Nigeria has launched the “SmartWoman Nigeria” and “1000 Girls in Training” programmes to encourage more female participation and skills development in ICT.
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Technology (FMCT) on Monday partnered with Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider to kick-start the “1000 Girls in Training” Programme.
Within a year, the three-day programme is expected to train 1000 unemployed girls in Telecommunication Networks, Transmission Network and GSM, LTE, WCDMA and other ICT skills – which will enhance their employment opportunities.
On completion of the first phase which began on Monday, the top 200 students will be trained to become Huawei Certified Network Associates.
The Ministry also launched the “SmartWoman Nigeria” initiative in collaboration with US-based social enterprise, ChangeCorp and WIMBIZ to empower Nigerian women and girls in ICT.
“Smart Woman Nigeria” is targeted at low- to middle-income urban and high-income rural women business owners to help them harness the power of mobile communication tools provided by ICTs in the areas of communication, banking, finance, health, and family work/life balance issues.
Featured at the first meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development Working Group on Gender in Mexico City, the SmartWoman initiative was developed by US based social enterprise, ChangeCorp.
Speaking at the launching of the programmes, Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson said it is time to remove gender imbalance in ICT adoption and appropriation.
According to her, ICTs have the transforming power to accelerate the development of women by helping them to be more efficient and effective in their jobs, careers, and businesses and to generate new employment opportunities.
She posits that through software development and innovation, ICT has the unlimited potential to significantly contribute to increasing the social welfare of women.
Vice President of Huawei West Africa, Hover Gao, corroborated the Minister saying: “The programme was part of Huawei’s commitment to localisation, technology transferring to Nigeria and employment promotion.”
Gao said “Huawei and FMCT orientation programme on ICT Basic Knowledge for female students is not a one time off event. On the contrary, Huawei and FMCT will develop this campaign into a long-term project.”
“The training also enables us to create an ICT talents pool and some of the trainees will become Huawei employees”, he added.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s communucations and technology Ministry also plans to launch the ICT Girls Clubs by January, 2014, in partnership with two recognized NGOs (Women in Technology in Nigeria WITIN and Women Empowerment Centre WTEC) in selected schools across the country’s six geo-political zones.
Its goal is to ensure more girls embrace and adopt careers in ICTs.
The Clubs will teach animation, website development, blogging, software development, graphics design, games, computer programming.
Ventures
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Stable electricity supply foreseeable in Nigeria's future
With the successful handover of the successor electricity generation and distribution companies to private operators last Friday, Chika Amanze-Nwachuku and Chineme Okafor are of the view that Nigerian households and businesses should look forward to stable electricity in the foreseeable future.
A series of power sector polls conducted by NOI Polls Ltd for the second quarter of 2013 revealed that about 130 million, representing 81 per cent, out of the 160 million Nigerians generated their own electricity through alternative sources to make up for irregular power supply.
The study also showed a combined average of 69 per cent or 110 million of Nigerians experienced greater spending on alternative electricity supply.
Nigeria's electricity crisis has been a bane of its economic growth as many industries had either shut down or relocated to neighbouring countries due to the worsening power woes. But while manufacturing companies and other small businesses spend fortune to generate own power, pushing up costs and eating into profits, generator dealers in the country have been the beneficiaries of the rots in the power sector because almost every business and household in the country patronises them.
A recent statistics on use of generating sets in the country released by the Director-General of Centre for Management Development, Dr. Kabir Usman, revealed that about 60 million Nigerians spent N1.6 trillion on generators annually.
Usman, who spoke at the launch of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) graduate skills development programme in Abuja disclosed that Nigeria topped the countries that use standby generators.
The DG also observed that the poorest Nigerians paid more than N80/kwh burning candles, kerosene and firewood while manufacturing companies spend between N45 and N60 per kilowatt hour (kwh) on diesel to run their generators.
The problems associated with use of generators are many and varied. Aside from the noise pollution, it is the cause of many deaths in Nigeria due to the carbon monoxide emission.
Little wonder that Nigerians, who long desired stable electricity for their homes and businesses, have lauded last week’s handover of power utilities to private entities. Their expectation is that the takeover of management of Nigeria’s electricity industry by private investors will substantially boost electricity supply and make the country commercially viable.
