The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Unfinished business

    Unfinished business

    •Arrest of alleged train attack mastermind is welcome, but there’s more to do

    More than two years after the incident, the police last week said they’ve arrested an alleged mastermind of the 2022 Abuja-Kaduna train attack in which some 10 persons were killed and no fewer than 61 passengers got abducted. Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the suspected mastermind identified as Ibrahim Abdullahi, also known by the moniker ‘Mandi,’ was arrested, January, in Kaduna, and had confessed being leader of a kidnap syndicate that terrorised the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

    A Kaduna-bound passenger train from Abuja was on March 28, 2022 attacked by terrorists  who planted explosives on the rail line to blow the train off track as it approached, following which they shot their way into the coaches to abduct some of the passengers. Eight persons were reported killed in the attack, while others who sustained gunshot injuries died in the aftermath. Negotiations by government and relations of abducted hostages with the terrorists for their release were protracted, with the last set of hostages securing their freedom only on October 5, 2022.

    Speaking at a press briefing in Kaduna last Thursday, Adejobi said credible intelligence led to police’s arrest of Abdullahi on January 12, at Abuja-Kaduna Road flyover by Rido Junction in Chikun council area. According to him, the suspect ranks among notorious bandits like Dogo Gide and Bello Turji, who had terrorised the North, and no fewer than 48 AK-47 rifles were seized during his arrest. The police spokesman noted that efforts were under way to identify Abdullahi’s sponsors and weapons supplier, adding that he had confessed participation in “various kidnapping incidents, including the kidnapping incident at Green Field University (in 2021), and he partook in almost all the kidnappings along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.”

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    It took quite some time tackling down the alleged mastermind of the train attack, but better late than never and the police deserve some commendation for the feat.  We hope the force will make the best of Abdullahi’s arrest to extract useful information from him that will lead to apprehending his co-terrorists yet roaming free. Although it was not officially confirmed, reports said negotiations with the terrorists for release of the train hostages involved huge ransom payments, and it is conceivable that the purported monetary returns could induce remaining terrorists to future adventures unless they are tackled down and brought to justice. That it took so long for Abdullahi to be apprehended shows just how elusive the criminals could get. Since the March 2022 attack, only a couple of the terrorists were reported arrested.

    In January 2023, vigilance operatives in Abuja were said to have apprehended one of the suspected train attackers  in Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Also in February 2023, the Nigerian Army was reported saying its troops arrested one other suspect of the train attack. Abdullahi’s arrest now leaves many of the attack perpetrators yet ranging lose and in need of being brought to justice. That is a task for the police and other security agencies to set their sight undistracted upon.

    The challenges faced by police personnel in terms of inadequacy of

    tools and skill set to efficiently and swiftly crack down on criminals must be acknowledged and recommended to government for redress. But also, we must hope that the force leadership’s penchant for putting interim accomplishments in the media space does not jeopardise further investigation and gathering of information that is best done surreptitiously. In other words, it is hoped that the publicity about Abdullahi’s arrest has not tipped off his sponsor and weapons supplier, who the police said were yet being hunted, to burrow deeper into hiding. So also the suspect’s other accomplices in the train attack that are yet to be arrested. Besides, the seizure of 48 AK-47 rifles by the police in the course of the suspect’s arrest illustrated the dangerous proliferation of firearms that government needs to firmly and affectively redress.

    On the heels of the March 2022 train attack, the Abuja-Kaduna service was suspended for a long while. Now that the service is restored and many others across the country are in full operation, with new frontiers like the Port Harcourt-Aba line just being opened, it is expected that the railway corporation has secured all the routes, such that the 2022 breach on the Abuja-Kaduna route never happens again.

  • Diligent prosecution

    Diligent prosecution

    •EFCC has a duty to ensure that owners of the 1,146 accounts frozen are duly served justice

    Every Nigerian would agree that the economy is really in a bad shape. Even the man reputed to be the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, has cried out that he has lost billions of Naira. The

    rich people who have been servicing loans denominated in dollars and other international currencies are reeling under the weight of devaluation of the Nigerian currency.

    All these have been linked to unscrupulous activities of those playing games with the Naira. Recently, executives of Binance, a company involved in cryptocurrency trading, was alleged to have been involved in underhand deals that imperilled the Nigerian economy.

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    In similar fashion, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has alleged that 1,146 companies and individuals are likely involved in acts that have sabotaged the economy and are being investigated. The commission has thus obtained an interim order to freeze their accounts for a period of 90 days. They are being charged with terrorism financing, money laundering and unauthorised dealing in foreign exchange. These are serious charges at the heart of not only our economic challenges, but the insecurity bedevilling the country.

    We, therefore, support the interim freeze of the accounts to allow for proper investigation. We, however, call on the anti-graft agency to ensure that the innocent are not unduly punished by ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before the August 23 adjourned date.

