Category: Letters

Sir:  Governance all over the world is meant to cater for the security and well-being of the governed. This calls for commitment and integrity on the part of the occupants of such public officeholders. But that was not the case with the immediate past administration of Ifeanyi Okowa in Delta State.

Under Okowa’s watch trillions of naira received through monthly allocations alone is yet to be accounted for. What accrued to the state under the 13 per cent derivation is estimated to be around N1.7 trillion.

But for the revelation of former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, most Deltans would never have known that such a humongous amount was released to the state by the last administration led by Muhammadu Buhari.

Yet, Deltans were pauperized by Okowa’s government despite promising them prosperity during his campaign.

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Thanks to Nyesom Wike and others like Ijaw national leader and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Pa Edwin Clark, Deltans would have been living in the delusion that the state 13 per cent derivation has not been released to the state by the federal government.

 Wike’s revelation opened the can of worms that exposed Okowa’s government. This compelled Pa Edwin Clark to seek confirmation and further information from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation concerning how much had been released to Delta State as 13 per cent derivation.

Furthermore, the elder statesman also accused the Okowa administration of fleecing the state through the activities of 14 phoney companies. This was contained in an open letter he wrote to Okowa in the dying days of his administration, to give an account about the N1.7 trillion earned from 13 per cent derivation was disbursed.

Rather than respond appropriately to Clark’s demand, associates of the former governor tried to pull the wool over the eyes of discerning Deltans with their fairy tales. Such were the tales told by Charles Aniagwu, his former information commissioner and one Oghenesarvie in one of his posts online.

There were allegations that the former governor tried to prevail on the Ijaw leader, through some traditional rulers, to drop his demand and pretend nothing ever happened.

If such allegations are true, those traditional rulers must be the worst enemies of the state and ought to be investigated by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) as they must have benefited from the sharing of the common patrimony of the people of Delta State.

However, an activist, Mulade Sheriff from Kokodiagnene has also led some other leaders from the oil-producing communities in Delta State to formally submit a petition against Okowa at the EFCC.

The activist is asking the anti-graft agency to recover, from Okowa, the monies that accrued to the state from the 13 per cent derivation because the host communities are entitled to it. He has also gone further to file a civil action at a Warri High Court for the interpretation of the acts setting up the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission Act (DESOPADEC) about the fund.

To that effect, Deltans are waiting anxiously to see the anti-graft agency invite Okowa to shed light on what he did with the state resources; a state he ran like his personal estate.

In addition, some of the questions begging for answers that the former governor is required to shed light on for the benefit of the people include a consortium of financial institutions from where he obtained over N70 billion as a loan three days before the end of his tenure; the agreement and mode of repayment that the credit facility was granted; and whether the money is not part of the state funds stashed away in a bank.

These and many more questions the people of Delta State are waiting for an answer from Okowa through the anti-graft agency.

• Ifeonu Okolo, Asaba, Delta State.

Sir: I have studied, published, and spoken about Nigeria’s oil and gas industry over many years that I know certain things about the industry in Nigeria that will clarify certain misleading assertions that continue to make the rounds in the media.

Fuel subsidy expenditure progressively grew from a few hundred billion naira a year during President Obasanjo’s era to trillions of naira during President Buhari’s administration (i.e. an increase of over 2,000% in less than 15 years!)

President Obasanjo issued over 20 licenses for the construction of private refineries, but none of the licensee built a single refinery. Why? You cannot attract private refineries in a heavily subsidized oil sector!

Dangote and his business associates, under the “Bluestar” group, paid about $1 billion to the federal government to buy the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, expand them, and reactivate production (including production of fertilizers).

Soon after the exit of President Obasanjo in May, 2007, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) put pressure on President Yar’Adua to reverse the sale of Nigeria’s “commonwealth”; old NNPC too towed the same path, boasting that “in September, we shall turn the refineries around”. Yar’Adua capitulated, Bluestar group got back their money, and the two refineries have remained moribund 16 years after, while Dangote is about to just complete a $19 billion refinery, whose construction lasted for only six years (construction started in 2017

The battle to pass the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was waged for years against selfish interests, which were aligned against the Act, until October 2021 when President Buhari signed it. This Act forbids fuel subsidy, only allowing it to subsist for only 18 months after commencement of the Act.

Between January 2022 (when PIA kicked off) and May 2023, the new NNPCL made no deposits into the Federation Account. Why? The company was “paying fuel subsidy”, and yet being owed by Nigeria. How was Nigeria supposed to solve her revenue problem while keeping the Big Elephant (fuel subsidy) in the room? Secondly, would people prefer President Tinubu to break a law of the land (PIA)?

