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  • Reign of religiosity in Akwa Ibom

    As this piece is being read, it is most probable that the eight-man Commission of Enquiry led by Justice Umoekeyo Essang is dotting the “I”s and crossing “T”s of its report for onward submission to Governor Udom Emmanuel-led administration in Akwa Ibom State. The panel was set up five days after auditorium of Reigners Bible Church International collapsed on December 10, 2016 killing more than a score of humans and injuring several others. With six-point terms of reference, the commission was tasked by the government to, within three weeks, investigate causes of the incident, make recommendation on those found culpable, suggest how to compensate victims of the incident and advise on measures to stop reoccurrence.

    Before the incident, nothing known to the public has brought Emmanuel’s guts to the fore. As one of those that attended the disaster-disrupted Bishopric enthronement of Akan Weeksn – the General Overseer of the church, he was one those that witnessed how able bodied men, women and children turned to dead bodies within a twinkle of eyes. His survival by the skin of his teeth was not a function of the prestige and the shield of security inherent in his office but unseen hands; like other survivors he must had been traumatized. His beating the resultant trauma to personally lead in rescuing the victims speaks volume loudly and clearly of his strength of character as a leader.

    The governor’s immediate action of setting the probe panel substantially enhances in disabusing notion of spiritual angle prevalent in Akwa Ibom and which was about creeping into the consciousness of the larger society through those that lay claim to seeing things beyond what the human eyes see. It was another avowal detachment on the part of the governor from vestige of voodoo belief still looming large in our localities in Africa. The government’s action was a testament that the collapsed church was human glitch and not “beyond human comprehension” as advanced by the church in its memorandum to the commission.

    Emmanuel’s jettisoning of local reasoning was, of course, agreeable with the surname of the church, “International”. The General Overseer, who change his Ibibio surname from Urua to Weeks, must have, beyond discarding with traces of his localities, been driven presumptuously or clairvoyantly on a vision of making Reigners Bible Chiurch International and its faithful to reign in the international arena. With global attention as filtered through local and international media following the collapse of the church, the name of the church has certainly been heard across the world, albeit unpleasantly.

    The governor has reaped the attendant sympathy across many corners of the world, including the camp of his political adversaries in Nigeria. It is doubtful whether the governor would enjoy such gargantuan goodwill in the remaining days of his stewardship lasts in the state. His handling of report of the commission when it is eventually submitted may factor into his popularity rating.

    Considering Christendom affiliation of the people of Akwa Ibom and the public expectation and responses that trailed the setting up of the commission, it would have taken rocket sciences for the panel to do appreciable job from December 15, 2016 to January 5, the thick of Christmas and New Year festivities. Forty memoranda were submitted by individuals, professional bodies, human right movement, governmental agencies, among others to the commission. 19 witnesses, including two commissioners, the General Overseer of the church and others that handled different aspects of works at the collapsed site gave oral testimonies while the public hearing lasted.

    As it is common with enquiry of that nature in Nigeria, the public hearing was not without what it takes to go in for soap opera just as it opens Pandora’s Box: lawyers’ arguments were thrilling and grilling; testimonies of witnesses were laced with revelations, counter accusations, just as truths and lies had free flow, tasking the panelists for a thorough sifting. There was hardly dull moments as they were also packed with humour. Gratifyingly, the septuagenarian chairman of the commission was adjudged by concerned parties and members of the public as demonstrating qualities of an exemplary arbiter.

    However, without prejudice to the commission findings, it is easy to glean that the glitch that caused the gloom, grief and inglorious global attention has its roots in religiosity. Religiosity is deeply ingrained in Nigeria and Nigerians but Akwa Ibom and Akwa Ibomites are better placed to go home with trophies in event of competition for a prize. Prayers as personal affair in closets gain no acceptance by authority and the people that matter but prayers in the circuits beautifully packaged with glamour of officialdom do. From the Government House, where the governor’s office is, to ministries, departments and agencies, sizeable hours within official hours on daily or weekly basis are allocated for devotion. Christmas Carol in whatever name gulps billions of naira every year.

    Religiosity is antithesis of righteousness; it connotes and denotes hypocrisy. That could account for why Reigners Bible Church International was built at the Akwa Ibom State government’s Forest Reserved Area. That could be the reason behind the church not obeying the “Stop Work Notices” given by an agency of the government for five different times. That might have informed the choice of the venue of the event at a site where construction works were ongoing.  That might have been the factor behind the government’s “incapacitation” to stop works or demolish a structure it described as “illegal”. That could also be the rationale behind the governor leading top government functionaries to a function in a structure marked for demolition by the same government.

    Religiosity must be held accountable for the December 10, 2016 hellish doom in a gathering supposedly meant for heavenly deeds and glory. But in a society such as Akwa Ibom where religiosity rule, the dilemma before the people and the government lies in who would rue in the reign of religiosity and its resultant ruins.

     

  • Unconstitutional exclusion

    What could have propelled the federal government of Nigeria, to exhibit manifest bias against the modernization of the eastern railway corridor stretching from Port Harcourt through Enugu to Makurdi, to Jos, to Maiduguri? The unlawful exclusion of that corridor became public knowledge at a recent plenary of the Senate which is considering the executive request to borrow US$5.85 billion to finance the modernization of the archaic and dilapidated railways, ignored by previous regimes, across the country.

    The well-received spirited effort of the Rotimi Amaechi-led Ministry of Transportation to modernize railways across the country is tainted by the unconstitutional exclusion of that corridor. The only way forward is to incorporate the corridor in the current redevelopment plan. But if the executive is unwilling to do so, then the National Assembly should not grant legislative approval to the borrowing plan. To allow the executive to go ahead with the discriminatory plan is to grant legislative imprimatur to the glaring disobedience of the 1999 constitution, as amended.

