Bronx fire kills at least 12, injures 4
Bronx fire kills at least 12, injures 4
New York (CNN) - At least 12 people, including a child, were killed in a fire Thursday night at a five-story apartment building in the Bronx, one of New York City's boroughs, officials said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called it the "worst fire tragedy in this city in at least a quarter century."
Four people were critically injured and others were hurt, the mayor said. He added that it's possible that "we may lose others as well."
"This will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years," de Blasio said in a Thursday press conference.
The fire started on the first floor and spread quickly, said the city's Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. The victims, ranging in age from 1 to over 50, died on various floors of the apartment building.
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The first call about the fire came at 6:51 p.m. ET and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) responded within three minutes, Nigro said.
"This tragedy is, without question, historic in its magnitude," he said. "Our hearts go out to every family who lost a loved one here and everyone fighting for their lives."
Shocked residents and family members stood outside the building in frigid temperatures, waiting for news. A local school was opened to shelter those who were displaced by the fire.
A woman, who declined to share her full name with CNN affiliate WPIX, stood anxiously on the street as firefighters wheeled victims out. She said the last text she had gotten from her mother, who lives in the building, was that she was trapped in her third floor apartment.
The walk-up building contained 29 units, according to public property records. CNN attempted to reach the listed property owner several times.
Since 2004, the city received four complaints about the building, which didn't appear to be fire-related. The latest complaint entered Thursday was from the FDNY requesting a structural stability inspection after the deadly, five-alarm fire.
At least 12 people were rescued and are expected to survive, the mayor said. By the time the officials spoke around 10 p.m. ET, the fire had been put out and the building was being searched.
"We are closely monitoring the devastating fire in the Bronx. As always we are thankful for our first responders. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families tonight," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted.
New York (CNN) - At least 12 people, including a child, were killed in a fire Thursday night at a five-story apartment building in the Bronx, one of New York City's boroughs, officials said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called it the "worst fire tragedy in this city in at least a quarter century."
Four people were critically injured and others were hurt, the mayor said. He added that it's possible that "we may lose others as well."
"This will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years," de Blasio said in a Thursday press conference.
The fire started on the first floor and spread quickly, said the city's Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. The victims, ranging in age from 1 to over 50, died on various floors of the apartment building.
inline
The first call about the fire came at 6:51 p.m. ET and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) responded within three minutes, Nigro said.
"This tragedy is, without question, historic in its magnitude," he said. "Our hearts go out to every family who lost a loved one here and everyone fighting for their lives."
Shocked residents and family members stood outside the building in frigid temperatures, waiting for news. A local school was opened to shelter those who were displaced by the fire.
A woman, who declined to share her full name with CNN affiliate WPIX, stood anxiously on the street as firefighters wheeled victims out. She said the last text she had gotten from her mother, who lives in the building, was that she was trapped in her third floor apartment.
The walk-up building contained 29 units, according to public property records. CNN attempted to reach the listed property owner several times.
Since 2004, the city received four complaints about the building, which didn't appear to be fire-related. The latest complaint entered Thursday was from the FDNY requesting a structural stability inspection after the deadly, five-alarm fire.
At least 12 people were rescued and are expected to survive, the mayor said. By the time the officials spoke around 10 p.m. ET, the fire had been put out and the building was being searched.
"We are closely monitoring the devastating fire in the Bronx. As always we are thankful for our first responders. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families tonight," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted.
Donald Trump doesn't know the difference between climate and weather
Donald Trump doesn't know the difference between climate and weather
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
(CNN) - At 8 p.m. Thursday, after a third straight day of golf at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and the temperature was 72 degrees, President Donald Trump tweeted this:
"In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year's Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!"
The "logic" at work here is simple: How can climate change, aka global warming, be real if it is so cold outside?
