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Bill Clinton counters Jonathan - insists poverty behind boko haram insurgency

Bill Clinton counters Jonathan, insists poverty behind Boko Haram, Ansaru insurgency
Former US President, Bill Clinton

From Premiumtimes
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday Nigeria’s challenge of terrorism in the north was being fuelled by extreme poverty that increases by the day, an evaluation he once offered during a previous visit to Nigeria. It is also an evaluation Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan hates to hear.
Mr. Clinton said Nigerian leaders must share the country’s resources equitably, and develop the country’s human resources to stem extremism that has seen bombings, shootings and abductions escalate mainly in the northern states where extremist groups, Boko Haram, and Ansaru, thrive.
“You have to somehow bring economic opportunity to the people who don’t have it. You have all these political problems — and now violence problems — that appear to be rooted in religious differences and all the rhetoric of the Boko Harams and others. But the truth is the poverty rate in the north is three times of what it is in Lagos,” the former president said.
Mr. Clinton remark must have irritated President Jonathan who has repeatedly dismissed poverty or misrule as responsible for the surging terrorism and violent crimes in the North of Nigeria.
In his recent infamous interview with  CNN’s Christian Amanpour, Mr. Jonathan vehemently objected to the suggestion that widespread poverty, massive corruption and misrule were the possible root causes of terrorism in Nigeria.
“Boko Haram is not as a result of misrule; definitely not,” an agitated Mr. Jonathan said during the interview. “And sometimes people feel like it is a result of poverty; definitely not. Boko Haram is a local terror group.”
But Mr. Clinton said clearly Tuesday, not minding the discomfort his comment might cause the Nigerian government, that the administration will have to cut down inequality and lift more people out of poverty if it truly wants to eradicate extremism.
He said Nigeria needs to adopt a political structure that gives more power to the local and state governments, to decentralize governance and deliver prosperity to the rural areas.
“You have about three big challenges. First of all, like 90 per cent of the countries who have one big resource, you have a number of ways with your own money. It shows you have different ways. Now you are at least not wasting the natural gas, you are developing and selling it through the pipelines. You have to do better job of managing the natural resources,” Mr. Clinton said.
 “Secondly, you have to somehow bring economic opportunities to the people who don’t have. This is not a problem specific to Nigeria. In almost every place in the world, prosperity is heavily concentrated in and around urban areas.
“You have to have both powerful state and local governments and a national policy that work together.
“If you just keep trying to divide the power if you will, into loosening strategy, you have to figure out a way to have a strategy that will help share the prosperity.”
The former U.S. president has raised similar observation in his past visits to Nigeria, only to draw criticisms for them, with many challenging the assessment as not reflecting the Nigerian reality.
While analysts agree poverty thrives in the country, they argue that it affects every part of the country and as such cannot be cited as a justification for regional extremism.
He spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun state on Tuesday where he attended the ThisDay newspaper award. The event was also attended by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo amongst other dignitaries.
The event witnessed a dramatic start as guests protested a call by the moderator for the rendition of the American National Anthem, before Nigeria’s.
Guests were already seated when the award organizer, Nduka Obaigbena, publisher of Thisday Newspapers; and the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; ushered in Mr. Clinton. Then, the Master of Ceremony announced that the American Anthem was to be played followed by the Nigerian anthem.
Guests swiftly kicked against the move, demanding that Nigeria’s go first.
A change was effected. The Nigeria national anthem was sung, followed by Ogun State anthem while the American anthem was eventually dropped.

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18TH CENTURY VERSUS 21ST CENTURY: BALANCING NIGERIA'S PREPAREDNESS FOR AN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION





Columnist: Daniel Chimezie Uzoigwe


1.     INTRODUCTION
1.0  WHAT IS INDUSTRIALIZATION?
In Economics, the term industrialization is usually used to connote a condition marked by an increase in the importance of industry to an economy. The process of industrialization describes the transition from an agricultural society to one based on industry. It is argue that during the process of industrialization, per capita income (level of income per person) rises and productivity levels also increase.

1.1  WHAT IS THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION


The term industrial Revolution (IR) is usually used in economic thought to describe the widespread replacement of manual labour by machines that began in Britain in the 18th century and is still continuing in some parts of the World. According to Mokyr (2001), the industrial revolution is argued to have taken place roughly from 1760 to 1830. The revolution consisted of a set of technological, economic and economic and social changes that in the long run revolutionized not just the British economy but the rest of Western Europe, North America and eventually much of the rest of the World.
The most immediate changes of the industrial revolution were in d nature of production; what was produced, as well as where and how.
1.2  WHAT STIMULATED THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The industrial revolution began in Great Britain because social, political, and legal conditions there were particularly favourable to change. There were particularly important improvements in transportation, such as faster ships, and communication, especially printing which played a key role in the development of the industrial revolution.
There were spectacular changes in industry and as Stigler (1965) would argue, iron and steel manufacture, the production of steam engines, and textiles were all powerful influences on Britain’s industrialization experience.
However, Derry and Williams (1987) argue that the industrial revolution was stimulated by factors remote from technology including the fact that there was no civil strife in England, the presence of a large middle class and the fact that government favoured trade.
1.3  IMPACT OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The industrial revolution is called a revolution because it changed society both significantly and rapidly. Over the course of history, it is arguable that the industrial revolution is one of the most spectacular events in global history.
As economic activities in many communities moved from agriculture to manufacturing, production shifted from its traditional locations in the home and small workshops to factories. Stigler (1965) argues that the overall amount of goods and services produced expanded dramatically, and the proportion of capital invested per worker grew.
In the long run, the industrial revolution brought economic improvement for most people in England with improved health and greater prosperity to people especially in the middle and upper classes of society. Specifically, we can follow Derry and Williams (1987) to argue that the industrial revolution:
        i.            Made industry to grow four times faster
      ii.            Changed all aspects of society including manufacturing
    iii.            Transformed social classes and
   iv.            Ensured higher standard of living for most.
2. A SITUATION ANALYSIS
2.0 WHY INDUSTRIALIZATION IS CRITICAL TO NIGERIA’S DEVELOPMENT
Industrialization has been known to be associated with growth in real per capita income and overall output growth hence, the maxim that manufacturing is the engine of growth. As a developing country, Nigeria needs industrialization to ensure wealth creation, reduce poverty and inequality gap including Nigeria’s back-aching unemployment level.

