BOYCOTT AIT NOW ! In the early 1990’s, as a result of the historic National Broadcasting Commission decree, according to Muyiwa Oyinlola (2004) Nigerian media was dominated by the government only.Information was only made possible from government owned broadcasting firms. However, the Head of State then General Babangida, issued another decree which allowed private broadcasting in Nigeria. After this decree came the first private television network in Nigeria, Africa Independent Television (AIT). AIT was pioneered by High Chief, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, and was also Africa’s first satellite T.V. station.^[1] Today Dokpesi is regarded as the media guru of Nigeria. Some also refer to him as the Ted Turner of Nigeria. Dokpesi not only pioneered the first satellite TV but also the first privately owned radio station in Nigeria. According to the journalist Kolapo (2006), Raymond claims that AIT set the standard for salary structure in the media industry in which Nigerian Television Authority imitated),^[2].

THE race for 2011 presidency gathered momentum Thursday, with ex-President Ibrahim Babangida raising a 10-man campaign organisation.

The ex-President is expected to make a formal declaration of his plan to run on September 14 and 15, which had earlier been set aside by the strategists of President Goodluck Jonathan for the same purpose.

It was also learnt that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have decided to keep their game-plan on a consensus presidential candidate under wraps.

A statement by the Director, Media and Communications, of Babangida Presidential Campaign Organisation, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said the ex-military president would unveil his blueprint during the declaration.

The statement said: “In furtherance of the presidential aspiration of His Excellency, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, the following persons have been appointed and accepted to serve in the Presidential
Campaign Organisation in the various categories of the campaign.

“They are High Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi,OFR (Director General); Senator Kanti Bello (Deputy Director General); Alhaji Sada Ilu (Director, Security &Intelligence), ex-Minister of Health, Prof.
A.B.C Nwosu (Director, Research &Planning); a former Minister of
Information, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire (Director, Policy &
Strategy);Prince Kassim Afegbua (Director, Media and communications);
Mrs. Remi Adiukwu-Bakare (Director, Women Affairs); Alhaji Farouk
Bibi-Farouk(Director, Youths Affairs); Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam
(Director, Contact & Mobilisation); and a former Minister of
Justice, Hon Musa Elayo (Director, Legal Services).

“The comprehensive list of the Zonal and States’ Coordinators will be announced in due course. The temporary Campaign Office is located at 77B, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama Abuja.

“The formal presidential declaration ceremony will come up on the 14th and 15th September, 2010 at the Eagle Square, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The event will avail Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida,
the opportunity to unveil his blueprint to members of the public.”

As of press time, it was learnt that the Campaign Organisation of President Goodluck Jonathan might change the date of his declaration to avert any clash.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “With Babangida’s camp choosing the same dates proposed by our team, we may either ask the President to declare on or before September 12 or a day after
theirs.“All I can tell you is that we will coordinate our campaign in a
manner that the nation will not be heated up unnecessarily.”

There were strong indications yesterday that PDP governors are keeping their game-plan on a consensus candidate for 2011 presidential poll to their chest.

According to findings, five Northern governors were considered as leading candidates on Tuesday.

The governors are Dr. Bukola Saraki (Kwara); Alhaji Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Admiral Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).

A source said: “It is not as if the governors do not have a mindset on where they are going but they have kept their game-plan secret because of certain political developments, especially consultations with
some stakeholders.

“At the right time, the governors will come up with a position on a common candidate. Just wait and see.”

Electricity companies from Canada, India and Ireland are the final bidders to take over the management of Nigeria's national grid, a contract likely to be awarded by the end of the year, a top official said on Friday.

Manitoba Hydro, owned by the Canadian province of Manitoba, India's Power Grid Corp (PGRD.BO) and Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB) are the final bidders to manage the transmission grid in Africa's most populous nation.

"I can tell you that we expect to finalise everything and hand over by the end of the year," Bart Nnaji, head of a presidential taskforce charged with reforming Nigeria's power sector, told Reuters.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday unveiled a blueprint for ending chronic power shortages in sub-Saharan Africa's second biggest economy, a plan which financiers say could unlock billions of dollars of private sector investment..

