Joe Keshi:
Elombah is talking about Nnewi. Take the issue of Aba, where there are as many or even more industries than Nnewi. Prof. Bart Nnaji has been STRUGGLING to get his ring-fenced Geometric Power to be allowed to begin for the past eleven years....but all kinds of "vested political interests" - including people right there in Igbo-land - have been preventing him... Even GEJ tried to intervene at the last minute, with l- leading to Bart being "stepped aside."
This issue was one of the first that the PMB administration intervened on....And now with Governor Ikpeazu working hard to repair Aba roads, my Aba/Umungasi axis will come alive again - "Ikpeazu is working! PMB is working!"
And Nnewi will also work, eziokwu.
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
Finally, NERC, BPE validate Geometric Power's right over Aba
Oscarline Onwuemenyi 23 July 2015, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) have both validated the rights of Geometric Power Aba Limited, to generate, transmit and distribute power to and within the Aba and Ariaria districts in Abia State.
Prof. Barth Nnaji
This is coming after months of legal wrangling between Geometric and another private power firm, Interstate Electrics, over who owns the rights to operate in the area.
Interstate Electrics, which won the the recent power privatisation bid for the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, which covers the Enugu-Abia-Imo zone, had insisted that Geometric is shut out of the Aba area in which it has already invested over $500 million in building a 200 megawatts power plant.
Interstate has consistently ignored existing agreements between the Federal Government and Geometric, vesting on the latter, the rights to generate and distribute power in Aba unhindered.
In a letter reference number NERC/01/CH/SEC/13/305 and signed by Chairman of NERC, Sam Amadi said, "It is important to reiterate for the benefit of doubt, the existence of a legally valid and binding lease agreement dated April 28, 2005 between the Federal Government of Nigeria, Geometric Power Aba Limited, Aba Power Ltd and PHCN.
"While the encumberance on the property purchased by EEDC is unrelated to the issue of ownership of EEDC, Interstate Electrics as the new owner is legally bound to respect the lease agreement which it is inheriting along with the purchase of EEDC."
In a similar statement, BPE which is charged with conducting the privatisation programme, also acknowledged that "Aba Power Limited (owned by Geometric) has a subsisting contract to generate, transmit and distribute power in the Aba and Ariaria districts of Enugu Disco for 20 years. We are not aware that Interstate has denied the existence of the lease agreement."
The crisis began when Geometric which is expected to turn on the lights at its Aba plant, successfully negotiated a N15bn investment deal to help mitigate the debt that has piled up as a result of delays in streaming the plant.
Interstate surprisingly put out a public notice seeking to scare away investors from Geometric by asserting its rights over Aba in total disregard of the existing contracts and the recent ruling of aHigh Court which also validated Geometric's lease agreement with the Federal Government.
In a statement yesterday, Geometric denounced the ploys by Interstate to continue to deny the people of Aba improved power supply by frustrating the take off of the Geometric plant.
The company restated that the two rights it secured from the Federal Government in 2005, long before the privatisation of the Enugu Disco was contemplated, gives it a 20 year lease over the assets, as well as vesting on it the first right of purchase of the assets, should the Federal Government decide to sell.
In attempts to resolve the long standing dispute between Geometric and Interstate, the Federal Government and its agencies set up eight committees at different times to study the matter and at the end of each of the work by the committees, Geometric's rights were validated, but on each occasion, Interstate has ignored the recommendations of the committees.
Former Vice President Namadi Sambo was fingered as using his office to perpetrate Interstate's push to deny Geometric the chance to put on the lights in Aba and bring and end to the darkness in the region.
A senior presidency official confirmed that the Buhari administration was closely following the ugly developments in Aba and that it "will clean up the mess in a short time because the good people of Aba deserve better.
"We sense a form of economic sabotage in this. If a company with a legal contract is able to provide power to a people held down by darkness, why should any one attempt to stop it?" asked the official, speaking in Abuja on condition that he is not named.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan received calls from well meaning Nigerians to ensure that he resolved the Geometric/Aba Power issue with Interstate Electric before leaving office on May 29, 2015.
It will be recalled that the week preceding the presidential election, Jonathan visited the Aba Power plant and marveled at the huge investment made by Geometric Power. He said the problem was "man-made" and promised to resolve all the pending issues that have prevented Geometric Power/Aba Power Limited from turning on their plant that would have enabled the myriad of businesses and residents of Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, enjoy constant power supply.
Jonathan admitted that "the Aba Power Project was well planned and would change the face of Aba in terms of power supply, especially as the city is highly industralised, with so many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that need stable power supply to grow better, and create more jobs for our people."
A number of Igbo groups had called on President Muhammad Buhari to promptly bring an end to the ploy by Interstate Electrics, owners of the Enugu Disco to shut down the Geometric power located in Aba.