    Section 15(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution unequivocally provides: “the motto of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress: accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the ground of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited.” If the federal government plans to use the common resources of the country – considering that the loan will be paid for, from common resources – to attend to the needs of only a part; that is clearly discriminatory.

    Again section 15(4) of the constitution forewarned: “the state shall foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various peoples of the federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties.” On this score those who took the decision to unlawfully exclude a section of the country, from the use to which the country’s common resources will be put, are allowing sectional interest to override national interest. Again, by their action, they have flagrantly failed to “foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various peoples of the federation.”

    The conduct of the executive arm of government in unlawfully excluding the eastern railway corridor from the national action plan even when the resources of the entire country will be used to pay for the project, also offends section 16(1)(b) of the constitution, to wit: “the state shall within the context of the ideals and objectives for which provisions are made in this constitution: control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.”

    If the executive on its own, does not amend the aberration of a flagrant segregation of the country, and the National Assembly allows the executive to thrive in their effrontery, against the grundnum, then they would have conjoined with the executive to ridicule the constitutional provision that the national economy shall be controlled in such a manner as to guarantee “social justice and equality of status and opportunity”. It will be living a lie to pretend that the denial of a modern railway is not a pugnacious denial of equal opportunity to development.

    This denial of a section of the country, the developmental opportunities offered by a modern railway, also offends section 16(2)(c) of the constitution, which provides: “the state shall direct its policy towards ensuring: that the economic system is not operated in such a manner as to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of a few individuals or a group….” The federal executive and its operatives, of course realises the invaluable benefit of modern railway, as means of production and exchange, and so, the belligerent disregard of the eastern corridor must be mitigated without delay.

    The action of the federal executive in seeking to use the common resources of the country to attend to the modernization of railways of only a part of the country, offends without any iota of doubt, the provision of section 42 of the 1999 constitution, guaranteeing a citizen of Nigeria, the right to freedom from discrimination. Section 42(1)(a) guarantees: “a citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person: be subjected either expressly by or in the practical application of any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinions are not made subject….”

    Without equivocation, it is abundantly clear that the proposal to develop the western railway, linking Lagos through Ilorin all the way to Kaduna and Kano, and another liking the coastal states, from Calabar, with a detour to Aba; while ignoring the line linking Port Harcourt through Enugu, to Markudi, to Jos and then to Maiduguri, despite that the common resources of the entire country would be used to do the other two lines, is abundantly discriminatory, truculently offensive and must be redressed, without delay.

    If the National Assembly gives the executive the go-ahead to borrow money in the name of the entire country, and use it to develop only the railways of only a part, despite the gnawing needs of the abandoned part, then they would have co-joined to violently rape the 1999 constitution, which is the fons et erigo, the very foundation, upon which our constitutional democracy is built. In Military Governor of Lagos State & ors vs Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and anor, (1986) A.N.L.R 233; the Supreme Court, warned governments, against resort to self-help. The prejudiced federal executive must therefore be stopped by the legislature and/or the courts from the unconstitutional exclusion of the eastern rail line, in the modernization project.

    There are also socio-economic reasons to revive the eastern corridor. In the northern part of Nigeria, the North-east is poorer than the North-west, likewise, the South-east vis-à-vis the South-west. So, if President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is honest about liberating the North-east from the debilitating poverty that fertilizes Boko Haram, then it ought to enhance its modern factors of production, like the railways. Indeed, if Nigeria is vertically divided into two, the eastern part, is poorer than the western part.

    To go ahead, to borrow money, which will be paid for, by the entire country, to gift the western half further economic push while ignoring the already disadvantaged eastern half, is to deliberately continue the marginalization of the eastern half of the country. Truth be told, the western half which had produced more rulers, than the eastern half, clearly used it to its advantage; and unless they love the poverty-induced-insurgencies, the railway modernization must go round.

  • Buhari administration’s mid-term score-card

    As the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari clocks two years in office days from now, it is pertinent to take an X-ray of the regime in terms of its performance in the critical areas of its campaign promises and in those areas that Nigerians wanted action taken.

    The three critical areas where the nation had problems which needed fixing, were in the areas of national security, fight against corruption and revitalizing a non-performing economy whose future was hanging in the balance because of the twin problems of dependence on one revenue-earning product, crude oil and the more important fact that the price of that commodity, crude oil, had fallen very low in the world market.

    The task before President Buhari was daunting and he even confessed to the media that when he realized the enormity of the problems confronting the nation, notably the paucity of revenue to pursue much-needed development programmes, he considered at times to throw in the towel! The soldier in him of course made giving up, a non-option and he moved on doggedly, confronting the national problems head-on assisted by a cabinet in which he had confidence and a supportive Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

    Though Nigeria is still battling economic difficulties, the time for applause is coming slowly but surely as the nation commences the laborious march out of recession.

    The administration of PMB has performed fairly well in dealing with the insecurity problem that once loomed large on the national horizon. PMB got the nation’s armed forces to rout the Boko Haram, degrading the latter from a confident and rampaging band of insurgents to a rag-tag nuisance that now seek to ambush and throw bombs at the gallant soldiers of the Nigeria Army. Boko Haram can no longer stand and fight as in the days when they held sway. Today, they have lost the nerve and initiative to stand in battle and life in general is coming back to the troubled North-east zone of the country.

    The icing on the cake, which is a good anniversary package for millions of Nigerians and the people of the troubled North east, is the release into freedom of 82 additional girls hitherto kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on May 6. Freedom for this large number of girls is a source of great joy to anyone who comes from a family or community bearing in mind the long period of their captivity.

