NSCDC deploys 30,000 personnel for Easter

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Yusuf

Gagdi, the member representing Pankshin/Kanam/ Kanke Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives and speakership aspirant for the 10th Assembly has promised to correct some anomalies in the country’s budget.

According to him, he intends to stop reinitiation of projects not completed in a budget cycle in another appropriation document due to political intention, thereby wasting taxpayers’ money.

The chairman, House committee on Navy said this while briefing journalists after interaction with Alex Otti, the Abia state governor-elect and House of Representatives members-elect on the platform of Labour Party (LP) as well other stakeholders in Enugu state.

The lawmaker promised to be a speaker for all Nigerians irrespective of religious, ethnic and political differences; promote good legislation, justice and progress of the country.

Gagdi said for fairness and equity, the position of the speaker in the 10th Assembly be zoned to the north-central even as he promised to adhere to the decision of his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The former deputy speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly said who announced that he will be flagging off his campaign between April 25 and 30, said he has visited 24 governors across the country about his ambition.

“Yesterday I commenced my public engagements which I have visited Lagos to meet with Governor-elect Abia state and members of Labour Party. Abia has seven members from the Labour Party in the House of Representatives. From there I flew to Enugu to engage and have interaction with state party chairman of Labour Party as well as the governorship candidate of Labour Party in Enugu state.

“Those are important for me because someone will wonder why this aspirant for speakership going to visit a governorship candidate that was just declared a governor. Engaging a governor who has majority in the House of Representatives is important.

“Yesterday was the first public engagement I had but silently I have visited 24 governors across the country. I am looking at the 25th of this month to 30th to flagoff my campaign.

“I intend to stop initiation of proliferation of projects. Project will commence with tax payers money and it won’t be completed, another similar project will be initiated due to political intention. That is what is wasting taxpayers money.

“I have intentions to correct these, in the area of justice I feel I’m from the north-central and the region deserves to be speaker if you are zoning it to northern Nigeria.

It’s only north central that has not produced speaker in the past years.

“I want to be speaker for the Nigerian people. I don’t want to be regional speaker. God’s willing I will be speaker for the Nigerian people irrespective of tribe, religion. I will be speaker that my primary responsibility is to add value to the people of this county.

“The qualities that I will expect from the next speaker is capacity, sincerity, honesty and commitment. I want to see a just speaker. A speaker that will protect the interest of the people of all the geopolitical formations in Nigeria irrespective of population and what have you,” he stated.

Determinedto ensure a hitchfree Easter celebration, the Commandant General (CG) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has ordered the deployment of 30,000 personnel from FCT, states, zonal commands and the National headquarters to beef up security across the country.

NSCDC in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson Olusola Odumosu said the CG gave this order at the National Headquarters, Abuja, while addressing personnel on the need for effective policing of the nation against any atrocious activities of dangerous elements planning to cause breakdown of law and order.

He directed all Special Forces in the Corps such as the Armed Squad, CG’s Special Intelligence Squad, CG’s Special Anti- vandal monitoring Squad, CG’s Marine monitoring unit, Special Female Squad, Diretorate of Intelligence and Investigation (DII), RRS, Agro Rangers, SWAT, K9, Counter Terrorism unit and CBRNE to join forces with the regular officers to ensure a hitch-free celebration across the country.

“As the Easter celebration approaches, I want to see massive deployment of personnel everywhere in the country.

“All special forces and regular officers must go all out to protect lives and properties of citizens.

“You must look out for criminals, hoodlums and mischief makers seeking to compromise the integrity of the country and deal decisively with them,” CG said.

Audi explained that the massive deployment will cover all public utilities, suspected flashpoints, worship centres, markets, recreational facilities, shopping malls, parks, gardens and other crowded locations.

He stressed that the tight security measures being put in place is to protect lives, infrastructures and prevent any occurence of national emergencies given reports of various political agitations and planned protests in different parts of the country.

“Reports have it that some people want to take advantage of the Easter celebration to cause breakdown of law and order, chaos and destruction of critical national assets in the name of election protests and other political agitations but we will not allow that to happen.

“You must prevent any unlawful gathering, assembly or protests which failed to obtain necessary permission from the police which is the lead agency in internal security.

“You must also ensure proper synergy with other security agencies to forestall any threat to the peace of the nation.

“Note that I will not tolerate any excuse for failure, so, ensure you quell any form of insecurity in sights to sustain the relative peace the nation is currently enjoying, CG charged.

