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Abiru at 60: My life of banking, politics and public service

All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and chairman of Southern Senators’ Forum is 60 this week. He reminiscences on his upbringing, banking career, and foray into politics and public service. Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

How should a public servant plough back to the society that has given him opportunities to excel in life?

The activities of Mikhail Adetokunbo Abiru, economist, banker and politician, offer an excellent and inspiring example of patriotism, selfless service and commitment to the welfare and happiness of his people.

In his capacity as senator representing Lagos East District, he has justifiably earned the sobriquet: “Doing Good Senator” through his elaborate and consistent extension of a duty of care to constituents, irrespective of their political and religious leanings.

Although the functions of a senator are legislation and oversight, the nature of the society has made widening the scope of responsibility more compelling.

Abiru, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is happy to be part of the gospel of philanthropy, as he reflects on his journey through life, crossing the bridge from banking,his main occupation, to politics, which he has embraced as a vocation.

Life goes on for the senator at 60. But, the mood of the country does not permit an elaborate birthday celebration. His religion, Islam, also calls for soberness. But, he gives appreciation to Allah for a worthwhile existence.

“I will reach out to my constituents-10,000 families. They will benefit from food packages,” he told reporters at the ‘Abiru Innovation Lab’ in Ikorodu, ahead of the birthday. “The party, which has an existing structure for distribution, and people of our district will be reached,” he added.

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Abiru nevertheless, fortified himself with home training and formal education. He hails from the noble familly, his father being the Giwa of Ikorodu. Although he passed on 28 years ago, the name of Mudashiru Akanbi Abiru, Awoist, lawyer, senator and judge, has not faded, and cannot fade, because of his legacies.

Senator Abiru extols his father’s virtues as a disciplinarian and a communicator of values, which his children, including Supreme Court Justice Habeeb Adewale and former state lawmaker Rotimi Abiru, have imbibed.

A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Abiru who initially worked with Akintola Williams and Co, said he opted for banking, “not because of money.”

His first point of call, at 24, was the Guaranteed Trust Bank, which he recalled,”provided a conducive atmosphere for younger minds to excel and prosper.” It was at that point he start garnering experience in “building confident, employable and employed youths.”

Abiru savoured professional training, which led him to garnering experience in online real banking, under the leadership of two gurus, legendary banker Fola Adeola, who is now in his seventies, and Tayo Aderinokun, who has passed on. The duo, Abiru recalled, invested much in technology and ensured that the operational goals of effectiveness and efficiency were achieved.

“I had a great career. I was there for 10 years, said Abiri, who later went to the National Bank, retraced his steps, landed in the First Atlantic Bank and finally settled for Firs Bank.

With fondness, he said: “It made a lot of sense going to First Bank. I spent 15 years there, got to the level of executive director. It offered much understanding.”

Abiru said in GTB, there was a lot of aggression and discipline, adding that in First Bank, he learned maturity.

The experience prepared him for public service as Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State. It equipped him for management in a complex situation. “It helped me to cope with frustration,” he stressed.

Yet, while in the State Executive Council, reality dawned on him that he had not got to the pinnacle of his banking career. He resigned as commissioner, to the surprise of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, other colleagues in the EXCO and party leaders, to take up the turnaround job at the Sky Bank, a major assignment by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN).

The odds weighed heavily against the previous management. That the CBN isolated the bank meant that a rescue mission was urgent. With 11,000 staff, Sky Bank, a merger of Eko, Broad and Renaisance banks, was stabilised, following an intense surgical operation, and placed on the path of profitability and survival.

Abiru had recommended divestment. But, after accomplishing the CBN assignment, he did not sit-tight. He left in a blaze of glory.

His foray into politics was not planned. Once again, he became an accidental public servant. The opportunity came after his retirement from banking. The death of the Kosofe power broker, Senator Bayo “Pepper” Oshinowo, created a vacuum. He contested the by-election and won. Last year, his mandate was renewed by the people of Lagos East

Abiru reminiscenced :”I did not know how deep the river will be. It has been very intetesting. I have learnt more about Nigeria, more about people.

“My friends were scared, coming from a corporate background. I consulted five people-Mohammed Hayatudeen, Kayin Ajayi, Oye Hassan-Odukale, Osunkeye, and Fola Adeola They encouraged me, telling me that what you owe the country is patriotism, and that if good people don’t go into politics, they should be prepared to bear the consequences.

“I consulted five people. Four said I should go. The fifth said I should not. I asked him to always pray for me.”

Abiru took his seat in the Senate on December 15, 2020. From January 14, 2021, when the Senate resumed from break, he began a new political career.

Read Also: Abiru at 60: My life of banking, politics and philanthropy

Immediately, he knew that the duties of legislation and oversight have to be balanced with the obligation of giving succour to constituents who looked up to him for leadership and assistance.

Lagos East is made of up Ikorodu with six councils, Kosofe with three councils, Somolu, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe.

After setting up his constituency office at Ikorodu, he embarked on need assessment. Expectedly, he realised that jobs for children were the major complaints of many committed party women and constituents. The lack of employment, in his view, could be attributed to the distortion and mismanagement of the past, which created huge economic challenges. Unemployment still occupies the totem pole of public yearnings.