    Given the fact that there cannot be a 100 percent situation of security in any human environment, the security situation in the country today, is quite tolerable and is one in which meaningful life can take place. No more is the nation going around cap in hand asking for help from our foreign partners for security assistance and arms. The situation has fairly stabilized and the nation’s military have entered a phase of consolidation of the security situation.

    In the area of anti-corruption, it is a boom! Never before has the anti-corruption agencies in the country exposed so much graft, so much greed, so much wickedness and so much lack of compassion among the nation’s elite. It is a sort of bonanza. Everyone, including the ordinary citizen, now knows those who betrayed them, stole their patrimony, leaving the nation prostrate and incapable of providing them the basic means of existence, jobs, salaries and their meagre pension benefits. The whistleblower policy activated by the Buhari administration to enable citizen participation in the anti-corruption war, is the single most important catalyst now driving the war against corruption and given it a life of its own.

    The issue of concern to many Nigerians are, what kind of sanctions to mete out to the growing list of national robbers and looters so as to discourage others from towing similar path and prevent the poor and desperate citizens including the young, from holding up thieves as role models.

    The prevailing position is that forfeiture of stolen assets to the state is not sufficient punishment for the looters. It is recommended that the government working with the nation’s judiciary, should ensure compulsory jail terms of not less than 20 years for those who contributed to the nation’s adversity, as well as banning such dubious persons from seeking for office.

    To his credit, the administration of PMB, is battling recession and the good news is that the country will come out victorious by the time most policies being put in place today, start to germinate.

    First, under the Social Investment Programme (SIP) of the PMB government, thousands of indigent Nigerians across the country have been receiving the N5,000 stipend promised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the campaign for the 2015 elections. While this does not amount to much in view of the high inflation in the economy, at least it gives confidence and promise of better days for this class of Nigerians. Second, thousands of unemployed graduates who would have remained a pain in the neck of their families have been massively employed under the emergency teacher’s programme of the present administration. This class of educated Nigerians would have the self-esteem of earning a salary with the expectation that as the economy improves in the nearest future and the nation exits recession, according to the skills and knowledge of these young and educated, they would be absorbed into other critical areas of the economy. This is the popular N-Power job scheme which as we are told, would be expanded in 2017 to accommodate a total of 350,000 young and educated persons of different grades.

    Perhaps, most revolutionary in the effort to revamp the economy and create employment is the steady and successful diversification of the economy. Agriculture and food production has taken the lead here. The administration has put in place the Anchor Borrowers Scheme under which farmers across the country are able to borrow money and improve their activities. So far, millionaires in large numbers have been created in a number of states across the country in the area of rice production. Rice farmers are not only becoming wealthy, they are able to provide employment to willing hands on the farms as they increase the acreage under cultivation. The magic that is happening here is that with the ban on rice imports, national revenue being used in the past to import the commodity are being conserved while steadily Nigerians have started to export the same commodity and earn foreign exchange.

    The determination of the government to ensure that Nigerians can feed themselves, gives hopes that the success recorded in rice production would be replicated with other food and cash crops. Most states in the country are now going seriously into agricultural production taking cognizance of their comparative advantage in certain areas.

    Recently, the acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, announced that the administration of PMB would give support to the poultry industry. When this happens, it is expected that production would increase and the present high prices of chicken and eggs would come down. This would increase employment in the sector, contribute to the fight against inflation and improve the quality of nutrition of Nigerians.

    In view of the mess which PMB found in place in May 2015, the government is doing well so far on the economy. As more sectors are brought within the radar of government support, as envisaged under the recently-released economic blueprint, the Economic Reform and Growth Plan (EGRP), the new development agenda for Niger Delta and the new guidelines on ease of doing business among others, at both the national and state levels, it is certain that by the end of 2017, the present harsh economic climate would to a large degree have run its course, paving way for visible recovery of the economy.

     

    • Okoroma is a political analyst and lives in Abuja.
  • Two feared dead, scores injured in Eyo clash

    Two feared dead, scores injured in Eyo clash

    Two persons were feared dead and several others injured on Saturday during the Eyo Festival following rival groups clash.

    It was gathered that the fight was between the Iga-Eleti Eyo and Eyo Laba camps at Okepopo on Lagos Island.

    Another set was also said to have clashed around Martins Street, many thugs were injured.

    According to eyewitnesses, it appeared the drunk thugs had old scores to settle.

    It was gathered that the Iga-Eleti camp went to pay homage to the Oba Rilwanu Akiolu of Lagos, and it was allegedly humiliated at Isale-Eko by a member of the Laba camp.

    The infuriated Eleti members were said to have retired to their area at Okepopo Street and laid ambush for their Laba counterparts.

    When the Laba Eyo got to Okepopo, their Eleti counterparts and some youths in the area attacked them. The Laba and Ologede Eyo, another faction, regrouped and launch a reprisal attack on their Eleti counterparts and other residents of the area.

    It took the intervention of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and other security operatives to quell the mayhem.

    RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said: “We had about three minor clashes settled by our response team. My men never reported any death. You should ask the Area Commander.”

  • On the entourage of Fashola

    Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of  Power, Works and Housing, toured the South-west geopolitical zone between Thursday, March 23, and Saturday, March 25, and inspected ongoing and completed federal projects and facilities under his supervision. Traveling by road, he left Abuja at 5p.m and arrived in Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, at 1a.m. He had earlier in the day attended the Federal Executive Council meeting and subsequently addressed the media where he announced the award of the contract for the resumption of work on the Second Niger Bridge.

