Why INEC Rescheduled Elections

 

Monday, 04 April 2011

Edegbe Odemwingie, Sunday Isuwa, Shuaib Shuaib, Abuja, Kazeem Akintunde and Taiwo Ogunmola, Lagos

• Commonwealth regrets further shift

• Postponement cost Nigeria N75b

• 4 killed in Lagos, others missing

• FG reopens land borders



Professor Attahiru Jega

 The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday bowed to pressures from stakeholders, principally political parties to reschedule the 2011 general elections. INEC had, on Saturday, postponed the National Assembly elections to Monday (today) due to late arrival of sensitive election materials.

This was even as the federal government ordered the  reopening of Nigeria’s land borders.

Rising from a close-door meeting with Nigeria’s political parties Sunday evening, INEC chairman Professor Attahiru Jega announced a sweeping change in all the election dates. According to him, rescheduling of the National Assembly elections would have implication for the schedule of all the other elections.

National Assembly elections will now hold on Saturday, April 9, presidential on Saturday, April 16, while gubernatorial and the state assembly elections will hold on Tuesday, April 26.

Many political parties under the aegis of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had threatened to boycott what they deemed an arbitrarily chosen date for the previously postponed National Assembly election.

“It is unacceptable that having failed in its most basic statutory responsibility to conduct the April 2011 National Assembly elections, INEC should arbitrarily announce a new date of Monday, 4th April, without consultations with political parties who are the major stakeholders in the election. As it stands, the parties are not ready or prepared for this new date and as such, we are not party to the date as dictated by INEC.” A statement issued by IPAC’s chairman, Chief Osita E. Okereke and the Secretary, Alhaji Shittu Mohammed had earlier stated.

Jega told newsmen: “Since the postponement and the announcement of Monday for the conduct of the National Assembly elections, several representations have been made to the commission, urging it to consult widely and to ensure that the two-day postponement is enough to address all the logistical issues that may militate against a successful conduct of the rescheduled elections.

“Following these representations and subsequent consultations with stakeholders, the commission has found that the overwhelming sentiment is to further reschedule the elections. Requests to reschedule the National Assembly elections have come from a cross-section of stakeholders, including political parties and civil society organisations.” Jega thanked Nigerians for their enthusiasm for the elections and support for the commission and the electoral process stressing that, “Your sacrifices are not lost on the commission and we are even more determined now to ensure that the 2011 elections are free, fair and credible.”

Responding to questions from newsmen on the possibility of merging National Assembly elections with the presidential elections, Jega said it was not explored because logistics challenge would be too enormous.

“It is possible but we believe that we are better served by separating the two; we do not want the logistical preparations for one to affect the other.

“We all know that the international community is interested in observing all the elections but they are more particularly interested in terms of the outcome of the presidential elections. As a commission and with the endorsement of the stakeholders that we have consulted, Nigeria is better served in terms of bringing about free, fair and credible elections, if we separated these elections. That was the reason for this separation, “he stated.

Parties roundly embraced the new election dates.

National chairman, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Tony Momoh, said: “The logo of some political parties are missing, many names are not there (on the ballot papers), there are shortages at polling stations and lots and lots of problems and these cannot be addressed within 24 hours. There is enough time now to make the necessary adjustments and we believe that Jega can handle the issue.”

The CPC said it was more comfortable with the March 9 date that has been fixed for the National Assembly elections and commended Jega for consulting with political parties and taking them into confidence before fixing the date.

The national publicity secretary of CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, speaking to LEADERSHIP yesterday, said the date was agreed upon through a democratic process. The political parties, he said, had a joint position which they presented to the electoral commission, adding that the new date is the most reasonable under the circumstances.

Fashakin said “Saturday will afford INEC the opportunity to overcome all the impediments it had previously encountered. It is good for Nigeria and I must commend Prof. Jega for his truthfulness. It takes a great man to take the decision he took.”

The acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haliru Bello, said, : “If they (INEC) say they are not ready now, we are willing to wait for them to get ready because we want free and credible elections.”

Meanwhile, the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) has said it was unrealistic to schedule the cancelled National Assembly elections for Monday, even as the group insisted that it was capable of deepening the current state of uncertainty.