    One of the problems of successful prosecution of criminal cases in the country is failure to investigate well. The loopholes are thus exploited by the defence to get the matter thrown out in court. Given the importance of this case, the EFCC must ensure that all gaps are duly covered and witnesses arranged in time. Where a case cannot be sustained against a suspect, individual or corporate, the accounts should be promptly freed. This will show the commission as serious and robe it with dignity.

    The Office of the National Security Adviser should play its critical role in the investigations, especially in connection with terrorism financing. All agencies of government involved in combating social ills should collaborate in the larger interest of the country by sharing intelligence and availing one another available technology to nip the vices in the bud.

    Justice Emeka Nwite who gave the interim order freezing the accounts said that “preliminary investigation conducted thus far reveals that the bank accounts are linked to persons who take advantage of the virtual cryptocurrency exchange platforms to illegally manipulate the value of naira and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities.”

    Given the strong pronouncement and number of accounts involved, we expect the legal team of the EFCC to work assiduously to ensure not only that the

    innocent are exculpated, but that the guilty are served justice in time as deterrence to others walking along the same path.

    The task of sanitising the financial system cannot be successfully carried out without the full involvement of the Central Bank of Nigeria that has the responsibility of regulating and supervising all the banks. We acknowledge that since Mr. Olayemi Cardoso took over as its governor, he has shown seriousness in carrying out his task. But, there is still much to be done. The commercial banks in particular have shown that all that matters to them is to declare mega profits. In the process, some are known to have deliberately infringed the rules, realising that the regulatory framework is weak. The penalties should therefore be strengthened to put them in check.

    Nigeria is in dire straits and should be rescued fast.

  • Celebrating Professor Ayodeji Ladipo Banjo at 90

    Celebrating Professor Ayodeji Ladipo Banjo at 90

    Professor Ayo Banjo was educated at the universities of Glasgow, Leeds, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Ibadan. He had his secondary education at Igbobi College, Lagos and had had primary schooling at Oyo where he was born in 1934 on the grounds of Saint Andrews College to a highly educated father who had graduated from Foura Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

    He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and his trajectory in life was determined by how hard he was willing to push himself because money was not the problem as it was for many of his compatriots. His illustrious father even rose to be a college principal and a parliamentarian representing one of the Ijebu constituencies in the Western House of Assembly thus having toes in the two critical agencies of growth and modernisation in Nigeria, the church and government. Ayo Ladipo Banjo comes from an illustrious family of five children, four boys and a girl and they all did well, his older brother was a famous medical doctor and his junior brother an academic librarian; the last of the boys was at the Ibadan Grammar School where he distinguished himself as a famous footballer who took to business as an adult. The oldest and youngest brothers have joined the saints triumphant unfortunately.

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    Ayodeji Ladipo Banjo who turned 90 on May 2 was former vice chancellor of the premier university of Ibadan. Bravo erudite Professor (emeritus ) of English Language at the University of Ibadan from where he took a voluntary retirement about three decades ago.  Having taught in one capacity or the other since 1966 and rising from the position of lecturer to senior lecturer, professor and head of department, Dean of Faculty of Arts, Deputy vice chancellor, acting vice chancellor for a year before becoming finally, vice chancellor from 1984 to 1994. He has been pro chancellor and chairman of the governing councils of the universities of Port Harcourt and Ilorin and the new Anglican mission-endowed Bishop Ajayi Crowther University ending finally as chairman of the governing council of the National Universities Commission.

    His career spanned a period of 60 years or slightly more. He can rightly be called “Mr Nigerian University”.  He is a recipient of several accolades and fellowships of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, (FNAL)  NNOM, National Order of Merit and a grateful country has honoured him with the title of Commander of the of the Niger (CON) the highest national honour for distinguished service to the country  in education.  He has been visiting professor of English to the University of the West Indies and held a visiting fellowship at Cambridge University. Not many people know about his role as a teacher of English in government secondary schools in the old government colleges including a stint at the Government College Ugheli now in Delta State where his late wife hailed from. Service as a secondary school teacher gave him the insight which informed his writing a successful book on English language at that level. The teaching of English to people whose mother tongue was not English apparently influenced his research interest at university. His life epitomises the statement that service deserves its reward and Nigeria has rewarded Professor Banjo with numerous appointments including serving as chairman of the board of literature award of Nigerian Natural Liquefied Gas (NNLG) and was also called to advise government on remuneration of university staff several times when university staff downed their “tools” so to say. In all these interventions, he has fought for the sector and refused to give up when his advice was turned down. He has been pained when universities were poorly funded despite government prodding of the sector to expand in the face of growing students applications for admission. He foresaw the founding of private universities but he expected their entry to be in an orderly fashion to complement government efforts in the area but not in the commercial trading fashion by which the expectation of making money had lured all kinds of characters into the venture which has led to duplication of academic and professional offering with little distinction or difference from one another.

    I have had occasional discussion with the iconic scholar on this and I know he is more passionate and pained by the unwieldy nature in which higher educational institutions has developed in Nigeria than those of us who have taken public position on this tragic situation.