Trump tweets that 'cold' East Coast 'could use a little bit of' global warming
It's the same sort of "logic" that led Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) to bring a snowball onto the Senate floor in late February 2015 as a supposed counterweight to claims of global warming. Toting his snowball in one hand, Inhofe, who was the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee at the time, said:
"In case we have forgotten, because we keep hearing that 2014 has been the warmest year on record, I asked the chair, do you know what this is? It's a snowball just from outside here. So it's very, very cold out. Very unseasonable."
Yes, that really happened.
What Trump (and Inhofe) don't seem to understand -- or choose to ignore -- is that "weather" and "climate" are not the same thing.
Here's a brief primer on the difference between the two, via NASA: "Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere 'behaves' over relatively long periods of time."
That it is cold on any given day -- or week! or month! -- is not indicative of much of anything about the climate and whether it is warming or not. If the "weather = climate" logic held, a series of sweltering summer days could reasonably be concluded as incontrovertible evidence that the planet is getting warmer.
Which, of course, it is. This past October was the second warmest October on record -- and those records date back to the 1880s. The first 10 months of 2017 were, according to NASA, the second warmest 10 months ever -- second only to -- wait for it -- 2016. This year is likely to be among the three warmest years in almost 140 years of record-keeping, according to the Weather Channel. Of the eight warmest years ever, all have come since 1998, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (The eight warmest years, in order: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, 2013, 2005, 2009 and 1998.)
You get the idea. All available evidence -- and there are 137 years of it! -- makes very, very, abundantly clear that the climate is changing. There's also this bit of fact: 97% of climate scientists who have published papers on climate change believe not only that the globe is warming but also that the warming is very likely due to human activity.
Trump is free to tweet whatever he likes. And he will continue to do so. But to use cold weather as some sort of rebuttal of broader climatological warming is not even close to accurate, factual or funny.
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
(CNN) - At 8 p.m. Thursday, after a third straight day of golf at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and the temperature was 72 degrees, President Donald Trump tweeted this:
"In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year's Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!"
The "logic" at work here is simple: How can climate change, aka global warming, be real if it is so cold outside?
Trump tweets that 'cold' East Coast 'could use a little bit of' global warming
It's the same sort of "logic" that led Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) to bring a snowball onto the Senate floor in late February 2015 as a supposed counterweight to claims of global warming. Toting his snowball in one hand, Inhofe, who was the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee at the time, said:
"In case we have forgotten, because we keep hearing that 2014 has been the warmest year on record, I asked the chair, do you know what this is? It's a snowball just from outside here. So it's very, very cold out. Very unseasonable."
Yes, that really happened.
What Trump (and Inhofe) don't seem to understand -- or choose to ignore -- is that "weather" and "climate" are not the same thing.
Here's a brief primer on the difference between the two, via NASA: "Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere 'behaves' over relatively long periods of time."
That it is cold on any given day -- or week! or month! -- is not indicative of much of anything about the climate and whether it is warming or not. If the "weather = climate" logic held, a series of sweltering summer days could reasonably be concluded as incontrovertible evidence that the planet is getting warmer.
Which, of course, it is. This past October was the second warmest October on record -- and those records date back to the 1880s. The first 10 months of 2017 were, according to NASA, the second warmest 10 months ever -- second only to -- wait for it -- 2016. This year is likely to be among the three warmest years in almost 140 years of record-keeping, according to the Weather Channel. Of the eight warmest years ever, all have come since 1998, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (The eight warmest years, in order: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, 2013, 2005, 2009 and 1998.)
You get the idea. All available evidence -- and there are 137 years of it! -- makes very, very, abundantly clear that the climate is changing. There's also this bit of fact: 97% of climate scientists who have published papers on climate change believe not only that the globe is warming but also that the warming is very likely due to human activity.
Trump is free to tweet whatever he likes. And he will continue to do so. But to use cold weather as some sort of rebuttal of broader climatological warming is not even close to accurate, factual or funny.
FG, others get N533bn statutory allocation in Nov- NBS
FG, others get N533bn statutory allocation in Nov- NBS
The federal government, 36 states and 774 local government received N533 billion from the federation account as statutory allocation funds for November.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in a report titled, “Federation Account Allocation Committee: (November 2017 disbursement).”