2.1 NIGERIA’S EXPERIENCE WITH INDUSTRIALIZATION
Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has made several efforts at industrialization. Even before independence, efforts were made to industrialize the Nigerian economy but these efforts were unco-ordinated and half-hearted (Ahmed, 2005).
The Nigerian government recognizes that industrialization is critical to national economic development and have put up policy measures aimed at industrializing the national economy.
2.2 NIGERIA’S INDUSTRIAL POLICY MEASURES SINCE 1960
To facilitate Nigeria’s industrial development, the Nigerian government has made a lot of efforts aimed at making the country an industrialized economy. Some of these efforts at industrialization include:
         I.            In the 1967-70 period, Nigeria pursued primarily a policy of industrialization based on import substitution.
       II.            From 1974 to 1980, the industrialization strategy changed swiftly from assemblage plants to heavy duty industrial structures.
    III.            The establishment of the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) and the Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI) were all aimed at promoting Nigeria’s industrialization.
    IV.            The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) credit guidelines prescribed high allocation of credit to the industrial sector.
      V.            The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of 1986 was aimed at diversifying Nigeria’s economic base including the productive sector of the economy.
    VI.            In 2009, the Federal Government, through the Bank of Industry (BOI) launched the N100 billion textile and garment industry revival fund.
 VII.            The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has made efforts at ensuring Nigeria’s industrialization.
2.2.1 NIGERIA’S INDUSTRIAL POLICY OF 1988 AND THE BANK OF INDUSTRY
In 1988, Nigeria launched an industrial policy aimed at achieving an accelerated pace of industrial development for the country. The policy was principally targeted at increased export of manufactured goods and promotion of industrial development and national integration through industrial dispersal
In the same vein, the Bank of Industry was established to provide loanable funds to small and medium scale industrialists to facilitate Nigeria’s industrialization.
2.2.2 THE NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION PLAN
In 2012, the Ministry of Trade and Investment announced a plan for the Country’s industrialization. The plan is aimed at positioning and empowering the nation’s manufacturing sector as the key driver of economic growth through job creation.
However, it is very debatable how much these policies have actually imparted Nigeria’s industrialization.
3. AN EVALUATION
3.0 HOW MUCH PROGRESS HAS NIGERIA MADE TOWARDS INDUSTRIALIZATION
Nigeria’s manufacturing, mining and total industrial sectoral index experienced phenomenal growth till 1991, after which there was a nose-dive.
However, it is to be noted that the investments of oil Multi-national Corporations (MNCs) in the petroleum industry has impacted positively on Nigeria’s industrialization.
Aside the industrial growth experienced in the petroleum industry, manufacturing essentially has been on the decline. According to Iyoha (2005), for the decade of the 1990s, industrial output contributed a relative share of 49.6% to GDP. There is a rejoinder however and that is the fact that the high level of industrial contribution to GDP in the 1990s was essentially because of favourable oil prices. This is because for the same decade of the 1990s, the relative share of manufacturing production in GDP only managed to average an anaemic 4.96%. Nigeria’s manufacturing sector remains at the lowest ebb with the collapse of the iron and steel industry, the textiles industry leaving only the cement industry relatively active.
3.1 CHALLENGES TO NIGERIA’S INDUSTRIALIZATION
Despite Nigeria’s efforts at industrialization, the country has faced many challenges inhibiting industrialization. Ahmed (2005) identified some of these challenges to include:
       I.            High geographical concentration
     II.            High production cost
  III.            Low value added
  IV.            Low capacity utilization
    V.            High import content of industrial output, and
  VI.            Low level of foreign investment in manufacturing.
However, apart from these challenges, it is evident that incoherent and inconsistent policy of government towards industrialization has impacted the industrial sector negatively. This is just a way of saying that the government has not mustered enough political will to set Nigeria on the path of industrialization.
In the same vein, the power sector which is epileptic has not favoured Nigeria’s industrialization. Corruption and inefficiency in the management and subsequent privatization of our strategic iron and steel industry has left it in a comatose state.
3.2 18TH CENTURY VERSUS 21ST CENTURY: LESSONS FOR NIGERIA FROM THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE
Earlier on, we established that the industrial revolution began in Great Britain because social, political, and legal conditions were known to be particularly favourable to change.
Nigeria has a lot of lessons to learn from the European experience. The lesson here primarily is that Nigeria may not be able to experience her own industrial revolution until social, political and economic conditions become favourable to change.
A study of the British industrial revolution shows that the industrialization process was strategic and internally-driven. Nigeria has a lesson to learn from this as true industrialization can only come through the development of the local industry and not by seeking aid and grants that would be misapplied. The East Asian miracle is also a big lesson for Nigeria on how countries can develop their industrial capacity by looking inwards.
3.3 HOW CERTAIN IS NIGERIA’S PREPAREDNESS FOR AN INDUSTRIAL TAKE-OFF
Nigeria’s industrial take-off cannot be said to be certain since the government is not strategic and co-ordinated in its efforts to industrialize. The lack of political will to implement existing policies is also a big issue.
Moreover, the epileptic state of the power sector remains an albatross to Nigeria’s industrial take-off. Until, the power problem is fixed, Nigeria’s efforts at industrialization would remain a mirage.
4.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