Under the strategy, Nigeria will privatise electricity generation and distribution. It will continue to own the national grid but its management will be privatised.

Despite producing more than 2 million barrels per day of crude oil, Nigeria relies on diesel generators to power everything from phone chargers to luxury hotels because of constant power outages which are a major brake on growth.

Jonathan's plan, unveiled less than five months before elections are due to be held, is the most comprehensive yet designed to solve the nation's power problems.

Previous privatisation efforts, most recently of former state telecoms monopoly NITEL, have been a failure and investors say the roadmap for reform will need to be backed up by cast-iron guarantees on the regulatory framework.

Nigeria Forms Cyber Prosecution Team

The Nigerian government has approved the formation of a cyber prosecution team to spearhead the country’s battle against cyber crime.

The Computer Crime Prosecution Unit (CCPU) will operate under the supervision of the Public Prosecution Department of the Federal Ministry of Justice. The new unit will be in charge of prosecutions of those suspected of cyber crimes, according to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

“Nigeria needs to have a robust cybersecurity and cyber crime prevention/prosecution structure to drive issues related to cyber crime,” AG Mohammed Bello Adoke said.

The unit will collaborate with the telecom and banking sectors, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission..

“Officers to man the unit are to commence immediate training in basic cyber prosecutors’ courses and electronic evidence handling, amongst others, while other modalities for the effective takeoff of the CCPU are being worked out,” Adoke said.

Africa currently operates with little broadband Internet access. However, the continent is host to the most computer infections, which has provoked worry among cyber professionals.

A four-time presidential aspirant, Sarah Jubril, has again declared her intention to run for presidency in 2011, on the platform of the ruling People’s Democratic Party.

She unfolded her plans at a news conference on Thursday, in Abuja, joining three other presidential hopefuls that have already declared interest to contest for the PDP ticket in the next dispensation.

Mrs Jubril joined the likes of former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida; former vice president, Abubarkar Atiku; and the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, who is slated to officially announce his ambition after the Ramadan fast.

Mrs Jubril said she made up her mind to join the race based on the premise for quality economic development and improved citizenry. According to her, most of the crises facing the country resulted from absence of good character in most people occupying public offices in the country and she pledged to address the quality of citizens through an improved system in the family, the communities, professions, economy, politics, governance, infrastructure, and diplomacy.

She also pledged to provide “rescuer-leadership”, to refocus and raise the country from “delayed development to steady wealth and rapid development.”

“Hence, I remain with an unquenchable spirit that I can and with all of us, can re-teach and re-nurture Nigeria back to sanity, orderliness, serenity, peace, and systematic discipline in all sectors..

“The president that Nigeria needs very urgently is the one who can roll up his or her sleeves to teach good character or ethics in the pursuit of excellence in every area of our quest, goals, and vision,” she said.

However, Mrs Jubril stated that the battle of liberation from stagnation, frustrations and mediocrity to celebration of excellence, must be won if Nigeria and Africa must achieve rapid development.

Commenting on zoning, she said the controversial arrangement in PDP was for “political convenience,” adding that there were over 450 ethnic groups in the country which the zoning formula intended to give sense of belonging.

For better for worse

She berated the performance of state governors, saying that majority of them had not in any way addressed the yearnings and aspirations of the electorate and that their interference with the allocations of the local governments was a failure of governance at the grassroots.

According to her, this has made it difficult for the councils to care for their people.

She, however, promised not to pull out of PDP, if she failed at the primaries, saying she would remain steadfast in the party, irrespective of the outcome of the presidential primaries.

This, however, marks the fifth time Mrs. Jubril is joining the race for the highest public service office in Nigeria.

