The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Jonathan’s voodoo development index

    This President will never cease to amaze with his simplistic ways and rationalizations.  On the Boko Haram insurgents whose abduction of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State,  that has now taken centre stage, globally, President Goodluck Jonathan simply dismissed criticisms of his reported aborted trip to Chibok, contending that it was not mandatory for him to visit the town. Of course, simplicity is one of President Jonathan’s virtues. He comes across as the regular guy made good – no pretentious frills or airs. Even his speech carries no affectations, though some of us would wish he packs more punch than his trademark flat, monotone of delivery. But that is natural Ebele for you.

    Anyway, how could anyone want to crucify the man if the deeply internalized character moulding of the pristine, uncomplicated simplicity of his rural upbringing in the rustic village of Otueke has permanently etched an enduring, simplistic thought process on his impressionable young mind? In the fast trajectory of God’s amazing grace on the young academic’s rise to Mount Olympus of power, there apparently was no time for grooming, for creating a new personality for him – the public persona. No doubt, his simplicity has its advantage – it got him the votes in 2011 general election, with his projection as one of us, common folks. Remember the shoeless, canoe boy imagery?  But then, simplicity in disposition, coupled with simplistic speech, can become a baggage that diminishes the high office of the President of the most populous Black nation on earth.

    The Presidency is a unique platform to inspire the populace and for those it has pleased God, in his wisdom, to put on that throne, they owe it a duty to the nation not to become letdowns.   Stirring words and bold actions are the hallmarks of any inspiring leadership.  Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s war-time Prime Minister stirred the British to stand firm against Nazi Germany and snatched victory from the jaws defeat; Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. galvanized his underdog African race in the U.S. with his soul-stirring ‘I have a Dream’ speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and changed the course of American history for ever.  They spoke, gave hope and lifted spirits in troubled times.  These are troubled times in Nigeria. Can this president rise up to the occasion?  I have my doubts, not when our ‘gentleman’ president projects a simplistic understanding of grave situations and seems more rattled and exasperated, as if he is being unfairly ‘crucified’.  It is a wrong attitude. And unfortunately for this president, he is apparently surrounded by those who stoke this feeling of his being made scapegoat of a governance crisis he inherited. Admitted, the system rot preceded him, but the issue is: What has he done to lift the gloom?  Has he been able to stir and energize the populace?  Where a leader has speech and action deficiencies, disaster looms. Nigeria is heading toward that foreboding threshold. The President must demonstrate a clearer understanding of the state of the nation and speak reassuringly to the people.

    President Jonathan is a highly educated person – with a PhD – and a doctorate degree does not come cheap. I should know; I recently took that hard road, and as a senior citizen. He got his PhD as a young man and that meant he was a sharp fellow.  So, you ask: What happened? The attributes of a PhD are the rigour of research and understanding of relationships among variables.  The economy is an area where there is need for the President to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between statistics and the situation on the ground as statistics alone does not give a complete picture of the state of the economy. Statistics can become an exercise in gimmickry, the protestations of Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the Kukah Centre workshop notwithstanding. The re-basing of Nigeria’s economy, that has made it to upstage South Africa as Africa’s biggest economy, is one such gimmickry, primarily to massage a bruised political ego – to showcase a ‘success’ story. But the World Bank put dampers on the celebration of this ‘feat’ by rating Nigeria among the five poorest countries in the world.  The World Bank has indices of development – including per capita income, gross domestic product, school enrolment, state of infrastructural facilities, life expectancy – uniformly applied to all countries in its rating.  For those of us ‘on the ground’, Nigeria’s rating among the poor nations closely reflects the daily battle of survival among the preponderant majority. But President Jonathan, still basking in the re-basing euphoria, wouldn’t take such ‘nonsense’ rating, not even from the World Bank. Pronto, the president created his own ONE INDEX RATING of development to show that Nigeria is a buoyant economy – the ownership of private executive jets by the country’s parasitic, jet-set elite.  The President, at his 2014 May Day speech at Eagle Square in Abuja, had contended: “Nigeria is not a poor country. Nigerians are the most travelled people. There is no country you go that you will not see Nigerians… Aliko Dangote was recently classified among the 25 richest people in the world… I visited Kenya recently on a state visit and there was a programme for Nigerian and Kenyan business men to interact and the number of private jets that landed in Nairobi that day was a subject of discussion in Kenyan media for over a week”.  He then declared: “If you talk about ownership of private jets, Nigeria will be among the first 10 countries, yet they are saying that Nigeria is among the five poorest countries”. What a laughable, simplistic talk!   A voodoo development index. How can it be lost on the President that the presence of most Nigerians abroad as economic migrants is their escape option from grinding poverty and insecurity at home?  Does it also occur to the President that the boom in private jet ownership is perceived by the people as manifesting the boom in corruption under the Jonathan Presidency? The other day, President Jonathan wondered why we are raising dust about Boko Haram terror campaign, saying that it is our turn to experience the global trend of terrorism, so we must endure. Again, simplistic talk.  With Boko Haram rampaging in the core North and Fulani herdsmen militia invading North Central, with  threatening spillover southwards – it may not come as a surprise if, in his signature simplistic nature and in spite of the horror of the times, President Jonathan tells us, in the words of singer, Bobby Ferrin   :  Don’t worry, be happy !

    • Dr. Olawunmi, Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo is former Washington Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria

     

  • Believe me, don’t believe everything you hear!

    A few years ago, I was driving along the busy Gbagada expressway in Lagos, and at some point there was a serious hold-up occasioned by a massive crowd. Naturally my curiosity was aroused and I inquired as to what was happening. I was told – ‘eiye di eniyan!’ This in Yoruba which I don’t speak means ‘ a bird turned to human being!’ I never saw the human being or the bird but the story was all over town that a bird had been knocked down and it somehow magically transformed into a human being in female form, of course dead! I laughed it off but did not forget to mention it to one of my sisters in a later telephone conversation. To my astonishment, she believed the possibility of that occurrence and even regaled me with a similar fabulous magical occurrence in Port Harcourt where a cat turned into a woman! I chastised her that a lady with post-graduate education should not be so silly. Although she admitted to not personally seeing the ‘vision’ herself, she was convinced of its reality and when she mentioned that the woman’s name was Cecilia – I gave up! I have never met anyone who has personally seen any of these incredulous spectacles but they always know someone who saw ‘with their two eyes!’

    The introduction above is to illustrate how as a people we have become so gullible that any manner of nonsense will make sense to us. Unfortunately this affliction is not restricted to any class, tribe or religion; it is a widespread national malaise. It is however not a laughing matter and in the present delicate circumstances of our dear country, it is a very serious matter and potentially destructively so. Let me start with the Chibok girls, is it conceivable, that about 300 girls will be coached and volunteered by their families in an alliance with Boko Haram just to embarrass the president and lessen his chances of re-election in 2015? If it is an anti- Christian agenda, is CAN lying when it claims the girls are mostly Christians or are Christian families now plotting with Boko Haram against a Christian president and his government?