According to the report, the N532.76 billion received by the three tiers of government was 4.5 percent lower than the N558.08 billion received in October.
The report stated: “The amount disbursed comprised of N412.10 billion from the Statutory Account and N89.71 billion from Valued Added Tax (VAT). Distribution of additional N30 billion from the NNPC and the distribution of N944 million being excess bank charges on federation account.
“Federal government received a total of N218.62 billion from the N532.76 billion shared. States received a total of N147.39 billion and Local governments received N110.58 billion. The sum of N40.85 billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 percent derivation fund.
The bureau further said: “Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) received N4.56 billion, N5.68 billion and N3.08 billion respectively as cost of revenue collections.
“Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) revealed that the sum of N185.65 billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N3.90 billion shared as share of derivation and ecology; N1.95 billion as stabilization fund; N6.56 billion for the development of natural resources; and N4.73 billion to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.”
Fuel scarcity will end soon, DPR assures Nigerians
Fuel scarcity will end soon, DPR assures Nigerians
The Department of Petroleum Resources ( DPR ) on Thursday assured Nigerians that the lingering scarcity of petrol being experienced across the country will come to an end in the next few days.
Mr Mordecai Ladan, the Director of DPR, gave the assurance after his inspection visit to some private depots in Lagos.
Ladan said: “Petroleum products are coming in gradually; in most of the depots visited, some are being discharged, while there is assurance that some will come in again within 48 hours.
“I think with all we have seen now in the depots visited, petrol should be available in all filling stations across the country in few days time.
“The scarcity of petrol will soon ease out in days to come,” he assured Nigerians.
Ladan appealed to the depots to focus more supply on the independent marketers’ filling stations, saying that they were most affected by scarcity of petrol.
He said that independent marketers have filling stations in most major locations in the country, and most of them had not received supply for weeks.
The DPR inspection team visited Folawiyo Energy Ltd., and NIPCO Tank Farm in Apapa.
At NIPCO, a vessel was discharging over 23 million litres of petroleum as at the time DPR team reached the tank farm.
Mr Taofeek Lawal, the Head, Corporate Communications of NIPCO, said that about 300 petroleum tankers were waiting to load the product.
Lawal said that with 23 million litres of petrol, the company would load over 600 tankers in two days.
He said that NNPC had assured the company that another vessel carrying the product would arrive on Saturday.
Lawal assured the DPR team that the company would work tirelessly to ensure that scarcity of petrol was ease out in few days.
At Folawiyo Energy Ltd., Mr Dipo Makanjuola said that the depot had about six million litres of petrol and had been operating 24 hours to ensure that Nigerians get the product.
Makanjuola said that the product belonged to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) and they were loading the product according to the directive of the corporation.
According to him, the last time we received the product from NNPC was on December 23 and that is what we are loading; we hope to get another supply by Saturday.
Sevilla Name Montella To Replace Axed Cancer-Stricken Coach
Sevilla on Thursday said they had reached an agreement in principle with experienced Italian coach Vincenzo Montella to replace Eduardo Berizzo who was sacked just a month after it was announced he was suffering from prostate cancer.
Montella was sacked by AC Milan in November after just 17 months in charge with the Italian giants marooned in mid-table.
“Sevilla and Italian coach Vincenzo Montella have reached an agreement in principle so that he will become coach of the Sevilla first team until June 2019,” the La Liga club announced on its website.
“The deal will be completed once Montella’s lawyers have reached an agreement with AC Milan for the terms of departure of the coach from the Rossoneri.
“Once his departure is finalised, Montella will travel to Seville on Friday night to sign his contract with the club. He will lead the team in training on Saturday morning before being formally presented.”
The 43-year-old former Italian international striker has also coached Roma, Catania, Fiorentina and Sampdoria.
He joins a Sevilla side who are fifth in La Liga 16 points behind leaders Barcelona.
They also face Manchester United in the Champions League last 16 next year.
Former Argentine international Berizzo underwent cancer surgery last month.