However, attaining self-sufficiency in electricity supply and distribution may take a little time, because the barriers must be removed and key enablers provided for it to happen. For instance, the issue of inadequate gas, poor transmission network and vandalism/theft of power equipment must be addressed for the power reform to achieve its objectives.
Vandalism of Power Assets
Over the years, theft/vandalism of electricity equipment had been the major hindrance to sustainable electric power delivery in Nigeria.
Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, Fatai Rotimi Onanuga, in a paper he presented at a special seminar for judges in Calabar last year, revealed that annual losses recorded by electricity distribution companies owing to theft of electricity assets, were more than enough to build power generation plants with additional 20,000 megawatts (MW) generation capacities.
Onanuga said what had been lost to theft in three years was equivalent to 60,000MW, which he said was enough to meet national energy demand.
He said electricity thefts were committed when consumers and utility staff resort to unlawful direct hooking from line; bypassing energy meter; injecting foreign elements into the energy meter; drilling holes in electro-mechanical meter; or assigning illegal amount of energy units to consumers.
Also, at the recent commissioning of the 2x60MVA, 132/33kV transmission substation constructed in Karu, Abuja by the World Bank under its National Energy Development Project (NEDP) framework, Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had said vandalism of power assets was taken a very worrisome dimension and government spends a fortune to fix affected equipment.
Nebo said small fittings of about N12,000 stolen by these thieves, destroyed power equipment that will now cost the government millions of naira to fix in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
In Akpaka, a residential suburb in Onitsha, Anambra state, the landlords were said to have constituted themselves into illegal energy vendors by defrauding and tampering with electricity installations, which they ought to safeguard. The situation was brought to the attention of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently by aggrieved residents who thronged the venue of the just concluded Power Consumer Assembly (PCA) of NERC. A similar thing happened in 2012 at the CITEC Mbora estate in Abuja.
It is feared that vandalism and theft pose serious challenges to the new investors and actions must be stepped up to check them. Therefore, new owners of the power assets should find sustainable means of tackling these menace, which result in system disintegration and eventual loss of capacities.
Concerns over gas, transmission
Energy experts have continued to express worries that inadequate gas supply and poor transmission also posed serious threats to the power reforms. Managing Director, Seacorf Engineering Limited, Mr. Charles Fashola, commented last week that the issue of inappropriate commercial pricing deterred gas producers from investing in the country.
Speaking in the same vein, an energy consultant, Mr. Danladi Bako, attributed Nigeria’s inability to realise stable power supply to obsolete transmission and distribution systems. These issues were also raised last month by Chairman of the Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), Mr. Atedo Peterside, who cautioned that Nigeria’s aspiration to achieve steady power supply after the power sector assets handover might be hampered unless urgent steps were not taken to address the problem of weak transmission and inadequate gas.
Peterside had expressed concern that transmission, which is the ‘life-blood’ of the entire electricity eco-system, was potentially the weakest link currently, and could cause a very big crisis by 2014, when more power plants would have come on stream.
FG Calls for Patience
The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki, confirmed the problem of inadequate gas at a recent breakfast meeting of the Lagos Business School, where he also appealed for understanding among Nigerians as the power sector reform would not bring about immediate changes.
The DG explained that investments in the power sector would take time to achieve results because construction of new generation capacity alone would take between two-five years to achieve most of the results envisaged.
He noted that the bulk of electricity generated in the country was through gas-fired plants, but the country at present, did not have the capacity to supply enough gas to support the envisaged increased capacity as the private sector takes over power generation and distribution.
Dikki said Nigeria’s abundant gas resources needed to be harnessed for power generation and called for strong incentives and support from the government to encourage the private sector investments in gas to boost power supply in the post privatisation era.
He however expressed optimism that with the power sector in private hands, Nigerian would benefit from increased power supply and a boost in agricultural and industrial development among other positive developments.
This Day
A series of power sector polls conducted by NOI Polls Ltd for the second quarter of 2013 revealed that about 130 million, representing 81 per cent, out of the 160 million Nigerians generated their own electricity through alternative sources to make up for irregular power supply.
The study also showed a combined average of 69 per cent or 110 million of Nigerians experienced greater spending on alternative electricity supply.