    In Ado-Ekitti, the blunt and sometimes, embarrassingly honest governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, was at hand to welcome the minister, whom he praised for his determination to develop federal projects in the state. Fayose said that most other ministers would have hopped into town in a helicopter, thereby denying themselves a proper understanding of the state of infrastructure in the country. He stated that in appreciation of the impressive work done and to be done in his state by Fashola, he was considering toning down his criticism of the federal administration. Fashola replied that  party affiliation is of no interest to the present administration in its enthusiastic approach to develop the country.

    As one of the senior journalists in the minister’s entourage, I rode in the same Toyota Coaster bus with him, his aides and a number of high ranking officials of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. It was the first time I was at close quarters with Fashola. He is tall, slim and firm-featured. I was very impressed by his extensive knowledge and incisive mind. In discussions on variegated issues, he displayed exceptional versatility, a grasp of highly technical details and receptivity to innovations and alternative views. His answers to questions were terse and clear. And he insisted that the professional experts in his entourage and at project sites answer questions and offer explanations in simple and clear language, devoid of technical terms,  understandable to the layman. In the four-day tour, he talked no politics. Evidently, he is not allowing we-versus-them mindset of partisan politics to get in the way of his service to Nigerians.

    The tour winded from Ekiti to Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun and then Lagos states. Overall, he inspected 14 federal road and housing projects as well as the Omotosho Power Plant in Ondo State and the Olorunsogo Power Plant in Ogun State. In every state, the governor and his people were delighted to receive him. They were all appreciative of the work his ministry is doing in their individual states. They asked the minister to facilitate the federal government’s reimbursement of the moneys they spent renovating federal roads in their states. Over the years, earlier federal administrations were unable to maintain and upgrade federal roads. And, as these roads deteriorated, some state governments took it upon themselves to renovate them and then, demand a refund from the federal government. Fashola assured them that the Buhari administration is not only committed to making the refunds to state governments but is already arranging for the necessary funds to do so through a bond programme.

    Some of the projects the minister inspected were started during the Yar’Adua administration but because they were not funded, the contractors abandoned them. The Buhari administration brought the contractors back to work and paid them. For example, the contract for the rehabilitation of the Efon Alaaye-Erinmo-Iwaraja Road (at the cost of N3.5b) was awarded on April 6, 2009 and was projected to be completed on June 19, 2011. But due nonpayment, the contractors stopped work. In November 2016, Fashola brought back the contractor and paid his outstanding debts. He is now working and has promised to complete the road on June 19. On the tour, the minister assured the contractors that, unlike in the past, they would now be paid quarterly and promptly.

    Paradoxically, when oil sold for $100 per barrel and the country was awash with money, the country was littered with abandoned federal government projects, but now that oil is selling for less than $50.00 per barrel and the country is in a recession, the Buhari government has revived the abandoned projects and is paying contractors on time. This is a powerful testament to President Mohammadu Buhari’s fulfillment of his electoral promise of change – change from official corruption to accountability and probity. In an obvious break with the past, his administration is directing government resources to addressing the needs and solving the problems of the Nigerian masses. So, instead of stealing and salting away public funds into private pockets, it is channeling them through different ministries and agencies to improve the economy and better the lives of Nigerians. In the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing  the funds have been channeled into building houses and beefing-up public infrastructure – constructing and renovating roads, bridges, seaports, etc.

    The federal government projects in the South-west are miniature but palpable economic engines; generating both direct and indirect employment and boosting local businesses. Each of the 14 federal government projects inspected by the minister generates an average of 486 direct jobs and 660 indirect jobs. In addition, tons of cement, granite and sand are being purchased, through sub-contractors, from local businesses. And transporters, drivers, mechanics and laborers are also engaged in the transportation of construction materials to the sites. The creation of jobs and the bolstering of local businesses are contributing to drive the economy out of the current recession. Getting the economy out of its current state is the first step in the Buhari government’s planned economic boom and the overall improvement of the quality of life for the generality of Nigerians.

    At the site of the National Housing Programme in Akinyele LGA, Ibadan, it was poignant as the minister entered a “buka” – a makeshift restaurant built of planks within the construction site. It was lunch time and as the “buka” customers busily munched on their lunch, the minister sat amongst them, next to the restaurant owner. The lady, stunned by the unannounced presence of this eminent visitor in her “buka”, was somewhat bashful. The minister inquired about her business and how she came to set up a restaurant at the site. She explained that she came from Lagos with her husband. Her husband, an artisan, is employed at the site. So, she set up a restaurant; and serves food to the construction workers.

    Throughout his tour of the South-west, the minister told the people of the South-west that he was bringing them good tidings from President Buhari. That the president asked him to thank, on his behalf, every one of them that is at work, working, in anyway and in any capacity, to make this country a better place.

     

    • Ezukanma writes from Lagos.

  • Maximizing Ogun’s potential as industrial hub

    ONE is almost tempted to suggest to school heads to take secondary school students on a “formal” excursion to the various sites of construction across Ogun State for practical learning. These rising columns, which later shoulder some concrete slabs, altering the landscape of an area permanently within a short space of time, how do they come to be? How in operational terms do the heavy machines such as skid steers, mixer trucks, tracked asphalt pavers, waste handlers, drill rigs, blasthole drills, motor graders, asphalt mixing plants, road roller machines, crawler excavators, forklift trucks, wheel loaders and truck cranes contribute to the making of these picturesque structures that confirm a community or people on the path of modernisation and development? Enough of being welders, carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, auto mechanics or budding engineers on the pages of textbooks, I once took a group of students on an excursion to the workshops of these technicians, some firms and construction sites for practical experience.