Abiru remembered his Sky Bank days. While there, the transformational team he headed shifted to digital technology. Skill was required. No fewer than 250 people with digital certification were hired.

“Each time I recall the experience and I remember the women asking for jobs, I realise that there are still jobs, but the skills of technology have to be acquired.

“That led me to establish SAIL, an inspirational centre, so that youths can acquire technological skills and entrepreneurial experience. We set up the facility and engaged experts to manage it.”

“SAIL” has been in partnership with a foremost technology and innovation company in Africa, Co-Creation Hub since 2021. Its programmes include tech talent development, data science for society, startup accelerator, game development, stem for senior secondary students, and Lagos East Teachers’ Fellowship.

The Abiru family house was converted into the facility to serve people, without any dissenting voice from 10 siblings, made up of eight “boys” and two “girls.”

“People are in SAIL to acquire skills free of charge,” said the senator, who conducted reporters round the facility. “My focus is well mapped out. I understand my roles of legislation and oversight. But, I appreciate the need for employment, facilitation and endowment,” he added.

Abiru explained that the empowerment programmes are implemented under the foundation set up by him and his wife, Feyisola Abiru. Eminent Nigerians, including Vice President Kashim Shettima and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who had visited the centre, applauded the couple for their creative service to the people.

Noting that “what develops society are entrepreneurship and capacity development,” Abiru said the service rendered to constituents has made the foundation a big spender for empowerment.

However, he said the empowerment initiative, which he described as an enduring endowment, is beyond politics. He also apprecciates the fact that sustenability is key.

He lauded his friends in the corporate world who have lent support towards the cause, particularly the public-spirited colleage who provided the Internet and promised the same for the proposed project of the foundation along the Ibeju-Lekki corridor.

Abiru said “what develops society are entrepreneurship and capacity development, “adding that “the social value is that those passing through here will do the same thing for the society in the future.”

Beyond these, the legislator has given bursary to 600 indigent students from the district and over N150 million as cash support to over 2,500 vulnerable people under the Covid 19 Relief Support Scheme. He has distributed manual planters and financial grants to 200 rural farmers. Also, the “N100,000 – N1 million” loan scheme for medium and small scale enterprises at six percent interest rate is on.

Abiru has attracted many constituency projects, from the Senate and the Presidency, to his district. These include the 960-capacity mini-stadium and Oluwo Fish Market, comprising 339 shops, in Epe; numerous education infrastructure for primary and secondary schools, water projects in communities, facilities for hospitals, health centres and teaching hospitals, and transformers to some towns and villages. The senator’s pleading has led to the rehabilitation of inter-township federal roads in the district.

In the Senate, Abiru is not a bench warmer. “I have sponsored over 13 private members bills and co-sponsored others,including motions,” he said.

Prominent are the Copyright Bill 2021, signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari; Central Bank of Nigeria Act Amendment Bill 2024, Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation Amendment Bill 2024, Nigerian Insurance Reform Bill 2024, Franchise Regulation Bill 2023, Federal High Court Act Amendment Bill, Industrial Inspectorate Act Bill,,Company and Allied Matters Act 2023 and the Institutionalisation of the inclusion of Digital Technology in the Curriculum of Public Education Bill 2023.

The APC chieftain believes federal legislators from Lagos have an unfinished business in the National Assembly. He renewed the call for a special status for Lagos as former federal capital, urging the Federal Government to return to the 1976 agreement by the Murtala/Obasanjo administration that Lagos would be accorded a unique status, following the relocation of the federal capital to Abuja.

Abiru said Lagos deserved a special economic assistance, in view of its past and current contributions to the country.

He said the economic potentials of the state has made it to attract people from across the federation and beyond, who treasure it as the economic nerve centre and a haven of peace and progress.

Abiru said it is imperative that the agitation for a special status should be renewed on the floor of the Senate by legislators from the state.

He said:”I agree that we should renew the clamour for a special status for Lagos. When the capital was being relocated to Abuja, the former military Head of State, Gen. Muritala Mohammed, said Lagos would be given a special status. There is need to keep to the agreement. Lagos attracts people and busineses.”

Abiru reflected on the unnecessary budget padding controversy, saying that it is avoidable if there is a correct understanding of the role of the legislature by critics.

The federal legislator said many Nigerians are not conversant with the role of legislature in democracy.

He said once the budget is presented by the Executive, it is the constitutional responsibility of the parliement to look at it and pass it into law.

Justifying the inclusion of constituency projects, Abiru added:”The Executive does not know Nigeria better than all the federal legislators.”

He also spoke briefly on his leadership of the Southern Senators’ Forum, saying that the forum is not new in the Senate.

He said the aim of the forum, which was previously chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who is now Senate Leader, is to promote the cause of unity in the country.

Abiru said Southern Senator’s Forum is not meant to serve as as an antagonistic bloc or adversary of the Northern Senators’s Forum, but to serve as a bridge of unity, harmony and understanding.

He said:”Southern Senators’ Forum exists to further the cause of a united Nigeria. It is not for division.”

