The Nation Newspaper

Category: Tunji Adegboyega

  • FRSC and expired tyres

    FRSC and expired tyres

    If we punish motorists who can’t afford imported tyres, what happens to those who killed our local tyre makers?

    It was while flipping through the papers on Friday in search of what to write on that I stumbled on a story in one of the national dailies titled “Churches, new tenants of old industrial estates”. There was a particular quote in the story that attracted my attention: “Churches would have taken over the entire complex by now. There is no month pastors do not come to ask whether there are vacant spaces. Even when you tell them that we do not allow churches to open here, they will continue to come”. The dominant pictures on the story, well positioned in the centre-spread were those of an abandoned plant of Dunlop Nig. Plc and a section of the premises now occupied by a church.

    This is the story of the ‘new Nigeria’, where churches have almost completely taken over most warehouses left by major industrial giants of old. Ordinarily, it would have been a plus, but it has turned out a minus because the proliferation of churches (and mosques) has not reflected positively on the attitudes of many Nigerians. In fact, one would not be wrong to say the more churches (and mosques) we have, the more sins our people commit. What we would have gained by way of spiritual rejuvenation due to the death of those industrial giants of the past we also lost because the churches and mosques are not as much concerned about salvation as they are about prosperity. Even in mosques where this does not sound so pronounced, it is evident in the way the leaders eulogise those who can honour Allah with their substance.

    Anyway, this is not my focus today.

    My focus, rather, is on the experiences of many Nigerians in the hands of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel in their campaign against expired tyres. I heard of some of these experiences on radio and had also read some in the newspapers. Interestingly, in the process of researching into the issue, just as I was about putting this piece together on Friday, I stumbled on a report credited to the FRSC Head of Media and Strategy, Bisi Kazeem, to the effect that the commission had not started to ticket people for using expired tyres and that all it is doing is sensitising motorists to the dangers of using expired tyres. This was a big relief; not in the sense of encouraging Nigerians to use expired tyres but at least to the extent that the commission is still at the enlightenment stage on the matter. “We do not issue tickets for expired tyres. Our focus for now is to improve advocacy. That is why we have organised series of awareness campaigns across the country. We are still engaging the motoring public in this direction. The FRSC operational guidelines have not changed. We do not ask motorists for waste basket; that allegation is also wrong,” Kazeem said.

    Without doubt, the FRSC means well by asking us to go for tyres that have not expired. Many of us know the importance of tyres to vehicles and to safety, particularly as they are the only contact the vehicles have with the roads. Many who did not know before are beginning to know, thanks to the enlightenment campaigns of the FRSC and some media stations on this. So, no one in his or her right senses would go for expired tyres if there is the means to get the ones that have not expired. It costs about N50,000 (minimum) to buy five new tyres for a car at a go, including the spare tyre. How many people can spend such amount on tyres in our shrinking economy? If it is this expensive to get new tyres for a car, then how much would it cost to have for commercial buses, trucks, tankers, trailers, etc?

    Unless we want to deceive ourselves, this is huge, considering our wage structure and the state of the country’s economy. That is why all I do whenever this point is raised on radio about expired tyres is chuckle when the presenters tried to let the callers know the cost in terms of accidents. Sometimes, I see the presenters making such point too trying to say it because they could not have said otherwise, lest they be seen as promoting the ‘wrong’ values. There is no conviction even from some of the presenters because they know what things look like out there. How many of them with cars can boast that some or all of their tyres have not expired?

    The sad aspect of it all is that we used to have two functional tyre manufacturing companies in this country – Michelin and Dunlop. That is how the introductory part of this piece comes in. Today, they are no more. Although some might say Dunlop still exists, those who knew Dunlop in its heyday would know that what we have on Dunlop premises today in Ikeja, Lagos, is only a caricature of the Dunlop Nig. Plc proper. What is particularly distressing is the fact that some people led the country to the situation where many companies had to leave here for more conducive environments. Most of these people who brought the country to this sorry pass are still walking our streets free; many of them are carrying the country’s merit awards and national honours. Many of them do not have to go through what the ordinary man is going through on the streets in the hands of overzealous or corrupt FRSC officials who are taking advantage of what is perhaps a not-too-clear directive from the commission’s authorities as to what to do to motorists with expired tyres. Even if the FRSC officials are able to stop the ordinary Nigerian to inspect the state of his tyres, these people who led the country into the situation where we now import tyres would not be victims because of their statuses in the society, irrespective of whether their tyres have expired. Moreover, many of them must have stolen public funds to last a lifetime that would not make buying of expired tyres their portion. So, where do we go from here? It is the ordinary man on the streets who contributed nothing to the problem that will pay the price and get punished for the crimes of some irresponsible leaders. If we had functional tyre manufacturers in the country, and even if the price is high, we would at least know that it is our economy we are growing when we buy locally-made tyres.

    The case of Dunlop is particularly distressing because a few years before it went comatose, it had obtained billions of Naira syndicated loan to upgrade its facilities. I remember the fanfare that attended the commissioning of its new All Steel Radial Truck Tyre Expansion Project on which it spent a good portion of the loan. Successive ministers of trade and investments assured the company all would be well; yet did nothing to bring that to fruition.

    But it is not only expired tyres that cause road crashes; there are also bad roads to contend with; another result of bad leadership. If the government is saying that it does not have the means to fix all roads at once, should the same government now hold it against people, who also for lack of means, can only afford expired tyres?  Worse still, we have seen situations where brand new tyres had burst due to bad portions of roads in many instances. Can the citizens sue the government for this because it is the duty of government to ensure that roads are motorable? It is the same logic.

    But nothing here suggests my support for expired tyres. However, what I would urge the FRSC to do is to continue its enlightenment campaign on the dangers of using expired tyres and how to know them because of the antics of some tyre sellers who change the dates on the tyres before selling to unsuspecting customers. Moreover, the commission would do well to let Nigerians know that the fact that a tyre is new or looks new does not mean it could not have expired or that its expiry date is still far away. I have seen people, knowledgeable people for that matter, who bought brand new tyres and the tyres burst within days of purchase.

    Again, the commission should not rush to the defence of its officers and men when members of the public accuse them of some untoward behaviour. This is common among our uniformed agencies. The truth is; some of the officers and men are either themselves ignorant of their briefs or are overzealous or even deliberately get mischievous in order to extort members of the public. What the commission should do, as in the case of expired tyres, is to carry out ‘sting operations’, especially in areas where motorists’ complaints about abuses are frequent. They will be surprised at the result. The same thing happens at licensing offices or when people want to collect driver’s licence. Extortions go on daily in many of these centres. Yet, when the senior officials of the concerned agencies are confronted with these abuses in the media, they deny and make those who made the allegations look like liars. It is not always so.

  • Immunity and pension

    Immunity and pension

    The steroids Saraki and Co. need to perform

    What many Nigerians are neophytes in the art of law making is evident in the way they have descended on our law- makers in the National Assembly in their desire to get immunity and pension for their principal officers. Definitely, those conversant with the arduous nature of their legislative functions would not think twice before endorsing the proposal. This is a thing that even ‘floor’ members of the House and the Senate should enjoy. We should therefore be grateful to them for putting our purse into consideration by saying that only their principal leaders, that is senate president Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, speaker, House of Representatives, and their deputies should be entitled to both privileges.

    Imagine the problem the current senate president is going through. If he had immunity, would he have been subjected to such ordeals? How do we want him to concentrate on his job with the criminal charge hanging on his neck like a necklace of stone? Now, we are complaining about the numerous challenges affecting Nigerians; even the lawmakers themselves are worried about all these issues that could have been ameliorated by legislations that Dr Saraki and Dogara would have brought to bear. But how does the man who is supposed to lead efforts to make laws to ease our burden stay focused when he is being bombarded with litigations bordering on his integrity?

    First, his accusers said he did not fully declare his assets. People think everyone is as poor as church rats; otherwise, they would not expect a man like Saraki to fill in the form all that he is worth. I want to believe that such form could not even have had enough space to accommodate all that Dr Saraki owns. And as someone who does not suffer fools gladly, one of  Saraki’s lawyers has replied such people that his client was richer than Kwara State, his state of origin, ever before he became governor. In other words, he has remained a man of means and not a man of straw for the better part of his life. In spite of this illumination on Saraki’s worth, many are still wondering about where he got the money from. Do you ask a housewife how she got pregnant?