She was an aspirant in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1993, which was presumably won by the late Moshood Abiola. She was also an aspirant in 1998 on the platform of PDP, losing to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In 2003, Mrs. Jibril took her ambition to the Progressive Action Congress (PAC) and later returned to PDP, to jostle for the party’s ticket in 2007. She scored four votes at the convention which was won by late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Excerpt: "We were unaware the Facebook owned the Internet or the term 'book,'" Teachbook Managing Partner Greg Shrader

Facebook we sef na 9jabook o ! sue us please !We need the publicity .

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V STOKE CITY

More of the same please will be the order from Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton will be among them...

TALKING POINTS
It is no surprise when one of the best teams in a club's history lays downmarkers for posterity, but the regularity with which the currentChelsea team is achieving new highs is quite remarkable.

Last weekend the Double champions inflicted on Wigan Athletic the biggest home defeat in their 32-year league history. Curiously nocorners were recorded for either side - the first occasion for any topflight match for 79 years when Newcastle United held Pompey 0-0.

The 6-0 margin was Chelsea's best away day in the top flight since August 1997 at Barnsley, when popular Italian Gianluca Vialli baggedfour.

It is also the first occasion we have ever scored six in two successive league games. On November 16 1960 we beat Doncaster away 7-0(Peter Brabrook 2, Bobby Tambling 2, Frank Blunstone 2, John Sillett) then three days later at Stamford Bridge defeated Man City 6-3 in Division One (Jimmy Greaves 3, Bobby Tambling, Ron Tindall 2). The win over Donny, however, was in the League Cup 3rd round.

The recent goals tally is formidable: 29 in five, and 20 in the last three - the highest since Wolves' 19 in three matches back in1955/56.

Six different Chelsea players have already scored this season, while the clean sheets are also mounting up. Such extremes won't lastforever, but let's enjoy them while they last.

Some individuals naturally stand out in this run. Florent Malouda is arguably in the form of his life, stitching together so much of theBlues' attacking play and hitting three goals in two games.

In-form Didier Drogba has scored six and assisted on three in the most recent trio of leaguegames. Those pondering his status among the great strikers of the worldmight ponder that despite injury the Ivorian has netted 10 goals sinceRooney last did, and nine over the course of Fernando Torres' barrenspell.

Curiously Chelsea are the only team to have a 100 per cent record after just two Premier League games and the next visitors will be alltoo aware that they conceded 11 in all competitions against the Blues,including a 7-0 victory that must still be fresh in the minds of manyof their players.

The Potters have lost both their games so far, although they must count themselves unlucky that a Jon Walters 'goal' against Spurs wasnot awarded, despite clearly crossing the line.

Sports pages often highlight the unrest in the dressing room and even a manager of Tony Pulis's experience must find it hard these daysto keep a big squad happy, focused and motivated.

This summer the Potters withdrew from the Premier League's new arrangements for reserves and promised to arrange fixtures againstsimilarly non-aligned sides. No fixtures have yet appeared on the clubwebsite.

Reserve games generally feature a loose amalgam of youngsters, players in rehab and fringe first-teamers. They may not be ideal butthey do provide a competitive environment to improve match-readinessand be seen by management and supporters. Others who opted out areFulham, Birmingham and Spurs.

Harry Redknapp made it clear that with extra pressure on his Champions League-qualified squad, he wanted a more flexible roster. 'Itgives you the option of fixing up a game where and whenever you wantrather than being tied to a fixture schedule which can sometimes provedifficult around first-team games,' he explained.

Without competitive games ambitious players, or those returning from injury, may have to arrange a loan move or simply rely on the usualdaily training to attain 'match fitness'.

Last March Stoke's no.2 goalkeeper Asmir Begovic played alongside other first team aspirants Amdy Faye, Andy Wilkinson and Louis Moultagainst the reserves of the club he quit in January, Portsmouth.

It was a rare outing for him, and a few weeks later he was forced into action in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, with the score at 0-2 and Steve Sorenson hobbling off. It ended up a7-0 win for the Blues and ring-rust may have played a part.

On Saturday lunchtime we can all enjoy watching Arséne Wenger grapple again with the home bombardment from a Sam Allardyce team. As ahost the current Ewood manager is unbeaten in the league againstArsenal since 2002, including spells at Bolton, Newcastle and Rovers,notching up four victories and three draws.

