The Nation Newspaper

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  • Curbing western envoys’ arrogance

    Finally, a Nigerian diplomat has mustered the courage and patriotic zeal to read the Riot Act, as it were, to pompous, arrogant foreign diplomats in Nigeria, particularly ambassadors of Western countriesfor their breach of protocol in relating with the government and people of their host country.  It is long overdue.  According to media reports, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AmbassadorOlusolaEnikanolaye, had at a meeting with diplomats in Abuja on August 28, warned ambassadors against violating diplomatic channels of communication between them and their host country. Ambassador Enikanolayewas especially miffed at the unorthodox conduct of ambassadors having direct communication and interaction with government, specifically the Presidency, without going through the ministry.  He had declared:”I need not stress that this is not what we know as diplomatic. It is clearly a violation of relevant conventions” pointingout that “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the main means between the diplomatic communities and the host government”.  The Permanent Secretary warned that any further violation of diplomaticconvention by any ambassador would attract appropriate response from the ministry.

    Ambassador Enikanolaye’s reprimand of the diplomats is most welcome, coming in the wake offormer U.S. Ambassador JamesEntwistle’s gratuitousletter tothe Speaker of the House of Representatives on the three House members on unsubstantiated allegations of sexual misconduct while they were on an American sponsored programme in Cleveland, Ohio in April this year. That episode was an unwarranted indictment and public ridicule of a host country legislature.

    However, as commendable as the intervention of the Permanent Secretary is, it raises a number of posers:  Why have successive leaderships of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condoned this breach of protocol? Why have Presidents, since the return to democratic rule, been party to  the breach and thirdly, why has it been difficult for Nigerian journalists to interrogate this absurdity ?  It is obvious Ministers of Foreign Affairs have been complicit in the ministry’s relegation by foreign diplomats, since media reports of direct interactions of ambassadors with the Presidency and other government institutions  had been on for years without any protest from the ministry.  It would also seem that succeeding presidents, since 1999 till date, feelhonoured and flattered in the presence of Western Ambassadors!  This, wittingly or unwittingly, perpetuates what Al Hester described as the ‘top dog –underdog’ relationship between Western countries and Third world countries in the hierarchical order of nations! Western ambassadors – those representing the U.S. and European countries – are singled out because they are the most guilty of condescending treatment of the government and people of Nigeria.  As for the media,  apart from  the prominence attached to ambassadors generally,  the prospect of travel grant is an apparent incentive for Nigerian journalists’  rather overweening coverage of Western ambassadors, some even  seeking  them out for interviews with the consequent  news reports reading like  promotional public relations stuff. You rarely get ambassadors of our neighbouring countries like Benin republic, Cameroun or Chad featured in the Nigerian media. In the four yearsI was in Washington D.C as a foreign correspondent, you hardly read about ambassadors in the American press.  They are not intrusive in host country affairs. There is an amorphous fourth group of individuals and organizations which invite Western ambassadors to public functions and give them platform to speak on topics which border on passing judgement either on thegovernment or some aspects of the nation’s condition or both.  This is another instanceof deference to Western hegemony.  Prof. Chibuzo Nwoke of the Department of Politics and International Relations, Lead City University, Ibadandescribed this situation as “diplomatic paternalism” and a manifestation of the dependent, neo-colonial state of Nigeria while another scholar, Prof. Akin Oyebodenoted that “diplomatic niceties cannot be expected where the host nation sells itself cheap”. At a forum  on diplomatic reporting at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs , Lagos in 2012 organised by the late Nigerian ambassador to the U.S.,  Prof. Ade Adefuye as a post mortem on the then  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Nigeria,  Adefuye had carpeted the Nigerian media as lacking perspective in its diplomatic news reports but Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, the Director-General of NIIA had countered that  the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs had failed to create synergy with the media.  Perhaps, with this seeming re-awakening to its responsibility in managing the country’s diplomatic relationship with other nations, the ministry would deem it fit to create a collaborative platform with the press.

    What can be discerned is an apparent beggarly cultureby Nigeria in itsinteraction with Western diplomatic community – the mendicant penchant of always begging for aid! And whatever pious platitudes about the altruism of aid, the giver naturally assumes an air of superiority while the receiver assumes the obsequious mien of the supplicant. The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, demonstrated this sickening  ‘dobale’  (prostration) mentality when during a thank you visit to then outgoing U.S. Ambassador Entwistle, for America’s support of EFCC, he had pleaded : “Even when you leave, do not forget us. Continue to be our ambassador”. Not done, Magu, according to media report of July 16, in The Nation newspaper, hadmade a supervisor of Entwistle by urging the ambassador to continue to monitor his (Magu’s) performance as chairman of EFCC! Of course, Entwistle had commended the “vigour” of Magu on the job.  French ambassador to Nigeria, Denis Guaer, assessing PresidentBuhari’santi-corruption fight in a media interview, had noted: “I think Buhari is really trying and trying hard”. The American ambassador was more direct in his own assessment. In a newspaper report of July 9, headlined – ‘Buhari has done well, says U.S’-   Ambassador  Entwistle had, with brash arrogance, declared :  “I give the president a very good mark “ adding  “let’s see how he marches forward in the next few months” . It is diplomatic affront for an ambassador to engage in patronizing assessment of a host country’s president. The Presidency deserves the heavier knock for this state of affairs.  It would seem that Heads of State/Presidents of Nigeria do not adequately appreciate the important office they occupy as the leader of the most populous Black nation on earth the way they have diminished the office by granting cheap access to practically all comers. One would have expected the Presidency to re-direct gate-crashingambassadors, who breach protocol, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.It is not inconceivable, though, that a lucrative lobby industry has grown  in facilitating access to the Presidency, including those of  business executives for photo-ops with the President, hence the shutting out of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with regard to diplomats and other ministries relevant to those seeking Aso Rock audience. But can the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have the courage to walk its tough talk?

     

    • Dr.Olawunmi is Senior Lecturer, Bowen University, Iwo.

  • AMCON and Nigeria’s financial stability

    Resilience is one word that best describes the Nigeria’s economy in the face of the turbulence it is undergoing. As acknowledged by economists, Nigeria is experiencing triple, simultaneous, shocks—economic, political and social. The sluggish economic growth, which exacerbates the other two shocks, is mainly attributed to a slowdown in economic activity which has been adversely impacted by the inadequate supply of foreign exchange aggravated by falling price of oil, the nation’s main foreign exchange earner accounting for about 75% of its export revenue.

    Despite the recession, which has pushed the country down to the third largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is still forging ahead. A renewed effort at non-oil revenue collection is helping to reduce fiscal vulnerability caused by oil price shocks. The revenue from the non-oil sector is propping the country in the meantime.