    You don’t have to pluck tubers of yam on tree tops or dig colanut from the ground! “Go-to-hell” does not imply going to hell after death but a farm tool to harvest cocoa, colanut, etc! One often rails against a Nigerian system whereby pupils learn Agriculture Science only on the pages of textbooks. From JSS1 to SSS3, they see cocoa plants, colanut trees, cotton, rice, millet and cassava plants only in their textbooks. No, they ought to be taken round farmlands to see these crops. They should see how they are grown, harvested and processed into semi-finished or finished products. They should have beds in their various schools where they plant vegetables, beans, maize, etc. They should learn to “soil their fingers productively”. Such excursions, in relation to Agriculture, could take them to Model Farm Estates built by the current government so they can appreciate the possibility of being gainfully self-employed as graduates of Agriculture.

    The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, is only short of compelling the members of the State Executive Council to go into farming. Just as he has made processing of land so easy for genuine investors interested in agriculture, the process has equally been streamlined for any government employees interested in farming. Public servants and the generality of residents are being encouraged to go into farming.

    In addition to any government job, the Nigerian constitution makes one exception – it permits one to go into farming. As the state government is investing massively in agriculture, complemented by rural roads to ensure mobility of men and farm produce, it is hoped that school heads across the state will increase the tempo of the implementation of the agriculture policy of government. What we have currently in Ogun is an integrated approach to development. Apart from the state government assisting the local councils to meet their monthly recurrent expenditure and providing some access roads, the government has also partnered multilateral institutions to open up rural areas through a network of road construction that meets international specifications.

    With the encouragement given to the hundreds of multibillion naira industries flocking to Ogun to engage in backward integration, the international standard roads being constructed across the cities by the current government are planned to link the agrarian communities and commercial farms. The thousands of youths being employed by the multibillion naira establishments and construction firms across the length and breadth of the state will purchase food and other items from the markets, who will in turn buy from farmers, thereby further stimulating economic activities.

    The decision of the Amosun administration to establish the very first University of Science and Technology is, of course, in sync with the development template of the state. Ogun has in recent years become the hub of industrialisation in Nigeria. The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Laure Beaufils, said recently in Abeokuta when she led a delegation from the Department for International Development to the Governor’s Office that Ogun State alone cornered 75 per cent of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into Nigeria. Beaufils merely lent an international voice to the report of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). More and more top-level science and technology- based manpower (graduates) will, therefore, be needed by these industries, whose number grows on a daily basis. Things can only get better in Ogun State.

    We congratulate the people’s governor for these giant strides. Indeed, we cannot but agree with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for honouring Senator Ibikunle Amosun as the “NUJ Governor Of The Year for his Responsiveness in Human Capacity Building, Infrastructure and Good Governance.” The future belongs to only those who prepare for it today. •Soyombo, public affairs commentator, sent this piece via densityshow@yahoo.com

  • Road to sustainable amnesty programme in Niger Delta

    THE recent motion by the Senate calling on the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, to release the sum of N15 billion being the backlog of allowances and payments for the training and education of former Niger Delta militants under the Amnesty Programme, which was provided for in the 2016 budget, is a welcome development. The House of Representatives had, a day earlier, passed a similar motion.

    The timely release of the outstanding funds without further delay would save the country an international embarrassment that may arise from protests by beneficiaries of the programme, especially those receiving training in various institutions in different parts of the world. While presenting the motion on the floor of the House, Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, had drawn attention to plans by some of the beneficiaries in the United Kingdom to stage demonstrations at the Nigerian High Commission in that country to protest the delay in releasing the funds to enable them to meet their financial obligations to the institutions where they are undergoing training. Reports from South Africa, United States, Philippines, Malaysia, and other countries where former militants are also undergoing trainings indicate a similar level of restiveness, with some facing the threat of expulsion from their institutions.

    Certainly, the country can do without any untoward development that could have negative impact on its image. It is gratifying to note that the Senate does not only want the money released as soon as possible, it has also set in motion a machinery to unravel the cause of the delay, with a view to guarding against a reoccurrence in the future. Without prejudice to the findings of the Senate committee, the cause of the delay in meeting government’s obligations to the amnesty beneficiaries may not be located too far away from the government’s commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in the disbursement of funds under the programme. A similar delay occurred in the first few months of the current administration, and only a timely intervention by the government averted an ugly situation. Without doubt, the return of permanent peace to the troubled Niger Delta hinges partly on solutions to the unemployment problem that has fuelled militancy in the region for more than a decade.

    That was what the Amnesty Programme of the late president, Umar Musa Yar’Adua, unarguably the most ambitious programme by any administration before it to address the problem of unemployment in the region, set out to achieve. Timi Alaibe, the then presidential adviser and chief executive officer of the programme, is said to have achieved the feat of not only disarming and rehabilitating the militants, about 26, 000 in number, but also succeeded in reintegrating them into the society through a hitch-free implementation of the programme. Reports claim that under Alaibe, there was a measure of transparency and accountability in execution of the programme.

    That’s why we did not hear stories of delay in paying the militants – those that are placed on monthly allowance of N65, 000 – and those in various institutions around the world for different trainings. And, by extension, no stories of demonstrations by militants over unpaid allowances. The reason for the relative ease with which Alaibe and his team executed the programme may not be unconnected with the fact that it was the responsibility of one agency, the one he headed.

    This promoted transparency, accountability and easy management in the manner funds were disbursed. It is therefore possible that problems set in when other non-concerned agencies began to dabble into execution of amnesty programmes for the militants. For instance, the mandate of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration (NIMASA) does not include execution of amnesty programmes for militants. But we saw during the tenure of the immediate past administration of the agency how it reportedly got involved in sponsoring repentant militants on training programmes in different parts of the world, apart from other amnesty programmes.