This was contained in a statement signed by Comrade Hilary Ojukwu of the Nigerian Progressives in the Diaspora; Barr Benedict Ezeagu, national coordinator SNG; Barr. Stanly Dien, secretary, SNG;  and Barr. Francis Olabode, PRO, SNG; and made available to LEADERSHIP.

“In view of the nationwide confusion and disagreement occasioned by the new date fixed by INEC for the botched National Assembly elections, the Save Nigeria Group wishes to state unequivocally that the April 4,2011 date unilaterally announced by the Jega-led INEC is unrealistic and capable of further deepening the current state of uncertainty in the country.

They argued that the new date for the NASS elections would clash with WAEC examinations which had been fixed for the same date with the attendant security implications, even as any attempt to move these exams would cost the nation further avoidable and unwarranted loss.

Any new date, the statement maintained must take into cognizance the ability of different political parties and other stakeholders to mobilise the needed resources to be able to participate effectively in the elections.

However, the Commonwealth Election Observer Group in Nigeria has expressed regret over the further postponement of the National Assembly polls now scheduled to hold April 9.

A statement by its chairman, Festus Mogae, made available to LEADERSHIP last night stated that the last-minute postponement was regrettable.

“We have noted the further postponement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the National Assembly elections, and that the presidential elections have also now been postponed.

“We note that the announcement follows consultation with the principal stakeholders. We recognise fully that it is the prerogative of Nigeria’s electoral authorities to make changes to the electoral timetable.

“We believe, nevertheless, that such repeated and last-minute changes are regrettable and do not reflect positively on the state of preparedness of INEC.”

Meanwhile, an estimated sum of N75 billion might have been lost by the economy especially in the private sector following the postponement of the National Assembly election earlier scheduled for last Saturday.

The estimate is based on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $360 billion.  Experts estimate that about $500 million or N75 billion for half a day of work was lost due to the fact that Saturday was a weekend when only the private sector operates.

The chairman of INEC, Prof. Jega, last Saturday postponed the National Assembly election due to an“ unanticipated late arrival of results sheets in many parts of the country.”

Reacting to the development, the chairman of the National Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa said the aggregate loss based on the GDP particularly as it borders on private sector which drives the economy of any nation, was enormous.

He noted that what happened was a national disgrace to a country that pride itself as giant of Africa, adding that INEC should apologies to the nation as what happened was absolutely unavoidable.

Ohuabunwa described the postponement as a national disgraced that bothers on the integrity of INEC adding that electoral materials are items that require the highest level of security and must be treated as such.

Ohuabunwa noted that if the security of any of the items is breached, then the credibility of the election becomes compromised.

Meanwhile, former Chai rman of Epe local government,  Mr Mufutai Rufai  and two others lost their lives on Saturday , as their boat  capsized , when returning from a  river side area in Epe local government area of Lagos state  , where they went to monitor last Saturday’s botched National Assembly election.

Mr Rufai who was earlier seen at Epe around 2pm, was said to have visited Oriba in Epe Local government Area. Their boat capsized on their way back from the island, and three of them drowned in the process.

It was gathered that, they were eight people aboard the boat, but five of them managed to survive, and they were latter taken to a hospital for treatment, and have been subsequently discharged.

The reopneing of the borders was announced in Abuja by the minister of interior Captain Emmanuel Iheanachor.

This is sequel to the resheduling of the general elections by INEC.

leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php option=com_content&view=article&id=28402:why-inec-rescheduled-elections&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=142

 

Yet another attempt to undermine the nation’s energy industry

 

February 10, 2011 | Posted by Ken Cohen

 