4.0 THE WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA’S INDUSTRIALIZATION
For Nigeria to experience industrialization, conscious efforts must be made in this regard. Moreover, efforts at industrialization must be sincere and internally-driven. In the light of the above, the following recommendations are made:
       I.            Efforts should be made to fix the power sector to reduce the high cost of production in the manufacturing sub-sector of the industrial sector.
     II.            Government should promote the growth of small and medium scale industrial outfits as this will help fast track Nigeria’s industrialization.
  III.            Efforts at industrialization should be internally-driven. In this regard, Nigeria should learn from the experience of the East Asian Miracle.
  IV.            Efforts should generally be geared towards the promotion of research and development (R&D) as this is critical to industrialization.
    V.            Since the industrial revolution (IR) in England did not come from the English Universities but from the workshops, efforts should be made to increase vocational and technical education for the emergence of small and medium scale industrialists who would drive the much –needed industrial growth in Nigeria.
  VI.            Political, economic, legal and social factors must change for Nigeria’s industrialization to be possible,
VII.            There is need for promotion of public-private partnership (PPP) in the efforts at industrialization.
4.1 CONCLUSION
From our analysis above, we agree that the industrialization in England was successful because conditions in England were prepared for change and favourable to industrialization. In the Nigerian case however, apart from positive developments in the foreign investors-dominated petroleum industry and good progress in the cement industry, we find that broad socio-political conditions necessary for industrialization are not in place thereby casting doubt on the country’s preparedness to industrialize. As a matter of fact, the country has experienced de-industrialization in the very strategic iron and steel industry and the textile industry. This is the Nigerian experience at present and the verdict is that with what is on grounds at present, Nigeria’s preparedness for an industrial revolution is uncertain. It is however unfortunate that what England achieved as far back as the 18th century, Nigeria is not able to achieve in the 21st century.

7.0  References
Afolabi A.B (2008). Repositioning the Nigerian Economy through Scientific and Technological Innovations. Africa; Journal of contemporary Issues.
Clark,Gregory (2001). The Secret History of the Industrial Revolution. Department of Economics, UCD,CA 95616.
E.U Ahmed (2005): ‘ Development of Industry and Manufacturing.’ In Structure, Growth and Development of the Nigerian Economy. Mindex Publishers. Benin-City.
Iyoha, M. A (2005). ‘An Overview of Leading Issues in the Structure and Development of the Nigerian Economy since 1960.’ In Structure, Growth and Development of the Nigerian Economy. Mindex Publishers. Benin-City.
Joseph, Onipede (2010): Technology Development in Nigeria: the Nigerian Machine Tools Industry Experience. Department of General Studies, LAUTECH.
Porter,Glenn. ‘Industrial Revolution.’ Microsoft Encarta 2009(DVD). Redmond ,WA: Microsoft Corporation,2008.
Stigler,Joseph(1965). The Process and Progress of Economics. Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.
T.K Derry , T.I Williams (1987). A Short History of Technology.


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Facebook attacked by Hackers


Facebook logo

From the BBC.
Facebook has revealed it was the target of a "sophisticated attack" by hackers last month, but found no evidence any user data had been compromised.

The US-based social network said that the attack occurred when employees visited a mobile developer website "that was compromised".

Facebook said in a blog post that it was not the only company to have been attacked in this way.

More than one billion people use Facebook worldwide.

"Last month, Facebook security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack," the California-based company said.

"The attack occurred when a handful of employees visited a mobile developer website that was compromised."

Malware was downloaded on to its employees' laptops, the firm said, adding: "As soon as we discovered the presence of the malware, we remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement, and began a significant investigation that continues to this day."

"We have no evidence that Facebook user data was compromised in this attack," Facebook said in its blog post.

The firm went on to say that it was "not alone in this attack".

"It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well. As one of the first companies to discover this malware, we immediately took steps to start sharing details about the infiltration with the other companies and entities that were affected," Facebook said.

This is the latest attack by apparently sophisticated hackers targeting high-profile sites.

Twitter said earlier this month that the theft of 250,000 users' passwords, as well as usernames, emails and other data, was "not the work of amateurs".

The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have all accused China of "persistently" hacking into their security systems - accusations China denies.

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Hope rises for dying textile industry