    It may not be farfetched to suggest that during the immediate past dispensation, the two agencies – Amnesty Programme Office and NIMASA – may have been working at cross purposes. While it is necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff through painstaking investigation into the management of resources meant for sustenance of the amnesty programme during the previous dispensation, care must be taken to ensure it does not in itself constitute a clog in the wheel of progress in current efforts to find long and lasting solutions to the problem of unemployment in the Niger Delta region – an important component of the whole package. If need be, the federal government may find it necessary to look into the handling of the amnesty programme by Alaibe.

    It may be safe to assume that he did not execute the programme in abstract terms. He must have designed a template for its execution. This is more so because he authored the Niger Delta Development Master Plan, of which the amnesty programme is a part. There must be something on paper others can learn from. It must not be forgotten that the amnesty programme is just an aspect of what should be a holistic approach to resolving the issues of the Niger Delta. The highly commendable dialogue approach of the federal government in solving the problem of the region once and for all is evident in the relative peace that has reigned in the region in the past few months. This is just the first step. Subsequent steps should involve a more streamlined and sustainable approach to executing the amnesty programme to ensure it achieves the objectives for which it was designed, in a hitch-free manner. •Tijani, a social commentator, wrote in from Kaduna

  • N/Delta and Alaibe’s advocacy

    Is there a correlation between stability in the Niger Delta region and value appreciation of the national currency, the naira? This question has become necessary in view of the seeming coincidence of the peace that has reigned in the country’s most sensitive yet problematic region, economically speaking, in the last few months, and what appears to be a steady appreciation of the naira, during the same period.

    It must be, to all Nigerians, a heart-warming development that the national currency that was, up to about two months ago, maintaining a steady plunge, creating fears that it was headed for an exchange rate of N500 to the dollar, has recorded so much appreciation that, in a twinkle of an eye, we are today talking about an exchange rate in the region of relative appreciable value. There are indications that the appreciation will continue in the months to come.

    Without doubt, the relatively better rate at which naira is exchanging for the dollar today is a fallout of the stability that has returned to the Niger Delta, the country’s golden goose. Safely say there is a definite link/correlation between the two. One has brought about the other.

    Oil production and export have gone on without interruption from the activities of armed militants who appear to have woken up to the reality of the damage they were doing not just to the country but also to their immediate environment and their own economic prospects. The country is now selling oil, its main foreign exchange earner, more than it did for the better part of 2016. Higher oil proceeds means availability of foreign exchange to meet the requirements of Nigerians in such areas as personal travelling allowance, school fees, medical expenses, among others.

    Most importantly, for manufacturers who must buy foreign inputs for their products, access to dollar is no longer an uphill task. It wouldn’t be wishful thinking to assume that it’s a matter of time before the graph of prices of imported goods and their local counterparts with foreign inputs begins to point south. This would hopefully make life a little bit more bearable for Nigerians that have in the last one year groaned under the heavy burden of spiralling prices of goods and services.

    The challenge before the government now is how to ensure the economic progress that has been made so far, in terms of realizing the country’s full potential in oil production and export, is sustained. Ability to achieve this will depend on how the government addresses the Niger Delta question. Thankfully, the government has in the past few months shown a greater commitment to engaging stakeholders in the region in dialogues that would hopefully help to address the question.

    Timi Alaibe, arguably one of the few Nigerians with a good working knowledge of the Niger Delta, its problems and what is required to solve them, has canvassed, as one of the strategies for achieving the second pillar of the Niger Delta Development Master Plan which is on infrastructure and economic development, proper coordination of efforts by the different intervention agencies that have been set up to tackle issues pertaining to the development of the region.

    He advocates a sort of one-stop shop from where government’s initiatives in the region would be implemented, away from what applies currently, in which different agencies sometimes appear to work at cross purposes pursuing the same objective. This way, the issue of duplication of programmes and projects, which sometimes have ethno-political underpinnings, would be eliminated. It would also help the government in its effort to fight corruption and enthrone accountability and transparency in the execution of projects in the region.

    Alaibe’s knowledge of the problems of the Niger Delta stems from the fact that not only is he a ‘son of the soil’ and feels what others in the region feel, but also because he was on the foundation staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) – the intervention agency created by the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo administration to handle infrastructural and socio-economic development of the region– as executive director, finance and administration and, at various times, acting managing director and substantive managing director.

    He has been involved in the design and implementation of virtually all the developmental projects the commission has put in place since its establishment. His inside knowledge of the problems of the region and what is required to solve them placed him in good stead to author the Niger Delta Development Master Plan, the document that is designed to serve as the roadmap for the implementation of programmes, policies and initiatives that would address the Niger Delta question once and for all.

    The government must sustain and, if possible, step up the dialogue it has initiated with stakeholders in the region, which has proved to be more politically and socio-economically beneficial to everybody than use of force. Inputs should include finding ways to design a framework for implementing development projects with better coordination than what has obtained in the past 16 years, as Alaibe has suggested.

    The expected increase in agricultural yields from the various government interventions, which would not only guarantee self-sufficiency in food production but would also boost export, would open up an equally vibrant source of foreign exchange for the country. That way, the vagaries of the international oil market would have little or no bearing on the country’s foreign exchange needs.

    The current stability in the Niger Delta would not only be maintained, but would perhaps be elevated to a level whereby crises in the region would become an anathema even to the people of the region if the government maintains its current level of sincerity and commitment to involving the people in continuous dialogue aimed at finding lasting solutions to the problems of the region.

     

    • Adesida, a businessman, lives in Abuja.

