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  • Borno’s black Saturday: 11 yrs after

    Let me from the start make it clear that I am writing this feature from a dual position. First as a writer and then as the Chairman of the Committee of the Affected Victims of the February 18, 2006 sectarian riot whose memories rather than abate are in the upward trend even after over a decade of the unfortunate incident. This is more so when the event is strongly perceived as the fore runner of the current Boko Haram insurgency now ravaging the North East of the country.  February 18,2016 marked the eleventh year of the Borno Black Saturday, the day the sanctity of man was defiled, veil of peace torn asunder and the Borno philosophy of “Home of Peace and Hospitality” shattered to “Home of Pieces and Hostility”.

    The day will not just go. The memories are always there. They are memories of sadness, memories of misgivings, memories of injustice, memories of man’s inhumanity to man and memories of promise made and promise broken.

    February 18, 2006 will not just go. It was the day Borno State of Nigeria re-enacted or replayed the “Sharpeville Massacre” of the notorious regime of apartheid South Africa. It was the day a very dark cloud of smoke accompanied by dead silence hung over the city of Maiduguri. It was the smoke of the burning of bodies of our innocent brothers, sisters, children, husbands, wives, churches, homes, stores, cars and other valuables. It was the day when in a twinkling of an eye Maiduguri recorded unprecedented numbers of orphans, widows, widowers and refugees in various parts of Maiduguri with no place to lay their heads and nothing to eat. The day was indeed a reminder of what Shakespeare called the “architecture of ruins”.

    It was a black Saturday indeed, especially for the Christian community of Maiduguri metropolis and the entire Christian community in Borno State and indeed for men of conscience. The black Saturday will not just go because the blood of the innocent souls that perished has constituted a nightmare to the authors, sponsors and mentors of this bloody carnival and the murderers who murdered the innocent sleep “will sleep no more.”

    The black Saturday refused to go and is raising more questions than answers, especially to erstwhile Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who was on ground and indeed a living witness to this dastardly act on the fateful day and pledged to compensate the innocent victims of this unprovoked attack but swallowed his words. He prevaricated with the lame excuse that he was waiting for federal government’s financial assistance until he left office.

    Talking of the dark clouds of silence that hung on Maiduguri on the black Saturday reminds one of the visit of Pope Benedict VI in May (2006) to Auschwitz. This place (Auschwitz) was a concentration camp in Poland during the Second World War where millions of Jews were gassed to death by the Nazis. In an emotion laden speech, Pope Benedict declared: “To speak in this place of horror, in this place where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man is always impossible . . . in a place like this, words fail, in the end, there can only be a dead silence, a silence which is itself a heartfelt cry to God: why Lord did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this? How many questions arise in this place! Constantly, the question comes up: where was God in those days? Why was He silent? How could He permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil”.

    February 18, 2006 means  different things to different people. To many outside Borno State, it was a normal day that started well and ended well. But to the people of Borno State, especially the inhabitants of Maiduguri, the state capital, it was a day of comedy to some. It was a day of tragedy to some; it was a day of triumph to some; it was a day of misfortunes to some; to some, it was day of defeat and to some, it was a day heaven came crumbling. To the victims of February 18, 2006 who were mostly Christians, it was a day of baptism by fire and a day the Satan was let loose, ran amok and wreak havoc.

    This day, a group of insignificant elements with deep rooted prejudices against the Christendom and acting on strict directives of their alleged devilish inspired sponsors or mentors unleashed on innocent souls an unprecedented holocaust. And before the shout of Jack Robinson, Maiduguri was neck deep in inferno, bloodletting, man’s inhumanity to man, terrorism, looting, arson and to say the least barbarism. It was a grand design conspiracy carefully thought, carefully planned, carefully mapped out, carefully directed and meticulously executed. The action was spontaneous and exact in all the areas affected.

    Apart from the incalculable damage to property and other valuables, the gruesome murder of innocent souls occurred in many residential compounds.

    There were conflicting figures on the number of causalities and extent of destruction. For example, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno State Chapter, 56 churches were destroyed, while residences, shops/restaurants, hotels and offices, numbering about 100 were razed and about 100 souls perished.

    But, according to the chairman of the state government high powered committee of inquiry into the incident, Ambassador Ahmad Baba Jidda, the Secretary to the Borno State Government, “35 residences were destroyed, 52 churches were burnt down, 14 shops raised and vandalized, seven hotels were also raised and three offices, including a library was destroyed”.

    The committee also said:”21 persons were confirmed killed, 61 others sustained various injuries and were treated and discharged, 254 suspects were arrested during the mayhem, out of which 176 were released on bail and 76 have cases to answer”. According to Ambassador Jidda, 16 memoranda were received from individuals and organizations. The Jidda committee put the cost of the property destroyed at N1, 446,145,735.00.

     

    Delivering a paper at the EYN Church on February 18, 2007 at Wulari, Maiduguri, as the guest speaker at the one-year memorial service on February 18, 2006 sectarian riot, Reverend   Dr.   Mathew   Man-Oso   Ndagoso   regretted   the insensitivity of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff to the plight of the victims of the unfortunate incident. He noted that it was sad to note that after the governor had pledged several times to compensate the victims, he went back on his words. The reverend warned on the consequences of the repeat of February 18 episode.

    Today, after over a decade and in spite of passionate appeals from well- meaning Nigerians, including traditional rulers, clerics and statesmen, to the authority for compensation to the victims, the dark cloud of silence that hung over Maiduguri Black Saturday subsists and will not go as it awaits justice and fair play.

     

    • Victor Izekor, a public affairs commentator, writes from Maiduguri at victorizekor@gmail.com

  • When Osinbajo acted as President

    Last week, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had the opportunity to act as President in the absence of substantive President Muhammadu Buhari, who had attended, in London, an international conference on Syria. After the meeting, Buhari stayed back to enjoy a six-day holiday, during which period it was speculated he would also undergo medical check-up. The short holiday ended last Wednesday and the president returned, preparatory to resuming work the next day Thursday February 11.