March 25, 2024
2024 budget: Tinubu’s statement, a final blow on Ningi’s bogus claims
- By Tasiu Haruna
The dust raised by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) on the 2024 budget has finally been laid to rest with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s statement on the matter during an iftar with the leadership of the Senate on Thursday night.

Infamously, Ningi had in a BBC Hausa Service interview, made a controversial, false, misleading, and committed a sin against the country when he alleged that this year’s budget was padded to the tune of N3.7tr by his colleagues.

During its plenary on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024, the Senate investigated Ningi’s allegation. Various speakers, cutting across the North and South, including the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Olamilekan, in Ningi’s presence, said the amount quoted by the embattled lawmaker was for agencies under the first-line charge.

For over four hours, Ningi had the opportunity to counter Olamilekan and other senators’ claims, rather like a drenched fowl, he offered to apologise to his colleagues when he discovered that his allegations were mere tissue of lies, concocted to tarnish the image of the parliament and cause a confusion in the polity. His opting for an apology was conveyed by the Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume during the sitting.

The Senate’s investigative hearing which was aired live on the NASSTV and other television stations would have laid to rest the controversy, however, the backers and promoters of it turned it into a fight between the North and the South and a plot to oust the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

They have since recruited a section of the media and pressure groups from the North to advance their cause, a plot to remove Akpabio and turn the parliament into an appendage of the opposition party.

However, the statement of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has punctured the claims of Ningi and ended their game plan.

During an iftar, President Tinubu told the leadership of the Senate that the integrity of the National Assembly must remain intact and that his administration will always encourage cooperation for the nation’s advancement.

“I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back. I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.

“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.

“I am grateful for what you have been doing. The natural challenge we are facing will be over. On the current economic difficulty, we are about to turn the corner. Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditures and manage ourselves better.

“Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” the President said.

With the president’s assertion on the budget, it is expected that Ningi and his cohorts in the promotion of falsehood and plot to hijack the parliament would retrace their steps and join forces with the parliament under the able leadership of Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio to provide the necessary legislative support for the actualization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

More than ever before, the country needs the cooperation and collaboration of all and sundry to surmount the challenges of economy and security to return to the path of progress and prosperity.

Since there is a window for Ningi, he should hastily tender an apology to the Senate to return to the Senate. And sin no more. He should return the script handed over to him by his godfather/ paymaster, a perennial presidential contender so that he can concentrate on representing the good people of Bauchi Central Senatorial District.

Read Also: Afenifere chieftain backs Tinubu’s govt

A national daily had reported that a former vice president and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had set in motion in place to form a mega political party.

“Credible sources said the former vice president has succeeded in recruiting the former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who contested for the Senate Presidency and lost to Senator Godswill Akapabio, to key into the plans to form the mega party.

“It was further gathered that the chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi has also been recruited by Atiku as his foot soldier in the Senate, “ the Nation Newspaper of March 12,2024.

This shows that the fight is not for the advancement of the interest of the North but an agenda of those who were defeated in the 2023 presidential election and on June 13, last year, during the election of the Senate. Therefore, all is advised to disregard the antics of the perpetual losers who are yet to come out of the defeat they suffered in the previous elections.
- Haruna, is the spokesperson of the Arewa Initiative for the Defense and Promotion of Democracy (AIDPD).
March 25, 2024
State of governance in Rivers
- By Albert Fynecountry
When Nyesom Wike became the governor of Rivers State, it didn’t take long before it was clear to all that his focus was to construct one monumental project after the other. It thus didn’t come as a surprise when Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who was the vice president, christened him Mr Project while on a state visit. That moniker was later modified to Mr. Quality Projects, leading to his eventual crowning as the best governor in infrastructure delivery by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Wike is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Osinbajo and Buhari are of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but the overwhelming reality of the time displaced politicking and the vice president didn’t see an elephant and claimed to have seen something infinitesimal as politicians are wont to do.

For years to come, the bridges he built, the housing projects he did, the hospitals he built, the classrooms he constructed and many others will gladden the hearts of the people of Rivers State. The outstanding emoluments he ensured pensioners got and many other hitherto unattained strides are ways he has secured a place for himself in the heart of the people and left the state far better than he met it.

However, I am a bit worried at the moment, not for Wike but for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the man who found favour enough in the immediate past governor and made him ignore powerful forces in the state. Currently, Rivers State is without effective governance, all due to the actions and in-actions of the governor, who has shown lack of direction. This stems from the governor’s decision to engage in unnecessary conflicts with his predecessor, now the Minister of the FCT. It is a needless situation because the governor doesn’t have what it takes to win the fight. All he gets is a bloodied nose and the blood is already splashing on the people of Rivers who voted for him because Wike said they should. If he had asked them for their votes on his own, they would have gladly ignored him and he would have failed brilliantly. In fact, he couldn’t have even got the PDP ticket without Wike bulldozing all opposition to his emergence. Wike’s support for Fubara led to a plethora of adversaries and a fractured party.

The absence of State Executive Council meetings since December 2023 underscores the discord between the governor, legislature, and judiciary. Additionally, his cabinet includes commissioners who neither align with his vision nor trust his leadership.