from the punch
More jobs may be created, in the textile industry, in addition to over 13,000 jobs already provided through the N100bn intervention fund, if government makes good its promise of another N500bn bailout by the end of the year, IFEANYI ONUBA reports
Prior to 2008 when Inuwa Yakubu lost his job in a textile firm in Kaduna, he used to be a vibrant young man full of vigor and optimism about having a successful career in that sector of the economy.
But with the myriad of problems currently facing the industry; all that is now history.
Yakubu was among over 700 people who lost their jobs in the Kaduna textile factory. And to keep body and soul together, he now ekes a living riding a tricycle in Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.
“The textile industry used to be a sector where everyone wanted to work back in those days because our salary was not only paid regularly, it was also a bit high compared to what people in the civil service earned then.
“But things suddenly changed and many of the companies operating in the sector have to shut down their operations owing to the harsh economic climate. I was among those affected but I thank God that the little money I saved while working is now useful. I have been able to start up a business. And that is how I have been surviving,”  he said.
The situation is not different for Kingsley Njoku, who also lost his job in a similar circumstance.
Njoku, who used to be an employee of a textile factory in Ikorodu, Lagos, said he lost his job few months after his wife had their first baby.
But while Yakubu was lucky to have at least started a personal business to earn a living, such could not be said of Njoku as he still roams the street of Lagos in search of job.
In the last 26 years, no fewer than 776, 000 employees working in the textile sector have lost their jobs.
The once thriving textile industry, which used to be the toast of the Nigerian economy, is now a shadow of itself, owing to the closure of about 150 production mills.
The managements of the factories, it was learnt, decided to shut down the factories because of low capacity utilisation, high influx of cheap products and low exports.
This was confirmed by the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom.
The minister, who spoke at a stakeholders’ retreat for the textile subsector, in Abuja, decried the huge number of job losses in the textile industry, saying the number of workers employed in the sector had fallen from 800,000 a few years ago to just 24,000.
The retreat with theme “Economic growth, wealth and job creation for Nigeria” provided the platform for stakeholders in the sector to brainstorm as well as develop policies that would aid the revamping of the industry.
Painting a gloomy picture of the sector, Ortom said Nigeria’s textile and garment industry, which had a fixed investment of $4bn (N640bn), used to be second only to South Africa.
He said, “Nigeria once had a very vibrant textile and garment sub-sector with fixed investment of $4bn second only to South Africa in Sub-Saharan Africa and was third largest in Africa.
“It also had 63 per cent capacity of textile manufacturing in West Africa and controlled 60 per cent of textile market in Nigeria.
“Within the same period, the subsector had 175 fully functional mills that employed over 800,000 people.
“Today, the reality has changed and the picture is no longer the same. Employment is at an all-time low level with 24,000 employees working in 25 functional mills that are characterised by low capacity utilisation as at 2008.
“This is further compounded by low export and high influx of cheap products.”
This scenario, the minister added, did not represent the global recognition of the textile subsector being a significant catalyst for economic growth.
Ortom said the Federal Government’s aspiration for the industry is to revive its job creation potential, thus contributing significantly to economic development.
He said, “Our aspiration for the subsector is to increase its share of domestic market from the present position of 12 per cent to 25 per cent by 2020.
“This increase is expected to create over 60,000 additional direct jobs and put food on the table for thousands of other Nigerians within the period.”
In order to achieve this, the minister, who chaired the event, said the strategy for the industry would be to revive its entire value chain.
This, he said, would be carried out in areas where the country had both competitive and comparative advantage.
For instance, he said the production of cotton for domestic utilisation and exports would be strengthened, adding that existing players in the sector would be supported to expand their current operations.
This, according to him, would help to attract strong brands as well as enable operators to set up local manufacturing plants in the country.
He blamed the deterioration in the sector on the weak linkages in the value chain, adding that the Industrial Revolution Plan for the textile sector would help to address all the weak linkages.
He gave the example of how the IRP had helped to revive the cement industry, which he noted had helped the country not only to save foreign exchange of about N210bn per annum, but also helped in creating about two million direct and indirect jobs.
He said, “For this sector, we are looking at all the value chains and the idea is to remove the obstacles and barriers to increased productivity.
“When you go through where we started from and where we are today, we should all be ashamed of ourselves. This is the time for us to think out of the box and start taking actions that would make this sector number one in Africa and number 10 globally.”
The minister said about 8,070 jobs had been saved through the disbursement of the N100bn Cotton Textile Garment Intervention Fund.
“This is the beginning of an important journey. We want to make this sector number one in Africa. It is not just about talking. We will come up with actionable points here to kick-start the needed revolution.
“We are already making progress with the reforms that are in place. Figures by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria reveal that the capacity utilisation in this sector has increased significantly from 29.14 per cent in 2010 to 49.70 per cent as at 2011.
“In addition, a number of hitherto moribund textile mills have been reopened, about 8,070 jobs have been saved while over 5,000 new jobs have been created. We cannot continue to be a raw material exporting nation because by doing so, we are exporting jobs, development and wealth. This is one area that the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan is trying to address.”
But the General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Mr. Isa Aremu, said in order to reposition the sector, the issue of funding must be given priority.
For instance, he said the current N100bn textile intervention fund should be increased to about N500bn and made available to the operators in the sector at a zero per cent interest rate, to be repaid within 20 years.
The intervention fund is currently being disbursed by the Bank of Industry. It has a repayment period of seven years with an interest rate of about six per cent.
He said, “There is need for affordable financing for the sector. For instance, the BOI intervention fund of N100bn though commendable needs to be increased to maybe about N500bn.
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Global Warning by Hannatu Musawa



Columnist:  Hannatu Musawa
Culled from Saharareporters.
Our climate is changing. What is meant to be the chilly season of harmattan apparently feels more like a scorching heat-wave. Nigeria is supposed to have a wet and dry season, with the wet season starting at different times in the north and south. The harmattan season, the West African winter, is a season of gusty, dry winds, relatively cool at night but warm by day. Presently it is the season of harmattan, but in contrast to the norm of the climate, the weather is hot throughout the night and day. Like the weather, most Nigerians should agree that our climate is changing all the time. Because of global climatic cycles, some of the changes are natural while others are caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and gas emissions. In the past when I heard scientists talking about protecting the environment and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, I put it down to the fact that they did not have better things to talk about. With millions of men, women and children being abused and starving the world over why would a scientist solely be concerned with how many vehicles we drive? Besides, any talk about the ozone layer sounded more like the title of a Sci-Fi adventure movie for children to me back then. But upon doing some research and coming across numerous meteorological accounts that climate change is one of the most pervasive threats to the web of human life, I realized the supreme importance of considering the devastation of weather change. What prompted me to do research in this field was as a result of the countless, recurring natural disasters that have been occurring and reported all over the world in the last couple of years. Every time one turns on the news there seems to be a report of a hurricane, earthquake, typhoon, snow storm, drought or cyclone and I wanted to understand whether these unfortunate events had any connection with the talk of the greenhouse effect.

