By Michael Dada
Although the Ibom power plant is on stream, efforts of Governor Godswill Akapbio to ensure uninterrupted power supply in Akwa Ibom state are being undermined by continued vandalization of power distribution infrastructures in the state.
During the monthly operational power sector stakeholders meeting held in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Power, it was revealed that the highest rate of vandalization occurs in Uyo business unit.
The Business Manager of Uyo Business unit, Engr. Uduma Okala, who made this disclosure said that "over 110 distribution substations have been vandalized in Uyo Business unit"
He said "this includes illegal tampering with transformers, theft of transformer cables and associate components among others"
Engr. Itoro Enang, the Engineer assigned to Uyo Senatorial district stated that "recently some residents around St. Luke Hospital in Anua, water board, Itam and IBTC substation located along Nwaniba reported cases of vandalized substations"
He said "collaboration between the SSA's office and officials of PHEDC ensured that the vandalized substation components were replaced and power restored to the affected communities."
According to power sector stakeholders, the nonchalant attitude of Uyo residents is due to the status of Uyo as the capital city therefore majority of residents are indifferent about the protection of power infrastructure.
Meanwhile the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Power continues to call on residents to safeguard power infrastructure in their community. Report cases of vandalization to the police or contact the Office of the SSA to the Governor on Power through 08081134400 or visit akspower.com.
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Wednesday 26 February 2014
Samsung Unveils Galaxy S5 Smartphone
Yesterday at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled its latest flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S5. Samsung mobile honcho J.K. Shin opened the presentation by saying his company asked customers what they most wanted in a phone. The answers boiled down to a desire for simplicity, nice design, fitness features, long battery life and a good camera.
Here’s a list of most of the specs:
Screen
The phone sports a 5.1-inch OLED display – ever so slightly larger than the S4′s 5-inch display; the screen’s resolution remains unchanged at 1080p. Samsung has infused a couple of neat environment-specific features, such as the ability for the display to adjust its levels relative to your surrounding lighting conditions (indoors or outdoors, for example) and an extra low dimming mode for use in dark rooms or if you don’t want people looking at your screen from over your shoulder.
Battery
Samsung promises up to 10 hours of web surfing over an LTE cellular connection, or up to 12 hours of video playback. There’s a new “ultra power saving” mode that will shut down all but the most essential features and turn the screen to black and white, so when you’re just about out of juice, you’ll be able to squeak out enough usage to communicate in an emergency. Samsung says you’ll get up to 24 hours of usage with 10% of your battery left.
Cameras
The rear-facing camera gets a slight bump, jumping to 16 megapixels (up from 13 in last year’s model). Autofocus speed has been increased, and the actual image sensor is larger than the S4′s; it’s been paired with an image processing chip as well, and it’s capable of shooting 4K video. There’s also a “selective focus” feature that lets you finesse which areas of a photo receive more focus and which are blurred more for a DSLR-like look. Finally, there’s a real-time high dynamic range (HDR) mode that’ll let you preview what an HDR-enhanced photo would look like next to a non-HDR version of the same photo.
Build
“Aluminum? Finally aluminum?!” Sorry. No aluminum here this time around. The case is still polycarbonate – a fancy word for plastic. There’s a perforated back, though, which looks somewhat similar to the Galaxy Note 3. Color options include black, blue, white and gold.
The phone is also water- and dust-resistant. Samsung says you can watch videos in the tub, for instance, but that you shouldn’t submerge the phone underwater. Tough but fair.
On the back of the phone, right under the camera sensor, there’s an integrated heart-rate monitor — the first of its kind in a smartphone. Hold your finger against the monitor and it’ll tell you your pulse.
Data Connections
The Galaxy S5 sports fifth-generation Wi-Fi (a first for smartphones, says Samsung) that can be paired with the LTE cellular connection to accelerate overall download speeds.
Security
There’s an integrated fingerprint scanner appears on-screen above the home button. You’ll have to actually swipe your finger, so it’s different from Apple’s TouchID sensor. You can use the sensor to unlock the phone, log in to a handful of apps (such as PayPal), and to protect certain files and settings on the phone from others.
Software
The modifications made to stock Android (it’s running the latest version, 4.4.2 — Kit Kat) look flatter and somewhat less overwhelming than past efforts, with a thin, modern font and simple graphic app circles. Things generally look more grown-up than in past years. Not too grown up, though. It looks fun but not hokey.
Processor, Memory and Storage
Samsung didn’t really touch on the Galaxy S5′s processor during its MWC presentation, so it’s likely that horsepower might vary by market: some phones might ship with Samsung’s own Exynos chips, while others might ship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, for example. We’ll see 16- and 32-gigabyte storage options, but the amount of RAM hasn’t been revealed (it’s believed to be three gigabytes). We’ll know more once we get closer to launch.