    Yet others will glibly pronounce Boko Haram’s megalomaniac lunacy as the representation of Islam and proclaim that the religion preaches violence. And many including supposedly educated people will swallow that nonsense without reason. My question will be, when Joseph Kony, a catholic and leader of Uganda’s Lords’ Resistance Army abducted 139 schoolgirls in 1996 and forced them into sex slavery, was he as he claimed guided by biblical injunctions? Or was he simply a megalomaniac lunatic acting upon twisted interpretations of established doctrines?

    In Akwa Ibom State, especially in or about 2008, hundreds of young children were being maimed and killed in churches on allegations of witchcraft! That anybody will believe in witchcraft is laughable, that the belief will be taken to the extent of killing or condoning the killing of another human being in violation of God’s express injunction, is pitifully wicked and manifestly unsupportable. So my question is, if witches have all those powers and can fly and change form at will, why is it so easy to capture those innocent children? Why can’t they just put on their ‘flying colours’ and flee or perhaps turn to lions so that their pursuers will be the ones to flee? And if we believe in God’s supremacy and that nothing can happen without the Almighty approving same, why can we not accept witchcraft as the will of God or are we indirectly arrogating to ourselves, the power of over-ride over God’s supremacy?

    As a Christian, the Almighty has imbued me with the spirit of discernment to know that only a charlatan will call a place where children are tortured and killed, a church, not to talk of accepting the heinous practice as representing Christian doctrine. If I make this discernment for my religion, the Christian in me will not allow me to apply a different standard of discernment when it comes to other religions unless of course I am motivated by hate, a divisive spirit or mischief, all of which will diminish the essence of my humanity and Christian faith.

    Please my dear Countrymen; let us be wary of all these agent provocateurs masquerading as opinion leaders and leaders of one sectional interest contraption or the other. Let us not believe, let alone buy their outlandish postulations and posturing, we only do so at our own collective peril. They are on a mission to divide in the short sighted calculation that this represents a legitimate tactic to fuel their greed. They do not genuinely represent any identifiable interest group and are only out for their selfish interests.

    Please do not believe it when you hear that Nigeria is roughly 50% Christian and 50% Muslim. In reality and in truth and without any fear of being labelled as judgmental, Nigeria is at most 0.5% Christian and 0.5% Muslim with 99% being Nigerians. For most people religion is mere nomenclature. Otherwise and for anybody with elementary understanding of either Christian or Muslim doctrine, it will be crystal clear that if we had such a huge percentage of Christians and Muslims, our national conversation will be wholly different. This country will definitely not be the way it is. If loving your neighbour as you love yourself is the prescribed human conduct in both religions and given that neighbour means fellow human being, without differentiation of religion, tribe colour or whatever, it is curious that we can hate, condemn or deride any other and fail to see the falsity in our humanity.

    Please believe me when I say that Nigeria will continue to exist as one country. Do not believe those who glibly talk about Lugard’s amalgamation and dividing Nigeria and such trash. It therefore behoves all of us collectively, in the event that we have found ourselves together in one country, to tolerate and understand each other. That is what makes sense, because I believe Jawaharlal Nehru famous line – ‘The only alternative to coexistence is co-destruction’.

    Discussing the Chibok girls video, an educated friend in doubting the authenticity posited – ‘where do you have forest in the north, is it not all desert?’ In my exasperation I replied – ‘so you mean millions of southerners abandon the rich vegetation of the south to settle in the desert?’ This level of charismatic ignorance is dangerous because it makes us more gullible to believing nonsense. So borrowing from Lyndon Johnson, ‘If we are to live together in peace we must come to know each other better’.

    The wicked amongst us are pushing us to the brink whilst making contingency plans for themselves and their families. Believe me if they succeed and in case God does not forbid, they will come to the rude realization that man’s planning is ALWAYS subject to God’s over-ride! Perhaps then they will truly believe that there is God.

    • Ukpong, a legal practitioner, writes from Lagos

  • Tackling environment abuse in Lagos

    These days, many people seem to have lost touch with the natural truism that the quality of our lives as human beings is substantially a reflection of the quality of the environment we inhabit. Most often, many still seem not to comprehend that the environment which we live in, is, simply put, life in itself because it is whatever we give to the environment that it gives back to us. Most cities of the world experience environmental abuse as a result of the ignorance of the people when it comes to issues to their environment. It is from this perspective that one really takes exception to various habits and activities of some Lagos residents that portend great danger to the environment. How, for instance, does one explain such despicable attitudes as defecating or urinating in public places, indiscriminate refuse dumping, drainage blockage, construction on waterways, throwing  of refuse into canals, urinating on flowers and turning of garden and parks into arena for environmentally unfriendly activities?

    In an age, when the Lagos State government and its private sector partners are providing public and mobile toilets at strategic locations, when almost all filling stations, banks, eateries, supermarkets, markets and public buildings in the city have conveniences for their customers and the public,  it is absolutely ridiculous and quite inexplicable that anyone would defecate or urinate in open places, under any circumstances and for whatever reasons.  As a people, we need to really come to terms with the significance of an improved environmental habit. When we deliberately choose to act in manners that could endanger the environment, we are the ones that would certainly bear the consequences of such actions. Hence,  we need to realize that the need to ensure a clean environment should be everybody’s responsibility. Research has shown that people who reside in filthy places are more prone to contracting  terrible diseases and as such easily vulnerable to avoidable deaths.

    It is in realisation of the need to protect the environment that the Fashola administration has made environmental regeneration a cardinal programme. Today, Lagos highways and streets are cleaner . Flowers and trees now adorn hitherto neglected and rejected spots. Cynics who had initially thought that this government initiative will not stand the test of time are beginning to have a second thought. Incorporated into the beautification project is the greening programme which in itself includes the planting and maintenance of trees and flowers. This is seen as a major way of tackling the challenge of global warming and climate change which is becoming a major threat to the world. So the greening programme is a partial response to the challenge posed by the global warming, as well as beautifying in order to improve the aesthetics of the environment. There are over 150 trucks that patrol the highways to collect bags of refuse that are collected all over Lagos.

    In order to inculcate the culture of environment cleanliness into the young ones, the state government has begun a school advocacy programme that is geared towards this direction. Today, there is no public school in the state that incinerates  or burns refuses as they have all been supplied waste bins .  Equally, over 500 waste sorting bins have been bought by the state government to teach the students how to sort their wastes. Through this, they are able to know what sort of waste goes into the different bins so that by the time they get home they will be able to impart positively on their environment. In order words, the main essence of the school advocacy programme is to bring about attitudinal change.