    Ordinarily, the reply that Saraki was born with silver spoon in his mouth should settle the matter, but no; his political detractors insist he must be docked. So, they dusted the book of iniquities and slammed the embattled senate president with alleged forgery of senate rules which his colleagues feel is a ‘family affair’ that should have been an internal matter of the senators and among like minds if it ever occurred.  Were Nigerians happy to see their Number Three Citizen in the dock at the Code of Conduct Tribunal looking like a trapped rat in the cubicle? I guess, no. Now, if those criticising the National Assembly for wanting immunity for their leaders were in the shoes of the lawmakers, what would they have done? Would they have folded their arms and allowed such ‘coup’ by Saraki’s enemies to succeed, thereby encroaching on the powers of the hallowed legislature? And, in case that happens, who is the ultimate loser? Is it not the average Nigerian? In a country like ours where political detractors are prowling like wounded lions and looking for what to devour, we should expect that our lawmakers to rise in defence of their own who is immensely popular among them, even if disliked by many Nigerians.

    Now, if I may ask, what is the problem with immunity and pension for Saraki and the others? I guess many Nigerians are unhappy with the proposal simply because Dr Saraki is involved. What does he need the money for? This is primitive accumulation, they say. But, this is something some people who entered public office in bathroom slippers and many more that got their first pair of shoes from the dunghill had enjoyed a long time ago and are still enjoying. Why then should we deny someone who has been used to taking Irish Cream right from the womb such a privilege? As we speak, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State who has positioned himself as the erstwhile ruling party’s enfant terrible is enjoying immunity; otherwise, he would have ‘seen himself’ as we say in my place. For our National Assembly members to be asking for it only now shows how considerate they can be. Could there have been a better way to show patriotism?

    And, rather than show gratitude by quickly saying ‘aye’ to the proposals and even make it take retroactive effect, (I guess President Muhammadu Buhari would like that!) in view of its coming this late, we began to criticise the well-thought-out ideas. Now, many of our senators are angry and they are spoiling for war with the presidency. What do we stand to gain from this? These are people who have been magnanimous enough to ask for immunity and pension for their leaders only, whereas these are privileges that all members of the National Assembly ordinarily should enjoy if our legislators were as unserious, primitively greedy and insensitive as many of us think they are. We should imagine the immense benefits this country has got from the 8th National Assembly in spite of all the troubles their leader has gone through in the last one year, especially with the executive arm that does not want to accept the coordinate nature of the three arms of government.  We should think of the many laws they have made for good governance in the country; their labour of love and all. What else can a people desire form their elected representatives?

    The way things are going, many of these senators may begin to think of turning in their resignation letters, which one should expect when people who expected to be appreciated are deprecated.

    But I plead with the lawmakers who may be contemplating this unusual move, in the interest of their constituencies on whose behalf they rake in billions every year, to take it easy. I know they have endured a lot of humiliation; they have been called all sorts of names, but they should understand. Like short people who do not appreciate God in their lives, many Nigerians do not know how lucky and blessed the country is to have some of the people we have in our National Assembly today – the distinguished senators and honourables. We want to throw away a talented Nigerian just because he (allegedly) forged rules to clinch a plum position in the National Assembly. We are also calling another member of the assembly who has been accused of living big on depositors’ funds, and probably funding his business empire with the ill-gotten wealth (did I say ill-gotten wealth? sorry, I am already being unfairly judgmental like many ignoramuses out there) all kinds of names. These are people we should assemble in a place to serve as think tank for the Federal Government. Let’s even assume the one accused of forgery actually committed the crime, is forgery that easy? It requires some ingenuity. Not to talk of continuing to reap the fruits of the alleged crime one year after. That, if you ask me, is no mean task.

    Then the one accused of ‘bigmanism’ at the expense of depositors, and his ilk to follow in the next few days, or weeks; we also need their brains because it is not easy to do such a thing and get away with it for so long. I ndeed, I am beginning to see the sense in the observation by people who say the Buhari presidency does not have an economic team. As a matter of fact, the government is not deficient in economic team alone; it is also in acute shortage of teams in other vital sectors of governance. And the reason is simple: the government is sleeping and backing where it should be facing. The very National Assembly that President Buhari should turn to for evil geniuses (sorry, geniuses)  to form the teams he needs to turn things around is where he is staging a ‘coup’, with a view to throwing out those that should form the fulcrum of his cabinet. A government that is fighting corruption needs the brains of people who know how to play all the legal, academic, and economic gymnastics to delay corruption trials. If you like, you can begin to insinuate that it was because these people do not want to be interrogated for the crimes they (allegedly) committed that they are looking for immunity; that is your business.  Nigerians are adroit at insinuating. So, the government does not have to listen to them in this matter. Lest I forget, may I humbly nominate Governor Fayose to be co-opted into the think tank, after all, he enjoys immunity already.

    However, in making the best use of these people for national development, the Federal Government must first confirm that they actually possess the capacity to commit the crimes they allegedly committed before considering them as replacements for the people presently manning some of the important ministries; that is probably the cutting edge that they have over some of the present cabinet members.

    And in case President Buhari is still not persuaded that he should consider Saraki and Co. for cabinet positions; he should at least leave them in the National Assembly, facilitate granting of immunity and pension to them, to enable them continue the good works they are doing. They should be allowed to bring to bear their wealth of experience and knowledge in the service of the Fatherland. They need immunity so they won’t be distracted by unnecessary litigations, like the ones Dr Saraki is facing. Moreover, if we do not give them immunity, they too would not avail the nation the secrets of impunity, which we sorely need to deal with corruption at this point in time.

    Then the pension: how else do you compensate people who have gone through such thick and thin for the sake of law-making but by handsomely rewarding them hereafter?

  • Romeo reps?

    Romeo reps?

    God forbids! America should stop this rude joke!

    Without prejudice to the outcome of the House of Representatives’ inquiry into the alleged sex scandal against three members of the house, said to have occurred in faraway United States; and without prejudice to whether our honourables actually did it or not, it is surprising that America that is supposed to be busy thinking about the next level for the world, has time for a mundane thing as some adults wanting to get down while in a faraway country; that is, assuming the accusation is true in the first place. Anyway, America should know that in our country, an accused is presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a competent court. So, if their intention is to discredit our dutiful lawmakers, then the Americans should know they have a lot of hurdles ahead. For instance, they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that one of them actually committed ‘touchery’ while the other two were about committing whatever offence they were about to commit. This is apart from contending with the snail speed at which justice travels in these shores, especially when ‘big people’ are involved.

    Just listen to what Mr. James Entwistle, America’s ambassador to Nigeria, said in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on June 9: “It is with regret that I must bring to your attention the following situation. Ten members of the Nigerian National Assembly recently travelled to Cleveland, Ohio, as participants in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance. We received troubling allegations regarding the behaviour of three members of the delegation to the US Government’s flagship professional exchange programme.

    “The US Department of State and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs received reports from employees of the Cleveland Hotel, where the representatives stayed, alleging that the representatives engaged in the following behaviour: Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex. While the housekeeper reported this to her management, this incident could have involved local law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative Gololo. Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon allegedly requested that hotel parking attendants assist them to solicit prostitutes.”

    How can a country that is supposed to be thinking for the rest of the world have time to take ‘judicial notice’ of the alleged sexual advances of a Nigerian big man to a hotel housekeeper and an alleged amorous request to parking attendants by two others? I now understand why some people are beginning to see light at the end of the Donald Trump’s tunnel that the man has already succeeded President Barak Obama as America’s president; and that the forthcoming U.S. election is a mere formality. What do you expect when a country that the world looks up to as leader begins to poke nose into small issues like this? How can a whole America descend so low?

    One would have expected that the American authorities would chastise their citizens (allegedly) approached by some ‘big people’ from the ‘Giant of Africa’ for turning down such privileged requests, if ever they were made. Indeed, they should consider themselves lucky to be approached by our big men. In Nigeria, their betters fall like pack of cards for our lawmakers in Abuja, Lagos and other cities. As a matter of fact, many of our sophisticated ladies would go to church the Sunday after they were asked for what America claimed their ladies refused from our lawmakers, to give testimonies of how God has shown them uncommon favour, and ask the congregation to pray that the new honey pot would endure! So, what’s so special about American girls?

