Gang member with Gucci tattoo on his forehead captured in California

Prominent California gang member Khamprasong Thammavong of the Laos Blood gang who messed up his probation by being in possession of firearms and farming illegal marijuana plants in his home had been on the run from the police. But he was captured and arrested after a routine traffic stop in Fresno, California.

Fresno Police later raided Thammavong's home discovering photos of the tatted convict with guns not registered to him, a semi-automatic rifle, other various hand guns, and a mini marijuana farm.

Don't know how he thought he'd remain free with that Gucci tattoo and other tats on his face, lol.

Nigeria targets 2030 to end gas flaring

Gas flaring PHOTO: daniumenergy.com

Govt seeks gas utilization partnerships with African countries
The Federal Government will soon sign a global agreement on zero routine gas flaring that is targeted at ending flaring in 2030.
Speaking at the opening of the African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition (CAPE VI) organized by the African Petroleum Producers Association (APPA) yesterday in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari, hinted that there were efforts at reducing gas flare through Joint Venture Contracts that would expand infrastructure and deploy Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG) for domestic and industrial uses.

Buhari, who spoke through Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, decried huge amount of gas that is flared yearly.
His words: “In processing Africa’s hydrocarbon resource, environmental issues must be accorded huge priority. Globally, over 150 billion cubic meters of associated gas is flared annually; of this figure, Africa flares an estimated 40 billion cubic meters annually. In Nigeria, gas flaring amounts to about 23 billion cubic meters per annum; in over 100 flare sites constituting over 13% of global gas flaring. Nigeria is a member of the World Bank Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GCFR) Partnership and with the support of our legislature; we will sign the United Nations Agreement of ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ although our national target is 2020. I urge all APPA member countries to set realistic targets for gas flare-out in the region.”

The president noted that ending gas flaring on the continent would require joint efforts of all the countries especially the oil-producing ones.

He emphasized the need for all African countries to take further stand against gas flaring, especially as about 40 trillion Standard Cubic Feet (SCF) of gas that is flared daily in the continent, with Nigeria accounting for half of that amount.

“My challenge is for APPA member countries to develop ingenious ways of promoting value addition and investment through sustainable policies in local content.

A common approach to local content will ensure that the whole of Africa benefits from economies of scale associated with our vast resources,” he stated.
The president further maintained that African countries must put in place the right mechanisms to expand the region’s refining capacity, adding that African oil and gas countries have no reason to remain tied to the apron strings of other oil producing countries.

He was also of the opinion that the gathering provides a very unique opportunity for Africa to look beyond the exploitation of oil and chart a new course in the use of other natural resources to upscale national revenues.

Instead of focusing on the negative side of the downward slide in oil prices, the president maintained that the current volatility in the oil sector allows lessons to be learnt, synergies to be built and new approaches to be adopted to enable Africa to expand its economy, infrastructure, manpower-base, maintain domestic and regional peace and protect the environment.
He insisted that the use of gas in Africa’s future energy mix has become imperative if the continent must meet her future energy needs and urged African countries to enter into partnership with Nigeria in this regard.

He added: “The issue of the development of a robust gas infrastructure must be jointly addressed. Currently Nigeria has the 7th largest gas deposit in the world and the highest quality rich in liquids and low in Sulfur. Reserves are put at over 185 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) and undiscovered reserves estimated at 400 TCF with a capacity to peak to 600 TCF. The Nigeria Gas Master Plan and the Gas-to-Power-Initiative clearly exemplifies the focus of our nation. I invite all APPA member countries to enter into profitable partnerships in natural gas business with Nigeria.”

He also hinted that Nigeria would continue to pursue focused renewable energy initiatives through prudent management of resources under a bio-fuel programme for the production of fuel-ethanol and bio-diesel.

“The resulting ‘Green Gasoline’ will reduce the volume of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, improve air quality and ultimately reduce global warming and its catastrophic consequences. This renewable energy initiative will not only help the Nigerian economy but will also assist other APPA Countries to create jobs,” he said.
On refining capacity on the continent, the President challenged African Ministers of Energy to further explore cooperation mechanisms to expand regional refining capacities in an efficient and cost-effective manner, saying, “let me assure that Nigeria is ever-ready to provide support in manpower development through the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and the Petroleum Training Institute, Warri.”
In his intervention, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu said while collaboration was key, African governments must develop a policy that would make backward integration a speedy possibility.

“It is a new dawn for Africa and we are excited about the development. We will continue to work collaboratively because there is a lot happening in the space but also a lot of challenges that we have to overcome.

A major challenge is funding. Obviously skillsets are there already and technology is not an issue but funding remains key. Policies are also key because African governments have to develop policies that will enable backward integration into their own systems”, Kachikwu said.

BadehEh's has trial begins tomorrow as new counsel takes over

Former Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh in Court on Monday, March 7, 2016. Photo Ladidi Lucy Elukpo.

The trial of former Chief of Defense Staff, Alex Badeh, at the Federal High Court has been adjourned till tomorrow to enable the new Defense Counsel; Akin Olujimi (SAN) study the case.