    There are two sharply divergent ways of seeing the short stay of Osinbajo at the helms, the first since this government mounted the saddle on May 29, 2015. One is to see the vice-president as having creditably discharged the onerous duties of the top job of president without scandals and or controversies trailing him. He did not rock the boat; meaning that he could be expected to continue to enjoy the confidence and support of his boss. This way, the president will not be afraid to step out again in future and leave his second-in-command in charge. There had been instances of bosses being unable to go on holidays because they were not sure what to expect from their deputy. There also had been cases of Ogas who attempted to trust their deputy but had to hurriedly cut their leave short to snatch power back and restore parity, as it were. A seamless operation, the type that we witnessed last week between Buhari and Osinbajo, could be evidence that both men run “One Presidency” and that the line of authority is clearly defined and respected by all. It could also mean that the president is minded to follow the constitutional order as opposed to the hideous practice of presidents and governors who side-track their deputy to hand over power to trusted commissioner, Chief of Staff or even their spouses! This is why many deputy governors have been described as glorified errand boys or spare tyres that are hardly utilised by many governors. Personally, I have witnessed situations where a governor travelled outside but effectively transferred power to the Secretary to the State Government or someone else while the substantive deputy governor was left in the lurch.

    Another way of assessing the vice-president’s performance in his six days as acting Number One, however, is to say that it was not only drab but also uneventful. I am not aware of any important statement made by Osinbajo in the six days he was in charge, if, truly, he was in charge. Or was this another make-believe, the kind Williams Shakespeare called “all sounds and fury, signifying nothing”? Except that the news media carried the report that Osinbajo was acting president, no one would have known that he was. He did not “shake” anything; he did not even assert or announce himself. What could the matter be? Timidity or was the man not sure of himself? Is it that there was nothing he would have loved to do differently if he were the president? Perhaps, he was minded not to rock the boat, reasoning that one good turn deserves another. Because while he was away, the president still made all the news form far-away London, hugging the headlines while the acting president carried on incognito back at home. No single important statement that caught anybody’s attention from the Acting President. He should have put a phone call through to Alexander Haig, the egregious Secretary of State to the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. When Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981 and was wheeled into hospital for surgery, Haig wasted no time in announcing “I am now in charge!” – even though he was not the vice-president who, constitutionally, was the prescribed authority to step in for the injured US president! While no sane person expects Osinbajo, a Pentecostal pastor and level-headed pro-democracy activist, to filibuster, there are those who still felt that he should have ignited some “action” rather than allow drabness becloud a whole six days at the helms of affairs.

    Well, I have only tried to argue the motion for and against; like we used to do in school debate. Readers, feel free to take your choice! There is, however, something good for all of us to take away from what happened: That Buhari not only went on holiday and handed over the reins of power to his deputy, he also did the constitutionally right thing by transmitting a letter to the National Assembly to that effect. In other words, he left no one in doubt that he trusted his second-in-command to actually act as president; he also tied the loose ends. This was what the late President Umaru Yar’Adua failed/neglected or was unable to do as a result of his illness before he was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment that threw the country into avoidable constitutional crisis. Yar’Adua’s inability to transmit a letter to the National Assembly informing it of his trip outside the country and stating unambiguously that the then vice-president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, would act in his absence, created a lacuna that was exploited for selfish reasons by enemies of our renascent democracy. The political class dithered and the ship of state floundered before it was rescued by a last-minute “doctrine of necessity” crafted by the Senate to smuggle Jonathan into office as acting president. Buhari, therefore, acted well. Our democracy is growing and we are learning useful lessons.

    In presidential systems that have matured, there is no controversy about the vice president stepping-in in the absence, for whatever reason, of the president. According to Wikipedia, eight United States of America presidents have so far died in office (four were assassinated and four died of natural causes). In all cases, including that of a president who spent only one month in office, “the VP took over the office of the presidency as part of the United States presidential line of succession”. In cases where presidents had to resign, as in the Watergate scandal, the V-P had also taken over. In the case of the failed assassination attempt on Reagan mentioned earlier, the person who stepped in was not the loquacious Haig but the then VP, George H.W. Bush. The VP is very important in the US presidential system – and that is how it should be in all presidential systems properly so-called. He is not an unused spare tyre that no one need bother about. Indeed, he is seen as “president-in-waiting” or alternate president because they know he would step in once the president for whatever reason is unable to continue in office. So, careful considerations are always given to who is chosen to be VP. Candidates as well as political parties expend great efforts in making this choice because the electorate also considers the suitability of the VP to function in the office of president when electing a president. As our own presidential system matures, this should be the sure way to tread. A presidential (and governorship?) ticket is not complete without a running mate. Like the famous African-American politician, Jesse Jackson, once said, “a bird needs two wings to fly”.

  • Ugwuanyi’s grassroot initiatives

    As Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State strives tirelessly to advance development in the state in spite of the current economic challenges which have drastically afected the state’s revenue, it is imperative to understand the present predicament to be able to appreciate the governor’s painstaking efforts towards good governance.

    Oil prices have slumped by more than 70 per cent over the past 19 months; today, it is down to barely $30 per barrel. The resultant crash in revenue has impacted negatively on the economic indices of countries like Nigeria and Venezuela  that depend  heavily on oil sales.

    It is well known that Enugu State is third from the bottom on the federation account allocation chart. Not only that, it is a predominantly civil service state with plethora of needs ranging from provision of social services, advancement of infrastructural development and other essential amenities that guarantee the security and welfare of the people, especially those at the grassroots.

    In view of the current harsh economic situation in the country and in the context of the daunting task before our leaders who are painstakingly working round the clock to surmount the challenges, one is compelled to align oneself to the popular view that this is not the best of times to be a governor of a state or occupy an exalted office in the country.

    But, a look at the pace of development in Enugu State since Governor Ugwuanyi assumed office, his eight-month scorecard and commitment towards the advancement of good governance, despite the negative trend in the nation’s economy, goes a long way to prove that in Enugu, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

    The governor’s landmark achievements in the areas of roads construction, education, rural development, healthcare delivery, investment promotion, agriculture, human empowerment, workers’ entitlements, provision of other basic amenities, among others, speak volume and can better be appreciated in the context of the present economic reality.

    Through vision, innovation, selfless service and absolute faith in God, Ugwuanyi has kept his promise to pay special attention to rural development where majority of the people reside. This bold initiative is borne out of the governor’s desire to take good governance closer to the door steps of the people at the grassroots in order to give them a sense of belonging as well as create fresh economic opportunities that would reduce pressure on Enugu metropolis.

    It is pertinent to note that the first project Governor Ugwuanyi executed immediately after his inauguration, was the 15km Inter-Town-Connection (ITC) 2.5MVA Injection Sub-Station at Ezi-Nze in Udi Local Government Area which provides electricity to communities across Udi, Uzo-Uwani and Igbo-Etiti Local Government Areas of the state. The project which was in keeping with his administration’s rural development initiatives, will also supply power to the Adada Dam project and open up business activities in these communities. Upon completion, the dam will power the greater Nsukka Water Scheme that has also been in the proverbial pipeline for decades.