    The reforms pursued by the Buhari administration have the potential to lay a foundation for renewed growth. These include: enforcement of the single treasury account (TSA) to block financial leakages; renewed efforts at enforcement of tax compliance; increasing the ratio of capital to recurrent expenditure to 30:70 and continuous support for agencies saddled with the responsibility of stabilizing the financial system such as Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) are fast yielding results.

    Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun recently disclosed that TSA has significantly witnessed an increase to N3.3 trillion in May, while noting that the finance ministry had continuously discovered revenue platforms that had escaped its net. These include shipping levies, airport landing charges and visa fees, amongst others. On the other hand, the Federal Government received N2.2 trillion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between June 2015 and May 2016.

    AMCON, which was set up because of the global financial crisis of 2008/2009, has contributed a lot in stabilizing the economy from the time it was set up, through acquiring the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) of some of the distressed banks in Nigeria, providing financial accommodation to others thereby engendering financial stability in the banking system.

    Established in 2010, AMCON came to stabilize the banking system from systemic collapse after going through well-conceived structural reforms, which involved bank consolidations, recapitalization and managerial changes at some banks, and portfolio clean-ups. These reforms provided a solution to the banking crisis that Nigeria experienced few years ago and eventually the soundness in the banking sector was restored.

    Its objective include assisting eligible financial institutions to efficiently dispose of eligible bank assets; efficiently manage and dispose of eligible bank assets acquired by it; and obtaining the best achievable financial returns on eligible bank assets or other assets acquired by it.

    In an unprecedented move, AMCON acquired about 13,774 Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) worth N3.6 trillion from 22 commercial banks and thus saved the banking system, while its provision of financial accommodation of N2.2billion protected about N4.7trillion of depositors’ funds and interbank takings as well as saved approximately 14,000 jobs.

    Today AMCON is pursuing the recovery of these assets. This, it is doing vigorously as it is well into its sixth out of 10 year mandate period.

    The MD/CEO Ahmad Kuru, in a recent interview with Economic Confidential magazine, clarified the issue of AMCON’s lifespan pointing out that “AMCON is not set up to perpetually bail out financial institutions. AMCON has a sunset period. He said. “When AMCON was set up, it was supposed to be there for only ten years!”

    But from the good work that AMCON is doing, an extension is a possibility.

    So far AMCON has settled over 56 percent of the total N3.7 trillion (about N.072 trillion) bad debts it had to manage from various individuals, groups and organisations in the country. According to Kuru, AMCON has in this process helped a lot of businesses bounce back and on the path of recovery. “We don’t want any business to suffer because of their debts. We are not out to kill businesses but to encourage them to grow by following the global best practices in debt reconciliations and settlements. Our desire is to recover the money for the nation through painless processes” he told Economic Confidential.

    In addition to returning the much needed cash to Federal Government, AMCON is also building confidence in our financial system, although, Kuru says “there should not be an institution to anticipate failure.” Indeed, the idea of AMCON as stabilizing and re-vitalizing tool established to revive the financial system has paid off and has changed the mindset of bad debtors that they can get away with depositors’ funds. This alone is reassuring to our investors and other bank clients.

    The aggregate results of efforts such as that of AMCON will surely improve our business environment, which the World Bank’s “Doing Business Report” portrayed as not encouraging investment and competitiveness in our industrial sector. The 2016 report ranked Nigeria as 169th out of 189 countries. This is one point improvement over last year when Nigeria was placed 170th out 189. The improvements were mainly in the areas of protecting minority investors and registering property.

    Add the result of AMCON and other agencies managing our macro economy to the massive injection of money announced by the Federal Government towards improving infrastructure with a view to stimulating the economy. Two weeks ago, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo revealed that the Federal Government planned to spend N100 billion ($312.50 mil­lion) on capital projects in the com­ing days as part of the 2016 budget. The VP also said government capital spending so far has reached N332 billion. These moves will surely enhance people’s productivity and reflate the economy.

    Surely, the Federal Government and its agencies such as AMCON are serious in rekindling our growth. The faith Nigerians have shown in the Buhari administration thus far lies in the commitment and sincerity shown by the administration to take Nigeria out of the woods. The commitment of our professionals in various fields working to salvage our situation and bounce back is highly commendable. That’s why the news coming out of agencies such as AMCON is reassuring Nigerians that we can be the change we desire.

     

    • Hassan is a financial systems analyst.

  • Again, history beckons in Edo

    Voters in Edo State will this Saturday head to the poll for the election of the person to succeed incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole, whose second term and final tenure of office expires on November 11. As should be expected, partisan sentiments in the state are by now cresting their peak. We can only hope that the political elite have as well upgraded in their refinement of conduct as to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sufficient room for smooth and conclusive conduct of the governorship poll come September 10.

    A decent elite culture is as crucial a success factor in the imminent election as the performance of INEC, granted though that the stakes have never been this high in any previous governorship poll in the state. Among the parties contesting in the poll, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which currently holds power at the Federal level, will be hard pressed to at the minimum fence off its sphere of control – even more so in Edo because the national chairman of the party is a native, actually, one-time governor of the old state. Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for its part, will be seeking to turn the tables on the ruling APC in what, if such occurred, would be the ultimate statement of rejection of the status quo by the voting public. The opposition party, as it were, is booby-trapped with internal contradictions arising from an unrelenting factional attrition, but that is another issue altogether. For purposes of the imminent poll, the competing quests by the parties are perfectly legitimate. Only that the political elite should wage those quests with a great deal of civility and decorous comportment, and guide their voter-followers along similar paths.

    Why do I make this point? I do so in view of the experience of the electoral commission with the last Edo governorship election held on July 14, 2012. That election was hurdled by a number of challenges, not the least of which was unhealthy partisan brinksmanship by leading political actors. I happened to be a part of INEC at the time and knew first hand how the intemperance of politicians hazarded the poll. To begin with, aggressive partisan bickering and mutual suspicion among the political elite hamstrung the electoral commission from conducting Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) as it had intended to update the voter register ahead of that poll. Politicians accused one another of an intention to exploit the CVR in importing fictitious name into the register and agreed, at least for once, that the commission should step it down. But the most dramatic hazard to the election was an intemperate reaction by then re-election seeking Governor Oshiomhole to unforeseen logistical challenges experienced by the electoral commission, which nearly pre-empted successful conclusion of the poll.

    For emergent reasons that INEC had no cause to anticipate in its preparations, electoral materials were delivered on time in areas of the state further away from the capital on Election Day, but were delayed in Oredo local government area and environs within the capital. True, that scenario must seem inexplicable to anyone not familiar with the commission’s logistics architecture. The very fact of the logistics architecture, however, and the challenges that popped up at the last minute made that scenario perfectly explicable, and INEC’s leadership at the time under the chairmanship of Professor Attahiru Jega was frantic at work to remedy the situation. Only that partisan tension was simply too high and politicians never gave the electoral commission benefit of the doubt. And so, the Governor, justifiably agitated perhaps, went on national television in undue haste to shoot down the yet ongoing election as fraudulent and unacceptable, and he didn’t spare relevant INEC principals savage remarks. Eventually though, he won the election and was left to savour his victory swigs from a chalice that he had himself poisoned. Supporters, of course, spinned the narrative that his outburst rattled INEC and compelled the commission to backtrack on its fraudulent plot; but, trust me, that was far from the truth.