    One can go on listing many other achievements in the area of flood control with creation of such agencies like Emergency Abatement Gang (EFAG), Drain ducks, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and the concerted effort on climate change control through which major stakeholders are being carried along by the state government. With the aforementioned work, one is not deluded that everything has been achieved. Still it appears that a lot still needs to be done especially in terms of enforcement and enlightenment. This is due to the fact that behavioral change communication is a continuous thing. What is required to maintain sane and friendly environment is not just about what the government is doing but also about the people’s attitude.

    Environmental abuse is not justifiable in a state where the government is doing so much on environmental sanitation. It is, therefore, important that Lagosians support this government’s initiative by respecting trees, parks, garden, lawns and railings put in place across the state for our common use. They should not be abused. Parks should not be turned into market places, toilets, refuse dumps or places where animals graze. Failure to control animals or allowing  their defecation or engaging in an unhygienic use of fountains, pools or water in the parks, gardens and open spaces would be counter- productive and as such must be discouraged. People must, as a matter of policy, decide not to engage in attitudes as defecating in open places or urinating in public, as these are very demeaning and debase our human nature.

    With natural disasters occurring across the world, as a result of the abuse of the environment, this is the time for everyone to have a rethink about our attitude to the environment.  That we have not experienced monumental environmental tragedy should not be taken for granted as being immune from such. Thus, we must take our destiny into our hands and do all the needful to ward off avoidable natural calamities. Hence, the need for everyone to support the state government in protecting the environment.

    •  Ibirogba is Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State

  • Flying Medview is a horror

    A quick journey to Abuja on Wednesday, May 7, via Medview Airlines was a horrific experience that surely left me with post traumatic stress disorder. Since mental and psychological health are not areas we give much thought to in this part of the world, it is important that Nigerians, and the global community, get to read the story and not just marvel or create hashtags at how low we have sunk as a country. Especially these days that the world’s attention is focused on our country as we seek to bring back the Chibok girls, other silent killers are ravaging our souls leaving behind decimation that will need a long time to heal.

    Actually, that was my second time on Medview ever since the airline commenced domestic operations in November 2012. It started with hajj operations in 2007 but my experience last September 17 when I flew its plane to Port Harcourt left a sour taste in my mouth. The 3pm flight of that day took off at 7pm, making me to miss an important dinner scheduled for that time. It was, however, gracious enough to offer angry passengers vouchers for food at a restaurant in the airport. Ever since, I steered clear of Medview like a plague until last week and certainly the leopard can never change its spots.

    Our flight to Abuja took off as scheduled, 7am, and it was a smooth flight spiced with conversation between us and another passenger. Expectedly, Boko Haram, the World Economic Forum (WEF), Christianity, and inevitably that topic whenever a group of men discuss, sports, specifically in this case, football, were issues we debated and argued. We landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport and it appeared to be under siege with a plethora of gun-toting soldiers and policemen everywhere. This could not stop a Toyota SUV driving to the tarmac to pick one of us who arrived on the same flight. We proceeded straight to the city seeing an almost empty Abuja. Initially, we thought the closure of government offices for the WEF would affect our programme, but it was not so.

    My friend and I felt it was a little bit early to go to airport for our return flight at 6:30pm after we finished our business and we did not want to disturb other friends in Abuja. Time was just around 1pm and I was glad that there would be enough time for me to read Jared Diamond’s The World Until Yesterday that was in my bag. We got to the airport and presented our tickets at the Medview counter. That was when we should have been concerned as the gentleman who collected our tickets was reluctant in giving us boarding passes until another person, most likely a supervisor, told him to go ahead.

    Old friends, same problems

    The alarm bells in my head went off when I discovered that the boarding pass read 8:30pm, with no explanation, no apology, and no information from any Medview staff. Shortly after being screened, I saw an old friend and egbon, Dr. WoleOdutolu, whom I’ve not seen for years. He was excited to see me too, and he held my hands for some minutes as we sat down to catch up on a lot of issues. At this point, my friend disappeared and left me with the doctor to continue our discussion.

    Seeing someone after a long time is always an invitation to a long discussion and this was what happened. Odutolu and I kept on moving from one topic to another and, at a point, we changed location to get some drinks. With a bottle of Snapple in my hands, we continued our discussion on Nigeria and our home state, Osun. At this point, I saw Stephen Keshi, the Super Eagles coach, who just released a 30-man list for the World Cup in Brazil, with Victor Ikpeba afar and I felt like walking up to them to congratulate Keshi for including two names on that list. But that would be rude, so I continued my discussion with Dr. Odutolu.

    Later, poet, former student activist, lawyer, professor, and now an aspirant to the House of Representatives, Ogaga Ifowodo, joined us but did not sit down. He was on another Medview flight billed to take off at 2:30pm but it was already over an hour as at then. “Oh boy, which kind country be dis?” Ifowodo asked me in pidgin. “I’ve been here for one hour now and nobody is saying anything on this flight. Why do we allow ourselves to be treated this way? Honestly, we must do something,” he added. Tired, he concluded, “Wale, let me go and find somewhere to crash as I don’t know when we are leaving.” He, however, reminded me to contribute to his campaign, as he does not have any godfather bankrolling him.

    I should have joined in his lamentations. Selfishly, my thought was on the fact that my flight was 8:30 and Medview must have sorted things out by then, I erroneously assumed. Shortly after, another colleague of Dr. Odutolu joined us and we continued our discussion. Simon Kolawole of The Cable passed by too but not without accusing me of missing the launch of his new project. “Thanks for coming, I saw you at our launch,” he said sarcastically. Odutolu’s flight was announced and he left me with his colleague whose knowledge of Ogun State politics dazzled me as we compared notes on the forthcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun States, the rift between Gov. Ibikunle Amosun and former Gov. Olusegun Osoba in Ogun State, and the 2015 presidential elections.

    Waiting for Godot

    His flight too was announced and I stood up to stretch my legs again. That was when I knew that our wait would be long as Medview scheduled another flight for 4:30pm, meaning three flights were booked to fly to Lagos – 2:30, 4:30, and 6:30 based on tickets sold. Around 5pm, the 2:30 flight departed leaving two flights behind. As the flight was announced, some passengers on the other two joined and were politely turned back. Tempers started flying at this point. “Why did they sell tickets when there was no plane?” “Why are we like this?” These were some of the questions people asked. I still kept quiet because I could not imagine that there would be no flight for us at 8:30pm. “Cool down,” I told myself. Three hours were enough to arrange a plane that would take us to Lagos.

    Keshi was one of those that were turned back as we were booked for flight VL2107. Shaking hands with people around me, I congratulated him for including two players, Ramon Azeez and Sunday Mba, on the list. “Thank you, my oga,” he responded with smiles. To everybody, he responded the same way, “You know I have many ogas, all of you are my ogas.” The waiting continued till 8:30pm. Our dilemma was growing, as there was no plane to convey us to Lagos. That was the first time Medview communicated to us, having kept us waiting.