There’s a letter making the rounds this week in Washington from a number of Democratic Senators, asking for congressional support to remove tax provisions that help enable the oil and natural gas industry to create jobs and contribute billions in tax revenues to federal, state and local governments across the nation.
While the letter wasn’t sent to ExxonMobil, I think it’s important to address the claims made in it, for two reasons: first, because they are incorrect; and second, because punishing successful companies won’t do anything to help restore our economy.
It’s just another unfortunate attempt to attack an industry that supports more than 9.2 million jobs, adds $1 trillion to the national economy – or 7.5 percent of GDP – and contributes billions in tax revenues to federal, state and local governments.
In fact, the letter’s authors went so far as to say that our industry “adds little to our economic and energy security.” These comments come as some surprise given that our industry is responsible for providing more than 60 percent of America’s daily energy needs, and invests in a wide range of technologies to increase and diversify the nation’s energy supplies.
Without any evidence, the authors refer to “tax loopholes and other subsidies that benefit big oil and gas companies.” The most often cited such provision is the Section 199 domestic manufacturers’ deduction.  This tax provision applies not only to U.S. oil and natural gas companies like ExxonMobil, but to all qualified U.S. manufacturers. In other words, American automakers, software developers, newspaper publishers, alcohol and tobacco companies – all these industries benefit from the Section 199 deduction.  To suggest oil and gas companies are the sole beneficiaries of this provision, and to label it a  “loophole” for “Big Oil” is misleading.
The suggestion is even more disconcerting given that the U.S. oil and natural gas industry currently benefits less from this tax provision than all other qualified industries.  All U.S. manufacturers can claim a 9 percent deduction – except the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, which can claim only 6 percent.
So what’s their justification? They imply that  the Section 199 deduction and other tax provisions should be repealed for our industry because “oil and gas companies are doing just fine.”  ExxonMobil has indeed reported strong earnings recently, to the benefit of our millions of shareholders, many of whom are middle class Americans and participants in U.S. government pension and mutual funds, such as the Thrift Savings Plan. In fact, we distributed $19 billion to shareholders in 2010 alone through dividends and share purchases.
The fact that these earnings appear large in absolute terms is a reflection of the scale of the energy industry, which supports U.S. economic activity through the reliable fuels we provide and the electric power we enable.  In relative terms, however, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry’s earnings are consistent with U.S. manufacturing in general. Over the last five years, for example, earnings for the oil and natural gas industry have been in line with the broader manufacturing sector – averaging about 7 cents for every dollar of sales.
To eliminate the tax provisions to which these lawmakers refer would amount to a punitive tax increase on the U.S. oil and gas industry.  Currently, our industry is one of the nation’s largest taxpayers.  From 2005 to 2009, ExxonMobil’s U.S. taxes totaled $63 billion – $19 billion more than we earned in the United States during this period, and an amount that exceeds the entire proposed budget of the U.S. Department of Education for fiscal year 2011.   Furthermore, our effective tax rate in 2009 was 47 percent – approximately 20 percent higher than the average of all other Standard & Poor’s Industrials, according to a recent study.
To increase our tax expenses by repealing the Section 199 deduction and tax provisions would jeopardize the U.S. oil and natural gas industry’s future investments in the United States, as well as our ability to continue being a reliable generator of goods, services, jobs and government revenues.
Given our industry’s enormous contributions to American job creation, manufacturing production, and middle class prosperity – and the importance of the domestic energy sources we produce to our economic and our energy security – I hope people look at the facts before believing these attacks on one of the key foundations of the U.S. economy

exxonmobilperspcom/2011/02/10/yet-another-attempt-to-undermine-the-nations-energy-industry/ectives.

Energy security – A global imperative

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© gasworld

Energy security is perhaps the biggest debate or challenge right now – but what are the solutions to our energy dilemma?

For the first time in human history more than half the Earth’s population have migrated to live in towns and cities and complete global urbanisation seems to be inevitable.