The truth is that much of our lives depend on our climate because we rely on water stored underground, in lakes and reservoirs for our personal use and crop irrigation. If the climate changes and warms up, the ability of the land to store moisture or the rain to fall changes. Evidence of the effects of climate change is presently being felt throughout the world. All over the globe glaciers are melting, avalanches are threatening, soil is eroding, water is flooding, snow is receding and oceans are warming; posing a risk to many marine creatures. The warm climate is upsetting seasonal cycles, harming ecosystems, affecting agriculture, food production and causing sea-levels to rise. In addition landslides, drought and famine are experienced. On top of this imminent threat, hotter heat waves create an ideal breeding ground for disease infested insects and rodents to expand their range while species are pushed to extinction. In Nigeria the effects could include an increase in epidemics of water-borne diseases such as malaria, typhoid, hepatitis and cholera.

Statistics show overwhelming evidence that the planet has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the course of the past century with the final 2 decades of the 20th century being the hottest on record. This is due to rise even more rapidly in the coming decades. The cause of this hybrid is because of the thickening layer of carbon dioxide pollution mostly from power plants and automobiles that traps heat in the atmosphere. Evidence shows that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels used in vehicles and dirty power plants has formed a blanket around the earth and is warming it. The gasses act like the gas of a greenhouse, trapping heat that would otherwise radiate off into space. The heat then rebounds onto the earth's surface and the planet's temperature rises, creating the greenhouse effect. Its harmful impact on the worlds’ climate is now so overwhelming especially given the fact that we have been pumping it into the world atmosphere for more than 2 centuries. Although a certain level of global warming is natural and essential to sustain life, the excessive emission of greenhouse gases accelerates this process by trapping too much heat and resulting in devastating effects on the world. Meteorologists argue that the recent change of weather is the natural consequence of this green house effect. Whether we subscribe to this argument or not, we can’t deny that the recent behavior of the weather and atmosphere has been irregular to what we are normally used to.

If our behavior as a people has had anything to do with the freak trend of the climate, it is imperative for us to study natural events and strive to correct the continuing damage on the world at this stage. While it is impossible to completely stop global warming we do have the ability to lessen the process, allowing nature time to adjust to this man made problem. Since we know that the majority of heat trapping gases comes from vehicles and power plants, we have the capability to curb their emissions by perfecting modern technologies and passing stronger laws regarding vehicle use and power plant management. Typically, it is quite common to see cars and trucks in this country traveling the motorways with an unbelievable amount of exhaust fume, as if in an exhaust fume competition. Regulations need to be passed prohibiting vehicle owners from operating such hazardous machines because apart from damaging the ozone layer, they further pose threats to other motorists. Since we are a heavily populated country with a vast number of vehicles, the Nigerian authorities should educate the nation on the ill effects of climate change to our environment and the importance of adapting to it. Government and industries should adopt initiatives to take the immediate action that will lead to more efficient public transport, cleaner energy production, increasing the efficiency of buildings and better responsible industrial and agricultural practices.

In a country like Nigeria, there is a requirement for far more effective waste management and disposal. Everywhere we go in this country; there are dumps of rubbish and pollution on drive ways and road sides that it has almost become a trade mark of our towns and cities. The environmental sector in Nigeria needs to introduce more strategies for waste disposal. Previously, past governments had a sanitation eradication program on Saturdays where people were not allowed to roam the streets until 10, after a general clean up operation. The streets back then were much cleaner than they are now. Maybe the government needs to consider revisiting this practice in order to facilitate the clean up of the environment. The Nigerian government must consider adopting these or other alternative strategies and policies so that it can encourage industries to adapt to climate change. Furthermore, the initiative could include a sensitization exercise on the benefits of recycling products such as aluminum, glass, plastic, cardboard and paper. This would help because it would allow industries to save a lot of energy needed to make new products. In addition the use of energy efficient technologies and renewable energy resources like wind and solar power could be integrated by the industries that have the means.

On an individual and community level, we can each help cool the earth by small actions such as turning computers off overnight because of the energy it uses, planting trees and plants in order to combat erosion and integrating agricultural lands. The use of better water storage systems such as underground tanks and improved water treatment plants, improved rainwater harvesting strategies and creating community water resources to meet human or livestock needs can also be effective. Even though resources are limited, people engaged in the transportation business should try and service cars regularly and not send them out onto the streets with an unreasonable amount of exhaust seeping out. This is very common with molue buses and trucks.

All Nigerians should get involved in curbing the climate change that is fast becoming a threat to our existence. The whole process of environmental awareness is a difficult feat because as humans we tend to be nonchalant about the effect of gas emissions and water misuse on our environment. It is so easy for us to take the air we breathe for granted and not give a thought about the numerous ways we are polluting it. Unless a stance is taken, the cumulative impact of climate change is bound to affect our air and water quality even worse than it is now, resulting in inestimable consequences on every body living on this planet. If not in our lifetime, the fall back of the damage will affect the occupation, property and lives of our descendants.