    Honestly I am angry, and only those who knew how fouled my mood was on Friday (to the extent that I was about asking the Sunday Editor to fill this space today until this story broke), can appreciate how strongly I felt about this nonsense from America. It is good though that it ended up being an elixir for me because this is not an issue that should be treated with levity. Our legislators accused of this so-called scandal should understand that they are not alone; we are in this together.

    These were people who travelled to the US for International Visitor Leadership Programme on Good Governance organised by the US Government. Shouldn’t the Americans have showered such international visitors with unspeakable hospitality, the type the visitors would continue to remember long after returning home from the trip, and would even want them to look forward to such trips over and over again? America did not do that; and I am sure the legislators did not count that as a sin. Now, it is the same America that is accusing the visitors of self-help! America might be the world’s policeman and what have you, but this incident has shown that it knows next-to-nothing about tourism and hospitality.

    Here in Nigeria, it is not unusual for our big men to find beautiful ladies in their hotel rooms during such privileged tours. As a matter of fact, such is taken as given; without which the package is incomplete. In fact, I hear there is allowance for it, tagged man no be wood allowance. It is embedded (does that remind you of something?) in the estacode that the public officials collect for such tours. If America says our legislators are not entitled to such ‘facilities’ for which they are now being castigated, how do they retire their man no be wood allowance when they return to the country? Should they return such allowance as unspent funds? So, where is America’s sense of enterprise?

    Again, here in Nigeria, I hear many press and public relations managers owe their promotions and sack to how well they were able to satisfy the big men with beautiful ladies on such tours. So, why is America making an issue out of nothing? Isn’t this simply a case of one man’s meat is another man’s fish? But I still make bold to say that, for our ‘big people’, such charity may begin at home, it is doubtful if they will take it abroad.

    What I am saying is that we know what our lawmakers can do. If America had said they were in some of their car marts looking for the most exotic jeeps and bullet-proof cars, Nigerians would readily believe. If America had said the lawmakers were shopping for some of the best household items and clothes in that country, Nigerians can understand. If America had said our lawmakers held a party at which they sprayed dollars as if that is going out of fashion, Nigerians would still have understood. Indeed, if America had charged our legislators with exchanging fisticuffs over nothing, still, Nigerians would understand. All these are necessary to enable them make laws for good governance in the country. But, to say one of them grabbed a female housekeeper while another two solicited the help of parking attendants to help them get prostitutes? Haba, this is taking a rude joke too far! At any rate, why did the U.S. keep the scandal under wraps from April till now?

    Honestly, our House of Representatives and indeed, every member of our National Assembly should protest this accusation by deleting America from their countries of choice henceforth, whether for the kind of training that has led to this unfair accusation, or for vacation, or even medical tourism. It’s not worth it.

    I join our representatives in the centre of all this to demand the release of the video of the so-called scandal. “Seeing”, they say, “is believing”. We want to see how Honourable Gololo ‘wrapped up’ the housekeeper. Did he do it Lagos style, or Abuja style? Or was it in his native Bauchi State style? From the front or the rear? I mean was the ‘grabbing’ professionally done or was it amateurish? And Honourables Gbillah and Ikon, how did they tell the parking attendants that they needed prostitutes? Did they use sign language or they spoke in fantastic, impeccable Queen’s English? How one handles these fragile matters of the heart in a permissive society like America counts; and would indeed go a long way in deciding whether the advances would pass or fail.

    However, until we have video evidence, whatever America claims remains their housekeeper’s and parking attendants’ words against our honourables’. And if the legislators know that there is no truth to the allegations, they should sue the hell out of the American government; first to clear their good names already soiled by the unnecessary allegations, and that of Nigeria, and again, to press their fundamental human right to the American visa. You don’t deny the Nigerian big man anything; otherwise he goes to court to press for his fundamental human right; his exclusive preserve. The Americans would do well to understand that.

    Coming barely weeks after the British Prime Minister whispered on video to the Queen’s ear that Nigeria is a ‘fantastically corrupt’ nation (whereas all that happened here was mere stealing), Nigerians must unite to resist these orchestrated attempts to cast their country in bad light. And, perchance our legislators are found guilty eventually, the only problem I have with them is stooping so low. Even then, there is nothing new under the sun. After all, it was before our very eyes that an incumbent American president admitted not having sex but “inappropriate relationship” with a common intern. This thing they call love, e get as e be o … Mercifully, the Americans did not tell us that anything happened under some ruffling sheets. So, our legislators did not even travel far; they did not get deep down to the level of ‘inappropriate relationship’ before they were stopped. So, I urge their wives to go about their conjugal responsibilities without fear or suspicion. Nothing spoil yet.

    But we will surely get to the bottom of this.

     

  • Mr President, things is hard

    Mr President, things is hard

    The story of the woman and her children who ate amala with palm oil in Ekiti tells it all

    It is tempting to see what happened last Sunday at Odogede area of Igede Ekiti, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State at about 1.30 p.m. as something that provided comic relief; that is something to just laugh over. But to do that will be glossing over a potentially explosive issue; to do that will be missing the point and the import of the larger implication of that singular incident.

    It was supposed to be a holy day; one in which Christians are expected to be as holy as the angels. But that was a day when a woman, said to be a teacher at Ekiti Baptist High School in the area chose to steal the pot of amala from her neighbour’s kitchen. The teacher had apparently taken her time to watch the neighbour preparing the amala and praying that she would at least get up from the kitchen to do something inside. As soon as this happened, the teacher went into her neighbour’s kitchen and carried the pot and the amala to her own apartment where she and her children began to eat it with palm oil. When the neighbour returned to the kitchen and could not find her pot and amala, she was shocked. Eventually when she saw her neighbour (the teacher) and her children eating the amala with palm oil, she was so touched that she went back to her kitchen to bring soup for them.

    This is a serious matter; it is poverty of indescribable proportions. I know some food items can flow with palm oil; like yam, for example. But amala with palm oil is not a good combination. I doubt if it was worse than that during the civil war when some of my Igbo friends claimed they rejoiced anytime they had lizard to eat. That was at a time when bush meat and ‘home meat’ (rats and all) had been exhausted. It was lizards to the rescue. That is why many of them keep wondering why the new generation of Igbos is reawakening Biafra.

    Things must be so bad for people to ever dream of the idea of eating amala with palm oil, and for the food to flow. Ordinarily, it should get stuck in their throats. How they perfected that art is still confounding. And to think that such a thing happened in Ekiti; south west Nigeria! One, Ekiti people are naturally proud. Two, they are so well-read that some people now think that is their bane, considering the things they do these days. Well, nothing suggests that the woman teacher is an Ekiti; but that is not important. Even if she is not; the characteristic Ekiti pride should have made her (as one who lives in an Ekiti town) to rebuff stealing, which was what she did; even if with an explanation, as they sometimes say in court.

    The incident reminded me of a similar one that occurred to me and my fellow youth corps member, Olaitan Olubiyi, who was the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) public relations officer for Gongola State for 1984/85. Olubiyi and I shared the same pot of soup; our rooms were adjacent in the five-bedroom flat that five of us (corps members) shared then. Both of us had been classmates since our days at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos. What happened was that, on December 31, 1984, we had cooked what was supposed to be our New Year delicacy and had hoped that we were going to start 1985 on an exciting note (after a not-so-exciting George Orwell’s 1984) with the choice soup, specially prepared for the season. But alas! By the time we returned from the cross-over night service, our pot and its content had disappeared, without trace! They had crossed over to God-knows-where!

    That was back then. As serious as the matter was, we took it with philosophical calmness. As a matter of fact, we were grateful to God that we were out of the house when the thieves struck because such people would not mind to kill to steal even a pot of soup, especially considering that people were just putting the Maitatsine incident behind them in that part of the country at the time. For the younger generation who do not know Maitatsine, (like the pupils in an Ikenne, (Ogun State) primary school who did not know Chief Obafemi Awolowo and indeed mistook him for Obafemi Martins (Obagoal), it was another Islamist fundamentalist group that unleashed mayhem in that part of the country in the early ‘80s.

    Incidents like these should jolt our leaders to the tasks ahead of them. They are more of a wake-up call for them to think outside of the box. President Muhammadu Buhari might not have caused the problems on ground; but he has to do more than ever before in this second year of his administration. So far, the cavalier style of his administration does not convince me that he knows some of these issues on ground ought to have been solved as early as yesterday. That is my problem with his government; and that is what many people feel and that is why they are also saying the era of excuses is over.