    Recently, the governor in a bid to fast-track the on-going roads construction, mostly in the rural areas, mobilized the contractors handling the projects with a marching order to deliver quality jobs within the stipulated contract period. He had also embarked on unscheduled inspection tour of the sites to assess their performance, and reassure the people of his administration’s commitment to deliver on his campaign promises in spite of the economic downturn.

    It is worthy of note that the progress report of the over eight road projects simultaneously on-going in the state is impressive as the construction companies are in advanced stages of earthworks, concrete and pavement works.

    On water supply, Governor Ugwuanyi during a fact-finding tour of the water facilities in some remote villages in the state recently, had declared that he will now spend more time on the field than in the office as that is a better way he can feel the impulse of the people and ascertain the true position of things.

    In an effort to ensure effective supply of potable water to the people of the state, especially those in the rural areas, the governor through the state executive council recently approved the release of the sum of N100 million to the state Water Corporation to enable it carry out repairs and maintenance work on some broken down facilities at its Enugu and Nsukka water supply schemes.

    Although the governor’s determination to fulfill his campaign promises to the fullest is being weighed down by the lean resource inflow across the country, kudos should go to his administration for its vision, managerial instinct, steadfastness and undaunted spirit in provision of the basic needs of the people.

    At a time like this, it is imperative to note that what the governor needs in return is the maximum cooperation of the people to enable him tackle the present economic challenges through viable people-oriented policies that would not only engender sustainable economic growth but also propel the process of good governance for the people to reap the full benefits of democracy.

    It is therefore, incumbent on the newly inaugurated Local Government Area caretaker committee chairmen and their executives to raise their performance bar as well as key in expeditiously into the new ethos of leadership and development trajectory of the present administration in Enugu State.

    As the State Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and Committee Chairman of Enugu East Local Government Area, Prince Cornelius Nnaji recently stated during the inauguration of members of his executive, which has equally taken place in other Local Government Areas of the state, “our governor has laid a solid foundation that is grassroots-oriented for us to build on as grassroots soldiers in the third tier of government. He has kept faith with his promise to give special attention to rural development and bring good governance closer to our people”.

    ”We at the helm of affairs of the 17 Local Government Areas, therefore, reassure our visionary governor of our maximum support to his grassroots development initiatives aimed at ameliorating the suffering of the people; the electorate, whom he (governor) described as the true heroes of democracy for defying rain and sunshine to ensure that their votes were counted during the last general elections. We must work hard to deliver in our various Local Government Areas so that his vision for the state will be fully actualized”.

    In view of the above, there is no doubt that Governor Ugwuanyi has through his grassroots development initiatives proved that as far as the progress of Enugu State is concerned; as far as the welfare of the people is concerned and despite the hydra-headed economic meltdown which the country is confronted with, he still remains committed to his solemn pledge to render selfless service and work tirelessly towards giving the people of the state quality leadership.

    The onus is therefore, on the people to continue to give his administration the needed support to sustain the current tempo of governance and take Enugu State, in spite of the present economic challenges.

    • Amokewritesfrom Enugu.
  • 2016 budget ridicules anti-graft war

    2016 budget ridicules anti-graft war

    Those who mangled the 2016 budget proposal, now before the National Assembly, had one other major intention, apart from hoping to massively defraud Nigerians. That other intention was to bring the entire anti-corruption war, championed by President Muhammadu Buhari, to a complete disrepute. By padding the proposed costs of items and services, directly beneficial to the president’s office, among several others, they intended to cast a depressing slur, on the personal integrity of Mr President; which if it sticks, could completely derail the anti-corruption war, and in the long run, bring PMB’s entire presidency, to a dishonourable denouement.

    Until the saboteurs are found and punished, how can the presidency justify budgeting a whopping N3.8 billion, for the state-house medical centre, with several hundreds of millions for building a new VIP wing, and for medical supplies? Unless the culprits own up, and clearly distance themselves from the presidency, how can a presidency which has vowed to kill corruption before it kills Nigeria, budget a dubious N213 million to link cables within the precincts of Aso Rock, or the other asinine N618 million proposal, to install electrical lightning and fittings within the presidential villa, or even the clearly insane plan, to spend N909 million to acquire and maintain brand new automobiles, in one fiscal year, for the presidency, when many states and even the federal government are owing salaries, to some of their workers?

    To salvage the integrity of his presidency, which has been dented, PMB should quickly seek out all the officials, involved in this betrayal, and publicly and adequately punish them. Unfortunately, he may still have to rely on those who may be neck deep, in the show of shame, and they can simply point his attention in other directions. PMB must however realise, that some of his most ardent admirers, throughout his long years of struggle to become the president, may not share in his messianic zeal, to return Nigeria to the path of sanity, otherwise how can his core team, allow the fraudulent 2016 budget proposal, which is programmed to be an embarrassment to PMB’s greatest credential?

    Talking of PMB’s economic team, may I respectfully inform Mr President, that many Nigerians believe that, either he has no economic team, or what he considers his economic team are grossly incompetent? Even a layman, can see that both the macro and micro economic policies, including the budget, have not been given adequate attention, like security and anti-corruption. While the monetary policies changes without notice, as they say, like the British weather; the living standards of an average Nigerian is in dire straits, and this is made worse by inflationary pressure on essential goods, even when there is paucity of disposable income.

    Take the occupiers of the front-offices, of PMB’S economic team. First, the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, acts completely out-of-depth in the Central Bank. So far, he has not been able to envision a new macroeconomic policy, to rejuvenate the doddering national economy. His exchange rate policy, to stem dubious capital flight, unfortunately has not positively affected the exchange rate. Furthermore, there is no monetary policy to reflate the economy, for instance, through accelerated mortgage lending, low interest rate funds, for manufacturers and the agricultural sector, or indeed any other sectoral lending-preferences, to galvanise entrepreneurship.

    Yet, while assuming responsibility, as Governor of Central Bank, in 2014, Emefiele had boasted, “Under my leadership, the bank will continue to focus on maintaining exchange rate stability and preserve the value of the domestic currency”. He had also raised the hope of Nigerians, when he said, “With an annual additional 1.8 million Nigerians to the labour pool, the Central Bank cannot afford to sit idly by and concentrate on price and monetary stability”, but instead, he promised, “additional measures would be required towards identifying productive sectors of the economy and channel credit towards these sectors, while imposing proper monitoring and performance measures in order to ensure that goals of increased employment and poverty reduction are maintained”.

