L-R: Managing Director, Enertek, Mr Mathias Hiebi, Technical Director, Mr Manfred Haase and representative of Adamawa State Government, Alhaji Ali Dandiyya, at the renewable energy and efficient energy projects stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja last Monday.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to leave the country today for pilgrimage and official visit to Israel
He will also meet with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset.
A statement issued by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, said talks between President Jonathan’s delegation and Israeli government officials were expected to focus on the enhancement of bilateral relations between Nigeria and Israel in areas including trade, economic development, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, communications, culture, education and tourism.
The President, according to the statement, is also slated to meet with the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas.
It added that President Jonathan, who would be accompanied on the trip by Senator Emmanuel Paulker, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, will undertake a tour of some locations in Israel which are revered by Christians because of their association with the earthly mission of Jesus Christ.
The statement also dismissed reports that the President would lead 19 governors to the Asian nation.
“While the President may meet and interact with some other Nigerians who are already on a pilgrimage to Israel, reports in the media that he is leading 19 state governors and about 30,000 Nigerians to Israel are a misrepresentation of facts. Irrespective of President Jonathan’s visit, thousands of Nigerians visit Israel annually during the pilgrimage season which goes on for months and they will undoubtedly do so again between now and early next year.It is entirely fortuitous for some of these Nigerian pilgrims therefore that their visit to Israel this year will coincide with President Jonathan’s,” it stated.
The President is expected back in the country early next week.
Meanwhile, a prosecution witness, Mr Ihechukwu Ireogbu, yesterday testified that an oil marketer, Rowaye Jubril, forged some documents to fraudulently obtain N963.7 million subsidy payment from the Federal Government.
Ireogbu, Managing Director, MGI Inspection Ltd., gave evidence at the resumed trial of Jubril before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court.
Our correspondent reports that Jubril was charged to court alongside his company, Brila Energy Ltd.
They are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ireogbu, who was cross-examined by Jubril’s counsel, Mr Raphael Oluyede, said that his firm had a prior business relationship with the defendant.
He, however, testified that MGI Inspection Ltd. did not participate in the inspection of the 13,500 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) purportedly imported by Jubril.
The witness said that the claim by Jubril that the company inspected the product on Jan. 26, 2011 and Jan. 27, 2011 at off-shore, Cotonou in Benin Republic, “was completely false.”
Ireogbu said that he instructed Mr Felix Iweka, an employee of the Port Cargo Services –  a subsidiary of the company – to go to Cotonou to carry out the inspection.
According to him, Iweka later confirmed that he did not inspect ship-to-ship transfer of the product between the mother vessel, MT Overseas Lima, and the daughter vessel, MT Delphina.
“He only carried out a survey on another vessel and not this particular transaction,” the witness said.
Also testifying, Mr Akinwunmi Olarenwaju, an employee of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), said that the agency made fruitless efforts to contact the purported supplier of the product.
Olarenwaju, who was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mr Seidu Atteh, said that the defendant had claimed that he purchased the product from Napa Petroleum Trade Incorporation, Panama.
He said: “The EFCC requested a tripartite meeting between the suppliers, the oil marketers and the PPPRA in respect of the transactions.
“We invited Napa Petroleum, Mercurial Trading and Namax Petroleum for the meeting.”
The witness testified that Napa Petroleum did not respond to its letter and failed to attend the said meeting.
The case has been adjourned till January 21, 2014 for continuation of trial.

L-R:Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Dr Folashade Esan; Minister, Mr Labaran Maku and acting Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Otunba Jide Adebayo, at the Minister of Information’s monthly world news conference in Abuja yesterday