  • Investigative reporting and work of legislature

    There may be no better time to discuss the subject – Investigative Reporting and Work of the Legislature – than now when democracy in our dear country is becoming more and more consolidated. With democratic consolidation, we will naturally expect strengthening of its key institutions. This type of discussion needs to be expanded considering the manner in which the legislature is being misrepresented in our polity. Lack of adequate knowledge of parliamentary etiquette has led many to pass negative judgments on lawmakers’ activities.

    While the legislature forms an arm of the tripod that is democratic governance and known for its checks and balances, media, on the other hand is the voice of the civil society. It aggregates the condition, feelings, yearnings and aspirations of the people to the system, ditto programmes, initiatives, policies and pronouncements of the institutions of power to the people.

    The brand of democracy we practice is also called representative democracy because of the existence of the legislature. Legislature is the most expressive reason why democracy is considered government of the people and by the people, because there are direct representations from everywhere. In the legislative chambers, everybody has a voice and everyone represent the needs and idiosyncrasies of his or her people. Collectively, as an institution, the legislature is an ombudsman within the government. It moderates excesses and ensure justice. In this the legislature shares the fundamental traits of journalism.

    Framers of our constitution recognized the essence of the legislature as a more direct involvement of the people in governance as some sort or provost for the executive arm; hence it is given certain precedence over the two other arms. In fact, as a symbolism of such powers, even in the order of treatment in our constitution; the legislature is dealt with first before the other organs of government. Thus while section 4 of our constitution deals with legislative powers, section 5 enumerated the executive powers and section 6 dealt with powers of the judiciary.

    Respected constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay is of the belief that the legislature is “the number one arm of government in any democratic state”. Aside Chapter 5 of Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which stipulates powers of the legislature, the Second Schedule to the Constitution equally enunciates on functions of the law-making arm of the government.

    Broadly and simply, we can say that the legislature performs these three functions, namely: Enactment of laws, appropriation of funds and oversight on implementation.

    In his famous work, Considerations on Representative Government, English political theorist and thinker, John Stuart Mill, posits that: “The proper office of a representative assembly is to watch and control the government; to throw the light of publicity on its acts ; to compel a full exposition and justification of all of them which any one considers questionable; to censure them if found condemnable, and, if the men who compose the government abuse their trust, or fulfil it in a manner which conflicts with the deliberate sense of the nation, to expel them from office, and either expressly or virtually appoint their successors”.

    For me, it is not much about powers but indeed the responsibility of making our democracy a true representative government where “we the people” have a voice that is dutifully amplified by our lawmakers. For this reason, the general idea that let there be no conflict between the arms of government is just an illusion. It is not always good for the people for all the arms of government to be in sync. When there is conflict, which is an ingredient of co-habitation, there is likely more value for the people. An ombudsman ought not to have it all roses all the time with he who the ombudsman oversights.

    Now, in all these things said about functions and roles of the legislature, there is also need for a third eye, a fourth estate of the realm, for proper rolling of the system. It is here that journalism comes in –the need to reinforce the work of the legislature and also, where need to, watch over the ombudsman as well.

    Why investigative reporting?

    In this age of sweeping media revolution, media profession is faced with threats and opportunities. These days anybody with access to a phone with internet is already a reporter. Blogs cost barely nothing to maintain. On the other hand, preponderance of online mediums has put the conventional media on the edge. The solution is to be more creative and go extra mile by investigating stories beyond the mundane.

    There is no gainsaying that investigative reporting has the potential to assist in building a national culture of transparency, good governance and openness which can make government officials to be more responsible in the management of public trust. It can also play a critical role in bringing to the front burner, ills bedevilling the society for the attention of those concerned to make amends.

    Over the years in the country, the media has undoubtedly played this role of unearthing series of scandals, sustain it in the public consciousness and push for proper resolution of such matters. Indeed, the media has embarrassed the crudest of dictators and forced government to take action or even reverse a cause of action. This has not changed that much under the present civilian dispensation.

    Of the three arms of government in Nigeria, the legislature has become the punching bag of critics and people who feel threatened by a vibrant and independent assembly. I have to admit that many of the criticisms are justified considering the lifestyle many of our legislators. Many receive bogus entitlements and display abundant wealth in the midst of poverty. But as journalists, we must make a clear distinction between the lifestyle of lawmakers and the integrity of the institution of the legislature. We should not undermine the parliament simply because its operators err. We should rather strive to deepen its tenets for our democracy to prosper. A point to note here is that during the military, both the executive and judiciary functioned without hindrance. Only the legislature got scrapped. That is to tell you how important it is. So as the watchdogs of the society, we must make conscious effort to enlighten the citizens about the importance of the legislature. The same vigour we show when reporting the lawmakers should be extended to ministers, governors, commissioners and special advisers.

    The famous words of Thomas Jefferson: “were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter’’ is a truism on the place and capacity of the media to effect change in the society. Our duty to report the facts objectively is not only a civic duty but also one that borders on national interest and security. It was America’s charismatic president and thinker, Abraham Lincoln who said “Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe”.

    One sure way of making these facts available to the people is through investigative reporting.

     

    • Imam Imam, Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State delivered this paper at a 2-day training on legislative reporting organised by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

  • Kashamu @ 59

    His birth was providential and profound; so were the events leading to his christening, growth and his entire life. Although his father was doing well as a farmer and businessman, things took a turn for the worse shortly before Buruji Kashamu was born. However, before his christening on the eighth day, there was a turnaround that surprised members of the Kashamu family. The miraculous turn of events informed his being christened “Buruji” which literally means one who came into wealth early in life.  This was in line with the Yoruba tradition of taking cognizance of happenings around a family when christening a child.