    But this is not a challenge for the president alone. Governors too have a lot to do to steer their states away from the monthly handouts from Abuja. As they say in Yorubaland, Olorun o pa enikan lekun (God has made enough provision for all). I do not know any part of this country that is not blessed. Why would everyone be waiting on Abuja for handouts? It has been said now and again that the present structure in the country is unsustainable. Why would the entire country collapse simply because oil prices have crashed or because some militants decided to be fighting for God-knows-what? It doesn’t make sense.

    The point is; by and large, governments in some of the states can do with far less number of people pushing files in their ministries. Many of them may regard this as an unkind cut; Labour union leaders may hit their heads on the ground; but that is the simple truth. How can some states pride themselves as ‘civil servant states’? What does it mean? What do civil servants produce to require the huge number of workers that gulp 60 to 70 per cent of the revenues of some of the states monthly? Let the workers strike till thy kingdom come, the fact is that unless the economy improves, workers in many states will no longer get their pay as at when due again. Strike cannot bring out the money that is not coming as it used to be from Abuja. Ekiti State governor, the darling of his people, Ayodele Fayose of the ‘New Awada Kerikeri’ fame, has turned the strike in his state to a wall-clock joke by saying he has joined the workers on strike in solidarity! Show me any other governor who has exhibited such outpouring of love.

    Now that there is no money to pay the civil servants in Ekiti and many other states, reports say many of them are now returning to their villages to farm. That is the way to go. Before the discovery of crude oil in the country, we were making some progress; each region according to its ability. It was the soldiers who came and truncated all that. They brought us to the situation where we have a monster centre that is consuming unproductively and cannot sustain itself without the oil from the Niger Delta. A centre that was supposed to depend on its constituents parts, with true federalism, is now the one dishing money to those parts. It is a misnomer and that is part of the reasons why we are all now catching cold because the oil that we rely on is being threatened not only from without (falling prices) but also from within (militancy).

    But what is happening in the country right now with the multitude of workers not getting paid for months should be a blessing in disguise. Yes, we may be able to solve the problem with the militants once again, if their issue is not about the government stopping its anti-corruption war. But that should not be an excuse for states to remain complacent and do nothing to look for money elsewhere for their survival. Those calling for the creation of all manner of states will stop their agitation once they know they have to look for money to run those states. Whatever truce we get now with the militants will as usual be temporary. It is high time state governments began to think of life without crude oil. We did it before; we can do it again. Where laws have to be tinkered with; let the legislators begin to do that right away. Many countries had used this kind of hard times to turn their fortunes around. We can do it if only we are able to see that oil is not just the answer. As a matter of fact, diversification alone is not. Let’s return to federalism; or true federalism, as our politicians call it. Apparently we have been having problems because we have been operating false federalism! Otherwise, ultimately, all so-called ‘civil servant states’ will die naturally, or be annexed by healthier ones. It is a matter of time.

     

    N.B. I always confess whenever I use this headline that I am not its originator. Sonala Olumhense used it (Things is hard) sometimes in 1983 or so.

     

  • Ambode’s first anniversary

    Ambode’s first anniversary

    So far, so good

    Give it to him; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has given a good account of himself since his swearing in on May 29, last year. He might not be a man of many words, but he has proven to be a man of action. After the initial lull in his first four months or so, there has been no stopping him as he continues to launch one project or the other almost on a monthly basis. It was like the proverbial ram that beats a retreat; it has only gone for more strength.

    The governor began to worm his way to the hearts of Lagosians in November last year when he launched an ambitious security project worth about N4.7billion. It was just about the time the people were wondering whether he was capable of wearing the big shoes of governor of a mega city like Lagos. But the criticism turned to praise with the donation by the government of security equipment and vehicles to the Lagos State Police Command and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), to enable them tackle effectively the criminals who wanted to make staying in Lagos a nightmare for law-abiding citizens. The donated items included 100 4-door salon cars, 55 Ford Ranger pick-ups, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser pick-ups, 15 BMW power bikes, 100 power bikes, Isuzu trucks, three helicopters, two gun boats, 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers, revolving lights, siren and public address system. Others were vehicular radio communicators, security gadgets, including bullet proof vests, helmets, handcuffs, etc. Uniforms, kits as well as an improved insurance and death benefit schemes for officers were also part of the gesture. With these and other items on ground, criminals should not find the state a safe haven, the governor told the security agents. So far, this has been the experience of Lagosians.

    The administration realised that security cannot be enhanced in a situation where most parts of the state are in darkness. So, the state government came up with the idea of Light Up Lagos Project, an aggressive effort to provide street lights in as many places as possible. This was something that had been taken for granted over the decades, whereas I remember street lights existed in the nooks and crannies of the state in the late sixties, perhaps till the seventies. I remember at Ogba-Elefo (Atitebi Compound), off Moshood Abiola Road, Ebute- Metta, where I grew up, we had street lights under which we played as children. The relics of the lights (close to the new Chief Magistrate’s Court in the place) were just removed a few years back.

    I have seen lights under the Light Up Lagos Project in places like Capitol/Alfa Nla streets; Maryland – Mile 12; Old Ota Road, Alimosho; Cemetery Road, Badagry; Kara through Alapere; 7up Toll Gate and Berger; Ligali Ayorinde, Victoria island; Babatunde Anjous, Eti-Osa; Itire Road,  Surulere; Martins Street/Ereko, Brook Street, Lagos Island; Olowookere Street, Alimosho; Bode Thomas, Surulere; to name a few. Without doubt, this must be bad news for marauders and other criminally-minded persons who ply their illicit trades under the cover of darkness. On the other hand, it is a plus for night life and business which was a part and parcel of Lagos life in years past.

    Another area that the government realised could reduce insecurity is by providing jobs for the teeming jobless, particularly the youths. Indeed, this is one sure way to complement the massive investment in security, otherwise, the well-equipped security agents would be working in vain. The Ambode administration has therefore set up a N25billion Employment Trust Fund, ETF, to address unemployment and promote wealth creation through entrepreneurial development. And, to ensure the fund works as intended, it has the former chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, as chairman of its board. Still on unemployment, the government has also launched a registration/labour exchange centre in Ojo Local Government Council, with the objective of having a data base of unemployed persons which would then be used to develop an appropriate intervention programme for them, as well as link them with potential employers. Five of such centres are to be established to cater to the needs of the five divisions in the state.

    A lot is also happening in the transportation sector. It is not just about road construction and rehabilitation, the government has also increased the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses in the state by an additional 400 air-conditioned buses to ply the ever-busy Ikorodu Roundabout – CMS route. The impact of these is being gradually felt and this is so due to the mega city status of Lagos, with its ever-burgeoning population. Over time, and with more programmes and projects, including water transport and light rail materialising, the state’s roads would eventually be relieved of the usual logjam, and travel time drastically reduced.

    It is apt to say that Lagos State has been particularly lucky, especially since the country’s return to civil rule in 1999. Nigeria as a country might have leadership deficit; but not Lagos which has continued to post impressive records within the period. This is what has continued to make the state witness the progress it has been witnessing, especially in the last 17 years. I have always said that continuity, especially as used by our politicians, is not the issue, but the use to which continuity is put. Lagosians should congratulate themselves for their choice of governors since the return to civil rule in 1999. One can only imagine what would have happened if the state had been captured by the predators that had ravaged most other states of the federation. Those who might want to argue that Lagos has no choice but to do well because it has the resources are missing the point. The point is; it is not about having huge resources, it is more about prudent use of the resources.

    But if Lagos’ revenue profile has been rising, so are its responsibilities. The state is just joining the league of oil-producing states in the country, and so has not begun to enjoy the derivation that oil-producing states enjoy. This means the bulk of its revenue comes from internally generated revenue (IGR), which has been growing exponentially since 1999. The IGR has reached a record high.  Under the present governor, Lagos State made a whopping N101.69 billion in total revenue in the first quarter of this year. It was about N97.28billion in the same period of last year. This translates to about N33.8billion per month. It is instructive that the state’s revenue, particularly the IGR component, has been on a steady rise since 1999 and the magic is just a sound financial reengineering and prudent management of resources, in spite of ever-growing demands.