Dangote Refinery is not owned 100% by Dangote Industries. The Nigerian federation (federal, state, and local), through the NNPCL, owns 20% of Dangote Refinery!  NNPCL has already paid Dangote cash of over $1.3 billion, shall supply crude oil for a fraction of the remainder shareholding, and pay with its dividends from the refinery production for the balance of its shareholding.

Dangote Refinery has already quadrupled Nigeria’s gas production with its gas pipeline infrastructure linking the refinery (under the Atlantic Ocean) with Bonny Island. The refinery generates more electricity than Ibadan DISCO distributes!  As to whether the refinery should have commenced production on the “day of commissioning”, I would rather people listen to what Aliko Dangote said on the day of commissioning. 

From one barrel of crude oil, about 159 litres of petrol is obtained. From the same barrel, other products such as diesel, aviation fuel, heating oil (kerosene), etc., are also extracted. Now, if only one (or two) of the products is not subsidized, while the rest remain subsidized, common sense supports the expectation of a rub-off impact on the un-subsidized product(s).

OPEC has just published a report that the number of Nigeria’s oil rigs has grown significantly. Besides, Nigeria’s crude oil production has been growing (as efforts to fight oil theft are yielding fruits), NNPCL has paid off its share in the Joint Venture partnership, which it owed for years, thus bringing new investments in oil prospection and mining.

Nigeria’s local food production and packaging are on the increase. A visit to retail chain outlets will convince anyone.

The removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira have resulted in the accrual of about N2 trillion into the Federation Account from one month earnings alone (June, 2023)! It is beautiful watching state governors harmoniously working together with President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, across party lines, to build a great nation and improve the welfare of Nigerians. I am impressed that, contrary to what obtained in the past, they have agreed to share only N907 billion and save over N780 billion!

This is not the time to scout around for captains to lead us back to Egypt only because of the momentary inconvenience of the wilderness. We are on the right track, even though our path leads through a dangerous wilderness full of scorpions and venomous serpents. Let us discuss how better to cushion the temporary discomfort; let’s get some “manna” for our citizens while telling of the succulents fruits of the Promised Land.

• Prof. Leonard Karshima Shilgba,Admiralty University of Nigeria.

Sir: Does Senator Tony Nwoye not have better things to do other than seeking to embarrass Governor Chukwuma Soludo and worshipping at Peter Obi’s feet?

In the course of a town hall meeting Soludo had with Ndi Anambra in Abuja, on Thursday, July 20, chairman of the occasion, Emeka Offor, had invited past and present senators from the state to make brief remarks.

Incumbent Anambra South Senator Ifeanyi Ubah acknowledged the good works of the governor. Senator Victor Umeh who equally complimented Soludo, urged him to bring National Assembly members from the state nearer for greater results. Former governor, Chris Ngige gave thumbs up to the state’s administration, stressing the need for skills-based education. For her part, immediate past senator of Anambra Central District, Uche Ekwunife not only commended Soludo for delivering democracy dividends; she exhorted Ndi Anambra to ignore the disinformation against the governor in the social media.

Then came the turn of Nwoye and the topic veered sharply from Anambra State’s development to Peter Obi’s presidential status: “Peter Obi has brought Ndi Igbo to political prominence. We should not be attacking him. An aide of the governor keeps on abusing Obi. If he doesn’t stop calling Obi names, we shall speak loud on election day.”

His agenda was an indecorous distraction from the development focus of the conference.

Who does not know of the notoriety of the ‘Obidients’ for abuse and gutter language? From Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka to Professor Wole Soyinka, many Nigerian citizens have been subjected to slanderous gossip by ‘obidients’ for daring to express differing political opinions. Obi had on occasions been forced to apologise for the irresponsible behaviour of the group in political engagement.

So, is Nwoye suggesting that Soludo’s media team should keep mute and indeed applaud the ‘obidients’ when their scurrilous posts target the governor?

It is necessary to remind Nwoye that the senatorial office is one of great responsibility. As a senator representing Anambra State, he is expected to take up in the National Assembly our agitation for a sixth state in the southeast in the interest of a balanced federation and equity. Let Nwoye devote his time and energy towards constitutional processes for realising state police, a requirement for dealing insecurity a massive blow in today’s Nigeria.

Does Senator Nwoye not see the looming threat of erosion in Anambra State? He will do well to get the federal government give the problem the same level of attention accorded environmental degradation in Niger Delta and desertification in the north. Rather than the divisive politics of one – sided media judgement, it will be more rewarding if Nwoye concentrates on getting the federal government redress  exclusion of the southeast from  hosting of the country’s military-industrial complexes.