On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 4:44 PM, 'Joe. Keshi' via naijaintellects <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com> wrote:
To a large extent, Bolaji is right and you know it. Successive governments in Nigeria over the years have sabotaged themselves by succumbing to vested interests
Sent from my iPad
On Jan 23, 2016, at 4:18 PM, "'elombah daniel' via USA Africa Dialogue Series" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:Professor Bolaji Aluko keep deceiving himself.Which local manufacturers?Many Nnewi Industries have shed their work force by up to 50%
From: Chiwuikem Ihediwa <chiwuikem@hotmail.com>
To: "africanworldforum@googlegroups.com" <africanworldforum@googlegroups.com>; "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Cc: NaijaPolitics e-Group <naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com>; Yahoo! Inc. <nigerianworldforum@yahoogroups.com>; "nigerianid@yahoogroups.com" <nigerianid@yahoogroups.com>; Yahoo! Inc. <yanarewa@yahoogroups.com>; Ra'ayi Riga <raayiriga@yahoogroups.com>; "omoodua@yahoogroups.com" <omoodua@yahoogroups.com>; therealsegun <therealsegun@yahoo.com>; ekiti ekitigroups <ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com>; "naijaintellects@googlegroups.com" <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2016 3:12 PM
Subject: RE: BUHARI-NATION: CBN forex policy: Production capacity, sales leap by 50% for local manufacturers { Re: On the Matter of Articulation of PMB's Economic Goals - As I I Understand Them [Re: [africanworldforum] What are the economic goals of PMB?
"If certain policies are kept in place in Nigeria for four to eight years - and complemented with proactive measures - without panic or succumbing to the blackmail of vested interests, our country will see a huge turn-around in our economy."... VC Aluko
Professor Aluko, so you know this and you are here celebrating this mediocre (Buhari's) mentality as if Nigeria started in May, 2015. Jumping up and down for the dismantling of all economic activities setup by Jonathan and administrations before him. You are here gyrating for the destruction of studies that could have guided Nigeria's economic progression.
Defending a non policy as policy. So you know government is a continuum, you know policies should be kept for four to eight years, so you are aware that you build on, you add on, complement with proactive measures without panic. You know that blackmail should not be part of governance. So you know that there will be periods of painful adjustment.
Prof if I have not been following you in the past, I could have said that you are wicked. But I will not say so. I know you are a good man because you left your job here in the US to go home to help for that I will always respect you. But please advise them properly. If you know so much please tell them the truth, let them focus on governance and leave the past to history.
Chiwuikem
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2016 04:10:29 +0100
Subject: BUHARI-NATION: CBN forex policy: Production capacity, sales leap by 50% for local manufacturers { Re: On the Matter of Articulation of PMB's Economic Goals - As I I Understand Them [Re: [africanworldforum] What are the economic goals of PMB?
From: alukome@gmail.com
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
CC: africanworldforum@googlegroups.com; naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com; nigerianworldforum@yahoogroups.com; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com; yanarewa@yahoogroups.com; raayiriga@yahoogroups.com; omoodua@yahoogroups.com; therealsegun@yahoo.com; ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com; naijaintellects@googlegroups.comQUOTEAs in China, the first effort should be to RAMP up.... products as IMPORT SUBSTITUTES to prevent use of scarce foreign reserves. We should be talking of BOTH preserving foreign reserves (by import substitution) and EARNING them (through exports. - Bolaji AlukoUNQUOTEMy People:If certain policies are kept in place in Nigeria for four to eight years - and complemented with proactive measures - without panic or succumbing to the blackmail of vested interests, our country will see a huge turn-around in our economy.Yes, there will be periods of painful adjustments,Let us pray....Bolaji Aluko___________________________________________________________SUN NEWS ONLINEIndigenous manufacturers in Nigeria say they have recorded a 50% leap in production capacity as demand and sales for some of the locally made goods have risen in recent months, a trend they attribute to the recent Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy on foreign exchange.The manufacturers, at a press briefing held at the premises of Obasanjo Farms in Ota, Ogun State yesterday lauded the CBN policy describing it as the "greatest game changer for the fortunes of local manufacturers." They also insisted that the apex bank should resist blackmail attempts by Nigerians, notably from importers, to rescind the policy, even in the immediate future.The briefing was done on behalf of the Ota based manufacturers by Messrs Nassos Sidirofagis, a Greek, and Managing Director of Tempo Food, Paper Pulp and Packaging Limited and Oluwasesan Taiwo-Tijani, a Nigerian, who is Managing Directors of Sren Chemicals Limited and Polymer Packaging Limited.The two manufacturers noted that with demand and sales leaping above the usual, there had been a corresponding increase in the production capacities of local companies as well as fresh employment opportunities created for citizens. "In the last three years, it was really so difficult for us to operate at our full capacity and =--
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