    The University of Ibadan which he headed for practically 11 years was hobbled by the weight of non-academic distractions of provision of municipal services totally unrelated to the normal call of universities in other climes and places. Universities were for exchange of ideas and teaching of students without being burdened down by municipal inefficiency. How to return universities to its primary purpose of research and pedagogy was a problem faced by Banjo and his colleagues confronting militant trade unionism of academic and non-academic staff. Those at the helm of affairs in the universities who know what to do have surrendered to political interference and the desire to keep their wretched jobs while constantly threatened by those in government and their supervisory bureaucracy.

    Like the country the problem of the university has become hydra headed to the point of irreversibility, Professor Banjo remains a constant reference point in university administration like Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike as vice chancellor of Ibadan and Professor J.F Ade Ajayi as vice chancellor of Lagos. He will continue to be remembered for his high integrity and transparency and commitment to good university administration.

    He and I live in the same area of Ibadan undistinguishable from other areas of poorly maintained roads. He lives in a simple house that unlike many Nigerians who have held high positions in the country is not different from those of his neighbours. He joins all of us in our neighbourhood association to contribute money to pay local security services, repair security gates and to plead for mercy from electricity provider to deliver power to struggling teachers who need to read to do the normal duties of professors. Forget about potable water; everybody has his or her own dugout well or borehole from which we all at least get water to clean our toilets and to wash plates and utensils in the kitchen while we buy bottled water to drink but we cannot bet our lives on the quality of the bottled water! Everybody who can afford it is a local government on his or her own providing water, electricity and security in modern Nigeria! 

    This reminds me of a story by late Professor Ladipo Akinkugbe, distinguished professor emeritus of Medicine in Ibadan who said after attending a conference in Oxford University in England, he went out to buy a pump and giant switch and spare parts for his generator followed by an English colleague who innocently asked him if he was into big time farming somewhere in the bush near Ibadan. When the English man was told what he bought were for his house he could not understand or believe him. Professor Banjo can be very funny especially when we discuss our neighbourhood affairs and how to “encourage “the NEPA people to remember us that we need light to remain relevant in our lecture rooms!

    On a personal note, when I was pro chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Ekiti State University, I invited him and Professor Kayode Oyediran, and Professor Olufemi Bamiro, all former vice chancellors of the University of Ibadan to help me choose the best vice chancellor for the newly amalgamated three state universities in the state. Of course they did an excellent job and when the governor who is statutorily the Visitor saw the calibre of the people involved, he said if Professor Banjo had a hand in it, he, the governor, would not vary the recommendation and he quickly acceded to my request by appointing Professor Dipo Aina, a first class soil scientist who elevated the university to a higher level by virtually rebuilding it

    Professor Banjo is big man academically and physically and there are unfortunately not many of his type in the current leadership of Nigerian universities. He has used his talents to help along with others to establish the Nigerian Academy of Letters of which he was the second president. Unless he was sick or engaged with state affairs, he has been a permanent feature of the Academy of Letters and the Academy remains eternally grateful.

    Live long, distinguished and iconic academic and university administrator and leader of men.

  • Fubara’s flight into fantasy

    Fubara’s flight into fantasy

    The legislature does not exist at the behest of the executive. Any person who thinks it does is only deluding himself. Politicians, as we all know, like to live in the world of illusion. They arrogate to themselves the power that they do not have. By do doing, they become big and important in the eyes of the beholder.

    Politicians like to hear words, such as: ‘that man is important’, ‘our governor is powerful’, ‘the President is very, very powerful and can do and undo’. These are mere words that people utter to massage the egos of leaders, but which gets into their heads. It is easy to make the heads of the President, a governor and leaders in other fields swell by singing their praise. Hangers-on are good at that.

    They know what the leader wants to hear and they say it to his face. It takes the grace of God for a man of position and means not to fall for the fawning of such people, who only come around in good times. When things are otherwise, they speak with their feet. By virtue of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the legislature is the second arm of government, but that does not make it a second fiddle to the executive.

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    Though, it is number two in the hierarchy, the legislature is the most important arm of government because of its functions, which are clearly spelt out in the Constitution. Some of its duties are to make laws for the good governance of the country; the welfare and safety of the citizenry and the control of public funds. As the custodian of the public good, much is expected from the legislature. Painfully, it has not lived up to expectations. Oftentimes, it toes the line of the executive to the chagrin of the people.

    The only time it asserts itself is when its interests are affected. Then, the legislature comes out blazing and firing on all cylinders, as we are now witnessing in Rivers State where it is at loggerheads with Governor Siminalayi Fubara. It is because the legislature has overtime sold its birthright for a mess of porridge that it has become the play thing of the executive. Can you imagine Fubara saying that the House of Assembly owes its existence to him? His statement shows the level of his contempt for the legislators.

