President Goodluck Jonathan has said that several cities in
the country will enjoy steady and uninterrupted supply by June 2013.

Power which remains one of the key sectors the Goodluck
Administration has taken as a priority to fix has become very vital to the
economic and technological advancement of the nation, and the recent process of
privatisation of the sector, lays claim to another phase the sector is about to
experience.

He made this statement while fielding questions in
Islamabad, Pakistan during the D-8 summit of Leaders.

He said, ‘We have power projects that are going on, so
before the end of the second quarter, that is middle of next year, most of
these projects would have been inaugurated and we will be evacuating and that
time; quite a number of cities will begin to have 24 hour power supply’.

“When we get to that point, you will see that small scale
enterprises will begin to make returns, and that is the way we can create
jobs.”

“Currently, we are generating more than what our
transmission capability can evacuate. We have over 1,000MW of power that we
cannot evacuate because of the transmission infrastructure that has been weak
over the years, and very recently, the government started the intervention.”

“We have intervened robustly in the power sector, and if you
call back home, they will tell you that power is improving, and we have
promised that we will stabilise power supply.

Various surveys on business growth in Nigeria have linked
the slow pace and potential of small medium enterprises to epileptic power
supply, most multinationals especially in the oil and gas and
telecommunications sectors have complained of spending huge budgets on
generating their own power supply.

President Jonathan also in a meeting with Nigerians living
in Pakistan, regretted the devastating floods that hit some parts of the
nation, stating that it had impeded economic development, but was optimistic
that Nigeria would bounce back.

Ever since the roadmap summit on power held in Lagos State
in 2010 with President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Fashola in attendance,
the Federal Government has engaged the private sector and also through the
Lagos State initiative designed a framework to unbundle the sector to ensure
efficiency.

With these statements, it is believed that if 24 hour steady
power supply is achieved in some cities in the country by mid 2013, Nigerians
after many years of groaning in darkness and poor power supply, will begin to
move from cynicism to the hope that things can start working in the country.

Also President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Islamabad
called on investors from D-8 member countries to take advantage of the friendly
investments climate in Nigeria to invest in the nations economy.

he President made the call in his address to the summit of
the Heads of State and Government of the Eight Developing Nations (D-8) held in
Islamabad, the capital of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Nigeria values its membership of the D-8 as a platform for
economic cooperation and promotion of trade for sustainable development.

“We, therefore, welcome investments from D-8 Member
Countries in our economy in furtherance of our organisation’s lofty goal to
promote solidarity and joint efforts in economic and trade activities.

“As you may well know, the Nigerian economy is not only
expanding at a fast rate but also offers very high rate of returns on
investments.

“Only recently, we adopted more investor friendly measures,
such as a new long stay visa policy for investors and businessmen and women
wishing to do business in our country.

“We have also strengthened the Bureau for Public
Procurement, to ensure transparency in the tender process for contracts,” he
said.

The President said the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce,
Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in June, embarked on a Trade Mission
to explore opportunities for joint venture cooperation to three D-8 Countries.

“I believe this is a cooperation model we can all build on,
not just to increase D-8 intra-trade volume, but to make our organisation a
major actor in the global economic system,” he said.

Protect The Poor, Amaechi Charges Judges …Condoles With
Sam Dede On Mum’s Death

Kevin Nengia

FRONT PAGE

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has
called on judges in the state to ensure they protect the rights of the less
privileged in society.

Governor Amaechi gave the charge on Wednesday in Government
House, while swearing-in two new judges, Charles Ndudi Wali and Iheanyichukwu
Wodi into the State High Court in Port Harcourt.

“I think that in carrying out your assignment you should
have at the back of your mind that there are poor people who are out there on
the street who may not have anybody to protect them and only the Judges can
protect them…Whatever you do you should be satisfied that before God you can
defend yourself ”, he said.

“The God we worship will certainly hold you to account if
man cannot hold you to account. That should be what should be at the back of
your mind when you are giving your judgment”.

He commended the judiciary for being transparent and linked
his Supreme Court victory of October, 2007 to the transparency in the judicial
system.

Meanwhile, the State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA), Barrister Lawrence Oko-Jaja has called for the appointment
of more judges into the state judiciary to meet litigation challenges.

Speaking briefly with newsmen after the two new judges were
sworn-in on Wednesday, the NBA Chairman observed that the current number of
judges put at 35 was not sufficient to tackle the swelling cases.

He said, “if you look at the course list of the average
judge in Rivers State, you have 20 at times 30 matters on the course list.”

Meanwhile, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has offered his
condolences to popular actor and current Director-General of Rivers State
Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) over the death of his mother, late Madam
Elsie Godpower Dede.