Samuel Zibiri (SAN) had appeared as Badeh’s lead Counsel at the hearing of his bail application but Olujimi stepped in as his new lead counsel yesterday.

He therefore prayed the court for an adjournment so that he would have ample time to study the brief of his client.

Justice Okon Abang however granted the adjournment of the trial at the instance of the Defence to March 16, following his application for adjournment.

But Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs, had objected the application, stressing that it was a ploy by Badeh to scuttle his trial.

Reminding the court of its earlier resolve to expedite trial through day-to-day hearing of the case, Jacobs maintained that the Defendant should not introduce a new Counsel with a view to stalling the process.

He therefore urged the Court to throw away the application and proceed with the trial.

“The defendant cannot bring another Senior Advocate with a view to scuttling the trial. I therefore urge the court to refuse the application for adjournment”, Jacobs stated.

But Justice Abang in his wisdom held that the defendant had every opportunity to prepare his defence but it was observed that he was served proof of additional evidence late.

Accepting though that justice delayed is justice denied, he also noted that on the other hand that justice rushed could amount to justice crushed. He therefore adjourned the trial till Wednesday.

Commission to begin sitting on Shiites, soldiers clash

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry, looking into the December 2015 Zaria clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Nigerian Army, yesterday said that it has ran out of patience for the Islamic group to submit its memorandum to the panel, having provided ample opportunities to do so without success.

Besides, the Commission adjourned for the fifth time till March 21, 2016 when it resumed sitting in Kaduna yesterday, to enable the Counsel to the IMN get access to its leader, Sheikh El- Zakzaky, as demanded by the Shiites lawyers.

However, the panel told the parties involved in the Zaria bloody clash that nothing would hinder the Commission from commence sitting fully next week.

Adjourning the sitting yesterday, the Chairman of the Commission,
Justice Muhammadu Lawal Garba, said the Panel was running out of six weeks allotted to it by the Kaduna State Government, stressing that yesterday’s adjournment will be the last whether Shiites group have access to its leader or not for proper proceedings to commence.

Justice Garba urged the IMN Lawyers to submit their memorandum before or on March 21, as the Commission would go ahead on that day to hear the Army’s side of the memorandum submitted to the panel.

Mixed fortunes as electricity generation hits 4,068MW

Eko Electricity Distribution Company

Fashola urges Discos to provide metres

Electricity consumers in the country may not be smiling yet as generation yesterday hit 4,068 mega watts still assessed as abysmally low.

Though consumers were expected to be experiencing some respite from the recent days of darkness the transmission line that tripped from Egbin Power Station yesterday may have further dampened rising hopes.

This is coming as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed that about 21 power plants were presently operation across the country, while some units are facing setback due to transmission, water management and rainfall challenges.

Meanwhile, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has charged electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to ensure the provision of meters and end the frustration of customers waiting for the never coming meters.
At the third monthly meeting with operators of the power sector, yesterday at the Ugwuaji Transmission Station, Enugu Fashola said : “The Federal Government would no longer condone a situation where people pay for meters and fail to access them within a reasonable time-frame.”

The Public Relation Officer of Transmission Company of Nigeria, Lagos Region, Mrs Celestina Osin, who confirmed the faults on the Egbin bound transmission line yesterday said the blackout experienced in Lekki, Ajah axis since Sunday, March 13th was a result of a detachment on the sky wire of the Egbin-Ajah 330KV Transmission Line three which feeds the area.

She said the maintenance engineers are already at work to rectify the fault as quickly as possible, with the aim of getting customers back to the system.

The Head of Corporate Communications, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Godwin Idemudia, said the line trip had made it impossible for customers being serviced from Ajah, Lekki and Alagbon transmission injection sub-stations to receive power supply.

Areas listed to have been affected by the outage include Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Victoria Island Lekki, Ajah, Ibeju and their environs.

Idemudia then appealed to customers to please bear with the company adding that supply to all affected areas would be restored as soon as the fault is cleared.

The Eko Disco spokesman also assured that the company’s distribution facilities are in good shape for effective evacuation of power to customers as soon as the line fault between generation and transmission stations is fixed.

The national statistics on generation profile showed that unutilised generation capacity from the power stations hit 3,231.6MW as at Sunday 13th, while the nation was losing 1827.5MW to gas constraints; 409.6MW lost to transmission line constraints; 85MW lost to water management issues; and 909.5MW was lost to high frequency occasioned by heavy rainfall.

The minister, who chaired the meeting raised hopes that the present challenges militating against the supply of electricity in the country would be surmounted only if Nigerians understood how the system operates.

At the end of the meeting, he told journalists they “addressed the problems of gas, financial stability, volatility of foreign exchange in sectors as to how that affects the ability of the power plants, the GenCos, the DisCos to implement their technical service agreement with their foreign partners. It also addressed the difficulty of pricing local gas consumption in dollars instead of naira.”

On the problem of CAPMI metering system, he said: “We resolved that people cannot take money from consumers without supplying what was paid for. From the reports given to us by the DisCos, many of them claimed that they have largely supplied the meters that people paid in advance for.