    But, I do not blame him; I blame the lawmakers who have always been in bed with any governor in power rather than be on the side of the people, who are their constituents. By virtue of this relationship, they have failed to discharge their constitutional duty without fear or favour; affection and illwill. Fubara and the lawmakers have been in a running battle since the governor fell out with his predecessor and godfather, Nyesom Wike, who is now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister. Majority of the lawmakers are with Wike. The remaining five or so that are for Fubara have been shut out of the assembly’s activities.

    So, Fubara has no voice, so to say, in the assembly. Experienced politicians know what to do in such circumstance. They reach out to the opponent and fashion something out for the government to run smoothly. Fubara is not ready to play the politics of give-and-take. He prefers to burn bridges instead of riding on them to achieve the results for which he was elected. You never say never in politics the way Fubara is doing, otherwise you will end up the loser.

    Perhaps, Fubara is getting carried away by those solidarity visits to the Government House. We have seen all that before. The visits will fizzle out in no time when power changes hands. He should note that he cannot cut the lawmakers to size by denying them funding, which is their legitimate right anyway, and the use of the assembly complex, which has since been wittingly destroyed, for their sittings.

    He had an opportunity to turn things to his own good when President Bola Tinubu intervened and brokered peace between him and the lawmakers. He flunked it by listening to the ‘august visitors’ who cannot help him when the chips are down. All what these visitors are after is what they can get from him as the sitting ‘Your Excellency’. These people will switch allegiance without batting an eyelid if he loses out at the end of the day.

    How can Fubara say that the lawmakers are in office because he allowed it? Even if he is coming from the angle that they have defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC), he still does not have the power to pronounce on the legitimacy of the retention of their seats. Only the judiciary, which is the third arm of government can do that. That the Constitution gives him as a governor the power to proclaim the convening of the inaugural session of the House of Assembly does not give him a hold over the legislature.

    This is purely an exercise of administrative power that cannot be used by Fubara to determine the legality or otherwise of the House of Assembly. The President as father of the nation haa done all that is expected of him to ensure peace in Rivers. It is left for Fubara and the lawmakers to make the peace accord, whether constitutional or political brokered by the President, work. Fubara should stop taking the President’s name when it suits him to do so to justify his actions that negate the peace accord, all because according to him, it is a political and not constitutional solution.

    If that is so, is his claim that the House of Assembly exists at his pleasure constitutional? Our politicians should be mindful of what they say in the heat of the moment because of the consequences. It is because the Rivers crisis can be resolved that the President settled for political option, which is the amicable way to lay it to rest. But are the parties ready for settlement? If it is their wish to fight to the finish, it is left to them. One thing is sure: both sides will be left battered, bloodied and bruised. As they make their bed, so they will lie on it.

  • A country without men

    A country without men

    Sir: As police inspector in Plateau State was reported to have cut off his wife’s hand over N3000 . Reports say he gave her N20,000 to keep, but she could only account for N3000. While the woman has been hospitalized, the man has been detained as the investigation continues.

    While violence against women is mostly a conscious act, the circumstances that conduce to it are mostly subconscious. A lot of gender-based violence begins from the mind where the hierarchy of patriarchy sets up a perverse pyramid which crushes women underneath. A society that strains to render women invisible from birth is one averse to the scars they bear as they have to navigate life and marriage. The cartography from girlhood to womanhood to marriage is usually aided by a foolproof compass of scars inflicted by men who should be protectors but have instead become predators.

    The law is prescient in recognizing that because men sometimes bin nobility in treating women, there should be sanctions-regulated  standards of treating women. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Constitution are just some  standards-setting legislations.

     Implementing them though has not been effortful enough. This strengthens the case for gender equality, for radical feminism.

    In her seminal book We should all be Feminists, global literary icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes that: Gender matters everywhere in the world. And I would like today to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world. A fairer world. A world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves. And this is how to start: We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently.”

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    What has marriage become today, what is it becoming? What is making friction into fisticuffs in that exulted field of human elevation and affection that should be inherently non-violent and non-abusive? Why should disagreements degenerate into murder and grievous bodily harm?

    These questions warrant society’s attention because what starts out as disagreement between two people in marriage are increasing having nationwide consequences. The effect of such terrible news of marital harm on the senses, the way it provokes the humanity in each of us indicates it is an emergency.

    It is not male genitalia that makes a man. It is the ability to love and protect women and children at all costs. This means empowering women to live their best and most productive lives. It means emboldening women to break the curse of silence that cloaks domestic violence. It means hoisting them up not just to reach glass ceilings but break them. A society failing to do this is one without men. Nigeria is presently and resoundingly failing to protect women from monsters parading as men. Nigeria has no men.

    A society of such bland promise is equally one of a bleak future. The laws will not implement themselves.