Since the root cause of climate change is thought by scientists to lie primarily in the phenomena of huge emissions of gas, we effectively have the power to mitigate its damaging impact on our planet. To protect the health and economic wellbeing of current and future generations, we honestly must reduce our emissions of heat trapping gases by using the practical solutions already at our disposal. Solutions to global warming are available and everyone has a role to play in implementing them at all levels of society.

Since embarking on my research and recovering from the ignorance of climate change that plagued me, I now consider global warming as one of the most serious challenges facing our species today. And since we were the original cause of the problem we can always take solace in the fact that we can also create a solution for it. So even though Nigerians are in the middle of a harmattan heat wave, we should strive to consider our role in keeping our environment clean and eventually saving our world. I hope that the cumulative negative effect on natural resources and the balance of nature created by our over smoking exhaust pipes and rubbish laden streets serves as a global warning for global warming!

Written By Hannatu Musawa
I invite you to follow me on Twitter- @hanneymusawa
Visit my Website- www.hannatumusawa.com
Like my Facebook Fanpage- www.facebook.com/hannatu.musawa
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FG assures steady power supply across the country



From businessday

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, on Friday reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to improve power supply in the country.

Maku gave the reassurance at Ebocha, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers as part of the Good Governance tour of the state.

He said the Federal Government was also collaborating with states to implement the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).

Maku said government had encouraged the private sector to build power projects aimed at increasing power generation in the country.

‘’We are also working with state governments under the NIPP progamme. Under the NIPP, we are building 10 additional power plants. We have inspected the fourth one here.

“So, together, if you look at the activities that are going on in the power sector, by private people such as the Geometric, which we have inspected at Aba, and this one by the Rivers government and the additional ones they are building , several other states, Bayelsa  and Delta, and quite a number of them are building additional power plants.”

‘’So, I want to assure Nigerians that from what we are seeing on ground, from the end of this year onwards, I believe that there will be greater stability of power in the country. Even now, there is marginal increase in power generation.”

‘’We have taken it to less than 2,000 megawatts to over 4,000 megawatts now,’’ Maku said.

He also added that additional work on power plants would generate more power supply from the end of this year to 2014.

“Let me reassure Nigerians that as far as power supply is concerned, our country is moving in the right direction, far better than it used to be in the past, So let’s keep working together so that Nigeria can be lighted up 24 hours.”

“That is the mission.”



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Power Reforms Saboteurs will hear from us - Prof. Nebo



Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Ne

The story is from Channelstv.
The minister has stated that government will not hesitate to deal with anyone who plans to destabilize the smooth transition in the power sector in line with the on-going privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

He gave the warning at a technical session of the presidential task force on power in Abuja which had government officials and industry experts in attendance.

Here, the work of the task force will be x-rayed and assessed by the experts.

Professor Nebo expressed his belief that decades of neglect is responsible for the rot in the power sector and stated that it will soon be a thing of the past.

However, analysts worry that it may take a lot more than words of caution to stop sabotage in the sector starting with the uncertainties trailing the management contract of the Transmission Company of Nigeria by Canadian firm Manitoba Hydro.

Critics and analysts have commented that the TCN /Manitoba issue seems to have become a game of to be or not to be which the Federal Government insists will be sorted in the nearest future.

Professor Nebo has also pointed out that any official in the power distribution companies found to be sabotaging the revenue collection targets of the market  will be made to face the full wrath of the law as government will not tolerate complacency and ineptitude of these companies.


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Bank's Credit to Domestic Economy Rises to N13.195trn in Q4


CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

From the Sunnewsonline.com.
Nigerian banks’ credit to the domestic economy rose by 7.4 per cent to N13,195.4 billion, above the level in the preceding quarter, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said. The development was attributed, to the 11.2 and 36.3 per cent increase in claims on the State and Local Government and Federal Government, which more than offset the 1.1 per cent decline in claims on the private sector.

CBN report for the fourth quarter 2012, obtained from its website yesterday indicated that total specified liquid assets of the banks stood at N6176.0 billion, representing 49.7 per cent of their total current liabilities. At that level the bank said, the liquidity ratio, rose by 2.0 percentage points above the level in the preceding quarter, but was 19.7 percentage points above the stipulated minimum ratio of 30.0 per cent. Also, the loans to deposit ratio, at 42.3 per cent, was 2.3 percentage points below the level at the end of the preceding quarter, and 37.7 percentage points below the prescribed maximum ratio of 80.0 per cent.

In its Monetary Policy Committee Meeting held in January 2013, the committee observed that average prime lending rate increased slightly to 16.54 per cent in December 2012 from 16.48, 16.51 per cent in October and November 2012, respectively. In contrast, the average maximum lending rate fell marginally to 24.61 per cent in December 2012 from 24.65 and 24.70 per cent, respectively, in October and November, respectively while the weighted average savings and term deposits rate decreased to 5.50 per cent in December from 5.57 per cent in the preceding month.

The committee, therefore, encouraged the Bank to fast track the financial inclusion strategy to improve financial intermediation and the effectiveness of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy and to adopt ways of moderating the high spread between deposit and lending rates.

The apex bank report further indicated that the total assets and liabilities of the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) stood at N21, 303.95 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, representing an increase of 2.5 per cent above the level at the end of the preceding quarter. The funds, which were sourced, largely, from increased mobilization of deposit liabilities, were used mainly to extend credit to the Federal government and accretion to the capital accounts. It stated that Central Bank’s credit to the DMBs, largely loans and advances, declined by 25.7 per cent to N228.03 billion at the end of the review quarter.