    This is the secret of the state’s plenty at a time when most other states are crying for funds. It is true that not many states are as endowed as Lagos, the point remains that many too are not as resourceful to see the areas where they can make money because of the assured monthly hand-outs from Abuja. Perhaps now that that source is becoming threatened, some of the governors would wake up from their slumber.

    It is from these resources that the Ambode government has been doing the good works it has been doing, in continuation of the trend that has been on ground since 1999. The 20 Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU) ambulances and 26 transport ambulances that the government has bought to bring quality healthcare closer to Lagosians as well as extend the coverage of emergency services to the rural areas were all funded from the state resources. Education is not left out, with a good chunk of the budget allocated to it so the government could fund its a-meal-a-day project, Ibile tablets for secondary schools, among others. The government has also inaugurated mobile courts to summarily try traffic as well as environmental offenders and mete out immediate punishments to those convicted, in order to reduce the congestion in the regular courts.

    If Ambode sustains the tempo, there is no doubt that the state would have witnessed even more unimaginable development by the time he would be seeking re-election in 2019. A pointer to the fact that more surprises are under way is the 4th Mainland Bridge that the state government has just signed the  Memorandum of Understanding for its construction, through Public Private Partnership (PPP). The ambitious project, valued at a cost of N844billion will open up many parts of the state as well as decongest the ever-busy Ikorodu Road. For a government that has gone this far in one year, then not even the sky is its limit.

    Permit me to end this write-up by canvassing, once again, for a special status for Lagos. Although the state has long seized to be the federal capital, its role as the industrial hub has not diminished. This is why more and more people troop into the state daily in search of the proverbial greener pastures. The state deserves special federal attention.

  • Buhari at one

    Buhari at one

    The president must get it right this time or never

    It is  exactly one year ago that  President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Since the president has a four-year mandate, he has spent exactly 25 per cent of his tenure, as he is expected to leave the stage on May 29, 2019, unless he secures a second term. Without wasting time, just how has the president faired in the last one year?

    Before discussing that however, it would be unfair not to acknowledge that President Buhari came on board at a time the country had been sufficiently destroyed by the erstwhile ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Nothing was working as at the time he took over from Dr Goodluck Jonathan. Education was in a shambles, the health sector was comatose, and infrastructure was virtually dead with most of the roads almost impassable. State governments in many instances had to take the responsibility of reworking federal roads in their domain. To crown it all, corruption loomed large, as several public officials and politicians, especially those with connections to the seat of power looted the treasury as if looting was going out of fashion. We have been hearing all manner of depressing stories with the probe of the $15billion arms funds. One can only wonder what will happen when the searchlight is beamed on the oil sector, where monumental frauds were also known to have occurred.

    So, the road has been somewhat bumpy. The Jonathan administration did not design Buhari’s road to be smooth. Although President Jonathan conceded defeat in the 2015 presidential election , what he handed over was the carcass of virtually every sector of the country. The president therefore took over a nation that had lost its bearing and moral soul. He took charge at a time when substantial parts of Nigeria had been taken over by Boko Haram which became a source of cheap funds for looters in the Jonathan era.

    This was the milieu when President Buhari was sworn in, still amidst pomp and splendour; because Nigerians saw in him hope against the hopelessness of the Jonathan administration. It was just the same way when President Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in on May 29, 1999. Expectations were high as the average Nigerian recognised that the country’s biggest challenge was corruption, which Buhari was supposed to take out, given his past record as an anti-corruption crusader. In fairness to the president, this is one issue he has had his hands on and he could be scored a pass mark in this area.

    Also, Boko Haram has been substantially tamed; but not so kidnapping and increasing militancy, particularly in the volatile Niger Delta, and the menace of Fulani herdsmen.

    The economy is another area the president has to buckle up. Not much has happened in this sector, first because the cabinet was late in coming (it did not come until about six months after the president’s inauguration); and second because the budget too suffered inexcusable delays. We are still in darkness as the energy sector continued to witness hiccups either from militants’ disruptions to gas supply or due to the inability of the generating and distribution companies to get their act together. Youth unemployment continued to rise with its attendant social consequences.

    But, in spite of everything, I always chuckle when some people say things were better in the Jonathan era. Obviously it is the ignorant or the mischievous that will say such a thing. One should not even contemplate what the situation would have been like had Dr Jonathan not left the scene. Let’s even take it from the angle of the humongous sums that were stolen and are being retrieved. Could Dr Jonathan have had the courage to ask those who stole to return the money, especially when some of the stolen funds allegedly went into his own presidential campaign?

    But, if Buhari has not been able to hit the ground running until now, he has to with immediate effect. Time is no longer on his side. I have said it before; and I would repeat it, that the president seems oblivious of the fact that he has four years in the first instance. He appears to be ruling in a cavalier manner. This cannot help his cause even as it cannot help the cause of those still sticking out their necks for him. Yes, Nigeria had a serious integrity deficit at the time we had the elections last year and he (Buhari) symbolised the change the country yearned for then. That was why Nigerians dumped the former president for him. That integrity remains intact. When Nigerians shunned Nigeria Labour Congress’ (NLC) call for strike over fuel price hike, it was the president’s integrity at work. And that should count for something. Nigerians have had to endure the taunting by those who either have had their umbilical cords severed from the easy money that corruption offered, especially in the immediate past and are therefore angry; or the innocently ignorant who keep asking whether the current hardship Nigerians are facing was the change they voted for. Some are even saying so nostalgically that things would have been better if Dr Jonathan had continued in office.

    No one should be surprised this is happening. Nigerians are human just like any other people; they become weary when expectation is taking too long to materialise. In other words, the president should realise that good as integrity is, it cannot put bread on the table. That is why the scripture enjoins us not to live by bread alone; it acknowledges the importance of bread in our lives, hence the inclusion of the word ‘alone’. So, Nigerians still need bread before integrity can make sense to them.

    Overall, the score card has not been particularly impressive. But Nigerians understand, and they have demonstrated that again and again. It is only those who did not understand the complexities of what Buhari inherited that would be calling for quick fix. Of course the discerning knows. Even the former president, if he would be truthful to himself, knows that things would have been worse if he had been reelected.

    But it is time for President Buhari to get cracking. He has to address the problem of the Niger Delta militants because that is crucial to the country’s survival. The Niger Delta issue is akin to a fly that perches on the scrotum; it requires a lot of tact and intelligence. He should dialogue with them to know what the issues are and grant the ones that are possible while he can then deal with the others who still opt for violence the way they deserve.

    Then the herdsmen. Nigeria and indeed, his presidency do not need the distraction that grazing reserves constitute at this point in time. So, he should not sweat too long on these; rather, he should have his mind more on ranches that have become the norm in the civilised parts of the world. It is not likely that many parts of the country would want to give space for the establishment of grazing reserves. Land is a priced asset in many parts of the country. The herdsmen (whether they are Fulanis or not is immaterial) have not shown that they are ready to show concern for their environment or respect the feelings, culture and tradition of their hosts. Already, they are claiming that they have freedom of movement under the constitution. This is the problem with half education. Whoever taught them that ought to have added that where on a continuum their own freedom stops, other people’s begins. They cannot destroy farmlands, rape and kill simply because they have been guaranteed freedom of movement in the constitution. Many people will want to see the president deal with the herdsmen’s menace the same way he did the Niger Delta militants and Boko Haram.

    Nigerians look forward to a more robust second term of the Buhari presidency. If he misses it this time, chances are he may not be able to catch up again. We want to see the economy diversified; we want to see more refineries so as to get out of this cycle of fuel scarcity despite being a major oil producer. We want to see hope restored to our country; we want to see Nigeria respected again in the comity of nations. Nigerians want a situation where they can sleep with their two eyes closed; we want to see more and more of our youths get good jobs; we want to see more industries hum again. We want  these and more.

    Sure, those who profited from the rot of the past would not want him to succeed; but he must find ways to clip their wings.

    So help Buhari, God.

  • 2012 and 2016

    2012 and 2016

    It should have been clear to the Nigeria Labour Congress’ (NLC) leaders who called for strike last week that the call was going to end in the fiasco that it did if only they had not luxuriated in self delusion. As a matter of fact, when I was coming to the office on Tuesday, I listened to a radio programme during which the presenter asked listeners to respond to the question of whether they wanted a reversal of fuel price to N86.50 or whether they agreed with the new price of N145 per litre. The responses from majority of the respondents convinced me that if those views represented the aggregate views of Nigerians, then, the strike had failed even before it started. The respondents acknowledged that it was not easy to buy fuel at the new price but then, they could not see an alternative, and that they preferred that if the new price regime would end the queues at the filling stations! When I got to the office, I told some of my colleagues that the NLC had to be careful about this strike because its leaders might sooner than later realise that they were on their own.