    Another key underperformer is the finance minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun. A finance minister is supposed to have a commanding overview of the national economy, and so should be in a position to explain the game plan to Nigerians. She should be in a position to help Mr President, articulate his vision into economic plans, determine a programme of action, set achievable timelines, source the funding, and be the main salesperson of the programme. The minister should also have an overall handle, not necessarily control, of the entire sectoral action-plan, and this would involve knowing and helping to articulate the plans of the ministries, so as to be able to gauge and explain their interwoven impact, on our nation’s gross domestic product. So far, Mrs Adeosun hasn’t shown the capacity for that high office.

    The other minister who obviously has performed below par, so far, is the Minister for Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma (SAN). I hope Mr President has given him a query, to explain how our national budget has become an object of ridicule, and market-place gossip, arising from the gross negligence of his ministry, even on minor details, that even a clerk should have detected. In fairness to the learned silk, I doubt if his legal training prepared him for the odious task of preparing a fresh budget-template, after the 16 years of yearly “authority-stealing”, as the late inimitable icon, Fela, would appropriately tag our national budgets, in the past years. Unfortunately, under Udoma’s guide, the 2016 budget has more than anything, sought to situate the present government, as part of the old brigands.

    Interestingly, last week, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Fatima Nana Mede, inaugurated the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) for the formalization of the first phase of the development of the Medium Term Success Strategic Plan (MTSS 2016-2020). According to the PS, “As you are aware, the development of the National Development Plan is the core mandate of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, which is expected to drive the change agenda of the present administration”. She also informed Nigerians, that “experience has shown that the implementation of credible medium term plan is critical to the success of any country”, adding that “several emerging nations are adopting development plans as basis for improving their economies”. PMB must ensure that it is not the same team that supervised the 2016 budget that is working on the MTSS 2016 -2020.

    Nigerians acknowledge PMB’s odyssey in public service, so far. Clearly, he is not among the thieving elites that have turned our budget-cycle into a casino, with an open-secret winning number, shared among themselves. To clear-up the present debacle, Nigerians expect the President as a matter of urgent national importance, to thoroughly investigate the 2016 Budget mess, and punish those found culpable. PMB should also empanel an efficient economic team, to help him navigate the stormy waters of our failed national economy. While it is true that the departed buccaneers of the fallen Peoples Democratic Party share the major blame for our present economic morass, I doubt if the suffering masses, will continue to accept that fact, for their pernicious sufferings.

  • Presidential Vacationing

    A subtle but historical shift occurred lately in the application of our country’s laws. It seemed negligible, but it was significant as a test of new provisions of the Constitution following from a challenging national experience. Nigeria now has the record of a sitting president submitting power momentarily to go on vacation, in line with extant laws. President Muhammadu Buhari penultimate weekend took out a six-day vacation, upon which he transmitted power to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to “perform the functions of the President” in his absence. A statement by the Presidency said he had sent a letter to the leadership of the National Assembly in line with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic, as Amended.

    Nigeria’s history of self-governance had no precedent of this momentary transfer of power. Not under the military who ruled omnipresently like the ‘Big Brother’ in George Orwell’s 1984 – not even when self-styled military President Ibrahim Babangida stayed weeks away from the country for his famous radiculopathy surgery in France; and not since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999. I have no recollection of former President Olusegun Obasanjo ceding power momentarily to Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for any reason during his first term, even though he retreated often to his Ota farmhouse for vacationing when he was not trotting the globe on solilateral or multilateral linkages; and certainly not during his second term when he would rather not have Atiku in office as vice-president. The constitutional crisis occasioned by the late President Umar Yar’Adua not transmitting power even in death throes is still raw in memory, and actually compelled amendment of the Nigerian Constitution to plug an embedded gap; and former President Goodluck Jonathan who was the immediate beneficiary of that amendment never once ceded power to take a break. For these leaders, vacations, when they hazarded one, were mere ‘staycations’ during which they held tight the reins of power.

    President Buhari took a different tack when he submitted power to Vice-President Osinbajo for his six-day vacation, and transmitted a formal letter on it to the National Assembly. Without detracting from the President’s high moral standing and reputation as someone eager to do things rightly, it is gratifying that the present framing of the Constitution leaves no Nigerian leader much choice to do otherwise. This is because the 2010 amendment, following from the experience of the Yar’Adua years, replaces discretion with obligation on a President who will be momentarily unavailable to serve the National Assembly a formal notice of that absence and accordingly transmit power. The amended provision, which is now sub-section 1 of Section 145 states: “Whenever the President is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to that effect, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, the Vice-President shall perform the functions of the President as Acting President.”

    For reinforced effect, a new sub-section 2 was inserted in the 2010 amendment stipulating that where an absentee President fails to transmit the written declaration within 21 days, “the National Assembly shall, by a resolution made by a simple majority…mandate the Vice-President to perform the functions of the President as Acting President until the President transmits a letter to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives that he is now available to resume his functions as President.”

    These new provisions tightened the screws on the one-clause provision in the Constitution before the amendment, which tacitly left to the President the discretion on whether or not to transmit a letter to the National Assembly. That old clause had stated: “Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.” The discretionary undertone in this old provision, I dare say, largely contributed to the crisis of 2009.

    It wasn’t that President Buhari, under strict provisions of the 2010 amendment, needed to have transmitted power for his six-day vacation. Twenty-one days is the stipulated cut, and it must be a measure of his transparent leadership and strong morality that he followed through with the constitutional provision for a vacation lasting only six days. Meanwhile, not a few Nigerians wrestled with the novelty of their leader taking a voluntary break from power, and so, insinuations flew that the President had some health challenge that compelled his taking the time off. Some persons also suggested that the unfolding debacle of the 2016 national budget in the National Assembly might have unduly stressed the President’s psychophysical make-up. The Presidency, of course, debunked those narratives, affirming that the President was in good health and only took a deserved respite from work.