    Now, for the impending governorship poll, political leaders will do well to rein in excessive partisan tension and foster a climate of mutual tolerance. It is such a climate that would promote peaceful and decorous conduct by their supporters, and as well discourage incidents of violence and over-voting, which warrant cancellation of votes by INEC and largely account for inconclusiveness of elections. There has been much ado in recent times about inconclusiveness of elections. But I happen to know that the electoral commission, by its processes in themselves, cannot work at making an election inconclusive even if, for whatever reason, it so desired. Rather, it is factors arising on Election Day at the behest of the political elite (for instance, violence and over-voting) that compel the commission to apply extant rules, which could then make an election end up inconclusive. INEC must by all means discharge the onus of running a smooth electoral operation. It is trite though, as they say, that successful conduct of elections is not the responsibility of the commission alone but also that of all stakeholders – most especially the political class.

    The electoral commission certainly must be fully accountable for making its processes smart and efficient, and it must hold its officials firmly liable for any infraction of established guidelines. But politicians must as well resolve ahead of time to help INEC succeed, and give the commission benefit of the doubt in the event of logistical hitches. The point must be made that elections are human operations governed by sociological laws, and not robotics governed by mechanical or atomic laws. Human operations everywhere rarely play out with statistical precision, and this is a fact of life that largely explains, without justifying, recurrent logistical challenges the electoral commission comes up against such as late arrival of personnel or materials to some polling units on Election Day. In all human projects, things that could go wrong more often than not do. The test of election administration in all societies is not that things won’t ever go wrong, because they inevitably do; it is rather how the election manager responds in timely fashion with redress mechanisms.

    The Edo governorship election on Saturday should show to what extent INEC has upgraded its processes, which the commission has already made known now involve a newly acquired e-collation system, in the build-up towards the 2019 general election. But the governorship poll is as well an opportunity for the political class to demonstrate an improved culture of electoral engagement. While INEC has a historic responsibility to scale up the mechanics of making Nigerian elections credible and globally respected, the commission’s efforts would amount to little unless it is matched with a deepening of democratic ethos among the political elite. Will the Edo election show that promise?

  • Herdsmen attacks: State or national issue?

    The big question begging for an answer in the public domain since the precarious incident of the herdsmen attacks on communities and innocent citizens of the country is whether the heinous acts should be categorized as a state or national issue.

    The above question is against the backdrop of the continuous attacks in recent times which have led to wanton destruction of lives and property of the people. What is more worrisome is the fact that the Federal Government, which is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property of the citizenry through its security agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, the Army, the State Security Services (SSS), among others, has not taken decisive actions against the ceaseless and inhuman atrocities of the herdsmen.

    The worries remain that the present administration has not treated the herdsmen issue with the urgent dispatch it requires, thereby posing a serious security threat to the peace and unity of the nation. Painful to note is the fact that in the past one year, the nation has witnessed series of attacks and killings of innocent people as a result of the weird attitude of the herdsmen.  The situation has become so terrifying that Nigerians keep wondering what could have come over these cattle rearers, that they now unleash grievous terror on their fellow Nigerians with sophisticated weapons, while nothing much is being done to tackle the issue.

    Coming to the recent attack on Attakwu Community of Enugu State, and the misconception and sentiments being attached to it in the arena of public opinion, one is first compelled to frontally condemn the unfortunate incident as callous and barbaric. But the truth remains that the Enugu incident is not as grievous as the ones that occurred in other states of the country, yet people have not raised their eyebrows over how the affected state governors have addressed the issue.

    It is on record that the recent report released by the United States government to its citizens traveling to Nigeria, named 20 unsafe states in the country and marked them as no-go-areas for the reason of “pockets of crimes being carried out by faceless persons that are hardly brought to book”. Enugu State was not in the list.

    When one takes an inventory of how many people that have been killed and injured by the herdsmen in ravaged states such as Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Delta, Imo, among others, it becomes obvious that Enugu does not deserve the negative comments it receives from cynics.

    In Benue State for instance, the casualty rate of persons killed by suspected herdsmen between May 30 and June 20 this year, in Logo and Ukums local government areas alone, according reports is about 81 persons. Even though the Benue State Police Command said it witnessed 22 deaths, the number is still high compared to what was witnessed in Enugu State on the two occasions the herdsmen struck. The statistics are the same in other ravaged states.

    The questions now are these: Why is the Enugu State issue different? What have the governors of these other states mentioned above done constitutionally to address the issues   that the Enugu governor has not done? Under our lopsided federalism, does the power to direct the security agencies to crush the marauders rest squarely on the shoulders of the governors or the President and Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces? Do the people expect a governor who swore an oath of office not to take unlawful actions that could lead to bloodshed or jeopardize the unity of the country, to make inciting statements?  Is it the responsibility of the state assembly to enact laws bordering on national issues such as grazing bill or is it the duty of the National Assembly?

    These and other questions are indeed begging for answers, considering the fundamental rights of every citizen of the country as contained in our constitution.

    One, therefore, takes exception to the falsehood being peddled by the likes of Amanze Obi in the Thursday, September 1, edition of his Broken Tongues in Daily Sun, where he alleged that the “Fulani herdsmen massacred an entire community” in Enugu State. Nothing could be farther from the truth – how could that be true?

    I live and work in Enugu and to the best of my knowledge there is no record of an entire community being wiped out anywhere in the state. The state despite the unfortunate recent incident of the herdsmen has remained peaceful and is still rated as the least among the states ravaged by the herdsmen in the country. There is no doubt that the governor is working tirelessly with the security operatives to do all that are necessary and lawful to bring the culprits to book and end the menace of the marauders.  This is evident in the recent arrest of a suspected herdsman in the state by the police for allegedly being in possession of a sophisticated AK47 riffle.

    One appreciates the stance of the Enugu State students, who “lampooned” those inciting the students and youths of the state to stage reprisal attack on the Fulani herdsmen over the recent carnage in the state, particularly that such vengeance would be counter-productive and might lead to the endangering of lives of youths and students in the state. While condemning the attack in its entirety, they noted that the menace of the herdsmen was a national issue and requires the swift intervention of the federal government, which is constitutionally empowered to nip in the bud the atrocities of the marauders.

    They reasoned wisely that “unlike in Ekiti State, the population of the Igbos living in the northern parts of the country is enormous, allaying fears that any unlawful action against the herdsmen in retaliation may likely put the Igbos in the north at the receiving end.”