    Nigeria has had fuel price increase twice between January 2012 and now.  The 2012 protests took place during the Goodluck Jonathan administration; indeed, about seven months after the president’s inauguration. The second was on May 17, 2016, under the watch of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. If the 2012 fuel price hike was greeted by successful nationwide protests when petrol price was increased from N65 to N141 before massive protests forced government to reduce it to N97 per litre, which was reduced to N87 again in the tail end of the Jonathan government (following outcries by Nigerians that this should be a natural consequence of the fall in crude prices), how come the 2016 hike did not witness such protests? The answer is simple: the two fuel price increases were not exactly the same, in spite of the sharp increase from N86.50 to N145 per litre of 2016. Unless the price is reviewed downwards (and depending on the margin); it would be the most audacious fuel price increase in the country’s history.

    Unfortunately, some people have been trying to compare both, which is like comparing apple with bitter kola. It is based on this assumed similarity that they are asking questions as to why the protest and strike called by the NLC flopped now whereas it succeeded in 2012. In other words, they are impugning political or other ulterior motives into the issue, which is not exactly so. My answer to the question is to ask those who are so aggrieved that the opposition organised successful strike and protests in 2012 whereas the same was impossible in 2016 to organise their own rallies and protests, seeing that the one called by Labour had hit the rocks. Here, I am talking particularly about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members who are now supposed to be the opposition. There could not have been any better popularity contest than that, instead of bemoaning the failure of an ill-fated strike.

    Was Buhari responsible for the inability of the NLC to call its own members out for strike? It was such a pathetic story to read that Labour leaders were going from office to office to drive people out to protest. This immediately reminded me of the saying that when a king begins to remind his subjects that he is still their king, then that king is in trouble!

    Without doubt, the government’s decision is painful. But, like many of the respondents to the radio programme that I mentioned earlier, it is a better alternative to sleeping at filling stations to buy fuel. I have had cause to mention it on this page that I spent hours at filling stations, waking up to queue for fuel as early as 4.00. a.m. sometimes and not leaving until 9.00 a.m. There was a day I waited till after one in the afternoon from around 5.30 a.m. without getting petrol to buy. So, for how long would one continue to do that? It may appear harmless but one is doing a great harm to one’s system gradually. The fact is, I always felt like I lost some blood whenever I bought petrol at N140 or N150 before the increase. I felt the pinch!

    But it would be unfair to blame President  Buhari for the problem. And I think this was why many Nigerians decided not to heed Labour’s call for strike or protest. This is aside the fact that many Nigerians too are beginning to see the Labour union as a platform by some people to make money for themselves, at the expense of usually unsuspecting (but now suspecting) Nigerians. There is this joke we crack here in the southwest (Nigeria) about a particular town in the region where we had thought there were too many monkeys  (obo), or fools, to be precise, in those days. But today, the last ‘monkey’ (fool) there is riding exotic jeeps! So, let no one call dog monkey for us again! I wish our Labour leaders had listened to that radio programme because these were some of the points mentioned there!

    It is sad that Labour leaders here still think that strike should be the first resort to arm-twist the government. It is sadder still that the Labour leaders think Nigerians are robots that are incapable of independent reasoning to take rational decisions. Or that Nigerians will always troop out to protest simply because some people in the name of Labour leaders asked them to do so. How come the same Labour that has not been able to cripple state governments owing its members months of salary arrears suddenly think they have to vent their spleen on Buhari, because, that, to me, is what their call for strike over the fuel price increase amounted to. That is if it was not a protest being influenced from some other quarters, which had sufficiently lost credibility to the point that it had to look for someone else to fight its proxy war.

    Where was Labour when the country’s treasury was being looted? Did they not know that someone, including their members, would pay for that sometime later? Or, are the Labour leaders not taken aback by the disclosures being made on the $15billion arms funds scandal? If Labour wants Nigerians to come out to protest and expect to get result, it should do so with convincing argument. No one should compare 2012 fuel price increase with that of 2016. They are two different scenarios. In 2012, Nigeria was selling crude for about $112 per barrel. Today, it goes for less than $45; we should not forget that early in the year the price hit a rock-bottom low of $31 per barrel. Worse is the fact that we cannot sell as much as we did in 2012 because of the activities of militants. If crude is Nigeria’s major revenue earner, it should occur to the rational that our income would be affected, and, by extension, our ability to finance our imports, fuel inclusive.

    Former President Jonathan in the aftermath of the 2012 fuel riots promised to deliver four Greenfield refineries; he did not deliver one until he was voted out three years after. Does Labour not know that our salvation is in local refining of petroleum products? For Nigeria to have contemplated deregulation along the Jonathan paradigm was suicidal. It was like telling God that He made a mistake by giving us crude oil. Surely, God could not have given us crude if He wanted us to be importing petrol? Yet, it is not on record anywhere that Labour organised any earth-shaking protest or strike to force the hands of Jonathan to build the refineries he himself promised. Even if the uninitiated are trying to compare the 2012 fuel crisis with this year’s, one expected those who should know to enlighten them; not compound the situation.

    For the first time in decades, a government has come, that may not be doing much generally yet, but is at least looking in the direction of getting more refineries in the country and as well make existing ones to work. Now, Labour that has not asked questions these past decades is asking that same government that is barely one year in office to keep funding imported fuel when it is obvious the means is no longer there. Haba!

    To be sure, one should be unhappy about this development where Labour is gradually becoming a toothless bulldog because it is dangerous. The beauty of democracy is in the checks and balances inherent in it. A strong opposition is sine qua non in a democracy to serve as bulwark for the people. That vacuum ought to be filled by the PDP, the immediate past ruling party. Unfortunately, the party has not been able to find its bearing since its defeat in the presidential election last year. In the absence of a strong political party to play the role of opposition, one can look up to Labour to take that responsibility. Here again, the NLC in particular has become a bundle of disappointment. With two factions taking two opposing sides on the fuel price hike, it should have dawned on the NLC leadership that the congress was too fragmented to win the ‘war’ or speak with one voice on the fuel price hike. That was another reason the congress was humiliated when it called for strike with only an insignificant number of workers complying.

    Our Labour leaders would do well to avail themselves of the soft landing being provided for them to save face, lest they completely demystify themselves. And introspect.

  • R.I.P. fuel subsidy

    R.I.P. fuel subsidy

    But can Buhari handle this?

    At long last, the Federal Government last Wednesday summed up courage to remove petrol subsidy which has remained contentious over the decades. Although Vice President Yemi Osinbajo tried to explain the new pump price of petrol away as the result of scarce foreign exchange, what is evident is that, with effect from that day, a new petrol price of between N135 and N145 per litre was announced, up from N86 for Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega stations, and N86.50 for independent marketers. Predictably, Nigerians will protest the development, which, really, is about the most audacious in the history of fuel price increase in the country. But, how far the protests would go we can’t tell yet.

    Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, had earlier said this truth that government cannot afford the foreign exchange to sustain it. I had always known this was the issue a long time ago, even when the minister kept promising that fuel supply would stabilise in April, May, or whatever. That was why I said in one of my write-ups that the NNPC was being economical with the truth as usual whenever it said certain cargoes loaded with fuel were at the ports or would soon arrive the ports to take the fuel queues away. The same way I felt anytime they rationalised the scarcity by alluding to smuggling. With the kind of marketers that we have, smuggling could not have been ruled out; but that could not have sufficiently explained the scope of the scarcity. At any rate, how many petrol tankers were they able to catch, if the smuggling theory was that strong?

    I knew danger loomed when crude prices began to rise again about two weeks ago. And that is the tragedy of the Nigerian situation. While people in other crude oil-producing nations were jubilating, Nigerians would be sad because that means more burden for them since they rely on imported petrol. Indeed, last week when I advised that labour would do well by insisting on good governance always rather than keep asking for new minimum wage every five years simply because that is what the law says; I stopped short of saying that fuel prices would soon go up but that the government would still meet with the trade unions after that to fashion out a new minimum wage as proposed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC). This is despite the fact that many state governments cannot even pay the present N18,000 minimum wage.  As I said then, government would find wage review more convenient than workers demanding good governance. The stage appears set for that.

