1l1ESIH,\, "'EDRUAR\ 28,:rou
business&:
economy FG 10 boost agricultural prot!uL"li,1ty to
SURE programme has not been dropped - Presidency . . Ihuoma CIII(:du'(.le a nd
l\likeOdiegwu
N48tn Friday Ol ol.:or , Ahuja
T has
"EFederaICo\nnment anllOul1C'~ plaM to I~ the nalion's agncultllral t,,'Klucmit) from I he Pf'e\('1 t $99bn (N15841m) per "nnum 10 $JOObn (I,.,,8tn) loy 2030. Tlhasal~pled8'odthe5Um
of $15111 as its ('Oll tri bo tion 10 tJwo Inll!rnaliont.l Fund for A&ncultuml De\ek)pmt'flt forllle feplenlSbn,en 1 ohll(' IFAD ~II~
1be Milli!J~('t' or Ay1cUiture ROIl Ru~1 Qeo\'t'IopIllCftt.l>t ~ \Jdnwumi Mt'Sm:l, ataltWnJ, 10 a Slat~ml!nt IIIW I,.. ilable to our ('UI'Tt'SpOrKkn l on Monw) III Abuja by his SIJeI!lal Assistanl (Mtdia IItd Slra l ~t)t Dr Olub~"OI."" Oydt')~ di.sdo8ed th15 durin! 1M Jusl ronch lded :JSlh session oflhe gO'lmlinJ, council 0( IFAD in ROIl)e. tuly lie said in ordcr 10 erntt jobs and ellsun! a more b.1lanced K'(lIIomic Affl"th, III(' !u~nnmenl woukl bt- re(atMln, on the R,rlcultural sedlJll', addin" ·Our V;:;toll is 10 Il10\'(' ,..Ig....... to IM!'c:'OlOe an l&Ji!'tlilurally mdnstrlali-t KOtlOIIIV. t'l aerie wealth, JObs and ma- keu for farnl('tS, nnd 10 rt"Vi\ "(' the runt! econOIll) • Adeo;in:1 s;,id lhe J,(n'('mnM:nI had devr:loprd a \'islOn 2020 flrn lqy 10 nuke Nig"IUI 00f' of the lop 20 ('C'OIlOIIHt'S m the ~"OI'k!
ilE Presickncy on Mondiry demell rqlOftS IM I PresKie:nt Goodluck Jona than had saki til(' Subsidv Rdn\'('Strnrnl and 1.l11pG\-'rrnlCHl progl'llllnl(' had bern jetllSOned TIl(' Presidenl had reportedly saki It ttlt' 58th NahorW F..x«uth'e Com mittee meellllg o( tiN! I'eople!i l)emocr.tl!c I'arty on February 20 that the SURE I~nrnunr Wll'5 110 longer rea lisalHt' as ongi nnll) planned ~~ or the partNiIfe\'('rsal of the lotal relOO\'lIIl of 6ubsKly on I'etrol.
T
Howe'\'('f', in a statement by the Spcaal AdV1Rr to the Presidrnl on Media and l>ubhoty, Dr. Reuben Aba ll, the Presidt'IIC\- saKi the reporu ~ Ulltrue The ml('fT1('1I1 dt'scribed the I'('porU as a delibente misreslT't5t'litatioli of Jonatlian's COIlIIlJ('nts II
•
J ana th an V1S} ""tS exp \a d ed Ch eVlan " f act"\"ty 1
Aba" saki, "As has beronl(' the pattern by some political I)lJlldits. Wh06C definitIOn of opposloon is 10 uooenllint: any "ood l)()jicy IIllllal!\"- 0( the Fede~1 Go\'('mmenl, then! has bt'en It delibenrle IIIlSreprest'ntatKJ(l of Ihe comments b~ PresKient Goodluck Jonathan at Ihe 58th Nallonal F.xccut!\'e COlllmitt~ of IhIe Peos11es l)ernocralic Part\' all February 20, 2012 on ltlt' issue of rt"Viewtng the SURE pror,nrlllln(, -llentt, il has been aUqed thai the Ftderal (jo\'('rnm('nt has ab.1ndoned or is alt~n lJuIIg 10 trulM:ale the Subsidy Reill\"(':5Imcnl and EmpoW'ennent progrnnllll(' • The stltten~t said Jonathan only mcanl Ihat the Pf'O&I'Imnl(' wouk! lIa\'(' 10 be: 1'('\1ewt'd. m View or the gO'o'('rnul(':nt's lIIabilil\' to full) 1'('100\'(' pdrol