    My take is that whatever the President spent his brief vacation on should not detract from the moral of that vacation. Many Nigerians, in public as much as in private spheres, are chronically averse to vacationing. Top officers in most sectors of our national life are notorious for holding fort interminably and preferring that their annual leave be monetised – not because they are bionics who do not wear out with time and work stress, but because they could not afford to step aside and allow others to interrogate their records of official dealings when they are not there. President Buhari’s vacation was a refreshing break from the sit-tight syndrome, and an exemplar of clear conscience.

    But it is helpful still that the country’s Constitution now makes transmitting of power by a President upon temporary indisposition obligatory, rather than discretionary as it was before the 2010 amendment. That may be the compelling factor for a future leader, if not much so now with the high integrity quotient of the present leader. It was the allowance for discretion in the old provision that the infamous “cabal” of the Yar’Adua administration exploited in withholding power upon his medical trip to Saudi Arabia in November 2009, which resulted in the constitutional crisis that compelled the National Assembly to invoke a “doctrine of necessity” in appointing then Vice-President Jonathan as Acting President. If you recall, the “cabal” was so disingenuous with this constitutional provision for discretion that we were regaled by its frontmen, like former Attorney-General Michael Andoakaa, with theories to the effect that the President personified Aso Rock and could run the country from anywhere in the world – even while incommunicado on a hospital bed!

    Nigeria takes after the United States’ presidential system, and that country has its provision for temporary transfer of power in Section 3 of the 25th Amendment of its Constitution. The provision has, however, been used by only two Presidents in the country’s history: In July 1985 when President Ronald Reagan ceded power to George H. W. Bush (Snr.) for colon cancer surgery, and in June 2002 as well as July 2007 when President George Bush (Jnr.) transferred power to Dick Cheney to undergo colonoscopy procedures. President Bush (Jnr.) was in surgery for barely two hours in 2002, but America was then at war in Iraq, and he said he was ceding power “out of an abundance of caution.” Incidentally, American presidents are notorious for taking out short vacations, and they retain power when they do. Not that it is forbidden for ours to do likewise if they would be away, but visible and accessible within 21 days; except they deem it fit to let go out of an abundance of caution.

  • The awaiting glory of Lagos

    By the year 2025, it is projected that about 40 million people will be living in Lagos, Nigeria’s foremost mega society, the economic hub of West Africa and the most populated African community. Lagos is undoubtedly Nigeria’s second in terms of administrative complexities. It is often said that any Governor who can manage the city successfully can obviously manage the entire country.

    Towards the close of 7th Assembly, the former Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) addressed the Assembly in a special session to present clear situation of economic challenges based on dwindling financial situation as orchestrated by the federal government under former President Goodluck Jonathan as a result of sharp decline on federal allocations and refusal of the federal government to reimburse Lagos State on project executed on its behalf.

    Lagos with strong economic base and opportunities does not come without challenges especially managing a steadily rising population which has continued to put pressures on facilities, making big efforts from the government to translate into little impacts in the eyes of the populace.

    The emergence of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, a seasoned career accountant as Governor is a blessing to Lagos State at this critical economic relapse. A great money saver, prudent financial manager, astute believer in planning and steady approach to sustainable human development, Mr Ambode is an antidote against a financially staggered Lagos in a time like this. He comes with high profile in managing special financial situation as evident in the roles previously played in salvaging the state against gagging by the federal government under former ruling party, the PDP and precisely the Obasanjo administration when Lagos created 37 additional Local Governments. Then, Mr Ambode was the Accountant General of the state.

    The present picture is crystal clear that States’ revenues are fast decreasing. The fall in global price of crude oil coupled with excessive looting of national treasury has adversely affected our federal revenue and obviously its reflective impacts on the States. Our country has been put into a comatose that every State needs a genius as Governor to survive this trying time.

    If I am not sure of any other thing about Mr Governor, I am confident that he possesses the passion, coupled with skills and professionalism to turn our Lagos around for better. In few months of Akinwunmi Ambode administration, the Governor has made frantic moves that suggest Lagosians need not panic about the future.

    First, you see a Governor that is swift and very responsive to issues affecting his State. In addition, you see a Governor that is steady; he studies situations before coming out with policies. Governor Ambode took adequate time to review all administrative matters on his table before he started acting. As far as my knowledge of governance can take me, I believe there is no better way to ensure smooth transition from one administrator to another without hitch. Since then, every step taken by him is a pointer to governance that is inclusive, engaging and people oriented.

    Good governance is primarily about sound policy; whether it has immediate impact is another issue entirely. Governor Ambode hits the ground running by tackling headlong the security challenges in the State. The impact was immediate and effective. He began overhauling of the traffic management system and on the way to rolling out a traffic system suitable for addressing challenges posed by over two million vehicles that ply Lagos metropolis daily. The Governor recently reviewed partnership with transport union on LAGBUS and BRT in order to bring sanity and ensure decent, ideal conveyance for Lagosians while using public facility.

    As a legislator, I am aware that implementation of our laws is a serious issue given our peculiar mega environment. Conscious of the need to ensure our laws work effectively on government and the governed, the Governor recently inaugurated Board for the Lagos state Law Reform Commission which is a major step towards deepening democracy and the rule of law. Modern and civilized societies thrive on the quality of laws which regulate and guide actions of government, organizations, institutions and individuals. The dynamics of the law is relative to time and circumstances therefore demands that laws are revisited periodically to ensure their relevance and effectiveness.

    For every government that has succeeded globally, their policies on youth development are unbeatable. Realising the strength of young people, the need to see youth as strength of the nation rather than problems, coupled with the desire to inject energy into his administration as required by the reality of the time, Mr Ambode made youth empowerment one of the cardinal point of his campaign, which he has already started fulfilling. I am particularly happy with the establishment of Wealth Creation Ministry which is first of its kind in the entire country. This will drive our youth to productivity, self-reliance and creative sustenance. By signing the Employment Trust Fund bill into law, he has also demonstrated his readiness for high-level youth engagement. Tactically, the government will be proffering solutions to the economic challenges of the State and creating financial prospects in partnership with young people as N25 billion will be spent on entrepreneurship developments in the State channelled through the youth platforms. How smart! The One Lagos Fiesta that was put together in all divisions of the state to close the year 2015 with the youths also shows Mr Governor’s social ‘connect’ with the youth…the best way to go!!

    Interestingly, I am aware that civil servants were jokingly saying the Governor pays their salaries too early. Why not? He is civil service oriented and waits not for the sweat of labourers to dry as commanded by God. Even the out-of-service senior citizens or others who have one entitlement or the other are being promptly attended to in order to ensure no one goes to bed hungry while government is indebted to them. The Governor is also lighting up the state, improving night life and enhancing security of our communities day and night. Installation of over ten thousand CCTV camera will go a long way improving security situation and promote safety.