    But what we are paying for now is the failure, incompetence and corruption of past governments that did nothing about local refineries; they were hell-bent on liberalisation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry on the wrong template of importation because of the fraud that the system engendered. If Labour and the civil society including the media had spoken with one voice, insisting that the previous governments be more responsible, perhaps we would not be where we are now. We would have had some functional refineries, for instance. The Jonathan government promised four Greenfield refineries, it did not even turn the sod of one three years after the promise was made. Yet, not many people raised their voice against the irresponsible manner the country was run then. Here we are, with Labour now threatening that government must revert to the old fuel price. Perhaps if we had reacted appropriately to bad governance in the past, we would have been able to jail one or two oil barons who unjustifiably collected subsidy, thereby sending the appropriate message to others with itchy palms.

    Now, the government says it does not have foreign exchange to keep importing fuel and has therefore asked anyone interested in the business to bring it in. All the government would do is ensure the importers do not sell beyond the allowed margin and, secondly, that they do not bring in sub-standard fuel. With marketers now having to source their foreign exchange themselves, this should free some forex for other uses and even help boost the strength of the Naira. That, however, is, other things being equal. In Nigeria, other things are hardly ever equal. This is why the government should not start celebrating that it would save more forex now if its decision to remove subsidy completely scales through. There must be a conscious attempt to scale down on irrelevancies so that we do not lose the forex saved on fuel import to luxury items for our lawmakers and other politicians, especially.

    It is also because we are in a country where things don’t come out as planned that I do not agree with Dr Kachikwu’s optimism that fuel prices would go down in about six months’ time just because anyone interested in bringing in fuel can now do so. The minister ought to know that things don’t work like that in Nigeria. Moreover, Dr Kachikwu is talking as if he or Nigeria is in control of the international crude market. Suppose crude prices suddenly jump to about $70 per barrel, would that optimism still stand?

    The Buhari government has its job cut out for it. Unless it fashions out ways to protect Nigerians, what we might have at the end of the day is a situation where the people will be the ones to be paying the ‘transferred subsidy’ henceforth. People who have been used to subsidy without delivering products will not want to see that honeymoon come to an end. They cannot be relied on to be fair to Nigerians.

    Therefore, whatever angry reactions that trail the subsidy withdrawal, the government will do well to understand because the average Nigerian does not know his contribution to the problem that he now has to pay for while those who caused the problem are decorated with national awards. Another good reason why Buhari should bear with Nigerians who might protest the development is because all governments will always claim to be doing everything in the interest of the people. The Babangida government, the Abacha government, and even the Jonathan government that we knew the kind of stealing that eyes have not seen took place under the president’s watch claimed it was working for Nigerians. This is why Buhari has to be careful in his reaction to the protests that might follow the decision. Even if the government is able to get away with it, he should realise that a lot of his goodwill would have been invested. And, since goodwill is like deposit in the bank, the more you withdraw without depositing, the less your balance. So, the subsidy withdrawal must bear fruit.

    Buhari’s problems would have been minimal if only his government had been able to chart a reassuring path towards solving any of the country’s multifarious problems. Here, one is not talking of quick fixes but at least enunciation of policies that can rekindle hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. This has been so since creation. It is what people see that they believe.“Except you see signs and wonders, ye will not believe”, so says the Bible. The fact is; Nigerians are not happy that it took him six months to appoint ministers; many are not happy too that the budget is just kicking off in the middle of the second quarter. Indeed, the anger of many is that the government is acting as if it is unaware that it has a four-year mandate, out of which one year is almost gone.

    What the government should do now is to treat setting up of more refineries at home as an emergency because that is the long-term solution to the perennial fuel scarcity. Already, the government appears to be doing something in this direction; it should not rest on its oars. As a matter of fact, President Buhari must insist on being updated on this weekly to be sure of the progress in that direction. The present government’s promise should not be like Dr Jonathan’s Green field refineries that never came until the former president himself was rendered jobless.

    As a corollary, the government must come up with a new and effective policy to address the question of militants vandalising pipelines. We have come a long way on this and it is no longer acceptable that government would tell us it has repaired pipelines with billions today only for militants to damage it again tomorrow. This is important because even if new refineries come on board and we have not successfully dealt with the pipeline vandals’ challenge, it would be like the power sector where we do not have gas for the same reason. Today, we would be able to pass crude oil through the pipelines; tomorrow we would not.

    Excuses would no longer do. It is the duty of government to secure its jugular. There must be modern ways of doing this because if we don’t check it now, we may discover that pipeline vandalism too, like Boko Haram, has become another cash cow. That is, if it has not, already.

     

  • Labour’s same old mistake

    Labour’s same old mistake

    Workers should fight for good governance,
    not minimum wage

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday formally presented their minimum wage proposal of N56,000 to the Federal Government. “I can say now authoritatively that as of yesterday (Tuesday) we made a formal proposal to the Federal Government of N56, 000 to be the new minimum wage. The demand has been submitted officially to government and we hope that the tripartite system to look at the review will actually be set up to look at it”, NLC president Ayuba Wabba said. Whilst this might have drawn applause from workers in the country, it would seem to me an indication that Labour has not learnt any lesson with regard to minimum wage. The unions seem to be doing the same thing all over and therefore should not expect a different result. When in 2011 the present minimum wage of N18,000 was fixed, the same way they celebrated; now the euphoria is gone and the workers are back to square one.

    Of course Wabba advanced good reasons for Labour’s position. One is that the law stipulates that minimum wage must be reviewed every five years. If the last review was done in 2011, then it is time to review it again, so that, to use Wabba’s words, workers would “not be seen as sleeping on their rights”. The logic, according to him, is that no worker should be taking salaries that cannot sustain him for 30 days. In other words, workers’ take-home pay should be able to take them home. Can the present minimum wage do that? I’m afraid, ‘No’. There is also the problem of manufacturers who will not be able to sell their products if workers are too poor to buy. Workers have to be empowered to be able to buy what they need. This is as well impeccable. Wabba crowned it all by alluding to the connection between corruption and good wages. If workers are not well paid, the temptation to steal will be high. Again, one can hardly fault this.

    Indeed, those who conceived the idea of five-year review of the minimum wage did so for very good reasons, chief of which is to index it with the rate of inflation. True, a lot of waters had passed underneath the proverbial bridge since 2011 when the minimum wage was last reviewed. As at the time workers got the N18,000, crude oil was selling at about $111 per barrel and the exchange rate was N110 to the dollar. Today, not only has crude price fallen (around $46 per barrel), the exchange rate too has depreciated, with the Naira now exchanging for about N321 to the dollar at the parallel market. Ironically, it is now that Labour wants N56,000 minimum wage! Wabba noted the bad state of the economy: “Our argument is that, yes, it is true that the economy is not doing well, but the law stated that wages for workers must be reviewed after every five years”.

    There is, however, one point Labour has not mentioned, which is enough to knock out all the good points it made to justify its call for N56,000 minimum wage. And that is the fact that many of our political leaders have over the years proved that they cannot be trusted with the noble responsibilities placed on their shoulders because they care only about themselves. That is why they always think they must have access to whatever comfort money can buy, even when those who supposedly elected them (and they are representing) do not even know where the next meal will come from. It has been said time and again that our legislators are about the highest paid in the world. Some of those who made the assertion had often cited examples from different parts of the world, including the United States of America and Britain where lawmakers take public transport and live in moderate apartments. Also, they are not paid stupendous allowances in those countries as our own lawmakers, even as they do not have perks that are wrapped under the table. Everything about their worth as lawmakers is open and transparent.

    Let me therefore help Labour by adding the prodigal manner in which our political leaders live as one of the reasons to justify the new minimum wage. With our kind of politicians, it is quite a valid point for Labour and indeed all other Nigerians who do not have access to public funds to insist on having as much as possible of the national cake.

    Perhaps if the political leaders only live big at our expense, without stealing brazenly in a way that we had to notice, as in the immediate past, we would not be this aggrieved. But the way and manner many of these political leaders and their cronies help themselves to our common patrimony cannot but make us angry. I doubt if there is anyone that is angrier than me over this matter. Indeed, that was what made me become a proponent of the idea that Nigerians should always insist on having the best of good life that money can buy from government so that those who intend to steal will have very little left to pilfer.  The political leaders and their cronies have so much to steal because we often leave too much free money in their care, and because we do not ask questions.