    On the call by some Igbo groups for the Enugu Governor to emulate Governor Ayo Fayose’s actions against the herdsmen, the students said that “no true Igbo leader would support any act that could lead to bloodshed or undermine the peace and unity of the country.” According to them, “Governor Ugwuanyi as a responsible leader believes in due process and constitutional means of addressing issues of this nature and should not be pushed to instigate the people of the state to take laws into their hands, as that is certainly not the best option under a democratic setting.”

    Hence, the Enugu Students passionately “called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies to step up actions to put an end to the dastardly acts of the herdsmen in the overall interest of the country.”

    In the same vein, the workers of the state through the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) shared similar views with the students, calling on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to exercise his constitutional powers to ensure that the issue of the herdsmen was laid to rest.  In their joint statement signed by the state chairman and secretary of the congress, Comrade Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe and Comrade Benneth Asogwa, they also commended the Enugu Governor, “for his prompt visit to the ravaged community and the efforts he had put in place to maintain peace, protect the lives and property of the people of the state as well as ensure that the incident did not escalate.”

    From the foregoing, it is clear that the menace of the herdsmen is a national issue and should be tackled holistically with the full support and cooperation of the federal government for a peaceful, united and prosperous nation – thereby sustaining the dreams of our founding fathers.

     

    • Chukwuma, a public affairs analyst writes from Enugu.
  • Anti-graft war: What Kerry’s endorsement means

    Anti-graft war: What Kerry’s endorsement means

    On his recent visit to Nigeria, US Secretary of State John Kerry saw the need to acknowledge Nigeria as a regional leader in the fight against corruption. He also acknowledged measures being applied by President Buhari to entrench morality, transparency, honesty and good governance in the country.

    Following from these commendations, it is obvious that President Buhari’s efforts and determination to reposition the country is already resonating across the globe. As a matter of fact it is long overdue for African countries and Nigeria in particular to have self examination and surgical operation of how governance is delivered to the people.

    Due to lack of integrity in public governance, Nigerian people have been denied needed development projects. With the coming of President Buhari in 2015, it was clear to all and sundry that time has come to enthrone good governance, and his pedigree as an anti-graft fighter left no one in doubt that the war will be fought and won.

    So far, President Buhari has given a good account of his government to eradicate the corruption malaise in our country. The revelations about the misuse of arms fund by the Office of National Security Adviser under the previous administration is a pointer to the fact that Buhari’s coming to power was timely, as the country needed a leader with integrity to clean the Aegean stable.

    It is indeed regrettable that while most Nigerians wallowed in abject poverty, our highways dilapidated and turned to death traps, and other public institutions dysfunctional, a few people were helping themselves to the till.

    It is therefore consoling that once more we have in the saddle a leader whose integrity is acknowledged globally. The commendation of US Secretary of State of President Buhari’s anti-graft war is a morale booster which will help cascade the message to all Nigerians.

    It is unimaginable the pain corruption has inflicted on us as a people. Our backwardness and inability to develop like the Asian Tigers can be attributed to corruption among our past leaders.

    As an experienced leader, President Buhari was able to locate the major militating factor against Nigeria’s accelerated development to corruption in high places. It took his emergence as President in 2015 to remove the veil from the faces of corrupt individuals who have been holding the country down.

    It is very scandalous that the Boko Haram heinous attacks were allowed to fester in the North East, and some parts of the country on account of the fact that monies voted for the war were being misapplied. This has resulted to thousands of deaths and millions of internally displaced persons and devastation in the region. Needless to recount the agony, pain and lamentations that the devilish sect has inflicted on the people.

    As John Kerry noted, corruption costs the world a whopping $2.6 trillion yearly, and this has denied people decent livelihood.

    In Nigeria, the fight against corruption has already yielded satisfactory results in terms of cash, movable and immovable assets. Already, the Federal government has outlined people- oriented programmes to channel the recovered looted funds. These programmes are meant to impact positively on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

    The need to frontally fight corruption cannot be over emphasized as it has eaten deep into the nation’s fabric, and its twin effect of creating bad image for Nigeria further justifies the need to permanently eradicate it.

    It is indeed gratifying that the United States government is throwing its weight behind President Buhari’s war against corruption. There is no doubt that Buhari’s single-minded determination to fight graft and its perpetrators has gained Nigeria tremendous goodwill across the globe, and Secretary Kerry’s commendation is a testament.

    We cannot make significant progress as a nation if we fail to curb corruption. The US Secretary of State John Kerry aptly captured it thus: “progress in this fight against corruption is going to go a long way to bring Nigerians closer”. What this translates into is that corruption creates division among peoples of one nation, such as Nigeria, and the gaps can shrink when we together decide to fight it.

    Similarly, Kerry’s acknowledgement that Nigeria can become a model for the eradication of corruption for developing countries is consoling and heart-warming.

    Corruption, as he also noted, denies people access to education, food security, health care and development of infrastructure. Again, it is quite demoralizing and disheartening when people entrusted with positions of authority choose to short-change the people by corruptly enriching themselves.

    Were it not for the emergence of President Buhari, Nigerians would never have known the level of corruption being perpetrated in high places. Till today power remains epileptic, road infrastructure dilapidated and hunger in the land, all on account of the unbridled frittering of our nation’s resources. Hope has however been restored with the committed efforts of this administration to correct the mistakes of the past

    We therefore salute Secretary Kerry for offering United States support to Nigeria in the war against corruption which President Buhari has remained at the forefront. His preachments on religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence are also good intentioned.

  • Need for continuity in Edo State

    The people of Edo State will go to the polls to choose Adam Oshiomhole’s successor on September 10,2016. The campaigns have reached a crescendo as the two major candidates, Obaseki and Iyamu are selling their parties.

    Edo people don’t need to search far before making up their minds on who among the candidates to vote for.

    Apart from the fact that  Godwin Obaseki who is flying the banner of the APC has a good head start because Oshiomhole  has given him a lot to market in terms of achievements, the electorates are not sure who the authentic candidate of the  PDP is between Pastor Ize Iyamu of the Markarfi led faction and Matthew Iduoriyekemwen of the Ali Modu Sheriff faction. Only the courts could decide and this is enough reason for the electorates to vote for the candidate whose candidacy is sure, and whose party has transformed the state in the last seven years.

    Considering the antecedents of the two parties in the state, there is no gain saying the fact that Edo State should borrow a leaf from Lagos where an unbroken chain of progressive governments  make it the most economically viable state in Nigeria, increasing her IGR from a meagre N600 million in 1999 to an average of N23 billion in 2016 with a plan to hit N30billion monthly in 2017 and 50billion in 2018.