subsidy The pro&ramnl(', acrording lolhe Presidency, was based un tile total renaO\.. lofsubsidy. Abatl saKI.. -AI no lime did Pfesid~11 Goodluck Jonalhan said Ih"t the Federal ~men l had alMndoned the SURE pfOl!.ramme Whal hesaid In his openi nJ, remarks al lhe nl('('ung Ias1 ~m was thai the full imll\erm-ntalioll 0( gO'o'('f1Jment's palhalh't'!l to cushion Ihe nez,ali\"C effcelli of the fud subsidy relllO\..I, Il.'li eontained in the origmal SURE programlTt(' ~..s no ktlller feasible and ",'OOld be rC\'lC\\'ed in \iew or Ihe partial rather than full reltlO\..J of lhe subsidy all pelrol 111t' SURE programme "'..s Ilredkaled on a polit)· olrull derqulaltOn as stated III die SURE dOCUlTlCH1 releast'd 10 tiN! general publIC. 1I<no't'Ver, dll(' 10
",idely 11l~
publicised
the
C\,(,IIl!i
ronlmenec~t
of full dt'rqulalion, the gO'o'('nllnenl, allera S('ries or nqol.l lIllOM with orpniscd labour, reduced the pulllp p~ or pelrol lie addtd, ~lt, therefore, rollows lhat the fuods thai we.re (':Ipt'Cltd 10 ac'CfU(' from full derqulation WIll no longer attnle Since tIl(': policy 0( full derqulaho n was stepped down rOf' Ihe tllnehemg. - nlis lIew realllY inrol med the Preskient's dired.i\'e thai lhe onginll SURg llrognmme dClCullIenlJl already circulated 10 Ihe public be Withdrawn In ordt'l' not 10 P\"t: the publIC fAlse expt'ClallOfis • lie added, -for tl105e " 'ho an! st.11I in doubt. let it be slreMecl thlll lhe Or. Chnslopher Kolade c:omnul!('(' chal'led Wllh ilnlMementing the SURE
who ImlJaCted 1>f.'OPIe of Koiuama IO''('rnmttlts ~I1)('51i 10 address the eO\1ronrm- nl al problems III ItIt' area also dlrecttd thr Naho nal Emef'J,VlC)' Man.. r,ement Agency to dlStnbule relief malenals to the affected rornmumtldJ 10 al~le pl'Ofnised
til('
Ade m o l a A la "';ye
D EPOSIT
MOIlC\ljebu and Remo dl\1Slons or Ogun Stile, whICh ~ shul on Thursday followlIIr, an attack on one of ItIt''"; hne yet to opell 10 t'\L'itorm-nii Our corT!:5pon<ienl plhered from workel"'l of Ihe different banks Ihal the decision 10 dO&f.' down wu laun by the Bankers Forum in Ihesl.ale rollowi!l& incessant auacb by Ifmed robbers since JUrH!' III.SI
Hanb
· Weplln l('ItrlW lhesi7Jf.'
today tn
aboul S]I)uiMl ~ year by 2030: he $Ik1 SI5m a lOt) pCI' cellt increa..'It' O"-'e!' Ill(' rqular $5m, "hidl N~ IIOf11lall), rJ\~ Ie. IFAD TIlls is 1I~ mnlh lime lh.,. r~1 (;(n'('nlnleul ,,'OUk! be malinl ('Ofltr,ootions 10 I FAD for the Itp enlSlllncnt of ilJl re!iOUrct"f; 1'be minislt'r said that the ptoSpl'd ('( "gncultun! to Ihe "IobaJ (CUnonlY alMi nalional dp\'l'IOIImenl was \·en bright in I;i ;eria. Ill' said. ~igena'5 t'aNlOI'ny 1.5 otl(' of the fastest !"'-">'in,. ililhe world, groW1llg by -f per cent annually,loo II s l'>tOjedtd lhal Ni3ma Will becomr ItIt' fifth Ia",,,",, roUlltry III Ihe wodd by !!O,SO alkl the brJ,est et'olOf'l"'" in ACtio ln' 2015 • Alriculturc 15 \'t'fY importa.nt forNij\~na, whe1't' II ronlributf.'S It Iwr CIeI'II ol the GJ)P ,!tad Cvt'l' 10 prr ecnt of all '-'tulle VTTlcnt. ~
Nlleru t.mllttd 1be Presdent,
Banks I'cnlain shut in Ogun over security concel·ns
b)' 2020
}'etl1
rel('ast'd to Ihe pubhc. Mt'anwhile. th(' President sud 00 Monday that Ihe Ft'dt'nl (jo\'t'mment was comnulted 10 addressml Ihe en\11'Oflme.lllal problf.'lns resulllllJ, from oil ~pIontlOO alMi production 111 tM NI&er Drill rq;1OO Jon-11Mn J,;n'e tit(' III KoIuama assuranc:e commuml)', Soulht'rn IJaw Local ~nllll(':nt Area, Ha)'ei511 State, ..... h~1 he \islltd the ~pb:lf'd p ! .....ell head bdon~ml 10 Chevron
~rph&hu