Nigeria's electricity crisis has been a bane of its economic growth as many industries had either shut down or relocated to neighbouring countries due to the worsening power woes. But while manufacturing companies and other small businesses spend fortune to generate own power, pushing up costs and eating into profits, generator dealers in the country have been the beneficiaries of the rots in the power sector because almost every business and household in the country patronises them.
A recent statistics on use of generating sets in the country released by the Director-General of Centre for Management Development, Dr. Kabir Usman, revealed that about 60 million Nigerians spent N1.6 trillion on generators annually.
Usman, who spoke at the launch of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) graduate skills development programme in Abuja disclosed that Nigeria topped the countries that use standby generators.
The DG also observed that the poorest Nigerians paid more than N80/kwh burning candles, kerosene and firewood while manufacturing companies spend between N45 and N60 per kilowatt hour (kwh) on diesel to run their generators.
The problems associated with use of generators are many and varied. Aside from the noise pollution, it is the cause of many deaths in Nigeria due to the carbon monoxide emission.
Little wonder that Nigerians, who long desired stable electricity for their homes and businesses, have lauded last week’s handover of power utilities to private entities. Their expectation is that the takeover of management of Nigeria’s electricity industry by private investors will substantially boost electricity supply and make the country commercially viable.
However, attaining self-sufficiency in electricity supply and distribution may take a little time, because the barriers must be removed and key enablers provided for it to happen. For instance, the issue of inadequate gas, poor transmission network and vandalism/theft of power equipment must be addressed for the power reform to achieve its objectives.
Vandalism of Power Assets
Over the years, theft/vandalism of electricity equipment had been the major hindrance to sustainable electric power delivery in Nigeria.
Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, Fatai Rotimi Onanuga, in a paper he presented at a special seminar for judges in Calabar last year, revealed that annual losses recorded by electricity distribution companies owing to theft of electricity assets, were more than enough to build power generation plants with additional 20,000 megawatts (MW) generation capacities.
Onanuga said what had been lost to theft in three years was equivalent to 60,000MW, which he said was enough to meet national energy demand.
He said electricity thefts were committed when consumers and utility staff resort to unlawful direct hooking from line; bypassing energy meter; injecting foreign elements into the energy meter; drilling holes in electro-mechanical meter; or assigning illegal amount of energy units to consumers.
Also, at the recent commissioning of the 2x60MVA, 132/33kV transmission substation constructed in Karu, Abuja by the World Bank under its National Energy Development Project (NEDP) framework, Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had said vandalism of power assets was taken a very worrisome dimension and government spends a fortune to fix affected equipment.
Nebo said small fittings of about N12,000 stolen by these thieves, destroyed power equipment that will now cost the government millions of naira to fix in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
In Akpaka, a residential suburb in Onitsha, Anambra state, the landlords were said to have constituted themselves into illegal energy vendors by defrauding and tampering with electricity installations, which they ought to safeguard. The situation was brought to the attention of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently by aggrieved residents who thronged the venue of the just concluded Power Consumer Assembly (PCA) of NERC. A similar thing happened in 2012 at the CITEC Mbora estate in Abuja.
It is feared that vandalism and theft pose serious challenges to the new investors and actions must be stepped up to check them. Therefore, new owners of the power assets should find sustainable means of tackling these menace, which result in system disintegration and eventual loss of capacities.
Concerns over gas, transmission
Energy experts have continued to express worries that inadequate gas supply and poor transmission also posed serious threats to the power reforms. Managing Director, Seacorf Engineering Limited, Mr. Charles Fashola, commented last week that the issue of inappropriate commercial pricing deterred gas producers from investing in the country.
Speaking in the same vein, an energy consultant, Mr. Danladi Bako, attributed Nigeria’s inability to realise stable power supply to obsolete transmission and distribution systems. These issues were also raised last month by Chairman of the Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), Mr. Atedo Peterside, who cautioned that Nigeria’s aspiration to achieve steady power supply after the power sector assets handover might be hampered unless urgent steps were not taken to address the problem of weak transmission and inadequate gas.
Peterside had expressed concern that transmission, which is the ‘life-blood’ of the entire electricity eco-system, was potentially the weakest link currently, and could cause a very big crisis by 2014, when more power plants would have come on stream.