    “Attention please, passengers on flight VL 2107 please proceed to the Medview counter for light refreshment,” was the announcement when we thought it was a boarding announcement. I could not hold it any longer, and I walked up to a staff. “What exactly is happening to our flight,” I asked a man in blue shirt who had carefully concealed his identity card like other Medview staff. Suddenly, a man with a beard as long as that of Kongi though not as well kept as that of the playwright blurted, “Don’t answer him, please. If you answer his question, he would ask another one.” I was aghast and I really felt like slapping the old man even when I’m not giving to violence. “Please walk away from this place before I do something both of us will not like,” I shouted at him, and, wisely, he walked away.

    “We had a delay in Lagos, it is raining now and that’s why there’s no plane available,” the Medview staff answered. He added that text messages were sent to passengers earlier that the flight has been rescheduled to 8:30pm which neither me nor my friend got. We continued waiting and that was when I discovered that the airport seats were not comfortable at all. Walking around to stretch my legs was the only way I could retain my sanity while others continually looked at the tarmac awaiting the plane’s arrival like passengers waiting for a BRT bus at the terminal.

    Finally, some few minutes after 10pm, the plane landed. I never knew I would witness what happened thereafter again in Nigeria as passengers were jostling and shuffling to get to the boarding gate as two flights were combined. Mercifully, women with children were allowed to pass first. We took off at 10:50pm and my wife could not believe me when I told her. “Are you in Lagos now?” she asked, thinking we had landed. “No, we are just boarding,” I replied. We landed at 11:45pm and the only thing Medview offered were repeated apologies by the pilot and cabin crew. Nothing about compensation or damages but the temerity to add that “we look forward to welcoming you on board soonest.”

    Tired and angry, I made my way to the taxi park and I vowed never to board Medview again and also to brief my lawyers. This cannot continue, I said within me, and surely Medview will hear from me again on this matter.

     

    Fatade is a journalist in Lagos

  • Where Soyinka got the CNN interview wrong

    The bestiality and violent criminal activities of that dreaded Boko Haram group stands condemned by every believer in the sanctity of human life. The dastardly act of this group, in the last couple of years, remains a mystery, highly unquantifiable, in terms of souls and properties lost, the one that drew global attention being the cruel abduction of over 200 innocent girls from Chibok School, in Borno State.

    However, with the pronouncement credited to Nobel Laureate, our highly respected Prof Wole Soyinka, during his last interview on the CNN, there is therefore, the need to go to the basics and critically look at the issues that surrounded the emergence of this dreaded group to global prominence, for the purpose of learning one or two lessons from the phenomenon.

    The name, Boko Haram, before its political coloration, was a derogatory appellation given by the residents to that local Islamic Organization, headed by late Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, whose worldview, preaching and ideology were radically and totally opposed to the existing Islamic doctrines of the known core Islamic religious organizations in his locality.

    The preaching of the then religious group, headed by late Yusuf, was considered anti-establishment because it centered on certain evils, that they (the group) generally associated with some products of western education, by way of human propensity for selfishness, whereby both the political patronage and economic resources meant for the majority are being cornered by the few northern educated, religious/political elite, to the detriment of the populace. Hence, their local agitation, then, for a full fledged implementation of Islamic practices, as entrenched in Sharia Laws, in order to be able to curb (in the group’s estimation) the injustice and evils associated with the acquisition of western education. Hence, the coinage of the term “Boko Haram” by the local populace to spite the group.

    Presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, in an interview with CNN which published on page 7 of The Nation of Wednesday, May 7, revealed that the Islamic organization, (Boko Haram), at the initial stage, was not involved in kidnappings or any form of violent acts. However, one can say the group became radicalized and militarized between 2002 and 2009, when the opposing local traditional, political and religious elite joined issues with the group, thereafter, occasionally made use of the local security agencies and institutions to abuse, harass and intimidate Yusuf and his members, from one town of the state to the other, coupled with the destruction of their mosques within the North-eastern zone. Members of late Mohammed Yusuf Islamic organization were often detained and clamped into prison or police cells, and without recourse to the rule of law, hence, the group early clashes, skirmishes and confrontational attitude with the local police stations and prison guards.

    The activities of the group came to national prominence, in 2009, when late President Umaru Yar’Adua, under the instigation and influence of the opposing local elite, sent down both the police and military troop to arrest late Mohammed Yusuf, at the end of which he was extra-judicially killed, on Thursday, July 30, 2009, by the police, with many of his organization members murdered in cold blood that spanned five days, between Sunday, July 26 – 30,2009, at their various camps in Bauchi, Yobe, Kano and Maiduguri, Borno State.

    The extra-judicial killing of Mohammed Yusuf, and cold blooded murder of his followers, drew the attention of international media like Al Jazeera. Late President Yar’Adua, as a result of the international media outcry, made a promise to bring to book those security personnel who were involved in the extra judicial killings, but did nothing to that effect, until his demise.

    Prof Wole Soyinka rightly pointed out, in his interview with the CNN, published in The Punch of May 8, that Boko Haram menace has graduated from local and national issue, to become an international monster, beyond the capacity and capability of the federal government. However, although, he denounced the extra judicial killing of late Mohammed Yusuf, but on the notion that the killings aggravated the crisis in the North-east, the Nobel Laureate was quoted on page 7, of The Nation, Wednesday, May 7, as saying “the late Yusuf was a serial killer and butcher, who should have been brought to justice were he to be alive.”

    The question, now is – was there any discreet and personal investigation conducted by the Nobel Laureate, (apart from the ones dished out to the media, by the state security agencies, in collaboration with the locals, who had issues to join with the late Mohammed Yusuf, then) to warrant Yusuf being categorically labeled a serial killer and butcher, before his murder in 2009?

    Was such investigation, if any, brought before judicial adjudication and pronouncement for legal backing and validity?

    Prof Soyinka went further during the CNN interview to say “When Yusuf was killed, a former Head of State went on a mission of appeasement to Boko Haram family, asking the people to forgive and forget. But this was a killer. But the law says those who kill must not go unpunished” – The Nation, Page 7, May 7. The question now arises, if Mohammed Yusuf was a killer, and the law says those who kill must not go unpunished, should the punishment be pronounced or meted out to the alleged killer without recourse to the said law, for proper lawful court adjudication?

    At what point, and how many months or years, after Yusuf and some of his followers’ gruesome murder, did the former head of state go to beg Boko Haram to forget and forgive?

    At the time of extra judicial killing of Yusuf Mohammed and his followers in 2009, was there any public condemnation and outcry for justice, most especially, from our activists and social justice crusaders, in the like of Prof. Soyinka?

    What has since then happened to the court case of those security agents arrested, for their involvement in the extra judicial killing of Yusuf and his followers since 2009?