    The governor of Edo State in 1999, Lucky Igbinedion spent two terms and left the state in ruins. When Lucky’s father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion  was campaigning for the re-election of his son in 2003, Edo people told him point blank that his son didn’t do well in office but the Senior Igbinedion told them in pidgin, Pickin wey no do well for one class must repeat that class’ meaning if a child fails in one class, that child must repeat the class so he wanted his son to be re-elected despite his woeful performance in office. Lucky was re-elected through the usual PDP magic and Edo State was the worse for it. Professor  Oserheimen Osunbor succeeded Lucky Igbinedion after rigging out Adams Oshiomhole in 2007 but the Court of Appeal overturned his victory and declared Oshiomhole the actual winner on November 12, 2008.

    While agreeing that the period Osunbor spent as governor of Edo State (May 29, 2007 to Nov 12, 2008) was so short for proper assessment, the fact remains that no meaningful achievement would have been recorded by his administration even if it had not been terminated by a judicial hammer. As Prof. Osunbor noted on why he left the PDP, “PDP has no interest in what becomes of the state and the people, but their pockets. This was why they said I was not loyal because I refused to share the money meant to develop the state while I was the governor. That was why they started fighting me”. Osunbor meant well for Edo people but the hawks who surrounded him in his party wouldn’t have allowed him to work. It was the same Mafia that the comrade governor fought to a stand-still before he could rescue Edo state from the jaws of these vampires!

    There is no need for further proof that the PDP as a party never meant well for the state. Edo State should not lose her opportunity of voting for continuity as they have tested both parties and can conclude which party had actually done better in terms of human capital development and infrastructure. Yorubas would say “oti gbepo wo, oti gbomi wo, o ti mon eyi to wuwo ju” (you have lifted water and you have also lifted palm oil so you know which is heavier)Edo people should  know by now that any break from the present progressive government will spell doom for the state.

    What has Oshiomhole done in eight years to make continuity in Edo imperative? Oshiomhole inherited a state in ruins and total infrastructure collapse in November 2008. The rot was especially visible in the education sector, with the reign of miracle centres known for awarding undeserved grades to students for a fee. Oshiomhole embarked on surgical operation of the education sector and it was successful because the state that used to be graded 30th position in performance at national examinations has now moved to the 2nd position. Edo is tuition free for both primary and secondary school students while buses were provided for school children. This has encouraged school enrolment and learning.

    Oshiomhole excelled in massive construction of roads  in the state capital and all the major towns down to the remotest village in Benin. It is obvious even to the blind, that road network in Benin and other parts of the state has greatly improved. Oshiomhole created a conducive environment for investment such that Edo state became a haven for investors. The budgeting system was remodelled such that capital expenditure was given priority unlike in the past when recurrent expenditure was higher. The result of this are the projects spread across the state.

    This has attracted many other businesses such as the bamboo wood furniture company in Anegbete, ceramics tiles company in Benin City and Yongxing steel company which have recruited and trained  over 1,500 youths who are now gainfully employed. In the area of sports, the  Okpekpe road race became an international event recognised by the International Athletics Federation. This has boosted the economy of local residents each time the event was hosted.

    Oshiomhole transformed the Ambrose Alli University at Ekpoma and made it a true citadel of learning. He  built and commissioned three lecture theatres, two world class laboratories for medical and sciences students, completion of the moot court that was abandoned in 1991,  the agriculture extension services department, the Fine and Applied Arts department, and the Building department while a European Union sponsored dam that was abandoned was resuscitated.  The monthly subvention of the University was increased from N100m to N250m even as many projects are still ongoing in the University. He equally increased the monthly subvention of other higher institutions in the state.

    When other oil producing states are owing workers salaries running into six months, Oshiomhole is not only paying salaries promptly, but he has almost completed building a brand new Edo State University located at Iyamo which can compete with any other university in the world. The administration supported the security agencies with funds, gadgets and vehicles to enable them discharge their functions properly and this drastically reduced crime rate in the state. There is massive transformation in the health sector as hospitals were upgraded and rehabilitated across the state while the multi million naira Central Hospital along Sapele Road in Benin is of international standard.

    Water has been provided all over Edo State through boreholes and this has greatly reduced water borne diseases. To ensure a solid foundation for strong institutions, the Bureau of Internal Revenue was strengthened, the Public Procurement Law was enacted and there was criminal justice reforms. In a bid to take as many unemployed youths as possible off the street through commercial agriculture, about 150 hectares of land was given to private investors to undertake commercial farming. The private investors who the government is monitoring as they do soil test, area mappping and clearing, will in turn employ Edo youths and train them in many areas of commercial farming. They will also man the tractors. This is the more reason why there should be continuity as this great idea should not be allowed to die if there is a change of government. This is what Ekiti State is suffering today when a hard-working and visionary governor was voted out.

    There is thus enough reasons why the electorate should ensure that Oshiomhole good works in the state continue through Obaseki who had been the head of the economic team in the last seven years attracting funds to the state while his running mate, Shuaibu a member of the House of Representatives representing Etsako Federal Constituency was a member of the Edo State House of Assembly who had  helped the government to stabilise the House of Assembly as the Majority Leader.

    Obaseki’s choice as a successor comes handy in this period of economic recession as he combines political value with the capacity  to manage resources in difficult times. This combination is good for continuity and there is no doubt that Edo people will be the gainers if they vote APC on September 10.

     

  • Conversation with Ojo Maduekwe (2)

    When at FRSC, we moved into the foreign Affairs building in 2012, and I sat on my chair for the first time, my Special Assistant remarked:“your former boss, Ojo Maduekwe used to sit on that very spot as Foreign Minister.”That realization that I was in the same room where you held sway as Ministerreally hit me. And when you visited a few months later, you said the same thing and prophetically added: “Osita, seeing you on that chair means you will be a Minister faster than I thought.”

    In fulfillment of that prophesy, I came to your house in July 2014 to seek your advice on the Presidential call to serve as a Minister. You gave me your blessing that night and I accepted the call the following day. In about one year, your prophesy came to pass.

    Our debate about life after death, reincarnation, advanced culture and low culture, the concept of soul, high music and low music and many more such topics would have become a little more clearer to you as you struggle to let us know, “I am not dead, I have only departed this life!” I can imagine you smiling and asking, “Osita nwannem, when will Africans think about monuments that outlives them?

    Now I have finally gone through your luggage and as I had expected, you bought books from Barnes and Noble of over $700. As usual, the breadth of your intellectual curiosity still amazes me. You bought 15 books and ordered some to be delivered!

    I remember our first trip to Washington DC; a city you made me to love, a few months after you assumed office as Minister of Transport. It was a global multi-modal conference on Transportation organized by then Transport Secretary Rodney Slater, whose friendship with you continued after both of you had left office. You were to speak on the topic of Livability Principle in Transportation. I was worried because we did not come with any speech from Nigeria and you were not a transport professional.