    Born on May 19, 1958, Senator Buruji Kashamu is the second son and the third child of his mother’s four children for Pa Kashamu Sodipe. Like most men of his time, Pa Kashamu was a polygamist. He had five wives who bore him 13 children.

    For those who saw the young Buruji through infancy, his first faltering steps and the events afterwards, they would readily surmise that the name was divinely inspired.

    After his early education at the Ansarudeen Primary School in Ijebu Igbo, Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, he was taken to Lagos where he began to live with an uncle in Surulere, Lagos. The uncle had a hotel known as Lolas Lodge near Tejuosho, Yaba, where he worked as an attendant during the day and then attended evening classes at Igbobi College, Lagos.

    Although his early exposure to the work life could be said to have momentarily distracted him from his educational pursuits, his strong desire for knowledge and self-improvement made him to later sit for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). Thereafter, he took a correspondence course in Business Studies at the Pitman College, London and much later a Diploma in English Language at the University of Lagos.

    But, suffice it to say that his early exposure to the work life set him on a path of industry and self-dependence from which he never looked back while many of his peers were still tied to their mother’s apron strings. When he was barely 20 years old in 1978, he found his way into Yaba Local Government Area of Lagos State where he was engaged as an agent for motor vehicle registration and documentation, licenses and the like.

    After working for about a year, he made enough savings from which he began his automobile business. Yes, automobile business! How he did it? Here is how: he worked Monday through Friday at the local council. But, on Friday evening, after the close of work, he would leave Lagos for Kaduna where he would arrive the next day. From the park or train station, he would go straight to Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) in Kaduna where he made his purchases and then return to Lagos on Sunday so as to resume work the next day. Whenever he got to Kaduna late, he would make contact with his the sales personnel, make all the necessary arrangements and return to work. He began with one 504 Peugeot car, and then progressed to two, three…

    Kashamu later veered into the real estate business. His first was a plot of land he bought in Ikotun Egbe, a Lagos suburb on which he built his first house – a block of four flats. His immediate elder sister lived in one of the flats until recently when she relocated to Lagos Island.

    His adventure soon took him to the buying and selling of various goods such as soap, textile materials and cement. This made him to begin to shuttle between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin where he established a cotton ginnery factory that is still in operation till date. He also became the first, if not the sole agent of Sanyong and Daewoo motors in West Africa.

    Expectedly, Kashamu became the toast of the powers-that-be and the envy of many in most of the neighbouring French speaking West African countries, especially in the Republic of Benin. He was to become a victim of the internal politics in the Republic of Benin. He was roped into an indictment he knew nothing about which has metaphorically become his cross despite several judicial pronouncements by the effervescent and impregnable British courts and their Nigerian counterparts to the effect that it was a case of mistaken identity. The details are already in the public domain. There is no need to bore anyone; lest we digress.

    Many may know him as a philanthropist; some see him as a strong man and yet others say he is just one of the politicians. But there is more to the Kashamu persona. Beyond his gusto and gait is a heart of gold, full of empathy and flowing with the milk of human kindness. Nothing is too much for him to give. No amount of money or possession is too much for him to part with. He does not hold on tightly to anything; be it money, vehicles, clothing or accessories.

    Despite knowing his generous nature, he gives so much that even those that are close to him are stunned at the level of his generosity. His estranged friend and Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose had once publicly declared that even as a governor and politician, he had yet to see a politician as generous as Kashamu.

    When you try to caution him, he rebuffs such entreaties. He is quick to remind you that he is not a rich man but only spends like a rich man. His other refrain is that he has committed his life to sharing his resources with the needy and the less privileged because, according to him, the more he gives, the more he receives from the Almighty God. He is down-to-earth. It is a common sight for him to wine and dine with the crowd who visit his Ijebu-Igbo country home for one issue or the other.

    Kashamu also possesses an unbelievable amount of strength and energy. He hardly gets up to six hours of sleep every day; not because of insomnia or anything of that sort but because he is a workaholic who likes to be on top of his game. An idea could just drop on his mind anytime of the night; he would call you up and begin a discussion. He would joke with you in-between and then bare his mind. If you think with the passage of time, he would have forgotten some of the things he said, you would be shocked to realise how wrong you were! He would recap everything word-for-word.

    Kashamu is endowed with a high degree of native intelligence, a sharp mind and an eye for detail.

    Perhaps, as a result of his past experience, he is also a fighter for justice and equity. Instead of resorting to self-help and violence, he believes so much in the use of the law to fight and correct social and personal injustice. It is this belief that has always set him on collision course with some political heavyweights within his political party – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and beyond. Hopefully, when the story of the rebirth of the PDP will be written, his contributions will be properly documented.

    Beneath the huge and strong persona is a man who fears and acknowledges God in his dealings.  A good example was when people came to tell him that some powerful forces in the politics of Ogun State, including the immediate past governor had said they would ensure he did not win his election into the Senate. His standard response was: “Are they God? Whatever God has decreed, no man can change it”.

    Although he is now a Senator by the grace of God and the benevolence of the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District, his major preoccupation has been how to use the position to impact on the lives of people, irrespective of their creed, colour or ethnic background. He is a detribalized Nigerian who is always looking for ways to put smile on people’s faces.

    Kashamu speaks French fluently, just as he updates himself with technology, trends and current affairs.

    No doubt, he is several things to many people. Yet, many – even his most ardent critics – would agree that Kashamu has proven his mettle as a leader, philanthropist, an entrepreneur, an employer of labour, an empowerer and an unusual politician.

    As he marks his 59th birthday, there is no better way to appreciate and encourage him to continue to live a life of selfless service than to chronicle some of his rare attributes and activities for humanity and posterity.

     

    • Oniyokor is media aide to Senator Kashamu.