    It really saddens one, how a mere local divergent opinion, ideas, and preaching on issue, among adherents of the same faith could snowball to a global menace, with its attendant human and material loss, in great magnitude, arising from the murderous activities of the so-called Boko Haram, as a result of both the leadership and followership’s act of omission or commission.

    Human history is replete with repetition, and our sense of judgment is often beclouded with emotion, sentiment and prejudices, based on mind-set, and our pre-determined assessment of individual and issue, depending on our line of divides – socio-economic, political and religious stand pole.

    Now that all hands are on deck, and foreign help is coming in, to rescue our abducted daughters, there is a fervent need for every living human being to be tolerant, uphold justice whenever it matters most, making truth his or her shield, and be conscious of the fact that act of censorship of facts, half truth, outright falsehood and cheap propaganda, against perceived enemies, often lead to uncontrollable but avoidable self-indulged crises in our private, public and national lives.

    As President Goodluck Jonathan postulated that Chibok abduction saga, will mark the beginning of the end of terror in Nigeria, so also the import of its lessons should, however, not be forgotten, for the prevention of future unnecessary upheaval and its unwarranted human and material sacrifices, out of ignorance and spiritual bankruptcy.

     

    • Oluwole writes from Iwo Rd., Ibadan

  • Tribute to G. O. K. Ajayi

    Death comes and imposes its finality but we must not forget to thank God and the people who make the journey to the resting place a bouquet of pride. Again, death has snatched from us, a brilliant lawyer, a very resourceful personality, a great legal philosopher, accomplished statesman, leader, motivator and philanthropist, a true democrat who stood for the rule of law even in the face of intimidation by the vengeful military. The Oodole of Ife, Chief Godwin Olusegun Kolawole Ajayi has joined his ancestors. His death is a monumental tragedy to the nation. Nigeria is poorer for G. O. K’s death! G. O. K., a legal luminary, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), a great African scholar, disciplinarian statesman, a dependable leader has answered the home-call, statesmanly.

    Born in Ijebu-Ode to the prestigious Ajayi family, he attended Saint Saviour’s School as well as CMS Grammar School, Lagos. He proceeded to the United Kingdom to study law and was called to the English Bar in 1955 and later to the Nigerian Bar in 1957. His legal activism is legendary as he made great and constructive impact on the lives of the people who he was privileged to defend. As a matter of fact, G. O. K. Ajayi had, very early in his life’s journey shown himself as leader of leaders and a shining star among the galaxy of stars. His veering into the field of legal profession was characterized with huge success such that his name has been written in gold.

    He was a principled lawyer in his service to the state and humanity, a defender of the downtrodden, a defender of human and people’s lights, and a defender of people’s freedom and democratic ideals. There is no doubt; his exit is a serious threat to the voiceless Nigerians. Indeed, he was regarded as a foremost legal luminary whose views on legal matters are held in the highest esteem. On the defence of his people, he was the leader and messiah of the masses particularly to the Yoruba cause. He was the one of the most thorough-bred Yoruba, and a man of great nobility. His death certainly is an immeasurable loss to the Yoruba race and Nigeria as a whole.

    He achieved greatness by dint of hard work, doggedness, intelligence and uncommon focus that stood him out among his peers as well as marking him out distinctively as an epitome of assiduity, legal knowledge and excellence which won him a string of laurels.

    The Oodole of Ife, G. O. K. Ajayi, was a rare gem, both intellectually and culturally and his eloquence, courage, forthrightness and strength of character made us christen him “The Defender of the House of Oduduwa”. The Head of the House of Oduduwa, the Arole Oodua, the keeper of the seal of Yoruba, Imperial Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife, has lost one of his patriotic confidants. The Yoruba cultural icon, legal luminary, nay intellectual superstar, Ajayi must have joined the Oduduwa saints including the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Adewale Thompson, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Chiefs S. L. Akintola, Adelabu Adegoke, Rotimi Williams, Sapara Williams, and host of others of the children of Oduduwa to deliberate on the way forward for the Oduduwa nation and Nigeria at large.

    We cannot easily forget how Chief G. O. K. Ajayi fought relentlessly on the side of justice to ensure the return of the deported northern politician in the 80s – Alhaji Shugaba to his fatherland – Nigeria. He would remain as the quintessential Nigerian lawyer who built durable bridges in legal defence across the nation. He was an erudite scholar and legal practitioner of no mean order rising to the pinnacle of that profession as Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). G. O. K. Ajayi would forever be remembered on his belief in virtues of honesty, integrity, probity and character, which he exhibited in his entire public life. As a statesman, he remained committed to the late sage, Chief Awolowo, his predecessor, Oodole of Ife, and to all the ideals that the late sage believed in, stood and died for.

    G. O. K. Ajayi certainly fought the good fight with all his might and huge sense of purpose. He will never be forgotten in the history of Nigeria. In legal circle, he had become an institution, a personality to be studied. Before his sun was to set by death, he had traversed the political and legal terrain of this great country like a colossus. He bestrode the socio-political path with his head raised from the beginning to the very end. A man of infinite courage, determination, perseverance, dedication and patience, he can see the other man’s point of view with due respect. A man of great charm and charisma, he was amazing in intellectual perception, an icon of Yoruba culture. Though, he may naturally have his weaknesses since no human being is perfect, yet, he was successful in many areas.

    His excellent, natural endowment and good rearing made him the most remarkable man of the age in legal profession in Nigeria. It is true that some men are far more gifted than their fellows and this will take a leading part, whether as statesmen or philosophers, in shaping the destiny of mankind. Baba G. O. K., in all his endeavours, the genius in him took the centre stage thus, accounting for his superlative success in life. It is understandable that, in life, he had a larger than life image, in death; his image is even extraordinary. Chief G. O. K. Ajayi, unlike other Awoists, one can easily recollect his principled stance of not having taken any political appointment throughout his life, despite his closeness to the power brokers both in the region and national level. Still, Baba excelled in the course of his chosen career on earth.

    He was a different person to different people; he was a lover of culture and history. He asked this writer to go to and research on Yoruba people in Kwara, Kogi, Benue and other places in order to have a stronger unity in Yorubaland.

    Chief G. O. K. Ajayi in his time has demonstrated the spirit of efficiency, modesty, resilience and indefatigable traits, characteristic of a brilliant administrator and an outstanding statesman with an uncompromising stand in the struggle for emancipation of justice. As a man, he was highly respected, as a lawyer, he was held in high esteem, as a father, he were a veritable example to many.

    Though the Oodole of Ife, has come to the necessary end, he left huge footprints in the sands of time. Let us be comforted by the knowledge that life after all is not valued by how much of it was lived, or what was amassed in the span on earth, but by what we lived for, by the things we stood for, the extent to which we reached out and touched others positively with grace and gifts given by the Almighty God.