Sevilla aren’t in action again until they face Cadiz in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last 16 tie on January 3.
Queen of Sheba’s Grave And Other Interesting Tourist Sites You Should Visit This Holiday Season
Queen of Sheba’s Grave And Other Interesting Tourist Sites You Should Visit This Holiday Season
Queen Sheba’s Grave
Oke-Eri, a small village close to Ijebu- Ode in Ogun state is the land where Queen Sheba ruled when she landed Nigeria. She is better known by Her Majesty, Bilikisu Sungbo. It is said that she had mystical powers. Join the thousands of people who visit there annually to see and offer prayers to the queen.
Queen Bilikisu Sungbo Palace, Ogun State
Nok Village
Named after the Nok culture, the Nok village is located in Kaduna State. Her people are one of the earliest known producers of Terracotta. Its original habitants disappeared around 200 AD.
Nok Village, Kaduna State
Pategi Beach
With its potential of being a holiday resort, it is a great place to spend your holiday or a picnic. It is located in Kwara and named after the town, Patigi. Take your fishing tackle along because you might just get lucky.
Ogba Ukwu Caves and Water Fall
It takes about two hours to explore the largest cave in West Africa. Found in Anambra, the old standing elephant foot and the gun of stones will leave you in wonder.
Ogba-Ukwu-Caves-Waterfalls, Anambra State
Oguta Lake
Welcome to the largest natural lake in Imo state where two rivers meet but don’t mix. The two rivers are said to be Ogbuide and Urashi, husband and wife who had a quarrel and has refused to cross each other’s path since then.
Oguta Lake, Imo State
First Aso Rock
This is where colonial masters liked Lord Lugard resided. You’d also get to see the prison where Kind Jaja of Opobo and the last king of Benin Kingdom, Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi were imprisoned.
First Aso Rock In Nigeria, Calabar, Cross River State
Around 40 killed in Kabul blasts targeting Shiite centre
Around 40 killed in Kabul blasts targeting Shiite centre
Afghan security personnel stand guard after explosions at a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul on December 28, 2017.<br />Around 40 people were killed and dozens more wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul on December 28, officials said, in the latest violence to hit the city. / AFP PHOTO / SHAH MARAI
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban was quick to deny involvement in the assault near the Afghan Voice Agency, a media outlet which earlier reports had suggested could have been the target.
Deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP the attack was in fact aimed at the Shiite Tabayan cultural centre in the west of the city.
"The suicide attacker detonated himself during a gathering at Tabayan cultural centre causing a lot of casualties," Rahimi said.
The main explosion was followed by two smaller bomb blasts that did not cause casualties, he said, adding that the gathering was being held to mark the 38th anniversary of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan.
There were chaotic scenes at the Istiqlal hospital where ambulances brought victims, including women and children. Many of them were suffering severe burns to their faces and bodies, as well as shrapnel wounds, AFP reporters said.
Anguished relatives searching for their loved ones inside the medical facility, slapping their heads in fury as they cried and cursed the government for seemingly being unable to end the regular carnage on their streets.
Some were so distraught they crawled on the ground pulling their hair.
An AFP reporter saw badly burned bodies lying on the floor in a room inside the hospital and wooden coffins being delivered so families could take away their dead loved ones.
Kabul has become one of the deadliest places in war-torn Afghanistan for civilians in recent months, as the Taliban step up their attacks and the Islamic State group (IS) seeks to expand its presence in the country.
Thursday's assault comes days after a suicide bomber killed six civilians in an attack near an Afghan intelligence agency compound in the city, which was claimed by IS.
The Middle Eastern jihadist group has gained ground in Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015 and has scaled up its attacks in Kabul, including on security installations and the country's Shiite minority.
'Big boom'
A man attending the anniversary ceremony at Tabayan said he heard a "big boom".
"We do not know the numbers (of casualties). When the explosion happened we immediately fled," he told Tolo News.
Mohammad Hasan Rezayee, a university student also at the ceremony, told Tolo News he had suffered burns to his face in the blast.
