No To Premium Times’ New Found Love For Fiction As Journalism The attention of the Office of the Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN has been drawn to another sensational offering from the platform of the Premium Times. Without doubt, the so called “Special Report” with the screaming headline “Works Minister, Fashola, in N166 billion contract mess” fits perfectly into an emerging pattern by Premium Times to create fiction, avoid obvious facts and sensationalise headlines in order to draw attention and sell its struggling platform. Barely two weeks ago, the same Premium Times published a similarly fabricated report with the mischievous headline, “EXCLUSIVE: Buhari administration plotting to break Nigerian law in award of $800 million contract.” It is a known fact that the media industry, like other sectors, in the economy, faces challenges thrown up by the recession. Indeed, the challenges of the media industry precede the recession. However, while the Federal Government and well meaning Stakeholders, including the media, are working assiduously to address the challenges, constantly muckraking and deliberately maligning public officials and institutions should not replace the age long responsibility of the media to hold government accountable to the populace. Examining the mischievous report published by Premium Times readily shows the obvious contradictions and the less than altruistic intentions therein. To start with, the report established the fact that there was an Evaluation Committee made up of a Chairman and Members who are ranking professionals in their own right. Even by its own admission, the report that went to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) was the work of the Evaluation Committee which does not have the Hon. Minister as member. Except the publication was insinuating that the Committee colluded to perpetrate fraud for itself and the Ministry, which is not the case, then going to town about “Fashola” being in a “contract mess” leaves much to be desired. The Premium Times contradicted itself by alleging a “contract mess” and yet admitted that the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing followed Due Process by advertising projects to be awarded and sending the list of selected contractors to the Bureau of Public Procurement. If the Ministry does what is expected of it by law and the institution of Government that it went to did its job, in what way does it amount to a “mess”? It is pertinent to inform Nigerians that as at this moment, no new contracts have been awarded to date based on the 2016 Appropriation and as such no single kobo has been paid. The ‘contract mess’ which Premium Timessought to mislead Nigerian citizens with is an exchange of correspondence between two government institutions to which the Ministry has adequately responded. It is worrisome that whilst Premium Times devoted its journalistic energy to the correspondence from the Bureau of Public Procurement, it failed to inform its readers of the response of the Ministry which comprehensively addressed all the issues raised in the Bureau’s referenced report. Is journalism now a one-way traffic? For the avoidance of doubt, the statutory role of the Bureau of Public Procurement is to vet contracts to be awarded depending on the threshold. At the end of its work, it either issues a Due Process Certificate of ‘No Objection’ or withholds it. Indeed, even if it issues a Certificate of No Objection, the last approving authority for the threshold of jobs so sensationally reported by Premium Times is the Federal Executive Council and not the Hon. Minister or the Permanent Secretary of the Awarding Ministry. It should be noted that the BPP has the final decision on contract prices and in previous memos from the Ministry, the Bureau had reviewed the cost of contracts. In a regime emphasising Due Process and underscoring efficient institutions, it should be a source of worry if the BPP certifies every piece of document that goes to it as being okay. So rather than sensationalise public institutions doing its job, it would be advisable for media organisations to educate its personnel on how the procurement system works. Indeed, it is curious to note, that the frivolous allegations being published by Premium Times and most times often instantly “boosted” across social media platforms seems to have gained currency with the resolve of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammdu Buhari to make budgets work for the people through faithful execution of projects across the country. In the locust years of miserable budgetary allocations to capital development, with scant regard for Due Process, it would seem all was well. A question that should aptly end this clarification meant to set the records straight is: “What do ‘they‘ want?” ...