    To my amazement, hours before the event, you wrote a paper, which I typed and till date, I consider it your finest writing.I can see you smiling and wondering why I always refer to that particular speech. Yes I consider it your best speech both in content and style, because in that paper, you outlined your vision as transport Minister and spoke about reintroducing a bicycle culture to improve livability. That part of the paper caught the attention of the participants.

     Throughout my period with you as an Aide, you wrote ALL your speeches: You were almost obsessive with writing, and every sentence was a labour of craftsmanship. You were in awe of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was your guardian philosopher. You loved the robust language of Winston Churchill.

     During one of my visits to Ottawa, you bought tickets for everybody visiting to watch the Opera La Boheme, at the concert hall. It was a fitting gift to me as you always admired my love for classical music. You were a great fan of my classical music radio program at Aso radio in the early 2000s. As if that gift was not enough, we wentshopping.I can still hear you vividly saying, “Osita nwannem, I know you are a Corps Marshal, but I bu nwannemnta,” meaning,“you are my junior brother.” You bought jeans and those check shirts you liked to wear for me. You were a great dresser, bold and highly fashionable in your rebellious way.

    I still wear the green tie, pocket square and green socks you bought for me so I would look Ministerial in good suits. You combined colors and clothes in an avant-garde manner while retaining a classic look.We had a lot of to-dos on our list. You wanted to visit Auschwitz concentration camp after I told you of my life-changing visit. We planned to visit Vienna to see the opera Parsifal by Wagner. You were to read Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God again after watching it on stage at Obosi. You promised to learn from the mistakes of Ezeulu.

    Mekaria, how can I forget our visit to Prague in 2001 for the Global Conference on Anti-Corruption? You took the battle of anti-corruption serious. You sought to understand the theoretical underpinning of low corruption societies and institutions. In Prague, we visited Frank Kafka’s birthplace and Museum. We ate at the old town square and walked through the historic old town along Charles River. As we were walking through the restaurants, I saw one that was empty and entered. You laughed and advised me to always go to crowded restaurant as that was a vote of confidence and a guarantee the food will be fresh, at the least. That advice had remained helpful.

    Mekaria, many remember you with the famous statement “Igbo Presidency is Idiotic”. Many have asked me what happened? Why did he abuse his kinsmen? This is what happened. You had organized a fund raising event for your beloved Asaga community as part of your community development effort. The fight between you and then Governor of Abia, Orji Uzor Kalu was at its height and even led to speculation that he had advised the then Vice President Atiku Abubakar and members of his government not to attend the event. We never got conclusive evidence he did that. Anyway the event happened and you raised about seventy million Naira for the Asaga community. Part of which was used to complete the Town Hall at Asaga.

     On our way from Asaga to Abuja we flew via Lagos and impulsively, as usual, you decided to visit Thisday Newspaper which had  suffered a fire accident that destroyed its head office. On the way we saw a screaming headline on Tell Magazine “ Blood will Flow if…” By Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. In the interview he threatened war if Igbo Presidency failed in 2003 or something to that effect. You were livid because you knew that when push come to shove he will vote for Obasanjo, as he eventually did. You felt he was leading Igbos down a path, he had no intention of threading. That was the mood when we entered Thisday Newspapers.

    At Thisday, you were warmly received and the Publisher Nduka Obaigbena, called in his Editors and a mini interview ensued. You were asked “ what is your view about the agitation for Igbo Presidency”? You responded in one word “Idiotic”. The room froze. You then dead

    panned and  said “ because there is no Igbo Republic, we can only have a Nigerian  President of Igbo extraction”. Everybody laughed with relief, then Nduka said is this off record?  You said “no, publish it”.

    The following day all hell broke loose. The Abia State media machine went on overdrive and drew maximum political capital from a convenient use of the first part of the statement while ignoring the second part. The rest they say is history. You were reacting to the demagoguery of your political opponent and of course not abusing Igbos as they tried to depict the interview.

     Mekaria, you were a Biafran soldier, a batman to the famous Major Tim Onwuatuegwu. You were ready to lay down your life so that Igbos will live. As Minister of  Transport you engaged Albert Speer and Julius Berger to prepare the first Masterplan for Integrated Transport (MITI), you commissioned the 25 years Railway Masterplan that provided for the Calabar- Lagos Railway by TEAM Associates. That is the rail line that caused the brouhaha in the budget. It was brought to life by you.

    Mekaria, Interestingly, as I saw the map of the the Calabar – Lagos rail they had excluded the Igbo Heartland. The Rail was to go from Calabar – Arochukwu – Umuahia- Owerri – Onitsha – Asaba – Benin – Lagos. This would have meant the rail going through the densest part of the country assuring human and goods traffic. They changed it to a coastal rail moving through Bayelsa and Warri to Asaba with a spur to Onitsha. Again connecting sparse population and Seaports in Onne, Port Harcourt and Warri to Lagos Seaport, I hope to see the logic. Your plan to connect Igboland to their major trading post has been put on hold, from your vantage point in the beyond, pray for us.

    Mekaria, you moved against the entrenched interests in the Ports and won leading to the private sector participation in Port business now. You turned National Maritime Agency (NMA) into Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) by merging the Government Inspector of Shipping and National Maritime Agency.

    You brought the same untiring verve to Foreign Affairs with Citizen Diplomacy Andre Bi National Commission between Nigeria and United States of America. You worked tirelessly for  Bi National Commission between Nigeria and Canada. You propounded your theory of citizen centric diplomacy and practiced it as Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada.

    Mekaria, I have to pause this conversation as we prepare to travel to Ohafia to lay your earthly cloak to Mother Earth. On Saturday Asaga’s soil, what you use to call the “ultimate real estate” will yet again swallow the remains of a great man, an original thinker, a great mentor, a friend, a humanist, a public servant per excellence, a husband to Ucha, a father to Ulari, Ugwuji, Uma, Ukiwe, a grandfather to Chigozie and Oluchi, a true Ohafia Son, a Presbyterian Elder, a proud Igbo Man, a believer in the Nigerian project, a global citizen, a Man of culture and the ultimate renaissance Man. Mekaria off I go to Ohafia the conversation will continue in another dimension beyond space and time where you said we shall drink the new wine.

    • Concluded
    • Chidoka, a former Minister of Aviation, was an aide to the late Maduekwe

  • Obaseki’s edge as Edo governorship election beckons

    Oshiomhole is nearing the completion of his second tenure. The achievements of this transformational and revolutionary leader resonate through the entire length of the state and beyond. He has proved himself worthy of people’s trust. His administration readily comes up for mention among performing states that are changing the face of the country.

    However, the outgoing administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomole has lessened the burden of choice by providing the dividends of good governance by which any incoming administration would no doubt be assessed. He has, in the past eight years, bought into the efficiency of the private sector as the engine of growth in any economy. The people of Edo State need someone who will sustain the tempo of development in the state after Oshiomole.