    For each woman hit in her marriage; for each woman for whom the only heat in her home is not from her kitchen – her only nation; for each woman denied of opportunities by an abusive spouse and forced instead to shoulder a sack of physical and emotional scars; for each woman dead from repeated acts of domestic violence; for each woman forced into silence in the face of life-threatening violence by the senseless expectation of society, we are all victims and there is no victor and no justice.

    •Ike Willie-Nwobu,

    Ikewilly9@gmail.com

  • How plastic industry undermines campaign against pollution

    How plastic industry undermines campaign against pollution

    Sir: Plastic waste pollution is a growing environmental menace affecting lives and livelihoods across the world. But the latest efforts to combat this problem through a global plastics treaty have exposed a worrying trend: the plastic industry’s growing negative influence on and its shunning of established science.

    The fossil fuel and chemical industries – source of the plastic industry – showed their intent between April 23 and 29 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Canada, during the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

    Just like it did during INC-3 in Nairobi, Kenya last year, the industry deployed several measures – including registering an unprecedented number of lobbyists – to hijack the negotiation processes at INC-4 and tone down established narratives.

    Last year, an analysis by the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) disclosed that 143 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered to attend INC-3, gaining access to the negotiations at a time when talks on a global plastics treaty were entering a critical phase. The 143 fossil fuel and chemical company lobbyists at INC-3 outnumbered the 70 smallest member states delegations at the negotiations.

    This year, the industry registered an unprecedented 196 lobbyists, representing about 37 per cent of the total attendees at INC-4, and as was to be expected, the lobbyists affirmed their determination to advance self-serving interests and stall positions that embrace the otherwise.

    These lobbyists not only vehemently resisted and shut down proceedings that exposed their fallacies, but they also influenced the plastic policies of parties and states that dared to question their stance. Their presence stalled the needed progress as they effectively reduced the event to a marketplace. 

    Ninety-nine per cent of plastics are derived from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels account for over 75 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, meaning fossil fuel-generated plastics are directly tied to increases in greenhouse gas emissions annually. Fossil fuels disguised as plastics can be found everywhere in our lives.

    It is natural to expect the industry to leverage such a gathering to expand its coverage and deepen its hold on market share in emerging and vulnerable states. For them, INC-4 is nothing but interest and profits at the expense of human and animal survival, eco-sustainability, and societal well-being.

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    The industry is not unaware of the significance of the outcomes of INC-4, particularly in advancing treaty texts that will be adopted at the final scheduled session (INC-5) in Busan, Republic of Korea later in the year, hence its unapologetic resolve to monopolise the process.

    To this end, the industry has been behind several false claims to downplay the negative consequences of plastic pollution. One such claim is that the consequences of micro- and nano-plastics, including growth inhibition, increased oxidative stress, and decreased feeding behaviour, among others, are not backed with facts. But this has been debunked as there are now over 20,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications on micro- and nano-plastics according to the Web of Science database. This database established that plastic products release dangerous micro- and nanoparticles at all stages of the plastics life cycle, including production, normal and intended use, waste management, and recycling, and that these micro-plastics can alter the natural environment both locally and on a global scale.

    Similarly, the industry’s claim that plastics’ effects on the marine environment are insignificant and suffer a dearth of evidence has also been proven to be untrue; scientific evidence has confirmed that micro-plastics affect terrestrial ecosystems and that human bodies are not protected from these exposures.

    Back home, with about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, the World Economic Forum (WEC)’s Global Plastic Action Partnership ranks Nigeria ninth globally among countries with the highest contributions to plastic pollution. Unfortunately, over 88 per cent of the plastic waste generated in the country is not recycled. Instead, much of it ends up in water bodies – rivers, lakes, drains, lagoons and the ocean. In just Lagos State alone, plastics account for 15 per cent of the total generated waste. According to experts, the situation in Nigeria may get worse with the expected rise in the population to about 401 million in 2050. Furthermore, the production of plastic is growing. Dangote Refinery, the largest petrochemical refinery in Africa, has started operations in Nigeria and apart from refining fuel, will also produce plastic products.

    As the world waits for the progressive phase-out of these problematic and avoidable plastics, clear boundaries for corporations in the decision-making process will prevent potential mix-ups of financial and political interests with legitimate interests or biases.  In the same vein, policy audits and oversight procedures must be incorporated before and during negotiation processes to address imbalances, corporate overlay, poor representation, and undue considerations for corporate benefits and privileged interests.

    •Ogunlade Olamide,Lagos.

  • The politics of Lagos – Calabar coastal highway

    The politics of Lagos – Calabar coastal highway

    The idea for a major coastal federal road in Nigeria was said to have been first conceptualized in 1955 by the then Federal Commissioner of Finance, late Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh.  It remained just a concept until the fourth republic when President Olusegun Obasanjo started the Warri- Calabar portion of it which is best described as the jinxed East-West road. President Goodluck Jonathan through NDDC was also said to have awarded the Koko-Ogheye-Epe road to Levant Construction Ltd in 2010. Because close to 70% of road construction under Buhari was in the north, the coastal road project received little attention. Tinubu however made it a campaign issue following Ayade’s pleading during his campaign tour of Cross River in the run up to the 2023 election. Perhaps this was why he decided the time for procrastination was over.