Forty years ago the population of only three cities exceeded 10 million, whereas now there are 32 cities of this size and three of these are home to over 20 million each.
United Nations Population Division estimates predict that the rate of global urbanisation will continue to accelerate to approach 60% by 2030 and 70% by mid-century. This trend will have major impact on the demand for energy, particularly in the developing countries of Africa and Asia.
The importance of energy security
Interruptions in supplying the energy demand of urban populations have potentially greater impact than mere frustration and inconvenience; they can threaten economic and physical survival.
Public transport, road traffic control, lighting, heat, air-conditioning and ventilation in retail malls, offices, hotels, apartments and public facilities all depend on continuous energy supply and power outages result in chaos.
The failure of health services, emergency services or the maintenance of law and order due to energy scarcity could easily have life or death consequences. Industrial and commercial activities from manufacturing to service delivery all depend on continuous energy supply for their efficient operation.
Sources of energy & delivery factors
The primary energy resources listed in most discussions are: coal, crude oil, natural gas, nuclear fission, hydro-power and other renewables. Considerable differences exist between these six options in terms of distribution and availability, ease of production, storage and transportation.
Coal mining has a long history of accidents and explosions and is probably considered the most dangerous to extract. The magnitude of pollution risk from the spillage of crude oil was recently demonstrated on a grand scale in the Gulf of Mexico.
Despite these difficulties, both coal and oil are stored and transported in vast quantities across the oceans and continents using bulk carriers, tankers, conveyors and pipelines. Apart from their ever increasing size and capacity, these may be described as conventional. Stocks can be accumulated in the event that production should exceed demand or stockpiled in the anticipation of interrupted supply.
Historically it was coal that fuelled the industrial revolution and it continued to be the world’s primary energy resource until the mid 1960s when it was overtaken by oil. Despite the obvious convenience and reduction in pollution associated with oil burners, there was some reluctance to convert because the future supplies of oil seemed uncertain.
As the oil industry grew and extraction technology developed, the price of oil fell and it was the promise of cost savings that convinced the majority of consumers to switch. Ironically, the price of crude oil is still influenced by fears of depletion, referred to as ‘Peak Oil’.
Natural gas reserves were first discovered during the process of exploring for deposits of crude oil and this low-grade fuel gas is still often flared to atmosphere as a waste product. The potential of natural gas to contribute very significantly to the energy mix was only realised when the vast size of untapped gas reserves became apparent. The low energy density of natural gas, consisting as it normally does of mainly methane with impurities of carbon dioxide and occasional small percentages of helium, has serious cost implications for both its storage and its distribution.
The trade in natural gas as a primary energy source was limited to the range of long-distance pipelines, until the development of purpose designed carrier ships that deliver this cryogenic liquefied natural gas (LNG) across the oceans and around the globe. The fact that LNG stores only 60% of the energy stored in an equivalent volume of crude oil means that the LNG trade is fundamentally more risky. The expansion of LNG capacity requires major capital investment in plant and carriers and the liquefaction process is energy intensive.
LNG, like other cryogenic liquids, has a limited ‘shelf-life’ in storage because even the most sophisticated thermal insulation systems cannot prevent the ingress of heat which causes vaporisation and pressure build-up. This implies that stocks cannot be accumulated without expensive losses and excess production will quickly precipitate a fall in spot market prices. Long-term high volume contracts are a pre-requisite to approval of new liquefaction projects.
Greenhouse gases
As a brief aside, we should at this point look at the other aspects of the conventional fuels that we’re so familiar with. After all, this wouldn’t be the ‘green’ issue without some reference to greenhouse gases (GHGs) and any of the associated factors.
Two factors related to the accumulation of greenhouse gases affect Earth’s climate because they interact with the incoming radiation. The first factor is the degree to which a gas reflects heat back into space, and the second factor is how long that gas remains in the atmosphere. Although the products of combustion do include both water vapour and CO2, human activity contributes only slightly to greenhouse gas concentrations through farming, manufacturing, power generation, and transportation.
Many environmentalists do not consider water vapour to be a greenhouse gas, despite its reflective qualities and relative abundance. Some argue that because water vapour is naturally abundant, our influence estimated at 0.28% is comparatively negligible. Even though water vapour is responsible for nearly 95% of the greenhouse effect, others argue that because it is part of the natural weather cycle it can’t be considered and on this basis the human contribution rises to 5.53%.
If we disregard the main and natural cause of global warming and only focus on the causes related to the combustion of fossil fuels, then three major greenhouse gases emerge. Top of the list is CO2, followed by methane (CH4) and finally nitrous oxide (N2O).
Fossil fuels are also known as hydrocarbons because their molecules are made up of carbon and hydrogen in many different ratios and configurations. These fuels have largely replaced the traditional biomass as industrialisation has spread around the globe. The final products of complete combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapour, both of which are natural substances in the terrestrial environment and both behave as green-house gases and are minor constituents of the atmosphere.
Incomplete combustion, high temperature combustion and the presence of elements like sulphur in hydrocarbon fuels result in the emission of toxic gases including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide.
Another powerful greenhouse gas is CH4 which occurs naturally in huge underground deposits, often together with crude oil deposits, and is the major component of natural gas. The decomposition of landfill waste and digestion of sewage in wastewater treatment plants and cattle farms are all sources of CH4 – some of which is recovered as useful energy.