Rather than focusing on substantive governance, the governor’s primary agenda seems to revolve around hosting thanksgiving services across the state following his Supreme Court victory. This short-sightedness has left the state adrift, akin to a ship without a compass, heading towards a disastrous outcome. He also sees in any public engagement, including funeral services in churches, the opportunity to play to the gallery. A good example was his display at the service for the Wigwes.

Wike is not flawless himself, but he is aligned with public sentiment regarding the governor’s actions, especially regarding ingratitude. The governor’s Guinness World Record in pretence, feigning loyalty until securing victory and then turning against his benefactors, further solidifies this sentiment.

I have always been against men who on their own lack the resources to get power but choose to fight their benefactors when power is given to them. If they know that they are against the agenda of those installing them, they should have rejected the support. Accepting the support and later turning themselves into ‘public defender’ is reprehensible and treacherous.

People who fought Wike because of his insistence on Fubara being his successor are the ones urging him to fight his benefactor. Without Wike’s unequalled support, Fubara would not have been anywhere close to the Government House. He lacked and still lacks the clout to pull through such feat.

At the height of the problem caused by his pretence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervened. Fubara behaved as though he was all out for peace. He reappointed commissioners who resigned in solidarity with the FCT minister. That looked like he was ready for action, but months after, all we can point at is lack of direction. It is difficult to get any tangible thing to point at as the policy focus of the administration. Instead the administration has been satisfied with just paying staff salaries and doing some other basic stuff. Yet, Rivers needs and deserves more.

Read Also: I will continue to defeat political harlots in Rivers, says Wike

The state needs more roads. There are villages and towns that still need to be opened up. Without access, these communities will remain in the backwater. More hospitals are needed for the people to have unfettered access to quality healthcare. Government is a continuum and Fubara should give the people more general hospitals. The people also need more houses to bridge the housing deficit. Wike did his bit but the gap that needs to be filled can’t be served by the current lack of direction.

The state is yet to meet the global standard for schools and student-to-teacher ratio. The current complacency won’t improve on what Wike was able to do.

The state can generate more revenues internally. This is another area the governor needs to focus on instead of allowing men who didn’t want him to be governor to keep distracting him.

The State Executive Council has a vital role to play in helping the governor develop the state for the benefit of the people of Rivers State, but a situation where no meeting of this important body is being held is another pointer to the fact that the governor isn’t sure of where he wants to take the state. By running the affairs of the state without the executive council, the legislature and even the judiciary, Rivers State has unarguably become a dictatorship within a democracy. This is not only dangerous, but a recipe for crisis and general under-development. The council has brilliant men and women, many of them with sparkling achievements prior to joining the government. Such men and women shouldn’t be wasted because the administration’s head is unable to decide which way to go.

Governor Fubara needs to wake up and truly shun the distraction from those who didn’t want him to be governor, but have now turned themselves to his biggest fans. With time, it will be clear to him that they are paper tigers. The rapprochement between the APC and PDP in the state is another proof that the governor needs to tread carefully and stop being misled by folks who can’t even deliver votes from their homes.

A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
- Fynecountry writes from Port Harcourt.
March 25, 2024
The siege of banditry
Security services were reported at the weekend to be revving up their response to the siege of bandits on Kaduna State. The police readied some personnel for deployment as special intervention forces in Kuriga, Chikun council area where bandits abducted 287 schoolchildren on 7th March, while police and military units were to be deployed in Kajuru council area following another mass abduction there early last week.

Bandits had penultimate Sunday night struck at Kajuru Station, in Kajuru council area, and herded some 86 villagers into captivity. It was the eighth incident of bandit attacks within four weeks in which more than 400 persons have been abducted, and it happened barely 24 hours after 14 people were kidnapped in Dogo Noma, another community in the same Kajuru council area. Since the 7th March abduction of Kuriga schoolchildren, there’ve been four other incidents. On 8th March, two residents were killed and many kidnapped by bandits during Friday prayers at Kwasakwasa community in Birnin Gwari council area. On 12th March, 30 villagers got abducted by bandits in Budah village, Kajuru. A day after – that is, 13th March – one person got killed and eight others kidnapped when bandits stormed a settlement under Angwaku community, also in Kajuru. There were also incidents preceding the Kuriga abductions. On 18th February, bandits attacked Gindin Dutse village in Kajuru council area and killed 12 persons; and on 29th February, bandits struck at another community in Chikun council area and abducted 10 residents.

Speaking on the Kajuru Station abductions, community sources said the bandits arrived in a large number at about 10.30p.m. on 18th March, shooting sporadically as they broke into shops, ransacked houses and looted foodstuff plus other valuable items before making away with residents. Although the state government had not officially confirmed the incident, the Kaduna police command did, saying however that it was yet to ascertain the number of abductees. The lawmaker representing Kajuru constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Usman Stingo, was also reported saying 86 of his constituents were kidnapped.