Speaking of a launch date…
The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available starting April 11 in 150 countries. No word on pricing, but here in the U.S., it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect the phone to start around $200 with a two-year contract and to be available on all major carriers.
Southern Leaders Pass Confidence Vote in Jonathan
Rising from a Southern leaders’ summit in Calabar, Cross River State, comprising eminent Nigerians including former Vice President Alex Ekweme, Pa Olaniwu Ajayi, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu, Chief Emmanuel Inwuanyanwu, Dr. Edmond Daukuro, the Amanyanabo of Nembe Kingdom, they affirmed their support for the Jonathan administration.
The summit applauded him for the forthcoming national conference and also demanded the quick passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill currently before the National Assembly.
Participants called on the Federal Government “to revisit the issue of the loss of territory, particularly as it relates to the loss of the Bakassi Peninnsula.”
They also recommended the excision of solid minerals from the Exclusive Legislative List, just as they asked for an increase in the percentage of revenue derivation from oil and gas.”
In a communiqué read by the chairman of the event, Chief Olu Falae, the group commended President Jonathan for what it noted as his commitment and dogged efforts in combating the menace of insecurity in the country.
The summit which considered issues such as the indissolubility of Nigeria, the practice of true federalism, the current security challenges, the economy, as well as the forthcoming national conference, had delegates from the South-West, South-East and South-South, drawn from the traditional institution, the academia, public sector, politics, the judiciary, labour and religious bodies.
It said: “At the end of deliberations, we the leaders and people of Southern Nigeria, resolved as follows: That Mr. President be commended for his commitment and dogged effort in fighting the menace of insecurity and noted that in spite of these security challenges, Mr. President has made remarkable progress in the development of critical sectors of the Nigerian economy, particularly in the areas of power, transport, aviation, agriculture and direct foreign investment.
“We commit ourselves to a united and indivisible Nigeria based on the principles of justice, equity and rule of law with ample respect and understanding for cultural, linguistic and religious differences."
"That we endorse an increase in revenue allocation to the federating units in a way that takes cognizance of the new responsibilities and residual powers of the federating units; that in line with the principle democratic governance, decisions at the forthcoming National Conference should be by simple majority.”
Source: Vanguard
Forever in Love, Unity and Brotherhood
By Godswill Akpabio
I pay tribute to His Excellency Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, for his enduring faith in a greater Nigeria. I commend his courage in creating a forum for Nigerians of all political hues and persuasions to take their destiny in their hands, and contribute to the national discourse. I applaud him for his many transformational programmes and policies, which shall remain indelible legacies in the petals of our history.
He typifies our ideas about this country and he exemplifies the labours and sacrifices of our heroes past. Patriots like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chiefs Mrs Margeret Ekpo, Chief Eyo Ita, Chief Anthony Enahoro and others. They would be happy today as we assemble in this ancient city to rekindle the flame of nationalism they lit in their times. They would be glad that we have inherited their faith in our nation and are set, in our coming together, to redirect the course of our journey as a nation.
Today, the West, the East and the South South meet in this ancient city of Calabar, which was the capital of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria before the amalgamation of our country. The history of Calabar undeniably makes Calabar the cradle of Southern Nigeria; but by our converge here we can make it the crucible of a new Southern Nigeria, bound in love, unity and brotherhood. A new Southern Nigeria, which would brim with hope for our nation and redefine the balance of our politics more along the lines of North and South.
Politics have divided our country into six geopolitics zones, but history and origin partitioned us into Southern and Northern Protectorates. Today the Northern Protectorate still speaks with one voice; even though we have North West, North East and Middle Belt.
But the Southern Protectorate has been lost in South East, South West and South South Regions. I want the regions to remain (as we have in the North), but, like in the North, the regions should not become walls of separation. The crux of the matter is that our colonial masters divided the Southern Protectorate into Eastern and Western Regions, without doing the same to the Northern Protectorate.
But today we must put the Southern Protectorate back again in our national narrative as a bloc with common patriotic interest. If we can come together, speak with one voice; we can give our country a new lease of life. We are separated by language, but we are not separated by values. What binds us together is greater than what separates us.
There is a story of our relationship, which gnaws our hearts more than words could do. On July 28, 1966, an Igbo man finished his assignment in Ibadan and wanted to head back to Lagos. His host, a Yoruba man, warned him that his life was in danger and insisted that he should spend the night in Ibadan. That night when danger came calling, the Yoruba man stood his ground and laid down his life for the Igbo man. Jesus Christ said greater love had no man than this that he would lay down his life for another.
The story of Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi is a storied tale of friendship as compelling as that between David and Jonathan in the Bible. Let us adopt this story as the model for the relationship between the East, the West and the South South. Let us weave it into our folklores and fables, that because they died together in friendship, we will live forever in unity, love and brotherhood.
Being the Text of a Goodwill Message By The Executive Governor Of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON, To The Southern Leaders Summit In Calabar, February 24, 2014
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