Balancing act
It is feared that the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases will shift the fine balance between heat reflected and heat retained, causing ambient temperatures to rise.
An increase in atmospheric temperature also affects the amount of water frozen at the poles. If the temperature in the atmosphere increases and the polar ice melts, it could affect both human and marine life drastically:
* World temperatures could rise by between 1.1 and 6.4°C during the 21st century;
* Sea levels will probably rise by 18 to 59cm;
* There will be more frequent warm spells, heat waves, and heavy rainfall;
* There an increase in droughts, tropical cyclones, and extreme high tides.
This environmental balancing act brings us to the subject of carbon credits. A carbon credit is like a form of environmental currency. One carbon credit is equal to one tonne of CO2 emission. Companies that reduce their CO2 emissions have the opportunity to earn carbon credits that they can trade to other industries. This incentive system is intended to reward environmentally conscious industries financially while taxing harmful industries for their neglect.
Though for the most part this system does show promise, it does have the potential to simply pass the problem on to somebody else. The emissions from natural sources beyond our control are so large that even the expensive measures designed to limit human emissions may have a very small, and perhaps undetectable, effect on global climate.
Oxygen applications that optimise fuel efficiency can reduce emissions and result in higher concentrations of CO2 in the waste gas – thus facilitating its capture for storage. Many other gas applications are used by diverse industries to reduce emissions of harmful emissions and greenhouse gases. Industrial gases such as CO2 are normally sourced from the waste gas streams emitted by existing combustion processes.
Final energy consumption by fuel
Returning to the energy diversification debate, and liquid fuels and primarily oil are expected to dominate the final consumption of energy, but electricity consumption is expected to continue growing most rapidly.
The global use of electricity grew 54% between 1990 and 2005 according to the IEA. Despite the rising trend in price, natural gas is expected to remain an important primary fuel for electricity generation. Gas-fired combined cycle plants are recognised for high fuel efficiency, are less capital intensive and constructed more rapidly than plants fuelled by coal, nuclear or renewable energy sources.
The adoption of natural gas is also favoured by the ‘green movement,’ because it is characterised by significantly lower emissions of sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter than oil or coal.
High oil prices have motivated rapid growth in the number of gas-fired generating plants and natural gas is expected to be the fastest-growing primary energy source through until 2020, when rising extraction costs will retard the growth rate in favour of alternatives like renewable energy or nuclear power. Unless policies are implemented to curb their use, coal-fired generation plants are likely to gain popularity especially in those countries with large accessible reserves and growing industrial demand; including China and India.
Contrary to earlier forecasts, it is unlikely that natural gas consumption will oust coal as the dominant power generating energy source.
Oil products provide the largest share of final energy globally: 35% in 2010, driven by their use in transport. The substitution of renewables and natural gas is expected to erode this down to 30% by 2035. The fastest growth will be seen in renewable energy technologies, but they are unlikely to exceed 14% by 2035. Although the amount of primary energy derived from nuclear fission will nearly double, it will peak at only 6% in 2035.
Does hydrogen promise a solution?
It is significant to note that hydrogen is not mentioned in the energy outlook publications released by the EIA, IEA or BP.
The technical breakthrough that will enable the production of low cost hydrogen from water is yet to be announced.
Hydrogen, being highly reactive, only occurs naturally in stable compounds and all known separation processes are too costly for this alternative energy to compete with conventional liquid fuels.
In the early 2000s several governments pledged support for the development of infrastructure to support a hydrogen economy starting with passenger vehicles. At the close of the decade nothing like a commercial hydrogen car market exists yet and support has waned considerably, especially in the US and Canada. Stakeholders there in the hydrogen economy have shifted their near-term focus away from transport applications, to stand-alone products like standby and portable power supply units.
Energy Secretary and Nobel prize-winning physicist Steven Chu explained, “...the Department is reducing funding for the hydrogen technology programme by more than 41%, or almost $70m, in order to focus on technologies deployable at large scale in the near term.”
Car manufacturers developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) technology and offered hydrogen-powered test-models in several countries around the world, but the motoring public has not received these vehicles with sufficient enthusiasm. In terms of infrastructure or vehicles on the road, little progress can be claimed despite the investment of $2bn globally over a 15-year period, especially when compared with the advances made by electric and hybrid drive cars.
Transportation planners and policymakers abandoned the ‘hydrogen highway’ programme envisioned by US state of California’s Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in 2003 and decided instead on a more realistic pilot programme – to create a cluster of 10-20 stations in a specific region close to where the vehicles reside.
Several member countries of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) still maintain the vision and have announced continued investment:
* Germany is continuing to fund HFC programs, some of which go to 2013;
* Japan is continuing to fund HFC programmes to 2014;
* South Korea has aggressive plans for commercialisation and export of HFC technology that enjoy strong government support.
Up to 10 Japanese energy companies, including automakers and gas suppliers, have announced that they will put up 100 hydrogen fuelling stations in Japan by 2015.
Toyota’s Executive Vice-President for Research and Product Development, Takeshi Uchiyamada, recently announced that by 2015 they intend to be selling hydrogen cars for around $50,000 – which is half of what it costs to build them now.