The concentration of bandit attacks in Kaduna Central zone was apparently partly informed by the terrain and it is helpful that security services are deploying to the troubled areas, because Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani acknowledged that there were ungoverned spaces owing to inadequacy of security personnel in the country. Speaking on national television recently, he noted that the Nigerian military lacked the manpower required to man the ungoverned spaces, while local vigilance operatives were limited by Nigeria’s constitution to low grade weapons not suitable to match the firepower of bandits. “I don’t think we have enough boots to cover those ungoverned areas where these attacks happen,” Sani said, adding that only the military could access some vulnerable terrains, especially in forest areas where bandits terrorise the locals. He illustrated the challenge with Kajuru, saying the Department of State Services (DSS) had informed his government of the area’s vulnerability but there were not enough security personnel to forestall the attacks. “DSS told us these places were vulnerable and we reported to the military, but they don’t have enough boots to cover the areas.”

Although the state government established local security outfits to fight the insecurity menace, the governor said they were hamstrung by the constitution from bearing the kind of weapons that could match the bandits’ firepower. He restated his advocacy for creation of state police, because “when you create state police, you will give the state police legal authority through our constitution to bear firearms, including AK-47s. Then those communities can defend themselves.” As for local security efforts, he said: “Vigilantes don’t have adequate weapons to confront the bandits. Vigilantes cannot hold AK-47, we can only equip them with pump-action rifles. At this stage, vigilantes can only work with military, the police and other relevant security agencies by providing them with intelligence.”

The challenge of banditry is by no means limited to Kaduna, only other states experience the menace at lesser levels of intensity. But the governors seem not so fired up about the state police agenda like their Kaduna counterpart. The Federal Government, last week, called out state governors as slowing down the take-off of state police by their lethargic disposition. Reports cited Vice-President Kashim Shettima, at a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), frowning on slow pace of work by the council’s ad-hoc panel on state policing initiative because only 16 out of the 36 states had made required input for constitution amendment. Meanwhile, there is no chance the present arrangement can suffice to tackle the insecurity challenge. The Nigeria Police currently has a workforce of about 370,000 personnel, of which more than half are involved in special protection services to politicians and other dignitaries – leaving the remainder to attend to the security needs of the country’s estimated 220 million population. The armed forces, for their part, have some 230,000 active personnel. But the country’s terrain is so vast and remote that security coverage is far in-between.

There’s much to agree with in the analysis of the menace of banditry by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Executive Secretary Anthony Ojukwu. In a recent presentation, he recalled the origin of the police institution in Nigeria as dedicated to protecting a privileged elite: “It started from being something the colonial master introduced to force us to pay taxes. So ab initio, it was formed to protect the authorities. When we now got our independence, there was no concerted effort to re-orientate the Nigeria Police… These guys are just protecting the elite, particularly the executive and legislature. Governors have a convoy of 1,000 policemen, leaving the rest of us unprotected.” Ojukwu added with particular reference to the Kuriga abductions: “That is why you can go on a road that stretches about 10 kilometres and you won’t see one single policeman. That is also why you can come into a school and take away 282 (sic) students. Do you even know what 282 students look like? If you want to bring in luxury buses, you would need about three or four to pack them. And if you decide to use motorcycles, you need about 200 to lift these children. How did these people go about it without being noticed? I am not a data analyst. But from what I heard, the number of policemen guarding all these rich individuals is far more than the ones left to look after the rest of us.”

Read Also: Kaduna’s peculiar banditry/terrorism

Another insightful intervention was by a security analyst, Major Mohammed Bashir Galma (rtd.), who adduced at least four reasons for the high frequency of abductions. “There are many reasons why there is a high spate of kidnappings in Kaduna State. One is the poor economic situation of the country; because people are looking for means of sustaining themselves, they would do anything to make money including going into crime such as banditry. Two is the long closure of border with Niger Republic as punishment for the country by ECOWAS. The people of Niger Republic became nonchalant about what happens to Nigeria or who comes into Nigeria, and that allows all sorts of criminals to have free entry into the country,” he was reported saying in a newspaper interview. The analyst added: “Three is lack of pursuit of these bandits to their enclaves whenever they attack, to see where they come from and their camp site. Also, there is no punishment for bandits caught and their informants. Such punishment should be clearly heard and seen by all to serve as deterrent to others. Intelligence gathering should be upped and focused on the cities because the people controlling these bandits are in the cities. They design the plan and send it to the bandits in the forests to execute. We should train vigilantes on counter-intelligence to enable them counter the plan of the criminals. Fourth, lack of cooperation between the state governments rob them of the strength of synergy of working together. Also, lack of seriousness on the part of government. Anytime there is an attack, they become serious about it, but they soon forget about it and go about other businesses instead of pursuing the bandits till they are arrested and brought to book.”

There are useful insights to gain from the foregoing on what to do about the menace of banditry in this country. While government works on overall redress, there is need to make haste on the state police agenda, so to take security down to the grassroots.
- Please join me on kayodeidowu.blogspot.be for conversation.
March 25, 2024
Some posers on state police
SIR: There have been back and forth arguments about the creation of the state police and its subsequent incorporation into the constitution.

The imperative of creating a state police can never be emphasized although it has its demerits. The creation of state police will localize policing and will make it possible for easier crime fighting.

However, some posers need to be addressed before their establishment.

First, will the existing police force still be solely owned by the federal government even when states contribute significant resources for their upkeep through security votes controlled by the governors?

