“The only way to make the environment more friendly is to listen to investors and do what they ask you to do. As long as it is legal and it works for Nigerians you do what they ask you to do,” he said adding that part of the initiatives in this regard is the dialogue held with private sector operators organized by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG).

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has condemned the proposed increase in allowances of federal lawmakers, describing it as unconscionable, self-seeking and insensitive.

President Goodluck Jonathan said in Abuja yesterday, that his administration was committed to repositioning the para-military services in the Ministry of Interior to boost internal security.

Dareta, one of the villages affected, is little more than a collection of mud huts some three and half hours by road and tracks from the state capital Gusau. An official from one international agency said it was vital to clean up family compounds thought to contain residual traces of lead before the rainy season caused further contamination. But the remote location and Muslim restrictions which allow only women into some of the compounds made the work difficult. Akpan said health officials had found children playing in water close to the mining sites when they visited.

Rwandan Genocide hero, Paul Rusesabagina, will be the star guest in this weekend’s edition of African Voices on CNN International, a programme sponsored by national operator, Globacom.