“I made it clear to them that a situation where people pay for meters and they are not supplied, undermines trust. We have given them marching orders to wind down all the outstanding credit meters program that they have collected money from people and haven’t supplied.”

Calabar consumers protest against high power tariff

Electricity Distribution Company

Electricity consumers in Calabar have protested against the high tariff charged by Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), and berated it for not heeding the Senate’s directive to suspend the new tariff.

The protest, which was followed by a walkout, took place over the weekend during a stakeholders’ forum organised by the PHEDC to educate them about the new tariff regime.

Among customers who attended the seminar were hotel owners, small-scale industrialists and owners of residential houses.

Among the protesters were one Mrs. Ify Uzor, who said she occupies a one bedroom flat, but the bill she has been receiving since December was too much to handle.

The aggrieved consumers protested against a situation where, the company simply estimates bills without ascertaining the number of units consumed by them.

They called on the distribution company to visit the houses or companies being charged, to do physical counting and readings of the meters before sending their bills.

“We understand that there are no meters, but if we sympathise with them, they too should bear with us, they complained.

Another consumer, Asikong Egbe urged the electricity distribution companies to accept honour the senate directive and ruling of the court, ordering it to suspend the new tariff regime.to halt implementation of the tariff.

According to him, “the senate said they should stay action. Why didn’t they stay action? Why have they not maintained the status quo until we resolve the issues on ground,” he asked.

He expressed worry that the firm did not choose to use an interactive forum before implementing the new tariff. “We have not agreed to pay the bills, they have to stay action because there is a court injunction restraining them from increasing tariff,” he said.

They consumers vowed to continue to protest against the hike until there is redress. “We are going to protest this new tariff. It is not going to be a labour affair; it will be a mass protest against this new tariff regime, especially since February.”

Manager Corporate Communications of the firm, Jonah Iboma, explained that, “it is only the national electricity regulatory commission that has the power to issue an order on tariff implementation and not any court or senate order halting the process.

Ado Road, Badore property at risk of collapse

Dredging activities taking place in the community

Residents seek end to sand dredging
It took the recent boat mishap in Ikorodu area of Lagos State for the activities of sand dredgers to come to light when boat operators blamed the activities of the dredgers for the boat that capsized at a dredging point enroute Badore, Ajah jetty.

Presently, residents of Ado, Badore and Langbassa communities in Ajah are up in arms with sand miners operating along the lagoon front that encircles the area. Their concerns are protection of the environment, their massive investment in properties, which may begin to cave in the nearest future, and most especially the Ado road, the only access route linking the densely populated communities to Lekki-Ajah expressway.

The road, which was recently constructed by the Lagos State government, is constantly under stress due to the activities of the sand miners, who uses their trucks to make an already bad traffic situation worse. It takes usually between two to three hours to ply the road, which is less than a five minutes drive.

Narrating his ordeal to The Guardian, Mr. Sam Uche, a resident, said: “Everyday, trucks ferrying loads of sand dredged from the ocean, drip wet sand onto the tarred road. As a result, the road undulates because of the excessive deposit of sand, which becomes heated by the sun and forms a hard layer over the asphalt.

“Also, the risk of flooding is very high because the sand that is supposed to break the surge of the ocean is being removed all the time, exposing structures along the shoreline to grave danger,” he said.

A community leader, who took The Guardian round some of the sites he termed the sand holes of Ajah, said Lagos faces grave environmental disaster if the activities of the sand miners are not checked. “The depth of where they are mining is now so deep that sand is being pulled out from the road’s underbelly. The road is in danger and it may collapse soon.

“Taxpayers cannot keep on paying taxes for the government to expend unnecessarily on issues that require proper oversight management and regulation. The next thing we will hear is that the road is impassable and the government will award huge sums of money to a construction company for its rehabilitation,” he lamented.

On February 2, 2016, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode ordered sand dredgers operating in waterways in the state to stop their operations and vacate the sites immediately, but the order is yet to be complied with in Badore.

The Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure, Mr. Ade Akinsanya, who relayed the governor’s order, said: “Ambode has ordered that all sand dredgers in Lagos State should stop operations immediately. The idea is to ensure adequate security of lives and property in the state.

Dredgers also need to renew their operational permit annually, but majority of them have not renewed their permit for many years.”

When asked why the activities of dredgers have continued unabated, the commissioner in a text message said government is deeply concerned about the damage their activities are causing to the environment, especially public utilities, but promised that “an action would be taken soon.”

Some of the dredgers were seen at the weekend still working at the various sites, including Badore. They refused to comment on their activities but a source that is familiar with their operations, confided in The Guardian that all the operators had been given December 31, 2015 as deadline but it seems the state government is incapable of enforcing its order.

“I don’t know why government has not stopped the sand miners. I understand the issue is between the Federal and state government. All waterways belong to the Federal Government and they issue licenses to the operators. It will therefore be difficult for the state to carry out its threat, even now that it is the same political party controlling both the state and the federal,” the source hinted.