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Expect heavy Rainfall, Floods in States soon - NIMET


From Businessday.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on Friday predicted normal rainfall in Nigeria during the year except in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states, which might experience excessive rainfall.

The Director-General of NIMET, Dr Anthony Anuforom, made the information known at the public presentation of the 2013 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) and Nigeria Climate Review Bulletin in Abuja.

He said the rainfall pattern in most parts of Nigeria was likely to be similar to that of 2012.

``However, some areas in the North-western parts of the country, which also fall within the catchment area of River Niger, the total rainfall predicted for 2013 may exceed that of 2012.

``Rainfall for 2013 is predicted to be normal over large areas of the country. The expected changes in the annual rainfall are well below normal in Abeokuta and above normal over Ibadan and Yelwa areas.

``The predicted rainfall for the Northwest areas of Sokoto , Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and environs is likely to be above normal in comparison to 2012,’’ he said.

Anuforom advised relevant authorities to use NIMET's updates issued regularly to control possible adverse impacts.

He said the forecast was not automatic as the predictions could change due to climate change.

Anuforom said the volume of rainfall for the year would range from 420 cubic metres spread over 120 days in the extreme North-East to 2,980 cubic metres over a period of 290 days.

``These forecasts are statements of probability and are based on the available scientific knowledge and data.

``Man’s knowledge is still limited and, therefore, some margin of error within tolerable limits is not unusual.

``The conditions that determine the rainfall pattern over Nigeria have become more variable due to the effects of climate change and global warming.

``This is a big challenge for atmospheric scientists all over the world. NIMET will continue to monitor the trend in all parts of the country and publish updates as the rainy season progresses,’’ Anuforom said.

He explained that the early release of the forecast was to create good lead-time for adequate preparation against risks and hazards associated with weather and climate extremes.

The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, who was represented by Mr Clement Dosunmu, the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said weather information was important to humanity.

She urged NIMET to fulfil to its mandate by ensuring that the information got to the end users in time.

``The information in these publications are useful for planning, decision-making and policy formulation, especially in those sectors of the economy that are sensitive to weather.

``It is expected that the early release of the 2013 SRP will enable all stakeholders apply the information in planning and executing their activities in such a way as to reduce vulnerability to climate extremes,’’ Oduah said. (NAN)

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Nigeria loses N1trillion annually to importation of industrial raw materials



From the Businessday.
Mr Harry Okolo, the former President, Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON), has said that the country loses about N1 trillion annually to importation of industrial raw materials. Okolo made this known while speaking with newsmen on Thursday at the ongoing Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) techno-expo and silver jubilee.

He said that the country lost N1 trillion to the importation of between 80 per cent and 90 per cent industrial raw materials needed in the manufacturing and construction sectors of the economy.

Okolo said that the problem was not the non-availability of raw materials locally, but the inability of Nigerians to transform available natural resources to utilisable forms.

He urged the government and the organised private sector, to look inward and study the road map to industrial development as put together by the RMRDC in the past 25 years.

``If the industrial sector continues to depend on imported raw materials without investing in local raw materials development and utilisation, industrial development will remain a mirage,’’ Okolo said.

He commended RMRDC for its efforts in the following some secondary raw materials that were abundantly available in the country.

They include precipitated calcium carbonate, hydrated lime, glucose syrup and starch and high quality cassava flour.

Okolo said, ``I believe Nigeria has a comparative advantages in the development and utilisation of these raw materials.

``If commercially exploited and developed, they can earn and save the nation huge foreign reserves.''

Okolo said that for Nigerian economy to be competitive at the global level, efforts must be made to produce goods and services with global perspectives, targeting global competitiveness.

He said, ``We must spare no effort to look inward to tap, develop and utilise the locally available raw materials.

``Government must make concert effort to address the critical issues of transparency, responsible governance, power generation, public private partnership, infrastructure and security.

``So, the country will have to provide a healthy environment for industrial transformation and investment.''

He said that if the industrial potentials of Nigeria could be maximally harnessed through the concerted and joint efforts of government, private sector and academia, the transformation agenda and vision 20:20-20 of the nation could be realised.

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Blame Poverty for Boko Haram - Sanusi

Blame poverty for Boko Haram –CBN Gov
CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

From the Sun.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, yesterday said only a sound economy could guarantee security of life and property of the citizens, adding that the Boko Haram insurgents would persist except the economy is fixed. Sanusi, who spoke in Maiduguri, at the flag off of CBN Financial Inclusion Strategy Pilot Implementation programme, noted that poverty and unemployment fuelled Boko Haram uprising in Borno, which later spread to some states in the North.

He maintained that Nigeria cannot solve the challenges of Boko Haram until she fixes her economy. “I believe that at the heart of Boko Haram crisis in Borno and other parts of the country is unemployment and poverty and we can never fix security until we fix economy,” he stressed.    The apex bank boss disclosed that the decision to establish the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) for the North East, in Borno, was taken at a Bankers Committee conference in Calabar last year, having noted the strategic position of the state to the growth of national economy and the need to improve the economy of the people of the area.

He said he believes the effort would substantially address the security challenge in the area. According to him, the financial inclusion strategy is aimed at increasing access to financial services, such as payments, savings, remittance, pension, insurance and credit facility at affordable cost. “Each time Nigerians discuss Borno, it is always Boko Haram issue but we feel people should not be overwhelmed by the Boko Haram thing and we should not be obsessed by it,’ he warned.