    Looking at the profile of Godwin Obaseki, he stands out as the leader and most experienced administrator and manager of men and resources. Obaseki is a notable man of integrity and principle in the Nigerian corporate world. He is a detribalised Nigerian. This is because he has worked with, been with, and in his corporate leadership world, being virtually part of the part of the parts of Nigeria.

    This integrity and competence combination made him to serve on the presidential committee on the reform of the Nigerian pension system. He also served on the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission Committee on the activation of the Nigerian Board Market and the review of the investment and securities act. He served as a member of the Nigeria Stock Exchange Council between 2006 and 2009. Hence, it was not a surprise to me when he became the flag bearer of the APC in the September 10, 2016 governorship election.

    In my own opinion, between him and the PDP candidate, he stands out due to his past record. He has the capacity to transform Edo State into one that would be worthy of emulation. Obaseki, with God on your side, you have won. Obaseki is in his 50s. His vision is unaided and his memory is amazingly sharp; a reason Oshiomhole speaks highly of him. A lot of people close to him has spoken of his resilience in getting things done, and his family’s name has opened several doors for him.

    His experience, competence, exposure, sincerity, tenacity of purpose and connections put him on a pedestal higher than that of his opponent. As far as I’m concerned, Oshiomhole has discovered a light for us that have been destined to take Edo State to the next level. If he wins the election, he will bring about rapid development in Edo State. He has spoken of working out meaningful human capacity skills to make entrepreneurship a way of life for the people of Edo State.

    Obaseki’s long-term vision is to put in place and industrialised society that would depend less and less on oil revenue. He said recently that he would open up the rural regions for agro-allied business which had in the past been ignored in favour of oil. But Obaseki is looking ahead beyond the present era of dependence on oil revenue as he hopes to train the citizens of Edo to settle for cottage industries.

    Obseki believes that to deliver on his plan to diversify the economy for industrial development, the people need to be trained in new skills. It is not enough to have the industries, there is the need to have a well-trained manpower. This will perhaps explain why Dr. Prosper O. T. Obaseki a.k.a Teddi Seki, the entrepreneurship guru, acknowledged the fact that Godwin Obaseki’s outstanding qualities have always been there since his secondary school days. So as he waits for the electorate to give him the mandate at the ballot next week, Edo will become a prosperous and highly industrialised state far surpassing what he will inherit from Oshiomole. His going to Osadebey House will only expand the frontiers, because leadership drives anticipation.

    Accordingly, when it comes to looking for a personality that can turn things around, the lot falls on him, because as an economic adviser in Oshiomhole’s administration, he has contributed to attracting a lot of development to the state, and he is one of the pillars behind Oshiomole.

    At this juncture, I must give a lot of credit to Oshiomhole for giving us Obaseki. Normally, it is easy for people seeking political office to say, Iwill do A, B, C and Z. His antecedents have shown the capacity to achieve certain development agendas. He has the capacity, which is verifiable, based on what he has done in the past. So it becomes easier to say this is what he will do now.

    So, as we do the run up to September the 10 election, Edo will do well to be on its guard. I foresee very strong forces of darkness trying to destabilise the state. It is all part of the deadly ambition to capture Edo.

  • Niger Delta and PMB’s diplomacy

    The tension and uncertainty in the Niger Delta caused by recent violent attacks against oil installations and facilities in the area by resurgent militancy has created doubts about the diplomacy and peace-making ability of President Muhammadu Buhari. In the minds of some people mostly detractors of the President and even ordinary Nigerians whose views are coloured by the prevailing and excruciating hardship in the country, the President is seen as something of a war-monger. This however, is far from the truth.

    President Buhari’s attitude, posturing and utterances about the Niger Delta situation is affected by the fact that as a lover of Nigeria, who is pained by the sorry state of the nation, the anti- corruption crusader finds it difficult to make the link between any form of agitation for restitution for wrongs done any group, with the destruction and damage of national infrastructure especially those that benefit everyone let alone, infrastructure and national property sited in those parts of the country from where the agitations are coming.

    Yet another reason why PMB is perhaps piqued with the militants and for which reason, he loses his cool, is because as a young man, he was a participant in a brutal civil war that led to the death of several thousands of Nigerians and many years after, some people are taking steps that could lead to a repeat of that experience. Happily, there are several voices of caution coming from Nigerians of all walks of life prescribing and urging restraint on all sides to the Niger Delta problem and demanding for dialogue.

    This writer would like to appeal to our fellow country people in the creeks of the Niger Delta, to give peace a chance and not further compound the present economic downturn that has hit Nigeria hard with a recession. No doubt, the Niger Delta and indeed other parts of Nigeria has not been fairly treated over the years by successive governments but the way to go is not to make prosperity and governance impossible through violence and confrontation with the government. It should be noted that the problems of neglect affecting the Niger Delta today, strictly speaking, is not PMB’s doing, but the summation of poor and irresponsible governance over the years. PMB is now at the receiving end of demands for restitution because governance and government is a continuum; the onus is on the government of the moment to be held responsible. Nonetheless, restitution and justice in our society cannot come overnight and there is not so much a government, any government can do in the short space of a year and a few months of a four-year mandate! Thus the best approach is peace and dialogue and the willingness to allow a spirit of give and take.

    On the side of the government however, it is important that the latter eschews sending uncertain and ambiguous signals as well as make utterances that do not promote trust, confidence and the foundation for fruitful dialogue. One expects the body language of President Buhari on the Niger Delta issue and the agitation by separatists in the South-east to be one that shows that the President believes in the unity of Nigeria and is prepared as leader of the nation, to deploy his best endeavours to build consensus and defeat the pull of centrifugalism in the polity.

    This writer challenges the President who clearly is a passionate nationalist to employ and deploy the body language that is changing the ethics and values of Nigerians in the fight against corruption and in his diplomatic endeavours to apply to domestic issues so that the unity of the country will be embedded in the hearts and minds of Nigerians and not something that depends on threats and the ability of the Nigerian Army to enforce. Such unity cannot stand and would be tenuous at best. Being an elderly and wise man, the President can do this and score excellent results the way he has been able to charm the international community to buy into his anti-corruption campaign and desire to elevate and diversify the nation’s economy away from oil.