    • Prince Adegbola fcpa, is President, Oduduwa Cultural Foundation

  • Memo to confab: Saving education from decay

    That a whole lot is wrong with education in Nigeria today is an understatement and a nation that denies education to its people denies them and their country a future; denies them civilization and optimum utilization of God-given human resource, which is a key factor in individual, entrepreneurial and national development. There is therefore urgent need to save Nigerian education from its current stupor before we drift permanently into the lonely and terrible abyss of ignorance that would probably lend credence to the aphorism that “where ignorance is bliss: it is folly to be wise”.

    There is organized chaos in the country for the benefit of those who reap out of chaos, so our educational institutions are caught in the Sisyphean web of myriad manifestation of corruption and politicization of every aspect of the Nigerian life. Wise nations keep politics away from the ivory tower, hence the name, but unfortunately in Nigeria we merge the sacred with the profane, so all is soiled. Some patriotic alumni of historically great institutions in the country, in a patriotic bid to save the fast fading glory of their alma mater, have mooted the idea of individual restoration of such institutions through voluntary contributions but there is obviously not much that can be done singly or at institution levels because individual efforts in this regard would simply be a tiny drop of water in an ocean and moreover, even the academia has joined the political bandwagon for its selfish pecuniary gains and may likely sabotage such noble efforts.

    Education used to be for those who have professed the ability and the interest to read and write but these days, even parents in their misguided parental love are keen to pay bribe to get their lazy kids to “pass” exams; worse, teachers are even more keen to record good pass marks at WAEC or similar for the students they did not teach, so they write the answers and pass to their students at examinations; the school authorities themselves aspire to have astounding records of good performance at external examinations as this will bring good patronage of more students to their schools with proprietors smiling their way to the bank, so what do they do? They discuss with the external invigilators that their students are willing to play ball and with mutual consent, collect agreed sums of money per student for the invigilator, so he looks the other way when the mass cheating is being organized by the school principal or the proprietor himself.

    Gone are the days when students are made to repeat a class because they did not do well in their promotional exams. What then is the outcome of this organized educational crime? Candidates who are “ready” for the higher institution without any iota of readiness for, or any appreciation of, the rigours of higher educational pursuit. Same scenario is only but predictable at the higher schools, and so there must be a way to survive and graduate from the university – either by bribing the lecturer, some of who are ready to be bribed or by sleeping with others if you are female and the lecturer is male, randy and dirty; or a combination of these and more means of getting grades you did not work for.

    I believe we should be looking at raising the consciousness of Nigerians and our politicians to the sacred nature of education rather than making an isolated attempt at turning around a particular institute or university because the forces that prevail against good education in the country are pervasive and a behemoth.

    There is therefore need for the national conference to discuss and ratify measures against politicizing education, making government to fund education and academic research directly and adequately, and interfere less in academic institutions and matters of academia such as appointment and removal of VCs; compelling our society through the legislature  to encourage the making of laws aimed at challenging the influences of corruption and bribery in educational matters particularly and punishing same; getting the National Assembly to pass a bill with severe punishments for academic and exam malpractices, including aiding and abetting these, with such punishments as closure of schools that aid and abet exam malpractices and jail terms for officials who do so entrenched in such laws.

    Nigeria must redesign her educational system by removing all forms of politicking from education and its administration in Nigeria; by making laws that separate education from all forms of manipulation or political influences; by creating huge budgetary allocation up to 40% of national budget through the legislature as educational fund that will not lend itself to government agents’ further approval processes; making laws criminalizing any attempt or support for any attempt that aims to lower educational standards in any form or guise; restoring hitherto pre-civil war international standards of education in Nigeria as per structure, syllabi. Infrastructure, admissions, teacher engagement, accreditation, board supervision; by reviving the teacher middle class status in society through proper and regular salaries and perks designed to make teaching a worthy profession; and other measures with similar motives of aiding revival of education in Nigeria, including free and compulsory education for Nigerian citizens up to Senior Secondary School level, establishment of a professionally oriented education commission and board with powers to oversee full implementation of all aspects of educational processes and practices, especially any form of corruption such as stealing or diverting of funds meant for education, etc.

    The next challenge is to sending hawking professors to the laboratory. We should tackle this problem, which is gradually and steadily killing the future of Nigeria, at its holistic and general level and with a sincerity of purpose that is fast fading from Nigerian leadership. This if truly pursued will take the hawking professors off the street, where they are selling away their future and God-given intelligence as baked bread, to the research laboratory where they will be manipulating cassava by-products for global food supply from Nigeria. This is fact as so many of us, including most conference attendees are beneficiaries of standard and affordable education in this same Nigeria 30 to 50 years ago and would have otherwise been hawking bread on our streets or engaged in some other menial tasks generally undertaken by undeveloped intellect. To the National Conference attendees, I must ask, who would have known that you have something upstairs to give your nation if you did not have the opportunity given by this same country to go to school and develop yourself?

    This is the question your conscience must answer before the sitting of this conference is over or you would indeed be hollow men masquerading as patriots, feeling nothing, seeing nothing, thinking nothing and doing nothing. This issue of reviving education should not and must not be our typical business as usual affair – it must haunt us, pervade us, terrorize us, even more than Boko Haram and should have pride of place in the hierarchy of issues being currently discussed, for the growth and stability as well as sustenance of tomorrow’s Nigeria. It is not an overstatement to assert that this is the greatest issue of importance in the ranking of the affairs of state on the agenda of the National Conference, for a properly educated and usefully engaged populace equals a civilized and progressive-minded nation.

     

    • Onyechi is a public affairs analyst

  • El-Rufa’i: Putting square peg in square hole

    Usually when people talk of Nigeria’s politics of today, they often tend to forget one thing: that very few among them assume the confidence that political actors in the fore-front of seeking various political offices through people’s votes will have anything to offer in return for such votes.

    But there are true sons of democracy who by sheer courage and commitment to a just cause, have shown what they are worth. They are people who have excelled in various responsibilities. By their attributes, the Nigerian electorate will have no option but to give them their votes anytime, anywhere.

    For me, this category of politicians is where the no-nonsense, erstwhile FCT minister, Malam Nasir el-Rufa’i belongs. The world knows and cannot deny what el-Rufa’i can do when it comes to bringing results and succour to the people he so much cares for through good stewardship.

    Indeed, el-Rufa’i may be seen by some as a controversial politician, perhaps due to his fearlessness on issues that touch on the destiny of Nigeria and Nigerians. However, majority view him as a man of action; a man who is always at the vanguard of the masses and ready to sacrifice his life for the betterment of underprivileged Nigerians, the toiling Nigerians who have been enslaved by a crude system of governance that has taken control of the nation’s political terrain over the years.

    The real value of this man, politically speaking, is yet to be fully harnessed. But when political pressure groups begin to clamour for the Zaria-born political giant to go for Kaduna governorship seat come 2015 under the All Progressives Congress (APC), I hold a contrary view. This is no pettiness because I candidly have the conviction that there is a much better way of utilizing the talent of this man at a much higher level in the country’s political evolution.