    The long gestation period before the take-off of the project may not be unconnected with the politics of infrastructure distribution which was one of divisive issues that contributed to the collapse of the first republic in 1966. It is on record that the north has always kicked against any project that could not be replicated in the north. In 1962, despite the closeness of Dr Majekodunmi to Tafawa Balewa, his proposal for some form of health insurance for Lagos workers was killed by northern back benchers. For the same reason the completion of the third mainland bridge by Ibrahim Babangida came many years after it was initially stopped by President Shehu Shagari.  Lateef Jakande also held Shehu Shagari responsible for the derailment of Lagos Metroline later cancelled by Buhari’s military regime in 1983.  That opposition to the ongoing Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway was led by former Vice President Atiku, who played on the fears of northern ethnic group during last February election did not come as a surprise to observers of Nigerian politics.

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     There has been  no disagreement on the heuristic value of Lagos – Calabar coastal highway which experts believe  will generate, both directly and indirectly, thousands of jobs from ‘toll management, road maintenance to springing up of new industries, filling stations, CNG stations, auto-mechanic workshops, shopping malls, hotels’ etc. Minister David Umahi, as minister of works says the coastal road “will have two spurs that will link up with Northern Nigeria to further integrate the north and south in terms of movement of people, goods and services”.

    For Lagos State, economic analysts have revealed that the completion of the first phase of the project alone could increase the size of the state economy by 50% because of the connection to Lekki Deep Seaport and the Lekki economic corridor where Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex is situated alongside other multinational industries.

    For the people of Cross River State, whose former governor, Ben Ayade secured an undertaking from President Tinubu during his presidential campaign, the “coastal highway is going to be a game changer for the socio-economic status of Cross River as it is bound to add value to our rich agricultural produce and boost tourism traffic to our unique tourism sites.”

    And to current governor, Bassey Otu, “Nothing is more gratifying at the moment than the cheering news of the commencement of the highway which is bound to ensure our rapid transformation in all facets of economic development by driving traffic of investors and tourists.”

    For Ben Murray-Bruce, the founder of the Silverbird Group, who is also a former federal lawmaker from Bayelsa State, the project which he describes as “another proof of the transformative power of visionary leadership by President Bola Tinubu”, is a “game changer for investors, entrepreneurs and travellers and a “symbol of hope for a brighter future.”  

    Indeed governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Edo, and Delta states during their 12th gathering in Yenogoa on April 31 lauded President Bola Tinubu for initiating the construction of the coastal highway.

    The enthusiasm of those who will benefit from the project has however not stopped stiff opposition coming from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 election. While the latter wanted to know “what is so important about the coastal highway that it is priority over security and the attendant food scarcity”,  the former  seems to be more interested in questioning the integrity of the president as a continuation of their last  year electoral duel.

    First, Atiku Abubakar accused the president of putting his personal interest ahead of the Nigerian people by awarding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road contract to Gilbert Chagoury which he said is akin to awarding it to Bola Tinubu, as both are business partners.  His other grouse was government’s alleged demolition of Onwuanibe’s Landmark iconic tourism facilities especially at a period the environmental impact assessment report was not even completed.

     Umahi, the minister has however tried to put the records straight. He confirmed there was indeed a preliminary approval by Ministry of Environment. He also said the signing of the contract went through due process; that government made some payment as part of its obligation for counterpart funding; that ‘the owner of Landmark was playing politics with politicians since none of Landmark’s infrastructure is impacted by the coastal development and that the shoreline on which some caravans were destroyed did not belong to Landmark but to the federal government’.

    “I’ve asked him to bring his documents and I challenge him and his co-politicians to bring the documents”, the minister dared Landmark owner who unfortunately could not provide title to the shoreline he illegally sublet out during his subsequent meeting with the minster.

    Unfortunately, a section of the media  often see government as enemy while crusading without restraint for rich paymasters (apology to Seun, Fela Anikulapo’s son ) and sponsors who play the victims at the expense of Nigerians.

    In spite of being in total control of his ministry and demonstrating his mastery of the issues at stake during the press briefing, this segment of the media continues to demonise  Minister Umahi, unarguably one of the most competent and dedicated public servants  in this administration. He has been dishonestly described as “imperial, impervious,  a garrulous fellow who makes his day listening to his own voice, and takes pride in elevating his participation in lawlessness” and a minister “who is unable to explain anything about the Coastal Highway beyond defending what does not make any sense”.

    Journalists who only listen to their own truth want to teach Umahi quantity surveying and engineering. They dismiss report from the minister of environment with a wave of hand while an advice by Terseer Ugbo of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment to the effect that national interest as defined by the executive overrides individual private interest was equally rejected.