Second, what will the nature of relationship between federal and state police?

Read Also: Fed Govt: governors slowing down work on state police

Will there be clear delineation between them on the issue of who should arrest and prosecute?

On election days particularly the presidential and National Assembly elections, will the state police participate to maintain security or would it be strictly for federal police and other federal security agencies?

Will the federal police have any role to play in gubernatorial and state Houses of Assembly elections, or it will be strictly for the state police?

Will there be clear constitutional delineation on the jurisdictional power between states and federal high courts on the issue of prosecution?

The creation of state police even with its inherent flaws is long overdue. Nonetheless, the above mentioned grey areas and others that might subsequently arise need to be straightened up before the creation of state police.
- Ifeanyi Maduako, Owerri, Imo State.
March 25, 2024
That latest report on Nigeria’s out-of-school children
SIR: The glass appears to have overflowed for Nigeria’s out-of-school children, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory all featuring prominently on an index of states with out-of-school children. Kebbi State tops the index released by the Cable, an online media organization. It is closely followed by Sokoto and Yobe states, their percentages pointing to a truly perilous situation.

The list indicts Nigeria, insistently lamenting the failure of a country that continues to fail children. The numbers should numb every rational Nigerian, but when terrorists who swamp Nigeria’s rural communities, sowing fear and deploying scorched earth tactics, crunch their data, they will

The standard of education has continued to fall in Nigeria for many years now. Inadequate investment in the sector has yielded a toxic cocktail of decrepit infrastructure and disgruntled teachers. The combination has left education on life support in the country.

However, insecurity which shares a symbiotic relationship with Nigeria’s out-of-school-children crisis is the greatest threat to education in the North where the problem is especially pronounced. While insecurity pushes more children out of school, the children continue to swell the pool from which the non-state actors fuelling insecurity draw their conscripts.

Read Also: Senate seeks punishment for parents, guardians of out-of-school children

Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Safe Schools Declaration, by which countries commit to protect schools from the devastation of armed conflict. But this has done little to stem the tide of attacks on schools.

On March 7, well over 200 pupils and staff were abducted from the LEA Primary School, Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Their abductors slammed a 20-day ultimatum on the government to cough out one billion Naira or risk losing the children forever.

The danger is clear and present for every Nigerian child, but especially for the over 20 million children who are out of school. Roaming free and wild, they are vulnerable to the many crimes that currently infest Nigeria as a country, especially terrorism. Their youth and poverty combine to whip up a vicious kind of vulnerability that various non-state actors feast on.

It is doubtful that Kebbi (67.6%), Sokoto (66.4 %) and Yobe (62.9) are keen to continue contributing such huge figures to a pool that maintains Nigeria’s position as figure of fun. But it will take more than investment in education to reverse the malaise. A closer look at the list would show that while the trio of Kebbi, Sokoto and Yobe states lead the pack, Zamfara, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Gombe, Katsina and Niger states make up the top ten. Kano, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kwara, Kaduna, and Adamawa make up the top 17 states on the shameful list. That these states are all in the Northern Nigeria shows the corrosive concentration of a problem that is ruining Nigeria’s development efforts.

To reverse the trend, beyond funding education by empowering teachers and building infrastructure, mind-sets need to change as much as economic conditions to tackle the twin evils of poor mentality and poverty. It is a known fact that amidst Nigeria’s searing insecurity and surging poverty, education has become a luxury that many cannot afford.

Education remains a great equalizer, a truly invaluable gift. Today, in the maelstrom of Nigeria’s competing malaise, there is hardly a better gift to give a child. Every child deserves access to quality education, especially the poorest children for whom it has become imperative to break cycles of generational poverty and illiteracy.
- Ike Willie-Nwobu, Ikewilly9@gmail.com
March 25, 2024
A work template for the Almajiri Commission
SIR: President Tinubu has appointed the board and management of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children. Brigadier-General Lawal Ja’afar Isa (Rtd) is now chairman of the board of the commission, while Dr. Idris Muhammad Sani is Executive Secretary/CEO. The Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Commission have the most difficult job to do in Nigeria; their job would involve changing the mind and behaviour of the people, so to speak, and taking street children to proper schools.

Nigeria currently has 12.4 million children not attending school. A recent statistic by The Cable Index showed that most out-of-school children across states in Nigeria (ages 6–15) are in the 19 northern states. Only Kogi and Adamawa have the lowest percentages of out-of-school children aged 5–16: Kogi with 10.2% and Adamawa with 21.7%.

Efforts made by past administrations have failed to produce the desired outcomes. What led to this failure? The new commission must refrain from simply allocating funds without first comprehending the underlying challenges encountered by previous initiatives, notably the commendable Almajiri school projects initiated during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has affirmed his dedication to tackling the issues plaguing Nigeria’s educational sector, particularly the problem of out-of-school children. Furthermore, the Act creating the commission aims to establish the National Commission for Almajiri Education and Out-of-School Children. Its purpose is to implement a multifaceted education system to combat illiteracy, introduce skill acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes, mitigate youth poverty, curb delinquency, and alleviate destitution in Nigeria, among other related concerns.