    So to make el-Rufa’i kow-tow to state level pressure and not accorded a national responsibility or a more central role in the nation’s politics, will simply mean reducing the giant to a Lilliputian role. The former Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) head and FCT minister, who transformed both government establishments in accordance with laid down rules is not an armtwister but a principled personality who should be a perfect player at the APC’s helms.

    As a political party, the APC appears to have all it takes to wrestle power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in terms of composition, form and import, and therefore requires the services of dogged fighters like el-Rufa’i, more especially that the highly revered former Head of State and APC Leader, General Muhammadu Buhari shares the same vision for Nigeria with el-Rufa’i.

    Not only that the General and el-Rufa’i belong to the APC and have same political ideology, the former FCT minister’s landmark performances in the various offices he held at the national level, as well as his good relationship with General Buhari, are enough to show that committing el-Rufa’i to the Kaduna enclave as against the centre of the pack where he knows and understands best, will not only be suicidal to the genuine cause of the APC but also detrimental to its aspirations. His role at that level is most ideal, but this does not mean serving his state is inferior. I always respect people’s views but not in circumstances where wrong decisions relating to people’s interest are made.

    So, I would rather el-Rufa’i be deployed to and fully supported in the handling of the affairs of the secretariat of the APC, since his ability to hold the secretaryship of the party in an interim arrangement creditably well has proven that he is more than capable in stewarding the affairs of the APC at that level.

    Knowing General Buhari as a man of principle, I am of the opinion that forming a team that will ultimately crush the PDP without el-Rufa’i could create a dent in the run-in to 2015 election for the party, because the General needs this man to help him and party alike toward putting things straight in the political battle to wrestle power from a failed PDP leadership.

    General Buhari also needs to know that the success of any political system is usually determined by the import of the actors and the support they get from the electorate. Individual politicians on the other hand are usually overwhelmed by the demands of their constituencies, whether or not they are able to satisfy such demands to a level acceptable by the majority.

    Therefore, with el-Rufa’i there, a lot of the pressure would be taken off the shoulders of the General if the APC considers him to be at the helms of the party’s secretariat.

    As a matter of fact, el-Rufa’i should not be disposed to substantially giving his maximum contributions in the fight against Nigeria’s reckless cabal from Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. A more appropriate place for el-Rufa’i is where his armoury of talent will be more beneficial to his country and people, and the only way of putting the proverbial square peg in a square hole.

     

    • Ahmad writes from Kano

  • Interrogating the transport sector privatization agenda

    The federal government’s recent disclosure of its plan to privatize the transport sector should gladden the hearts of Nigerians and potential investors alike. Considering the important position of the country as the largest economy and most populous nation in the African continent, which lately had the honour to be the first in West Africa to host the World Economic Forum (WEF), the direction that its transport sector is taking should be of interest in public discourse.

    The decision of the federal government which was taken at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja was specific in its objective: “to open up the transport sector to the public for private participation”.

    According to the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who highlighted the governmen’s intention on this issue, four bills aimed at transforming the sector were discussed in detail: The National Transport Commission Bill; the Nigerian Ports and Habour Bill; the Nigerian Railway Bill 2014 and the National Inland Waterways Bill 2014.

    According to Maku, government is working on an economy that focuses on the future, and one that is not expected to rely on the government, but on private sector and its participation. Indeed, he was on point when he explained that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration would “involve the private sector in the development of the infrastructure in airports, seaports and waterways”.

    The fact that he added that government could no longer continue to run the sector on its own and that the best way to further improve Nigeria’s economy is to create new policies for different sectors of the economy that will drive private sector participation rather than for government to just continue to pour in money on investments really appears to have captured the essence of private-sector driven economy that most developing countries like Nigeria now subscribe to.

    But keen analysts of the Nigerian economy, particularly how successive government’s policies tend to disrupt or even outrightly derails progress, will appreciate why the latest interest in transport sector privatization deserves to be discussed and interrogated. And perhaps no better way to engage the beautiful postulations from government, while we await the report of the committee working on the framework for the bills, than to remind government and the nation of a few courageous men in our land who had ventured into massive investments in the private sector but who have been made to suffer from either policy inconsistency or deliberate frustrations from government agencies. This is an important area to examine because public trust and interest of potential investors can only be convincingly won if those few individuals who have stood up to be counted for the right cause in the transport sector are seen to be treated fairly.

    The case of Wale Babalakin’s BiCourtney Ltd comes handy as a reference point in private investment in the transport sector. The company was the first to build and operate an airport – the Muritala Muhammed Airport (MMA) 2 in Lagos – which, seven years after, is still standing firm as a world-class infrastructure. It is important, therefore, that the experiences of the promoters of such a project, which did not have the luxury of the kind of legal framework and the assurance of removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks that the federal government is now promising, ought to be taken on board if the intention of the Jonathan administration regarding these four proposed bills is to be taken to heart.

    However, the stories that have trailed the success of MMA2 are sufficient to jolt investors and get the nation pondering. Government has failed woefully to honour its agreement with MMA2. It violated the most important clause of the agreement which is exclusivity. It has gone ahead to compete with MMA2 next door. How can a government that is promising reforms in the transport sector compete with its own concessionaire?

    As if that was not enough, government has refused to honour court rulings. Not only did BiCourtney win its arbitration against government, it has also won in the High Court. The federal government and other stakeholders have lost six appeals against this judgement and yet the government is not complying with the agreement.

    The same BiCourtney is also being vilified over the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway concessioning which the federal government curiously terminated in 2012. But a careful and unbiased assessment of the issue would reveal that out of the three years and six months that BiCourtney had the concession, direct delay by the federal government was two years, 10 months; rains accounted for another six months which showed that in effect, in a period of three years and six months, BiCourtney only had two months to work properly and did commence the work through Borino Prono.

    I am aware of the level of work that is currently ongoing on that important Lagos – Ibadan road, but anyone who is knowledgeable about and sensitive to issues of law and legality would not miss the point that it might not be totally over as far as the legality of that purported termination of BiCourtney’s concession is concerned. Like the MMA2 issues, investors and discerning public would be interested in seeing how the final resolution would go beyond the mere award of contract on the road to Julius Berger Plc and RCC. For example, when was the tender for that job done? If there was no tender, wouldn’t the contract be deemed illegal? Again, it would be asked, if indeed there was a tender, then the process must have taken place while BiCourtney was being misled into believing that it had a concession with the Federal Ministry of Works.

    The point of interrogating government’s recent interest in the transport sector is that if the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway concessioning ends in arbitration, wouldn’t the ministry and its contractors be seen to have, all along, been working for the cocncessionaire who may likely find justice in court?