gasworld.com/news.php?a=5560

Regional markets: Focus on Africa

 Regional markets: Focus on Africa

[28 Feb 2009, Rob Cockerill,

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© 2010 Local Organising CommitteeAre bright new beginnings underway in the 'Dark Continent'? The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be a catalyst for the South African economy.

Bright new beginnings beckon for this vast continent, from the changing political scene to a footballing fillip ahead.

The race is on across Africa – a race to meet the challenges the continent faces over the coming months and years.

Just as had been the case when gasworld staged its African Conference last year, there is still a wealth of opportunity to be explored across this previously ‘dark continent’. To realise the bright new beginnings however, a number of obstacles must first be overcome.
Achieving such goals is likely to inspire both hope and industrial gas demand along the journey.

Industrial gas revenues grew by an impressive 15% in 2006 and totalled around $1.1bn. Growth has been just as euphoric since then too, with a further 14% rise in revenues pointing to a gases market valued at over $1.25bn in 2007.

A picture of the market is perhaps less clear for the year to have just passed, while the smokescreen of the global economic downturn also clouds the outlook ahead for 2009 and beyond.

What is still abundantly clear however, is that there is still much to be done across Africa.

What’s new?
So what’s new as we enter the first quarter of 2009?

The continent’s political landscape is shifting, shaped once more by presidential power struggles and a raft of problems facing the government of the day.

Zimbabwe in Southern Africa for example, is under ever-growing scrutiny as the Republic endures evolving economic and political circumstances.

Perhaps seen as a sign of hope, was the recent ceremony to mark opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai sworn-in as Prime Minister in a unity government with President Robert Mugabe. Whether this really is a sign of positive change remains to be seen, but what is more evident right now is the challenge that lies ahead for this new-found alliance.

The new Prime Minister is riddled with problems to address in Zimbabwe, ranging from a cholera epidemic and collapsed economy, to a huge 90% unemployment rate.



Much investment is required in the country’s healthcare system, which is thought to be in a dire state and particularly poor in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo for instance.

Equally poor is the Republic’s poor drinking water system, where clean drinking water is merely a pipedream and the impact of this piles further pressure on a failing healthcare service. More than 3,000 people have died so far and at least 60,000 are believed to have fallen ill from cholera, as proper sanitation and access to clean drinking water have become less routine.

Investment in Zimbabwe’s water treatment and healthcare system is clearly required – and with such resource and investment in facilities, industrial gas consumption would naturally follow.

These problems do not go overlooked either.

During Barack Obama’s inauguration speech of 20th January 2009, the 44th US President alluded to the needs of nations such as Zimbabwe as he said, “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.”

“And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”

The world is certainly changing, and in neighbouring South Africa a similar political evolution could soon be afoot.

February saw South Africa’s President Kgalema Motlanthe announce that general elections would take place on 22nd April, which some believe could prove to be the most interesting since Nelson Mandela rose to power in 1994.

The same problems persist in South Africa too. As with the majority of the continent, the country is still largely bereft of skill and knowledge base – as so widely acknowledged and addressed at the gasworld conference last year. A common theme throughout emerging markets and the gases industry alike, this lack of skillsets was perhaps also evident by recent news reports.

Copper thieves in South Africa have come across issues with their ‘loot’, as they lack the skill and expertise to ‘work’ with electrical equipment. This has prompted them to either fail in their attempts and attract arrest, or worse still, be electrocuted while trying to steal copper wire from power cables.