    As a lawmaker who is equally very passionate about seeing Lagos work, I am extolling the virtues of this administration to strengthen hopes of our people in what I believe will work. After our sleepless nights and hard-work at ensuring appropriation budget is timely attended to. The Governor, on the first working day of the new year signed the N662.588 billion Appropriation into law with a promise that the budget would be faithfully implemented in line with the determination of his administration to make Lagos work for all, irrespective of age, gender, tribe or status. What I see is a budget that will work. I see hope for our people!

    Ambode is building a Lagos for all – a Lagos where all can access opportunities for growth and development, not just a few people. We have challenges of a complex mega society but patience with this administration will help us more than any other factor to get to the Promised Land. Ours is a multi-ethnic society where every family all over the country has a representative. Our fight for special status on Lagos is undying and we shall resume the call with the Buhari’s administration.

    If you see what I see, a more prosperous Lagos beckons. We should take all it has to offer and also offer our best civic responsibilities. Governor Ambode is walking on the path of his predecessors who have achieved remarkable successes; of course Lagos has always been blessed with great Governors. Surely, I see Ambode becoming yet another glory for our dear Lagos after four years of exceptional turn-around of our mini Nigeria and a State known as the economic hope of Africa.

     

    • Olulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Epe Constituency II

  • Murtala Muhammed and 500 years of Nigeria’s history ( I )

    Forty years after General Ramat Murtala Mohammed was assassinated on Friday 13th February 1976 has crept up on us with deadly stealth.

    Even if there was any chance that the horror, brutality and savagery which scarred our nation’s history would be quietly forgotten, a severe jolt was provided by the verdict delivered by his successor General OlusegunObasanjo :

    “Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators acting like emperors.  These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless.”

    We shall revert to the full text of the judgement delivered except that there was no “obiter dictum” (outside the word/said by the way) to the effect that General Murtala Mohammed must be turning in his grave.

    Former President of Nigeria, Chief OlusegunObasanjo, on Monday lambasted some state governors in Nigeria for living like emperors while demanding sacrifice from the citizens for Nigeria to survive the hard times.

    Obasanjo chided the governors while speaking as the chairman at the inaugural conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, held at the University of Ibadan [ISGPP].

    Obasanjo said when he became Nigerian president in 1999; he recognised corruption as a major impediment to the Nigerian state, setting up structures like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to fight the rot. However, he said that after he left, corruption returned to Nigeria with a vengeance, draining billions of dollars from the nation’s economy that could hardly afford to lose even a million dollars.

    He said, “Leaders who call for sacrifice from the citizenry cannot be living in obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in government and deal with our peace and security challenges.

    We must address the issue of employment for our teeming population particularly for our youths. Leadership must mentor the young, and provide them with hope about their future as part of a process of inter-generational conversation.

    Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators, acting like emperors. These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless.

    Is there development work going on in the 774 constitutionally recognised local government councils, which have been merely appropriated as private estates of some governors?

    Some governors have hijacked the resources of the local governments and this has crippled the developments of the local government councils in the country. The National Assembly must also open its budgets to public scrutiny.”

    The former president said the drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market had exposed the weakness of governance in Nigeria, while also saying that Nigeria was racing towards becoming a nation of debt with its attendant burden on the citizens.

    “The drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market has unravelled the weakness of governance in Nigeria. The Minister of Finance has recently announced that the 2016 budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the draft document before the National Assembly, to N3 trillion due to decline in the price of crude oil.

    If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed, Nigeria may be on its way to another episode of debt overhang which may not be good for the country,” Obasanjo said.

    On the establishment of ISGPP in Ibadan, Obasanjo said there was clearly a need for schools of its kind that would focus research and teaching on implementing policy and making the government work well in Africa.

    “I hope it will generate ideas that will lead us from thinking to doing. It must not only generate ideas, it must foster a willingness to use those ideas within government and non-government sectors,” he said.

    At the two day-conference, themed, ‘Getting government to work for development and democracy in Nigeria: agenda for change’, Chairman, Board of Governors of the ISGPP, who is a former foreign Affairs Minister, Chief EmekaAnyaoku, and professor of international history and politics, John Evans, also delivered addresses among other speakers.

    Perhaps we should remind ourselves that on 29th July, 1975 General Yakubu Gowon was toppled in a bloodless coup d’etat while he was away in Kampala, East Africa attending an OAU summit.

    The coup leaders were a group of officers led by Colonel Joe NanvenGarba, but rather than grab power themselves, they ceded it to their superior officers.  BrigadierMurtala Mohammed was installed as the new Head of State with Brigadier OlusegunObasanjo as the Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters (Vice-President) and Brigadier TheophilusYakubuDanjuma as the Chief of Army Staff.

    Thankfully, Lt.General T.Y. Danjuma in his typically robust manner has delivered his own verdict on a section of our beloved nation.

    Focus On Africa (CNN)

    and front page report of “ThisDay” newspaper of February 4, 2016.

    Headline:  DANJUMA: N2 TRILLION REQUIRED TO REBUILD NORTH EAST

    “The Chairman, Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative, Lt-Gen. TheophilusDanjuma (Rtd.) has estimated that over N2 trillion will be required in the short-term to rebuild the zone ravaged by the Boko Haram terrorists.

    Danjuma stated this yesterday during the opening of the two-day security seminar, organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC), in Abuja.

    He however, noted that the rebuilding of the region would require the cooperation of all stakeholders, saying that “the magnitude of destruction was beyond the means of the federal or state governments.”

    According to him, rebuilding the North-East would demand maximum cooperation and resources, especially in the most affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

    He said: “Conservative estimates put the cost of short-term intervention of the reconstruction of the region at over N2trillion.

    “Rebuilding the North-East is one of the biggest and most complex challenges that Nigeria is facing today.  To hold government or any one agency alone responsible for this task is to underestimate the enormity of the problem.

    “The task would involve massive    reconstruction of physical infrastructure, much of which have been totally destroyed and, of course, the more challenging one, which is the rebuilding of peace and social cohesion.”

    Speaking further, Danjuma called on Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to support the initiative of the federal government to rebuild the region.

    He gave an assurance that the various platforms established by government for the reconstruction of the region would be carefully managed to check embezzlement of resources.