Proposed Closure Of Abuja Airport To Effect Runway Repairs, A Matter Of Immense Public Safety, Says Fashola At Senate Briefing * As Minister explains FEC’s option as best in terms of time, cost, enduring solution * Says globally closure of airports accord with the uncompromising safety standards in the Aviation Industry * Kaduna Airport was chosen as alternative airport because condition of Abuja-Kaduna road lends itself to emergency repairs The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Tuesday appeared before the Senate lending support to the decision for a closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for the repair of the runway, saying of all the choices available in the matter, safety consideration was paramount. Fashola, who said his Ministry came into the matter of the airport closure to play a supportive and complementary role, told the Senate that although there would be inconveniences in the six weeks it would take to complete the rehabilitation of the runway, but where there were choices between safety and inconvenience, safety must take precedence. Explaining that the runway of the airport needed repairs, Fashola declared, “By extension, therefore, it means that the airport cannot be used. It seems to be a very simple point but it is a point that members of the public should be made aware of that the runway is no longer safe. So this is a matter of immense public safety. This is the primary purpose for which governments exist”. Noting that the intention of the Executive arm was neither to present a fait accompli  nor an immutable position to the public, the Minister further explained that having deeply explored the positions, the Ministry of Aviation was able to convince the Federal Executive Council that given the many existing options, each of which, according to him, has consequences, total closure was the best solution also in terms of cost, in terms of time and in terms of an enduring solution. Acknowledging that one of the issues that have agitated the minds of Nigerians, especially regular users of the airport, was the inconveniences that would result during the period of closure, Fashola added, “Let me say very clearly that I sympathise with those who will be affected, including not the least many of us who travel. But nevertheless my view is that where there are choices between inconvenience and safety, that safety must prevail”. The Minister, who listed the Philippines, India, Kenya and Sri Lanka as countries that have closed their airports for various reasons in the past, added, “Nigeria is not the first country to close an airport and to divert traffic either to another airport or another city”, adding, “This accord with the uncompromising safety standards in the Aviation Industry that has made flying the safest form of travelling when operators play by the rules”. He commended the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who, according to him, is a certified Pilot, “for his openness and commitment to the safety of life” adding that the Minister of State deserved all the support he could get in accomplishing the project. “And I couldn’t be happier than to hear the President of the Senate saying this morning that the decision whether to repair the runway is now a moot point, that the decision really was what the best approach would be”, Fashola said adding, “I like to emphasized also that the right to life, and this is important also in making the ultimate decision, that the right to life guaranteed in the constitution means nothing if Government does not take this kind of pre-emptive actions to forestall and prevent loss of life”. The Minister also commended the Senators for their intervention in discharging their representational duties to their various constituents, reiterating that it was important that members of the public get the right information that planes could no longer land safely on the runway until after the necessary rehabilitations. Fashola also used the opportunity to clarify the role being played by the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing as totally supportive. “It is not that there are no alternatives, but we have to make those choices and my role in my Ministry is totally supportive. We are not leading them so if they say that they want us to stop, we have no interest in the matter beyond the way the Police will come to give collaboration, beyond the way other agencies are coming to give collaboration. We were called into the meeting when this problem became a matter of urgent national consideration and we volunteered that we would give all the support to restore the road.” On the choice of Kaduna, instead of Minna Airport, as the alternative airport while the rehabilitation lasts, Fashola explained that given the current conditions of both roads, the Kaduna-Abuja Highway currently lent itself more to the kind of emergency intervention to restore it to motorability within the short time assigned for the completion of the rehabilitation. The Minister explained, “While the road distance from Minna to Abuja is about 156 kilometres and Kaduna to Abuja is about 186 kilometres (a difference of 30 kilometres or thereabouts), I have driven on both roads recently and the Kaduna-Abuja road is in much better condition than Minna-Abuja, and lends itself more quickly to the implementation of this kind of emergency repairs”. The Minister, who reiterated that his Ministry came into the matter in a complementary and supportive role also added that the Abuja-Minna Road was also currently under