Following recent drubbings there, struggling West Ham's last win at Old Trafford, in May 2007, seems a distant memory.

Man City will travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday with great confidence - they have won four of their last five at the stadium.

LAGOS—PRESIDENT Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said, yesterday, he planned to eliminate constant power outage in the country by 2012 through theintroduction of ‘revolutionary’ policies to tackle the plethora ofchallenges bedeviling the sector.

The president’s aspiration was unveiled in Lagos at the launch of the Power Sector Road Map, the execution of which he said, would befast- tracked to create numerous employment opportunities, while alsorevamping the nation’s ailing economy.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Ebele Jonathan during his arrival in Lagos

President Jonathan who said: “We need a revolution in the power sector,” also stated that his administration had identified most of thebottlenecks impeding efficient and effective electricity supply in thecountry.

He noted: “By God’s grace, by December 2012, Nigeria will not only celebrate one day of uninterrupted electricity supply but we wouldcelebrate one week, one month and so on of uninterrupted electricitysupply.”

President Jonathan, however, believed that this will only be possible through the support of the various stakeholders, who arecurrently being engaged in constructive discussions on sustainable waysout of the current power quagmire.

New policies
Parts of the revolutionary polices the President enunciated include:

*The construction of what he described as “a super transmission network of 7000 Kilovolts, the procurement and design will commencenext year.” This is in acknowledgement of the current weakness inelectricity infrastructure, which frustrates the evacuation ofelectricity from the plants to the homes of Nigerians through thenational grid.

*Review of current tariff structure on the grounds that Nigeria’s current structure is the lowest and needs to be reviewed to encouragefresh investments, while not unmindful of the purchasing power of themasses

*Generation of additional 5000mega watts within the next three years from new and existing independent power plants

*Active and serious exploitation of hydro, nuclear and coal power, especially coal in states like Gombe, Enugu, Kogi and Benue states inthe next two years, which will be more private-sector driven

*Privatization of generation and distribution, while government retains transmission for strategic reasons

*Constitution of two presidential committees on power and the reconstitution of the board and membership of the National ElectricityRegulatory Commission, NERC, whose names have been forwarded to theNational Assembly for approval

Power challenges
The president said his assessment of the issues affecting the sectorover the past few years, revealed that “the sector’s challenge toeffective electricity delivery in Nigeria include the absence ofsustained policies and deliberately deploying long term powerdevelopment strategy, the absence of and low implementation of reformsto fast track all issues pertaining to the power sector.”

The President who was flanked by ministers, advisers and state governors, said Government was convinced that “it is only byconstructively engaging the private sector as partners in this journeyof national transformation that we can be assured of success.”

President Jonathan with Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola at the event

He added that constant power outages are perhaps the greatest paradox of life in Nigeria, which despite producing more than twomillion barrels per day of crude oil, relied on diesel generators topower everything from phone chargers to luxury hotels.

Powerful vested interests
World Bank country director, Onno Ruhl, who noted that successivegovernments had tried to fix the power problems, stressed that powerfulvested interests such as billionaire tycoons who import diesel andgenerators, and the chronic mismanagement of state-run utilitiesfrustrated progress in the sector.

He said: “This roadmap brings us to a point where we finally have a realistic plan that is actually technically, commercially sound, interms of the role of the private sector, the role of government. Thequestion is, will all the partners behind it actually rally around itand implement it … If it gets implemented, it will deliver results.”

Ruhl noted that fighting the graft and mismanagement that had hobbled the sector will be more of a political test than laying outplans, adding that in the challenges to reform listed by ministers andofficials, the issue of corruption was conspicuous by its absence.

Finance Minister, Olusegun Aganga, said: “If there is anything that unites Nigerians, it is a desire for power, electricity,” adding thathis ministry was focused on creating the right environment to attractinvestment as quickly as possible.