• IfeanyiChukwu Afuba, afubaifeanyichukwu@gmail.com>

By Obinna Inogbo

SIR:  Reports emerged recently that public universities’ fees have increased by as much as 200%.  Nigerian youths, particularly those who are forced to pay fees themselves or rely on the goodwill of others outside of their nuclear family, should look at this situation as a sign to double down on embracing entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship is about identifying problems and solving them for a price.  Do that for seven to ten years and you’ll be hiring university graduates.

There’s a lot of fear in looking entrepreneurship in the eye and telling it that you’re going to embrace it, particularly when a young person sees their peers earning liveable salaries in air-conditioned offices and the young person in question has attended dozens of interviews with no call-backs or can’t get interviews.

“Don’t they know I’m a graduate?” he or she will ask their self, frequently.

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Welcome to the real world where getting an air-conditioned liveable salaried job goes beyond having a degree! Soft skills such as emotional intelligence, time management, managing up/sideways/down, public speaking, business writing and business administration, just to name a few, should be taught in all secondary schools, public and private! Teaching them at university is too late because not everyone will go to university, but everyone should go to secondary school!

In developed countries, many youths enter the workforce as entrepreneurs or at the bottom of a company at 16, 17 and 18 years old, either because they cannot afford to go to university, or they don’t want to be saddled with the debt of the fees after they graduate in their early 20s.  This debt will take years to pay back, and they’d rather not add it to their problems. 

Before anyone points out that those are developed countries I’m referencing while Nigeria is a lower middle-income economy, how do you think they became developed? Not all their office jobs require a university degree.  But in Nigeria, even micro enterprises are looking for graduates, thus depriving a large pool of Nigerians who can read and write from being employed.

Dear young Nigerian feeling down and out because of the general status quo. Look for problem around you, where you live, and go about solving them.  Success is a result of many failures and years of hard work.  What you start off doing is not necessarily what you’ll finish with: Leo Stan Ekeh, the owner of Zinox Computers, started off trading ladies’ clothes; Nnamdi Ezeigbo, the owner of SLOT, started off fixing computers; Victoria Bolanle Oginni, the pioneer of the pure water business in this country, started off selling lollipops.  Nigeria is your oyster!

• Obinna Inogbo, Lagos.

By Chinenye Anichebe

SIR: Gone are the days when once you are done with secondary school your parents enrol you in a computer school because now, the mobile phone can do just that. So instead of a computer school, the parents get that child a phone. Not just to answer calls or play games, but to go on another journey of learning on the phone.

So while JAMB is proving an impossible obstacle to many, instead of wasting precious years like in the past, they learn the trending arts via a phone.

Some include video editing. Video editing is as easy as 1 and2. All that’s required is a phone; you shoot a video, use the phone edit app on the phone and edit. Practice, practice, practice then boom, you become perfect; Yes that easy.

Most times, YouTube is the perfect teacher for video editing. The need for video editing is increasing day by day especially because of the era we are in where content creation has become the order of the day. Many create and edit by themselves; then as they grow, the need to hire a video editor arises and then they cash out. So while waiting for JAMB, one can start making money which was not the case 20years ago.

Content Creation: The rise of social media has helped check some youthful disaster that should have been but for social media. It now keeps many young people busy positively, though not without some negative outcomes.

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Now many make use of social media to create engaging contents, post and in return make money. These contents grow their social media page. The brands use these people to advertise products while at the same time, they earn doing that. Such media include the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok and the newest on the block, Thread by Meta. Many young people are now channelling their creativity on these platforms for visibility and the cash.

YouTube: This platform has blessed many, as many go there to learn different ways of doing a lot and even those who teach as both party gains massively. There are a lot of DIY (do it yourself) videos on this platform. So as a young person, you can learn how to bake, sew, create apps, video editing, cook, name it! YouTube is your go-to platform for any young person that wants to impact their world.

Meanwhile, many film producers now use YouTube as a platform to showcase their movies without having to break the bank; instead they cash out through these means. Some others start reality shows or even TV shows on YouTube and many click to join to be entertained. All you need is a phone, an idea and a constant data.

So you see, the new oil is now on our palm; no longer faraway inside the ground. It is important to be productive as a young person. Whenever you lay your hands on a phone, see it as the future, your future. Don’t wait, take a step and get busy.

• Chinenye Anichebe, anichebechinenye@gmail.com  

Sir: The capacity of the agricultural sector urgently needs to be reinforced through innovative and sustainable actions and policies in enhancing its productivity and competitiveness. The default picture of the sector and its operation needs to change. The verdict is – successive interventions have all indeed failed.

