On! to facilitate 1M mm'PII'f'nl of prlnMum prodliCU The link Wllym~ ~ handed O\"prlo I!tcMlmstcr ofTran.~rt. Senalor Idns Unw. at a bnef Cf'1'!'nton} at the Apapa Port, Lagos. Sijuwadc 'SaId • majOr hlndflln~ to filI"I Raula&e w;u the poor .tale (,f ilire Hodg.. in Niger Slltle. which had pl"e"\"pnh'() Intm mO\"Pl'I'IC"nt 10 the Nflrth tie. ItOWC\-cr, Slid lhat the Te<'Oll5trudion of lhe bridgl" 1oO'OUld ~ t"(Irnp,"~ nl'X"t month to p;t\'C lhe WIly for fuel haubge Ind
reiurnpllon of Ihe Lagos· Kano tntlO OIM'ntlion Some lank flUm opcnuof5 10 La&O!I ha~"!' also .hown in terest in fuei haula~ bv tram as thl!' NRC plans 10 I1'habilitate railway IKhng.s 10 a number of the companies al Apapa -We plan to c:omplele Akl'l1' nt'X1 nlOnlh and rehabilitale ntilloO'n\ sidings to ~IM tank fanns, Irtff ..... htc:h fuel hauJa"e can bqin: SIJuwade said. The COfTIOntllOn had lasl ynr COmlllf!need a wcrldy haulage nf cement for ufarxe .....Ipoo Cemenl
rna,
MDAs owe N169bn tax arre ars - FIRS
T
ilE
Federal
R~1!'nue
Sen
Inland C'f
said
m Ahu).l on Wfdncsda) thai no fewa- tho 100 orpnlSlllKmS, rtdudm& mmilltnes. dept:.rtmenu Ind a&encie5 of gOl·-.nllnenl owed NI69bn WI Imtlr5 SI~2004
Th" Coordinalins Olrec:lor, n..1d Qt:cralions Group, FIRS, Mr, S,lmud Or,unbesan, dt<.cl"wcd thlll 10 newsmen after !Keivins memhers of 1M 1I0uM' or RcpresentAtiver u,mllllllre on Anallei' duimg an ~"!'rsl&ht VlSlt ~unbesan.
It.' Nf!IL'5 AgencyojNlgerio ,"ported. put the tax 1tJ't'IU'! owed by the PO\oIot'r Holding Compan\' of NiI'ena at N15bn lie !aid, -PIICN JI paying currcnt dl bts and all MOAs Irc 0WIl¥, alTftlr5 of laxes. ~ MO v debt puttogetht'ri.sOW'I Nt69bn and il datca t.clt 10 2004 and il JI all rn..te up of mlcrt:'!1 and penaltv. "'\e'11' was • liMe when \W: we", ChafJlnJ 100 pt'r
RITlS ti PC!tn:Rum is
!It't to pertner the Ekili
~nl pcnllty. wilich 15 in the law, SUI thai law ls Ipplicable to oorpnNlte entihes; II 15 not meant for iMMOMo,.unbt'5an added, -IknUR the IaVo'S on Ihe MOM and tilt' deduction al !l()U~ did not prescribe! that pcnallJcs !:hook! be char~ed from tot I)As, only mterest i5 applic.able -Oul o npWlIvorlheolhcr,
you know the Itlilude of tannen W.. always wlnt 10 collect. So. """ npplioed the ruk- of the priVlle RCtor 10 the MOA.... 50 the dpbt built up 1bc d ireclor sud FlRS had rnicwed debts owed b~' govcrnment establishments, folkrwin& a dil""Cdl\"P bv former Praidenl Olusc-gun Obuanjo for penalties 10 be wai\-ed for the MDAs
unit! 2007 lie ~id althouzh FIRS complied \flth the presidcnha.l dlrf"t'ti,"!'. II was still-in the books~ thai MOAs had ouutandin& lU arrenr1l. C>,;unbrsan m\l led the MOAs to negolia tl' loOilh 1M liU l'Ig('ncy 10 -~l1'Pte IhI"
pnnapal from Ihe dt'bt5 By It'f' lime wc fin l~h, 1 1m !lure the ligures will co""",
dow"
Company from 115 Ewckoro. OKlin State rlant 1('1 Ilonll. KIoO'"nnt Stale, fol""'ln& Ihe CfJmlllellOn or rill lrack tehabililallOn from La~(lS 10Jebba
Fuel halllag.. to; not nfW was part of IU opcraliof\!l unlll the 11)805 \\Chen its lrack bcc:a.1M 100 weak and the wagons ~me~lclewi l h many of il5lnmmolweoi and other rolling siock &rounded. A ~al('menl by Ihe Public Rela linru Offi~r. NRC. Mr ~un Esan. said thl" nfW pt1'$5UmM lipi tllnk WI'I~om ~re supcrior 10 the pl"e"\'KH1!i wagons 10 Ihf' fleet of the oorporalion Iddm& thAt -thl!')' areoflow ('081 in mamtenance and opcrallon 1lIC 'ilalemenl lidded. -Oil marltctcrs and other domestic uscrs 100111 like to take .ad''IIntar,e of these benefit.s in both opc'rallOn and huslness dcalinr,.s Oll~ Ihe goocb ha\'e been loaded conedty- at the! ongin, theY can &0 to sleep and ~ ItlclT r,oods at thf. destmatlOn in good tmlt 10 NRC. It