He said the nation had the world’s seventh_largest natural gas reserves and planned to use them as the source for improving powersupply.

Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison_Madueke, said gas supply to the power sector was already at an all_time high but estimated that demandfrom domestic energy producers would rise to 3 billion cubic feet perday by 2015 from around 800 million now.

She said that President Jonathan had already announced plans for a $3.5 billion transmission “supergrid” to be jointly financed with theprivate sector, while the privatisation agency had said it was seekingcore investors for 11 state_run electricity distribution firms.

Bomb Disposal squad at the airport during Jonathan's visit to Lagos yesterday.

Allison-Madueke said some of the firms in highly populated and relatively developed areas such as Lagos were likely to attractsignificant interest from foreign investors, potentially triggeringbidding wars, adding that others in less-developed areas and withgreater infrastructure challenges may be less attractive.

$12bn investment in energy, transportation
In another development, Vice President Namadi Sambo said the FederalGovernment has invested $12 billion in tackling the problem of powersupply and the resuscitation of the nation’s rail transportation system.

Sambo who was addressing members of the Nigerian community in Bujumbura, shortly after the inauguration of President PierreNkurunziza of Burundi, said the administration of President GoodluckJonathan was doing everything within its power to reduce the problem ofpoverty in the country.

Vice President Sambo said: “The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is doing everything to ensure that we drive out poverty fromNigeria, and also transform our society and improve our economy,”adding that the emphasis of the government was to address the powersupply problem in the country decisively.

He said: “We are doing a lot in the real sector, we are doing a lot in the power sector to ensure that power supply is being addressed withall the seriousness it deserves. The government is investing over $10billion in the generation, transmission and distribution of power so asto attract direct foreign investors in the sector.”

The Vice President stated that government would continue to give emphasis on medium and large power plants as well as coal power plantsfor generation of electricity supply in country. Stressing that thegovernment was putting a lot of efforts in developing our transportsystem, Sambo said: “Our old railway system is now brought back to useand new railway is being built. Over N2 billion is being invested inthis area.”

Earlier, the Head of Nigerian Mission in Burundi, Mr. Sheidu Momoh, had said that the few Nigerians residing in the country had beencontributing positively to the development of the country. He called onthe Federal Government to take advantage of the return of peace inBurundi to acquire permanent structures for the Nigerian Embassy in thecountry.

A woman's attractiveness now relates to the size of her waist compared with her hips, fresh scientific research suggests.…

Thousands of people, including governors, top government functionaries, politicians, cultural dancers, and sundry airports users, today gathered around the presidential lounge of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos to receive President Goodluck Jonathan who is in Lagos to unveil his roadmap for the power sector..

Mr. Jonathan, whose presidential aircraft touched down at about 10.16am waved to the cheering crowd as he disembarked, and was escorted to his car by governors, ministers, heavily armed guards, and fans who sang his praise till he left the VIP lounge with his convoy.

Politicians role call

Those on ground to receive Mr. Jonathan include Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State governor; Gbenga Daniel, Ogun State governor; Yayale Ahmed, secretary to the government of the federation, and Olusegun Aganga, minister of finance.

Others are Musiliu Obanikoro, Nigeria's high commissioner to Ghana; Samsudeen Ade Dosunmu, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirant for the 2011 elections; some heads of local governments; former minister of aviation, Babatunde Omotoba; heads of various airports authorities; and other political heavyweights.

Weird MC, one of Nigeria's foremost female hip hop star, provided entertainment, cheering the crowd and praising Mr. Jonathan.

Scenario at airport

All roads within and around the airport were blocked, and traffic got snarled despite the heavy presence of officers from the Nigerian Army, the Police, the special anti-bomb squad, Aviation Security operatives, and other State security personnel.

Flags of the Peoples Democratic Party were flown by party faithful; hundreds of women were seen in diverse traditional attires as they chanted songs praising Mr. Jonathan.

Mr. Jonathan, however, did not speak to journalists upon arrival, as he left the presidential lounge for Eko Hotel for the unveiling of the power roadmap.