    Moreover, you have people who served at best for eight years and after that, they award themselves mouth-watering packages that have no bearing with the country’s economic realities. These are more serious issues that Labour should fight; and not to keep asking for wage increases which the political leaders would almost always grant if that would make the Labour unions happy and keep their eyes from prying into what is happening in the executive, legislative and other chambers (of corruption) that dot the landscape.

    We should be wiser now.

    Indeed, this assumption (by Labour and the rest of us that increase in minimum wage is the solution to workers’ poverty in the country) is analogous to the belief that chopping off the head is the cure for headache. We are where we are in the country because of bad governance. Even if crude prices have not crashed, the country would still have been in trouble, given the rapacious and primitive manner the country was stolen blind, particularly in the Goodluck Jonathan years.

    I can bet it, the government would most likely grant some concession, (that is after reminding labour that its members constitute only a fraction of the Nigerian population and can therefore not get what it wants fully) but whatever concession government grants will still not take most workers home, whether in cosmopolitan Lagos or in rural Ekiti or Osun, going by the prevailing cost of living which is not likely to improve unless we have good governance. And I see the workers gladly embracing government’s new minimum wage when it finally comes. But, in a few years time, however, the reality would dawn on them that what they thought they got was not what they actually got. At the rate we are going, a time will come when we would have to buy a loaf of bread which can hardly feed two persons for N250.

    Why Labour has not thought along this line of insisting on good governance instead of its fixation with wage increase is what I do not understand. Could it be that it is shying away from this line of reasoning because it is also afraid of its own shadow? Whether we like it or not, Labour too is enmeshed in some integrity crisis, particularly concerning its housing scheme which remains as messy as ever. And for it to demand good governance, it must also put its house in order. You can’t go to equity with soiled hands. I have this feeling that Labour often capitulates in crises times due to the fear that government could want to blackmail its leaders with some of these messy deals. So, when the Labour should be in the forefront of struggles, its leaders suddenly develop cold feet and abandon the cause, citing some threats of treason from government as reason.

    But the simple truth is that a man with logs in his own eyes cannot tell another  to remove the speck in his.

  • We won’t call cow ‘brother’ because we want to eat meat

    We won’t call cow ‘brother’ because we want to eat meat

    President Buhari should tame the herdsmen

    President Muhammadu Buhari must do something and fast too, about the rampaging Fulani herdsmen who have turned themselves to terrorists sans borders. The main reason is simple: the president himself is Fulani and people are now wondering why the herdsmen have suddenly become laws unto themselves, maiming and killing, and leaving tears and sorrow in their trail wherever and whenever they decide to unleash mayhem. It is in the president’s interest to rein in the hoodlums masquerading as herdsmen so that their activities would not erode his hard-earned goodwill.

    Since I was born, I have always known Fulani herdsmen to carry sticks and may be some local weapons for their personal safety and the security of their cattle; due to the itinerant nature of their job. But now, things have changed. Fulani herdsmen are no longer satisfied carrying local weapons; they have become so sophisticated in their choice of firearms with which they now terrorise people all over the country.  This is unacceptable. A situation where Fulani herdsmen would sack people from their ancestral communities is vexatious and unsustainable. The Federal Government must show in unmistaken terms that it frowns at these tendentious and savage practices. At the rate at which things are going, it would get to a point where the entire country would combust when people begin to see that they are on their own whenever Fulani herdsmen come, or that the long arms of the law are too short to protect them from the rampaging herdsmen. People will not continue to flee from their places of origin on sighting some ragtag bandits who believe they have the right to graze their cattle anywhere and whenever they please, even at grave risks to other people’s farms and other economic properties.

    A major question to ask is, where do the herdsmen get their arms from? The kind of sophisticated weapons they parade is unlawful for anyone to carry without licence. If, therefore, they are carrying arms illegally, what are the security agencies doing? But if their weapons are licensed, then carrying of guns should be liberalised for all so that there can always be a balance of terror; or at least, as a form of self-defence.

    It is important for the Federal Government to act fast because what we have on our hands is graver than Boko Haram. The government can gauge the mood of the nation on this matter from the recent reactions to the rumour of a grazing bill said to be before the National Assembly, but which has been denied. If anyone is still thinking along the line of having the Federal Government making such law to compulsorily acquire lands for herdsmen to graze, then that person should perish the thought. Indeed, that is one law that is dead on arrival. If herdsmen who are acting illegally now are this murderous and audacious, we can only imagine what would happen when they have a modicum of legal protection to hold on to. If people in other parts of the country cannot get beef to eat from the herdsmen, they can make do with something else, from within the country or from without. No one should let the herdsmen continue to get away with this false sense of entitlement that they have a right to graze wherever and whenever they desire. The point must be made poignantly and unambiguously too, that the herdsmen are not doing anyone a favour; it is a symbiotic relationship that should be done within the ambits of the laws of the Federal Republic. But if grazing their cattle beyond their own borders is going to be this costly and problematic, then they should look elsewhere for their market while their customers too  look elsewhere for their cow meat. We won’t call a cow ‘brother’ simply because we want to eat meat!

    President Buhari’s statement on Wednesday is reassuring. “Ending the recent upsurge of attacks on communities by   herdsmen reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons is now a priority on the Buhari Administration’s agenda for enhanced national security and the Armed Forces and Police have clear instructions to take all necessary action to stop the carnage”, the president said. But he should do more than talk the talk; he should walk the talk. Concrete action must be taken and must be seen to be taken to arrest the ugly trend before it is too late.

    Cattle rustling, (which the herdsmen use as excuse to take laws into their hands) is a crime that should be punished whenever the culprits are identified. But that should not be a license for the herdsmen to take laws into their hands, robbing, raping, maiming and killing in the name of retaliation. We are not in a banana republic. The last time I checked, we are still a country governed by a constitution which defines the rights and privileges of citizens and institutions, as well as how they are to relate with one another.

    Cows are not government property; they are owned by individuals. To that extent, they do not deserve being given land by the government, not even as a temporary solution as President Buhari once mooted. These herdsmen will not leave once they are given space all over the country. We must have seen that by now and the governors should not oblige the president any such request whenever he presents it; that is if he has not done so. It is the business of the cattle owners to find ways to feed their cattle. If it means that the cows would be costlier, Nigerians would not mind to pay more for cow meat or look elsewhere for it. It is better to buy expensive cows from the herdsmen than give these kind of characters who believe that the land and other things therein is theirs, irrespective of the part of the country the land is. With people like these, you don’t take chances at all.

    Anyway, now that the security agencies have been given a marching order (I doubt they needed that if they knew their onions), nothing should be spared in efforts to rein in the herdsmen. They are worse than the Niger Delta militants that the president has threatened to treat as economic saboteurs. They (herdsmen) are going for the nation’s jugular in their assumption that they can graze their cattle just anywhere, not minding if they destroy other people’s livelihood in the process.

    Just imagine, this year alone, the herdsmen have left trails of anguish and blood in several parts of the country. What is it! “Fulani herdsmen attacked two villages in Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State and killed 15 people”. “Farmers in Lagun, Iyana Offa, Offa, Atagba, Lapata and their surrounding communities in Lagelu Local Council Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, alleged that a group of Fulani armed men attacked their communities at night, injured a guard and carted away valuables”. “Twenty-five local government areas in Delta State grounded activities on the Benin-Asaba Expressway. They reported that the herdsmen allegedly killed over 23 persons. Interestingly, the police recovered 20 AK-47 rifles, 70 dane guns, 30 double-barrel guns and over 1,000 live ammunition, mostly from Fulani herdsmen during this period”. Ten communities were razed while no fewer than 500 lives were lost” in Agatu, Benue state. (Source: Jiji.ng). These were before the incident last Monday in Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State, in which more than 40 people were killed!

    Honestly, the president must do something before some people hijack this and turn it to another (Boko Haram) money-making machine that Nigerians would be picking the bills. Land is too important an issue in the country and no one is prepared to forego his or her ancestral land just to please marauding herdsmen. As a matter of fact, the way some of the people who we think are enlightened in the north speak on this matter should convince anyone that the herdsmen should not be given an inch anywhere the people say they do not want them.