    The irony is that suddenly because of politics of infrastructure, those who invested state funds in private business or cornered mouth-watering Nigerian Ports Authority contracts wile in government want us to believe those in government today are evil men. And as if we all suffer from collective amnesia, their media promoters who only yesterday swore by the name of Godwin Emefiele, today, want Nigerians to accept them as pathfinders.

  • Critical perspectives on electricity tariff hike and energy transition

    Critical perspectives on electricity tariff hike and energy transition

    By Kola Ibrahim

    The recent increase in electricity tariff sanctioned by the government, has drawn the ire of many Nigerians; and rightly so. In an attempt to ward off criticism of the increase at a time of unprecedented hardship over cost of living, the government and its strategists, claimed that the increase is basically for the elites, otherwise tagged ‘Band A’ consumers. The increase, about 300 percent, was therefore aimed at dividing consumers along income line.

     But this excuse immediately falls like a pack of card when examined, even in its face value. The use of band system as a way of supplying and surcharging consumers is a form of economic apartheid. Giving a certain percentage of the population longer hours of electricity supply because of ability to pay is not only illegitimate and unjust but also anti-development. It clearly gives the electricity companies (Discos and Gencos) an alibi to avoid improving facilities, production and supply, since their profits are guaranteed from a certain layer of consumers.

    It is one thing to give some priority to certain critical sectors such as public institutions (health, educational, security, etc.) and important economic sectors, when there is limited production and supply; it is another thing to segregate consumers on the basis of ability to pay more. Even such a policy of prioritizing critical sectors will only be a temporary and short-term one, and not a permanent policy, upon which all other policies will be based.

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     Secondly, the idea that the tariff increase is only meant for those who can afford it betrays the real intention of the policy. There is no demographical data to show that poor and working class people do not live in areas designated as ‘Band A’. Even if the increase will affect only upper middle class and big businesses, simple economics make us to understand that this will be transferred to other social and economic strata, especially the working class and the poor. More than this, the increase is only a dress rehearsal for increase across the board, because the same argument used to justify latest increase applies to other categories of customers, only that the government wanted to test the water with ‘Band A’. It is not a new strategy.

    But one of the major planks of this contribution is the argument for the increase: the need to end electricity subsidy and allow for cost- or market-reflective tariff.  This is flowing from the idea that subsidy is altogether bad and market fundamentals must not be interfered with. This is coming from the Structural Adjustment Programmes of the Bretton Woods institutions, which are actually in the service of global finance capital, the controlling arm of global capitalism. Yet, the most advanced economies and fast developing economies actually implement huge subsidy programmes across sectors to sustain the status of their economies or to move them forward. Even if a great part of these subsidies goes to the rich class, a large percentage is still directed towards expanding their economies. 

    Developing countries that mostly depend on primary product extraction are told to avoid all subsidies, even when they are important for spurring their economies towards development and human development. Indeed, the best era of improvement in human and economic development for the developed economies happened when state was directly intervening in the economy through essential subsidies, investment in important economic sectors and human development, and curtailing the excesses of capitalist class, and not excusing them as presently witnessed.

    However, we need to probe this argument that there is electricity subsidy. How do we even come about subsidy in the first place? Most factors for electricity production and distribution are relatively constant: the installations, transmission lines, landed properties, labour. The only variable is gas, which price fluctuates at relative price that can be accommodated within a stable tariff regime. Moreover, Nigeria, as a major gas producer, cannot be selling gas at international price for an economic-determinant sector like power sector. What a development-driven government would do is to allocate a percentage of its gas resources to important sector like power, which is sold at discount rate to power companies, who in turn are compelled to reflect this in reduced tariff, and invest in modern equipment.

     Rather, what you have is a continuous increase in tariff almost every year. Meanwhile, there is hardly any improvement in facilities, electricity infrastructures or installations. All the distribution companies (Discos), generating companies (Gencos) and even government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are short-staffed such that it will sometimes take days to effect repairs in damaged facilities. No investments in modern equipment to limit electricity loss and theft.  On the other hand, consumers are made to shoulder the responsibility of supposed private companies including paying exorbitantly for prepaid meters, subsidizing revenue shortfall of discos through outrageous estimated bill and paying for repair of electrical installations (e.g. transformers).

    Worse still, the same government that was talking about ending subsidy on electricity has given tens of billions of naira in dole-outs and financial supports to the Gencos and Discos. Interesting fact is that the government still have substantial share in the ownership of Discos and some of the Gencos. Yet, while the private majority shareholders are making profits and using government funds to pay off bank loans, government, as minority shareholder, cannot point to any gain or profit accrued to the public from these companies. Rather the same government is not only giving billions of public funds to bailout private business, but it is also helping them to milk Nigerians dry through continuous tariff hike.  Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), which is supposed to defend public interests, serves more the interests of Gencos and Discos, who want to make huge profits with little or no investment.