Upon examination of the provisions outlined in the Act, it may seem that the issue has been resolved on paper if the Act were strictly adhered to. But the problem is beyond beautiful grammar.

To achieve success, the commission should adopt a straightforward, three-pronged strategy. Firstly, inclusion of tsangaya and informal teachers, as well as ulamas, should be integral to every policy, program, or project undertaken by the commission. Regardless of the quality of any initiative introduced by the commission, without the involvement of these individuals, success will remain elusive. Moreover, to enlist the support of these tsangaya teachers and ulamas, their input must be valued by incorporating their insights on seamlessly integrating Almajiris into any project or program.

Read Also: President appoints Ja’afar Isa as Almajiri Commission’s chairman

Secondly, collaboration with state governments is crucial; without their involvement, no Almajiri or out-of-school programme will succeed. The third approach involves reorienting parents about the risks associated with sending their children to towns and cities for Almajiri education or allowing them to roam the streets selling goods. This can be achieved through scholarly preaching, traditional media, and social media campaigns.

The Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children should perceive itself not merely as a government agency but as a catalyst entrusted with a crucial task. This task necessitates investing in the reform of informal Almajiri education system to provide quality education and vocational training, offering support to vulnerable families, and providing incentives to encourage them to enrol their children in formal schooling as well. Additionally, it involves engaging religious and community leaders to advocate for the significance of formal education and reforming the Almajiri system.

Enforcement of existing laws to enhance the conditions of Almajiri schools is imperative. Furthermore, creating opportunities for economic empowerment for tsangaya teachers to prevent their reliance on the Almajiri’s street activities for survival is essential. Lastly, launching extensive public awareness campaigns to shift societal perceptions about sending children away to fend for themselves is paramount.
- Zayyad I. Muhammad, Abuja.
March 25, 2024
On Nigeria vs. Binance
SIR: Recent headlines have painted a picture of two Binance executives – Nadeem Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan – as being “unjustly” detained in Nigeria. While their situation may be concerning on the surface, a closer look reveals a more complex story.

Nigeria faces significant economic challenges, including high inflation and a weakening naira. This has driven many Nigerians to cryptocurrencies as a hedge against a volatile traditional currency. This widespread adoption of crypto, however, has raised concerns among economic and security experts as well as the Nigerian government itself.

The government accuses Binance of playing a role in the naira’s depreciation. While Binance claims it merely facilitates peer-to-peer trading and doesn’t set prices, it emerged as a preferred platform for Nigerians seeking dollar-pegged stable coins, essentially creating an unofficial black market for currency exchange. It also served as the go-to place for speculators and other users who want to determine the exchange rate.

This current focus on potential financial crimes goes beyond the detention of the executives. The Federal High Court recently ordered Binance to provide comprehensive data on its Nigerian users to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This move suggests the EFCC suspects money laundering or terrorist financing activities on the platform, possibly linked to the alleged manipulation of the naira.

Read Also: Alleged Terrorism financing: Court orders Binance to release data to EFCC

It is important to acknowledge that Nigeria is following its legal procedures. The executives were granted a court hearing, and consular visits have taken place, albeit with limitations. The detention is not an arbitrary action but a response to alleged activities that may contravene Nigerian laws and the investigation is a testament to Nigeria’s commitment to enforcing its regulations and ensuring that all entities operating within its borders comply with its laws.

The country’s stance on cryptocurrency has been clear: the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize cryptocurrencies as legal tender and commercial banks have been prohibited from engaging in cryptocurrency transactions since 2017. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also declared Binance’s operations illegal, as the company is not registered or regulated by them. This position aligns with the efforts of many countries to mitigate the risks associated with cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering and terrorism financing.

The narrative of sympathy towards Binance and the detained executives must be balanced with the recognition of Nigeria’s legal prerogatives and its strategic national interest. The country is acting within its rights to investigate and regulate entities that engage in financial activities within its jurisdiction.

Only a thorough investigation and a fair trial can resolve the case not blackmail as some of the actors are trying to push.
- Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro, Abuja.
March 25, 2024
That insensitive jamboree
- AGF and finance commissioners didn’t need the UK trip they made at public expense
The choice of United Kingdom for a workshop by the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) and commissioners of finance of the 36 states in Nigeria, is profligate and insensitive to the economic crisis that the country is facing. The workshop, which held between March 4 and 9 in London, United Kingdom, discussed Public Financial Management and International Public Sector Accounting Standards. In defence of the trip, the Director at the office of the AGF, Bawa Mokwa said: “It is an annual event. The OAGF members present at the meeting are sub-committees of Federal Allocation Account Committee. Members of the implementation committee are commissioners of finance of the 36 states.”

While holding such a workshop may be beneficial to the responsibility of the committee members, we agree with the argument by some civil society organisations that it could hold in Nigeria, either physically or online. Considering the enormous cost involved in transporting the participants to and fro London, hotel accommodation, feeding and travel allowances, the facilitators could have been invited to Nigeria or the training held online through the various platforms for communication. Such a step would have aligned with the economic reality facing the country.