"We were inside the hall in the second row when an explosion from behind took place. I did not see the bomber who detonated himself," he said from his hospital bed.
"After the blast there was fire and smoke inside the building and everyone was pleading for help," he said.
Photos posted on Afghan Voice Agency's Facebook page showed the inside of a compound with debris and bodies lying on the ground.
Security in Kabul has been ramped up since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others -- mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack.
Religious attacks in Afghanistan have skyrocketed in the past two years with the minority Shiite community the main target, the United Nations said in November.
IS, a Suni extremist group, has claimed most of the attacks on Shiite worshippers as it seeks to stir up sectarian violence in the country.
Afghan media has also previously been targeted by militants, underlying the risks faced by journalists in the war-torn country.
St. Petersburg explosion: Putin declares blast ‘Terrorist Attack’
St. Petersburg explosion: Putin declares blast ‘Terrorist Attack’
On Wednesday, a blast occurred in a store in St. Petersburg, injuring 13 people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the explosion in St. Petersburg a “terrorist attack,” ordering to act in accordance with law when detaining those responsible for the crime.
The president said that if there is a threat to the lives of law enforcement officers, they need to “act decisively, not to capture anyone, to kill on the spot.”
An explosion occurred on Wednesday at a grocery store in Putin’s home city of St. Petersburg, leaving at least 13 injured. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, preliminary data shows that a device stuffed with damage agents is likely to be the cause for the explosion.
The Russian leader has reminded that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had recently averted another terrorist attack in the city.
Earlier in December, the Kremlin press service said Putin spoke with his US counterpart Donald Trump by phone to express his gratitude after the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provided information that terrorists were preparing attacks in St. Petersburg.
Fight Against Terrorism in Syria
Speaking about the fight against terrorism in Syria, Putin said that all the tasks set before the Russian forces have been fulfilled.
He said the Syrian army, with the support of Russia’s combat jets and navy, liberated nearly the entire territory of the country from terrorists — over 1,000 settlements.
According to Putin, Russia’s bases in Hmeymim and Tartus would be permanent, adding that “this is an important factor in protecting our national interests and ensuring Russia’s security in one of the key strategic directions.”
During his surprise visit to the Hmeymim airbase on December 11, Putin ordered to start the withdrawal of the main part of Russian troop contingents back to their permanent location after major Daesh hotbeds have been eliminated by the Syrian government forces during an operation in the area of the Euphrates River.
Most recently, the president said that Russia would continue its fight against terrorism, including within Syrian territory, if it was necessary.
The president said that if there is a threat to the lives of law enforcement officers, they need to “act decisively, not to capture anyone, to kill on the spot.”
An explosion occurred on Wednesday at a grocery store in Putin’s home city of St. Petersburg, leaving at least 13 injured. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, preliminary data shows that a device stuffed with damage agents is likely to be the cause for the explosion.
The Russian leader has reminded that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had recently averted another terrorist attack in the city.
Earlier in December, the Kremlin press service said Putin spoke with his US counterpart Donald Trump by phone to express his gratitude after the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provided information that terrorists were preparing attacks in St. Petersburg.
Fight Against Terrorism in Syria
Speaking about the fight against terrorism in Syria, Putin said that all the tasks set before the Russian forces have been fulfilled.
He said the Syrian army, with the support of Russia’s combat jets and navy, liberated nearly the entire territory of the country from terrorists — over 1,000 settlements.
“More than 48,000 officers and soldiers have taken part in the operation in Syria over the past two years. They are representatives of nearly all military professions — pilots and sailors, special forces and military police, sappers, scouts, communications officers, medical and logistics specialists, command officers and military advisers,” Putin said at a meeting with the Russian servicemen who had returned from Syria.
“Russia’s army and navy fully demonstrated their increased capabilities, successfully used state-of-the-art weapons and equipment. Aerospace Forces pilots carried out 34,000 sorties, 166 high precision missile strikes were made on facilities,” the president added.According to Putin, Russia’s bases in Hmeymim and Tartus would be permanent, adding that “this is an important factor in protecting our national interests and ensuring Russia’s security in one of the key strategic directions.”