    Furthermore, the failure of the government to fund alternative power generation and supply, especially through solar and wind energy, is part of the agenda to protect the profits of private businesses in the power supply network. If government embarks on a policy to power ALL public institutions with solar and wind power supply systems, this will reduce, on a medium and long term, government expenditure, reduce reliance on crude oil and fossil fuel, and rapidly increase renewable power supply uptake across the country. By directly funding production and installation factories for renewable power and establishing research centres/institutes for renewable energy, a new clean energy economy will be created that will have a multiplier effects on the economy.

    A deliberate focus on investment in stand-alone and non-grid renewable power for rural homes, low income earners and workers, whose income is fixed but spend significant share of their income on energy, will reduce cost of living and poverty, and further spur the economy, as more disposable income will be available for other needs. This will also reduce pressure on existing traditional electricity capacity, and also compel private electricity companies (Discos and Gencos) to be more responsible and competitive.

    Ultimately, to guarantee constant and affordable electricity will require Nigerian state putting the power sector under public ownership, with democratic and accountable management. The current failure of private-sector-led power sector makes this obvious than ever. But the biggest task is for the trade union movement to push genuine pro-people energy policies. It is in the interests of the working class to ensure that economic policies reduce cost of living and increase living standard, while narrowing wealth gap and inequality. This cannot be done through mere advocacy but as a cardinal aspect of trade union principle and agitations.

    •Ibrahim, activist, author, researcher and climate justice campaigner writes from Ile-Ife, Osun State.

  • Goldberg sponsors 10th AMVCA

    Goldberg sponsors 10th AMVCA

    Nigeria’s iconic lager beer, Goldberg, has announced its sponsorship of the 10th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs).

    The event will hold tomorrow and Saturday at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island in Lagos.

    The prestigious event celebrates the excellence and innovation of African storytelling, and Goldberg’s involvement underscores its unwavering commitment to supporting and nurturing African culture.

    A key highlight in the sponsorship is that Goldberg will reward the best-dressed male and female attendees at the AMVCAs’ Cultural Night event with N1 million each.

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    As the Omoluabi brand from Nigerian Breweries stable, Goldberg has consistently championed a vibrant and dynamic cultural scene, sponsoring various events, such as music concerts, comedy shows, cultural festivals, and even making its presence felt in the Nigerian football space with the Super Eagles.

    The AMVCAs represent the pinnacle of African filmmaking, and Goldberg’s sponsorship reflects its dedication to elevating the stories and voices that shape the continent’s cultural identity.

    “At Goldberg, we believe that Africa has a wealth of stories waiting to be told.

    “The AMVCAs represent the very best of African storytelling, and we’re honoured to be a part of this momentous 10th edition. We believe that African stories deserve a global audience, and this platform provides a launchpad for them to shine,” said the Senior Brand Manager, Goldberg Lager Beer, Kunle Aroyehun.

    The senior brand manager reiterated that Goldberg’s sponsorship of the AMVCAs extended beyond financial support.

    “Beyond our financial commitments, the brand is using its platform to amplify the voices of upcoming talents and celebrate the rich tapestry of African cultures,” he added.

  • Senate moves to amend 59-year-old ICAN Act

    Senate moves to amend 59-year-old ICAN Act

    A Bill seeking to amend the Chartered Institute of Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Act scaled the second reading yesterday at the Senate.

    The proposed legislation, among others, seeks to increase fines payable by a member upon conviction on indictment from N1,000 to N500, 000.00 (N.5m).

    In the presentation of the general principles of the Bill by its sponsor, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West), said the ICAN Act came into effect on September 1, 1965, about 59 years ago.

    The Ogun West senator said the ICAN Act empowered the institute to set standards and regulate the practice of Accountancy in Nigeria, in line with developments in the economy and changing needs of chartered accountants.

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    He said it had become imperative to amend certain provisions of the Act and insert new provisions to bring it up to current realities.

    This development, Adeola said, would ensure that ICAN remains adaptive, forward-thinking, and attuned to the needs of the nation.

    The Ogun West senator said all sections for amendment deal with issues of accounting practice and all areas that a chartered accountant is entitled to practice under the Act.

    “Corporate governance of modern professional accountancy organisations has evolved, hence the need to amend parts of sections 2, 3 and 6 and inserting new sections 24 to 26.

    “For instance, Section 3 of the Act is proposed for amendment because the Council of ICAN started off with a 20-member structure in 1965 when membership was just 250.

    “The number was increased to 25 subsequently in accordance with the provisions of the Act with membership strength of over 53,000 today,

    “The need to increase the membership of the Council to 36 has become compelling,” he said.Adeola said the amendment would strengthen ICAN’s collaboration with other professional bodies and regulatory authorities at home and abroad.

    He said the collaborations would foster synergy, knowledge exchange, and harmonisation of standards, guaranteeing that Nigerian chartered accountants remain at par with global best practices and their global counterparts.

    Adeola also said there was a need to enhance the capacity of the institute to carry out its mandate in the area of regulation and compliance.