procurement. He explained that though the contractor was currently having difficulty with his financing, the issues would eventually be resolved and the road fixed. The Minister also disclosed that in anticipation that Kaduna Airport would be the alternative airport, his Ministry utilized the provisions of the emergency provisions of the Public Procurement Act to seek and obtain the approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement for the emergency rehabilitation of the bad sections of the Kaduna-Abuja Highway at a cost of N1.058Billion. He said although the contractor, Messrs CGC Nigeria Limited, has moved to site since the 7th of January 2017 and has proposed that it would be finished in 50 days ending thereabouts on the 28th of February from the work plan that they have submitted to the Ministry, they have not yet been paid but their presence was already visible on that road. “They have moved men and materials to site and this is the consequence of the confidence that has begun to come back to the construction industry since the implementation of the 2016 Budget that you passed”, he told the Senate adding, however that they were asking for a 50 per cent down payment which, which according to him, “the Procurement Law does not permit to make; which is also a matter that is pending before different Committees of the House to amend the Procurement Act”. “As to the choice between Kaduna and Minna Airports, I believe that the Minister of State for Aviation has explained that Kaduna is the default alternative Airport for Abuja bound flights when a fight plan was being considered for approval. I think he made that point from what I heard”, he said. Also acknowledging the inconveniences that Nigerian will experience during the period, Fashola, however advised, “This is also perhaps a time for us to adapt so that we can be safe”, suggesting that the eight-weeks’ notice given by the Ministry of Aviation should be utilised for the Airport users to , alter some of their prescheduled programmes ahead of the closure or until after the closure adding that they could also employ available technology such as skype or e-mail, sms and teleconferencing among others ...

Fashola Charges Service Providers In The Power Sector To Make Customer Service Their Focus * As Minister chairs the 11th Monthly Meeting of Power Sector Operators in Lagos * Encourages  Operators,  service providers to improve the user experience of  consumers by improving metering and reducing estimated billings * Abuja DisCo, Okpai Power Plant, Shiroro win best performing DisCo, best performing thermal plant and best performing hydroelectric plant respectively in third quarter of 2016 The 11th monthly meeting of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN with Operators in the Power Sector, has held at the Ikeja West Transmission Station, Ayobo, Lagos with the Minister restating the need for the service providers to make optimum customer service their focus. Fashola’s remarks formed part of the ten paragraph Communiqué of the Meeting which was attended by high level representatives of Operators at the executive management levels, includingManaging Directors and Chief Executive Officers of GenCos, DisCos and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), as well as various government agencies such as the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) and Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA). The Minister, who emphasized that consumers were the ones that pay the bills and so must be treated rightly by operators in the Power sector, encouraged each Operator and service provider to improve the user experience of its consumers, by improving metering and reducing estimated billings. Acknowledging the challenges of liquidity in the sector, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) reminded the meeting that all operators must pay their bills to NBET as well as their suppliers and service providers promptly, to ensure that the sector remains functional and friendly to investors even as the meeting commended the efforts being made by Government and international development partners to address these challenges The meeting, which also agreed on the importance of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) paying their debts, acknowledged the need for proper verification prior to payment and also noted the on-going verification and data collection exercise which, it noted, was aimed at improving liquidity in the sector. While also resolving to complete and submit all outstanding audited financial accounts of all operators before the next meeting in order to improve transparency within the sector, the Meeting noted the importance of the need to complete all outstanding work at the Ikot Ekpene switching station that was commissioned on 21st November 2016, to take full advantage of the added capacity to deliver incremental power. Noting with delight that the family affected by the electrical accident at Oke-Ira, Ogba in Lagos State had been compensated by Ikeja Electric , the Meeting stressed the need for all operators to observe all safety regulations in the sector and to make every effort to avoid such accidents in future. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported the progress of the projects in Shagamu, Ikeja West, Ajah, Ayobo, Omotosho, Ayede and Ogba which it said would be completed between April and the end of 2017 and which when completed, would improve power supply in Lagos State and its environs. The company also reported that with the commissioning of Ikot Ekpene switchyard transmission capacity of the National Grid was now above 6,500MV adding that contrary to insinuations that the Grid was not capable of carrying above 5,000MW of generated energy, the capacity of the grid was dynamic and would continue to grow as more energy was added. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) noted that work was on going to repair all pipelines vandalised in 2016 to restore gas supply to power plants while the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced Abuja DisCo as the best performing DisCo in the third quarter of 2016. The score was based on rates of collections, metering progress, health and safety, amongst other indicators. Okpai Power Plant was announced as the best performing thermal plant in the third quarter of 2016 while Shiroro was announced as the best performing hydroelectric plant. The score for generating plants was based on availability and general compliance with industry standards. The Meeting, which was chaired by the Minister, was jointly hosted by Ikeja Electric and Egbin Power and, as usual, focused on identifying, discussing, and finding practical solutions to critical issues facing the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. Earlier, in his opening remarks, Fashola had stressed the need for Operators, especially in the distribution areas of the power sector, to endeavour to improve the quality of their service to consumers pointing out that the consumers being the ones paying the bills, must be treated with all care and respect The Minister urged the Operators to continue to train and retrain their personnel to recognize that the customer is king adding that even if they could not provide all that the customers required, they owed the customers a duty to explain what they were doing at any point in time He declared, “We owe a duty to fish out a few staff that are not dedicated and retrain or discard them. I know that they are not many but a few because we get constant reports and we know we have got staffs that are very dedicated. Our staff must know that without customers they don’t have a job”.   “Without the customer, we have no business and I think all those in the private sector understand that. If you don’t have the zeal and dedication to serve, please leave, it is a thankless task but it is a noble task to serve”, the Minister said. On the frequent complaints of consumers, Fashola listed them to include issues around metering and billing urging, “We must build that trust and that confidence that is needed in service delivery. I have heard complaints of people being charged for things they shouldn’t be charged for. So all of us that are owners of this business must look inside and do whatever is possible to improve service. Expressing confidence that there would be improved service in the New Year “if we work together and have understanding of each other”, the Minister thanked the Operators for their perseverance thus far. He also advised them, “We have spoken of Undercover Boss here before. Go round; ask the consumers what their experiences have been. It will inform your management decision about what to do”. On the liquidity issue, Fashola, who acknowledged its challenges to the service providers, recalled his statements concerning the issue both before the meeting and in the past as well as to the Press in which he had explained government’s efforts,  working with its development partners, both international and local, who, according to him, “have shown commitment and very inspiring appetite to play in this sector”. “We are trying to see what we can do together in order to bring the liquidity issue under some control and from there solve the problem”, he said just as he also announced that the members of Parliament have also shown inspiring understanding of what the challenges are. According to the Minister, “Quick decisions will be made now with collaboration and we will be fair but firm and we expect that people will respect the decisions. These, of course, are matters which the regulator, NERC, will deal with, Bulk Trader, NBET, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Petroleum in terms of gas and, in fact, all the players, will dovetail into one another”. Speaking on what to expect in the New Year, Fashola noted that government has already listed and identified what the challenges were, adding, “What we are trying to finalize now is what comes first, what follows and what takes dominion, because in solving one problem we might solve three simultaneously and so on and so forth”. Promising that government would keep in constant touch with the Operators as the issues evolved, the Minister said such constant interaction would also enable the operators to give their own side of the story adding, “We will also use this meeting to share details of what we are seeing and to hear what you are experiencing”. Reiterating that the intention of the constant meetings remained to review and enhance services and also to meet the needs of the expectant Nigerians, Fashola declared, “I think the top burner issues still remains service. I am conscious of the challenges the operators in the sector face but you and I are working as hard as we can to make that environment more responsive to you”. “I have said that indeed as pioneers you will carry some burden and you will sacrifice, perhaps, more than you have done. But I am optimistic that things will get better. I am optimistic that we can work together to give Nigerians better service”, he said. ...