The Q1 performance of the sector for 2023 shows a negative growth of -9%. The omen for the sector is practically scary. Food inflation is running wild and the imminence of a food crisis may just be on the horizon. Already, we are been warned of malnutrition; then, the burgeoning population which is growing at a geometric proportion against an anaemic economic growth and a fast-paced unemployment rate.

So, how do we feed ourselves and how do we position the sector as an expedient to the nation’s socio-economic development? The situation should keep any well-meaning government awake. In the first place, it is difficult to reconcile the state of the sector which leaves some much to be desired to the huge potential that exist. The country boasts of about 84 million hectares of arable land with only about 35 million cultivated and huge available manpower.

The present administration has provided a glimmer of hope with the promise of placing the agriculture on the wings of progress. Be that as it may, a policy direction will definitely crystallize with the appointment of a minister- who must be on the top of his game in the delivery of the goods.

Despite the heavy attention on primary production, the nation’s yield per hectare still remains paltry which is underlined by problems relating but not limited to the absence and prohibitive cost of suites of requisite agricultural inputs; in addition, to poor irrigation services.

Achieving mechanization is a perennial tall order- the country’s mechanization which is at 0.027hp/hectare is a far cry from the FAO’s 1.5 hp/hectare standard. Recall, the laudable attempt through the 1.2 billion dollars Green Imperative Programme (GIP) to promote mechanization which has now melted out of our collective memory. What has happened to it?

The conflation of poor transport system, processing and storage capacity and other infrastructure related problems contributes to post-harvest losses which come with annual economic cost to the tune of N3.5 trillion according to ActionAid.

In growing the economy and providing the needed jobs and creating impact- significant investment across the agricultural value chain which is entirely underdeveloped will have to be made.

The value chain is market oriented- which involves many business enterprises working together in ensuring effective and efficient production and improvement of products. Essentially, it is the interplay of actors and actions. At every stage in the chain, product/commodity changes form, through value addition resulting into providing better income, employment and productivity.

For instance, the commitment in achieving self-sufficiency in rice production conferred observable improvement across the value chain. The result was the improvement on average yield/hectare, ramping up of integrated mills as well as milling capacities.

As a result, local rice brands became ubiquitous. Earnings of rice farmers rose significantly, jobs were created across the value chain. Though, it is still not Uhuru yet. At any rate, it provided a glimpse into the possibility of commitment, policy and investment in producing result in the development of the rice value chain.

However, there’s need to be strategic and long term in thinking in the approach to agricultural development. It is apt to incentivize large scale agriculture and farmers just as efforts are directed towards the preponderant smallholder farmers.

The future of agricultural production will be characterized by the involvement of fewer people (meaning less direct jobs) applying advanced technology and techniques which will remarkably ramp up yield/hectare, address production and supply uncertainties and bolstering the value chain.

Agriculture promotes social and industrial changes which are clearly exemplified by the industrial revolution. Large scale practice with the deployment of appropriate technology and techniques to agriculture will spur huge productivity across the sectoral value chain which holds the source to the bigger jobs and accelerated development that the nation craves. The smallholder farmers would be very important through their inclusion in a supply arrangement with the bigger players who will be providing important support services to them.

 Strengthening the value chain will involve coalescing the smallholder farmers into a large and effective production unit with cooperatives serving as important stakeholders, while pulling all the stops in ensuring inputs supply to boost production. It is also to the advantage of the smallholder farmers in establishing commodity board which will function in regulating and monitoring food prices, manage fluctuation in prices in addition to serving as buffer in time of emergency.

The country will just have to rethink its approach towards budgetary allocation to the sector which is out of sync with the 2003 Maputo Agreement which the country is a signatory. Corruption, conflicts and state of insecurity, climate change are some recognizable snags which must be dealt with frontally in achieving goals.

No doubt, effective governance is important on this score. For the umpteen time, attaining food security which is synonymous with national security and making agriculture a ladder to prosperity requires robust and creative policies matched with commitment and political will.

• Abachi Ungbo, abachi007@yahoo.com

Sir:  Given that hunger kills and has the tendencies to increase crime rates and social crisis, governments and leaders must take concrete measures that are not “business as usual”. With new class of leaders at both the federal and state levels, we are faced with new opportunities for our officials to consciously lead for the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals. Beyond rhetoric, how would our leaders navigate the staggering figures of hunger, food insecurity and the resultant social crisis, with 25 million Nigerians at the risk of food insecurity in Nigerian according to UNICEF‘s 2023 record?

The challenge of food insecurity and hunger cannot only be solved with the required financing of $77 billion a year from the public sector and up to $180 billion from the private sector as New Growth International estimates; it requires multi-sectorial good governance.