FG Calls for Patience
The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki, confirmed the problem of inadequate gas at a recent breakfast meeting of the Lagos Business School, where he also appealed for understanding among Nigerians as the power sector reform would not bring about immediate changes.
The DG explained that investments in the power sector would take time to achieve results because construction of new generation capacity alone would take between two-five years to achieve most of the results envisaged.
He noted that the bulk of electricity generated in the country was through gas-fired plants, but the country at present, did not have the capacity to supply enough gas to support the envisaged increased capacity as the private sector takes over power generation and distribution.
Dikki said Nigeria’s abundant gas resources needed to be harnessed for power generation and called for strong incentives and support from the government to encourage the private sector investments in gas to boost power supply in the post privatisation era.
He however expressed optimism that with the power sector in private hands, Nigerian would benefit from increased power supply and a boost in agricultural and industrial development among other positive developments.
This Day
Monday, November 4, 2013
Nigeria threatens to throw Indians out of the country in response to Goa crackdown
Nigeria will throw thousands of Indians residing there on the streets, if the Goa government does not stop evicting Nigerians living in the tourist state, their consular official has warned, even as the Goa government’s crackdown on the African community has threatens to start a diplomatic row. Consular attaché to the Nigerian embassy in New Delhi, Jacob Nwadadia told Firstpost on Monday afternoon that if the police did not stop evicting Nigerian nationals from their homes forcibly, by 9 pm (India Standard Time), then “thousands of Indian nationals living in Nigeria will be thrown on the streets too”.
The warning comes after ministers of the Goa government including the chief minister himself and the state administration cracked down on the African community, after over 200 Nigerians blockaded a national highway for hours on Thursday following the murder of their compatriot. According to chief minister Manohar Parrikar the murder was a result of a war between two narcotics peddling gangs.
Parrikar also said that antecedents and documents of all foreign nationals living in Goa would be verified, the police as well as BJP workers have unleashed a campaign of terror on Nigerians, evicting them from their rented homes. “There are only 50,000 Nigerians living in India, but there are over one million Indians living in Nigeria,” Jacob said, making the none-too-discreet threat. Jacob said that he had been instructed by the Nigerian ambassador in New Delhi to convey the caution to the Goa government in no uncertain terms.
Jacob said that Nigeria was five hours behind India, and that the deadline given to the Goa government was 9 pm. “When it is 9 pm in India, it would be 4 pm in Nigeria. If the eviction does not stop, then we will take similar action in Nigeria,” said Jacob, who met Nigerians, police as well as district administration officials through Sunday and Monday.
Jacob also said that he would revoke hundreds of visas of Indians in Nigeria in reciprocation to the action against Nigerians in Goa. The police action against Nigerians aside the manner in which they have been referred to by Goa’s lawmakers, including the chief minister himself borders on racism. While Goa’s minister for culture and art Dayanand Mandrekar likened Nigerians to cancer, another BJP legislator Subhash Phaldesai said that their behaviour was similar “wild animals”, who were pumped with drugs. Parrikar himself, while addressing a press conference said that Nigerians are “huge” and “aggressive”, while defending the inability of the police to nip the Thursday’s highway blockade in the bud.
First Post
The warning comes after ministers of the Goa government including the chief minister himself and the state administration cracked down on the African community, after over 200 Nigerians blockaded a national highway for hours on Thursday following the murder of their compatriot. According to chief minister Manohar Parrikar the murder was a result of a war between two narcotics peddling gangs.
Parrikar also said that antecedents and documents of all foreign nationals living in Goa would be verified, the police as well as BJP workers have unleashed a campaign of terror on Nigerians, evicting them from their rented homes. “There are only 50,000 Nigerians living in India, but there are over one million Indians living in Nigeria,” Jacob said, making the none-too-discreet threat. Jacob said that he had been instructed by the Nigerian ambassador in New Delhi to convey the caution to the Goa government in no uncertain terms.
Jacob said that Nigeria was five hours behind India, and that the deadline given to the Goa government was 9 pm. “When it is 9 pm in India, it would be 4 pm in Nigeria. If the eviction does not stop, then we will take similar action in Nigeria,” said Jacob, who met Nigerians, police as well as district administration officials through Sunday and Monday.