    The Niger Delta problem cannot be resolved by military action. Recently,   retired Colonel Abubakar Umar was on point on this. Of course it is right for the President to say that if the militants currently engaged in economic sabotage fail to embrace peace, the government would have no option but to use violence. The government however should be wary of sending signals that it prefers a showdown by goading the militants into confrontation. The point is that in a real military encounter, the nations’ army would surely overwhelm any group of armed persons no matter how well armed, they are. In the process of engaging them militarily, two things would happen; one, the option of dialogue would have been foreclosed giving the impression that the channels of conflict resolution in the polity is weak or non-existent and that the parties are now implacable enemies and second, in seeking to teach the militants a lesson, the nation’s army would inflict more damage and destruction on the economic infrastructure of the nation through aerial bombardment thus committing a similar crime like the militants. In this connection, the militants would have succeeded in provoking the government to cause more devastation with its own hands. Bearing in mind that the militants are not the government, the present administration would still be saddled with the unpleasant task of embarking on reconstruction of these facilities, or a successor government would be tasked with the unpleasant and expensive assignment. On a balance this would extend and deepen the woes of the nation which military force was intended to deal with. It should be noted that since after the civil war, more than 40 years ago, the South-east which suffered most from that war in terms of destruction of lives, properties and infrastructure is still yearning and waiting for reconstruction, rehabilitation and restitution. The country cannot successfully tread the same part again on the Niger Delta issue.

    Nigerians who watched proceedings and read reports of the outing of the country at the recent Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi, Kenya last week, were full of pride at the performance and conduct of President Buhari. As the leading salesperson of the country, PMB did very well and won Nigeria not only admiration but many friends. The Nairobi conference sponsored by the Japanese government showed the Nigerian leader as a confident diplomat and crowd puller and has reinforced the successes and expectations of his earlier foreign trips in quest of foreign help in the area of investments, capital inflow, repatriation of stolen assets and monies of the country, and the fight against terrorism.

    Following the above, it cannot be said that such a magnet in international circles, PMB cannot apply the same charm that has yielded pledges of cooperation and assistance from World leaders to the domestic arena in dealing with manifestations of discontent to give the nation the peace, unity and harmony it desperately needs to overcome its present challenges.

     

    • Okoroma, a Public Affairs Analyst writes from Abuja.

  • Fashola: ‘Power belongs to God’

    Babatunde Raji Fashola, the amiable former governor of Lagos state and the man whom President Muhammad Buhari has saddled with the enormous responsibility of overseeing three critical ministries of Works, Housing and Power, was in Ilorin, Kwara State this penultimate week.

    For me, it was an opportunity to meet once again, a man with whom I had worked closely with while in Lagos and serving as the chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in that unique state of aquatic splendour. And from the interactions, it was evident that BRF, as he was to be eventually branded by the people of Lagos, has not changed much; particularly in terms of his commitment to working things out, literally drawing out water from the rocks. He has grown older, of course he has advanced in age but this type of ‘growing older’ is the one facilitated by exposure to the pressure of work, work and work. And when you notice that the man has been much traduced by political naysayers; when you consider the weight of opposition that accompanied his emergence as a federal minister and the burden that has been placed on his shoulder; you can only commend him for how far he has gone.

    Let me share this: there is this cartoon that went viral some months back. It was a drawing of President Buhari and BRF. Buhari, ever to the point, faced his Minister of Power and asked, ‘Fashola, what happened to Power?” Well, if you expect the Minister to answer the way a former IGP answered an almost similar question when the then Military President, Ibrahim Babangida asked, “my friend, where is Anini?”, then you got it wrong. Trust the Nigerian sense for the comical, BRF, in that cartoon, simply replied his boss: Power Belongs to God!

    Yes, power belongs to God. He gives and takes it from whom He wills. It is a message that celebrates the essential BRF.

    But beyond the theological, that cartoon encounter also exposes the kind of pressure that has come to bear on the minister. His boss, the President, wants results and he needs results because that is the gauge people would use to measure his performance in office. And if there is one area where Nigeria looks for urgent results, it is in the area of power.

    And to be candid, Fashola has been up and doing since he assumed office only that as the Yoruba would aptly put it, the hen’s feather would not allow anyone to notice that bird also sweats.  During his visit to Kwara, BRF visited my boss, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. And from the report he gave to the governor; he submitted a DVD report, uncommon in this clime;   we only need to extend our hands of support to the man in order to achieve what he has set out before him.

    According to Fashola, if you live in Kwara or have had reason to pass through the federal road called Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa, going to the north, you will know that travellers spend weeks, at times, before getting to their destinations, yet that road is a very important strategic road for agriculture. Statistically, Fashola said on daily basis, not less than 5,000 trucks pass through that road and about 18,000 small vehicles. Imagine having even only 500 trucks and 2,000 smaller vehicles stranded on a road on a single day. Yet that has been the experience which the Federal Government is committed to change, according to the report from BRF.

    That section of the national road was his first port of call upon landing in Kwara. Now with contractors back to site for repair and rehabilitation, the time spent on the road has drastically reduced. And that is the beauty of democracy, as the minister himself said it:”This is what democracy really means to those people. That is why they voted so that one day a journey of an hour will no longer take them one week.

    He also talked about efforts in the power sector. Let me quote him: “The only matter that I’m sure interests and concern the people of Kwara State as it does other parts of Nigeria is power. We have set out a very simple roadmap where we have identified the problem. We don’t have enough power as a country, so we must get more. So, the first leg is incremental power. The second leg is to stabilize power and the third leg is uninterrupted power. The first leg is largely everybody’s responsibilities. It’s the responsibility of the government and the responsibility of the citizens. So we are expanding opportunities for power; we are signing solar agreement; we are starting solar project; we are looking for power from coal; we are trying to resolve the gas issues; we are developing more hydro capacity. Right now, most power we are using is coming from the hydro power plants and we are going against the odds from about 2,000 to about 3,500 megawatts.

    “Yes it is true that the rains have helped, that’s what hydro energy is about; more water means more power and off peak when there is no water there is less power, because that is the energy that drives the electrical parts of the generating plant. But what is unsaid is the fact about maintenance, repairs that we started which has improved the amount of energy that we can get from those hydro plants. Before now, even though the rains were there, we couldn’t get more energy. Now we are getting more energy because we are fixing turbines, we are maintaining parts; we are getting close to 400 extra megawatts from those hydro plants, which was not there to be taken last year.  We are also talking to the gas people; the communities that are angry, and when all of that come together and we merge that with the gas outage which is about 3,000 megawatts, the prospect for more reliable and increase power clearly lies ahead. And I know those communities will not be angry forever.”

    Power belongs to God. But he has allowed BRF to be in charge of generating and supplying electricity to Nigerians under the current government. And from his accounts, he is walking the talk, as the ruling party promised during electioneering campaign. Right now what the minister needs is our prayers and support to make his efforts in the works and power sectors successful.

    BRF needs to be commended for creating synergies between state governments and the federal seat. For instance, Governor Ahmed made the minister to realise that “in 16 years, the visit by BRF was the first time a federal minister would sit down to discuss issues of road and power with the state”. An excited Ahmed said while responding to the progress report from Fashola: “This is the first time any representative of the federal ministry of works will come and sit with us, review the status of our road and work out strategic ways to get them to the levels that will be beneficial to us and the economy. We’re very excited and are happy. We thank you so much for this”.

     

    • Oba writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.