So rife is the stolen copper epidemic, that Cape Town has launched a major crackdown. The theft of copper, which has caused power cuts and train cancellations, has become big business in South Africa.

The stolen copper is sold to scrapyards which then export it to China. Last year alone, $10m worth of copper was sold even though the region has no natural copper reserves – astonishingly making it Cape Town’s second biggest export to China after fruit!

Sporting opportunity
Perhaps one of the biggest question marks hanging over South Africa had been the proposed Fifa World Cup tournament in 2010.

As well as potentially affording hope and a platform for progression for both South Africa and the wider African continent, the forthcoming 2010 World Cup is seen as a major growth driver for industrial gases.

A boom has been witnessed in demand for gases used in infrastructure development such as for cement and steel, while a drive for gases used in food & beverages, further construction, transport, and other services is anticipated too.

There are also apparently ‘no doubts’ that the tournament will be staged in the country, after former South African President Thabo Mbeki insisted late last year that the event would go ahead as planned.

With just over a year to go until the big kick-off, progress is swift and Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld stadium has become the first of the country’s 10 World Cup venues to be completed.

The stadium’s renovations and expansion to 50,000 capacity is finished, perhaps exemplifying a finished example of the gas-consuming construction work that is underway.

So strong are the benefits to be gained from this infrastructure drive, that a number of UK-based firms have been keen to pick-up business from the work generated by the event.

South Africa hopes that the World Cup will be a catalyst for the nation’s economy, as the sport, tourism, transport, telecoms and construction sectors all receive a welcome boost. The World Cup budget recently stood at 28bn rand or £1.8bn and includes stadiums, transport, security, broadcasting and training.

There is clearly much business opportunities to be had from this sporting event.

Perhaps that’s why so many UK construction, signage and branding firms were present at the 12th Soccerex football business exposition in Johannesburg in November. A number of manufacturing, technology and services companies gathered to win some of the business potential.

Gas revenues
The potential is clearly there from a gases perspective too. As a region that appears to demonstrate double digit growth year on year and a continent that encourages outside investment, Africa is a gases market marching forward.

Those $1.25bn industrial gas revenues of 2007 should surely have continued the trend and grown at a similar percentage again in 2008, even after the onset of the financial and economic crisis late last year.

Of this market, South Africa is far and away the largest country in terms of gases value and perhaps always will be. Estimated to account for around 55% of the continent’s market in 2007, the South African gases business was valued at $701m and showed a 9% growth rate in 2007.

In the same year, North African gas revenues (perhaps largely driven by the advancing Moroccan gases industry) were believed to have reached just over $130m and had risen 12% from its value in 2006. A further petrochemicals ‘stimulus’ could potentially be expected in North Africa, as plans for a Libyan crude oil refinery gather pace at a total estimated investment of around $4bn.

Foster Wheeler revealed in October 2008, that its Milan-based subsidiary (Foster Wheeler Italiana S.p.A) had been awarded a contract for consultancy and project management services for the planned refinery, which will process up to 200,000 barrels per stream day.

Set to be located at Mellita, the facility is a project of Zwara Oil Refinery Company Limited (ZORCO).

ZORCO Chairman Dr Ali Shamekh said of the refinery, “This is a flagship project in North Africa requiring deep technical knowledge, experience, and flexibility.”

Marginally behind Northern African revenues are those of the remainder of Southern Africa, estimated to have reached a value of $101m in 2007 and projected to account for a further 8% of the market.

Egypt and Nigeria alone account for much of the remainder of the market and have also shown strong growth rates, with the latter achieving 14% growth in 2007 to reach $90m revenues, and the Egyptian gases business valued at $96m – having risen 9% from 2006 valuations.

gasworld.com/news.php?a=3603

MOX-Linde opens €47m ASU in Malaysia

Representing The Linde Group’s single largest investment in Malaysia, MOX- Linde has opened its €47m air separation unit in Pasir Gudang. The move reflects the firm's interest in Asia.

MOX Linde Gases Sdn Bhd, a component of The Linde Group, has officially opened its new €47m air separation unit (ASU) in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. A move which represents the firms largest single investment in Malaysia.