Jacob also said that he would revoke hundreds of visas of Indians in Nigeria in reciprocation to the action against Nigerians in Goa. The police action against Nigerians aside the manner in which they have been referred to by Goa’s lawmakers, including the chief minister himself borders on racism. While Goa’s minister for culture and art Dayanand Mandrekar likened Nigerians to cancer, another BJP legislator Subhash Phaldesai said that their behaviour was similar “wild animals”, who were pumped with drugs. Parrikar himself, while addressing a press conference said that Nigerians are “huge” and “aggressive”, while defending the inability of the police to nip the Thursday’s highway blockade in the bud.
First Post
Boko Haram massacre 30 in wedding convoy
Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members have ambushed a convoy of vehicles conveying people returning from a wedding ceremony, killing scores of them, including the groom in Bulakuri village, Borno State.
The fate of the bride and her family members was unknown as of Sunday when Adamawa State Government Spokesman, Ahmad Sajoh, confirmed the incident to the Associated Press.
Although Sajoh said the wedding fatiha, the official Muslim ceremony, took place in Firgi village in Borno State, the Agence France Presse reported that it held in Michika, Adamawa State.
The two news agencies however put the casualty figure at 30 but an Army spokesman, Captain Muhammed, said it was five.
“The report received from our troops indicated that some terrorists attacked a bus at Bulakuri village and killed five persons ,” Dole said in a statement on Sunday evening, adding that the bodies were taken to a mortuary in Bama.
According to some of the survivors, they were attacked along the Bama-Banki Road.
That road runs alongside a forest that is a known hideout of Boko Haram terrorists.
A driver, Kyari Buba, who told the AFP that he was in the middle of the convoy of about five vehicles when the gunmen struck, added that he saw more than 30 dead bodies on the side of the road.
He said,” I was in the middle of the convoy when the gunmen attacked and I was able to stop my vehicle on time to open the door and run into the bush along with the people I was with.
“When we returned long after the gunmen were gone, we met a gory scene with more than 30 people shot dead or slaughtered.
“All the victims were brutally murdered by the attackers.”
Another survivor and friend of the groom, Japhet Haruna, recounted his escape from the assailants.
He said, “I wonder how I and few other people survived the onslaught because it was well-coordinated. I was in the fifth vehicle in the convoy and when I realised that the attackers were out to kill, I ran into the bush.
“I believe it is God that saved me and (a) few others from their bullets. They targeted everybody in the convoy - Muslims, Christians and children.”
Haruna said there were about 50 people in the convoy and that he suspected Boko Haram to have carried out the attack.
The AP also quoted a minibus taxi driver as saying, “We saw a lot of dead bodies killed by gunshots and some by the roadside that appeared to have been slaughtered” with their throats slit.The driver, who asked to be identified only as Shaibu, told journalists in Maiduguri on Sunday, that his terrified passengers wanted him to turn back.
Saturday’s ambush came just over a week after suspected Boko Haram fighters launched a coordinated assault on security forces in Damaturu, Yobe State.
Thirty-five bodies in military uniform were brought to a morgue following the October 24 attack.
Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, had in a new video claimed that he led the attack.
“Look at what happened in Damaturu,” he said, adding that “since we killed them with our hands- in fact, I was the commander of the operation- you cannot say I’m making conjecture.”
Figures released earlier this year said the Boko Haram conflict had cost more than 3,600 lives, including killings by the security forces.
PUNCH
The fate of the bride and her family members was unknown as of Sunday when Adamawa State Government Spokesman, Ahmad Sajoh, confirmed the incident to the Associated Press.
Although Sajoh said the wedding fatiha, the official Muslim ceremony, took place in Firgi village in Borno State, the Agence France Presse reported that it held in Michika, Adamawa State.
The two news agencies however put the casualty figure at 30 but an Army spokesman, Captain Muhammed, said it was five.
“The report received from our troops indicated that some terrorists attacked a bus at Bulakuri village and killed five persons ,” Dole said in a statement on Sunday evening, adding that the bodies were taken to a mortuary in Bama.
According to some of the survivors, they were attacked along the Bama-Banki Road.
That road runs alongside a forest that is a known hideout of Boko Haram terrorists.