  The idea that governments have a responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind demands concrete actions that enable deployment of concessionary funding to the agricultural sector, massive boost in employment in the sector and commitment to ensuring that everyone in Nigeria has access to affordable food.

  Food security, a social condition for zero hunger, can be achieved when governments provide solutions to the core challenges affecting small-scale farmers. Given that small-scale farmers are critical stakeholders in the food security ecosystem, with 95% of the world’s farms, an enabling environment and connected chain of security, including access to capital, technology and reduced regulatory bottlenecks are required to ensure that farmers contribute to safe societies.

First, governments at the subnational and local levels have a responsibility to ensure that the primary purpose of governments is actualized. This requires investment in the agricultural sector, security and incentives for rural farmers, including access to processing technology, storage system and viable markets for their farm products.

 Flowing from the federal government’s declared state of emergency and comprehensive intervention plan on food security, affordability and sustainability, leaders at the subnational and local government levels are required to follow through the measured outlined to tackle food inflation. While the federal ministries of agriculture and water resources coordinate efforts on irrigation for all-year rounding farming, the entire security architecture is required to provide an enabling atmosphere for safe farming, particularly within ungoverned places in rural areas. Given that agriculture as an item on the concurrent legislative list, governments’ agricultural interventions must be specific on the production of more food and improved nutritional security.

 Governments at local levels are at the centre of food systems intervention and they must ensure that they define food security priorities, enhance coordination between government and private sector, commit to financing priority policies, and ensure good governance and accountability.

 With many organizations and institutions working to achieve zero hunger at different levels, leaders at local levels must harness collective effort, stakeholders’ engagement, shared commitment and firm political will to transform food systems within their states and local governments. Local leaders must recognize that food security requires multi-dimensional approach to advance and promote sustainable, smart and modern technologies and fair food distribution systems. This is of importance given that a greater portion of food waste happens at the rural areas and governments at the local levels must build food processing and storage systems that will help reduce food waste.

  Like Thailand’s Young Smart Farmer Programme, governments must galvanize young people through programmes that counter the decline in the number of young people involved in farming.

Nigeria is facing an aging farming population, with young people seeing farming as a thing for old and unproductive people. Unless this increasing orientation is changed, we will have fewer young people returning to productive farming activities. Farming should be considered as a profession of the future – because everyone eats and humanity will continue to rely on food for survival.

• Emmanuel Nnamdi Osadebay, T200 Foundation, Lagos.

Sir: In a world where accidents strike without warning, the importance of safety resonates deep within each of us. We yearn for protection, hoping that misfortune will pass us by. But mere hope alone cannot ensure our safety. Just as success demands setting goals and taking proactive steps, safety requires our active participation.

How many people genuinely prioritize their safety? How many individuals out there are making conscientious efforts to safeguard themselves and their loved ones?

Merely paying for an annual roadworthiness certificate falls short. Are they willing to go the extra mile to ensure their vehicles are truly roadworthy and safe by having them inspected?

Taking those extra steps of vehicle inspection is the most effective approach to keeping you and your family safe on the roads. It goes beyond the surface-level checks, delving deep into the inner workings of your vehicle, leaving no stone unturned.

Currently, 24 states in the country have embraced computerized vehicle inspection services, breaking away from the norm. And guess what? Lagos alone boasts an impressive count of 34 inspection centres, housing over 40 inspection lanes.

Today, Vehicle Inspection Officers, known as VIOs have modern facilities to work with as against when they would merely conduct physical checks with minimal impact on safety. 

With the advent of computerized vehicle inspection, they employ top-of-the-line technology to conduct holistic inspections. This cutting-edge approach allows for comprehensive examinations, covering everything from the engine to the brakes. Every critical component of the vehicle is meticulously scrutinized, ensuring that potential and minor faults are identified early on—before they evolve into major issues that drain your pockets.

Moreover, this process shields the motorist from unscrupulous auto mechanics. 

The skilled and vigilant staff, known as Vehicle Inspectors, act as guardians, identifying hidden problems and providing the opportunity to address them promptly, thus preventing further damage. 

These inspections provide accurate and reliable information, backed by experts in the field who guide toward informed decisions and necessary actions to ensure safety.

While inspection centres are currently available in 24 states across Nigeria, we remain hopeful and optimistic that every state in the federation will be covered. Their unwavering commitment to keeping all Nigerians safe on the roads fuels continuous expansion.

Remember, safety is not a wish granted by the world; it’s an achievement we pursue through proactive measures.

Let’s drive together toward a future where accidents are minimized, and the roads are safer for everyone.

• Olusemire Jegede, Vehicle Inspection Service, Lagos.