Work began on the facility in November of last year. During today’s opening ceremony, Dr Reitzle, CEO of The Linde Group, highlighted the significance of the investment to the firm, “This RM200 million plant is Linde’s single largest investment in Malaysia, and demonstrates Linde’s long term commitment to growing its business here. Asia is key in our company’s strategy and we remain prepared to invest further in Asia and Malaysia to meet the growing demand for industrial gases in this region.”

Officiating the ceremony Dr Reitzle was accompanied by Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, Chairman of MOX-Lince, SY Wong, Managing Director of MOX-Linde alongside members of the Linde Executive Board; Dr Aldo Belloni and Sanjiv Lamba.

Wong described the significance of the addition to the region itself, “This facility, which is capable of producing over 500 tonnes per day of gases and liquid, is one of the largest ASUs in Malaysia and the largest and only merchant plant strategically located in the south.”

He continued, “From this site, MOX-Linde serves the steel and chemical industries in the area, including the world's largest palm-based edible oils and oleo-chemical cluster and also one of the largest petrochemical complexes in Malaysia located in the vicinity. It will also further strengthen MOX-Linde’s leading position as the largest industrial gases company in Malaysia, and complement and strengthen The Linde Group’s business operations in neighboring Singapore,”


MOX-Linde operates 55 major plants and installations across the country, and is also executing its plans to set up the country’s biggest carbon dioxide plant with an investment of RM60 million (€14 million) in Kertih, Terengganu to augment its existing production capability.

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Robbers kill six policemen in Kogi

Armed robbers, operating on the highways in Kogi State, killed six policemen

within two days, sources told the News Agency of Nigeria.

NAN learnt that five policemen, including an assistant superintendent of police,

 an inspector and three others, from Zamfara Police Command were attacked

on their way to Lagos on Monday night at Itakpe on the Abuja-Okene highway.

Two policemen, a sergeant and a corporal, were allegedly killed on the spot

while their uniforms and weapons were taken away by the robbers just as

the only constable among them escaped with bullet wounds on the thigh.

The constable, aided on both sides by policemen, was brought to Kogi Police Command

headquarters on Tuesday morning from where he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Also on Tuesday night, four policemen from Kogi command were attacked and

killed at Adogo in Ajaokuta Local Government Area by armed robbers in police

uniform, sources said.

The sources said the robbers also carried away the uniforms and weapons 

of their victims.

When NAN visited the state Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command,

the Commissioner, Mr John Abakasanga, was said to be too distraught to talk

to the press on the matter.

But the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi,

confirmed the incidents, saying that, “We are still investigating and we

are sure to hunt them down.”

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Utomi withdraws from presidential race

Pat Utomi

Thursday, 31 March 2011  Max Amuchie

Pat Utomi, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), has withdrawn from the 2011 election to be held on April 9.
In a telephone interview with BusinessDay yesterday, he said under the current system it was impossible for the opposition to defeat the incumbent, noting that it was impossible for democracy to work in a situation where state capture is complete as is the case in Nigeria at the moment. “It is easy for a group of people, drug barons, armed robbers, etc to do anything necessary to win election. Once they get into office even if they are removed by the court after six months, they use state resources to make it impossible for opponent to defeat them,” he said.
Utomi accused the business elite of having the tendency to avoid even their best friends who are running for election if such friends are not incumbents, adding that the only way the opposition could defeat the incumbent under the present situation is through a revolution.
He said at the outset, the main opposition parties namely the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and SDMP had agreed in principle to harmonise their manifestos, saying that all four parties currently have the same manifesto.
He said the last stage of collaboration was all the four candidates Nuhu Ribadu (ACN), Muhammadu Buhari (CPC), Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP) and himself were to agree on a sole candidate, stating however, that, that arrangement had taken longer than necessary in being actualised.
He said he decided to take the first step in that process by withdrawing from the presidential race.
On why he participated in the presidential debate organised by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) on Tuesday if he had made up his mind to withdraw from the race, he said the process of educating Nigerians is a continuous one.
Utomi, formerly a professor of political economy and director at the Pan African University, first contested for the presidency in 2007 on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In the last few years after the 2003 election, his focus was on building a coalition of civil society groups and raising political consciousness to strengthen the opposition parties. That effort culminated in the formation of the SDMP with him as pioneer chairman and later its presidential candidate.


businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/111-politics/19820-utomi-withdraws-from-presidential-race