of tM allicul!l ral M'dor frolll Iht 1'leieIlt le\"t:1 of $99bn l)Cr
IlfO&I':Imme IS still al work ndhM lbee d' banded
a ", ~SUR£n ~_. ," WI(,8fl('\\' ~1I1(' 1I h contamml t.he mit"'l't'd IMlliali\'eS will ~ bt"
III
,..,
The
The (orum rompnses of branch manalers of alilhe
rq't'('$('nl~
~
~
• ChUirnKltl, l'i'sqfqrH!' Commutlirotiolls Umlted. rom"onll during the 4th o,mit't'rsory ojlh(' company 1/1
Nigeria to earn N3-49bn daily from Usan field S llIlIley Opura
'TVf'At.'S Usall or! field,
~ willch ronllnenct!d llroduel.ion on Frida)', is e'Cpcdeli to generate for Ill(' """nil) an mcome of $22.25m (N3.49bn) daily with ilJi callaoly to produce 180,000 barl't'is per day of crude or! Ba'>eIJ on $ 12361 price T)('I' baml at an exchange rale nr NISi prr dollar as at Monday. the cOtmtl) t~ expec.led 10 make 0\'('1' N34tJbn daily from lhe
lield Total. which OJ)('I'ItcsOiI r. hni llJ, Lease 138.tlehvered the I'mJed a5 scheliuled
USlIn ill the 5«Ond det'p offshore dt"'t'lopmeni operaleli b, Iht' romll3n~' in Nigeria, roming on st.rc.1m I~ Ihan thret' )'('8rs lifter
180,000 barrels per day Iud with I cnld.. stonr;e c:aINlClty of two million
""po.
Iht' IIchiC''('Iuenl, the Presidenl , F..xploratlQn and Production. TOCal. loll' "~'(':5-LouIS Darricarrere, Aid on FndlY, - I am partKularl) proud 10 InnounC'e Slart-up of this mllJOl' project logelher With the concession holder, lhe NiJ,enan NaltOlial Pet~cum CoqlOrallon This projecl demonslrales Ihe abilitv o( Total. a kll!\
The coun try cUl'n.'lllly Inoouces O\'('f' 2.5 million blKl or enlde od and condellsall' ]M!I day l)l5CO\'erecl In 200:1, tIl(' Uqn fteld ht'S lround 100 kilometres off the South East NII"nan coast III Wiler delllhs ranyns from ";"50 mell'eS to 850 melres The Uun dt'\'e!opmenl romprises I sprt'ad moored F'oalinS ProdllCtion, Siorale and Offloadlllg \es5e:1 dc."'lgm 1 to process
baITt'is. Camlllenllns
on
ol'~ratoro(Ia~e-scaled('('J)
offshore dt'\'('lopmcnlJl III the Gulf ofGulllea, 10 lead
ambitious projects thai ....·iII contribute to increase l'roductlOn for ItIt' &roup and for the t'O'.lnlry local. as 01)('1'11101', has inlrodllced 8 number o f t«hnologic:al IIII1O\'ItlOns, among wtrKh IS I 5OIuhon thai drastically reduces gas narlllS and thus mmrnll5C':!l tile IIrojot'Cl'S en\'lronmental Impact The dt'\'('ioprm-nl of U$111 has nl\''Oh'fti a record 60 ]M!r cenl of local ronl~nt man-hours Ind Ihus lias ronlribuled to st rengthelling the knowhowofthe Nigerian indust!), in til(' area ol tl\'drocarbon exploitation m the deqJ offshore
DMUs lind mlcl'ofinanee banks m lhe "lite One of the b.1nkef'C, who plC.1det.l nOl to Iw n.. ,,1t'd beause he ....."'s nol pennilted to '<ll('ak offiCially. told our con't'5JlOndenl thai the workers had agreed to Slay a .....l1\' from work unlll the SI .. le 100'('mnlt'nl pl'O\'ldffi adequale SKunl)' for thcm ~We
ha\~
""'"
expenencm& th~ robberies ..inre Jun e lasl )'ear In Oclober lasl )'('ar, they came to Ago IwO)e and robbed fi\~ banks at • 10, We met III(' &M"t:TlIOr Ind he promlSC!d to providt' better seeurit)', InIlO\lrecl tanls and palrol \'('hKies After a while. tliqo struck and robbed (our b.1nks .pUlln a Slnr,leallack, and jusl last "''('t'k, tht'l robbed anotherbank In IJeOO JJ,bo, he lamented