    The former Minister of Defence stressed that the various initiatives under his chairmanship would deploy the best strategies in ensuring that the expectations of the victims of the insurgency and donors were met.

    “The rebuilding of the North-East requires considerable planning and coordination.  It is largely in response to this that the president has set up the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative to, among other things, oversee and harmonise the functions of the various entities engaged in the North-East.

    This task, we must discharge transparently and accountably so that our country is not embarrassed by fresh allegations of corruption in the management of the North-East reconstruction,” he said.

    Danjuma, also warned that the war against Boko Haram was not yet over and urged that a lot was still required to prevent the spate of suicide bombings in the country.

    In the same vein, the Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali (Rtd), described the destruction caused by the insurgency as monumental and one that requires the attention and intervention of all Nigerians.

    Dan-Ali said the ministry was concerned about the plight of displaced persons as well as the conduct and welfare of troops in the area.

    He blamed the present state of the war against insurgency and the resulting effect on displaced persons on the endemic corruption that plagued the procurement of the necessary equipment to prosecute the war.

    He expressed hope that the present initiative of President MuhammaduBuhari, aimed at reconstructing the region, would yield the needed results.

    Also speaking, the President of the alumni association, Brig-Gen. Jonathan Temlong (Rtd), said the seminar was an attempt by the association to put into perspective the issue of rebuilding the North-East.

    Temlong described the rebuilding of the North-East as a complex process and the living condition of displaced persons as chaotic and dehumanising.

    He said Borno had the highest number of IDPs totalling over 1.6 million as at October 2015, with over one million others taking refuge in Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic.

    The participants in the seminar were drawn from civil society organisation, traditional institution, development partners and security agencies.

     

    • To be continued next Sunday

  • Zakat Foundation empowers 21,038 with N111m

    Zakat Foundation empowers 21,038 with N111m

    A faith-based non-governmental organisation, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) has disbursed the sum of N111 million to 21,038 beneficiaries across the South-east, South-south and South-west regions of the country.

    The disbursement ceremony, 11th in its series, was held at the Multi-purpose hall, Lagos State Secretariat Mosque, Ikeja, Lagos.

    ZSF Executive Director Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, said the disbursement was meant to cater for medical and economic needs of the beneficiaries.

    Economic empowerment of Nigerians, Shuaib said, is a priority.

    This, he said, became necessary due to the level of poverty in the country where more than 67 percent of the 170 million population earn less than one dollar per day.

    He said corruption; unemployment and lack of social security for the poor, needy and aged have compounded the situation from bad to worse.

    Shuaib said: “The implication of this ugly scenario is that most of the applicants as well as the beneficiaries of today find it very challenging to meet up with their basic needs of life. Furthermore, the figures also indicate that most of the beneficiaries are extremely deprived of access to qualitative health-care facilities due to their financial constraints among others.

    “It is however gratifying to note that we have a new government at the federal level as well as a new regime in Lagos State that came with a change mantras to right the wrong of the immediate past administration and build a new culture of deepening the welfare of its citizenry and make their security one of the major policy thrusts of their administration.

    “As a development partner, we shall continue to deepen our social services delivery to the less-privileged; thereby complementing government services while adding values to the life of humanity which is one of the major themes of Islam – to love and care for those suffering from deprivation and lack of access to qualitative social services. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our humble way of walking our talk is the support we are giving to some of the beneficiaries present here.”

    Aside cheques presentation, some of the items distributed include industrial sewing machines, 14 deep freezers, four tricycles and one motorcycle. Also were grinding machine, a pop-corn machine, a laptop, a complete computer system, a binding machine, printer, scanner, among others.

    The executive director urged the beneficiaries to be self-disciplined with the Zakat fund as well as the items been given to them.

    “This can help you become self-independent in the nearest future and possibly employers of labour and not seekers of employment,” he said.

    Shuaib thanked the Zakat payers, charity donors, development partners such as An-Nur Eye Centre and Human Concern Foundation International.

    ZSF Board of Director chairman Prince Sulayman Olagunju said the policy thrust of the foundation is to add values to humanity and also to help the rich to enrich the poor.

    “For us at the Foundation, the socio-economic wellbeing of the less-privileged in our society is of utmost concern. And to deepen the quality services our field workers render to humanity, we shall continue to build the capacity of our staff-members across the country with a view to improving the social services delivery of the Foundation to Muslims and non-Muslims,” Olagunju said.

    Guest speaker Sheikh Imran AbdulMajeed Eleha, urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of it, so that they would be able to pay Zakat in the near future for others to benefit.

    Sheikh Imran thereafter identified poverty and ignorance as two major problems bedevilling Muslims in Nigeria.

    His words: “Poverty and Ignorance are the two major challenges confronting Muslims in Nigeria. If we are to tackle ignorance among Muslims, there is an urgent need for the promotion of qualitative education. But as tackling poverty requires money, a whole lot of money too is also needed to curb illiteracy among Muslims. From this end, I want to advise the Foundation to promote knowledge that would positively be of benefit to Islam.

    “Therefore, I would suggest that the foundation earmark certain percentage of the Zakat fund for the sponsorship of Itinerant students of Islamic knowledge and also expend part of the fund to organise seminars to enlightened those scholars who in actual fact are ignorant of what the Quran and hadiths say and as such are promoting their selfish agenda thereby causing chaos and destruction in the society. After this, the Foundation should empower them financially to be able to sustain themselves as they propagate Islam”.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef hailed the foundation for its impact over the years.

    “One of the advantages of Zakat,” the commissioner said, “is that it enables equal distributions of wealth. Apart from this, it also creates wealth. In a society where there is crime, obviously, in such society there are no equal distributions of wealth. Therefore, one of the ways of balancing this is through the payment of Zakat where we take from the rich and give to the poor and it is being done here by the Foundation”.

     

    • The Message returns next week
  • Why advanced nations adopt Islamic banking

    Why advanced nations adopt Islamic banking

    The Guild of Muslim Professionals (GMP) has said advanced nations are adopting Islamic Banking System because of the product’s numerous advantages.

    In a communiqué signed by its Board of Trustee (BoT) chairman, Mr Hakeem Oyewale, GMP said if well harnessed, Islamic banking system can  revitalise the current challenging state of the  economy.

    According to the group, advanced countries in Europe like Great Britain, France and other non-Islamic nations such as South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, among others are practising the system alongside conventional banking system.

