Nation
CNPP Cautions Nigeria Over Economic Ties With China
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to be cautious of attempt by China to re-colonialise Africa.
In a press statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, CNPP urged President Jonathan
to be less hasty in dealing with the Chinese.
It said such caution was necessary especially now that American President, Barrak Obama “seems to have not extended
olive branch to his regime”.
According to the group, the history of colonialism had not changed and “every colonial master whether British, American or Chinese attaches strings to aids and hence fuel her domestic economic growth”.
“It is pertinent that our foreign policy objective should be structured for the long term and not short term goals, while we remain introspective in the utilization of our natural resources.
“For the avoidance of doubt, some are celebrating the tremendous rise of China-Nigeria bilateral trade relations from $2 billion in 2002 to $13 billion in 2012; forgetting that Chinese cheap and fake products not only dominate the trade but stifle our local industries.
“In China on Wednesday 10 July President Jonathan said, ‘Beyond trade, China has been instrumental to supporting Nigeria with financing arrangements and investment in strategic infrastructural projects like rail, road and free trade zones, among others’.
“A cursory review of few Chinese investment in Nigeria’s strategic infrastructure interalia shows that the Chinese have been less than transparent:- In 2006 Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, then president awarded the narrow gauge 1,315 km Kano-Lagos Rail Track to China Civil Engineering Corporation (CCEC) at a whopping cost of $8.3billion. While the Chinese awarded 4,000km Beijing-Lhasa modern gauge to the Canadians and Germans at $4.2 billion”.
He added that “in March 2006, Abuja Fast Rail was awarded to Guandong Xinguang International Group at $2.5 billion.
“ZTE was in 2007 awarded $750 million CCTV Project for major cities in the country to curb insecurity.
“NigComSat awarded to the Chinese was blown away by the wind. In sum, dealing with the Chinese neo-colonialism we must look before we leap for not only were the projects awarded at prohibitive cost, but none has been completed”.
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.