A driver, Kyari Buba, who told the AFP that he was in the middle of the convoy of about five vehicles when the gunmen struck, added that he saw more than 30 dead bodies on the side of the road.
He said,” I was in the middle of the convoy when the gunmen attacked and I was able to stop my vehicle on time to open the door and run into the bush along with the people I was with.
“When we returned long after the gunmen were gone, we met a gory scene with more than 30 people shot dead or slaughtered.
“All the victims were brutally murdered by the attackers.”
Another survivor and friend of the groom, Japhet Haruna, recounted his escape from the assailants.
He said, “I wonder how I and few other people survived the onslaught because it was well-coordinated. I was in the fifth vehicle in the convoy and when I realised that the attackers were out to kill, I ran into the bush.
“I believe it is God that saved me and (a) few others from their bullets. They targeted everybody in the convoy - Muslims, Christians and children.”
Haruna said there were about 50 people in the convoy and that he suspected Boko Haram to have carried out the attack.
The AP also quoted a minibus taxi driver as saying, “We saw a lot of dead bodies killed by gunshots and some by the roadside that appeared to have been slaughtered” with their throats slit.The driver, who asked to be identified only as Shaibu, told journalists in Maiduguri on Sunday, that his terrified passengers wanted him to turn back.
Saturday’s ambush came just over a week after suspected Boko Haram fighters launched a coordinated assault on security forces in Damaturu, Yobe State.
Thirty-five bodies in military uniform were brought to a morgue following the October 24 attack.
Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, had in a new video claimed that he led the attack.
“Look at what happened in Damaturu,” he said, adding that “since we killed them with our hands- in fact, I was the commander of the operation- you cannot say I’m making conjecture.”
Figures released earlier this year said the Boko Haram conflict had cost more than 3,600 lives, including killings by the security forces.
PUNCH
Sunday, November 3, 2013
25 dead in Church stampede in Nigeria
No fewer than 25 persons were reported dead and many others injured following a stampede that erupted during the crusade.
Anambra State Governor Peter Obi who was accompanied to the crusade by 10 others, including the All Progressive Grand Alliance National Chairman Victor Umeh and APGA governorship candidate Willie Obiano among others would have been caught in the stampede if not for the fact that the team left at 3.30 am shortly before the close of the crusade at about 5:08 am.
About 25 persons were confirmed dead by 3 pm yesterday.
Eyewitnesses said trouble started shortly after the event when the congregation was leaving as a group of people started shouting “Fire’ Fire, Fire,” which immediately sent people scampering for safety.
Some, however, believe the commotion was deliberately organised by some people who felt Governor Obi was still at the crusade, even though he had already left the venue quietly.
The casualties were said to be many because the number of crusaders, according to sources, got to around 100,000 because the day was All Saints’ Day and the first day of the month which so many people usually take advantage of to pray for the new month.
Following the sad development, Obi immediately cancelled all his engagements, including campiagn flag-off at Nsugbe, live radio programme at Silverbird, flag-off of road projects, inspection of the ongoing shopping mall at Onitsha and ongoing stadium at Awka, the state capital.
The governor was the first person to visit the Adoration Ground with security agents immediately he got wind of the stampede.
The two Deputy Inspector Generals of Police visiting the state, P I Leha and Kachi Udeogu, accompanied by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Bala Nassarawa, also visited the scene of the accident.
Speaking with journalists, Obi said he attended the vigil on the invitation of the Rev. Father in charge of the adoration, Rev. Obimma.
"I noticed something unusual; when I wanted to speak, a group of people started shouting somebody's name. I had to curtail them and said we are here to worship. I was here with a team of about ten people. I have my immediate senior sister who is a reverend sister. At the time I left everything was normal, there was no incident," Obi said.
On those allegedly shouting fire, fire, he said, "I don't think there was fire. Nobody saw any vehicle that got burnt. I have always said that people should try and live a decent life, do things properly. I have been to other crusade before. I stay up to five hours. That was how long I stayed at this one before I left."
Asked whether he suspected any foul play, he said "if people have started shouting fire, where is the fire? People had done similar thing before (at Adoration Ground in Enugu) and people lost their lives. We can't continue like this. It's unfair. "
Udeogu said: "There was no security measure that was neglected. From what I heard, the incident took place when people were going away. Normally if you want to secure a place, you secure the perimeters of the worship centre but you can't police the road. Initially, I thought it was a cathedral with limited access to exit if there was an emergency, but you can see from here that if there is an emergency, people will melt away, there is no restraint here.