The claim by Mr. Mokwa that the conference holds annually shows the yearly jamboree the AGF and the state commissioners have patented. While in the past such profligacy went unnoticed, the present economic situation the nation faces calls for prudence, and as such a yearly jamboree should have been discountenanced.

We reiterate that but for the travelling allowances, shopping and sight-seeing opportunities, the training could have been done without leaving Nigeria. We wonder why the AGF and the commissioners are insensitive to the economic challenges the nation faces.

They ought to have taken a cue from President Bola Tinubu who in response to the public mood, reduced the number of officials that travel with him and other Federal Government officials. The AGF and the 36 commissioners who made such a trip at a time the nation is bleeding from economic crisis, deserve to be reprimanded for their crass materialism. It tells us that there will almost always be agreement among our public officials on matters that benefit them personally, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or even political affiliation. It shows that the sensitive positions they hold can be abused for personal gains.

Without doubt, what drove them to choose the United Kingdom for a workshop is the selfish opportunities they would gain.

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The report that the Federal Government has placed an embargo on public trips for government officials to cut cost is a pointer to the state of the nation’s economy, and we urge states to take a cue from that. According to the release from the presidency: “Mr. President has concerns about the rising cost of travel expenses borne by ministries, departments and agencies of government as well as the growing need for cabinet members and heads of MDAs to focus on their respective mandates for effective service delivery.”

It went further: “Considering the current economic challenges and the need for responsible fiscal management, I am writing to communicate Mr. President’s directive to place a temporary ban on all public-funded international trips for all Federal Government officials at all levels, for an initial period of three months from April 1, 2024.” It directed that: “All government officials who intend to go on any public-funded international trip must seek and obtain presidential approval at least two (2) weeks prior to embarking on any such trip, which must be deemed absolutely necessary.”

We urge the Tinubu administration to enforce the temporal ban with vigour and extend it, if the economy does not significantly improve, at the expiration of three months. That directive is in tandem with the public mood. It does not make sense to the ordinary man that while government claims not to have money to improve his wellbeing, wasteful trips are arranged by government officials. If government wants citizens to tighten their belt, officials of government must lead by example.
March 25, 2024
Undersea cable cut
- Nigeria has a lot of lessons to learn from the disruptions
Nigeria may have been counting its costs in the multiple billions of naira lost from the downtime caused by the damage to major submarine cables in both the Red Sea and the West African coast, there is something to be said of the disruptions caused by the events that speaks to the fragility of globalisation and its inherent vulnerabilities. Whereas initial reports somewhat presented conflicting reports linking the destruction of the three cables in the Red Sea route that provide global internet and telecommunications services to sabotage by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, (an attempt to politicise the development?), there have since been no independent confirmation of such with the Yemeni rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi putting out a strident disclaimer: “We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region”.

Suffice to say that Nigeria’s telecommunications industry regulator – the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), had while reporting on the incident, spoken of a combination of cable cuts, resulting in equipment faults on the major undersea cables along the West African Coast.

It named the affected undersea cables as the West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3, which it said had negatively impacted data and fixed telecom services in several countries of West Africa, notably Nigeria, Ghana,

Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire and far beyond to eastern and southern Africa, while equally hinting at the other incident in the Red Sea area – which it equally noted had resulted in degradation of services across the route.

No doubt, the impacts of the cuts have been devastating both in terms of the loss of revenue and also in terms of the degradation and the downtime experienced. From banks to internet service providers as indeed all the spectrum of the telecommunications value chain, the reports were of either outright inability to get transactions through or one of degradation of services. NetBlocks, the watchdog that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the internet estimates that Nigeria may have lost over N273 billion in the four days between March 14 to March 17.

Of course, the indication is that remediation will take some time to be fully effected. MainOne, one of the companies affected, has since ruled out any quick fix while suggesting that repairs may take up to three weeks although NCC has since put up an updated statement suggesting that services have been restored ‘to approximately 90 per cent of their peak utilisation capacities’.

In all of these, it is heart-warming that Globacom’s Glo 1 International Submarine Cable was not only unaffected but maintained steady services while the chaos reigned.

Read Also: Undersea cable breaches: Operators restore voice, data services

Beyond the quantum material losses estimated in billions, the greatest lesson to take away from the unprecedented disruptions is the need for concerted global efforts to protect these assets by every means necessary. Related is the need for operators themselves to anticipate and develop robust multi-layered responses to such incidents whenever they occur.

Moreover, to the extent that the subsea cables constitute the principal force driving the internet in an increasingly borderless world, perhaps international protocols and conventions, not unlike those drawn to safeguard international trade routes, have become something of an imperative. After all, even if we accept that accidents such as the world experienced on March 14 are sometimes inevitable, what of the ever-present possibilities of anarchists and terrorists turning the assets into soft targets for nefarious objectives?

For us in Nigeria, while the international community needs to have a closer look at the rules governing the deployment of the subsea cables, the disruptions highlight the need for robust policy to minimise potential disruptions should they occur again. It bears stating that the damage occasioned by the cuts in the subsea cables is most regrettable; yet, it is on the whole still somewhat limited. Given that the country might not be as lucky next time around, the time to prepare is now.
March 25, 2024