    Well, the federal governmenthas since set up a committee chaired by the Attorney General of the Federation, Bello Adoke, alongside Minister of Transport, Umar Idris, with participation from key stakeholders to work on the bills and present them to council for discussion and final approval. In fine-tuning the bills before their presentation to the National Assembly for consideration, it is pertinent to see the government applying wisdom and sincerity in pushing the needs for these bills.

    Such a legal framework is a welcome development, no doubt, but it can’t function effectively and fairly without an appreciation of certain good reference points in the sector that will ensure that potential investors are no longer subjected to needles injustices of frustration, heavy losses and regrets.

    • Dr. Bello, a socio-economic analyst, sent this article from Abuja.

  • Update on power sector reforms

    During the period March 2013 to March 2014, Nigeria’s Power sector recorded vibrancy in policy implementation. The high point were the practical steps to translate reform policies into reality.

    At the start, the power reform process was practically on pause, with the sector lacking substantive leadership for about five months. The entrance of Professor Chinedu Nebo as minister raised hopes and birthed the promise of a new beginning for one of the most vital sectors of the national economy. It was time to get down to business to tackle issues that needed to be dealt with, in order to fast-track power delivery, in line with the Electricity Power Sector Regulatory Act EPSRA 2005 and President Jonathan’s Power Sector Roadmap of 2010.

    In order to provide the formidable and focused leadership badly needed at the time, the minister held meetings and consultations with stakeholders. This established unprecedented synergy among the stakeholders and their different but related roles, resulting in a unified power sector with the same agenda, same focus and same commitment to deliver more power.

    Seeing that the inability of the nation’s transmission capability at the time was grossly inadequate to wheel out even the available transmitted wattage, the minister, early in the day, took the bold, quick step of empowering the contracted managers of the TCN to resume work by presenting the required Schedule of Delegated Authority SODA to them. This was followed swiftly by the inauguration of the Supervisory Board for the company.

    In view of the critical role of transmission in the power supply chain, the need to rehabilitate, upgrade and expand transmission infrastructure across the country became urgent. Massive fund-raising efforts by the minister followed, yielding substantial results. This was the first time ever, that external funding was sourced for the cash-strapped TCN, for its decayed infrastructure. These included funding from the African Development Bank and the Eurobond among others.

    Mid-January 2014, the Federal Executive Council approved N1.9billion for the supply of 746 kilometers of aluminum conductor composite core reinforced (ACCR) for the re-conduction of the Onitsha-New Haven 330kv transmission line that runs up to Makurdi in Benue State. The Federal Executive Council also secured a loan of 170 million dollars from the French Development Agency to boost power transmission in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Shortly after assumption of office, Professor Nebo took a tour of some generation, transmission and distribution facilities across the country, commissioning and activating some, including some high technology-based initiatives towards eliminating stressful processes and fraudulent practices in metering and billing.

    The ministerial tour revealed various degrees of dilapidation and state of financial crisis that was worsened by the total lack of budgetary provision for generation and distribution companies in the 2013 budget.

    To prevent a total collapse of the system due to non-budgetary provisions for the PHCN in 2003, and especially in view of imminent handover to private investors, the minister sought for, and the President graciously granted intervention funding in two releases, to the tune of about 13.8billion naira, as a lifeline, for the maintenance of the generation and distribution companies.

    Virtually every aspect of the electricity value chain, as well as segments and agencies made good progress and recorded remarkable achievements in the period in review.

    In collaboration with other agencies, the Presidential Action Committee on Power PACP planned and executed short-term projects towards service delivery targets.

    The operations of the Presidential Task Force on Power were as vibrant as ever, monitoring, facilitating and fast-tracking the process of transformation.

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission was strengthened to perform its regulatory functions more effectively, certifying, monitoring and ensuring compliance with the rules of engagement, as more and more investors entered the emerging electricity market.

    The Rural Electrification Agency, resuscitated from a comatose state, was energized with funding as well as the appointment and inauguration of a Supervisory Board.

    The envisaged local content for the nation’s manpower began to materialize, as the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, (NAPTIN) continued to execute government’s deliberate strategy to provide the technical manpower required to replace aging personnel and indigenous experts for the expanding industry. The institute gives specialized, needs-specific training to young Nigerians, and graduated its first 243 engineers in November.

    As envisaged in the Electricity Power Sector Regulatory Act, the role of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) in boosting investor-confidence was consolidated, to enable it engage in the purchase and re-sale of power and ancillary services from independent power producers, and from PHCN successor generation companies.

    The transfer of debts of the PHCN in the wake of privatization, to the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company facilitated the taking-off of successor companies, free of heavy debts and liabilities.

    The Electricity Management Services Limited EMS was established in September 2013 to re-position the power sector for the delivery of, not only increased quantity, but also quality of electricity. The EMS has already begun to carry out its mandate of ensuring standards of materials, thereby enhancing safety.

    The quantum of electricity infrastructure delivered through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in the period was a big plus to the reform process. Of the 10 NIPP plants completed or nearing completion, two were commissioned and others are due for commissioning soon. The process of selling these plants to capable investors is at an advanced stage, with over 200 investors bidding. The NDPHC has also completed several transmission and distribution projects.

    In line with global trends, and in pursuance of the 2003 approval of renewable energy as part of the National Energy Policy, Nigeria is promoting energy security by diversifying energy sources. In addition to existing hydro plants, the 700 MW Zungeru Hydro Power Project (which was on the drawing board for 30 years) was flagged off by President Jonathan on May 28, 2013 with a promise to kick-start work on the 3,050 MW Mambilla project, as well as Gurara 2, among other smaller hydro projects. Work on coal-fired plants in Kogi, Benue, Enugu and Gombe states has advanced considerably, targeting 30% of the nation’s power needs

    Work on the Wind Power Farm in Katsina for the development of wind-generated energy has progressed, and it is to be commissioned soon.

    Perhaps the most interesting development in the renewable energy efforts is the Light Up Rural Nigeria Solar Project, commissioned by the President in rural FCT, and to be extended to other off-grid villages.

    Over and above all the achievements recorded in the power sector in the last 12 months, the successful privatization of power assets, spearheaded by the Ministry of Power stands out. The Bureau for Public Enterprises BPE, working with the National Council on Privatisation NCP headed by Vice President Arch. Namadi Sambo, planned and executed a massive privatization of the nation’s power utilities, now acclaimed to be highly transparent, and the biggest in the world.

    Infrastructure vandalism is receiving Presidential intervention. So is the urgent need for steady improvement in gas supply.

    During the period, mature leadership and government’s respect for the dignity of workers led to systematic settlement of workers’ entitlement up 98%.

    It is a thing of pride to the Jonathan administration, that between March 2013 and March 2014, these milestones were covered in the Power Sector Reform Roadmap, in accordance with the EPSRA of 2005.

    • Daniel is the Special Assistant (Media) to the Hon. Minister of Power