NACClMA canvasses economic partnership with South-West Akinwalc Aboluwad e. lbada n
ilE Pf't""Idpnl, Nalional As5ociaoon o f Cbambc-r5 of t"ommert't', and Indtl.o:try, Mines AgrtC"lIltUI1', Dr Hcrbert Aja\;. hu appea.led to South-West sllte «O\"!'mors 10 panner the pm-all'M::tor foreffC!Clil-e ~"!'Iopmenl o f the rqion's economy Ajad made Ihr ;iPllClli m lbadan on Tuesdav dunng thf' lnau.p,urltion of lhe 1'1_ ('XK1lti\"P membcn of OdU'I Chambers of
T
Commcltt,lndustr),. ).Imcs and ","cult urc ODUACCIMA hM ~ poeioonf!'d 10 orpn..cjQlOl lrade fau'S in collahor.tltlon with th(' ~ale!l and local gO\"n1Iment councils in the
.....,"The
NACCIMA boss U'"Ied Ihe new upcuti\'C council manben: 10 work hanl in emuring lhal Ihr ODUACCIMA took a pnmr positIOn m till' KOflOfnK' RCli\ilies of Ihe rqi,.n AJI)i Ilso u!"Jed them ttl Vo'Ork togdher as I learn In order 10 achic\~ thr d~lted
dt'Vf'iopmenl the He Imillured gO\'em~ of Ihe Odu'a stal" 10 ompporl tI'f' chAmber for &1O\'01h Ind dt'l-clopml'n' of the "lies 1be PresldCIII.
OUUACCIMA. ChlE'! AlIt. l.a1oO"30n. in heT acccplantt admi lled thai the IRlk before the roundl loO'Ould not be eU), bUI li\Slslf'd thai h"rleam would ~rk hard 10 roonlmlle lodo·economic acti"itlc-s in the OdU'1 stain. She 'laId, " Finan~ 15 I major faclor m the chaml>cr s~h.
Ind I. therefore. plead Wllh each qlte's council of chambers of comn\e'fCf' and mdustrv to be lli~ to their finanalll re<ponsibililies II IlIlirm"!l. I ('(jually bcscu:h the &O\"!'t1Imcnt of each Slale to K,,'e adequale finanCial Ind other fornlS of upporitnODUACC IMA. - I !IOlicn the coopcrnllon Ind support of all to ensul1' lhe success of our adnllnt~",llOn We shall do our UIIl106l beoJt 10 lak" ODUAL'CIMA 10 Ihe next
- '"
Th~
pI-l1ncnhtp.
aecordioJ to thestatement, pa rt o f the: outcome: of. bm.~ Gowmor Kavodfo Fa)'~mi and 'he Man.a&itlJ Dircrtor, BP Nigeria and \Vest AIncan lub tq.ion. &It OLakunle GKiado, in Ado-Ekill Other areas of collaboration between the It.,te- and lhe oil company, accordi ng to Favnni, an PQWe"I'" 5eC!or Iniliative. ~pealdn& after the m edint,. F.Q~rni .. id tht: Fountain 1I0id inz,s. which is the: businca concern of the stal(' &O\'CrnIM'nl. was inlDeiloo in partuering SP In Inc III1!ll or ttUde oil and mined products. He aid lhe state: wu ~ic\llarl.Y inl('f'eStt'd in ethanol prodl~hon bec.au!JC of tile ~Joba l bio-fuel mitia tive and tile power inihati'f""C of the c::omp;IIOY. He I d ded thai the state was also wi lli n" to partner other notabll' complnies and Instiltl tiow in the lrea of apiculture 111 a bid 10 promote indust rialisation. Gidado, 100m JI an indi&t:ne of Ekiti Stale, bailed the Stal" &O\'Crnment fOf" pUlI mS In plaC(' n!~"1Inl Iaml 10 wfquard Investlocnt and 1O,"'CSI.0fI. ooting thnt the Bnmh finn was set 10 do busine55 Voith the sble in the 1In!U ofbio fuellnd power. rly'Cmi, who th.anked the! S P boll for the visit, describcd bimuoDeof the '"OUI1& profC&lionals doi n& the q,ate proud in their va riOWI fi('kis of cndea\'OUr ~e an! proud of him 8-'1 aD indi&ene of Ebti Stale, who hu ruIeII to thai IC\-d t§
meetinK
and we
CDCOUJ"IIC'
other
hi&hlY plaetod indigenes to see the 1000""('rnlDl"nl as Olll! InlcrNtcd in active 1D\'OI\'e1l1ent of Ils citu.e-ns in iu dn"!'lopmcnlll dfort.~; the; gDYt'mor said.