Sanusi disclosed that the CBN would partner with the Borno government by building a centre of excellence at the University of Maiduguri and investing in development of secondary schools as parts of the apex bank’s intervention in the education sector. He explained that the EDC was conceived by the CBN with supports from the Committee of Bankers to train youths on various skills. He said the Financial Inclusion Strategy programme was designed to make banking activities and service closer to the people, even as he charged the people to use the opportunity provided by the information technological especially with mobile telephone.

Also speaking, Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, disclosed that over 200 base stations belonging to two major telecommunication providers have been destroyed in Borno, by suspected Boko Haram. She called on the state government and communities to provide adequate security for the base stations and telecommunication facilities in the state, adding that they “are national facilities though belong to private communication companies.”  She also disclosed that more facilities of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) will be established in other local governments in the state “where the services or facilities are currently not available.”

The minister also noted that NIPOST services was vital in getting many Nigerians included in the CBN project and will equally be required to drive the micro-financial banks especially in the rural areas. Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, thanked the CBN governor and the communication minister for their understanding that job creation was a better panacea to tackling youth restiveness and insurgence, like Boko Haram.

He stated that the state government had invested N120.5 million on the establishment of micro-finance banks, stressing that all the processes have been completed and now waiting for the release of the license. While appealing to telecom companies to repair their facilities in the state destroyed by suspected Boko Haram, he assured that government “will ensure maximum security of all the base stations and telecommunications facilities in the state.”



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Nigerian Leaders Stole N3.047trn in 10 Years - GFI

President Goodluck Jonathan


From the SUN.
…As country ranks 7th in money laundering index

Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington-based research and advocacy organization, in its newly released report, has said that out of the 20 biggest exporters of illicit financial flows for decades, Nigeria occupies the 7th position with $19.66 billion (N3.047trn).

It said Nigeria, termed the 7th biggest money laundering country in the world, exported $19.66 billion by leaders who had access to the nation’s money between 2000 and 2010.

The report, which was co-authored by GFI’s Lead Economist, Dev Kar, and GFI’s Economist, Sarah Freitas, is the first by the organisation in incorporating a new, more conservative estimate of illicit financial flows. It facilitates comparisons with previous estimates from GFI updates and identifies crime, corruption and tax evasion as biggest channels with nearly $6 trillion stolen from poor countries within the decade and $859 billion in 2010.

According to the report, China is leading the pack with $274 billion average ($2.74 trillion cumulative); followed by Mexico with $47.6 billion avg. ($476 billion cum.); Malaysia, $28.5 billion avg. ($285 billion cum.); Saudi Arabia, $21.0 billion avg. ($210 billion cum.); Russia, $15.2 billion avg. ($152 billion cum.); and Philippines, $13.8 billion avg. ($138 billion cum.). “Astronomical sums of dirty money continue to flow out of the developing world and into offshore tax havens and developed country banks.

Regardless of the methodology, it’s clear developing economies are hemorrhaging more and more money at a time when rich and poor nations alike are struggling to spur economic growth. “This report should be a wake-up call to world leaders that more must be done to address these harmful outflows,” Raymond Baker, GFI director said. Kar explained further: “The estimates provided by either methodology are still likely to be extremely conservative as they do not include trade mispricing in services, same-invoice trade mispricing, secret transactions, and dealings conducted in bulk cash. This means that much of the proceeds of drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other criminal activities, which are often settled in cash, are not included in these estimates.”

The report goes further, “The $858.8 billion of illicit outflows lost in 2010, is a significant uptick from 2009, which saw developing countries lose $776.0 billion under the new methodology. “This has very big consequences for developing economies.

Poor countries lost nearly a trillion dollars that could have been used to invest in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. It’s nearly a trillion dollars that could have been used to pull people out of poverty and save lives.”


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Nigeria's Population hits 170 million in 2013 - NPC

Nigeria' s highly dense Lagos city


From the The Sun.
National Population Commission (NPC) yesterday startled Nigerians, as it declared that Nigerian population has now risen to 170 million.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on the commencement of fieldwork for the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) in Nigeria, the NPC Chairman, Eze Festus Odimegwu, stated that Nigeria’s population grows at 3.2 per cent per annum, stressing that by the end of this year, the country’s population would have moved from the 160 million in 2006 to 170 million in 2013. Odimegwu, who was represented at the event by the Chairman, NPC Technical Management Team and Vital Registration, Dr Festus Uzor, also noted that the effective management of Nigeria’s  population for sustainable development required collection, processing and dissemination of demographic data, not only through periodic census exercise but also regular surveys and registration of births, deaths and migration.

According to him, it was in this light that the NPC, in conjunction with other development partners like the UNFPA and Department For International Development (DFID) decided to pool resources to the tune of N800 million to finance the NDHS project, which he described as a nationally representative survey, designed to provide information on the demographic and health status of the population.

The NDHS, he said, would provide detailed information on the levels and trends of fertility, family planning, maternal and child health in the country.

For him, this year, NDHS survey which is conducted every five years,  would be carried out in 40,680 households that have been scientifically randomly selected in all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. He noted that only men and women of between 15 and 49 years would be interviewed in the selected households.

The NPC chairman stated that the fieldwork for NDHS 2013 would take place for four months in the South West (Lagos), South East (Imo), South South (Akwa Ibom), North Central (Nasarawa), North East (Gombe) and North West (Jigawa). The  chairrman, also noted  that the quality of the survey was a direct function of the expertise and skills of the interviewers adding  that the  field functionaries have been carefully selected to ensure that only the competent and qualified staff were engaged.