During his surprise visit to the Hmeymim airbase on December 11, Putin ordered to start the withdrawal of the main part of Russian troop contingents back to their permanent location after major Daesh hotbeds have been eliminated by the Syrian government forces during an operation in the area of the Euphrates River.
Most recently, the president said that Russia would continue its fight against terrorism, including within Syrian territory, if it was necessary.
Employment crisis in Nigeria worsens, 18.8% Nigerians now jobless
Employment crisis in Nigeria worsens, 18.8% Nigerians now jobless
Speaking through the United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, Labour commended Nigerians especially the masses and workers for surviving another herculean year, describing the outgoing year as “a year filled with hopelessness and helplessness but through which we all went still standing.”
In a statement by its President, Joe Ajaero, ULC said: “Though many of us have suffered adversely, though many have succumbed to the cold hands of avoidable deaths, though many have yielded to the Sahara desert and Mediterranean while trying to run away from the unconscionable leadership at home, we still believe that if we join our hands together, we can create the desirable change which all of us have craved for all these years thus make Nigeria a place we can all want to live in.
“As 2018 beckons, we wish to urge all Nigerians especially the down trodden to prepare for war against injustice, against impunity, against corruption and against wanton deprivation foisted on us by the nation’s politicians.
Our hands are stretched out to all whose interests it is to rid Nigeria of all the crass and corrupt actions of those in position of governance even as we commit to negotiating a fair and equitable minimum wage that would truly serve Nigerian workers and masses effectively and positively. We shall ensure that the minimum wage review is concluded expeditiously and becomes law on or before February, 2018.
“ULC will work with other groups with which it has already entered into discussions to ensure that the different platforms for insipid corruption thus underdevelopment is interrogated, exposed and dethroned.
We shall look into the hidden and institutionalised corruption that the management of the nation’s coffers especially the Foreign Exchange, FX, conundrum have become and we shall seek a new framework that would enable economic development that would benefit all Nigerians as the New Year beckons.
“We want all Nigerians to be alert as the coming year is a year with expectedly high level of politicking towards 2019. We should be aware of the shenanigans of our politicians and should all work together to ensure that 2019 truly brings into power only those that really love Nigeria and Nigerians. We should ensure that we speak together and act together creating platforms that would enable us realise our collective interests and desires as a people with common interests and objectives.
“Our hope, our future and our destiny lies within us and in our hands. Politicians are not prepared to make us look forward to them with great expectation. We are the only ones that can make it possible! There is indeed hope for Nigeria in all of us. “
On the current fuel scarcity, ULC, while lamenting the return of long fuel queues across the country with its attendant suffering amidst already arduous conditions of living on the citizenry generated by the unbroken chain of ineffective governance by those who walk the corridors of Power in Nigeria, declared: “It is indeed worrying that Governance has been turned upside down in this country as the objective of governance seems to be more in the direction of making life and living more and more excruciating for the masses.
Perhaps this explains why many have unfortunately come to the conclusion that Nigeria and Nigerians will be better off if Government is removed from the nation’s equation.
“Our investigations and reports reaching to us from our members in the industry show that the present debacle is clearly a manifestation of another failure of leadership in Nigeria. It cannot be blamed on any panic buying or hoarding as the product is seriously in short supply. Importers are not bringing in enough products while NNPC is not in any position to meet the demands of the market.
“Importers cannot bring in products because of logistic bottle-necks created by the Government at the point of procuring Foreign Exchange while NNPC lacks the capacity to bring in more products that are needed this period.
It is worrisome that at this time every year Nigerians are allowed to go through this harrowing experience because those that ought to realise the exponential increase in movement across the length and breadth of this nation as the citizens relocate in celebration of the season and its subsequent implications for demand on domestic fuel consumption did not take adequate measures to ensure that the gap that would be created will be filled by increased supply of the product to the market.”
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