He added that the Corps will be working in collaboration with other security agencies and no stone would be left unturned in ensuring that adequate security is provided and sustained in the country.

The Corps helmsman congratulates all Christians in the country on the celebration of Christ’s ressurection and charged them to pray for peace, progress of the nation and a successful transition of power to the incoming government.

He warned holiday makers to celebrate in moderation and be law abiding in their activities, urging them to assist security agencies by giving timely and credible information to nip crime in the bud.

CARB International, yesterday in Lagos

NUPRC issues operators ultimatum to resolve host community trust issues

TheNigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has given operators of the Oil Mining Lease 42 (OML 42) two weeks ultimatum to resolve the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) issues.

NUPRC said if the oil operators failed to comply with its directives, they would be sanctioned in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Captain John Tonlagha, Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Communities (HSEC), NUPRC, gave the directive in Abuja at the NUPRC’s meeting with the operators and OML 42 Community Forum.

The NEPL and NECONDE Energy Ltd. are operators of the OML 42 under Joint Ventures (JV).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 14 host communities including Odidi, Egwa, Kantu, Ajuju, Omamominogho and Jones Creek among others, made up the OML 42 which have four wells/assets and located in Delta State.

The PIA mandates the incorporation of host communities’ development trust by companies/settlors under the PIA which is to be done within a particular timeframe.

NAN gathered that the companies/ operators had failed to engage the communities or set up Board of Trustee (BoT) members to be approved in principle by regulators and registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission

(CAC) with due process.

Tonlagha explained that the worried OML 42 community forum had complained that the operators had not registered the host communities in line with the provisions of chapter three of the PIA.

He said the operators were supposed to have done the registration with the CAC but were yet to do that while other operators had submitted their HCDT for vetting.

“The communities are worried, so we had to bring everybody together to see ways to help by ensuring that the lingering issues are tackled,” he said.

He said after the registration, the communities would be able to derive the three per cent benefit of the host community development trust fund which was meant for them as part of the shareholders.

He expressed displeasure over the delay by the operators, adding that the delay and lingering issues were at the detriment of the communities.

“We have given them two weeks to incorporate the host community development trust fund and appoint the Trust’s Board of Trustee, if they failed to do that after two weeks we might be forced to sanction them,” Tonlagha said.

Meanwhile, the representatives of the host communities had expressed worry over the negligence on incorporation of the host communities development trust by the operators and lack of infrastructural development in the communities.

NAN also gathered that the host communities are proposing to have a different HCDT BoT for each of the four oil fields.

The OML 42 community forum Chairman, Windfree Atemubaghan who sued for peace said it was time the operators realised that the project was community based adding that host communities had suffered due to serious tussle between NEPL and NECONDE.

“Lack of understanding and agreement between the partners is affecting the development of our communities negatively in view of the PIA implementation.

“We appeal to the regulators to expedite action and resolve these matters because we will not want to shut the asset down because if we do so, it will not be beneficiary to our society and country,” he said.

Chief Samson Oyimi, Public Relations Officer, OML 42 community forum, said the oil wells could produce over 100,000 barrel oil per day still the communities trust were not incorporated while three per cent fund had not been implemented.

“The operators are dragging the payment to the expense of the oil communities,” he said.

Oyimi, while calling for a lasting solution, decried the fact that the operator/settlor of the OML continued to drag issues without any positive outcome to benefit the communities.

Amb. Billy Ekele, Chairman,

Omamominogho Community, decried that the Federal Government has made a law to develop Niger Delta region but the companies operating in the region were not complying to the law hence the attention of the regulatory agencies were needed.

“Oil exploration continues to go on but communities’ development is poor. We are crying out to the world to come and help us,” Ekele said.

The NEPL’s representative said it had engaged its partners as a strategy for implementing the PIA, adding that the PIA implementation strategy brought out complex issues in the joint ventures.

The company said the issues it had with the NECONDE Energy Ltd. were numerous and not limited to the PIA implementation, adding that they could not be resolved ordinarily rather with serious involvement of NECONDE management.

Also speaking, the representative of NECONDE said there were some engagements prior to the PIA implementation, adding that it would like to see the process close out for peaceful oil production, communal prosperity and economic growth.

The company said the misunderstanding between the NEPL and its consultant called Amaranta that had been interfacing on its behalf with the communities prior to PIA also contributed to the delay. (NAN)