    The phobia for the implementation of the Islamic Finance system in Nigeria should not have arisen if Nigerians understand the benefits inherent in the system.

    The group urged the government to create an enabling environment for the operators of the Islamic Banking services like provision of appropriate regulatory and legal provisions.

    “Operators,” he said “should work together and ensure due awareness and sensitisation for Nigerians to appreciate the system.

    “Muslims were enjoined to take up Islamic financing products as a way of financing projects from available institutions.

    “Proper awareness and sensitisation for local clerics should be embarked upon so as to increase patronage for Islamic Banking.”

    The group called on Nigerians to take up entrepreneurship activities as additional streams of income and job creation opportunities for fellow Nigerians.

  • NAFDAC as change agent

    NAFDAC as change agent

    Historically, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was conceptualised for implementation in December 1992. That was when its first governing council was formed. In January the following year, the supporting legislation Decree No. 15 of 1993, was approved by the then Armed Forces Ruling Council of Nigeria to lay the foundation for its effective take off on January 1, 1994, as parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health to replace the ministry’s ex-Directorate of Food and Drug Administration and Control. That was 22 years ago!

    Statutorily, the agency is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and pre-packaged water in Nigeria. Its creation was inspired by a 1988 World Health Assembly resolution requesting member-countries’ help in combating the global health threat posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and amidst concerns about the growing problem of fake and poorly regulated drugs in Nigeria. The effects of drug faking and adulteration can be felt from both the country of manufacture to the recipient countries. Nigeria has had more than her fair share of the effects of this menace. I must, however, commendably add that she is also winning the war.

    The institution of NAFDAC 22 years ago has become the most progressive step taken by the nation’s leaders in the fight against food and drug faking and adulteration. The agency has been most aggressive and innovative in designing and deploying regulation and control best practices in line with global trends.  It has carried on very well its responsibility of intensifying continuous search for the means of maximally improving the professionalism of the key players in the nation’s pharmaceutical and food sectors.

    Expectedly, NAFDAC’s laborious efforts as a regulator are such that they are positioned to midwife a change for progress in the country. In its change agent role, the agency has become a revolutionizing catalyst for progressive change and modernization. In the process, Nigeria has been reaping bountiful dividends.

    Nigeria is lucky to have in President Muhammadu Buhari a change-compliant leader. He and his economic team have demonstrated the panache for innovativeness-for-prosperity spirit, a remarkable departure from the platitudinous past. The new leaders have found in Nigerians the immeasurable appetite for a holistic change in virtually all segments of human endeavors, be it social, economic and political. And in this hunger for change, NAFDAC has been a willing ally.

    Towards meeting national expectations, the agency has embraced hi-tech approach to combating the age long menace of drug counterfeiting and adulteration in Nigeria. It is recorded and noted globally that this singular and very bold move has helped to reduce the prevalence of counterfeited and fake drugs syndrome in the country. This technology-driven dynamism brought to bear on the agency by the Dr Paul B Orhii-led management is unprecedented in the annals of the nation’s healthcare regulation.

    The wisdom in NAFDAC’s adoption of the Mobile Authentication Service [GSM SMS MAS] system to authenticate pharmaceutical products to combat counterfeiters, as well as protect the safety and quality of medications sold in Nigeria is to successfully conscript the teeming Nigeria mobile telephone users into the war against drug counterfeiting. The mobile authentication service (MAS) technology, also known as Scratch and Text messaging system, enables consumers to confirm whether the drug they intend to purchase is genuine or not through the use of a mobile phone. This technology is registered with the major telecommunication networks in the country such as Glo, MTN, Airtel, Etisalat. This life-saving innovation launched by Dr. Paul Orhii has put the power of detecting counterfeit medicines in the hands of over 100 million Nigerian cell phone users. It is remarkable to the extent that it is all-inclusive.

    Taking it further and to ensure  that consumers buy only drugs that are of high quality, wholesome and safe, NAFDAC directed all manufacturers, importers and marketers to provide only drugs that are MAS-enabled. They could be anti-malarial, anti-biotic or anti-diabetics drug, but must conform to stipulated rules and regulations. To further enhance the level of publicity, the agency has had to take the campaigns on MAS down to the grassroots, schools, hospitals and the general public.

    Still on the deployment of technology, NAFDAC launched mobile application to help increase consumers engagement. These device types include smart phones, palm tops, table personal computers, personal digital assistant (PDA) and Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA).The ‘mobile app’ engages consumers and the general public with rich features that keep them updated about the latest news, events, guidelines and safety alerts from NAFDAC right in the palm of their hands. Anyone with a mobile device globally can download the app and stay updated about the agency on the go. The launched app, which is on the android platform, can be downloaded on all devices running on the android operating system from the online store at www.play.google.com.

    Worthy of mention is the deployment of Truscan (hand-held device for instant detection of fake drugs}, Radio Frequency Identification System (used for verification of NAFDAC regulated products and documents thereby enabling the track and trace of products while simultaneously preventing forgery of sensitive documents); Black Eye machines (for detecting counterfeit medicines) as well as the mobile mini-laboratory kits. Through them, the agency has successfully demonstrated sincerity in its avowed commitment towards ensuring that Nigerians have unhindered access to efficacious, qualitative and very safe medicines. Their success has become a reference point in the global community.

    Testifying to the efficacy of the deployment of hi-tech in the global fight against drug counterfeiting, the Director General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, once asserted that there was a drastic reduction of the failure of anti-malaria drugs from 64 percent to 20 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2008 to 2011while it has reportedly declined to about three percent in Nigeria. Nigeria via NAFDAC has contributed much in this regard.

    Strengthened by the Food and Drug Act CAP R32 LFN of 2004, NAFDAC has lived up to its core mandate of regulating the manufacturing, production, sales, distribution and importation of processed foods and drugs in Nigeria. It does not take rocket science to imagine the millions of lives saved daily by these laudable innovations. Undoubtedly, NAFDAC would be one of the national agencies to be relied upon in the current crusade by the current administration to transform Nigeria through the change mantra.

    We must not be unmindful of the fact that fake and counterfeit drugs deny people their right to healthy living; and in the most extreme, they cause untimely death. The professionally dynamic efforts of NAFDAC have drastically mediated such risks. So, we can safely assert that the agency has lived up to the expectations of its founding fathers. At the most critical time in the nation’s evolution, Dr. Orhii received the baton of management of the agency, and he has remained on top of his mandate.

     

    • Ikhilae is a Lagos-based public affairs analyst.