"But like the governor had said, we shall fish out those who were shouting fire, fire when there was no fire. Certainly those that were involved, we would unearth them. People will talk and we will hear."
At the Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, most of the injured victims who were rushed there had recovered.
From there, the governor visited the Crown Hospital, Nkpor to see the injured, most of whom had also left by then.
He directed the names of all those injured to be compiled for him.
Meanwhile, Obi has said a panel of enquiry will be set up immediately to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
Obiano has also condoled the families of those who lost loved ones in the stampede.
In a statement by his Media Assistant James Eze, the APGA candidate described the incident as “unfortunate and depressing,” wondering why politics in the state should degenerate to a level where worshippers no longer feel safe to worship in a sacred place as an Adoration Ground."
This Day
Anambra State Governor Peter Obi who was accompanied to the crusade by 10 others, including the All Progressive Grand Alliance National Chairman Victor Umeh and APGA governorship candidate Willie Obiano among others would have been caught in the stampede if not for the fact that the team left at 3.30 am shortly before the close of the crusade at about 5:08 am.
About 25 persons were confirmed dead by 3 pm yesterday.
Eyewitnesses said trouble started shortly after the event when the congregation was leaving as a group of people started shouting “Fire’ Fire, Fire,” which immediately sent people scampering for safety.
Some, however, believe the commotion was deliberately organised by some people who felt Governor Obi was still at the crusade, even though he had already left the venue quietly.
The casualties were said to be many because the number of crusaders, according to sources, got to around 100,000 because the day was All Saints’ Day and the first day of the month which so many people usually take advantage of to pray for the new month.
Following the sad development, Obi immediately cancelled all his engagements, including campiagn flag-off at Nsugbe, live radio programme at Silverbird, flag-off of road projects, inspection of the ongoing shopping mall at Onitsha and ongoing stadium at Awka, the state capital.
The governor was the first person to visit the Adoration Ground with security agents immediately he got wind of the stampede.
The two Deputy Inspector Generals of Police visiting the state, P I Leha and Kachi Udeogu, accompanied by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Bala Nassarawa, also visited the scene of the accident.
Speaking with journalists, Obi said he attended the vigil on the invitation of the Rev. Father in charge of the adoration, Rev. Obimma.
"I noticed something unusual; when I wanted to speak, a group of people started shouting somebody's name. I had to curtail them and said we are here to worship. I was here with a team of about ten people. I have my immediate senior sister who is a reverend sister. At the time I left everything was normal, there was no incident," Obi said.
On those allegedly shouting fire, fire, he said, "I don't think there was fire. Nobody saw any vehicle that got burnt. I have always said that people should try and live a decent life, do things properly. I have been to other crusade before. I stay up to five hours. That was how long I stayed at this one before I left."
Asked whether he suspected any foul play, he said "if people have started shouting fire, where is the fire? People had done similar thing before (at Adoration Ground in Enugu) and people lost their lives. We can't continue like this. It's unfair. "
Udeogu said: "There was no security measure that was neglected. From what I heard, the incident took place when people were going away. Normally if you want to secure a place, you secure the perimeters of the worship centre but you can't police the road. Initially, I thought it was a cathedral with limited access to exit if there was an emergency, but you can see from here that if there is an emergency, people will melt away, there is no restraint here.
"But like the governor had said, we shall fish out those who were shouting fire, fire when there was no fire. Certainly those that were involved, we would unearth them. People will talk and we will hear."
At the Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, most of the injured victims who were rushed there had recovered.
From there, the governor visited the Crown Hospital, Nkpor to see the injured, most of whom had also left by then.
He directed the names of all those injured to be compiled for him.
Meanwhile, Obi has said a panel of enquiry will be set up immediately to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
Obiano has also condoled the families of those who lost loved ones in the stampede.
In a statement by his Media Assistant James Eze, the APGA candidate described the incident as “unfortunate and depressing,” wondering why politics in the state should degenerate to a level where worshippers no longer feel safe to worship in a sacred place as an Adoration Ground."
This Day
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)